Chapter Four:

"I don't see how." I denied, crossing my arms over my chest.

I didn't feel particularly self-conscious. He was looking my bare legs up and down, heat filling his eyes, but it didn't bother me. I couldn't bring myself to want to hide my body from the man I was designed to be with. It just didn't feel right. So instead, I cocked an inquisitive, yet mocking, eyebrow, and let him look all he wanted.

"My patience is nonexistent at this point, Miss Keating. Don't make me prove that." He threatened. He stood and took two steps closer to me, but I stayed rooted in my spot in front of the closed bathroom door.

"Mine as well, King Finnian. What do you want?" I got straight to the point, tired of the mind games today.

"I can think of a few things I want..." He looked down my body again before settling on my face once more.

"Hmm, I see..." I drawled out. "Well, you're in for quite the disappointment, because you won't be receiving those things here."

Two steps closer. "Is that so?" It was his turn to lift a taunting eyebrow at me, his lips pulling up into a smirk.

"It is. Although, maybe you could send me a real man instead."

Before I could even comprehend the words that had left my mouth, he was right in front of me, growling lowly from deep within his chest. He pulled me into his hard body, his hands gripping my hips. I could feel his claws elongating through the thin material of my t-shirt, but they didn't puncture it. His canines were poking into his bottom lip and his eyes glowed. His wolf was in control right now. I knew he wouldn't physically hurt me, so I didn't fear him.

"I assure you, Miss Keating. The only man who will be pleasuring you will be me. If any other male even thinks about putting their hands on you, I'll rip out their throats and show you who you belong to."

He ran his nose up the side of my neck, the heat from his breath burning deliciously against my cold skin. Goosebumps rose across my flesh and a quivering heat ignited inside me, but somehow, I kept a cool exterior, much like he had at dinner.

"Careful, King Finnian. We wouldn't want anyone to know whose mate I am, now would we?" My voice surprisingly came out strong.

"Hmm." He hummed, peppering kisses on my jaw. "I suppose not." He played along. His voice came out as a deep, husky rumble.

"I am rather excited about the mating ball though. I'm sure there will be plenty of eligible bachelors who are actually up for the challenge." I pressed my own lips to his jaw, teasingly, before pulling back and smiling innocently up at him.

"A challenge that is meant for me and me alone. Don't make me follow through on my threats."

"A challenge that I don't believe you're man enough to handle." I taunted him.

"If you keep questioning my manhood, I'll be forced to prove you wrong.  It's you who I'm not sure is up for the challenge." He nipped at my earlobe. I held in a moan.

"Maybe. I guess we'll never know since you're a coward who's too scared to claim-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence before my feet left the ground and I was slammed into the wall behind me, his mouth covering mine. I responded immediately, despite my better judgement. 

As I started kissing him back, I wrapped my legs around his hips, my feet resting above his tight, sexy ass. My arms wound around his neck and I pulled him closer and tugged on his hair harshly. He growled in response and bit my lower lip, not enough to hurt, just to sting a bit.

He slipped his tongue into my mouth and this time I couldn't stop the moan of pleasure. It was muffled by his mouth, but I knew he heard it when he slipped his hands from my hips to my ass and squeezed roughly. I ground my lower half into him, trying to create friction to sooth the ache between my legs. He pulled away from my lips and trailed open mouthed kisses from my jaw, to my neck and shoulder. My head fell back against the wall at the foreign feelings he was creating in me.

"I'm the only one who will ever make you feel like this." He mumbled against my neck, biting playfully before sucking at my sensitive skin.

His words were like a bucket of ice water. I stopped grinding my hips against him and my hands released their hold on his brown locks. This wasn't right.

It may feel more than right, but it wasn't. He had hurt me. He acted like he was ashamed of me. He didn't get to do this in private, while he acted like there was nothing between us in public. I was stronger than this and I was better than this.

