“I wish I could tell you more about her, but we never figured out what her real name was, or who she was really working for,” said Daryl.
“You know nothing about her?” asked Harper.
“How is that even possible?” asked Lee. “She was a prisoner. Can you even charge someone with a crime without knowing their name and criminal history?”
“She was one of the detainees,” said Daryl. “They found her working with a conventional gang, using her magic to help their operation run more smoothly. That was enough.”
“So wait, she was never actually charged with a crime, then?” asked Lee. “You were just going to hold her indefinitely?”
Daryl shot a glare at Lee. “You don’t understand the way of things in the supernatural world. Do you know how dangerous rogue sorcerers, even weak ones, can be? Especially when they’re cooperating with criminals. She’s lucky she wasn’t executed. Might not be so lucky now.”
Lee still had the girl on his back, and he thought he felt her flinch in response to the last sentence.
“Which of the factions was the gang the sorceress was working for involved with?” asked Harper.
“That’s where it gets complicated,” said Daryl. “They were freelancers. They’d done jobs for all three, 88Purity, the Melting Pack, and the House of Shadows. You can probably rule out 88Purity, though.”
“Why?” asked Lee.
“Cause she’s a Latina,” said Daryl, with a smile. “I doubt she’d get along with them so well.”
Lee and Harper headed straight back to Primhaven once the conversation was over, laying the sorceress across the backseat as they made the return trip across the Arcane Way. It was late at night when they finally stepped out of the First Tower, just after two. Harper led Lee around to the far back of Primhaven’s campus, up against the northern wall.
He saw the illusion occluding the entrance to the jail before Harper revealed it to him, which was a perk of his mystic abilities. The hatch was inset into the ground, and it led down to a narrow staircase that descended into a simple hallway with six barred cells, three on each side. Harper opened the one farthest in on the right and gestured for Lee to set the girl down on a simple bench bed with no sheets.
“There,” said Harper. “I’m going to wake her up. She might be willing to talk now, while she’s still shaken up from the fight.”
Lee nodded. As Harper closed the cell door, a shimmer of magical energy ran across the metal bars, which he guessed was a type of hexed or enchanted spell shield built into the jail. Harper cast another illusion spell, this one rousing the girl from her sleep, and waited while she began to stir.
The sorceress took a few long breaths, wiped her hands across her eyes, and sat up on her bed. She didn’t say anything or react visibly to her new surroundings. She stared straight ahead, not at Harper or Lee, but at the far wall.
“What’s your name?” asked Harper.
The only response she got was silence.
“Which gang did you belong to before you were first captured?”
Again, no answer. Harper’s expression was placid, but Lee could tell from the set of her shoulders that she was getting a little frustrated.
“Who helped you escape?” asked Harper.
The sorceress stayed tight-lipped. She crossed her arms and leaned her head forward, letting out a small yawn.
“I know what her name is,” said Lee.
Harper raised an eyebrow at him.
“Gabby,” he said. “Because she’s just oh so chatty.”
Harper glared at him. Surprisingly, the sorceress flashed a small smile, though it only lasted for a second before she readopted her neutral expression.
“We have an illusionist here at Primhaven,” said Harper. “One of our instructors. He’s quite capable of pulling this information out of your mind, if you wish to do this the hard way.”
It was true, though Lee noted how Harper avoided the fact that Instructor Constantine had been home on medical leave since the battle with the frost trolls. It would be another week or two before he was back and capable of exercising his magical talents.
“I’ll give you some time to think about your circumstances and how to make the best of them,” said Harper. “Come on, Lee.”
Harper strode past him toward the stairs back to the campus grounds. Lee watched the girl for a while longer. She looked up at him, and they held eye contact for a few seconds that, for whatever reason, threatened to break his heart.
He headed straight back to his dorm room. Toma was snoring loudly enough to be heard through the door, which gave him free license to respond to Tess’s warm welcome as he entered. She’d been sitting on his bed, patiently knitting away at a garment that he suspected she was making out of habit rather than need. When she saw him, she gasped and hurried across the room. Lee pulled her into his mystic stream in time to receive a tight and loving hug.
“Hey,” he said.
“I missed you!” whispered Tess. “I started to get so worried and I couldn’t sleep. Are you okay?”
“Fine,” said Lee. “It was… an eventful trip.”
They sat down on his bed, and Lee gave her a rundown of all that had happened, starting with the trip to the prison and ending with the capture of the nameless sorceress. Tess listened intently, her expressive face reacting to each detail in place of words.
“You look so tired,” said Tess.
“Yeah. I can’t go to sleep like this, though. I feel disgusting.”
He stood up and held out his hand.
“Are you taking me on a moonlight stroll?” asked Tess.
“Not exactly.”
“Then where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said.
***
As expected, the steam baths were completely empty, given the late hour. Lee leaned back in the soothing warm water, watching steam billow in plumes through the humid air. Tess was still in his mystic stream, and after a small bit of reluctance on her part, she’d stripped off her clothing and joined him in the water.
