Corviticus University
Page 8
“Okay,” I chewed my lip. So much information, but I think I was getting it.
“Can witches do the thing where Lucas makes stuff do what he wants? Like the teaspoons?” I asked, picturing the sight of when he was making the hot milos.
“Some witches, the stronger ones. But all warlocks can,” Skip said.
“What else can warlocks do?” I asked. Was there a limit to their power?
“Almost anything, depends on the warlock, and what they train themselves to do. There’ve even been some who can control the very weather,” Oliver said, clasping his hands together. “There’ve been warlocks in history that have caused earthquakes or floods too.”
“Damn, they must be considered dangerous by some people then,” I frowned. Lucas was now making the grass around him twist and grow, reaching up as the small tendrils quivered and snaked around him. It was utterly amazing to watch all of this magic in action. He really knew what he was doing.
“Yeah, that’s why they’re all tracked and watched,” Skip sighed, his brow furrowing.
“Wait, what? Is that legal?” I scowled. Lucas was being tracked? How did they do that? And they watched him. “So what, they keep an eye on him, twenty-four seven?”
“As a child, once it’s discovered that they’re a warlock, a High Council member, a warlock from the Supernatural Council, comes out and marks them with a tracking spell. It’s a safety precaution. They check in here and there, home visits, but you know they’re always watching, like in some crystal ball or some shit,” Skip grunted disapprovingly at the idea.
“How’s that not a violation of privacy?” I murmured. Poor Lucas. He was being watched simply for what he was. How was that right? He didn’t get to choose what he was. I mean, I wouldn’t choose otherwise considering those wicked abilities, but still. It must be tough always knowing you’re being scrutinized.
I watched him sadly as small dandelions began sprouting all around Lucas as his hands glowed a soft green. He looked so content, his eyes closed as he focused on his power. Still in his suit, of course.
“It is, but they don’t care. Warlocks are considered a danger to all. Remember Hitler?” Skip turned to me, and I snorted.
“Who doesn’t know about that psycho?”
“Well, supposedly, a family member of his was a warlock. As a child, Hitler succumbed to a fever and died, but was brought back by this warlock. You can see what followed. Nothing good comes from black magic like that, and warlocks are the only ones capable of bringing back the dead,” Skip explained.
“Damn,” I breathed. Imagine how humans would react if they found that out? That Hitler was a zombie type thing. They’d lose their shit.
“You know, mischief magic can be wielded properly and used,” Oliver piped up.
“What can it do?” I asked, still thinking about this whole thing with warlocks being tracked and watched. I felt sorry for Lucas. What kind of life was that? Knowing you were always looking over your shoulder and making sure you never broke any of the rules. What were the rules anyway? What would make them class him as a danger?
“Well, you can actually use it whenever rather than just with emotions. It seems your natural affinity is for food, so your magic targets food when your emotions trigger it. But you can animate other things, objects and such. Mischief magic is a unique magic, and has many strange uses,” Skip said as he thought about it, tapping his chin with his forefinger.
“My sister’s boyfriend had an affinity for electrical stuff, but if he focused, he could use it on anything.”
””Of course it’s food for me,” I snorted as Oliver chuckled.
“I will admit, it’s pretty entertaining when your magic goes haywire. At least there’s an easy fix!” Oliver laughed, and I remembered him watching me jumping around the living room eating the flying pasta.
“Lucas can get it under control too if it plays up,” Skip assured me. “But I’m sure we can all manage.”
“So, what can I learn to do with it? How can I wield mischief magic?” I asked, curiosity winning out. Could I actually do more with my magic?
“Well, um, people can use it to animate objects, so if you’re getting attacked, you can animate something nearby to defend you. Or you can even mess with people’s clothing and such. I’m sure there’s more, but I don’t know many pixies,” Skip shrugged as he rubbed his arms, a cool breeze sweeping in from the far end of the verandah.
I shivered as the rain grew heavy, and Lucas looked to the sky with a cold look.
“Can Lucas control the weather?” I murmured, watching as Lucas started heading back our way.
“Nah, and even if he could, it would be forbidden,” Skip shook his head.
“Having fun watching?” Lucas grinned as he jumped up the steps onto the verandah and smiled down at me. I couldn’t help but return the grin, and nodded when I remembered he’d said something. Those forest green eyes were bright and alert, and he held my gaze for a few moments longer than I thought was normal before he turned to Skip.