With that in mind, I pushed him off of me as hard as I could. He didn't go far. He stopped his assault on my neck and looked up at me with confused, lustful eyes. My legs unwrapped themselves, as did my arms, all of my limbs just hanging there limply. The only thing holding me against him and the wall was his hands still squeezing my butt and his lower torso still pushed against mine.

"Let me go." I hissed at him, my eyes blazing with anger.

He growled at the command, but surprisingly, he let me drop. My legs felt a bit like Jell-O, but I managed to stay upright. He now stood about two feet from me and I still had my back against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded, my temper flaring.

"Don't speak to me that way." He growled again.

"You get the respect you earn, and you have yet to earn mine." I told him through gritted teeth.

"I'm your King." He said menacingly.

"Either you're my King or you're my mate. You don't get to act like both whenever it suits you."

"I am both. And I'm the King; you don't get to command me."

I laughed bitterly at how childish he sounded. He was like a glorified toddler telling me to not boss him around.

"I do when it comes to me. Either you want me or you don't, but you don't get to play mind games with me." I hissed after the laughter stopped.

"I'm not playing anything." His hands fisted at his sides.

"Yes, you are. You have to make a decision. You either accept me, in public, and we can do this whenever you want. Or you don't, but you don't get to touch me."

He stood in silence, his back ramrod straight and his body shaking in anger. He stayed that way for a few minutes, just staring at me, his face unreadable. I held his gaze, not backing down or submitting to him.

Somehow his silence gave me my answer, so I finally broke mine.

"Fine. I'll keep my distance and I would appreciate it if you would extend me the same curtesy, King Finnian." I told him, my voice coming out even and emotionless.

That's far from what I was feeling on the inside. On the inside, my heart was shattering to pieces. My wolf was howling in despair in my head, a hollow, numb feeling encasing my whole body. But I refused to cry.

He must have felt my inner turmoil, because he took a step toward me, but I held up my hand to stop him.

"I've had a long day, your Highness. I'd like to get some rest." A nice way at kicking him the hell out.

He looked at me for a few more seconds, before finally nodding. He turned on his heel and walked towards the door. On his way out, he slammed his fist into the wall, causing it to crack. I winced. The wall was solid stone. That had to hurt.

He didn't act like he felt it though. He just continued his way out and shut the door behind him, not once looking back.

Deep down, I had hoped that if I gave him an ultimatum, he would choose me. I was mistaken.

I bit my lip to keep the tears at bay and walked to my bed. I slid under the covers and pulled them up to my chin. I couldn't even enjoy the softness of the mattress, my thoughts purely focused on him.

I never thought this was how it would go. Mates weren't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be love at first sight and all that gooey crap. I wasn't much of a romantic, but for some reason, I wanted that. I wanted someone who would love me unconditionally. Someone who would be my rock when I needed him to be and vice versa. Guess that just wasn't in the cards for me. Eventually I drifted off to a restless sleep, dreaming of my blue eyed King all night.

*********************

A knock sounded on my door just as I finished getting dressed. I went for a more casual look today. I was wearing light blue skinny jeans, a loose heather grey V-neck t-shirt, which was slightly tucked into the top of my jeans, and a thin berry colored blazer over it. My feet were encased in a pair of matching berry red closed toe pumps. 

"Coming." I yelled at whomever stood on the other side of my bedroom door.

With one last look in the mirror, I deemed myself ready and went to the door. I pulled it open to see a timid looking Liliya. The hallway was lined with windows, letting the sunlight stream in, and allowing me to take in her striking features much better than I was able to in the lowly lit dining room last night.

She had dark red hair and dark russet eyes. Her skin was fair, pale and she had sharp, high cheekbones. She was tall, taller than me even with my four inch shoes, her body lanky and willowy and encased in a flowy, white long-sleeved dress.  

"Good morning, Liliya. I really appreciate you giving me a tour." I told her, a friendly smile gracing my lips.

"It is my pleasure, Kendall. You can call me Lili." She spoke quietly.

