Her Broken Spell

The End of Her Broken Spell

The mid-afternoon rays peeked through the window giving Mateo's bedroom a serene glow. Dionne's gaze went to the pot of plant on the table. It looked oddly familiar.

"Was that the seedling which I gave you during one of our training?" She asked as she remembered how she first wielded soil magic.

"Yes, it's the same seedling."

Dionne walked towards it and had a closer inspection. "It changed."

Before, the seedling had thin stems and small leaves. Not even a single flower or bud was in sight.

"I told you, I just have to take care of it until it blooms."

The plant had grown now, with several healthy stems branching out. The yellow flowers were radiant in the afternoon light. There were tiny buds that were yet to bloom, indicating a promise of continued growth.

"I can see it. Did you not use magic?"

"No. I tended to it everyday, except for days when you went missing. I had Nadia take care of it."

"Why? You could have just used magic to make it grow faster."

"Growth takes time." That was his only answer before he walked towards her. He picked the biggest flower and tucked it on the braids crowning her head.

"You're beautiful."

He had always been vocal about her abilities. She remembered when he called her impressive for trying to be an escort despite her lack of experience.

He said that she was wonderful even though she accidentally shot her magic towards him during their first training session.

He saw past her impatience and pointed out how incredible it was for her to make little progress with casting spells.

Despite not knowing that she was about to kill her Ethereal attackers back then, he believed that she did a marvelous job.

He praised her for her bravery when she was taken away.

She realized then that it was the first time he called her beautiful. But maybe he was not talking about her appearance after all. Knowing Mateo, he saw her abilities and character. He saw the beauty of the entirety of her.

"You are beautiful, too."

He chuckled at her response. "Do you think you can teach me a few ancient magic spells now that you are the head trainer?"

"Of course. But no Dark Magic."

"If ever the Dark Magic takes your mind elsewhere, I'll be here to anchor you so you won't stray far."

That was nice of him to say. He did not mind that the Dark Magic would forever be there with her. It would be sleeping inside her. But now that she had someone, she would not be afraid when the darkness comes knocking.

"Thank you. Come to think of it, the situation had been reversed. I am now your master and you will be one of my apprentices."

He laughed and teased her. "Always at your service, Master Dionne."

She did not like the sound of it for the other sorcerers will also call her master. "I do not like us to be master and apprentice, after all."

"We'll go beyond that because we are getting married, remember?" he reminded her.

"You are right. And even when you were still training me, I never felt that you were above my status."

He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her head. "That's because we belong with each other."

In the past, she had never felt that she belonged to a family, not with her father nor with her grandmother. The closest thing she had to a sister was Esme. But now...

She had Irina, Von, Annette, Theodore, Jugger, and Ghandi.

Not only did she have the Huxleys but she felt connected with Bill, Colin, Johnathan, and Ino.

She made friends with Jacquelyn.

And Nadia, a human, had taken quite a liking to her.

Most especially, she had Mateo.

"So this is what it feels like to be in a large family," she murmured, caressing Mateo's arms wound around her torso.

"Yes. It could be exhausting but at the end of the day, you'll have someone behind your back."

He was right. They needed each other with so much to do and goals to achieve for the peace in the Terrestrial Sphere. They gazed out the window, looking at the vast Huxley lands with the uncertainty of the future.

There was one thing she was certain of, though. "Despite my newfound family and despite my high position in the coven, you'll always be my partner."

Mateo hugged her tighter and buried his face on her neck.

"We're still partners?"

"Forever partners."