Page 44 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)
Morgan
I tensed as my neck craned to see the four council members enter the chamber, filing into the room one by one in a line, the last swinging the door shut behind her as they made their way to the front.
I’d never been this nervous in my life, my entire world riding on the decision Colton’s father was about to make about my future. If I were to stay in Cutters Cove or not.
Tyler stood beside me, his grip on my hand reminding me of the last time we were here, trying to find the whereabouts of my parents. Well, I found them alright.
I stared at my father, my birth father, who stood in front of me with Betty.
Now cleanly shaven and with his hair cropped, he looked handsome, and it warmed my heart to see them standing side by side.
It seemed like a lifetime ago since the dance, since the nightmare Wesley and Helena had weaved upon us.
None of us understood why Wesley had done it, especially Tyler. He hadn’t talked about it much, preferring to change the subject whenever it was brought up, but I knew when he was ready, he would .
The scraping of a chair on concrete brought me back to the council members now seated at the front of the chamber.
Arthur pushed his glasses further up his nose, then adjusted his robes.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “In light of recent events, I’ve conversed with the council at Port Fallere. This is not something I do often, if ever, but I felt under these circumstances, and after speaking with both Betty and Gerald, it was necessary.”
My chest tightened, the insides of my stomach curling with anxiety.
I gripped Tyler’s hand tighter.
“Cutters Coven and Sacred Souls have come to an agreement that Morgan was taken from her coven against both her and her father’s will. Therefore, it has been decided that Morgan is to stay in Cutters Cove with her mate Tyler, under the council of Cutters Coven.”
A torrent of relief left me in a rushed breath, Tyler’s hands wrapping around me at the same time as his lips found my temple.
I stood motionless as if in a daydream, not believing it to be real.
That my life had fallen into place in the space of one sentence.
My hands clenched together in front of me. “Thank you,” I said, pitching my voice over the murmurs of relief expressed by Betty and Gerald. They turned to me with smiles lighting their faces.
Arthur nodded in my direction. “I will sort the paperwork in the next week. ”
Tyler grabbed my shoulders, then cupped my cheek. We had no words, pure shock reducing everything we needed to say into a mere look exchanged between us.
“Congrats, Morgan.” I turned to find Colton beside us, a smile on his normally serious face. “You’re officially one of us now.”
Tyler pulled me into his side, looking between us with a grin. “Indeed, she is.”
My hand rested on Colton’s forearm. “Thank you. Whatever you said to your father, I’m truly grateful for it.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied earnestly.
We exchanged hugs from Betty and my father, the five of us on a high I felt I could never come down from.
“We need to celebrate,” said Betty from behind me as we made our way out of the church.
I laughed, looking back at her. “Betty, you don’t need to do that. Really, it’s okay.”
She waved me off. “Nonsense! I will be in touch, I’m thinking my house, sometime in the next few weeks.”
Tyler side-eyed me, and we shared a knowing look. Smiling, he shook his head, and I knew I had no choice.
I held my hands in the air with laughter. “A celebration at Betty’s it is.”
We walked outside and into daylight again, but it felt different this time. Like somewhere I belonged.
After our goodbyes, Tyler pulled me against him, his warm breath buried into my neck. “I still can’t believe it. You get to stay. ”
I couldn’t help the smile warming my cheeks as we pulled apart. The raw emotion of the day had been so intense, and I hadn’t realized how much it had dragged me down until now. I felt like a weight had lifted, free.
“I know. It’s still so surreal; I don’t think I’ve yet grasped the fact this is my home now.”
Tyler brought his lips to mine, a kiss that held nothing back as he pulled me flush against him. Cutters Cove misted into nothing as he kissed me with everything he had, lifting me off my feet and into the air.
A cheeky glint enlarged his pupils. “Let’s go and have our own celebration.”
I didn’t argue.
***
Two weeks later, I watched, smiling from Betty’s kitchen counter as the people I loved so dearly mingled together in celebration.
Betty sat in her lounge chair with my father to her side, a cup of coffee laced with only she knew what on her lap. They had quickly become close, having caught up on many years apart, and I couldn’t wait to spend more time with my father after giving them their own time to rekindle.
My attention moved to Reid and Scarlet, who stood with Skye, talking to Jade quietly in the corner. I hadn’t seen a lot of Jade, as she mostly kept to herself, but she seemed to fit into the group somehow, and I was sure I would soon figure it out .
Leaning against the kitchen counter, my heart felt full as I stirred the pot of spiced port I’d offered to make. I lifted the spoon to my mouth, and its spicy tang enriched my taste buds. Oh, this was a good batch.
My ears pricked at a conversation behind me, registering Colton’s deep voice.
“Have you heard from Wes?”
“No,” came Tyler’s voice from close by.
I moved to the side, subtly watching them from the corner of my eye.
Colton shook his head, grazing his knuckles together. “I don’t get it. None of it makes any sense.”
Tyler caught my eye as he spoke. “You and me both.”
I turned back to my task at hand, not wanting to eavesdrop any further when heavy arms wrapped around my waist.
“I love this little number on you,” Tyler said quietly from behind me.
I smiled as his breath tickled my ear. I turned to face him, attempting an innocent look. “Oh, this old thing?” I joked, knowing full well he’d been eyeballing the little apron over top of my pants all evening.
A laugh rushed from him, and he cupped my butt in his hands, landing a peck on my cheek.
I giggled, swatting his hands away, looking into the gray coals that had become home to me.
“I love seeing you this happy,” he murmured .
Running my hand over his chest, they stopped on his waist. “I’ve never been this happy before. I feel like life has suddenly come together for me. For both of us,” I corrected.
Tyler’s eyes danced as my words crashed into his heart. “I feel the same.” He grabbed my hand, pushing his own into his pocket, then turned open my palm.
A long bronze key dropped into my hand. My brows furrowed. “What’s this?”
“It’s the key to your own art studio.”
My free hand clutched my chest. “What?!”
He took my chin in his hands. “I know you love painting and want you to have a studio that’s yours, where people can enjoy your work as much as I do.”
Completely and utterly gob smacked, I had no words.
“I don’t know what to say… Thank you!” I stammered.
I wrapped my hands around his neck, giving him a huge hug, staring down at the key in my hand with disbelief.
He grazed my cheek with his thumb, looking down at me with what I could only describe as admiration. “I’m so wildly in love with you, my beautiful mate.”
“I love you, too,” I said, rising onto my toes and pressing my lips to his.
For the first time in my life, I felt settled and content. I was so proud of us and how far we had come, and what our love had defied.
Over the last few weeks, I’d continued to practice using my gift.
It had not come easy to me, learning each element and how to wield them individually.
I knew it would take time to master, but with Tyler by my side, and the support of my newfound friends and family, I was eager to learn and felt safe to do so.
There was a dark side I could call on, but I knew my boundaries and had made the conscious decision to never be like my birth mother. She was all the reasoning I needed not to use it.
Over the past few weeks, Tyler had traced his family's lineage back to a half blood in which he had inherited the same phoenix genes. Turns out, a little magic of the mind was all it took for Tyler to disguise the wings I had grown fond of. They were just another piece of him I loved dearly.
Happiness caressed my heart. I had found real love, the undeniable kind. I had found my father. My grandmother. My mate. My world.
THE END.
Click the title to read Wesley and Skye's story UNHINGED MAGIC. Tropes include: Forbidden love, brothers best friend, he falls first, dislike to lovers, fated mates, a nickname she hates.
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