I nodded at her. There was something about Lili that I liked. It wasn't like it was with Niki; I liked Niki because she was kind to me and she spoke her mind, something I really appreciated in a person. But with Lili, I almost felt protective over her.  She had an air of innocence and naivety around her.

"How old are you, Lili? I asked curiously.

"I am twenty-six years old."

"Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that you were older than me. No offense."

"I'm often mistaken as younger than I am. No offense taken." Her lips pulled into a shy smile.

"So, I guess we should get going then?" I asked her, stepping out into the hall with her and pulling my door shut behind me.

"Yes, we should. Lunch will be served in three hours and we have much to see before then."

I nodded and we walked halfway down the corridor, stopping in front of Kat and Matt's room. I rasped my knuckles a few times against the hard wood.

"Morning." Kat said cheerfully as she opened her door.

She had also gone for a casual look today, sporting jeans, a long-sleeved red chiffon shirt, and tall brown leather boots. Her hair was straight and half pulled back.

"Morning." I reciprocated. "Where's Matt?" I asked her as she pulled her door shut before he could come out as well.

"Tyler came and got him and Dalton about an hour ago. They are doing their initial interview today." She explained their absence.

It made sense, but I didn't realize they would start so early. The process of being vetted for a seat on the Council was a lengthy one. I didn't know all the ins and outs of it, but I knew there were a series of interviews. The first one usually lasted twelve hours. There was also a series of tests that had to be passed, but again, I didn't know what they were. That was Matt and Dalton's job.

I was relieved that I wouldn't see Dalton for most, if not all, of the day. I didn't really know what to say to him. What do you say to someone who you had just found out had a huge crush on you for most of their lives, but was then choked by your mate? Hell if I knew.

"Where to first Lili?" I asked as we began walking, Kat and Lili on either side of me.

"I thought we could start in the ballroom since it is on the second floor was well. There is not much to see on the first floor. Most of it, except for the gym, is not in use. We'll end in the gardens where we will be dining for lunch. The gym is closest to the gardens, so I'll show you that at the end of the tour."

I nodded at her explanation and we continued walking. We had just passed the living room and kitchen that Tyler had shown us last night, so I knew we still had a ways to go. I decided to make conversation as we walked.

"So, Lili, have you always lived in the castle?"

"I have. My mother was the Royal Witch for the previous King and Queen. When they passed, Mother retired in our native land of Bulgaria. Her mother still lived there before she passed away. Nikolina became King Finnian's witch when he took the throne."

"What was it like growing up here? Where'd you go to school? Is there even a school around here?" I questioned.

"There is no school for miles. The children whom reside in the Royal territory are either home schooled or they attend a boarding school that King Finnian controls. Only students he allows are let in. It's disguised as a very prestigious school; therefore it doesn't look suspicious when human students aren't allowed admission."

"Did you go there?" Kat asked her, joining in the conversation.

"I did not. I chose to be home schooled instead. Mother left when I was just two years old. I stayed under Niki's care until I reached adulthood. She trained me, while one of the teachers in the territory home schooled me."

"Why didn't you go with your mother? If you don't mind me asking." I quickly added.

"I don't mind at all. Niki volunteered to care for me, so mother took her up on that offer. From what Niki has told me, mother wasn't very... maternal."

"What's the age difference between you two? She doesn't look that much older."

"She is twenty years my senior. Emiliya is ten. Niki was thirty when Mother left and she took over as Head Witch."

"Are you telling me that Niki is forty-six?" I gawked. She did not look that old.

"A combination of good genetics and a powerful ancestry." She snickered. She seemed to be coming out of her shell a bit.

"Woah, hold on. She's cast an aging spell? It normally takes at least three strong witches to complete that. Did someone help her?" Kat asked in shock.

"No, she completed it herself. She only wanted to shave a few years off, so it wasn't too difficult for her."

"That's insane. Could you have done it?"

