“You look well,” I assure her.
She smiles calmly, still gazing up at me. “How are Walt and Acton?”
“Better than we thought possible. You will be surprised when you see Walt,” I tell her, a smile in my voice.
“A good surprise?” she asks.
“A very good surprise,” I confirm.
Thea comes over to check on Ada. They share a tender smile as Thea runs her hands above Ada’s body. “You’re looking so healthy, Ada. That’s a very good sign. Let’s make sure that fae spell is fully gone,” Thea remarks as she hovers her hands over Ada’s abdomen and chest. Another healer joins her. They intend to be completely thorough in making sure the spell has been broken. I no longer sense any fae magick within her. The beauty of her own magickal signature shines again. I hold my tongue even though I believe this has been a success. I want the healers to declare her cured first.
The rest of the healers assess her and then confer with Niven. The other witches wheel the gurneys next to each other again. All three of them are now awake and smiling. Ada’s eyes light up and her jaw drops when she finally sees Walt’s transformation.
“You’re a kid again,” she gushes as she holds his face in her hands.
They both giggle wildly and embrace, rocking back and forth in happiness. When they finally break apart, he laughs self-consciously. “Not a kid exactly, but I feel really good.”
The three of them hop off their gurneys and Ada leads them to the fireplace where a mirror hangs over it. Walt leans in close, examining his face, poking and rubbing at it. “Well I’ll be. I look like I’m about twenty-five again. Not much older than when I met Acton,” he declares.
“You are my handsome mate at any age. I look forward to watching you grow old again,” Acton murmurs as he stands behind Walt and wraps his arms around his shoulders.
“You still haven’t aged a day,” Walt notes, leaning back into his mate. His light expression quickly grows concerned. “How do you feel? Did it hurt? That had to be hard on you.”
“I fell asleep right away. But when I awoke, I felt as I did this morning. It was the right thing to do, Walt. My heart is content,” Acton assures him.
“Thank you for the gift of many more decades together, my petal. I look forward to each one,” Walt purrs, turning in his arms and nuzzling into Acton’s neck.
I take Ada by the hand and walk her over to Niven. She looks so much stronger and healthier than she has since I arrived. I am unsure if she is physically younger than she was, but her health has been fully restored and mayhap even enhanced.
A grin splits Niven’s face. “Moon and stars, you look fantastic.” His voice is full of staggering relief. They embrace, and two months of pent-up fear and stress appear to melt from Niven in that very moment. When he pulls away, he holds her by the forearms and studies her, seeming to search for any sign that the relics did not work. Tears fill his eyes as he looks up at her face again and he subtly sniffles. “The healers have good news.”
Thea comes by and gives both of their shoulders a quick friendly squeeze. Her expression beams. “There are no more signs of the fae spell. It seems to have been broken like Niven’s team had hoped. We will wait until tomorrow to officially give you a clean bill of health. But we’re very optimistic,” she explains. “Why don’t you try to cast a spell. Let’s see how your magick is doing.”
Ada shuts her eyes, squaring her shoulders. After a few moments, a dreamy expression settles over her features. “May the magick of our ancestors protect this home and keep awaythose who would harm it.” She pauses, opening her eyes again. “I feel the ward. My parents’ magick. I can strengthen it again.” There’s a smile in her voice. A sense of peace in her I have not witnessed in many, many years.
She abruptly spins toward me, and a peal of laughter erupts from her. “It’s back!” she cries out. “I can’t believe it!” She springs into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. She laughs, unrestrained and gleeful. It is contagious. I swing her around, laughing with her between our sweet kisses, releasing months, if not years, of pain and heartache. Finally, I settle her against me. She still giggles into my chest, the warm air caressing my skin through my pelt.
“I’m so relieved,” Thea exclaims, watching us. “Even if you don’t feel like you need to, take it easy tonight. You’ve been through a lot today.”
Ada turns her head to look at Thea, still resting it on my chest. “I will, but I feel amazing,” Ada delights. “Thank you for everything.”
“I barely did anything. It was all them.” She motions between me and the witches, who are chatting with Elgar.
Elgar looks over at us, exhausted and spent. I feel the same, though attempt to hold it together. Ada unwraps her legs from me and slides down my body to stand on her own. She pulls me toward the group. Their mood is joyous and their voices sound light and easygoing, a welcome change from the tense atmosphere earlier. They turn their attention to Ada as she approaches.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your help today and through the weeks you’ve been preparing for this. I can never fully express how grateful I am.” Ada’s voice hitches raggedly. “You all saved my life. I’ll never forget it.” She fights her tears, but they flow freely in relief.
“Every minute was worth it, Ada. We’re all so happy it worked,” Niven assures her, speaking for the team.
After many more comforting hugs and earnest words of praise and congratulations, the witches clean up the salon. The healers shrink the gurneys and put them in a case they set against a wall, out of the way. The healers then talk to both Walt and Acton, who both still look dazed by Walt’s physical transformation. The sparkling smiles on their faces as they listen to the healers’ words confirm they are both in good health.
Walt and Acton approach me and Ada after their conversation with the healers ends. “We’re heading home. I can hardly believe that this is real. I’m a simple man and this has surely blown my mind,” he quips self-deprecatingly. “I need some time to let it sink in.”
“I can hardly believe it myself,” she empathizes.
“My girl, we are so unbelievably happy you’re free of that awful fae. It was hard to watch you grow weak. I can only imagine how it felt,” he whispers as he pulls her into his arms.
“I don’t know if I’m your girl anymore. I think I’m your elder,” Ada jokes, laughing tearfully into his shoulder.
