Kristy's stepmother rose from the sofa, anger radiating from her like a small furnace. "I should have given you to the oldest, ugliest, black-hearted genie I could find!" shouted Tarje, so enraged that spittle flew from her lips. "Dirty half-breed! Beautiful to see, soft to touch, but no different than your slutty fae mother. You entice men with the heart of a tart, so why shouldn't you be treated as such?"

Kristy's fingers balled into fists. "I've never lain with a man in my life." She stepped forward, her sapphire eyes brimmed with angry tears. "I'm not responsible for my father's cheating. It's not my fault my mother deserted me. So stop blaming me for things I had no control over!"

She turned away, breath heaving as if she'd run a marathon. Kristy knew there was no way to get through to the ice sculpture that was her stepmother.

Tarje resumed her seat. "A witch bound you. Then you ingratiate yourself to the One Magi, installing yourself as his advisor. You're the darling of the genie realm. I'm sure you did it just to make your stepsisters feel bad."

Disbelief crossed Kristy's features. She hadn't given the wretches a thought in years!

"Minister Roe spoke with Mistress Fawn about honoring you for your part in Arabella Pudeater's removal. Mistress Fawn declared you will be the first half-genie eligible for wifehood instead of a concubine as your kind usually are. Several statesmen have inquired about you as a lower wife or a first wife for their sons. When it's decided, you will return home. As your father's first wife, it's my right to make the arrangements."

Kristy shuddered in horror. The chains she'd once escaped came crashing down. She'd rather die than participate in a farce of a marriage and be bound to someone she didn't love! Kristy knew her fae abilities of enrapturing would never work on Tarje, who had such a keen hatred of her, worse than Maryann Harper ever did. The woman would never change her mind.

Tarje would win, and she would leave her new home—and Victor! Kristy forwent her dignity and threw herself at her stepmother's feet. It didn't matter that she demeaned herself. Her life was on the line! She bowed her head, hands clasped together at her breast.

"Stepmother, the One Magi is my responsibility. I can't leave him." Her body shook as she gazed up at her stepmother's stoic features. "Without guidance, he can be very dangerous. Please, for the sake of all that's good, don't do this."

"Such a handsome man," cooed Tarje. She pursed her lips in thought. "Set the groundwork for your stepsisters to gain his favor. One of them will become his new advisor. Both are beautiful and properly trained. Neither are betrothed, so we can push for an honorable marriage when he beds his choice. To have such power bound to our family will raise our standings in the realm." The woman stepped around the kneeling girl and strode on dainty feet to the center of the room. "You are not to speak of this. I will ensure that you do not, Krysania."

The geas she set on the half-fae, a spell prohibiting her from speaking or acting on or against it, was solid. Kristy could find no weak spots. There was no way to obtain Victor's help. She shuddered when Tarje delivered her parting shot.

"Instead of being a mattress to many, there'll only be one. It's more than you deserve." With a chuckle, Tarje vanished.

Kristy rose and stumbled into the hallway, grabbing the stuffed snake from the entryway table. She made it as far as the living room before sliding down to the carpeted floor.

She would never lead Victor to either of the vile women who were her stepsisters. They wouldn't consider his love of dance, kind nature, or dedication to family. They would see him as a commodity, a tool to achieve accolades and benefits. 

The genie touched her lips, remembering his kiss. Her voice wobbled. "Victor!"

Clutching the keepsake, Kristy burst into tears.

For the first time in history, the Dueling Duo decorated the large pine with minimal fuss. The usual name-calling, tinsel fights, and tree toppling hadn't occurred with Kristy and Dr. Mason joining the festivities. Victor hadn't rushed out once to replace broken Christmas decorations due to the Duo's antics. The decorated tree, the blinking lights, and gaily wrapped presents did not contribute to the mood as much as Dr. Mason sitting in the chair nicknamed the throne as they talked, drank piping hot cocoa, and feasted on mince pies.

Victor marveled at the growing relationship between Dr. Mason and Lovedae. Several times he'd come home late from teaching at the studio to the smell of burnt Christmas cookies and love wafting through the air. 