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. I'm certainly not as powerful as Nikolina, but I might have been able to. It would have drained me for a few days though."

I had been lost as to what they were talking about, but that I understood. When a witch does a powerful spell, especially alone, it tends to drain their powers. It's like a recuperation of sorts. If they were to do too much at once, it could actually kill them. Their powers drain automatically in order to protect their life force. I didn't know certain kinds of spells and how much power they took, but I did know a few things about witchcraft. Kat had taught me the basics, but a lot of it was beyond my understanding.

I knew that witches had several different abilities. Casting spells was probably their most known ability. It also took the most power. Some spells were easy, such as starting a fire. Other spells, like the aging spell apparently, were more difficult and some not every witch could complete.

There were some things that even witches couldn't mess with though. They couldn't change death. They could heal, but once someone's life left their body, there was absolutely nothing a witch could do to change that.

They also could not mess with the mating bond. The bond between mates was the most powerful thing there was and a witch couldn't touch that or come between it. It made me want to laugh. It didn't seem that powerful to King Finnian.

Witches also had visions. They couldn't control them and they were sometimes difficult to understand. It wasn't what most people thought it was. They didn't always see a clear picture. It wasn't like a movie playing in their heads. It was more like feelings and knowing what was going to happen, even though they didn't see it, although they would get flashes of images sometimes. They didn't control when they had visions or what they saw. Kat had described it as more of a sudden thought or memory that hadn't even occurred popping up in your head at random. Visions almost always came true. It was a very rare event that a vision could be changed, although not impossible.

"I'm so excited to train with her. I still have so much to learn." Kat's words brought me from my thoughts.

"She is the best. She will have much to teach."

"Will you be training with us as well?"

"I will. I'm still learning as well. I hope to be able to eventually match her power. I've set the bar very high, so I don't know if I'll ever reach it; but one can still try."

"That's a good attitude to have. I'm sure you can do it." Kat encouraged.

"Thank you, Kat." She told her gratefully.

Before the conversation could continue, she stopped in front of two giant double doors. They were in front of a giant foyer with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"This is the ballroom." She told us as she opened one of the doors and ushered us in.

I gasped at the large room. This room was huge and much more elegant than the rest of the castle. Instead of a gothic, medieval look, it was sophisticated. The floor was a shiny white marble and the walls were white with intricate gold designs. One wall was lined with vast portraits of past Kings and Queens and the wall across from it was lined with giant windows that were rounded at the top and had gold drapes hanging from them and pulled to either side, allowing sunlight to filter in. Directly across from us on the other side of the room, there was a wide staircase right in the middle of the wall. I wasn't sure where it led, but I guessed that important people made an entrance down those stairs.

The room seemed like it could fit hundreds comfortably. It seemed even bigger because it was so empty. Other than us, there was nothing in here. No tables, no chairs, nothing.

"The band sets up over there." Lili pointed to a corner of the room next to the staircase. There was indeed a short stage for performers. I assumed they usually had classical performers at these things. "That door over there leads to the bar and the kitchen. It's for workers only. They bring out drinks for people during mingling and dancing. Then they serve the food during dinner." She pointed at the door to the left.

"This is amazing. I'm sure it's beautiful during an event." I told her.

"It is. You'll see next month, during the mating ball."

Kat gave me a look, but I ignored it and smiled a tight lipped smile at her. I didn't want to discuss mates. She must here noticed my hesitance, because she changed the subject.

"I'll be going to the nearest city next week to find a gown. If you two don't already have one, you're welcome to accompany me and my sisters."

"Sounds great." I smiled at her. It did sound great, except for Emiliya. But I needed a gown, so I'd have to tolerate her.

"Yeah, we'd love to." Kat added.

"Excellent. It'll be a girl's day." She sounded so excited.

I briefly wondered if Liliya had any friends. She had lived in the castle her whole life. She hadn't even gone to school, which is where most kids made their friends. As far as I knew, there weren't many people who actually lived in the castle. It wouldn't surprise me if her sisters were her only companionship.

