Page 6 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy (Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch #5)

“SO HE HAS no recollection of his life before this?” Lisbeth whispers. She, Anika, and Ashley stand before me in the foyer. We have a clear view of the living room where Kai currently sits, intently reading on my laptop. Hopefully we’re at a distance where the dude can’t hear us discussing him.

“None,” I reply. “Well, somewhat, but it’s fragmented pieces.

And every time I bring up his past, he gets more and more upset.

” I frown and glance at him. He idly pushes back his long, dark hair as he continues to read.

Kai got used to the internet in a surprisingly short amount of time.

He informed me that electricity was rare in his home, so I gave him a crash course on some devices.

He was apprehensive of the hairdryer, but he seems to be enjoying the articles I’ve pulled up.

He has over one hundred years of history to catch up on.

“But has he…” Ashley rolls her head around, trying to find the words.

“No, he hasn’t tried to hurt me or even cast any spells.”

“So, he is a witch?” Anika looks between the other two ladies. “Have we confirmed?”

“We all saw his magic,” I say.

“That was the beast’s magic,” Lisbeth retorts. She plays with her curly brown hair, and I know she’s lost in a dozen thoughts. That’s fair, after all, we just freed a shadow beast and turned him back into a muscular, sexy Chinese guy.

I mean, regular guy. Kai is a regular guy, and his British accent certainly does nothing to my body.

Nope. I swore off men for the time being, and I formally told off Kevin approximately five minutes ago.

I’m not going to fall into the lap of a literal stranger who came from my statue.

Though, the image of his abs leading down to that cock is forever seared in my memory…

I clear my throat, and the four of us gaze at him again. “So much of him is a mystery. But I don’t get the vibe that he wants to hurt me, or us,” I explain.

“Hopefully we can rule out dark mage,” Anika says.

“It’s all been vibes so far―your vibes, Seb,” Lisbeth says. She continues to play with her hair and study the man. “I haven’t had a chance to check all my tomes.”

“There are other shifter mages?” I ask.

“Oh, yes,” Lisbeth answers, nodding. “But like us, they don’t exactly expose their powers.

We don’t live in a world that takes kindly to any magic user, be they witch, wizard, or anything else.

But history books tell of several families of shifter mages.

Their power was…far greater than what we have ever wielded. ”

“So then it’s agreed that Kai is a powerful shifter mage? Case closed?” Ashley asks in her tiny voice.

The door unlocks just as Lisbeth says, “The case is just getting opened.”

“I made it,” Taina says, walking in. She’s clad in her scrubs, and she plops her bag down on the nearby table. “You won’t believe the patients I had today. One kid—”

“Yes, yes, that’s nice,” Lisbeth says, waving her off. “Now we, as a coven, can introduce ourselves to our new friend.”

I gulp in nervousness. Once Lisbeth has her heart set on finding answers, she gets them. My only hope is that I protect Kai in this delicate state.

“I call this coven meeting into order!” Lisbeth sits across from Kai and me on the couch. Ashley, Anika, and Taina all have chairs, so we’re a little circle in the living room. “Boysen House coven, roll call.”

Everyone else except Kai groans. “Seriously?” I mutter.

“Yes.” Lisbeth sits straighter. “Lisbeth Boysen. Historical witch, and leader of the coven.” She turns to her left, and Ashley nods.

“Ashley Strulovich…um, protection witch.” She gives a little wave, and Kai nods.

“You know me. Seb Suarez, potions witch.” Kai and I exchange a smile, and the three inches between us on the couch feel like a hundred miles and too close, all at once.

“Taina Santana.” My best friend smiles and waves. “Divination witch.”

“Anika San Gupta.” She straightens her back, and I notice how her dark brown skin contrasts with her pink dress. “Green witch, for all your herbology needs.”

Kai nods, and there’s a moment of silence as everyone stares at him expectantly. “Oh, um…I am…Zhou Kai, but you can call me Zhou. Or Kai.”

Lisbeth looks around. “Well, welcome. I must say, this is the first time we’ve had a shifter in our midst.”

“And one that uses arcana,” Ashley adds. She brushes back her trim brown bangs. “Um, wild magic.”

“How long have you been studying magic?” Taina asks.

“I, too, am curious,” Anika says in her posh British accent. “I must know how you became a shifter.”

“I…don’t really know.” Kai radiates discomfort, and I once again feel the instinct to protect him.

“Now, Anika, all the ancient texts claim that shifters are familial traits,” Lisbeth says.

“Ah. Like my lovely frame.” Anika puts her hands on her waist and smiles, and we let out soft laughter.

“If you’re from Hong Kong, why do you have a British accent?” Taina asks. “Or did you travel around the world?”

“The British controlled Hong Kong for a very long time,” Ashley says.

“And we should cool the interrogation,” I say, putting a hand in front of Kai. I can tell his back is tensing up, testing the white fabric of my biggest shirt. “He just woke up.”

“You’re right. We should have refreshments!” Lisbeth declares. She turns to the others and adds, “Time to conjure a meal?” We all nod in interest. Lisbeth turns to Ashley and asks, “Could you…?”

“Right.” Ashley stands up and begins picking up random discs throughout the living room.

She holds one up to reveal a rune carved into it.

“These are my spell wards, magic dampeners. I put them up just in case the lion tried to shoot any arcana, or like, um…” She looks down in discomfort, then scurries away.

“I’m sorry about all that,” I whisper.

“It is fine.” Kai turns to the others. “I do not blame you all for being careful. I am a stranger in your house.”