His senses were extra sharp due to the modified magic, and that particular day, he groaned at what he felt. It bothered Victor to open the living room door and disrupt the embrace between the doctor and his mother, but he had no choice. A giggling Lovedae stepped away from Dr. Mason, her lipstick gone. Red touched her cheeks as she looked at him awkwardly. "Victor, we... uh, didn't expect you back so soon."

He only smiled. "I need to retrieve something." Victor walked behind the elegant sofa and nabbed the spying little girl before she could protest. He tucked an angry Rosetta under his arm and said, "So sorry," to the surprised couple. He closed the door behind them before admonishing his nosy sister.

To the surprise of the younger Grants, Lovedae invited Kristy to spend the holidays with them, assigning the girl to a guest room with implicit instructions of no 'physical' rendezvous during the night. An embarrassed Victor swore he'd never disrespect his mother or Kristy as such, but the directive hadn't stopped him from obtaining something dear to him.

The beginnings of a real relationship. The interest was there on both sides, Victor knew it. He'd be the one to address the elephant in the room.

Victor, Kristy, and the Duo sat in the den before a crackling fire on Christmas eve, watching a holiday special on television while feasting on chesnuts. Afterward, he'd sent the Duo to their beds. Jason hugged them both and left, but Rosetta paused at the door.

"Vic, if you see Santa, tell him I was perfect this year, okay?"

"I will, poppet."

The child beamed at him. "And if I got any marks on the naughty list, tell him it was Jason's fault, okay?"

Victor rolled his eyes. "You'll waffle on about this if I say no, right?"

His sister nodded.

Victor sighed. "Of course."

"Thanks! Merry Christmas." Rosetta ran out of the room as Kristy giggled.

"She's adorable, Vic. And she still believes in Santa?"

"She started questioning last year. But either way, this gives me one last year to play Old Saint Nick after she's gone to sleep." He turned off the television, thinking how cute the genie looked in his Beatles t-shirt. He joined her before the fire, pretending a calmness he didn't feel. "Kristy, can I ask you something?"

Kristy lay back against the large cushions near the hearth. "Sure."

Victor took a deep breath. "Would you ever consider going steady with me?"

"Sure, what needs stabilizing?"

He frowned. Didn't expect that. Maybe I am old-fashioned. "I mean steady as a state of being."

She smiled, her eyes warm and captivating. "Of being what?"

Victor almost choked out the words. "Of being in a committed relationship."

Kristy sat up, ramrod straight. "That means exclusive in your world. It's not done in my realm."

"No one has a girlfriend or boyfriend?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

The genie looked away. "The menfolk decide our fate, remember?"

Victor reached out a gentle hand and turned her face toward his. "That's not your world anymore."

"Why me? I'm nobody important."

Victor had written pages of eloquent speeches and found snips of poetry to explain to the insecure girl how he felt. But Jason had tossed them all away.

"Just speak from your heart," he'd advised. "Chicks like that."

"I adore you, Kristy. You complete me as a want, not a need. Nor am I talking about dependency." Victor gazed down at his trembling fingers. "We could date and really get to know each other like two normal teens before committing. Slow and steady, and only when you're ready. Think about it, no pressure! I won't—"

"I'd love to." Her words were almost a whisper. "Slow and steady."

He reached for a rectangular box he'd hidden under the cushions. He opened it, and nestled in a sea of cotton sat a charms bracelet with two hearts. Victor held the trinket up, letting her read 'Kristy' engraved on one heart and 'Victor' on the other. "Merry Christmas, love."

The glorious eyes grew cloudy. "I love it." Fastening the bracelet on her delicate wrist nearly caused Victor to tear up. "Vic, is a thank you kiss appropriate?"

He chuckled. "You never have to ask permission to give such a wonderful gift."

Slender arms slid around his neck, and her lips found his, solidifying a moment he'd cherish forever.

The holiday season had come and gone before Victor mentioned the changes to his magic. The family and Doctor Mason sat in the living room during high tea when he spilled his guts. With a cucumber sandwich in one hand, he told them of the magic's metamorphosis, everything Princess had explained. 

