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10

CALLIE

Sitting in front of my vanity, I brush my hair, lost in thought. This is the first time I'm leaving the house in too long. For some reason, it feels strange to be preparing to go out into a city full of witches who want me dead.

Strange and dangerous.

Especially given where I'm going.

James has been able to set up the meeting with his friend, thankfully, in an untraceable way. He's being careful not to give Benny any more information than he has to. It's cute how much he wants to protect me. How much all three of them do. It's times like this I'm certain they'd all be more comfortable if I still had my cat so a dangerous situation can be escaped more easily. A pang of longing passes through me. I miss her more than I thought I would.

Luckily for me, Benedict is eager to teach me how to manipulate water. Which isn’t at all suspicious. Maybe Fran is right about him after all.

I really want this guy to be a good guy, for James’ sake, but there's no way in hell I'm just going to let down my guard and trust him. Having so many people count on me means that I can’t just duck my head and refuse his help, no matter how I feel about him.

Not with how many people want me dead right now.

But I also wasn’t going to let all of this change me. Before all this magic stuff, I tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. I remembered what it was like when everyone only saw me as a troublemaking foster kid. I never want to judge people like that.

Not if I can help it.

Except back then, I had my cat’s instincts to protect me, and she was a pretty good judge of character. Instinctually, I reach inside myself again and feel for her. The nothingness makes my heart ache.

“I hope you’re out there somewhere safe,” I tell my reflection.

I set the brush down on my vanity and examine my handiwork. I'm nervous about the meeting, so I'm doing what a lot of girls do.

Fixing my hair and makeup. I'm all for girl power and feminism, but damn if I don't feel more confident when I look nice. A tap at my door distracts me from a few flyaways.

"Ready?" James raises his eyebrows when he sees me. "Wow. Should I be jealous?" He's trying to joke, but I can hear the thread of truth in his words. He is jealous, whether he likes it or not.

He'll get over it. He knows I'm not going to do anything untoward. There are only three men for me.

With a laugh to diffuse any tension that may have built, I stand and walk to my closet door. I throw my robe onto my bed and slip into a pair of snug jeans and a tee. It's nothing fancy and won't give anyone the wrong idea. James doesn't say a word as I dress. Our relationship is still too new for dressing in front of one another to feel completely natural, and he watches my every move as a result. I have to admit, the way he watches me sends a thrill of power through me, completely unlike magic. This is something different. Affection for him rushes through me. We're building something special despite the circumstances. And despite the other people in the house. There's enough of them here to kill any kind of budding relationship.

I grab my favorite hoodie and slip into my shoes. That should convince him he has no reason to be jealous.

"Ready!" I announce loudly.

He clears his throat and blinks rapidly. "Okay, then. Can you glamour yourself?"

I nod and look into the mirror. When we're in the cove, I'll let it go, but until we get there, I need to look like someone else.

In seconds, one of my childhood teachers stares back at me. Mid-thirties, a little chunky, kind smile. "Perfect. Is the spell ready?"

Turning, I see that he’s glamoured himself too. It's odd seeing James as an older man with a balding head and a big nose. His glamoured face nods.

"Come on," he says. Is it me, or does he sound almost nervous?

I want to reach out and reassure him, but if I do, then I worry he'll chicken out, and this whole thing will be called off. Despite my frustrations at the water not wanting to do what it should, I do want to learn how to manipulate it. I need every magic skill I can get for the battle ahead, even if I'm not too sure what that'll entail. I know I'm supposed to stop my uncle from claiming the throne for himself and making the whole town into a living nightmare for witches and that it'll technically make me Queen in his place, but I don't know what that means . Is it like the British royalty where I'm just a figurehead and other people rule the kingdom? Or is it more than that? And where does the magic come in? I know people have told me bits and pieces of what it all means, but it's difficult to get it all straight in my head, especially when there's also been an overload of magical knowledge there, too.

We head downstairs, where the rest of my crew waits. The instant I step out of the wards, anyone can scry for me. We can't have that happen, and after James's eventful trip out of the wards when he ran into Benedict, none of us are leaving without a protection spell.

Fran leads this one. "I still say this is a bad idea, but if you insist on going, I'll do the spell myself," she says as I hold out my hands to her in the kitchen. "Remember, this lasts four hours. If you're not back within the protection of these wards when time runs out, they will be able to find you. I'm sure the king has someone searching for you constantly, just for an opportune moment such as this."

“Got it,” I say.

Fran’s dark eyes are gentle. “You’re sure about this?”

I nod.

