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Fern’s magic had been unmistakable as Calum had tangled with the bean-nighe. He’d never experienced it before, but he knew. It was still a mystery to him how it happened, but her power had caused the bean-nighe to release him.
When they stumbled back into the church, every shred of his control was gone. It’d been ages since he recognized magic like that running through his bones, and it was his mate’s signature, no less. The timing was wrong, and Fern did not know what it meant for her to submit to him like that, but it happened.
Calum ran his fingers through Fern’s hair.
If you’ve fucked this up again, then you have no one to blame but yourself. Again.
Fern must have sensed the sudden tension in Calum’s body, and she cracked an eye open.
“Calum?” Her voice was tired and almost-lazy sounding. It caused another wave of male satisfaction to run through Calum. He was responsible for her current state.
Fern moved off his chest and propped herself up on one elbow. “What happened with the bean-nighe?”
Calum shook his head and sat up. “We’ll talk about it back at my office.”
“Are you kidding me?” Fern scoffed, frustration corrupting her peaceful expression. “Calum. You cannot be serious. What the fuck happened?”
“I don’t know!” Calum snapped, moving away from her. “Fuck.” He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his hands. “I don’t know. Okay? I don’t know what happened and… I have a theory, but I want to be sure before I say it out loud.”
The anguish in his voice was palpable. Calum was terrified that he had ruined their first good lead in twenty years and fucked up his relationship with Fern.
If we weren’t trapped in the mortal world, in another life, I’d banish myself here.
“Hey,” Fern scooted closer to Calum and grabbed his hand. She traced small patterns on the back of his hand in a soothing, repetitive manner. Calum leaned into the touch. It had been centuries since he’d shared any sort of physical intimacy with someone… and this was Fern. His mate.
Fern maneuvered herself into Calum’s lap and pushed the damp hair out of his eyes.
The sight of her always took his breath away, but Calum was powerless up close. Every part of him–prince, professor, and every other identity he’d needed over the years–was hers, even if she didn’t realize it.
Or wanted it.
“It’s okay,” Fern repeated with a small smile. “You’re a proper academic, Dr. Welsh, holding onto such important theories until you have all the facts in front of you.” He laughed at that, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the church.
“Old habits die hard. We should probably get going.” Calum stood up without losing his grip on Fern and sat her gently on the pew.
“Very old habits,” she smirked.
“Is that a joke about my age?” he scoffed playfully.
“Maybe.” Fern shrugged. Calum bent down and grabbed her chin, tilting up to meet him. He kissed her, biting her lip softly as he pulled back.
“Respect your elders, young lady,” he winked, “or I’ll see you after class.” Fern let out a surprised squeak that had Calum cataloging her reaction.
Duly noted.
Calum turned around and located his clothes, his face screwing up in disgust when he realized they were still damp. He shuffled his jeans back on and handed his sweater to Fern. She stood up to accept it, and Calum saw her wince.
His arms were around her in a heartbeat, guiding her back to the bench. “Careful. Just wait here, and I’ll get a blanket from the car.” Fern nodded, and Calum realized she was shaking.
“What’s h-happening to me?” She looked up at him with wide eyes, searching his face for answers.
“Your adrenaline wore off. What you’re feeling now is likely the drain from your magic.”
“The what?”
“Think of it like adrenaline…on steroids. You only have so much magic in you, and when you use it, it takes a while for your body to recover. It’s not a never-ending source. You’ve never used magic before, and we still don’t know how you managed it now. It’s a shock to your system.” Calum’s voice was nearly clinical as he explained it to her, but Fern seemed soothed by his rational explanation.
“O-okay. What d-do I do?” Fern’s teeth were chattering. A wave of unease rocked through his body as his more primal instincts wrestled for the driver’s seat again.
