Dark Arts (Society of Ancient Magic Book 1)

by Fiona Starr

  But the thing that neither of them realize, and I definitely can’t say a word to either of them about it, especially right now, is that the moment we met Joely, my wolf felt something too.

  I knew it as soon as they did, and I felt the change in all three of us at the same time. But instead of pursuing it, I’ve kept my distance. I don’t know what’s going to come of all of this, but I know that until we know what we’re going to do about the rest of our plan, I am going to keep my head down and stay out of her way and keep her out of mine.

  Chapter Twelve

  JOELY

  Roz and Georgia spend the day being my tour guides and walked me around the campus so I can find all of my classes across the sprawling grounds. They also showed me where to get the best coffee, and gelato.

  They took me over to the Society building, which I learned is called “The Cottage” and showed me around there, too. It’s open during the day, like many of the campus buildings, and people come and go for classes and appointments all the time. It seems ridiculous referring to that amazing castle as the cottage, but it makes things simple and I am all for making things simple these days.

  My schedule seems pretty manageable, and I have a few classes with my roommates, so that’s awesome. It seems the students move through the different classes at different times, so it is common to have a first year in the same class with a second or third year, since everyone starts from the same place. Once you get to fourth year and up, those classes are more specialized and it isn’t likely to have much crossover.

  I have one or two classes every day, for two hours each. Reading off the list of classes makes all of this feel like a dream. I have Conjuring, Magical Self-Defense, Potions, Natural Magic, Healing Arts, Elemental Studies, Mage Essentials, and Magical Languages. Like everything else that’s happened, the idea of me in college to study these things is still totally surreal. And that doesn’t even cover the Society schedule.

  After initiation, I’m going to begin learning about ancient magic, and the secret rituals the Society members observe. I’ll get to meet Master Damon, who is an actual living vampire. Well, I guess he isn’t technically living, but whatever. I am really curious about him. And of course, there are the dinner parties that apparently are legendary.

  By the time we get back to the room, I am stuffed from a huge dinner and I can’t decide which is more exhausted, my body or my brain. I drop into my bed, grab my phone, and stare at it, hoping it will tell me what to do.

  I press the number before I lose my nerve. It gets picked up almost instantly.

  “Joely?” Mom’s voice sounds strange.

  “Hi Mom.”

  “I’m so glad you called, honey. I got your note. Thank you for leaving that for me.” She’s speaking slowly and are her words a little slurred? That’s not normal for her. I mean, my parents have a drink now and then, but rarely at home, and I’ve never seen either of them drunk.

  “You’re welcome. Mom, is everything okay?”

  She takes a moment to respond. “I gave Nessa her note too, dear.”

  “Yeah, I know. She told me.” I hate how awkward this feels, but I don’t know how to smooth it out.

  “Are you all—” she says.

  “I’m sorr—” I say at the same time.

  We both laugh, but mom’s sounds sad.

  “I am sorry, mom. I don’t like how I left things with you and Dad.”

  She sighs. “It will all be fine, you’ll see.” She definitely slurred that time. Shit.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Is everything all right?”

  The question hangs there for a second too long.

  “Your father isn’t home, honey.”

  “Oh. When will he be back?” I ignore the jump in topic because she’s obviously drunk and that tells me more than anything that something is very, very wrong.

  “I’ll tell him you called. Ok. Goodnight.” She ends the call without waiting for me to say goodbye.

  I stare at my phone for another minute, trying to figure out what to do. Should I try to call my dad? Or maybe my sisters? What is my mom upset about? And where is my father?

  My imagination is running away with all the crazy soap opera scenarios involving kidnapped babies and secret adoptions and all kinds of other things that are doing me no good at all. I slide off the bed and put my sneakers back on. If I can’t get my head clear, I will never get to sleep, and I have my first class in the morning.

  I grab my jacket and head out of my room. Winter is curled up on the couch reading a book.

  “Going out?” she asks.

  I nod. “Need to get some air.”

  “You have your phone?” she asks. And it makes me feel so good knowing that I have people looking out for me.

  “Yup.” I tap my pocket.

  “See you in a bit,” she says, not looking up from her book as she turns the page.

  Chapter Thirteen

  JOELY

  I follow the walking path around the back of Rubydown dorm along the grass. We passed by here several times on my various outings already and I’m familiar enough with this part of campus to find my way to the trail that will take me down the hill into the park with the lake.

  The moon is bright enough to see by, and once I find the trailhead, and I don’t have to think about where I’m going anymore, I just follow the paved path until it forks at the lake and start making my way around.

  When I was about to test the charm that sparked my magic, I felt like I was on the verge of something big. I never in a million years imagined I had magic or that I would be here now, but that sense of something amazing just out of my grasp was so real I could practically feel my fingers itching to reach for it.

  I can still grab onto that feeling, but now it’s overshadowed by something else. Something heavy and sad, something that’s weighing me down and threatening to pull me under.

  I keep telling myself that I don’t actually know anything. I’m going off of things that my friends have said without any actual facts that I can use to corroborate. But even my sisters stated it without a moment’s hesitation, which leads me to one simple conclusion:

  Ancient magic runs in families.

