Samhain was here.
Sky was in Bryony's massive kitchen with candy apples covering every available surface. Sky swiped her finger through the caramel dipping sauce.
"I saw that," Bryony said, her back to Sky as she maneuvered another tray of apples onto the table.
"You've been stealing tastes all day," Sky said.
"Because I'm older than you. I can do that."
Sky scoffed. "That logic might work on your siblings but it won't fly with me."
Bryony picked up two candy apples, dripping in lush, red caramel, drizzled with chocolate, sprinkles, and nuts. Sky accepted it, breathing in the intoxicatingly sweet smells that smothered it.
A clatter of boots in the hall signaled the arrival of a Torres sibling.
Seline skidded into view, her heavy brown boots two sizes too big for her, nearly reaching up to her knees. Her pants had a streak of mud from hip to knee on one side and there was a crown of leaves, berries, and pinecones tangled in her hair.
"Mom says you have to help us pick pumpkins to get the jack 'o lanterns lit," she declared, hands on her hips.
Bryony paused, mouth open to take a bite. She narrowed her eyes.
"I've been making candy apples for hours," she said. "Give me a break."
Seline tilted her chin up. "I'll tell Mom."
Bryony grunted. She whisked an apple off the counter, streaked with bright pink frosting.
"You've just bought yourself ten minutes," Seline said. "Make the most of it."
She clomped out of the house again. Distantly, Seline's voice could be heard as she showed off her candy apple to her siblings, and no, she wouldn't share, not even a single bite, much to the chagrin of her brothers and sisters.
Bryony sighed. "She's become a demon of a haggler now that she's selling to Spellbound. I blame it all on your Aiden."
Sky choked on a bite of her apple.
"My Aiden?" she squeaked. "Sweet Nicniven, why would you say it like that?"
Bryony shrugged and bit into her apple. Caramel smeared across her chin and a spot of chocolate got on the tip of her nose.
"Because he is," she said, as if that was a perfectly reasonable explanation.
"But he's not," Sky said. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make it a habit of calling him that. Especially during Samhain where people will hear you," she added with emphasis.
"Hear what?"
Basil stood at the back door, mud coating his bare feet, his short curls frizzing around his hair in an orange halo.
"You're supposed to knock, Basil," Bryony hissed.
Basil shrugged. "Why? I live here, too."
"Because it's polite."
Basil made a face and his gaze fell on the candy apples lined up along the counter. Bryony cleared her throat.
"Don't even think about it," she said.
"You gave one to Seline."
Bryony huffed and brandished a candy apple at him.
"This is blackmail," she said.
Basil grinned as he bit into his apple. "And it tastes so good."
"You got what you wanted. Now shoo."
Basil shrugged. "I guess you're not interested in the conjuring then."
"That isn't supposed to start until sundown. At least for another hour."
"Not according to Aiden."
Aiden Aiden Aiden. Why did it seem like his name was haunting Sky no matter where she went?
"Just because you work for him," Bryony said. "Doesn't mean you should believe everything he says."
"But he's in charge of the conjuring this year," Basil said.
"That was Mother Hestia's job," Sky said. "She loves bringing in the ghosts. Why would she give that up?"
Basil took another bite of his apple. Juice dripped down his chin and onto his shirt among the grass and dirt stains. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
"She's tired," Basil said. "And conjuring takes a lot out of her. So, if you want to join in, you'd better hurry up and get down to the tree line. Aiden's about to start any minute now."
Sky released a low breath. Everyone's favorite Samhain tradition was the ghost conjuring, when witches and warlocks would stand side by side and summon the ghosts that wandered during the rest of the year. Wildemoor welcomed them to join in the festivities and to commemorate their passing, to pay respects to long lost family members and loved ones in a celebration dedicated to remember the dead.
Bryony grumbled as Basil turned and walked out of the house, the door swinging shut with a bang behind him.
"I'll go talk to Mother Hestia," she said. "See if I can't convince her to do the conjuring herself."
Sky lingered in the kitchen, safe, warm. Hidden. She had been in this same position a few weeks ago, avoiding Aiden for as long as she could before her first trip to Spellbound.
Aiden was moving on with Bianca, starting a family of his own. Sky had a business to run.
"No," she said.
Bryony slid to a stop, hand halfway to the door knob.
"Why not?" she said.
"Because it's time to bury the past," she said.
***
The pale wisps of ghosts drifted between the dark ribbons of tree trunks, black against white, death weaving between life.
Aiden extended his arms, head bowed in a gesture of respect and supplication. Torres children and Hazel's students from Windywings darted through the trees, chasing the ghosts and laughing when their hands drifted through the pale visages as easily as bubbles.
