Page 1 of Rescued By the Great Grim

CHAPTER 1 (HAILEY)

When the invitation arrived, I thought there had been a mix-up. Surely the Inland Northwest Witch & Mage Council did not mean to invite me, a lowly elemental practitioner, to their annual swanky gathering? The letter said they’d selected me for their mentoring program, so I filled out the included RSVP card as fast as my fingers could make a pen scratch across the expensive embossed paper. And since I received a confirmation email a few days later, I figured they really wanted me to come. So here I am, about to attend the welcome reception at the exclusive, and by-invitation-only, annual retreat.

To say I’m nervous is an understatement.

Anyone who’s anybody in the magical high society attends this event.

I’m a water elemental. I draw powers from natural bodies of water, and right now, my own armpits would fuel several complicated incantations. Luckily, I wore a black dress fortonight’s festivity, so hopefully, any moisture stains that might spread across the fabric won’t be noticeable if my deodorant fails. What to wear at this retreat caused so much anxiety that I packed and repacked my suitcase five times before hoisting it into the trunk of the SUV I rented for the long weekend. My old beat-up Honda Civic would never have made the trek from the Tri-Cities in central Washington to the beautiful Sockeye Resort in south Idaho.

Wiping my damp palms on the skirt of my dress, I take a deep breath and step into the ballroom. Tall windows reveal breathtaking views of the lake from which the resort borrows its name. The smooth waters glittering in the last of the setting sun’s rays instantly calm me, and my heart rate decreases.

“Ms. Kyteler,” a middle-aged man says as he walks toward me from across the room, one hand reaching for me. “You’re finally here.”

Startled, my brain stalls for a moment until it kicks back in, and I recognize him as Johnathan Root, the president of the Inland Northwest chapter of the Witch & Mage Council. “Mr. Root,” I reply, “thank you so much for inviting me. Please call me, Hailey.”

He grabs my shoulder and does the French air-kissing thing next to both my cheeks. My head bobs awkwardly as I try to follow his lead, but I’m a split second behind on each smooch. He doesn’t seem to notice and booms, “Then you must call me Johnny,” loudly right next to my ear. He leans back, still holding my shoulder, a smile stretched wide across his lips, but his brown eyes are flat. Only slightly taller than my own five feet, eight inches, he nevertheless manages to look down at me. “We’re looking forward to mentor new and young talents this year.”

I’m not exactly a new talent. My abilities manifested on my tenth birthday, but I guess my twenty-eight years are young compared to Root’s age. Although, it’s hard to tell exactly how old he is since he’s a high-power mage and they often look much younger than their true age. Root draws his power from aquatic flora and fauna, something so unusual I think there’s only one known mage who can do that: him. His light-bronze face has only a few lines, and his salt-and-pepper hair makes him look distinguished rather than old. He could be anywhere from in his late forties to late sixties.

I make sure my own polite smile reflects in my eyes. “I’m very excited to learn from everyone here.” A server steps up with a tray full of champagne glasses, and I snag a flute. Root waves him away, though, without getting a drink for himself. Still holding my shoulder, which is itching with the need for him to lose his grip, he angles me toward a corner of the room where a thin woman with long white hair converses with a couple holding hands. The woman has her back to us, but I suspect it is Miriam Sloan, the vice president of the council and a high-power water manipulator.

As an elemental, I pull energy from water. Miriam can actually shape and move the liquid. I’ve seen videos of her demonstrating her talent, and they impressed me as much as they scared me.

“Let me introduce you to your other mentor,” Mr. Root says as his hand finally leaves my shoulder, but now presses on my lower back instead as he steers me toward the corner. I don’t mind people touching me, but something about the way he places his hands feels condescending. Just like he looked down his nose at me earlier. I repress the uncomfortable feeling until we reach the others and then take a step to the side, out of reach of Johnny’s touch.