  My family doesn’t have ancient magic.

  If I have ancient magic, then I must not be part of my family.

  It’s so ridiculous and unbelievable, and yet…

  And then there’s the call to my mom. She was clearly upset and had been drinking. Is she upset because I learned the truth and now I know they lied to me my whole life? Is she upset because of the fight she had with my dad? Is there something else going on that I don’t know about?

  Damn… I hate feeling this way. I want a do-over for all of this. I want to go back to the start where I can ask all of these questions and just face the truth, whatever that truth is.

  A twig snaps in the woods to my right. I squint into the darkness of the woods, but I can’t see anything. I stop moving and wait, and wait. After a moment I can make out the clear sound of footsteps and a whole lot of grumbling. Whoever it is, they are marching fast and they don’t sound happy.

  I stay where I am, wondering if I’m in danger, and cursing myself for not bringing anything with me to defend myself. I wonder for a moment if I’d be able to use magic to deliver a giant punch or something when Angus steps out of the darkness and into the moonlit path in front of me.

  He stops short when he sees me and takes a step back. “Joely? What are you doing here?” He looks around as if expecting to see other people.

  He’s wearing a ribbed white tank top under a plaid flannel shirt and a pair of worn looking blue jeans with both knees torn out. The laces in his boots are loose, as if he slipped them on in a hurry.

  “Just walking. Needed to clear my head,” I say.

  He laughs softly as he runs his hand through his hair. He looks at me under a furrowed brow. “Same.”

  “I gathered. You seemed to be having a pretty
heated argument with yourself back there.”

  He looks embarrassed, though if he’s blushing it’s obscured by the moonlight. “You heard that?”

  I shake my head and step closer to him. “Not really, just growly mumbles.”

  “Growly mumbles? I’ll have to remember to be quiet next time.” He reaches for my hand and curls his index finger around mine. “Are you all right?”

  “I will be,” I say, and I realize that deep down, I know that it’s the truth. I will be all right. No matter what is going on with my family, no matter how soap opera this thing gets, I know that I will be okay. I’ll handle whatever it is.

  “You want to talk about it?” he asks. “Sometimes it helps when you have someone else to be growly and mumble with.”

  I smile and imagine how any of my drama would sound right now. “No. Not right now.”

  “Okay…” He tilts his head to the side. “You want company?”

  “That sounds really good right now.” I let him take my hand and we continue on the path, walking in silence and watching the water ripple in the breeze.

  We stop and sit at a little fishing dock about halfway around the lake. Our legs dangle over the side and we’re surrounded my cattails and tall water grasses. The air around us is alive with the sound of frogs and crickets and the random splash of things moving along the shore.

  Angus continues playing with my hand, running his fingers over every inch and then turning it over to do the same to the back.

  “You’ve turned holding hands into an art form,” I say. “I’ve spent so little time with you and I think I would know your hands anywhere.”

  He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles one by one. “The hands are very special. They send secret messages.”

  Butterflies explode in my belly. “Really? Like what?”

  He smiles and arches a brow. “Oh, I don’t know.” He runs his index finger along mine and hooks our fingertips together. “This is kind of like asking if you want me to stay.” His voice is soft and low.

  “And what does my hand say?”

  “The way you’re holding on tells me yes.”

  “What else?” I whisper, enthralled.

  He raises his hand up and holds it against mine, our fingers lined up. His fingers are much longer than mine, and the pressure of them together sends a thrill through me.

  “This is like when you first meet. You’re standing face to face and seeing if that first step feels like a good fit.” He opens his fingers and our hands fall together naturally, and when he squeezes me gently I can feel my pulse pounding in my fingertips.

  “What does this say?” I ask.

  “This says hold on. Don’t let go.” He’s so close I can feel his breath on my face.

  “Don’t let go,” I breathe the words as our lips touch and he kisses me.

  The heat coming off of him is intoxicating and I find myself holding on to his arms as he draws my mouth to his. His biceps bunch as he moves his arms, pulling one of his legs back off the edge so he can turn to face me.

  He sucks on my lip as he pulls away, his eyes finding mine. “Is this all right?”

  “Yeah,” I say and move in to kiss him again.

  God, this is more than all right. This is perfect and lovely and exactly what I need right now. I need to feel like I’m real. Like all of this is real. I don’t want to wake up and find out any of this is a dream. Just the thought of that scares the hell out of me.

  If I woke up tomorrow and all of this was in my head, I can’t say what would be worse, losing my magic or losing Angus. I realize I barely know him, but if ever there was a time when a moment signaled something that’s totally right, the moment I met Angus was exactly that.

  Thinking of our first meeting sends a flash of his brother into my head. Van’s brooding blue eyes fight for space next to Angus’s cheerful sparkle.

  Angus kisses my neck and I force Van from my mind. I don’t have the bandwidth for more than this moment, right here, right now. His mouth, his hands. Everything touching me.

