Jack cleared his throat. "I'll do it today. It's good for her to switch instructors once in a while. Anyway, I've got orders to stay close to her." He paused. "Right, Thomas?”

Thomas hesitated before answering. "Jack will take over for today, Serena, if Mira is okay with that.”

A whole afternoon with Jack to herself? She tried not to slobber when she answered, "Of course.”

"Okay, then. See you later, cousin." Serena winked at Mira and shut the door.

"Just stay inside Coven walls, Mira," said Thomas unnecessarily. "Stay near Jack. Concentrate on learning to control your magick because the more powerful you become, the less of a target you are. We'll do the rest.”

"If I can help with anything other than protecting Mira, let me know," Jack said.

"You have all the responsibility I plan to give you.”

Jack glanced at Mira. His blue eyes seemed strangely hot. "It's a job I take very seriously.”

"I know," answered Thomas.

"About Annie," said Mira.

Thomas held up his hand to stop her flow of words. "I called her this morning, tried to reason with her again. She will not agree to come into the Coven. I'm sorry.”

That sounded like her stubborn godmother. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Annie is working now, but you can call her this evening and try to talk some sense into her, if you like. Now go concentrate on learning how to better control your magick. It's important.”

Yes, now more than ever.

She and Jack finished up with Thomas and left to find a place to train.

"Hot sex, hmmm?" Jack asked as they walked down the corridor leading away from Thomas's office. He gave that familiar lazy grin that had the capacity to stop her heart. "I'm flattered.”

After stopping at the conservatory to pocket a feather and rock—he wouldn't tell her why—Jack led her into the basement again.

"Uh, Jack?" she said once they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm okay with the conservatory now. You helped me get over my block.”

"I'm not taking you to the storage room. I'm taking you to the ballroom.”

"The ballroom? Why?”

He led her across the basement, up another flight of stairs, and down a wing of the Coven she hadn't even known existed. Her shoes sank into the plush red carpeting of the richly decorated corridor. He didn't answer her until he opened a set of double doors. "Because there's a mirror.”

The room was enormous and completely empty. More plush red carpeting covered the floor, though the center of the room had an area covered in hardwood, probably for dancing. A chandelier hung from the ceiling and a mirror lined one wall, giving the illusion the room was twice as big.