I made the decision then to befriend the youngest Petrova witch. She was a sweet girl; a little shy, but I think she'd get along great with Kat and me.

"So where to next?" Kat asked her.

**************************

After a long three hours, we had finally seen everything. The inside of the castle was more immense than it looked on the outside. After the ballroom, she showed us the main kitchen, the library, the old dungeons, which were scary, the indoor garden and sunroom, several meeting rooms, ranging from small to extremely large, King Finnian's public office, which we didn't actually enter, and Lili and Niki's work rooms. She even showed us the secret passageway that the castle workers used.

The castle had many workers. There were chefs, whom also served the food. They cooked in the main kitchen, not in the private kitchens in the residential wing. The main kitchen was massive and industrial. It had to be though; they sometimes had to feed hundreds and hundreds of people. There were also maids. They were all assigned to different sections of the castle. Even the rooms that weren't often used were still kept clean and tidy. It took a lot of people to keep this place running. 

I found out though, that despite their lowly servant status, they were all treated very well. They were paid generously and given free housing in a separate mansion. They could also buy a house on the territory for a reduced rate if they wanted to live alone. Other than being treated well financially, they were also shown respect as well. They had nothing but great things to say about King Finnian. I could tell they all meant every word.

It warmed my cold heart to him slightly. It showed a different side of Finnian that I hadn't seen yet. A lot of people would let the power go to their head and treat workers like dirt. Not him. He seemed rather compassionate actually. Too bad he couldn't show that side of himself to me.

For all that we had seen, I knew there was much we hadn't. We hadn't gone anywhere near where the guys were. I hadn't smelled, heard, or seen them. As much as I hated to admit it, I had been looking for King Finnian. We also hadn't gone anywhere near the sixth floor. That entire floor, in both wings, belonged to Finnian. No one was allowed up there, not even his Kieran; his brother and Beta. It made me highly curious about what was up there.

The last place we looked at was the gym. It was more than just one room though. There was one room that had all kinds of exercise equipment, such as treadmills and stationary bikes. Another room was dedicated to weights. One room was strictly meant for combat training. There were mats covering the floor and punching bags on one side. There was even an indoor pool. It was settled in a complete glass room, letting the sunlight filter in. It was something I wanted to use while I was here. Lili had informed us that the gym was available to us whenever we wanted.

We were able to get to the gardens from the door in the pool room. The gardens were absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't name all of the flowers, but there was a lot of them and of all different colors. A fountain sat in the middle, enhancing the beauty of the area. The scents of the flowers were overwhelming at first, but eventually I habituated.

Lili lead us to up the concrete path to a small sitting area. It was a wooden gazebo with trimmed vines and flowers threaded through the rustic hand carved oak.  A small round white table with eight white cushioned chairs sat in the middle of it. Two of the seats were already filled. Niki and Emiliya.

I sat next to Niki, whom sat across from Emiliya. Kat sat next to me and Lili across from me, next to Emiliya. It was chilly outside, but the wind was none existent and the sun warmed the air, making it tolerable.

The view from the table was beautiful. On one side, there was the walkway, where we could still see the fountain. On two sides of the gazebo, it was flowers and plants as far as the eye could see. And lastly, sitting behind the table, was the view of the large snow covered mountain. It was a ways away, surrounded by trees, but it was clearly seen.

"Good morning, Kendall, Kat." Niki nodded at me first, then Kat. "I trust your tour went well?" She asked, taking a sip of her lemonade. I noticed there was already lemonade in front of us as well, even though we just joined them.

"Good morning, Niki. Yes, it went well." I told her. Then I turned my attention across the table. "Good morning, Emiliya." I said, looking directly in her eyes as I spoke.

