Page 22 of Spellbound and Gagged

Right now, she couldn't afford to lose sight of what was at stake. If she bumbled the Brewfest potion, it could cost her the department head job. But if they didn't talk now, would it cost her something dearer?

"As you wish," he said.

Juno didn't look up as he walked out. Just like she didn't watch him walk away from her all those years ago.

But this time, as his footsteps faded, she allowed herself a moment of brutal honesty. The pollen gathering could wait a few seconds.

"I don't know what's going to happen to us," she whispered to the nearest plant, a sympathy fern that curled its fronds around her fingers comfortingly. "If I win, he might leave again. If he wins, I might never forgive myself for letting him back in."

The fern's fronds stroked her hand soothingly, absorbing the conflicted emotions she projected.

"Either way, someone loses," she sighed. "Isn't that just perfect?"

With a final shake of her head, she returned to gathering the precious pollen. Time to focus on what she could control. The rest—their complicated feelings, their unresolved past, their uncertain future—would have to wait.

But as she worked, a question lingered in the back of her mind: what if there was a way they could both win?

Chapter Seven

Juno's eyes burned from exhaustion as she peered into her bubbling cauldron. The green liquid inside swirled and shimmered, tiny sparks of magic dancing across its surface. She'd lost track of how many hours she'd been working, but she knew she was close. So close to the breakthrough she needed for Brewfest.

She carefully added another pinch of the moonlight orchid pollen to her mixture, watching as it dissolved into the swirling concoction. After three days of painstaking distillation, she'd managed to concentrate the scattered pollen into something approaching the potency of the original nectar. The resulting substance glittered with magical potential, its silvery-blue hue catching the candlelight as she stirred it into her base potion.

"The pollen's different than the nectar," she murmured to herself. "More diffuse, but also more adaptable. I need to work with its properties, not fight them."

She'd modified her original formula, shifting from a purely nurturing approach to one that incorporated elements of both nurturing and defensive herbology. The irony wasn't lost on her—she was using Thaddeus's methods even as she competed against him.

The competition was mere days away, and Juno was determined to prove that her nurturing approach to herbology was just as valid—no, more valid—than Thaddeus's defensivetechniques. She added a pinch of red clover, holding her breath as the potion hissed and changed color.

"Come on," she muttered, stirring counterclockwise. "Just a little more..."

Suddenly, the potion glowed bright gold, emitting a burst of sweet-smelling steam. This was it. She'd done it.

"Yes!" she cried, pumping her fist in the air. "I've cracked the code. My potion's complete. Now Thaddeus will see he can't compete."

Juno blinked, surprised by her own words. Had she just... rhymed? She shook her head, attributing it to lack of sleep.

"Okay, time to test this out and see what it's all about. Wait, why am I still speaking like Dr. Seuss?"

She clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in realization. It was the potion. Somehow, as a side effect, it had made her speak in rhymes.

Juno took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "This shouldn't matter, as long as I can serve up the competition on a platter." Oh who was she kidding? This was a disaster. She paced her laboratory. How was she going to explain this to anyone without sounding like a children's book character? She needed to fix this.

Thaddeus would know what to do. He was brilliant at counteracting magical side effects. But would he help her? Help his competition?

"To Thaddeus I must head, though it fills me with dread. I only hope he won't laugh at what I've said."

As she made her way through the hallways, she passed a group of students huddled in conversation. They fell silent as she approached, but not before she caught snippets about Professor Shadowspire's "revolutionary breakthrough" and something about "combining dual approaches." Juno slowed her pace, straining to hear more.

"I heard he's using the moonlight orchid to create something never seen before," one student whispered, not quite quietly enough.

"Professor Everhart said his potion changes color with the drinker's emotional state," another added. "Defense that adapts to the specific threat!"

Juno's heart sank. So he was using the orchid nectar after all—and from the sound of it, he was doing something innovative with it. Had he also incorporated elements of her nurturing approach? The thought simultaneously flattered and infuriated her.

Gathering her courage and a vial of her potion for proof, Juno continued through the quiet halls of Grimm Mawr Academy. It was late, and most of the other professors and students had long since retired for the night. But she knew Thaddeus would still be up, probably working on his own Brewfest project.

As she approached his laboratory, Juno heard voices. She slowed her steps, not wanting to interrupt if he was with someone. But as she got closer, she realized it was just Thaddeus talking to... himself?

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