Page 22 of Potions and Proposals
The library had a night return box, but Lucy didn’t have time to be petty.
“Okay, forget about the late fees. Please can you try to call up to his room? I wouldn’t bother you, or him, if it wasn’t urgent,” she pleaded. If Suzy was telling the truth, what emergency was he dealing with? She hoped it had nothing to do with his element. The thought caused her hands to simmer. She desperately needed to get out of the lobby.
Suzy smiled at the guests behind her. “I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do. Please move aside so I can check in the next guests.”
Lucy glanced at the family. They looked like magless, but she couldn’t be sure, and she didn’t want the coven to hear she was causing a scene at the Manor, again.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she told them. “I’ve just got one more thing.”
Suzy sighed.
Lucy leaned in close. “The new monster romance came in yesterday. There’s a waiting list, but I could let you have it first.”
“I can’t call him. I like my job, and Benedict lets me sleep in the basement so I save on rent while I’m saving for daylight protection on my cottage. I’m not risking it,” Suzy said, tapping her nails on the counter.
“I don’t want to cause any trouble. How about you tell me where he is? In his wing? Has he gone out?”
The family behind started to huff about the wait. Suzy smiled politely at them, but Lucy could see she was weakening. She put her hands together in prayer and pouted.
“Fine! You didn’t hear it from me. Mr Matherson was by the fountain, and since he hasn’t checked the guest count for the day, he’s probably still there.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Lucy patted the counter, delighted. “I’ll make sure you get your hands on the book first.”
Suzy beamed, letting her professional mask slip. “You’d better! I need to know if the princess rescues the count from the demon king.”
“You and me both. I’ll leave it in the pickup box tonight,” Lucy promised, before thanking the family for their patience and heading out.
“Benedict?” She found him pacing by the old fountain, his back to her. She wondered if he’d kept Gram’s koi fish; it had been a rather expensive prank. Damp grass squished under her feet asshe approached him. She couldn’t believe he still hadn’t noticed her.
She paused, watching as Benedict placed his hand on the old fountain. Instantly, the water stopped flowing. When he pulled his hand away, clear water flowed from the statue of lovers again.
Water.He has my element!Her heart pounded, and heat throbbed in her hands. Benedict looked as startled as she felt. She opened her mouth to call to him, but then she saw the dark clouds forming above them.
“Lucinda?” he asked, finally seeing her. “What’s happening to me?” She’d never heard him sound so frightened.
“I don’t know,” she stammered, clasping her hands tightly, trying to calm down. The more her mind raced, the harder they throbbed.Could the spell have done this?Words flooded out before she could stop them. “No, they said my element would only call to another. There’s no way the spell could have switched them. Why would the spell even affect you?”
But Grams used the wrong ingredient. Black pepper instead of bat’s blood…Lucy’s skin burned as if flames were trying to crawl out of her to get back to Benedict. Squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn’t have to see his panicked expression, she tried to focus on slowing her heart rate.
“What the hell are you talking about? What spell? Did you do something to us?”
The smell of burning wood made Lucy open her eyes again. Bright red flames ate up the lush green hedgerows surrounding them despite the rain suddenly cascading from the stormy sky. Benedict stared at the flames, his hands on his head. Heavy droplets landed on her scorching skin and sizzled.
Transfixed with horror by what she had done, Lucy barely felt it when he grabbed her shoulders.
“Stop the storm, I’ll put out the fire,” he pleaded, tightening his grip on her. “What the hell are you thinking?”
Lucy glanced up at the emptying dark clouds. Her element had caused the storm, but it was emanating from his emotions. The cool water against her skin snapped her back to reality, and the flames began to reduce before finally extinguishing.
“You can’t put it out!” she yelled over the rain, which was growing heavier by the second. “It’syourstorm, I’m not doing this!”
“That’s not possible!”
Lucy stepped into his space, forcing him to listen to her. The burning within her subsided, but the storm continued to rage, confirming her worst fear.
“I set the hedgerows on fire, butyoustarted the storm to put it out,” she explained, but her words only caused the rain to pelt harder. It was probably his desire to protect the manor and the grounds from the flames that had started the storm, whether he had meant to summon it or not. Elements tended to react impulsively.
She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart race. “I can explain, but you need to calm down or you’re going to flood the whole town.” She kept her voice level and calm, trying to put aside her own confusion and fear before the storm turned nasty.