I couldn't help but want to size her up a bit. I didn't trust her, my wolf sneered inside of me, wanting out. After her attitude and disrespect last night, I couldn't exactly blame my wolf. My wolf felt like the Queen already, even though Finnian and I weren't mated, and she demanded the respect she thought she deserved.

"Good morning, Miss Keating." She glared as she spoke. I don't think she liked my continuous eye contact.

"Emiliya, can you not act like a proper Royal Beta Female for even a day?" Niki asked lightly, still sipping her lemonade. Her tone and actions made it seem like she was commenting about the weather, not slighting her sister.

"I wasn't aware that I wasn't Nikolina. Perhaps you think you could do a better job. Do I sense a bit of envy about my title, sister?" She sneered. It made her pretty face so damn ugly.

"On the contrary." Niki spoke, keeping her cool demeanor. She even looked a tad amused. "I'm very pleased at being chosen as the Head Royal Witch. It is quite the honor to be considered the most powerful witch."

Damn. Even I was feeling that burn. I could tell it was a sensitive subject and that it was Emiliya who harbored jealously, not Niki, when Emiliya practically growled and stood up, her chair hitting the floor in her haste to stand. She gave Niki one last glare and stormed off.

I looked over at Niki and I was surprised to see a small smirk pulling on her lips.

"I'm sorry about that, ladies. My sister can be rather temperamental." She told us as she turned her attention back to us.

At that time, the waiters came out to serve us our meals. My stomach growled in anticipation. I hadn't bothered with breakfast, which I had started to regret about two hours ago. On the menu today was a small side salad, which thankfully had better dressing than last night, grilled herb chicken covered in a lemon cream sauce served over a bed of wild rice, and roasted potatoes. We quickly dug in after thanking the waiters and it tasted even better than it looked. The chefs here sure could cook.

"Are you ready for your training to begin, Kat?" Niki restarted the conversation.

"Very. I meditated this morning, so I'm ready to go."

Meditating is something all witches did. I helped them get back into touch with nature, which is where they drew their power from. They didn't meditate daily, but regularly. Kat usually did it once a week, maybe twice if she was casting a big spell. I never knew exactly what she did when she meditated. She had to be alone. All I knew was that she didn't need anything around to do it. No candles, no potions, nothing. Just herself. It usually took her about an hour. If she went too long without meditating, her powers weakened. Eventually a witch would lose their powers if they didn't do it, but that took a while.

"As did I. It seems we're on the same page." She paused, then looked at Lili. "Liliya, darling, have you meditated lately?"

"Yes, Nikolina. I meditated last night in preparation for today."

"Good girl. Liliya here is coming into her powers nicely. Almost surpassing me when I was her age." She bragged on her younger sister.

"I believe that. I can sense her power." I said.

As a wolf, I could sense certain things instinctually. One of those things is sensing someone's power level, be it werewolf or witch. It was how I knew that Finnian was King without being told. I could sense that Lili was a very powerful witch. Not quite was much as Niki or even Emiliya, but she was getting there. Kat wasn't as strong as a Petrova, but she was as close as a witch her age could get. They'd both only get more powerful with time and practice.

"Liliya, there no reason to act embarrassed. Embrace your power, don't be ashamed of it." Niki lightly scolded when Liliya blushed, seeming uncomfortable with the compliments.

"Yes, Nikolina." She repeated her earlier words, still blushing. Niki let it go.

"So, did you girls enjoy your first night in the castle?"

"Yes, it was great. The bed was so comfortable. Matt and I both slept great."

"And you, Kendall?" There she goes again. Looking at me like she knows something.

"Um, it was good. I slept good too." I answered.

I didn't want to speak about what happened last night. What happened between Finnian and me was our business. The less people who knew, the better. I did not even know her well enough to trust her with this information.

"That's good to hear. I know dinner was a bit... unusual. I had hoped it wouldn't ruin the rest of your night."

"And what are dinners here usually like?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, for one, King Finnian usually doesn't dine with us. I suppose he thought last night's dinner was of importance." She hinted.

