Page 69 of November Reign
Sirens wailed in the distance. Soon the humans would arrive. We needed to move.
“Were any of our people hurt?” Cody scanned the area, looking for people to help. The witches with Basil had taken their fallen. The shifters theirs.
“Not really. A few scrapes,” Mori assured his son. “They’ve all gone home to deal with the witches they took prisoner.”
“How about we go home?” Barr suggested, looking eager to draw a portal.
Thyme put his hand in mine. “Yeah, let’s go home. We need to celebrate.”
I stooped to pick up my backpack with the grimoire. “What do we do with him?” Basil lay alone, forgotten by everyone, even his closest people.
“Put him in the car. He and Aster can burn together.” Damon grabbed Basil’s ankle and towed him to the car I’d abandoned.
Gregoris gently shoved Damon aside and took over the task of getting the bodyinto the car.
“Any last words for Basil?” Damon asked as Mori, Toth, and Gregoris made fireballs in their hands.
Thyme shook his head. Cody turned away, resting his head on Toth’s wide chest.
Damon looked at me. “No.” Then he paused.
“Alright. I have some,” he said, stepping closer to the car. “You took my mother from me. My chance at knowing my bio dad. You stole Thyme from me, my childhood. Everything. Then look at what I got. The magic, the family, the coven. I got it all even when I thought I didn’t want it. You could have had the coven if you’d just been content, but people like you are toxic. Power corrupts weak men and you were the weakest I’ve ever met. You’ll be forgotten, a blip in our history. I hope you’re better in your next life.”
At his nod, the demons set the car on fire. We watched it burn until the sirens got too close.
“Shame, I liked that car,” I remarked as we walked through the portal home.
His November Reign
Thyme
My heart had beenin my stomach the entire time Damon fought with Basil. Damon was a skilled fighter, but Basil was better at magic, keeping Damon from making any headway.
When Oak shot Damon, I thought for one split second I’d been lied to. That Oak truly was on Basil’s side and everything was over. For it to turn out like it had, with Oak taking the kill shot, just proved to me that the insidious voice inside me was wrong, the one that sounded so like my brother and father. Oak was on our side and had proven his loyalty by finishing Basil for good.
Maybe one day I would mourn the brother I’d lost, but as his body, and Aster’s, burned in that car, I didn’t shed a tear. I wasn’t ready to think about the tyrant Basil was as being the same older brother I’d grown up with.
Aside from the burning car, there wasn’t much cleanup to do, which was just as well, because wedidn’t stick around to do any of it, leaving it to the humans to organize.
The first thing I did after getting home was to ensure the book was locked away again, then I poured everyone a drink.
We toasted to putting the past behind us and a peaceful future ahead for the coven.
Damon stood, all healed from his injuries, bruises aside. “I wanted to say something. This battle might not have been mine at the start, but I’m happy to have been there at the end to put a stop to Basil and his delusions. I’m grateful for the support of my friends and my family.”
The others cheered and hooted for Damon to continue.
“Thyme, you gave me a gift when you returned my magic to me. I know I didn’t see it at the time—“
“Threw some tantrums? Damon? Never!” Parker cackled.
“As I was saying,” Damon rolled his eyes, “I’ve grown to think of you like a parent, and now we have time to decide what that looks like for you. But…” He waved his hands dramatically at Barr. “I’ve already given you a grandchild, therefore I am the best son ever.”
“Hey!” Cody interrupted with a pout. “What am I? Chopped liver?” Barr blushed, though he laughed. “I love having a brother, but I was here first!”
They got caught up with details like if Barr was older or younger than Cody or if they went by the adoption date instead of their birthdates. Barr was older by a decade, almost the same age as me and older than his adoptive father, Damon. So our family was a convoluted, yet loving, mess.
“Anyway,” Damon yelled over the rest of us to be heard. Somehow, he was still standing, glass in hand. “Thank you to all who helped save the coven and demonkin from oppression. To the future and peace!”
