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CHAPTERONE
“Doyou think this thing can change into a hammer?”
I was the curious carpenter, and the person I questioned was the handsome man seated at the head of the dining table.
Count Benjamin Castle paused in the middle of his breakfast and lifted an eyebrow at me. “Pardon?”
I held up the Prima Staff, otherwise known as my flute. “This thing. You think it can change into a hammer, too?”
Ben set his hands on the table and smiled at me. “That’s a rather unusual request.”
“I have a rather unusual floorboard in my room that could use some pounding,” I revealed as I tilted the flute to and fro like it was a metronome. “Maybe this thing could make itself into a purse, too.”
He chuckled and resumed his eating. “You may have better luck fitting yourself to its magic.”
I stopped my ticking and lifted an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?”
He pushed away his empty plate and dabbed the corners of his mouth before speaking. “Magic is used, but it cannot be pushed, especially powerful magic. It was created with a specific purpose, and it’s best to find that purpose rather than try to bend it to your will.”
I scooted a little closer to him. “What would happen if I tried a little bending?”
“You do recall what happened to Dunn only a week ago?”
I winced and leaned back in my chair. “Point taken.”
Ben’s eyes flickered between the flute and my face. “Do you play?”
I blinked at him. “Play what?”
He nodded at the instrument. “The flute?”
A snort escaped me as I lifted the flute. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever held one.”
“You could try playing it.”
I studied the instrument for a moment before I winced. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“Try playing it now.”
My face drooped. “You don’t want me to do that.”
“Why not?”
“I tried playing the tuba once.”
“And?”
“I attracted all the wrong attention.”
He set his arms on the table and leaned in closer to me. “How so?” I rolled my eyes and mumbled a few words. “Pardon? I didn’t catch that.”
I scowled at him. “I said someone’s pet pig came into the building thinking I was a lovesick sow.”
Ben burst into laughter, so much so that I glared at him. After a moment he gathered himself and wiped away a tear under one eye. “My sincerest apologies. I had no idea you were so musically gifted.”
I wagged the flute at him. “You just keep laughing and I’ll subject you to a fate worse than death.”
His eyes twinkled at me. “How is that?”