She sighs, clearly still unhappy about the situation. But I know she loved my grandmother, and she's not going to let anything happen to me. She takes my hands in one of hers and uses the other to draw symbols around me. I don't know what each one means. Despite asking to be taught the protection spells, I haven't been able to. Some things appear to take time to study to get right, and it'll be years before I master the symbols these things need, even if I have the raw power.

A soft blue glow comes from me before fading and disappearing. But I can still feel it like a barrier around me, similar to the one I can feel when I leave the house.

“Be careful,” Fran says as she lets go of my hands and takes a step back. Her expression is soft. She's truly worried about something happening to me. Probably more for the memory of my grandmother over anything else.

“Always,” I promise her. “And thank you.”

She nods, and I see worry in her eyes. “I’m going to head back to the safe house. Well, I’m going to grab some more board games first. The kids are getting antsy.”

I smile. “They’re all lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have them,” she says, and with a slight smile, she turns her lips up before heading for the back door.

I look back at my guys. “Ready?”

They nod, having already done protection spells around one another. James made up for what he thought of as his weaker magic by knowing all there is to about this kind of thing. None of them seem very happy about the situation, even if they have protection spells around them.

“Watch your back out there,” Hank says.

I nod. “You keep an eye on everyone here.”

He presses a kiss on my cheek. I flash him my best “don’t worry about me” look, but his gaze is glued to me as I head for Will.

For a moment, it seems as if the big guy looks like he’s not even going to say goodbye.

“Will?” I say, raising a brow.

“This is stupid and dangerous,” he huffs.

“We’ve gone over this…”

“I should be right beside you so I can fry the guy to a crisp if he thinks he’s going to try anything.”

I laugh. “Remember, he’s meeting us to help me.”

“He better be,” Will mumbles.

I wrap my arms around him and press myself against his chest. After a second, his arms drop from their angry position in front of him, and he enfolds me in his arms. I breathe in his masculine scent, along with the smoky element that’s always a part of him.

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I know,” he says softly, then leans closer. “Because I’m going to be close enough to destroy him if he tries anything.”

I release him.

His gaze holds mine. “I… you… just take care of yourself.”

I smile. “Yes, sir!”

He glowers, but the anger doesn’t reach his eyes. And for some reason, I don’t even mind Mr. Grumpy because now I know he only does this when he’s worried about me. And it’s kind of nice to have a guy worry about me like that.

Taking a deep breath, James and I walk out the front door, closing it behind us, and standing on the porch. The morning air is crisp, refreshing me in a way normally only coffee does. The street is deserted. Literally, no one . I expected it to be quiet this early, but ever since my asshole uncle started dragging people off, even the humans seemed to be out less.

"It feels so wild to be doing this,” I whisper.

James takes my hand. "Yes, leaving the house is such a rebellious thing," he jokes. "That's sad. We'll fix this, get you to the solstice, and then this will all be a memory we can tell our..." He turns his head instead of finishing the sentence.

Kids. He'd been about to say our kids. I smile as I look at the back of his head.

"Ready?" I ask, letting him off the hook.

None of us is ready to talk about kids or if our very unconventional relationship would result in any offspring. I’m not even sure what the best way to define our relationship is. It's too early to talk about the kind of future James is clearly thinking about, but I should expect it from him. He's the most serious of the three of them, though they can all have their moments. Still, it's too soon to be dreaming of marriage, kids, and a white picket fence.

Love though...maybe it isn't too soon for that.

He steps outside the ward, pulling me along with him. We wait a second to make sure lightning won't strike, then cross the street.

"Will showed me this cove not long after I moved here," he says as we cut through a neighbor's backyard to get to the beach. "We'll have complete privacy. That's why I chose this time of day. It's low tide," he explains.

With the early morning chill, I’m thankful for my hoodie as I shove my hands into my pockets and shiver against the chill in the air. For Spring, it’s still pretty dang cold. Not that the clouds above, threatening us with rain, are helping. They add a greyness to the world that I usually like. But today, I’d take a sunny sky over clouds.

A part of me wishes we could’ve gone later in the day, when the sun is beaming down, and our walk to the shore would feel like an amazing break from the stuffy house. But the tide will only stay low long enough for Benedict to teach me this early, so we don’t have the luxury of waiting. Plus, there are fewer people about, and that always helps. I'm sure most of the people in town have no clue what I look like, but it's better to be safe rather than sorry.