  I press my hands against his chest, luxuriating in the feel of his firm muscles. He’s so well built and clearly takes care of himself. I flatten my hand on his chest, which is rising and falling under his rapid breathing. “Your heart is racing.”

  He looks at me as if he’s been searching for me his whole life. “Joely.”

  Two syllables, stretched out like a wish. I feel his longing in my name and I want to feed it, I want to give myself to this man I barely know but who makes me feel like I’m home.

  I push his flannel off his shoulders slowly, help him out of his tank top, and run my hands over his bare chest and arms. He wears a thick gold chain around his neck.

  The tattoo I spied the other day catches my eye. It’s a nighttime forest with evergreens and a moon partly covered by clouds. A pale wolf stands between the trees, his face calm, almost friendly. A raven is caught mid-flight, rising above the trees, its wings spread wide.

  It reminds me of the night my magic sparked and that weird set of images that hit me. I shake the memory off. I don’t want to think about anything but this moment. My five senses in overload as Angus and I explore each other.

  His skin is so warm. He pulls me to him as he lays back on the dock. He moves his hands under my shirt and up my side, holding me to him as our mouths continue to explore each other.

  I kiss his chin and move my mouth along his jaw to his ear. “I want you, Angus.”

  “Joely,” he purrs my name again and I swear I could listen to that sound forever.

  We help each other out of our clothes, fumbling with shirts and belt buckles and jeans. Angus spreads our shirts out for us and eases me back onto the dock. He brushes my hair out of my eye and smiles down at me, trailing a finger along the lace edge of my bra.

  “Nice tattoo,” he says, tracing the raven on my chest with his fingers.

  I smile. “It’s not a tattoo, actually.”

  “Really?” He kisses each of the raven’s wings, sending the thrill over my skin.

  “I got that the night my magic sparked,” I say.

  “Really? That’s cool.” He hums as he continues kissing me, inching across my collarbone and then down to my bra. “You’re beautiful.”

  “So are you.”

  He kisses my mouth again, this time it’s so tender I make us linger in it as long as I can. His hand slides over my belly and cups my sex, making me gasp with an unexpected rush of pleasure.

  He groans into my mouth as I wrap my fingers around his cock, enjoying the feel of it under his boxer briefs. He’s so hard and ready, and I’m so wet…

  His kisses move down my neck to my chest as he slides the silky strap off my shoulder and lifts my breasts from my bra. He squeezes one while he takes the other in his mouth, sucking and flicking my nipple with his tongue.

  Every move of his body on mine causes an explosion of heat to bloom in my core. I’m going nuclear with anticipation and I can’t take another moment of it. I slide my panties off my hips and he helps them the rest of the way, caressing and kissing my legs as he moves down to my ankles and then up, up, spreading my thighs and kissing the soft flesh between them.

  He dips his tongue into my pussy and teases his way up. Every nerve in my body burns as he takes my clit into his mouth and works it with his tongue and his lips, sucking and pulling, and…

  “Oh god. Oh fuck! Angus!” I run my fingers through his hair and hold on as waves of pleasure rock through me. When the surge releases, he kisses me gently and then moves his lips over my stomach, caressing his way back to my mouth.

  He kisses me gently as he shifts onto his side, and I taste myself on his lips. My skin is on fire for him, already eager for more of his touch. “Joelle Everstar, you’re the loveliest thing alive.”

  I push him onto his back and slide my hand down his chest and his stomach and inside his briefs. He’s still hard and ready, and so am I.

  Chapter Fourteen

&nbs
p; ANGUS

  I haven’t felt this alive in years. Everything about Joely feels like a new beginning. Her body tastes sweet and she smells like summer flowers and every inch of her is so luscious and warm. Every touch brings the urge for more. I only want more. More of this. More of her.

  The way she let me take her just now makes me feel like I could walk away from everything. She is all I need. She’s all I will ever need. Her skin glows in the moonlight, glistening after her release. I love that I was able to bring her to her peak like that. Hearing her cry out without thinking or seeming to care… is there anything better than that?

  Well… I can think of one or two things, but for now, this is enough.

  She slides her hand over my body and grabs hold of my cock, squeezing me gently in her warm hand. I am so fucking hard I can barely stand it, but I don’t want to hurry any of this and risk missing one tiny moment.

  She tugs on my underwear, urging me out of them. I slide them down and watch her take in the view. She smiles when she looks at my cock, which is standing at complete attention for her.

  “You’re magnificent,” she says as she runs her hand up my shaft and over my stomach. Then she straddles me, easing herself onto me as she moves slowly toward me, letting my cock press against her slick opening.

  “One second,” I say, weaving a spell over my cock to keep her safe.

  She smiles wickedly as a shimmer moves over me. “Was that like… a magic condom?”

  I nod, surprised that this could possibly be new to her. “The best invention ever.”

  “I think you might be right about that. Thank you.” She leans down and kisses me, plunging her tongue into my mouth and setting the world aflame again.

  She’s so wet, I want to take her right now, claim her and show her how badly I want to make her mine. But I want her to be in control. I want her to tell me how and when.