The Witch’s Cottage (Season of the Witch #1)

Chapter 21

Aurora

OSTARA IS BETTER THAN I could ever have imagined. The air smells of sage and sugar, and the sunshine on my skin is tantalizingly warm—so warm that I even pull my boots off to let my toes soak up the heat of the cobblestone beneath my feet.

Music twines around the market square from a troupe of musicians as they move through Faunwood. A horde of children skips along behind them, dancing and twirling to the beat of the drums and the rhythm of the lute. I clap as they pass, and one of the young girls pauses to hand me a flower. Kneeling, I press a kiss to the top of her head, and she flushes pink before hurrying away to rejoin the dance.

The cookies and bread are a wild success—and it’s all thanks to Alden. If he hadn’t helped me with the kitchen and the table and the bread baking, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to get everything done on time.

“I hope you enjoy it,” I tell Welma, the elderly Faunwood librarian, as I hand a bread loaf over to her .

She lifts it to her nose and takes a deep breath before letting out a sigh. “Thank you, dear.” She moves a few things around in her basket to accommodate the fluffy bread loaf. “You know, Lilith used to bake bread too. Best in the whole village.”

Warmth blossoms in my chest at the thought of Auntie, and I stand straighter. “She taught me everything I know.”

With a smile, Welma reaches out to squeeze my hand. “Then I know I’m going to love it.”

As she shuffles away, I catch sight of Alden in the crowd. He’s standing at one of the big buffet tables with a few other village men, a tankard of wine in hand, and he raises it to me with a quirk to his lips. I lift my hand in a wave, and just as Alden turns his gaze away, a shock of red hair steps into my view.

I tip my head back and look right into a pair of verdant eyes.

“Hello again.”

My chest squeezes.

“H-hello,” I squeak.

The red-haired man from the mercantile smiles down at me. He’s dressed in gleaming armor, his cuirass reflecting the sunlight. A helmet is held under his arm, and the metal of his gauntlets clinks as he reaches out to snag a cookie from the display set atop Alden’s cart.

Lifting it to his nose, he takes a sniff. “Lemon?”

I nod.

He smiles. “My favorite.”

He takes a bite of the cookie, and I watch, almost spellbound, as the muscles in his jaw work, flexing under his pale skin. His hair is like fire in the bright afternoon sunlight, so vivid and warm that I almost wonder if I’d burn myself were I to reach out and touch it.

Not that I’m going to. Of course not.

“What do I owe you?” he asks after finishing the cookie.

Swallowing down my strange feelings, I say, “Nothing. Consider it reimbursement for the chocolate.”

He laughs, and the sound is free and untethered and floating. I swear I can almost see his laughter drifting through the air, can imagine myself flying away into the blue sky with it.

“If you say so.” He shifts his helmet to the other hip. “I’m Rowan Highcliff.” His hair catches the light again as he bows his head to me.

“I-I’m Aurora. Aurora Silvermoon.” And I can’t seem to speak, apparently. “I hear you’re Garland’s replacement?”

He straightens and nods. “I am. Seems word travels fast around here.”

My tongue ties itself again, and I just nod, unsure I’d be able to actually speak.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Rowan smiles and reaches up to run a hand through his long red hair, which hangs well past his collar. I’m not sure what it is about these men and their long hair, but I find it much too tempting. To keep myself busy, I begin moving the platters of cookies and baskets of bread around on the cart, trying not to wonder what it would feel like to touch Rowan’s hair.

“Well, I imagine I’ll see you around, Aurora Silvermoon.”

I look up to meet his eyes just before he pushes his hair back and slips his helmet over his head. Then he turns on an armored heel and walks away, drawing stares and whispers as he drifts through the cobbled square.

Even after he’s gone, it takes me a moment to catch my breath. I sell two more loaves of bread and half a dozen cookies, and the cart is starting to look a bit bare. I’m thinking about eating one of the lemon cookies when an arm wraps around my waist.

“Brought you something,” Alden says in my ear, and my chest immediately warms with his proximity.

“You spoil me,” I say as I turn to find him holding a plate of honey cake in his free hand. My mouth immediately waters. I’ve wanted a slice of cake all day, but I’ve been too busy with customers to grab myself one.

Alden stabs a piece of the honey cake with a fork, then lifts it to my lips. I open my mouth, and he holds my gaze as he guides the sweet honeyed delicacy onto my tongue.

And I’m suddenly very much looking forward to getting him home tonight.

A movement at my feet has me glancing down.

“Harrison!” I say, kneeling to draw a hand down his spine. He arches into my hand and immediately begins to purr. “I’ve been wondering where you got off to. Have you been down there the whole time?”

“I can see everything from there,” he says, “but no one can see me. Especially the little humans.”

Harrison has never been a fan of children. They’re too squeaky and grabby.

Tickling his chin, I smile down at him. Alden stands over us, handsome and broad shouldered in the springtime sunlight, and I’m filled with a swell of possibility .

I’ve finally settled into Faunwood, Harrison at my side, and I’ve got my own sweet-hearted carpenter to dote on. Brookside is all buttoned up, the garden is ripe with potential, and everything feels right in my little world.

I’m not sure things could get any better than this.

Leaping up, I wrap my arms around Alden’s neck, and he stumbles back with a grunt.

“What is it, little witch?” His breath tickles the shell of my ear while his free hand wraps around my low back, holding me tight and warm.

I say nothing, just breathe in his woodsy scent and the energy of Ostara all around us.

And I can’t wait to discover what the summer will bring.

The End