"I'm still a One Magi," he concluded. "Except I have 'adult' magic now."

"What's different?" asked Jason, nabbing the last slice of pickled salmon on toast. Rosetta snarled at her brother, ready to fight for the morsel until Victor slid her an egg and cress sandwich, which soothed her.

Victor shrugged. "It's more powerful even though I don't feel it anymore. But knowing my track record, it'll somehow help me throw a spanner in the works."

"I agree with the Princess person. The acts committed against you were designed to make you less confident in yourself." Lovedae took a sip of tea. "Damn the magic! Does this make you a bigger target?"

Victor harbored the same thoughts. He didn't want his family targeted again, not after the Arabella incident. "Kristy said I could move into her spare room. I don't want to risk—"

"Totally inappropriate." Lovedae patted his hand. "We're a family, and we're in this together until we can figure away to get rid of that cursed magic." She glanced at Dr. Mason, who sat back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "What are you thinking, Lyle?"

The doctor rose from his seat and wandered over to the bookshelf, his finger running over the books until he selected a hefty tome called The History of Ancient Egypt, Exploration of the Distant Past. "Not a direct quote, my dear, but—" He smiled at Lovedae, then carried the book to Victor, placing it on his lap. "Sherlock Holmes once said it's a mistake to theorize before one has all the data. Let us go back to the immediate problem. We need to discover all we can about the one orchestrating the abominations against your family. The journals of Craig and his ancestors are our best resource."

"But, there's hundreds of 'em," cried Rosetta. "We've gone through as many as we can without falling asleep." She looked at Victor with a guilty expression on her face. "Sorry, Vic. I gotta short attention span."

"You barely read one, foam-for-brains." Jason smiled at Victor. "I read two."

"Yeah, he did... by skipping all the words," muttered Rosetta.

Victor poured a dash of milk into his tea. "It's okay, guys." He gazed at the book and frowned. "What would you like me to do with this, sir?" His interest in ancient civilizations was minimal at best.

The doctor sat down again, accepting a cup of tea from Lovedae with a gentle smile. "I'd like you to summarize chapter twenty-four, down to the footnotes written on the bottom of pages 255 to 259."

A disgruntled Victor opened the book, but Dr. Mason shook his head. "Close the book, dear boy."

Victor gave the doctor a sullen look. "How in blazes—"

"Use your talents. See the text and summarize what I've requested."

He frowned, wondering if what the doctor said was possible. Everyone stared at him as if he were an ancient prophet perched on a mountaintop. Victor decided to try. He placed his fingertips on the book and concentrated.

Nothing happened.

Dr. Mason said, "Victor, believe and accept the impossible."

Victor gazed down at the book again and sighed. He admitted he hadn't done any magic since the change due to one simple reason.

Fear.

But fear wasn't a viable option anymore. He couldn't fail them or himself again. Time to start accepting what he'd become and see what he could do. Believe and accept the impossible. Suddenly, Victor's mind opened. How had he not seen it before—the words, the meaning of the desired pages! He began speaking of Raman rule in Egypt lasting from 30 BC to around 641 AD, not counting when the Sasanian Empire briefly controlled the area from—

Victor stopped and looked up. Dr. Mason had a satisfied smirk on his face. Lovedae seemed relieved and troubled all at once, but the Duo were ecstatic. They jumped up and gave each other high fives.

"You know what this means, don't cha?" cried a grinning Jason.

"Yep," chirped Rosetta. "No more reading for book reports! We'll just run 'em through Vic!"

Both whooped and cheered until Lovedae and Victor silenced them, the latter glaring at them. "I wouldn't do that for myself. It's cheating! Read and write your own reports."

"Thank you, Victor," said Lovedae.

The Duo dragged themselves back to their seats, consoling their disappointment with the desserts on the tea tray. But Victor looked at Dr. Mason and his mother, a hopeful expression on his face.

"We now have the means." Dr. Mason rose. "Come, dear boy. We have a collection of journals to review."

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