by Nika Gray
And then I’d been abducted. I tried to make sense of the jumble of memories that came after the abduction, but I lost the threads as soon as I tried to hold on to them.
Fergus shifted next to me and sat up, taking me with him.
“What in the actual fuck is this?” he asked as he saw what his golden magic was doing to my fingers.
My own red tendrils were lazily traveling up and down his body.
“Magic?” I asked.
“This isn’t mage magic, Sadie,” he said, wonder in his voice.
“I don’t know enough about magic,” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked, concern shifting in his voice. “Has this never happened before? Is this not normal for you?”
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I’m just starting to remember everything now. Magic is new to me. Somehow, you gave me back my memories, Fergus. My amnesia is almost gone.”
“Amnesia?” he asked, and I realized he had no idea what I was talking about.
Unsure of what to say, I lifted my face to his and kissed him again, my body buzzing and wanting more of that pleasurable oblivion.
He pulled away from me, knowing exactly what I was doing.
“Talk, Sexy Sadie,” he said, the gold light flaring in his eyes.
“Maybe we should be getting back.” I tried to distract him.
“Neither of us is going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say,” I began.
“Okay, well start with the part where I gave you back your memories. What does that mean?” Fergus reached for his pants as he spoke.
I sighed and reached for my shirt. “Headmaster Hotchkiss found me on a road after I’d escaped my captors. I was almost hit by a car and this magic protected me. I didn’t have any idea who I was.” I dressed as I spoke, my words tumbling from my mouth as if they just had to get out.
“But now, I do remember. My name’s Sadie Bishop. I don't really come from anywhere. I was a foster kid all my life. My mom died as she was giving birth to me. I lived in a series of foster homes and had a pretty fucked-up life. I never knew magic existed. Then one night,” I said and stopped myself. I wasn't ready to share the time I had with Cole with Fergus.
“Then one night what?” Fergus prompted me as he buttoned his shirt.
“I had a strange encounter with a man at the club where I waitressed. This happened the first time. The red fire came out.” I held up my arms for both of us to see. The red flickering fire traveled down my arms over my fingers and into the air, making a small ball of fiery energy.
Fergus did the same with his arms and his molten golden fire behaved in the same way. We watched as the red and gold co-mingled and skipped playfully between us. It was an incredible sight to behold.
“This is no ordinary magic,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Can’t other mages do that?”
“Mages have to use the conduit ring to connect to the magical energy and harness the elements for spellwork. I took mine off after putting on the condom,” he said, gesturing to the conduit ring laying on the grass beside us. “I've never had magic without it, and I noticed you weren’t even wearing one. This is coming from within me. I can feel it deep down inside. This is strange. New. I feel more alive than I've ever felt before,” he said.
“Like electricity zapping you from the inside, right?” I asked.
“Coursing through me,” he nodded.
“Our kissing started it. I saw your blue eyes turn gold,” I said. “What’s happening? Have I cursed you in some way?” I asked.
He laughed and pulled me against him again. “If you did, then thank you. Curse me more,” he said. “That’s a wild story, Sadie, but you’re here now. With me.” His embrace tightened and I felt truly safe for the first time since I’d run through that forest.
“Wait, do you know who grabbed you?” he asked.
“I don’t know who they are, but I remember their faces now. Hotchkiss created that cover story so I could safely stay here and recover my memory. And work on containing this magic. I hurt people with it in my escape.”
I felt his heart racing again.
“Yeah, well. Sounds like they might’ve been asking for it. You’re an incredible woman, sexy Sadie,” he whispered in my ear.
He was almost purring next to me. What he said struck me. Was my magic some sort of curse or was the incredible pull I had toward this man a reason this magic was ignited? The two seemed connected.
“I’m going to have to take a raincheck on tomorrow.”
“Why?” he asked, breaking away from me.
The air was chill against my skin now and I found my jacket and put it on. I didn’t bother with my soaked panties and stuffed them in my jeans pocket. Fergus pulled his jacket on as well.
“I have to talk to Headmaster Hotchkiss first thing tomorrow.” My voice had turned serious and Fergus noticed.
“I couldn’t remember the men who took me before, but I see their faces now and have to show them to the headmaster.”
He nodded in understanding and took my hand.
“You won’t blow my cover, will you?” I asked, worry creeping into my voice. I’d been burned by blind trust before.
His hand touched my chin and pulled my face close to his.
“Your secrets are your own, Sadie. I won’t betray your confidence. If you need anything, you just have to ask,” he said, his lips inches away from mine.
I gently brushed my lips against his. His hand traveled into my hair and pulled me into a much deeper kiss. My insides felt as if they were melting as our tongues twisted around each other again and the smell of the ocean surrounded me.
The electricity between us activated again, with my ruby red tendrils snaking around his neck, and his golden fire caressing my shoulder.
We both pulled back to watch the spectacle as our magic danced together.
