Elizabeth Miranda Moonwhisper Thornwick stood in her greenhouse with moon- and-starlight filtering in through the glass. The magical plants lining the shelves stirred in response to her presence, their leaves turning toward her like flowers seeking the sun.
Three successful matches. Three granddaughters happily settled with partners who challenged and completed them in equal measure.
She should be satisfied. The border should be repaired.
And it nearly was.
Should be and are remain different things,Grimble said from his perch on the top of a shelf filled with night-blooming flowers. His tail flicked as he watched her prepare her workspace.You have that look again.
“What look is that?”
The one that means you’re already planning the next match despite claiming you’d give Victoria time.
Elizabeth smiled, setting her kettle over a conjured flame that burned blue and green. “I said Victoria needed time. I never specifiedhow much.”
The wolf king attended the ball last night at Dominic and Sasha’s court.
“He left much too quickly, not even stopping by to say hello.”
You knew full well what might happen if he came.
“I suggested Dominic invite the wolf shifter king because he’s an ally worth cultivating.” She dropped starflower petals into the steaming water, followed by a pinch of silvered moss and three drops of essence drawn from her rarest dragon scale. “If connections form naturally, well, that’s simply fate at work.”
Grimble snorted.You’ve never left anything to fate in your life.
“Not true. I simply give fate a gentle nudge in the right direction.”
The steam began to rise from the kettle, curling in patterns few could interpret. Elizabeth leaned closer, her magic reaching out to shape the vapors into clearer images.
What do you see?Grimble asked.
“Patience, friend.”
I’ve been patient for three entire matches. By now, I should’ve earned answers.
Elizabeth waved her hand through the steam, watching it reform and shift. Images flickered past of Victoria bent over research notes, her expression focused. And of King Feral in his wolf form, running through a forest beneath a full moon. The two of them facing each other across a room, tension crackling between them like lightning before a storm.
Then the steam darkened, showing something that made Elizabeth’s breath catch. Not danger, exactly, but complexity. Layers upon layers of secrets and magic intertwining.
Well?Grimble jumped down to the workbench beside her, peering into the steam.What’s the verdict?
“Interesting.”
That’s all you’re giving me? Interesting?
“It’s enough.”
The images shifted again, revealing a laboratory filled with bubbling potions and a den decorated with weapons. Two worlds that should clash but instead… Elizabeth tilted her head, studying the way the steam formed bridges between the seemingly incompatible spaces.
You’re pleased,Grimble said.
“Perhaps.” Elizabeth let the steam dissipate, watching it fade back into ordinary water vapor. “Victoria needs someone who won’t be intimidated by her brilliance.”
And Feral needs someone who won’t fear his beast.
“Precisely.” She poured herself a cup of the now-steeped tea, inhaling its fragrant steam. “This match may require more finesse than the others.”
Because they’re both stubborn as stone?