After cutting through part of the woods and a couple more backyards, we arrive at the beach to find a man lazing in a deck chair. He’s blond, with long legs that stretch out in front of him and almost make him look gangly, even from his position in the chair. Despite the fact we’re on the beach, he's wearing a blue suit without a tie. Or socks. I wrinkle my nose. How does he manage that? Doesn't it make his shoes rub?

"Hello again, old friend." Benedict greets us before he even turns to look at us.

I freeze as he stands and shakes James’ hand. He has brilliant blue eyes and a scruff of a beard. His hair has been cut short and neat, but there’s a strength beneath his too-casual clothes. Almost like he’s a dangerous man who’s trying really hard not to look threatening. But does that mean anything? Is he as dangerous as he appears under his outward appearance, or is he truly harmless?

It doesn't escape my notice that he's also a very handsome man.

"And you must be the one all the fuss is about," he says to me, holding out a hand. "The rumors don't do your beauty justice."

A blush rises to my cheeks. He's charming, too. I take his hand, ignoring the low growl coming from James' direction. I'm sure if I ask him about it, he'll say it's some kind of manifestation of his salamander side, but I'll know that's a lie. The growl is all jealous man.

The thing is, he's too handsome. With the kind of casual air that reminds me of a slick salesman or a supermodel. He oozes charisma.

"Callie." I take his hand in mine and give it a firm shake. When I see my arm, I remember I don't look like myself. "Of course, this isn't me." Meaning his comments about beauty are nothing more than lip service. I'm going to have to be careful around him. Not because I think I might fall for him, I won't. He's not my type, and from the way he shakes my hand, I can tell I'm not his either, something I don't think is to do with the glamour in place over me.

He bows his head slightly. "I assumed. Shall we go to this private place?"

Sunbathers lounge in chairs several feet down the beach, just out of earshot. James shoots them a critical look. "Two of yours?"

I glance at the beachgoers again, having written them off as human the first time I looked. They still look human. Especially as the man is wearing a smiley face swimsuit and the woman is in a pink two-piece.

I stretch my senses out, annoyed at myself for not thinking about doing that before. Now I'm focusing my attention; it's easy to detect something off about them, like a smell that doesn’t make sense. Or am I imagining it? No. I can't be. James identified them straight away, and there must be an explanation as to how.

"I couldn't come without any protection," he explains. "Is the cove nearby?"

I get that feeling again. The one that tells me either this guy is just really smart or that he’s dangerous. Maybe both. Which definitely makes him someone I should be careful around.

James walks in the direction of the sunbathers but passes by them without doing anything about them. I suppose if they're here to protect Benny, then there's nothing he can do about them.

I study them as James and Benedict discuss the need for protection spells around the cove. I can't tell anything interesting just from looking at them, other than that they need better fashion sense when it comes to beach wear. They scream human. Despite how little they're wearing and how cold it is. And yet, something still lingers in my mind, or maybe in the air, every time I look in their direction.

"How'd you know they weren’t human?" I ask James once he's finished talking with Benny.

If he hadn’t pointed it out, I would’ve never noticed myself. That's something I need to work on. I have to be more aware of the world around me if I'm going to survive long.

James cocks his head. "Know what?"

"They're not human?" I throw up my thumb and point it toward the couple.

"Nothing they did gave them away," he says, confirming what I suspect. "But just their appearance is odd."

Realization dawns on me. "The only people out this early are fishermen."

Maybe I imagined something was off about them when really all James did was apply logic to the situation.

Benedict chuckles. "I should've taken more time to study the habits of the natives in the area. I figured they could pass as tourists."

James laughs along with his old friend. "You're slipping, old man."

They fall into a friendly banter. Is this really the same man as Fran warned me against? He's charming, for sure, maybe too charming. But I can't sense anything but curiosity, and maybe mischief, coming from him.

Not that I'm a mind reader.

James turns into the woods, where a small stream feeds into the ocean. "Up this way," he says.

Benny's disguised friends follow at a comfortable distance. I don't feel like they're going to come attack or try to kidnap me, but I keep an eye on them anyway. Besides, what they don't know is that Will is already here. I try to hide my smile at the thought. Benny might not know how to blend his little friends in around here, but we did.

The cove has several hiding spots, and he's in one of them, comfortable with quiet snacks and a book, waiting for us to arrive. If he hears anything he shouldn't, he'll come out blazing.

Literally.

The stream twists around until it splits, and James follows the split back in the direction we came, except up the beach. When the stream reaches the ocean, the trees are on either side of it, nearly to the water's edge, except the stream has eaten away at the sand, sinking it much lower than the forest around it. It creates the perfect hidden cove. When the tide comes in, it will lick at their trunks, but not enough to damage them.

