The group starts making their way down the stands and toward the castle, chattering about the game and the upcoming Yule holiday. But I hang back,tugging gently on Poppy’s hand to keep her with me. She looks up at me with those beautiful lavender eyes, and I can’t help myself.
I cup her face and kiss her, right there in front of everyone.
She makes a soft sound of surprise, then quickly melts into it, her hands coming up to rest on my chest. When we break apart, her cheeks are flushed pink—whether from the cold air or the kiss, I’m not sure. I kiss her again.
This time, when I pull away and look up, I realize our friends are already partway back to the castle. Mr. Wilder has his arm slung casually over Lyra’s shoulders while she continues to lecture him, her mouth moving animatedly, though I can’t hear what she’s saying. Layla and Maeve are deep in conversation, laughing about something. And Alina and Raelan walk hand in hand, their heads close together.
This feels like the perfect way to finish the semester.
I take Poppy’s hand, cupping my fingers around her fluffy mitten. “Come on, Brains. Let’s go home.”
She smiles up at me—that brilliant, beautiful smile—and together, we follow the group toward the castle and whatever comes next.
Epilogue
Poppy
“YOU’RESUREYOU HAVE EVERYTHING?” I ask, already reaching for my notebook where it’s tucked in my bag. I quickly pull it out, then flip to the page I marked with a purple ribbon. “Boots? Warm clothes? Summer clothes? Hair bands? Toothbrush? Comb? Runesmithing books? Parchment? Ink and inkwell? Qui—”
A big green hand covers the words inked onto the page, impeding me from reading more. I flick my gaze up, and Aric is giving me one of his sideways smiles, his hazel eyes catching the golden light streaming through the carriage window as we trundle along through the summer landscape.
“I thought I was finally free of notebooks and lists,” he says. “You know, Coven Crest graduate and all.” His sideways smile turns into a proud grin, and I concede with a sigh.
“Okay, okay. Fine. I just want to make sure you have everything you need.”
Aric gently closes my notebook, slips it back into my bag, and then takes my hand. “I know. And I appreciate it. But I’m sure I can get a toothbrush or boots in the village if I need them. Theydohave shops in Faunwood. Remember?”
My chest squeezes.
Spring semester at Coven Crest flew by, and now that summer’s here, it’s time for Aric to start his apprenticeship with Alden. Which means it’s time for us to say goodbye—at least for now. Though Aurora already wrote to me and said I’m welcome to come and stay with her family whenever I like. I’m already planning to visit before I start my fourth year at Coven Crest in the fall. And I’ll be with Aric for the next couple days, helping him get settled. It’s too soon to cry and start missing him—even if that’s all I want to do right now.
“Hey, you okay?” Aric tugs me closer, and I drop my head onto his shoulder.
“I’m going to miss you,” I say softly.
He presses a kiss to the top of my head, then breathes me in. With a whisper, he says, “I’m going to miss you too. But I’m going to write to youconstantly. Like, so many letters that your mailbox gets full and you get absolutely tired of me.”
Despite the melancholy curling in my chest, I laugh. “I could never tire of you, Aric Vandermere.”
His chest rumbles with a laugh. “Yeah, we’ll see what you’re saying fifty years from now. Might be singing a different tune.”
Slowly, I sit up and turn to look at him. He’s still smiling, looking at me like he didn’t say anything shocking.
“Fifty years?” I ask quietly. “You still want to be with me fifty years from now?”
His smile softens, but it doesn’t leave his face. “Haven’t I told you, Brains?” With sturdy hands, he takes me by the waist and shifts me into his lap. Thankfully, it’s a big carriage, so my head doesn’t bump the ceiling. After tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he says in a lower voice, “You’re it for me. You’re the one I want. Even when I’m old as dirt and just want to sit in my armchair all day. As long as you’re in the armchair next to mine”—he tightens his arms around my waist—“I’ll have everything I need in the world.”
Tears make my vision swim, and I lean forward to capture his lips with mine. “Promise?” I whisper, the word mumbled with my mouth still pressed to his.
He takes my hand and presses it to his chest, right over his heart. “I promise.”
Beneath his lightweight tunic, I feel something firm: his mother’s ring.
Aric must feel it too, because he sits back slightly and fishes the ring out of the neck of his tunic. It’s glowing softly—we’ve been sure to keep the rune enchantment active—and silver light shines across Aric’s cheeks, making his eyes glimmer.
Holding the ring in his fingers, Aric says, “Do you remember what I told you all those months ago? About what Pa said when he gave me Ma’s ring after she died?”
Those days feel like a lifetime ago, and so much has happened in the moments in between. But I tip my headand search my memory, and I find our conversation buried somewhere in the back of my mind.
