Page 29 of Bearly Bewitched

The morning sun filtered through stained glass windows, casting rainbow patterns across their joined magic. Even through the curse’s lingering pain, hope bloomed in her chest like the first flowers of spring.

A shock wave ripped through the ward anchor points around the courtyard before Madame Zephyrine could finish her healing spells. Magical backlash crackled through the air like bottled lightning. Vail tried to stand despite the throbbing pain in her shoulder, but Kaine’s grip tightened.

“Don’t even think about it.” His voice carried that alpha-command rumble. “Let me handle this.”

“I’m fine.” The words came out shakier than she intended. The curse mark on her shoulder pulsed with dark energy, making her vision swim. “The wards?—“

“Can wait until you’re healed.” He nodded toward where Felicity hovered near the largest ward stone, panic twisting her features as she attempted to stabilize the failing enchantments. “Burke?”

His second-in-command moved swiftly to assist Felicity, but Thaddeus Ledger materialized first. His hands moved in quick gestures as he appeared to help contain the ward fluctuation.But something about his spellwork struck Vail as wrong—less stabilization and more... redirection.

“Fascinating reaction.” Ledger’s gaze fixed on the lingering traces of curse energy around Vail’s shoulder, his expression far too interested. “The way it responded to your hybrid magic shield... most illuminating.”

He shifted slightly, placing himself between Ledger and where Daisy still pressed close to Vail’s uninjured side.

“Perhaps we should discuss ward maintenance procedures again, Miss Hawthorne?” Ledger turned to Felicity, though his eyes kept darting between Vail’s injury and Daisy. “These fluctuations seem to follow your traditional strengthening attempts.”

Felicity’s face flushed with shame as she hurried away. But Vail noticed how Ledger’s attention tracked the magical residue clinging to Felicity’s aura—the same calculating look he’d given Vail’s curse wound.

“Uncle Kaine?” Daisy’s small voice trembled. “His magic feels... wrong.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Kaine’s hand smoothed over her hair while his other arm supported Vail. “Stay close.”

Later, in Vail’s office, Madame Zephyrine’s healing magic had reduced the curse mark to an angry red line across her shoulder. She spread out the ward research notes found abandoned in the library, trying to ignore how every movement sent twinges of pain down her arm.

“You should rest.” Kaine leaned over her desk, his solid presence both comforting and distracting as they examined Felicity’s cramped handwriting. The moment he moved closer, his presence altered the very fabric of the room - wine glasses humming in harmony, candle flames stretching toward their shared energy, while the enchanted table settings rearranged themselves to create more intimate space between them.

“This is important.” Vail pointed to a series of cryptic runes, trying not to shiver at how his arm brushed her uninjured shoulder. “Look at these diagrams. Someone’s been using Felicity’s spells as a conduit. See how the energy signatures overlap? She thinks she’s maintaining the wards, but her magic is being manipulated.”

“By Ledger?” Kaine’s voice roughened as he covered her hand with his own, supposedly to trace a particular runic sequence. The contact sent sparks of awareness racing up her arm, momentarily drowning out the curse’s lingering ache.

TWENTY-EIGHT

“Who else would benefit from—“ Vail turned to respond and found his face inches from hers. Her breath caught at the heat in his eyes. The air thickened with possibility as he slowly leaned closer?—

Burke burst through the door, breaking the moment. “Another ward fluctuation. Near the eastern anchor point.”

They exchanged a frustrated look before rushing out. Their combined magic lingered behind, colorful lights fading reluctantly in their wake.

They found Ledger kneeling beside the ward stone, one hand pressed to its surface while the other gripped an ancient-looking journal. Nearby, Felicity swayed on her feet, horror dawning as she registered the chaotic magical residue clinging to her aura like oil on water.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, voice trembling. “I only meant to strengthen them using traditional methods. But they keep responding strangely when I cast the spells.”

Vail frowned as she noticed Ledger’s magic gathering data rather than containing the disturbance. Her suspicions deepened when she caught him shooting calculating looksbetween her curse-marked shoulder and where Daisy worked with the remaining students.

Something about his focus on the girl’s curse magic set off warning bells in Vail’s mind. The pieces started clicking together—ward disruptions, curse amplification, hybrid magic catalysts?—

Vail leaned into Kaine’s strength, knowing that whatever threatened the academy, they’d face it together. Her fire magic rose automatically to twine with his bear energy, creating a shield that gleamed with golden light.

Across the courtyard, Madame Zephyrine and Neve huddled over massive tomes, their urgent whispers carrying words like “curse amplification” and “hybrid catalyst.”

Let Ledger plot his schemes. Let the wards fluctuate and ancient curses stir. They would protect what mattered—their students, their community, this precious new connection growing between them. The morning sun climbed higher, casting rainbow patterns through the stained glass onto their joined magic.

Within that prismatic light, Vail glimpsed infinite possibilities—of partnership, strong enough to overcome any darkness gathering on their horizon. Her curse-marked shoulder throbbed in warning, but she refused to let fear rule her choices. She’d already discovered something worth fighting for, worth risking everything to protect.

She squeezed Kaine’s hand, drawing comfort from his solid presence. Whatever came next, they would face it together. The thought should have terrified her—she’d sworn off relationships to focus on the academy, after all. But watching him gather Daisy close, his protective magic extending to include all the students, Vail realized some things were worth the risk of opening her heart again.

Their eyes met over Daisy’s head, and the smile they shared held equal measures of determination and tender promise. The ward stones might be compromised, but they would build something stronger—a foundation of trust and love that no amount of dark magic could shake.

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