"Who does he dine with then?" A shot of jealously ran though me, picturing him eating dinner with some other girl, my thoughts taking a ridiculous turn. 

"Himself, dear. Not exactly a social butterfly, that one." She eased my fears, which I'm positive she realized. She knew what I had been thinking.

"Doesn't he get lonely?" Damn. Why couldn't I control my questions? I shouldn't care about him being lonely.

"I'm sure he does. Perhaps he'll find his mate soon to remedy that problem."

Okay, now I was one hundred percent sure she knew. The knowing glint in her eyes was too obvious to ignore.

"Maybe he will. I'm sure many are awaiting the arrival of the next Queen. Too bad I probably won't be around anymore by that point."

I was trying to get my point across without being obvious. Finnian didn't want me. I'd be going home after the two months were up. When that happened, one of two things would occur.

The first being, he would continue how he was now. He'd be lonely, having no one to rule by his side. He would eventually, many, many years from now, die, leaving no heir behind. In which case, the next in line would be Kieran's first born.

The second possible outcome would be that he would meet someone else. He would make someone else his Queen and conceive an heir with her. He would die with some woman who wasn't his mate. This option broke my heart.

Niki regarded at me sadly, but she looked reassuring as well. "You never know, dear Kendall. Maybe he'll find her while you're here. He needs a strong Queen by his side."

"I'm sure he does." I agreed.

She stopped questioning me after that. We made easy conversation. Liliya finally warmed up and contributed as well. I learned more about her and Niki. I realized that Niki was more of a mother figure instead a sister. I could easily see the love she held for Lili.

They talked magic with Kat and asked us about my siblings and our home. I told them about Brody and Selena. Niki put the idea in my head about inviting them all to the ball next month. Kat and I both thought it was a great idea. I knew I'd be rather homesick by that point and a visit would be long overdue. I just had to convince my stubborn Alpha father.

Once lunch finished, Niki led the three of us back to her workroom, which was located on the fifth floor. My feet were still killing me from going on the tour in heels, but I followed without complaint.

Niki's workroom was rather large. There was a big table in the middle, a couple of books and artifacts sitting on top. She had shelves around the entire room, filled with books, artifacts, potion ingredients, and other witch related items. There was another table in the corner that held a bowl and ingredients around it. I knew that's where she did her mixing. One corner was bare, save for a few lone cushions. Her meditation area.

Her workroom resembled Kat's, but bigger.

Niki, Kat, and Lili all took a seat around the main table. I, however, sat on the couch on the other side of the room. I was just here to observe; I didn't want to get in the way.

"Have you learned to harness the wind yet?" Niki began.

"Not yet. I've mastered earth and fire. I'm still a little shaky with water. I've only tried wind once. It was a tracking spell. I blacked out before I could complete it." Kat explained.

Elemental magic. The most common kind. Since witches had to harness nature, the elements were the most commonly used. They drew from them. Kat usually preferred fire. Some powerful witches could also draw from someone's life force. It wasn't something that was often done ; just in serious situations where the elements weren't enough and there weren't other witches around to help.

Someone's life force provided more power than the elements, although it was very dangerous to use, for the witch and the werewolf. It couldn't be done with humans; they weren't strong enough. That left werewolves. The danger was, it drained the wolf rather quickly. If it took too long, it would kill them, which in turn would kill the witch as well. They became linked during the spell, so if one half died, so did the other. It wasn't a common practice and most witches weren't taught how do do it and therefore never even attempted it.

"We'll first master water then. Mastering three of the four elements will help you master wind more quickly."

Niki stood and walked to one of the shelves. She grabbed a small bowl and poured water from a canteen into it. She carried it back over and sat it in front of Kat.

"Do you have a spell you're comfortable with doing while harnessing water? I just want to see where you're at." She asked her.

"Healing small wounds."

