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9

JAMES

I stand, holding my breath, as Callie points her finger at the bowl of water on her desk. This is her fifteenth try, and I can feel her frustration as if it's my own. Sweat beads on her forehead, and I swear the air in the room crackles with her powers.

This shouldn't be possible. She's a half-witch like I am. Her powers should be much weaker than they are. Perhaps it's because she's from the royal line. I dismiss the thought as soon as I've had it. Magic isn't like that. She should still be weaker. The only explanation is that she's gained her powers from somewhere else. Or her father isn't who everyone thinks he is. I suppose that's always a possibility, though it'll also be a minor scandal.

Papers on Callie's desk lift into the air. Pencils fly onto the ground. The books slide to the side, all of them trying to escape her raw power.

But the water doesn’t even ripple.

"I can't do it." Callie throws herself backward onto the bed in frustration.

She's so cute when she's like this. I keep the thought to myself, not wanting to think about what she'd do to me if she knew what I'm thinking.

"You'll get it." I try to sound encouraging, but even I'm starting to doubt she'll achieve water manipulation. "This is the only thing you've had trouble with so far, and I think that's great."

She glares at the bowl of water on her desk. “Stupid liquid. Maybe it’s broken.”

I chuckle and sit down beside her. “The water isn’t broken.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she stares at the ceiling. “I don’t really need water control anyway. If I need to fight my uncle, I need some stuff that can really hurt him.”

Laying down beside her, I turn on my side. “Take my advice from someone who isn’t all that great at magic. It’s good to struggle sometimes. If everything came easy to you?—”

“I’d be a lot happier.”

I smile. “Then maybe when it was important, when you had to do something really hard, you wouldn’t have the aptitude to keep going.”

She sighs. “It’s annoying when you’re right.”

It's annoying for me too. It's so much easier when I'm wrong.

I grin down at her. “Yeah, but you love it.”

Her gaze jerks to me, and for some reason, I wish I could pull the words back. They seem too close to “I love you,” and that’s a bucket of worms I’m not ready to unleash right now.

“I do,” she says, her words soft.

“Try to manipulate the water again,” I say, looking away from her intense blue eyes.

Instead, I feel my pants being unbuttoned.

Groaning, I push her hand away and pull up my boxers. “We have to focus. We’re running out of time.”

She sighs. “Fine, I just… this isn’t working. And magic seems to put me in the mood like nothing else.”

My dick jerks. Focus, you idiot.

She said her ability to manipulate water isn’t working.

In truth, it isn’t. But no one in the house can help her with this more than I can, and I don't seem to be doing a very good job. The problem is that water control is very important. Water is such a tricky element that learning it may save her life. If she can gain control over it, her uncle will be hard-pressed to find anything she can’t control. But wishful thinking isn't going to change any of that.

And Callie is my priority. I'll do anything and everything to make sure she's prepared.

Benny...

No. I can't ask him to help. I can't wrap him up in this, especially as it'll bring a whole new level of danger to the situation. But perhaps he's the answer. He's always had exceptional control over water. We were on the same swim team at school, and I saw him manipulate the pool too many times to count.

But can I do that? Can I ask him? My stomach turns. Every time I see her struggling with water, thoughts of what he can teach her springs to mind. But I always push them away. It's too dangerous, isn't it? I can't risk bringing him into the fold.

Maybe Callie will surprise us all and get it tomorrow. But we're running out of time. She needs to learn this skill so she can be safe. Plus, it'll open her up to so many other abilities. Including being able to breathe underwater. If the king tries to drown her, she'll be able to protect herself, just like she can from fire.

If Benny is her only chance, then don't I owe it to her to at least consider what he can do for us?

It wouldn’t hurt to ask her.

I take a deep breath. This isn't going to be easy, but it really is the only option we have. "Listen, I know one guy that's particularly good at water manipulation. And he's been wanting to meet you."

Confusion crosses her face. She knows none of the witches in the town are able to manipulate water, or we'd have called on them already. "Who?” she asks eagerly once she's realized it's someone new.

I hesitate; this is my last chance to back out. I can lie and tell her a name and then that I can't find them. Of course, there's always a chance Benny will say no if he's decided too much time has passed since he sent me the letter. I should have replied with some kind of maybe.

“My old friend, Benny," I say before I can chicken out, mostly because I don't want to lie to her. "He was unbelievably skilled at water control. I've seen him master in days what it takes most people years to learn.”

"The guy Fran warned against?" She arches an eyebrow at me.

I sigh. Of course, that's what she can remember about him. Though I suppose I haven't been very forthcoming about my past, but that's on me, not her. Saying that, I can't help but notice that she hasn't said no.

"I know. But he's the best I've ever seen with water. And we can't be sure if he wants to help or not." He has a ruthless reputation, but most of the witches around us do. He's also loyal to the British Witch Queen, and she's known to be a fair and benevolent ruler. I wish we had one like her here. Hopefully, soon, we will, with Callie. "I think it would be safe enough if we went with you and you were careful not to tell him too much."

She considers the idea. "If I meet him, I'd have you guys with me?"

I nod. "But I don't think it's a good idea to take all of us. Maybe just me and Will. He doesn't need to know the extent of your protection or how many people are on your side. All I've told him is that the rumors of an army aren't true."

She cocks her head at me. "Why tell him that?"

"I wasn't sure at first if he might be working for the king. The more I consider it, the less likely it seems. The British Queen is no fan of the king, and Benny was always loyal to her, even as a kid."

She stares at the bowl on the desk with narrowed eyes. I wait for her to respond, but she just squints her eyes more. I furrow my brows at her when I realize she's not breathing. "Water manipulation isn't supposed to be this hard." I laugh at her disgruntled expression, then feel bad when she shoots me a hurt look. "I'm sorry, don't be hurt. You're so cute while you're trying so hard."

She breathes again and relaxes. "I just don't see why it won't move."

I take her hand and try to send calming thoughts her way. "You may not have much water energy in your family. Or maybe your cat influenced you, and now you subconsciously hate water." I'm proud of myself for coming up with that explanation. It may even be true.

She bursts out laughing. "I bet that's it. I'm so much like my cat I want to avoid the water." With a sigh, she pokes the bowl of clear liquid. "Why do you not want to work for me?" Returning her gaze to me, Callie smiles. "Okay. Set up a meeting. Let me see if this guy can teach me anything. Maybe I can get a read on him. See if he's sincere."

I don't know about all that. As far as I know, her newfound powers don't include reading people’s souls. Though, for all I know, she can read minds when she learns how. Her powers have been beyond impressive so far, especially considering her father was human.

"You'll need to be careful," I warn. "His reputation says he knows when people are lying. If he asks a question you don't want to answer, be honest but polite. Tell him it's not his business in the kindest way you can."

She laughs again, the sound washing over my nerves. I love to hear her voice tinkling in delight, even though she doesn't have much to be happy about right now. "Thank you for helping me learn, but mind your own business."

"Exactly. You're getting it." I take her hand again. "This is a small speed bump in the road. We'll get you a little help, and maybe we'll be able to gain some intel from Benny in the process. He knows more than he's letting on, I'm sure of it."