Epilogue

EPILOGUE

PIPER

I expect to sleep poorly, another night filled with nightmares and tangled in sheets, like when I was young.

When I wake up, though, Ga'Rek is there, curled around me.

One arm draped heavy around my waist, a tree-trunk thick thigh over my calves. His other arm's under my head, and the scent of his skin further relaxes me.

I wriggle closer to his warm body, and I know immediately the reason I slept so well is because he held me all night.

Ga'Rek probably scared all the nightmares away.

"Good morning, my sweet heart," he purrs in my ear. His lips brush against the skin there, and a thrill goes through me.

"Hi," I say sleepily, smiling.

When he presses against me, the hard length of him has me gasping.

"I have an idea of how we can wake up slowly," he says, kissing behind my ear and making me squirm.

I squint at the dwarven made clock and sigh heavily. "I have to help clean up the fall festival."

"No, you don't," he mutters.

"I do." I don't want to, but I push away from the captivating, delicious man and stand up. The floor's cold underneath my bare feet, and the wave of disappointment that rushes through me is even worse. I get dressed quickly, throwing on a warm pair of trousers and the thickest sweater I can find, because if my floors are this cold, that means the threat of winter's lurking in the wings and autumn's well and truly begun.

The coziest socks I have follow, and I finally locate my sturdiest pair of boots.

The floorboards creak as Ga'Rek gets up as well, putting on clothes of his own.

"You don't have to help," I say. "Stay in bed."

"As if I will choose to spend one moment away from your side."

I smile, closing my eyes as he holds me close, kissing the side of my neck. His tusks slide over my skin, and I sigh, wishing we could both crawl back in bed and hold each other the rest of the day. Funny, because I'm waking up much later than I usually do to open the bakery.

I suppose a gorgeous male and the promise of multiple orgasm could make anyone want to stay in bed all day.

I heave another sigh.

"Come on now, beautiful. It won't be so bad. You'll see. Or are you worried about the?—"

I turn into him, cutting of his words by pulling his face to mine and planting a kiss on his mouth. I pull away, grinning at the way the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles.

"I am worried," I finally admit, and just telling him that, the simple utterance, takes some of the weight from my shoulders. "How could I not be?" I shake my head. "Those… whatever they were?—"

"Elder gods," he supplies.

I snort, torn between amusement at both his knowledge and the cavalier way he says it —elder gods—and the fact that they are, in fact, elder gods.

Elder gods who want three witches from my coven.

Goddess have mercy.

"Do not worry, kal'aki ne. We will figure out a plan."

I sag into his embrace, hoping he's right. Hoping that we will figure out a plan.

The scent of roses fills the room, and I tug him to the windows that overlook the street. I grin at him.

"They're in full bloom."

Despite everything, the cold, the gloom in the grey sky overhead, and the terrible events of last night, the roses are in one last glorious flush before winter.

It feels like a promise.

I'm so absorbed in staying warm and my own thoughts, that by the time we reach the square, I'm a knot of anxiety. Velvet trots next to me, her little tail flicking back and forth, looking adorable in a knobbly sweater I made for a her a few years ago during a particularly cold winter.

"Surprise!" a crowd shouts, all at once, and I look up, startled and somewhat terrified at what fresh hell might await.

Tears spring into my eyes, and I cover my mouth with both hands.

The tent is full of the citizens of Wild Oak Woods, and my witch sisters stand at the front, bundled up and beaming at me.

Willow twirls her hand in the air, signaling the musicians to begin playing again.

"How?" I breathe as they catch me up in excited hugs.

"I had the entertainers sign contracts in case of breach of conduct," Caelan tells me from over Wren's blonde head, smug as a cat who caught the canary.

"A manifestation of a trio of gods is hardly a breach of conduct," I counter, slightly alarmed by the trickster fae.

"Ah, yes, but they signed it, and they did not fulfill their part."

"We're compensating them for any additional time," Wren adds, shooting Caelan a silencing look.

"Nerissa taught me how to preserve the food overnight," Violet adds, our shy new witch smiling hesitantly.

"And I've been working all night researching the last coven," Ruby adds. "And the Elder Forest, and the three gods who decided to party crash."

"Something they should leave to the experts," Caelan sniffs.

"I've been searching my plant lore to see if I can't concoct anything to protect the village," Willow adds.

Kieran looms near her, frowning, per usual.

"We're going to meet as a town once we've all enjoyed the festival and come up with a plan together," Nerissa says, her voice strong. Her eyes are strained, though, dark circles beneath them.

"Regardless of whether or not we're officially a coven, we are going to act as one." Ruby crosses her arms, a defiant cant to her head.

Ga'Rek laughs, one arm around my waist. "It looks just like you wanted, kal'aki ne."

I turn to him. "Did you know? Did you know they were doing this?"

"Aye, my love, I did."

"It was his idea," Nerissa chimes in.

I reach up to him, and he bends down, and when we kiss, in front of the entire town, who whoop and cry in response— it makes me think maybe, just maybe, everything will work out for the witches of Wild Oak Woods after all.