Chapter 12
the whisper
Their evening together a few days later was pleasant, gentle, and even productive. Though training with simple sigils and potions, time went quickly with constant bouts of laughter that served as a barrier to keep the ultimate subject matter away. Jess and Callie made plans and discussed new triggering moves, knowing they would soon move their training outside the city. Where Callie was excited to finally unleash her more ‘destructive’ powers, Jess was growing guarded, not wanting to overshadow the feelings she was trying to sort.
“Cam will be home in a bit, right?” Callie asked, having just finished a potion combination that produced a pleasant but slightly illicit aroma, “Don’t want him to think we’re just sitting around getting lit and eating all his snacks.”
Jess snorted, “He’s mentioned it.” She let Callie twist briefly, a gentle tease, “The snacks portion anyway. He suggested restocking the chips and salsa.” Callie jerked her hand from the chip bag. “Sorry. I’ll, um, be done.”
Standing in the kitchen, Jess cleared her throat. “Cal?” She opened the pantry cabinet, and Callie saw two extra chip bags and three jars of salsa. “Gotcha covered. As you two have similar tastes, help yourself.”
Her cheeks pinkening up, Callie hunched her shoulders but reached for another handful, “Cool,” she said softly, “I’ll restock for you. What’s Cam’s favorite kind?”
“He’s got a bunch. It would be better if you asked him what phase he’s in, but anything cheesy is always a win.” Jess paused, “Mild salsa, though. He hasn’t entered his spicy era yet.”
Having taken Jess’s comment in a different direction, Callie snorted, “Is he dating anyone yet?” she asked quietly, then arched a brow, “How’s that gonna go for you?”
Jess turned around to face Callie, her face pinched, “He’s going to be the death of me. His phone has started pinging at all hours of the day. He looks at the screen and frowns, sometimes winces like he doesn’t want to talk to someone.”
“He always answers calls from his team buddies, right?”
“Yep,” Jess answered, “I worry about him, how he’ll handle it.”
“He’s a catch, Jess,” Callie said instantly, “Handsome, calm without being stoic, important for an athlete. Any names mentioned?”
“Not yet.” Jess blew out a breath, “But he’s so much like Zach. I worry he’s going to try to help someone and…” She went silent and shrugged, “There will be some wins and losses, I’m sure.”
“But he’s happy,” Callie added, “I can see it. He’s not going to mow through hearts like your average guy.” Her brow hitched, “Or girl. Let’s be fair. Cam has a rare depth.”
Jess smiled, hearing Callie talk about her son with such care, but then, Callie derailed their evening: “Speaking of Cam, I’ll head home, and you can chill.”
“Kay,” Jess said softly after a pause, “I’ll get rid of our potion stash. Maybe you can open the windows and air the place out?”
Minutes later, Callie pulled her sweatshirt over her head and was preparing to leave. Jess turned to say something, but she was gone, heading for the front door. “Call-ie,” she called out. Too loud, and the hurry in her voice was apparent. She darted around the corner to catch her at the door.
“Drive safe, okay?” She said casually, like she wasn’t suddenly trying to memorize every detail of Callie’s look. Her hoodie was half zipped, hair still mussed from when Jess had teased her during a botched potion experiment. Jess leaned against the half-bath doorframe, suddenly feeling awkward, trying not to stare.
“Not like there’s a blizzard,” Callie snickered, “We have a few months…hopefully, but thanks, I will.” She turned to open the door.
“Callie?” Jess blurted again, “Text me when you get home, okay. Just ping me to let me know.”
A knowing giggle was Jess’s reward, “Somebody is feeling maternal tonight,” Callie joked, “Pretty soon, you’re gonna have to meet his date at the front door. G’nite, Jess.”
Then Callie opened the door. The humid summer night tumbled in, full of crickets chirping. Jess watched her step off the porch, hair and hood bouncing, unaware she was dragging the gravity of Jess’s eyes with her. Jess caught the door, “Callie?” It was sharp against the quiet night, and Callie stopped halfway to her car. She turned, surprised, then curious.
“What was the name of that tea we had earlier?” Jess asked from the porch, “The with ginger and …what was the other stuff?”
“Star anise, Ginger, and star anise,” Callie said, grinning again but a bit crooked, “You liked it?”
“Just wanted to know the name,” Jess shrugged as Callie nodded, then got into her car.
Jess stepped out barefoot on the concrete step, the chill running up her calves. The porchlight buzzed with a swirl of moths overhead. Callie was adjusting her rearview mirror, already humming to something on her stereo.
And then, with no warning or plan, Jess called her name again.
“Callie.” Loud and clear, the way you might test an echo in a canyon. Her voice cracked, startling her, this brightness and a sudden flush of bright embarrassment.
Jess’s breath seized. She blinked at the sound, not recognizing it, then tried again. Callie was looking over her shoulder, backing down the driveway. There would be no way she would hear. Jess could hear the low thumping bass of some rock song. Callie liked the loud ones.
Jess repeated it. “Callie,” This one came from somewhere deeper. This tone had a velvet undertow, a voice Jess hadn’t used since the last time she had let herself love someone in full color.
“Callie,” she whispered. Soft and warm, a volume to be heard next to a lover’s ear.