Sky and Bryony were in the pumpkin patch, using their wands and basic spells to carve jack o' lanterns into the bright orange flesh. Seline dutifully shuttled each jack o' lantern to the entrance of Pagan Posies, creating a pathway lined with pumpkin faces to greet the visitors as they came in.
A ghost shivered past Sky's shoulders, admiring the ghoulish face she marked her pumpkin with. Another ghost was hiding behind the next pumpkin at her feet with a mischievous giggle.
At the edge of the orchard, Bianca and Hazel had a group of students crafting miniature brooms from cinnamon sticks and pine needles.
"Penny for your thoughts," Bryony said.
She gave her wand one final flourish to finish the expression of surprise glowing from the pumpkin's face. She blew a kiss and the pumpkin floated off to bump against Seline's back. Seline wrapped her arms around the pumpkin that was nearly twice her size and carted it off to the entrance. Bryony maintained her thread of magic to ease Seline's burden until the pumpkin was finally safely resting on the ground again, casting golden light across the entrance's pathway.
Sky brushed off another ghost, sending it tumbling in a swirl of white and gray like mist.
"I'm thinking," she said. "About taking up extra magic lessons on the side this winter."
Bryony paused, wand poised in midair, pumpkin half-finished and hovering at shoulder level.
"Isn't Yule your busiest time of the year?" she said.
"Yes. But my spells could use some work."
A soft laugh echoed behind Sky.
"Your spells are just fine, trust me on that score."
She spun around. Her pumpkin went crashing to the ground, one dark empty eye peering upward from beneath dried, brown leaves and tangled yellowing vines.
Aiden stood at the edge of the patch. The collar of his black coat was turned up and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. A swath of ghosts shifted around him, draped over his shoulders, arms around his waist.
Even the ghosts found him attractive and wanted to be near him.
"You're using spells now," Aiden added. "With the pumpkins."
He gestured to the pumpkin that she had let topple to the ground upon his arrival. It bucked and kicked its way back into the air as she concentrated on crafting the rest of its shocked little face with a spell.
"This is easy magic," Sky said. "Children do this sort of thing during their first year of school."
Aiden hummed. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Miss Sangrey." He withdrew one hand from his pocket and placed his palm flat to his chest. "In fact, I think...I might even feel a lingering...tickle. Right here."
He patted his heart. Sky hiccupped in surprise and her pumpkin wobbled in the air, threatening to fall again.
But Aiden's hand shot out, magic snapping like a whip to catch the pumpkin before it could hit the ground.
Bryony glanced between Sky and Aiden. She blew a puff of air upward to dislodge a curl from her forehead and rolled her eyes.
"Please tell me you're joking," Sky said.
Her hands were shaking. Her magic stuttered and sparked but it wasn't steady enough to take the pumpkin back.
"Yes," Aiden said softly as he stepped forward. "I am."
Sky closed her eyes with an exhale of relief.
"Don't tease me," she said. "I feel terrible what I did to you."
Aiden lowered the pumpkin to the ground and spread his arms to either side.
"I'm in perfect health," he said. "No harm done. And besides, it's the only way I can get your attention. You ignore my existence otherwise."
Sky opened her mouth to protest but she stopped. She had been ignoring him, to a point. But she hadn't meant it to be rude. She just...couldn't think straight around him sometimes.
Aiden's smile faltered at Sky's silence. He raised two fingers with a flick of his wrist, carving the remainder of Sky's pumpkin into a grinning face.
"Could we talk?" he said. "I know you're busy but it won't take more than a minute or two."
Sky cast a glance at Bryony. Bryony raised an eyebrow with a shrug—a studiously nonchalant gesture and yet it held connotations of skepticism, too.
Bryony wouldn't give the situation a second thought. She wasn't the romantic type.
But Sky was the romantic type, even though she knew perfectly well that Aiden wasn't available. And she did like Aiden for his kindness toward the Torres children, for his generosity toward the residents of Wildemoor.
"All right," Sky said. "But I have to be back to help Bryony with the rest of the pumpkins as soon as possible. It's a big job for one person to take on alone and I don't like leaving my friends high and dry."
Aiden and Sky made their way into the orchard where the trees were thick and smelled sweet with the last few apples of the season still clinging to the branches overhead. This was where they had been during Mabon, walking arm in arm, content with each other's company, warm and smiling.
It was different now. Chilly with distance. But that lingering warmth of familiarity still sat between them, surviving somehow despite the roller-coaster they had been through over the past few weeks.
Finally, Aiden stopped and turned to face Sky. He reached out for her hand and Sky sucked in a breath. He stopped, his gaze flicked up to her face.