The couple murmurs a polite greeting to us both and then slinks away to mingle with others, I assume. Miriam turns around to face us. She’s a pale Caucasian woman with a piercing violet gaze that sweeps down my body and back up again to my face. A small smirk plays in the corner of her mouth. The green silk dress draping her thin body is exquisite and cost more than I would get if I sold my clunker of a car. Suddenly, I feel cheap and out of place in my black jersey-knit dress I got at TJ Max.

Before Root introduces me, someone calls his name from across the room, and he excuses himself with a hand wave and a quick, “Miriam, you know what to do.”

She rolls her eyes and sighs heavily as Root walks away. This woman is not at all thrilled to meet me. Or maybe it’s not me. Maybe Miriam is just bored with the council, the retreat, and life in general. The sigh was deep enough to cover all three.

Irked that I let her snooty attitude get to me, I thrust out a hand. “I’m Hailey Kyteler,” I say with extra peppiness in my voice, just to piss her off further.

She rolls her eyes again. “I know. Johnny and I invited you to come, so of course, I know your name.”

“Oh.” I’m confused about why this woman invited me if she so obviously wishes to do anything but chat with me right now. “Well, I’m excited to learn from you.” It’s not that much of a lie. This woman is renowned for being innovative and stretching her powers to limits that nobody could have thought of. Despite her shitty attitude, I can learn a lot from her. “Thank you for choosing me.”

She snorts and waves her hand in the air, as if banishing a foul smell. “Not that much of a choice.” She quirks a perfectlyshaped eyebrow. “The council’s charter specifies that each board member has to mentor someone at least every twenty years. Johnny and I were overdue, and since we are both water powers, the mentee has to of a related talent.” She gives me the once over again, disappointment clear on her face. “Normally, we mentor someone with promising talent, but since water-related magic is rare, we had to choose from a very shallow candidate pool.” She smirks again. “See what I did there?”

Anger heats my face, and I choke on all the words I shouldn’t say. I’m also embarrassed for so obviously being a pity choice. I take a sip of champagne to keep myself from flinging the drink into this rude woman’s face.

Oblivious to my emotions, or maybe she just doesn’t give a shit, she continues dishing out more humiliation my way. “Our first and second choice candidates declined due to starting prestigious magic internships this month.” Great, I’m a third choice. I guess a bronze medal is not that bad. “And the third and fourth choice, sisters actually, couldn’t come because one of them is getting married this weekend, and the other is the maid of honor.”

Okay, so I’m not even on the podium in terms of choices. I paste a polite smile on my face, determined not to show that her rudeness gets to me. “Well, their loss is my gain.”

Miriam blinks her violet eyes a few times. “I think you mean their gain is our loss. Johnny’s and mine.” She looks over my shoulder, waves at someone, and then walks off before I’ve formed a fitting rebuttal.

This is going to besucha fun weekend.Not.

CHAPTER 2 (HAILEY)

The next morning, I wake up with a headache and an extra surly attitude. I had a hard time getting to sleep because I kept thinking about all the clever responses I should have thrown at Miriam the night before. After her rude dress down and dismissal, I left the welcome reception and instead had a little pity party in my bedroom with the content of my mini fridge.

That would explain the headache. Consuming a bottle of white wine and three chocolate bars gives a great sugar rush but also creates a great hangover the day after. I’m short on time, so grab a quick shower, and down a granola bar and a caffeinated soda as my breakfast before heading to the lobby. My first mentoring session with Johnny and Miriam is at the top of today’s schedule.

They’re both waiting for me as I descend into the lobby, and despite me being right on time, Miriam demonstratively looks at her watch and quirks an eyebrow. I hold back a sigh and once again say a little mantra about not letting this woman get to me.I have a short temper, so practicing reining it in all weekend will be good for me—at least in theory.

I might spontaneously combust from the exercise, but hopefully, I’ll take Miriam with me if I do. The thought makes me smile, and I push all the saccharine I can into my voice as I greet my mentors. “Good morning. I’msolooking forward to our first session.” I wonder if they’re a linked pair. When two magical creatures’ powers vibrate at the same frequency, they can act as boosters for each other.

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