"Most people don't know this little cove is here," James says. "We're protected on both sides by trees and boulders. The water in the stream is more than enough for me to learn by. At high tide, the entire area would be under water.”

Benedict nods. “This will do.”

I grin. “And it’s better than a damn misbehaving bowl of water.”

Benny lifts a brow, a smile in his eyes. "Shall we?"

“Hell yeah!”

To my surprise, he goes to the edge of the water and dips his hand into the sand. A second later, a wave rushes over his fingers.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

Benny looks out at the water. “I’m introducing myself to it.”

“To water?” That’s a little weird but also endearing. It makes me like him a lot more.

He nods. “Water is different from a lot of the elements. It doesn’t need to be controlled like fire or the earth. It just needs to be molded. And that’s hard to do if it doesn’t want to be molded by you.”

“You’re kidding.”

He shakes his head, and his soft eyes lock onto mine. “Come introduce yourself.”

I’m pretty sure this guy is pulling my leg, but I go squat beside him and stick my hand near his. “Okay, water, I’m Callie. Just your average neighborhood girl, at least that’s what I thought until all the witch--”

“No,” Benny reaches over and takes my hand. My skin tingles at his touch. “Close your eyes. Feel the water. Feel it reach out to you, then just reach back.”

I’m not sure about all this, but I close my eyes, waiting to feel nothing from the water like before. But then, something weird happens. I feel a change. Like the moment you notice an animal near you in the woods. It’s like I’m sharing a space with some shy creature that belongs here more than I do.

I reach out in my mind cautiously, scared to spook in, and I feel the water in a way I never have before. I feel the chill of it. I feel the smoothness of it, and it awakens things inside of me I never knew existed.

“Whoa…”

“Now,” he says softly. “We’re ready to try to mold it. If it’ll let us.”

I glance at James. He's scowling, clearly unhappy with the way Benny is acting around me, but he nods anyway, knowing how important this is. My heart skips a beat at the thought. He and the others truly want what's best for me. I have no doubts about that.

Time passes too fast. Within a short time, the water begins to respond to me. It leaps a little higher. It dances a bit. It even swirls around.

Benny watches me more than the water as he teaches. His hands are always there, touching mine. Or he moves behind me and shifts my position to open me up better to the elements. Each time he does so, my connection with the water seems to intensify, and soon I get it. I actually get water magic!

I laugh as I hold a ball of water in my hands, not quite touching my skin.

"Now," Benedict says. "Throw it at James."

I give him a sarcastic look. "I'm not going to do that."

"No, really, watch."

Benedict pulls a ball of water from the creek, then hurls it at James, who only has enough time to throw up his hands. His sleeves, face, and hair are soaked in a split second.

As he sputters, Benedict focuses, twirling his hands around, and the water gathers off of James's clothes and body, reforming in Benedict's hands.

I clap in delight, dropping my water ball. "That's wonderful!"

James' expression says he disagrees, but I don't worry about that. He wants me to learn this, so he has to deal with the consequences of that.

Kneeling down to the water again, I call it to me, and a ball forms in my hands once more. James gives me a “don’t you dare” look, and then I hurl the ball toward him.

It splatters him square in the face, and he glowers back at me.

Biting my lip, I concentrate on the water. Hoping like hell it’ll listen to me the way it did for Benny. Slowly, one drop at a time, lift from James’ clothes, face, and hair, and then he’s dry once more, and the ball is back in my hand.

Hell yes!

"Every time you shower, use this new trick to dry yourself. You'll be surprised how fast you master it that way."

Not only me, I'll do it to the guys, too. This could be handy.

"If you keep practicing, you'll learn to pull water from the atmosphere around you. You can take it from plants, people, and even the air. But be careful; if you take too much, anything organic can die. Everything needs water."

Oh, that puts a little damper on this whole water control thing.

He sits on a log. "Now. Tit for tat. Tell me about yourself."

At least he's being straightforward about it.

“Uh, okay, what do you want to know?”

He gives a slight smile. “Start at the beginning.”

Okay then, I can do this. Tell him stuff, but not too much.

"I grew up with humans." True and not a secret.

James rolls over a small boulder and then brushes it off. I sit delicately on it and watch him bring another over for himself. He must be using magic to help, as they're too big for anyone to roll without it.

"And you've only recently discovered you're a witch?" Benedict leans forward with his hands on his knees.