"I have a gift for you," he said. "For Samhain."
Sky hesitated. "You gave me a gift for Mabon, too and look how that turned out."
Aiden breathed a quiet laugh. Sky pitched forward on her toes at that sound, how soft it was, how easily she could just sink into it like a cloud. She had missed that sound. She had missed him, even though she had no right to, even though she had tried to stop herself from wanting him.
"This is to make up for that gift," he said. He paused then added, "And because I'd like us to start over."
A flush of heat swept up Sky's neck at those whispered words. Had she heard right?
"But...Bianca..." Sky faltered.
Aiden frowned. "What about her?"
The flush of heat quickly turned to anger.
"You can't just forget about her," Sky said. "She's carrying your child."
Echoing silence settled between them. Aiden stared at her, unblinking and steady.
"I...certainly hope not," he said slowly.
Sky huffed. "Well she seems to think so."
"Sky," Aiden said. "She's my cousin. And she's been seeing Keegan O'Hara on and off for about two years now."
All the air in Sky's lungs rushed out at once.
"She...what? But...she came to me to read her tea leaves. She talked about a guy she liked who didn't know she existed."
Aiden nodded. "That definitely sounds like Keegan. He has no people skills whatsoever. He prefers numbers and architecture to socializing. I have no idea what Bianca sees in him but I guess we can't help who we fall in love with."
Sky placed a hand on her forehead.
"I still don't understand. I thought...she was so friendly with you. She looked at you like...like..."
"Like she was in love with me?" Aiden offered.
Sky went still. Aiden stepped closer and this time when he reached for her hand, she didn't shy away. His fingers curled around hers, warm and solid. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of his skin against hers. Just one little touch. That was all she needed to realize how starved she was for contact.
Sky shifted toward Aiden until her hip bumped his, her mouth nearly touching his shoulder. He dipped his head and his breath skimmed the curve of her cheek, sending a ripple of goosebumps snaking down her spine.
"What I said before," Aiden whispered. "It came out wrong."
Sky brought her hand up before she could stop herself and placed her palm in the middle of his chest. His heart thumped away rapid-fire beneath her fingertips.
"Then what did you mean to say?" Sky whispered back.
Carefully, Aiden slipped his other hand around her hip, coasting up her side to curve around the back of her neck.
"I meant to say that you were the one who brightened my day. When you smiled and your whole face lit up. When you got tongue-tied and gave me that wide-eyed look."
Sky bit the inside of her cheek and turned her head away. Aiden nuzzled against her hair with a light kiss.
"I left New York for peace and quiet," he said. "To be closer to my family. But everyone treated me like I was some..." He shrugged. "Some hot shot warlock."
"You are," Sky said, a faint teasing tone slipping into her voice.
"I'm just Aiden Hall, a weather warlock. That's it. I felt...out of place in Wildemoor. But you welcomed me. You made me feel at home in a way no one else did." His words fell away at the end on a faint breath and his voice dropped so low that Sky had to lean forward to hear him. "You made me happy, Sky. You still do."
Sky slid her hand up his chest to trace along his bottom lip with her thumb.
Aiden took her wrist and turned her hand palm up. He flattened his palm to hers and magic sizzled like electricity.
Sky's magic had always been rather faded, muted, like it existed in a fuzzy dream that she could never quite wake up from.
But Aiden's magic was sharp and so pronounced that it tingled like needles against her skin.
Then Aiden closed the last miniscule scrap of distance between them and kissed her. Firm and unwavering and searing hot with the desire he didn't try to conceal in any way.
Aiden pulled back and there in Sky's palm was a small thundercloud that grumbled. It crackled with lightening and a delicate rain misted onto Sky's hand without leaving a hint of condensation.
"I don't expect you to forgive me right away," he said.
A small voice in the back of Sky's mind agreed. If he was lying, her heart would be broken and she couldn't allow herself to be caught off guard again. She had fallen for him so easily the first time and stumbled into a love spell that had made a mess of things.
She had to play it smarter this time around.
"Take the storm cloud," he said. "It's formed from your magic and mine. After three days have passed, if I'm telling the truth, the sun will come out and the rain will be gone."
"But this is magic," Sky said. "You could manipulate it. You could make it do whatever you want it to."
Aiden smiled softly and brushed his knuckles over her chin. "That's why half of it is your own magic. You'll keep me true."
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek. His fingertips barely rested on her hip, five pinpoints of heat seeping through the rough fabric of her coat. The scent of cloves and incense wrapped around her, mingled with the smells of apples, leaves, and autumn.
"Happy Samhain, Sky," Aiden whispered against her skin.