“This is some crazy shit,” Fergus whispered as we began the walk back to campus. “I’m going to the library and see what I can find out about this. See if there’s any description of this kind of magic in the old Druid texts.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t hook up again until we figure out what this is.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth, that I wanted to take them back. I definitely wanted this to happen again.
“Let’s not get drastic,” Fergus said and grinned, his dimples coming out again. “The magic isn’t harming us, is it? And you taste so damn good.”
“Maybe next time we can try for some fun indoors,” I said as I pulled leaves and twigs out of my hair.”
“I like the way you think, sexy Sadie.”
Chapter 8
Sadie
I arrived back at the dorm room way past midnight and didn’t fall asleep until well after two in the morning. That didn’t stop me from waking up at sunrise.
I lay there watching the sun lift from the horizon while my thoughts drifted between my time with Fergus and what I wanted to tell Headmaster Hotchkiss.
I wondered how to approach him, and then I remembered something I’d heard when I was staying at the Headmaster’s Manor. When I saw him before my breakfast with Kelly, he’d mentioned he jogged around the lake at dawn every morning.
I thought catching him right after his jog would be the perfect time to meet with him. I didn’t know any other way I’d be able to see him without being noticed. I had no idea what would happen once I let him access my memories again. I didn’t know if he could keep what I wanted him to see away from the rest of my life’s memories, or if that was even possible, but I was willing to let him go through my mind again to see the faces of my abductors.
I saw the three older men wearing the expensive suits very clearly now. They all wore conduit rings, which had to mean they were mages. They were from this magical world.
I’d been super-confused when I entered the private VIP section at the beginning of my shift that night at the club. When I saw the
grey-haired mage on my right start waving his hand around to make that doorway ringed with fire, I freaked out and froze. Now, I knew exactly what he’d been doing and how I’d ended up at that lab without anyone seeing them take me.
No wonder nobody from the club ever came looking for me. I had vanished into thin air. I briefly wondered if anyone even cared, then pushed the thought away. Old life, old problems. The faster we identified the men, the clearer my current situation would become. I was still in the dark as to why they had grabbed little old foster-kid me.
I threw the covers off and padded to my closet. Avery and Sonia were still fast asleep even though morning light filtered into our room. I opened up the closet with as little sound as possible and took out the school uniform. I doubted I’d have time to come back here before my battle magic class.
I dressed as quietly as I could, tiptoed to the bathroom, peed and brushed my teeth and was out of the bathroom all within ten minutes. The school uniform consisted of a lot of pieces and I was glad it was Fall. I definitely couldn’t see wearing this get-up during hotter days. I grabbed the book bag I’d packed the night before and slung it over my shoulder. The door clicked closed behind me and I walked down the hall, the black robe swishing at my ankles.
I stepped out of the dorm and smiled, enjoying the quiet. Nobody was up at this hour. Not even mages who wanted to exercise. When I lived in New York City, I’d usually be walking home from the club at this hour. Only a certain type of character was on the streets this early. Most of the city would still be asleep and I loved it.
I fumbled through the folds of the robe and found the blazer underneath. I’d kept the map in that pocket from the night before, knowing I’d be leaving early this morning. I pulled it out to make sure I was taking the right path to the professor’s village.
I saw that I was and tucked it back in the pocket. My mood lifted as I left West Campus and headed through the rolling hills toward the Headmaster’s Manor. There was something about this campus that made me happy.
It might have been the beautiful, lush setting, or it might've just been my scratching that itch with Fergus last night. Whichever it was, I had a skip in my step as I made my way to the picturesque little English-inspired village of cottages.
I’d walked for close to half an hour drinking in the birds waking up, the sun drifting up into the sky, and the dew vaporizing into a mist that hung low on the ground.
The world felt fresh and new.
My memory was back. First order of business achieved. I hadn’t decided what to tell Headmaster Hotchkiss about how it came back, though.
He didn’t need to know about me and Fergus, did he? Would he see last night if he went into my memory? Crap, I hadn’t even thought of that. I steeled myself.
That was a chance I had to take, I thought as I entered the main road leading to the cluster of cottages. The manor was the last home on the small road. The professors didn’t get up this early either, apparently.
I checked the watch I’d found in the dresser next to the underwear Kelly had bought me. It was six-thirty now. Headmaster Hotchkiss should be home from jogging by now. I straightened my posture, took a deep breath and gathered my courage.
I pushed the garden gate open and strolled up to the Headmaster’s door. This was a normal visit I thought. I didn’t want to start any gossip around the professors in case anyone saw me coming here early this morning.
I banged the brass knocker rather hard. A few moments later, the door opened. Headmaster Hotchkiss, sweaty from his run and still in his workout gear, appeared from behind it. He was definitely startled to see me.
“Hi. It’s super early and I apologize in advance for disturbing your morning,” I said. “I remembered that you exercised early, and I wanted to catch you before the day began. I have some news.”