Stepping back into the house, she watched taillights turn at the corner. No way that Callie had heard any of Jess’s…experiment. She closed the door, leaving the lock open in anticipation of Cam’s arrival. She walked through the kitchen and inspected for any evidence of their magic conjuring. Jess set out a new bag of chips and an unopened jar of salsa for Cam. He always enjoyed a snack after practice. Grabbing a pen and paper, she drew a smiley face heart, “I’m in the tub. Love you.”
Upstairs, Jess could feel the warmth in her bathroom left from a water spell she and Callie had tried, unsuccessfully, but she turned on the hot water to top it off. She peeled off her sweater, then her camisole beneath it. Even with the hot water, her skin was flushed and cool. Something had been activated.
She slid slowly into the tub, like entering a ritual space. In a way, for Jess, it was.
The water surrounded her hips, her ribs, and her collarbone. She tilted her head to rest on the back of the soaking tub. Trying to loosen the knots in her muscles, Jess couldn’t stop the images from coming.
Callie’s lopsided grin at the door, quick and naturally crooked like a quip was ready to burst forth. Callie on the ice, with Cam’s team and the girls’ team laughing with complete abandon, but leading as well.
Callie tonight, the soft, oversized hoodie sleeves pulled over her knuckles, eyes glinting when she teased Jess about the tea.
Underneath that, deeper and darker, her new awareness was growing.
Jess let her fingers drift under the surface, trailing along the tops of her thighs, startled at the electricity that shot through her. It wasn’t the water or any residual left from a spell; it was nothing potion-related. It was the idea.
The idea of Callie.
The softness of her. The roundness of her mouth when she said Jess’s name. The earnestness of her voice when Callie would ask Jess if she was okay. That question was constant. The way Callie’s shirt had lifted that night, reaching for a jar in the pantry, revealing skin.
Jess exhaled and sank up to her nose in the tub. Her body had noticed before her mind could catch up. Long-suppressed desire had taken root and was pinging a matching response with her heartbeat, and Jess was terrified.
Not because she didn’t want it; oh, how she did as the pulsing thickened, broadcasting across her thighs. She was afraid because this was…real. Not potion-drugged but unforced and truly uncalculated.
Jess had spent so long twisting her power through potions, enchantments, and superficial exchanges with Max and Emelia. The result always ended up as transactional. Money hadn’t been exchanged directly, but Jess’s early lifestyle resulted from her involvement by choice, which had afforded her enough luxury to blunt the shallow reality of those relationships.
She’d given and taken equally, then paid the price.
Callie asked for nothing. She just gave warmth; for once, Jess dared feel she could walk away from the darkness without burning for it.
Her hand floated over her stomach, unsure. It had been years. Since Zach, with his calm strength, had allowed her to find love for the first time. She remembered his intimate voice, the weight of his body, and the trust between them. Finally, the silence he had left behind.
That’s when it hit her. She wanted Callie. Not in the safe, distracted way she could sometimes imagine people dispassionately. But she wanted Callie in a way that made her shiver, and her body started to ache in a way she thought she would never feel again.
A potion could alter the senses. Bend the body to do things it wanted, and then, fake the thrill.
But a potion could not touch the heart. It couldn’t make you want someone enough to scare you.
She lay there, her senses floating. She had controlled Max and Emelia as they had controlled her. While Jess came to learn it was a team effort on behalf of the Bancrofts, an outrageous notion was blooming in her body. What if she gave up control?
What if she chose to give in to Callie? Give in to her soft power and persistence. Her lightning-fast wit had snuck past Jess’s defenses that first day at their tea date. Was that a date? Did she want it back then?
Jess swallowed hard. Her hand moved again, slowly, this time skimming the inside of her thigh like a secret. They had been physically close since the beginning. Callie would catch her arm, gently steer, or avoid a collision with someone. At the gym, they were building their bodies…together. Inches apart, though, Callie had reached out to correct Jess’s posture, fingers brushing her waist many times. Too many times, Jess remembered, or did she adjust her form incorrectly, hoping for Callie’s touch?
Jess imagined Callie in her sweats, gym shorts, and sports tops, and the wall Jess had built chipped a little more. No one else could have done that, and the gym clothing began to peel away.
Jess let it happen and welcomed the question of what Callie would look like naked. Remembering Callie’s odd and accidentally explicit FaceTime call, Jess blew a confused breath, sending heated ripples across the bathwater. Her hips shifted once, and then she stopped. She held herself at the brink, suspended in the moment's ache. Her breath was heavy, yet her hand remained still. This wasn’t about pleasure; it was about longing. It was about the terrifying wish that Callie could be close and stay untouched by the darkness Jess had survived.
So she let go. Let the heat fade as the bathwater cooled. Jess let the pulse subside.
Later, still in her robe and after checking in with Cam, Jess climbed into bed. She slid between the cool sheets, and while her body remained tense and unsatisfied, her spirit was quiet.
Her hand stretched lightly across the mattress once. Her fingers brushed the empty space beside her. The cotton was smooth, untouched.
She dared to imagine Callie there. Curled beside her. Or on her back with one arm flung over her head, mouth parted in sleep. Maybe murmuring part of a dream, reaching for Jess in the dark without knowing.
Jess closed her eyes. She didn’t cry. She did not reach for herself again. She lay there quietly, daring to remember all those whispers of touch between them, allowing herself the smallest, sweetest moment of rebellion.
She wished for Callie. Not to be taken or used. But to be there.