Page 24 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy
“And if she did not, what would you do?”
I mull it over in my head. “I don’t know. My college degree was kind of vague. I’ve been so focused on saving money anddoing witchy things that I haven’t even thought about applying to culinary school.”
“If that is the next step, then you should consider doing that. Pursuing your passion is important.”
“Yeah, but slinging coffee at Brew-Ha is fine for now.”
Kai studies me for a long moment. “I worry about you on the evening shift, Sebastian.”
My eyebrow furrows. “Kevin ran off. You scared him away. And you wiped his memories, did you not?”
“I did, but what of other intruders?”
“There isn’t anyone else. I don’t have any other aggressive ex-boyfriends, I promise you.” I tap his hand. “But thanks for being there.”
“Morning, boys!” Taina says. She walks in wearing her scrubs and reaches the fridge for her lunch. “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I wanted to use the kitchen to make some muffin mix for the coffee shop.” I raise up the bag, and Taina nods.
“Ah.” She looks between us curiously. “What are you up to today, Mr. Zhou?”
“I was going to practice magic to try to jog my memories.” He glances at me. “Care to join me in the woods, Sebastian?”
“Of course!” I turn to Taina to see her frown just for a moment. “Um, give this to Lisbeth for me?”
“Sure. Hey, maybe when I come home, I can join you guys?”
“If we’re around, sure.” I tap Kai on the arm. “Let’s go.”
“Bye,” Taina says. I only glance at her once to see a face of concern. With all the drama of rooming with the Jade Lion, I haven’t hung out with my best friend in days. I make a mental note to try to chat with her later, but a whole day spent with Kai is too tempting to pass up.
The next four days go by without incident. I take Kai around town and teach him about everything I can think of, from airplanes to internet trolls. When I’m not at work, we go out into the woods. He uses a spell to cloak us in fog so we can practice magic undisturbed. And by we, I mean Kai does magic while I watch. I still have no solo abilities, but it’s riveting watching him do all sorts of magical maneuvers. He moves dirt, swirls air around, and conjures various mystical ingredients I’ve only read about in books. His aptitude for magic is enchanting, pun intended.
When I inform the others about the occurrence with Kevin in the alleyway, they’re naturally concerned. But I point out that Kai wiped his memories. My housemates give me peculiar looks and whisper about me, but I don’t care. I don’t need people hovering over me and criticizing my choice of men—I do that enough to myself. Besides, we have the Jade Lion on our side now. One day, he might recover his memories and go back to Hong Kong, so I’m enjoying his company while I still have it. Even though the thought of him leaving makes my heart hurt, I’m still trying to help him remember his past.
One morning, Ashley, Kai, and I are commuting with Lisbeth to Brew-Ha. Kai typically hangs out during opening before our walk to the library. Today, he might be regretting that choicesince our leader is lecturing about how unsafe the world is. She regales us about violent news stories, and I try not to roll my eyes.
“What made you think about this now?” I ask with a yawn. I unlock the door and let Ashley into Brew-Ha. She scurries in and turns on the lights. Kai begins to move chairs off of tables as I follow Lisbeth to the kitchen.
“Well, um…” She opens the cash register. “I watched a worrying documentary last night. Very frightening stuff.”
I walk by Kai and say, “A documentary is kind of like the programs you’ve seen on the internet. A true story, nothing scripted.” I approach Lisbeth and add, “That stuff will mess with your mental health.”
“Hey, you’re the one who almost got hurt. Don’t change the subject,” she retorts.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say.
“Oh, yes, it is.” Lisbeth stands with her hands crossed, blocking me from walking to the back. “Honey, you were assaulted.”
“But he didn’t get far. And Kai scared him away.” The man moves to my left, and we share a smile. “Thanks again.”
“You are most welcome.”
Lisbeth’s face softens for a moment, then she frowns again. “As great as it is that the Jade Lion was here to protect you, we need to do more.”
I scratch my arm, annoyed that we’re having this conversation at all. Lisbeth is a second mom to me, but I don’t need overprotection. Frankly, I just want to forget Kevin and move on with my life. “What are you going to do, put more cameras around the place?”
“Better than that. Ashley!” she hollers. My housemate appears and places pieces of cloth into Lisbeth’s hands. In a blur,my coven leader takes my left wrist and ties something around it.
