Page 96 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

Lisette turned on her heel, like a model on a runway, her motion sharp and smooth. Cameron thought she was coming back for another round but instead she marched directly to his and stared at it for a long moment. “Cameron. There’s something a bit different about yours. To be precise, I’m seeing something in it that I didn’t expect to.”

“I, uh, noticed the color difference.” Cameron stared around at his own ward, head panning as he took it all in. His grandmother’s was sparkly bright, but his was more muted, more like Cassie’s. Well, not muted—more like a thread of dark crimson flowed in with it all and kept it from sparkling as brightly. He wasn’t sure why all three of theirs looked different in color. But he did know that the red didn’t make sense as none of the elements had a red tinge to it. “I’m not sure where it came from? I’m using the same elements.”

“You are,” Lisette said in a tone that made it clear she didn’t agree. “And you’ve added one more, apparently subconsciously. Things are going that well, hmmm?”

He stared at her amused expression and couldn’t for the life of him figure out what Lisette was on about. “I’m sorry?”

“You and Alric.” She gestured to the ward in general then pointed to a particular strand of that crimson-red. “That is Alric’s dragon force.”

Cameron stared at the same point and felt his brain go spinning off in a freefall. That was Alric’s power?! Oh god, what? Why? How? Cameron didn’t know whether to be pleased by this or—you know what, freaked out sounded good to him. He’d be freaked out.

All three women stared at him in varying degrees of amusement, which Cameron did not appreciate, fuck them very much. He dropped the ward completely, standing there and not sure what to do with himself or how to look up. The floor suddenly became fascinating.

He was drawing on Alric’s power? HOW?!

“Cameron.” Lisette’s tone was the epitome of patience, soothing and calm, and Cameron hated her for it a little just then. “Do not panic. You’re not bound.”

Cameron’s head shot up. “No. We aren’t. I didn’t do that, he didn’t do that, so how the hell am I pulling on his power like this?”

“Well, young one, when two people love each other very much⁠—”

Cassie snickered, Halmeoni right out laughed.

Cameron shot them both a glare. “The peanut gallery can shut up now, thank you. Lisette, seriously. What is going on?”

“No, that’s about the size of it,” Lisette admitted with splayed hands in a what-can-you-do gesture. “Alric adores and cherishes you above everything. He also trusts you implicitly. Because of that, he’s available to you. He’s open to you at all times. You, from what I’ve seen, feel the same way for him. You remain open to him at all times. Your magic understands this, and sees the open connection and has formed something of a conduit between the two of you. Not an outright bond, no. A channel, if you will, and one strengthened by consistent physical intimacy.”

This didn’t seem to be a birds and the bees talk, which Cameron was thankful for because he would be willing to discuss his love life with Lisette and his grandmother precisely never. Maybe after never. No, this was something else entirely.

“Wait, I thought that I had to actively decide to use elements to augment my own power, to create my own spells?” That’s how Cameron understood it, that a mage didn’t have a power within themselves to work magic.

“And you are.” She cocked her head at him, expression patient as if he’d failed to understand something basic. “You’ve watched me many times work a spell. Have I ever failed to pull together elements to power it? Have I ever relied solely on Dieter?”

No. She hadn’t. Cameron rocked back on his heels, considering that. “I thought the bond between dragon and mage, at least for the mage’s side, was to help with their magic? To supply power to them?”

“Only a bonus,” she corrected with a small shake of the head. “Our main benefit is that we share their life force and thereby are as long-lived as they are. The silver lining is that they can augment our magical cores and supply us with magical power if we need it. We’re certainly more powerful because of them. But that’s not where our talent comes from.”

“Okay that…makes sense.” Cameron ran this new information through his mind, trying to sort it with everything he’d recently been taught. So she was saying that because he and Alric were open with each other and had sex that some of Alric’s power was transferring over? That his magic recognized a ready source willing and available and connected them?

That sounded…a little unnerving still, actually. “But doesn’t that mean I’m bonding to him?”

“Hmm, no. It means you’re creating a relationship together strong enough that if you initiated a bond, it would take.” Lisette put a hand on his shoulder, her eyes gentle and knowing. “This isn’t frightening, Cameron. Your magic will not bind you to him without explicit consent. It can’t. The bonding spell needs to be spoken by both of you for it to form.”

“That makes me feel marginally better, thanks.” Okay, check that worry off the list. “But this still feels like I’m setting myself up for something? That my magic is doing something it shouldn’t.”

“Yeah, does Alric know about this?” Cassie piped up as she let her own ward drop. “Or is he not aware?”

“We’d have to ask, but I would think he is not aware. Most of the time, the dragons don’t feel magic like we do. And this was a very subtle draw. If not for the difference in color, I would have missed it.” Lisette tapped a finger to the bottom of her lip, eyes narrowed as she studied Cameron’s face. “The two of you, keep practicing your wards. I want to test Cameron.”

Agreeable, the two women moved off to the far side of Lisette’s workroom, near the counter and sinks. Lisette moved him closer to the book section of hers, sitting him down on one of the chairs. She drew out crystal dust from one of the stoppered glass bottles, pouring some in her hand before tossing it lightly in the air. “Ziik Alric gev adi.”

The crystal powder lit up a warm, dusky red as it settled in a brief halo around Cameron. Then it dissipated like dust motes.

“Hmm, as I thought.” Lisette nodded in satisfaction before joining him in the twin chair nearby. “The conduit between you isn’t strong enough to tie you like a bond. It’s more that he left some of his power with you.”

“So more like a battery than a live wire.”

“That’s a good way to put it.” She cocked her head at him. “You don’t seem relieved.”