I remember James's words. He can sense lying. "Yes, but I have a lot to learn about how to use my powers. They were locked away. My father was a human, so I need lots of help." All true and evades saying how strong my powers seem to be. Hopefully, he'll read into my words and assume I need help because I'm weak. Plus, by saying this much, I can avoid talking about my cat. I think that'll be too painful.

He studies me for a minute. Long enough to make me uncomfortable. "The King isn't just grabbing people he thinks might be loyal to you."

I raise my eyebrows and look from Benedict to James. "What else?"

"He plans to make a blood sacrifice at the Solstice. He hopes it will please the magic to choose his son as the king and catalyst."

A blood sacrifice. Holy shit. "That asshole! I thought he couldn’t get any worse!”

But of course, he has to go and remind me why we don’t want him on the throne. Not just because he’s a jerk but because he’s a cruel monster of a man.

"He's looking for the strongest witch he can to sacrifice." Benedict shakes his head. "Blood sacrifices have been outlawed in most witch societies for centuries. This act will break bonds with other covens, alienate them further when most other covens already disagree with the way the king operates."

James looks shocked, and I'm so upset I can barely catch my breath. He’s actually rounding up people and then will choose one to kill? It’s just… sick.

Benedict leans back. "Why are you two so surprised? You must know he's been stealing power for years."

"I did, yes," James admits. "But a blood sacrifice at a solstice is publicly admitting he does it. Every witch in the coven is at the solstice celebration, and even more will come this year with the heir being chosen. The heir to the throne must be presented at the solstice for the magic to imbibe them as the next catalyst. If the heir isn't presented by their twenty-first birthday, they will never be the catalyst, and no one can be King without being a catalyst.”

My jaw drops as my mind begins to turn. "My mother was younger than twenty-one when she ran off with me, right?"

James cuts me a look, warning me to watch what I say. "Yes, why?"

"How can we be sure my uncle was presented to the solstice?" I ask. "Maybe he never was, which would nullify his claim to the throne. And his child's."

"He was presented," Benedict says. "The dowager tried to stop it, but King Edmund trusted his son. The worst mistake he ever made. When Regina didn't return by His Majesty's twenty-first birthday, King Robert was presented. The magic must've known Regina wouldn't ever take her place on the throne because it imbibed him as catalyst," Benny says.

"How do you know all this?" James demands of Benedict.

Benedict chuckles. "We all have our secrets, don't we, old friend?" He stands and looks around. "I think that's enough for one day. I'll be in touch."

With no other warning, he walks back into the woods and back the way we came.

"Wow. He just up and left." I don't understand.

"Yeah." James crosses his arms. "He's acting strange, even for him."

Will appears out of nowhere. I have no idea where he was hiding, but it was good, because it's like he poofs out of thin air. "That dude is weird."

James nods. "Yeah. You know another way out of here?"

Will scoffs. "Of course. I made sure I re-familiarized myself with all of the exits when you made this stupid plan."

Will takes my hand and holds me tightly, as if he spent his whole time in the woods worrying that something bad would happen to me, then leads us a complicated way back out of the woods.

I check my watch. "We only have an hour to get back home before our glamours wear off."

They talk about Benedict and the information he gave while I contemplate my options.

"I have to do it," I say as we reach the end of the woods. I realize where we are, just up the street from my cottage and the firehouse. "I have to formally claim the throne. I have to become the queen and catalyst. If I don't, Robert will raise his son to be just like him, and that's bad for everyone."

James and Will give me a sympathetic look.

"If it helps, I think you're ready," Will says. "You're so strong."

"Yeah, but Robert is the catalyst. He's the one who makes the whole coven powerful. The throne won't accept anyone else while he's alive; that's not how it works. To claim the throne, he has to be dead. And he won't let anyone he doesn't choose to become a catalyst, that opens up the possibility of the people who oppose his rule trying to put someone else in his place," James explains.

"And that's a lot of people," Will mutters.

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, James laughs. "More than even King Robert realizes. He's made a lot of enemies over the years."

"That can only be a good thing," Will says. "But how are we going to get them on Callie's side?"

"We tell them it exists," [1] James says with certainty. "And if she's determined to be the queen and catalyst, then that'll be easier than you think."

"Hmm." Will doesn't seem convinced.

Dread fills me. "How am I going to do this?" I whisper. Despite the question, I know there isn't any doubt about whether or not I'm going through with it. Both of them know I am.

"You've got us. And yourself. And that'll be plenty," Will promises.

I walk toward my cottage with one hand in James's and one hand in Will's, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world, even as my anxiety rises in anticipation of what's to come.