Every time he would look over at her, she’d start blushing and try to cover up. Her breasts were on the small side, but they still had a pleasing, dainty plumpness to them, along with perfect pink nipples. Tess’s brown hair hung in long, wet locks across her shoulders, and the steam brought out the contrast of her freckles against her pale skin.
“It seems so unfair, doesn’t it?” asked Tess.
“What does?”
“The prisoner you brought back.” Tess gave a disapproving shake of her head. “You don’t know her name, or more than the vague details of what she did.”
“She did escape from prison, Tess. She attacked us when we came to confront her, too.”
“And? Escaping from prison isn’t a crime.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure it is,” said Lee with a smile. “It’s not a simple situation. I’m going to see if I can get a chance to talk to her alone. Harper already seems intent on being the bad cop, so I’ll see if I can take the friendly approach.”
“Good,” said Tess. “Mmmm. This water feels so nice. We should come here more often.”
“I don’t think you’d enjoy it during the day, when it is at capacity,” said Lee.
“True.” Tess sighed and leaned back, letting her arms drop from her chest. Her breasts poked above the surface of the water like two alluring, fleshy islands.
“Hand me my towel,” said Lee.
Tess scoffed. “I’m not your servant, Lee, despite what you sometimes think.”
“Oh, you’re not, are you?”
“No,” said Tess. “I’m a proper lady of high birth and honorable standing.”
“Really?” Lee shifted in the water, reaching over to seize her by the waist. “Would a proper lady risk being naked in the steam baths with a dastardly rogue?”
“Oh no!” cried Tess, trying to contain a smile.
He pulled her onto his lap and started kissing her. Her body felt even
hotter than the water, and Lee couldn’t stop himself from pawing at her hungrily. The lamias had been interesting. Nurse Susie had been fun. But Tess… was Tess.
He was hard within seconds. Tess rocked back and forth against his tool, letting out a low moan of desire as Lee ran his hands over her body. He took hold of her breasts and started kissing her neck.
“You dastardly rogue,” she whispered.
“You should have brought your attendants with you, Ms. Proper Lady of High Birth,” he said. “I just couldn’t resist when I saw you naked and alone, practically flaunting yourself for me.”
He took hold of her hips and shifted her upward, finding the right angle to slide the first few inches of his cock inside. A shiver ran through Tess. Lee folded one of his arms around her shoulder possessively, and then let out a low, growling moan as he pulled her lower, spearing deeper into her.
“Oh!” squealed Tess.
He started thrusting with small movements, keeping his effort low to get her even more worked up. Tess’s breathing was heavy, each inhalation laden with small, pleasured stutters. Lee kept his mouth close to her ear, whispering the occasional word or phrase of dirty talk to really drive her over the edge.
He started bouncing her with slow, deliberate motions, letting her tight lane squeeze up and down the full length of his shaft. His hands roved over her, squeezing her breasts and the inside of her thighs, teasing her nipples, occasionally caressing her neck and cheeks.
He took pride in her reactions. He could feel the pleasurable tension building within her as he got her worked up, the way her muscles tensed and the flow of her breathing quickened. He pumped into her faster, striding the line between gentle intimacy and rough sex. Tess wagged her proverbial tail for him, falling into perfect sync with his movements.
They shared their climax, Tess reaching her release only an instant before Lee did. He hugged her tight, shifting her back slightly so they could share a pleasurable drunken kiss while their bodies floated in mutual, romantic bliss. The warm water of the steam baths was the perfect setting to come back to reality in, and they continued to hold each other for several long minutes before finally getting dressed and heading back to Lee’s dorm.
CHAPTER 13
Lee felt as though waking up the next morning was like fighting a war against his soft pillow and warm sheets. He’d barely gotten a couple hours of sleep, and the previous day had been eventful enough to twist the knife blade of his exhaustion after the initial stab.
Tess helped him get dressed, but he was barely awake enough to respond to her teasing and questions with more than monosyllabic grunts. He made his way to the dining hall as soon as he trusted himself to walk, loading up a tray with waffles and extra-strong coffee before collapsing down at one of the tables.
“You look like shit,” said Toma from behind him.
“Yeah, well that makes sense since I was up all… whoa, okay, right back at you.”
A lot had happened since the last time Lee had seen Toma, and he’d let himself forget about his friend’s self-inflicted predicament. Toma’s face was free of the purple pockmarks he’d accidentally earned himself, but they were replaced by red-and-white splotches that stood out just as much.
“Nurse Susie says they’ll heal up,” said Toma.
“Sure they will.”
Toma scowled at the dryness in Lee’s tone and pulled up a chair. “Speaking of Nurse Susie, man, oh man, do I have some news. You’re never going to believe what happened while I was in her office.”
Lee’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out and turned it on without stopping to consider who would be texting him so early. Another selfie from the object of his and Toma’s current conversation popped up as he opened his messenger. This time, Susie had taken it using a mirror, completely naked. One arm ineffectually hid her plump breasts, with only the closeness of her legs hiding her crotch and a strip of naturally blonde pubic hair visible in all its illicit glory.
Trying to decide what to wear. Come help me?