Headmaster Hotchkiss looked past me and motioned for me to come inside. He wore an odd expression on his face and wasn’t entirely happy to see me. That didn’t bode well, I thought. My stomach flip-flopped. Was I making a huge mistake?
I must have telegraphed my nervousness.
“Pardon my demeanor, Sadie,” he said as he wiped his face with a workout towel. “I'm wondering about the news you’re bringing me this early.”
“My memory came back,” I said.
He stopped short and stood still for a moment. Then he nodded and smiled.
“You must be relieved,” he said gesturing to the settee in the living room. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can talk.”
I sat down and he quickly closed the draped of the window behind the settee.
“How was it triggered?” he asked as he sat down next to me.
I blushed. I’d expected the question and had come up with a suitable answer, but memories of the night before were still glowing in my mind and I felt bare before this man.
“Um. I had a, um, encounter with Fergus Mathonwy,” I explained. “We bumped into each other rather hard. The memories cascaded into my mind shortly after.”
The explanation sounded lame even to my own ears. I hoped he wouldn’t press me further. That wasn’t the part I needed to share with him anyway. Headmaster Hotchkiss cocked his head to the side and his piercing green eyes regarded me for a moment. I held my ground and was relieved when he moved on.
“Do you remember everything?” he asked.
“Everything,” I nodded.
No. I needed to amend that. “Actually, almost everything. I know who I am and where I came from. I remember everything up to when the men grabbed me. I watched them open a portal to pull me into the lab.”
“How did they open up a portal?” he asked, as he placed my book bag at my feet and settled in.
“They had on conduit rings. They were mages. All of them were older, around your age. They’re the reason I’m here this morning. Can you go into my mind and see if you recognize them?”
“Yes, I can do that for you,” he said, his brow furrowed.
I didn’t like the look on his face. The knot in my stomach twisted in pain.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked him.
“I’m afraid of who I’m going to see in there,” he answered truthfully.
We were both quiet for a moment and then he sighed and said “Ready?”
I closed my eyes and his hands pressed into my temples like he’d done before.
Energy poured from his fingers into my temples. The feeling was similar to having water pour down my face in a stream. The feeling was pleasant and soothing, and I wondered if he’d cast a calming spell on me.
I focused on my breath coming in and out of my nose as I felt his energy bounce around inside my head. Gratefully, the process was short.
Within minutes, he’d removed his hands from my temple. A wave of fatigue blanketed me, and I pushed back into the pillows of the seat.
“Did you see them?” I asked.
The look of fear that passed over his face worried me.
“You know them?”
“I don’t know exactly who they are,” he said carefully. “I don’t have their names, but, the way they’re dressed and comport themselves gives me a good idea of who they are affiliated with.”
“Who sent them?” I understood he was telling me someone else was pulling the strings.
“You won’t know or understand what you are dealing with,” he waved away my question.
“I saw more of your memories, Sadie. I’m sorry there isn’t an easy way to pinpoint the exact memory we’re looking for, but I know now you’ve never been part of the magical community.”
He stood up and paced in front of me.
“You’re in a lot more trouble than I expected, Sadie. I thought maybe you’d been taken by one of the vampire families or one of the covens. But this goes directly to the Council. I’m going to need to speak to some of my contacts to see how to best proceed in protecting you.”
“Do you need me to leave?” I could barely speak, my heart felt like it was in my throat.
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br /> “Where will you go?” he asked. “Your being here is still necessary for your survival. The question now is if your presence also endangers the entire school.”
Shit. That didn’t sound good. I shrank into the settee trying to make myself small. I didn’t want to endanger the school or the others here.
“I should leave then,” I said firmly.
“You won’t survive on your own out there,” he stated bluntly.
“I’ve survived a lot,” I said as I thought back to the several instances in my life that I’d been able to defend myself.
“Not if these men are still interested in you. Do you know who Cole Trahern is?”
My face turned beet red as my mouth attempted to make a sound.
“You saw me with him,” I squeaked.
“You met him at the club you worked in.”
“It was the same night I was taken,” I said.
Maybe he hadn’t gotten the full memory what happened between Cole and me. Yeah right, said the small voice inside my head. Our tryst happened right before the men grabbed me. It might have been the same damn memory. That also meant he’d seen how my magic was activated.
“I apologize,” he said. “It’s one of the memories I encountered while in your mind. I didn’t see much.”
I could tell he was lying out of politeness, but I still couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Who is he?”
“He’s an heir to one of the most important families on the Magic Council. Cole's father is the second-in-command and has the ear of Fredrick Bloodstyne, the current president. We have to tread very carefully when these founding families are involved. I suspect the men who abducted you are connected to the council. I think it’s best if I empty the memory of their faces into a vessel and hand them over to a friend at the MCO.”
“MCO?” I asked.
“Magical Council Operations. It’s a fancy moniker for our police force. See if they are part of the mage underworld. Fixers, if you will.”
“Like in a mob organization?” I asked.
Headmaster Hotchkiss flashed a rueful smile. “Something like that.”