WILLOW
I walked into the Tribunal rooms, refusing to look at the seal for fear I would lose my shit. Only a day had passed since everything
happened, and the loss of Margot was never more palpable than when the Coven gathered in the room where I’d lost her.
The newly selected Tribunal members waited in their own thrones as I made my way toward the dais, their families scattered about the room alongside them.
Della and Nova stood on the dais to my right, dressed in pretty dresses that represented their houses. Their somber faces echoed mine, the missing witch felt even more heavily in light of the day that had come so quickly.
Gray stood at the center, dressed all in black. He’d worn a forest green tie for me, and Leviathan stood at his side along with Asmodeus. We both knew that Beelzebub would have stood with them if he hadn’t been lost with Margot.
We’d get them back. We had to get them back.
But first I needed to get stronger. I needed to be able to keep the seal open for long enough for them to escape, without risking my life. Who could I sacrifice in my place otherwise?
Maybe the next witch who dared to defy me would find themselves of much greater use.
I stepped up the dais, placing my hand in Gray’s. His eyes were warm as they landed on me, flowing down the soft lace lines of my black gown. The train that flowed out behind me faded into a sparkling emerald shimmer, a nod to my mother on the day that neither of us had been able to see coming.
“I have one last surprise for you, before you become mine again,” Gray said, focusing his attention on the doors of the Tribunal room. I turned, facing it as Juliet walked into the room. The boy at her side clung to her for support, his brown eyes wide as they swept over the Coven.
I hiked up my gown, sprinting down the dais, uncaring for how it must have looked. Ash’s eyes were wide as I dropped to my knees in front of him, wrapping a hand around the back of his head. I crushed him to me, absorbing the happy tears he cried with the fabric of my dress.
Pulling back, I touched his face and looked him over more thoroughly. Even in just a few weeks, he’d grown.
Juliet had dressed him in a suit for the occasion, and a sobbing laugh clawed up my throat as I stared at him. “Low,” Ash said, the sound of that little voice striking me deep in the heart.
“Hey, Bug,” I said, smiling through my tears. I stood, taking his hand in mine, and immediately felt at home when I turned and found Gray’s amber eyes staring at me.
He smiled, and Ash shocked me when he stepped up and tucked himself into Gray’s side. He answered my silent question, “we had some time while you were getting ready today.”
I shifted my gaze down to Ash, wondering how he would handle the knowledge of all that had changed. “Are you–” I broke off, grinning as I realized I couldn’t handle the answer if it was a no. I couldn’t function if they couldn’t stand one another. “Is this okay with you?” I asked, feeling more nervous in this moment than I had the day Gray had come knocking on my door, calling himself an invitation I hadn’t wanted.
“I just want you to be happy, Low,” Ash said, staring up at me with those kind brown eyes that had been the center of my universe for so long.
Now I had two.
I nodded, shoving back the tears long enough to smile at him again. Leviathan came over, taking Ash’s hand and guiding him to stand in Gray’s line of groomsmen with him. The meaning wasn’t lost on me, even as I spoke through a clogged throat. “Please don’t send him away again.”
“He’s right where he belongs, Witchling,” Gray said, taking my hands in
his.
I nodded, squeezing his hands back as he turned to face the windows.
Golden light streamed in them, shimmering so brightly I had to squint.
The Goddess stepped through the glass, appearing before us in a dazzling display. She smiled at Gray, reaching across the distance to cup his cheek in her hand affectionately. One by one, the Tribunal leaders stepped up to the foot of the dais, laying symbols of their magic at our feet as an offering.
Petra and Beltran brought crystals of every color, the vivid greens warming my heart.
Realta and Amar brought jars filled with starlight. Bray brought a single branch.
Aurai and Devoe each laid a windchime on the floor, the glass shards bumping against one another as they breathed life into them.
Tethys and Hawthorne brought a jar of water and a seashell. Erotes and Peabody brought elixirs and love potions.
Collins and Madlock brought lanterns.
I took my hands out of Gray’s, swirling them in a circle while I closed my eyes. A single rose grew from my palms, and I laid it down alongside the bone I had taken from Loralei’s tomb earlier that day for the offering.
“Your beloved’s Coven has made a lovely offering on her behalf, Lucifer the Morningstar,” the Goddess said, her eyes full of mischief as she regarded her brother.
He smiled, never taking his eyes off of me as he considered his answer. “You can have anything you want, Goddess,” he said, taking a step closer to me. I stared up at him, his face so close to mine. “As long as I can have her.”
He cupped my cheek in his hand, the warmth of that embrace enveloping me.
“Then all I ask is for you to be happy, dear brother,” the Goddess said, resting a hand upon each of my shoulders.
Her light sank inside of me, filling me with warmth as Gray sealed our final bargain with a kiss.
A bargain for an eternity at his side. A bargain for love.