It was true. I had sliced my palm many times for her. I had been her guinea pig of sorts. It worked out because, even if the spell didn't work, my werewolf healing would heal me soon enough. I didn't particularly like cutting the palm of my hand, but she had always been there for me, so I was glad to help her. Besides, Matt wouldn't let her cut herself, so it was me or him.

"She can use me." I volunteered automatically.

"Am I safe to assume you've helped her many times in perfecting that spell?" She asked, looking over at me.

"Yeah..." I hesitated, not knowing where she was going with that.

"Then no, I'm afraid she can't." She turned her attention back to Kat to explain. "You'll use me. You're used to Kendall and comfortable with her. You need to push the boundaries of those comfort lines. It might not always be her who you'll have to heal. You'll need to be able to heal anyone, not just those close to you. Do you understand?"

Niki had lost her playfulness and instead, sounded like a full blown teacher and mentor. This was a serious matter and it needed to be treated that way. During training, she was not Kat's friend. She had to push Kat to her limits. That was the only way she'd get better. It was something Kat's mom had done for years and drilled into her head. Her mom could only teach her as much as she herself knew. Since Niki was more powerful, she would be able to push her further.

Kat nodded at her and Niki grabbed a dagger and sliced it across her hand. She didn't even flinch. She wiped the blood away and held it out for Kat. Kat let one hand hover over the bowl of water and the other to touch the top of Niki's cut palm.

She started chanting in the ancient witch language, a language witches were born to speak and didn't have to be taught. It was never anything I understood or would ever be able to. This continued for a few minutes.

Finally she stopped. She lifted her hand and we all glanced at Niki's palm. She wiped away the remaining blood, but underneath it, the skin was smooth and free of injury.

"Good job, Kat. I expected that to take twice as long. You harness water better than you let on." She praised, which elicited a proud grin from Kat.

"Now let's take it up a notch."

**********************

At some point, I had fallen asleep. I had carefully watched for a while, but eventually it was less spells and more lecturing. I couldn't help but doze off.

I was awoken by Niki, whom was now alone in the room. I sat up confused, wondering where Kat and Lili went.

"They retired to their rooms. They're both rather worn out after performing so many spells. I told them I would wake you and get you to your room." She explained without me having to ask.

"Oh, okay. How long have y'all been done?" I yawned. I pulled out my phone to check the time. Six o'clock.

"Only a few minutes. I wanted a moment alone with you."

"Oh?" I asked. I stood up and slipped my heels back on.

"I just wanted to let you know there is more to him than meets the eye."

I froze and looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" I hesitated.

"Finn, dear girl. I mean Finn."

It didn't slip my attention that she had called him Finn. Somehow, it gave me a weird reaction. I pictured myself calling him Finn and shivered. It sounded much more personal than King Finnian. I suddenly found myself wanting to test it out on him. I pushed the thought away.

"How do you know?" I asked her, dropping the denial.

"I can't discuss any more than that unfortunately. Just try to give him the benefit of the doubt. I've known Finn for many years. There is more to him than you think."

"He doesn't want anyone to know. Frankly, I don't either. We shouldn't be discussing this. Someone may hear." I explained to her.

"I assure you, my Queen," My eyes widened at the title. "No ears are on us. I've spelled my workroom. No one from the outside can hear what is being said. I've done the same on Finn's floor of the castle. I also spelled your room last night immediately after dinner. Both areas are safe for you to speak freely now. No one will be listening."

"You spelled my room?" I was shocked.

"Indeed. I knew Finn would be paying you a visit last night. You two needed your privacy." I blushed at that.

"Uh, well, thanks for that I guess."

"It was my pleasure. Be careful though. This room, your room, and Finn's floor are the only areas that are safe. Not everything is as it seems. Be wary of your words when you're not in those places."

That made me nervous. What the hell was going on? I nodded at her absentmindedly.

I told her I could find my own way to my room. As I followed Kat's scent back to our quarters, the only thing on my mind was this.

No matter what the hell was going on, I was going to figure it out.