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“You do?” Lia looked up at me. “You still want to open a distillery in Loren Brae?”
“Of course I do. I did before I met you, and now you’ve given me even more reason to plant my roots here. Come on, let’s go find Lachlan. I have an idea to run past him.”
“Oh, right now?” Lia pushed out her lower lip, and I threw my head back and laughed, delight filling me that my little Kitchen Witch was grumpy about not getting my love. Scooping her up so that she squealed, I buried my face in her neck.
“We’ll stop by your room first. Then, my love, we’ll find the others and talk about our dreams together.”
“I guess I do love you,” Lia said, her voice muffled at my throat.
“What was that, I couldn’t quite hear you?”
“You heard me,” Lia grumbled, and I laughed, carrying her out of the kitchen, the same crows cawing as they followed us around the side of the castle.
“It’s okay, grasshopper, you’ll get used to saying it.”
“I’m not your grasshopper.” Lia’s voice was indignant.
“I was just testing out a nickname. You don’t like?”
“Moo!”
I almost dropped Lia as Clyde burst out of the wall. It was the first time I’d seen him since I’d been back, and he tossed his head proudly in the air. He danced forward and backward, positively delighted with our shock, and I slumped against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
“Damn it, Clyde! You made me wet my pants,” Lia shrieked.
“Shower it is, then,” I said, and Lia swore under her breath.
I laughed the entire way there.
EPILOGUE
Lia
“Come for a walk with me,” Munroe said, tugging my hand and pulling me from where I was triple-checking my supplies order for the grand opening of Grasshopper, a garden-to-table restaurant focused largely on vegetarian meals. The nickname Grasshopper had stuck around, even though I steadfastly refused to answer to it, and it had been Sophie’s idea to use it for the restaurant instead. I hadn’t been certain it would be a good fit, what with MacAlpine Castle being as fancy and historical as it was, but Hilda and Archie had embraced the idea. I had to admit, I quite liked the name. It was a full circle moment, reminding me of where I’d come from, and the incident that had neatly changed the direction of my life.
“But…”
“You’ve gone over the order a million times. It’s going to be perfect, I promise,” Munroe said, grabbing my hands and dragging me out of the kitchen and into the sunshine. It was a perfect late summer afternoon, and I had to admit that I probably needed the break. It was a shame to waste fine weather in Scotland, I’d quickly learned, and I took a few deep breaths of the fresh air as Munroe drew me more deeply into the gardens that ringed the castle.
“I just love these gardens. They’re so fancy and far more elaborate than anything I’ve ever seen back home. I’m looking forward to growing my fresh herbs, though I confess, I’m going to have to lean on Shona a lot for that one. She said she doesn’t mind if I bug her about it,” I said, pausing to admire a peachy pink rose bush.
“I’m sure she won’t. She’s very lovely and seems pretty knowledgeable about her produce. I imagine she’d be quite helpful with your spells work as well.”
“She has no idea how many ingredients she’s going to have to source for me,” I admitted. Every free moment I had, I was playing around with recipes in the book. It seemed a Kitchen Witch was sort of a hodgepodge kind of witch. Some recipes were for spells to help with healing, but others were much more ephemeral than that. Much like the one I’d done for dreams.
The Kelpies had quieted in the weeks after I’d finished my challenges, allowing Sophie more sleep, and me the chance to work on my magick without any pressure. Every day I felt I grew stronger, though I knew that Hilda and Archie were already making noises about locating the next of the Order. I had an idea who that might be but was nervous to suggest it as it seemed almost outlandish.
“It’s been a joy to watch you work,” Munroe said, smiling down at me. For a moment, the sun highlighted his tawny hair, and I caught my breath, still kicking myself that this incredible man was mine. If you were wondering, my ladyparts were equally as delighted with my choice.
“It’s been a joy to work. I’ve always loved cooking, creating, and all of that…but discovering my magick? That’s been an entirely whole new layer. I feel like this rose,” I said, running a finger across a velvet petal.
“You’ve bloomed quite beautifully,” Munroe agreed, tugging me along the path. We wandered in silence for a while, appreciating the breezy afternoon, until we clambered up a small incline and Munroe nudged me toward a building that I hadn’t seen before.
“What is this place? Is it a stable? I thought the stable was closer to the castle,” I mused. “It’s cool, isn’t it? I just love all the stonework here. It’s a constant reminder of history, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Munroe picked up something from a ledge by the door and I noticed a small ribbon tied across the rusted iron door handles.
“What’s this?” I tilted my head at him in question as he handed me some scissors.