“Well, I started this house for magical beings.” Lisbeth leans forward. “We witches got to stick together, after all.”

“Literally, our magic needs to be mixed together,” Taina says.

“Speaking of that,” Lisbeth adds. “Are you a witch? Formally speaking?”

Kai stares down at the coffee table. I can tell his tenuous memories are bothering him, so I tap his back. “Hey, let’s all get to work summoning a meal, okay?” I continue, “Then maybe we can relax and get to know each other in a no-pressure environment.”

“Right.” Lisbeth sits up straight and puts her hands out. Ashley returns, presumably cleaning the house of spell wards. “So, we want our early dinner, correct?”

“I haven’t had Chinese in some time,” Anika says with a smile.

Kai sits up straight. “Allow me.” He twirls his hand in a small circle above the wooden coffee table.

Green arcana flows from his fingertips, and the energy in the room shifts.

In seconds, wooden dim sum containers and six pairs of chopsticks appear.

The smell of fresh Cantonese cuisine fills my nostrils, and my eyebrows jump.

What?

“Uh…what…what just…?” Lisbeth is at a loss for words. We all look at Kai, who seems completely relaxed.

“Oh, I am sorry. I forgot.” He waves his wrist, and in seconds, a steaming teapot with six cups appears on the table. “We need tea to have a meal.”

The room is quiet; I doubt we’re even blinking. My coven must all be thinking what I am. Ashley is the first to break the silence when she asks, “You…conjured by yourself?”

“Yes.” Kai reaches for chopsticks, then glances at me inquisitively. “Is that a problem? I thought it would be polite since you are housing me.”

Lisbeth swiftly opens up one wooden container. She picks up a pink piece of dim sum, and we all stare at it in confusion. “This…is…?”

“It is siomai,” Kai says.

“It’s real,” Lisbeth murmurs. The ladies all pick up various parts of the meal before us to confirm that this is no illusion. Then, they all turn to Kai.

“What?” he asks.

“Are you alright?” I ask. He shrugs in confusion. “But you summoned it by yourself.”

“In broad daylight,” Ashley whispers.

“Is that wrong?”

Anika shakes her head. “Witches don’t have enough power to cast a conjuring spell alone.”

“Unless by the light of the full moon or we use our blood,” I add. “Even then, some spells are too complicated for us.”

“We were going to summon it as a group,” Taina explains.

“But you…” Lisbeth sits back in shock. “You did it by yourself.”

Kai nods. “Is that bad?”

“Did you pull the magic from the sun?” Lisbeth asks.

Kai shakes his head. “I have not been outside, but…” He flexes his fingers, like it’s no big deal.

“Did you study from a wizard or witch teacher?” Ashley asks.

Kai shakes his head and looks down. “I do not remember. All I know is that magic is…almost instinctual. Just like my lion form, it is part of me.”

We stare, dumbfounded, for a few seconds.

I’m sure Lisbeth is concerned, because Kai just showed us he’s not a witch.

Anika breaks the silence by clapping her hands.

“Well, we won’t get any answers on an empty stomach.

I think we should partake.” Anika smiles and begins to pick up dim sum with her chopsticks.

“After all, our new solo-mage-friend Kai is treating us!”

Cautiously, we dig in. The food is flavorful, with bursts of chicken, pork, and seafood. It’s just as good as it was in Hong Kong. “Thank you for all this,” I say quietly.

“It is my pleasure to share with you.” My cheeks warm at his words. Maybe it’s all the free food, but in this moment, my affection for this stranger grows. Kai is very much a mystery, but despite that, I think we could become friends.

A few minutes of eating later, Taina asks, “So, is this what you eat at home? Oh wait, you don’t remember your home, sorry.”

“It is fine,” Kai says. He stares at the tea in his hand. “This food…it reminds me of a time long ago. When I was small, my family used to feed this to me.”

“So you remember them?” Lisbeth asks.

Kai slowly nods. “Barely. I know for sure I was twenty-seven years old before I woke up to meet all of you. But back when I was a teenager, my…parents stopped talking to me.”

We all freeze, feeling the immensity of this moment. After a beat, he continues, “They did not approve of my lifestyle.”

My mouth goes dry. Is this hot dude implying what I think he’s implying? “They did not like that I wanted to settle down, romantically, with a man, and not a woman.”

Cauldrons. He’s gay, too! My heart skips a beat, and my dick wants to throw a parade. Settle down, little Seb.

After a few more moments of silence, Kai gazes at all of us. “Is that a problem? Do you want me to leave?”

“Nonsense!” Lisbeth leans forward to grab more siomai, and just like that, we all go back to eating. “Boysen House accepts all genders and orientations. There has been quite a bit of progress for the LGBTQ community since 1925, especially here in America.”

“Not enough,” Ashley mutters.

“LG what?” Kai asks.

“I’ll tell you later,” I whisper. And I certainly will. Kai shares a smile with me as the others continue to discuss their favorite dim sum. We may have only just met, but on some instinctual level, I know this look of fondness is only for me.

So, he’s probably gay, definitely friendly, and likely staying here for now…

so what? I’ll just be his guide to this new era in history.

He still needs to gain his bearings and get his memories back, so he has no time for flirting.

We’ll be platonic buddies. Soon, he’ll probably leave us to go do whatever lion-shifter mages do.

Getting involved with him would be a magical disaster.

I’ll simply ignore his tight body, cute smile, and his generous attitude.

He’s the new witch-or-wizard on the block, and there’s certainly nothing romantic growing between us.