“Hey, are you listening?” asked Toma. “You playing a game or something?”
“Someone is,” said Lee. “What were you saying?”
Toma glanced over his shoulder and then leaned forward on the table. “While I was in the infirmary, I fell asleep from one of the pills Nurse Susie gave me. I woke up after a little while, and I swear to god I heard her having sex with somebody.”
Lee almost choked on his coffee. “With somebody? So you didn’t, uh, see who?”
“No, I was still all cracked from the pills. It sounded hot as fuck though. But this is scandalous, Lee. This is major! If it’s one of the other instructors, there’s still the issue of them shagging during the middle of the day, at a school. And if it’s one of the students…”
“Maybe you should keep it to yourself for now.” Lee slid his phone and the evidence on it into his pocket. “You said yourself that she gave you some pills. It might have been a dream.”
“Oh, it wasn’t a dream. But I think you’re right. What we need to do is stake out her office. See who comes and who goes. Get it? Who comes and who… well, I guess it only works for the first part.”
Lee nodded, doing his best to act half-interested while thinking furiously. He’d been so concerned about being outed as a magicless mystic that he hadn’t stopped to consider the effect of a garden-variety scandal. If his trysts with Susie were made public, it would have consequences for them both, especially if she was revealed for the succubus she was.
“I’ll help as much as I can,” said Lee. “We share most of our classes, but we can take shifts, schedule time to watch the infirmary, and watch her.”
If he was shouldering half the surveillance time, he’d at least have a chance to warn Susie without Toma breathing down his neck.
“I plan on spending as much of my free time as possible watching the infirmary,” said Toma. “It’s not just about confirmation, but you know, school integrity… and stuff.”
“By the ‘and stuff’ I assume you’re saying that you want to see her naked?”
“So badly.” Toma blushed and let out a perverted laugh. “Who wouldn’t? Jesus, Lee, a woman with a body like that almost shouldn’t be allowed to be a nurse. Or a teacher. Or even a cop.”
Lee felt an odd stirring of arousal as the image of Susie’s recent text came to mind. He rubbed his hands together and returned his attention to his coffee and food.
***
The initiates had elemental magic class that morning. Lee was still reeling from his lack of sleep as he collapsed into one of the desks in the back row. He and Toma had arrived just before the bell, and he was surprised when he saw that Eliza and Harper weren’t present yet.
Eliza was the first to come through the door. Lee smiled at her, but she looked away. He’d intentionally saved her a seat next to him, but she sat in the corner of the room instead, a good distance away.
“Is she avoiding us?” he whispered to Toma.
“Kind of looks like it,” said Toma. “Maybe it’s because of the upcoming Equinox Ball?”
“The what?”
“The Equinox Ball. I was there with you when we heard the announcement. It’s a posh social dance for all the students. Maybe Eliza is worried that if she hangs out with us all the time, she won’t seem like she’s available for other guys to ask her?”
“I… guess that makes sense.”
“It makes no sense whatsoever.” Tess had appeared to offer her opinion over Lee’s shoulder. “Typical boys. You have no idea how a girl’s feelings work.”
Lee was in the middle of rolling his eyes when Harper entered the classroom and took her place behind the instructor’s desk. He was surprised by how normal and rested she looked, even though there was no conceivable way she could have gotten an hour of sleep more than him, given the time they’d arrived back. Her blonde braid was neat, her black-and-gold instructor’s robe had a crisp fit on her buxom body, and there were no bags underneath her deep-blue eyes.
“Good morning,” said Harper. “We’ll get started with the homework. Please pull out your casting spectrum diagrams and remove everything else from your desk.”
Lee winced and fidgeted with the eraser of his pencil. He’d forgotten about that. Harper waited until everyone except for him had their papers out before slowly making her way around the silent classroom, examining the efforts of the class in total silence.
“Initiate Amaranth,” she said, as she arrived at his desk. “Where is yours?”
“I was planning on doing it last night.”
He furrowed his brow and gestured palm up with his hands.
“That’s another zero on your record,” said Harper. “The semester’s almost halfway through. You should be mindful about your final grade.”
Even though her reprimand had been relatively mild, a few whispers and chuckles came from elsewhere in the room, namely from Kristoff and his group of friends. Harper made her way back to the instructor’s desk and proceeded with an overview of the assignment and its relevance.
“We’ll be heading to the Spell Range for casting practice,” she said, once she’d finished her intro lecture. “Form into groups of two or three per lane once we arrive.”
Lee and Toma immediately sought out Eliza to be their third once they arrived at the Spell Range, but she’d already joined a different group. Lee scowled, now sure that she was avoiding them and more confused than ever as to why.
“Maybe it’s my face,” said Toma.
“It doesn’t look that much worse than before,” said Lee. “If anything, it’s an improvement.”
“Ha ha ha,” said Toma dryly.
Harper explained the spell they’d be working on: a basic fire blast capable of immolating, but not incinerating, a typical opponent. Lee and Toma had a casting lane to themselves, and they both took their time getting started, neither all that comfortable with elemental magic.
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