Chapter 71


    I’m feeling more powerful than I’ve ever felt before. My veins are filled with a fresh wave of energy.


    ‘This power, I murmur, twisting my head to look over my shoulder at Reaper. ‘Does thise from


    you?’


    Reaper squawks before responding over our mind-link.


    ‘Yes, now that we’re bonded, I can give you as little or as much power as you need.’


    ‘Do you mean that what I’m feeling now isn’t the whole extent of your power?’


    ‘You mean our power, and no, not at all. Let’s just pray that you’ll never have to utilise the full amount.’


    ‘What would happen if we had to utilise it all at once?’


    Td very likely die.


    I take a breather. ‘Well, I’ll make a mental note not to absorb it all, I say.


    ‘We’ll see, chuckles Reaper.


    The portal to Shadow Crest has opened.


    ‘It’s time for you to meet your new family, Reaper.’ I sh a smirk.


    ‘Yes, I can’t wait,’ he answers unenthused.


    Don’t be that way, Reaper. You’ll adore them, and there are more familiars among the five other


    witches with whom you might enjoy theirpany. May, one of the witches, is my sister!


    Excellent, more vexing familiars.’


    I can’t help but chuckle. ‘You poor creature Reaper, you’ve been alone for thousands of years, and now


    you’ll have to suffer being surrounded by tonnes of love and friends, I pass through the portal, Reaper


    still on my shoulder, and return to Shadow Crest.


    “Nina!’ Magnus says. He moves to embrace me but pauses as Reaper ps his wings, surprising


    Magnus. ‘Wait, is your familiar supposed to have smoke flowing out of its feathers like that?’ he


    inquires. Yiselda exhales and moves closer to check Reaper.


    ‘It can’t be? ‘Isn’t that the mythical Shadow Raven?’ ‘I thought it was a fairytale.’ She’s taken aback.


    “His name is Reaper. It’s usual for him to emit ck mist.’ I grin.


    He caws and ps his wings again. I can see he’s bragging. I try not tough.


    May dashes over, carrying Sabre on her shoulder. We exchange nces and embraces. Reaper is


    irritated and caws loudly in May’s ear.


    “Ugh, you don’t have to be rude, bird. Your master is my sister, May pouts.


    His name is Reaper. You’ll have to forgive him this once. I found him in the dead woods, far from all the


    other familiars, where he has spent thousands of years being anti-social; I exin.


    Oh, I see ‘Well, it’s great to meet you, Reaper. My name is May, and this is my familiar Sabre, the


    Fennec fox, Reaper acknowledges her with a low caw.


    Magnus and Yiselda turn and face the crowd and us. Yiselda clears her throat.


    “It is done. We are now onemunity and the first wolf-witchmunity to exist and live peacefully


    together. My sisters and I look forward to helping maintain this wonderful township of Shadow Crest


    with you.’


    Everyone apuds and cheers. Reaper flies off to a nearby tree while I run up to Magnus and kiss him


    endearingly. People of themunity now add wolf whistles to the cheers.


    Ryker and Astrid approach us.


    ‘We are so proud of you, son. Uniting with the witches will set such a wonderful example for the other


    packmunities,’ Ryker says to Magnus.


    Congrattions on your initiation into the Midnight Coven, Nina, and for your new littlepanion,


    Reaper,’ Astrid says to me.


    Thank you. Tonight has been eventful. I don’t know how I’m supposed to sleep with all this adrenaline


    and new power?’


    ‘Perhaps shifting and going for a run with Magnus might help burn some of that excess energy away?’


    she smiles.


    ‘Yes, great idea,’ I say. Magnus and I hug them both goodnight, and everyone returns to their homes.


    ‘It’s time for me to return to Pandora’s box! I’m sure we’ll see each other in the days ahead.’ She says


    this as she bids Fern, , Ria, and Lc farewell.


    Their eyes well up with tears. They can still see Yiselda anytime they want, but it won’t be the same as


    living with her in Pandora’s Box. Yiselda enters the circle with the star and stones within and vanishes.


    ‘Let us show you your new bedrooms in the packhouse,’ I smile as I turn to see my new sisters. They


    perk up and walk into the packhouse with Magnus and me. We proceed upstairs and show them all the


    extra rooms down the hall from where Magnus and | sleep.


    ‘Pick any room you like,’ They are all identically sized rooms with their bathroom. The only difference is


    that the room colours are different. So no one is surprised when Lc chooses the purple room, Fern


    picks the green,  chooses the yellow and Ria the red room. May waves them and us goodnight and


    retreats to her room.


    ‘We should get some sleep too,’ Magnus says.


    ‘I won’t be able to sleep. I will need to shift and run all this new energy and power out of my system,’I


    exin.


    ‘Do you want me toe with you?’


    “Only if you aren’t too tired too?’


    I’ll be fine. Let’s go.’ He smiles. We strip our clothes off in our bedroom, shift into our wolves, and dash


    downstairs and out the door. After a few minutes of running through the forest, Reaper is flying roughly


    fifty metres high above me.


    ‘Enjoying the view of Shadow crest?’ I mind-link Reaper.


    “No, where are all the dead trees? Why is everything so bright, colourful and…’


    ‘Alive?’ Iplete his statement with a chuckle.


    ‘Yeah, that, he says.


    ‘Wee to Shadow Crest Reaper, the town of werewolves and now witches. A ce where


    everything flourishes and never dies,


    Lucky me; he replies, his usual unenthusiastic tone.


    I’m curious, where do familiars sleep?’


    “They may go wherever they want. I used to sleep in the dead moon tree in Silverfay Forest, but we’re


    on our secondp around Shadow Crest, and there isn’t a single dead tree in this entire town.


    ‘Well, let’s go back home now that I’ve burned off some energy, I say.


    pounced over Magnus a few times before returning to the packhouse. We run upstairs and shift back to


    our human forms. I put my nightgown on while Magnus puts on his shorts,


    There is apping sounding from our window. Magnus casis a curious nce at me, and I shrug.


    He looks out the window to see what’s going on Reaper enters the room, walks by Magnus, and flies


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    onto the rail at the foot of our bed.


    1, too, crawl into bed, Magnus is reluctant but jumps in. I put my head on his chest as he draws me into


    his arms,


    Ten minutes have passed When I open my eyes, Magnus is stillpletely awake.


    ‘Is everything all right? I enquire


    “You don’t believe your pet will stare at me all night like that, do you? He is creeping me out.”


    I look down at the foot of our bed, and Reaper is eerily staring Magnus down.


    “Reaper, seriously?’ I say. He caws and turns around with his back facing us. “That’s better, now


    everyone sleep, and my mate’s eyes better still be in their sockets in the morning, Reaper or else I’ll


    make you the brightest, most colourful birdhouse full of rainbows and glitter and force you to sleep in it,’


    I warn.


    “You truly are wicked, Master,’ Reaper replies as he caws angrily and nuzzles his beak beneath his


    wing before falling asleep.