Guide wild strands and knots away.”
In a shimmer of light, a beautiful carved brush appeared in his hand, the bristles soft and gleaming with tiny strands of moon-silk.
Alice’s jaw dropped. “That was a spell?”
Geoff handed her the brush. “Your turn.”
She cleared her throat, repeating the words carefully. Nothing happened. She groaned with frustration.
“Keep trying,” he encouraged.
She released a puff of air and nodded, focusing and thinking of the cadence in his voice when he spoke his spell. Her lips parted when the second time, a puff of smoke and a thistle appeared.
“Cadence. Think of it as music,” she whispered.
Her lips parted and she let the words form in her mind, wrapping them in a soothing melody. This time, light sparked around her hand—and a simple, lovely hairbrush bloomed into being.
“I did it!” she gasped, grinning.
“You did,” he said softly.
Their eyes met.
Then he tilted his head. “So… is that worth another kiss?”
Her grin faltered. She looked at him—really looked. The soft lift of his brow, the boyish curl at the edge of his lips, the flicker of uncertainty behind his confidence.
She stepped closer.
“Maybe,” she whispered.
And tilted her face up to his.
Geoff leaned in, his breath locked in his chest as Alice tilted her face toward his. The glow of the brush she had conjured still shimmered in her hand, forgotten. Just a heartbeat more…
“Geoff!”
The voice cracked through the clearing like a whip. He groaned low in his throat, the sound slipping out before he could stop it.
Alice stepped back with a shy, startled laugh, tucking a stray strand of hair beneath her scarf. Her cheeks were flushed, and she clutched the newly formed hairbrush as if it were a shield. Geoff turned, already knowing who had interrupted.
Striding toward them with the unmistakable grace and authority of someone who had never once doubted her place in the world came Marina, his older sister. Her dark braid swung behind her like a tail of ink, her silver-blue cloak fluttering as if the wind moved for her. Just behind her was Isha, his older brother, his expression unreadable but stern.
Geoff instinctively stepped slightly in front of Alice.
“Marina. Isha.” He kept his tone level and polite, lifting his chin with defiance he hadn’t meant to show.
Marina’s eyes flicked to Alice, narrowing with curiosity… and something colder. She stopped a few feet away, folding her arms. Isha came to stand beside her, his frown deepening as he looked Geoff over.
“You were expected back last night,” Isha said without preamble, his voice clipped.
Geoff flushed. “Things changed.”
Marina moved to the side, her gaze sweeping over Alice like a blade. “And who is your… companion?” she asked softly.
Before Geoff could answer, Marina lifted one hand and whispered a quiet spell under her breath.
Geoff bared his teeth in warning. “Don’t.”
