Page 27 of Bearly Bewitched

The way he said her title shouldn’t affect her so strongly. It definitely shouldn’t make her magic surge enough to set the crystal chandelier chiming overhead. Vail turned, hoping her expression appeared more composed than she felt.

Kaine filled the doorway like some ancient guardian statue come to life, dawn light catching the strong lines of his jaw and the gold in his eyes. His charcoal shirt stretched across broad shoulders that somehow managed to look both intimidating and inviting. The contrast between his imposing presence and the gentle way he steadied Daisy beside him made something in Vail’s chest squeeze tight.

“Hi, Headmistress Vail!” Daisy beamed, her entire being radiating excitement. “Uncle Kaine said we’re doing special magic practice today. He talked about it all through breakfast. Well, he tried to talk about other stuff, too, but he kept coming back to?—“

“The tutorial room’s ready,” Vail cut in quickly, not missing how Kaine’s ears reddened slightly. “We should head over before the other students arrive.” She gestured toward the east wing, pretending not to notice how her magic reached for his automatically, creating little sparks of gold where their auras overlapped.

“About last night,” Kaine started, his voice pitched low enough that only she could hear. “I wanted to?—“

“Later?” Vail wasn’t proud of how breathless she sounded. “We should really focus on?—“

“The lesson. Right.” His mouth quirked up at one corner, that subtle almost-smile that made her pulse skip. “Though we will need to discuss?—“

“Uncle Kaine!” Daisy tugged at his sleeve. “You promised to show me that grounding skill. You said it would help with the...” she glanced around conspiratorially before whispering, “you know, the curse stuff.”

The mention of Daisy’s curse sobered them both instantly. Vail watched how Kaine’s entire demeanor shifted, protective instincts rising to the surface as he guided his niece toward the practice room. The way he balanced strength with tenderness, fierce protection with gentle encouragement – it stirred something deep in Vail’s chest that she wasn’t ready to examine too closely.

The practice space slowly filled with young witches and shifters, their excited chatter echoing off ancient stone walls lined with enchanted tapestries. Vail moved among them, demonstrating proper hybrid magic form while trying not to be hyperaware of Kaine’s presence across the room.

Near the window, a young wolf shifter named Beck struggled visibly with a basic merging exercise. His moon-aligned magic kept slipping sideways instead of weaving properly with the witch elements, frustration evident in the set of his shoulders.

“Having trouble?” Vail asked, keeping her voice gentle as she approached. Up close, she could see how his hands trembled slightly with effort.

“It won’t work.” Beck’s words came out clipped, anger barely masking embarrassment. “The energies keep fighting each other. Maybe some of us aren’t meant to?—“

TWENTY-FIVE

“Try this.” Vail drew silvery lines of power in the air between them, creating a visual framework. “See how witch magic follows these structured patterns? While shifter energy—“ She gestured to the golden waves emanating from where Kaine demonstrated across the room. “—moves more organically. We’re not trying to force them to be the same. We’re learning their natural rhythms so they can work together.”

Beck’s brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted the spell again. The magical strands started to align, then scattered like startled birds. “I can’t—it’s impossible?—“

“Mind if I help?” Kaine’s deep voice carried quiet authority as he approached. He caught Vail’s eye, silently asking permission to join the instruction.

She nodded, trying to ignore how her magic brightened at his proximity. “Two perspectives are better than one.”

Kaine knelt beside Beck. “Instead of thinking about witch versus shifter magic, try this. Imagine you’re at one of the town dances.”

Beck blinked, clearly thrown by the unexpected comparison. “What?”

“You’ve seen couples dancing, right? They move differently, but they work together. The structure of the steps, the natural flow of the music – neither is wrong. They’re just different ways of approaching the same goal.”

Understanding dawned in Beck’s eyes. “So the witch magic is like... the how the male dances?”

“Exactly.” Vail built on Kaine’s metaphor, her fire magic weaving delicate patterns through his demonstration. “And shifter energy is like how the female dances. Sometimes the male only holds on to his mate’s hands while she spins around in circles. Both are needed to make the dance work. We’re learning to let them complement each other instead of compete.”

Their combined magic created a shimmering example in the air between them – Vail’s structured fire patterns flowing seamlessly into Kaine’s organic bear energy. The resulting display drew appreciative gasps from watching students as golden-amber light rippled outward like waves on a pond.

“See?” Kaine’s voice remained steady, though his eyes locked with Vail’s for a heated moment that made her glad she wasn’t trying to maintain a spell just then. “Different magics can work together beautifully when you stop fighting their natural rhythm.”

Beck’s next attempt produced a stable sphere of hybrid energy, smaller than the demonstration but perfectly balanced. Pride replaced frustration on his face as his classmates applauded. Vail started to step back, needing distance from the magnetic pull of Kaine’s presence, but his hand caught her elbow.

“We make a good team,” he murmured, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin inside her arm.

“Uncle Kaine! Headmistress Vail! Watch this!”

Daisy’s excited voice drew their attention to the center of the practice space. She stood with hands raised, determinationetched across her young face as she attempted an advanced illumination charm. The sphere of light above her palms started beautifully, pure radiance filling the room with golden warmth.

Then everything went wrong.

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