“Bee Sting here knows very little about supes, her Aunt kept her from supe schools and learning about them,” Skip said with a frown.
“Huh, that’s absurd, why would she do that?” Lucas pursed his lips as he gave me a concerned look.
“Cause she didn’t get along with her mother, so Ally caught the brunt of their sibling rivalry,” Oliver jumped in.
“Still, that’s not a good enough reason to deny someone the chance to learn about what they are, their abilities and other races,” Lucas grumbled as he crossed his arms.
“Yeah, well, never too late to learn,” I shrugged, wanting to move away from the subject. I didn’t want them asking any questions.
“That’s true. I’ve got some history books in the library, proper books on the different species,” Lucas informed me.
“Oh, that’d be wonderful! I guess it slipped the mind of these two,” I raised an accusing eyebrow at Skip and Oliver. Ollie just gave me a sheepish grin while Skip shrugged dismissively.
“That’s because they’d rather play PlayStation than read,” Lucas said distastefully.
“We’ll read when uni starts, why bore ourselves before then?” Skip groaned.
“Because, knowledge is power,” Lucas stated.
“Whatever,” Skip waved him off as he stood up. “We were going to get Bee Sting to watch us play some Metal Gear Solid, we’ve only got another day before we have to knuckle down, might as well enjoy it.”
“Exactly my point,” Lucas scoffed and shook his head with a smile. “Feel free to check out the library whenever and explore the house properly. I’d assumed Marcus gave you a tour, but…” he cocked his head, noting my thin-lipped smile. “I guess he didn’t.”
“Nope, too much hassle,” I shrugged as I stood up.
“I’ll show you while Skip gets the PlayStation set up,” Oliver jumped at the opportunity as he stood up and slung a warm arm around my shoulders.
“Good, Richo and Issac will be by in a few hours, we’ll be ordering pizzas, so make sure Cupcake here chooses her pizza from the menu. They’ve got some delicious selections,” Lucas grinned as he unfolded his arms. He watched Skip head inside with an odd look, possibly affection? I didn’t dwell on it.
“C’mon, I’ll show you the library,” Ollie said, his warm breath brushing my ear as he turned his head to be heard over the rain.
I couldn’t help but notice the sly smile Lucas gave me as Ollie dragged me into the house.
6
Oliver.
Ally was gorgeous. Too bad when I’d first met her I was stuck in cat form. I may have taken advantage of that, but I wasn’t going to admit to it. And the scolding I’d gotten was well worth the chance to see her partially undressed. She had nice boobs, that was something I’d learned quickly.
And burns. They littered her sides and back, some looked to be cigarette burns. The other scars, it was hard to tell. Almost like someone had held a lighter against her skin.
She was lively, and I enjoyed talking to her once I’d shifted back, after our awkward moment when she saw me naked. I was a little embarrassed that she’d seen me fully naked, not to mention I had morning wood.
I couldn’t help it, and to be honest, I was getting worried that I wouldn’t shift back until after uni started. I’m glad that wasn’t the case.
Now I was showing Ally around the house fully, showing her the games room with the pool table, dartboard, and a second TV and lounge set up. As you walked in, there was a small bar to the right along the wall, then the pool table was set up with the lounges on the far side set up around a coffee table with a flat-screen TV on the wall opposite the doorway. It was the designated drinking and football night area, we never brought the PlayStation out here.
Then we were onto the library, which Ally awed at. I guess she liked reading, something Skip hated. I quite enjoyed it, but I tried to read in private as Skip would sometimes pay me out about it. I’d been a bit insulted when Lucas had said I didn’t read, he knew I did. Guess it was words in the moment, even though I’d read a lot when we were younger, and he knew that. I had cut back, more-so because I was having more troubles with my shifting than before.
Ally walked around the library room, the ceiling-high bookcases jammed with assorted tomes. All sorts of spell-books Lucas had inherited, history books, and normal fiction books. It’d had most of these already when we’d moved in a few years ago. Lucas’s grandfather loved reading and learning, too bad he’d not used potions and magic to prolong his life. He came from Lucas’s mother’s side, a standard witch lineage, so he didn’t have the same abilities as Lucas, which stemmed from his father’s side. He’d still invested in a heap of Sorcery books, as if he knew Lucas would be living here eventually.
I’d liked the old man, I’d spent many nights having sleepovers here with Lucas. Usually when Lucas ran away from home to avoid his snobbish, uptight parents.
“This room is gorgeous,” Ally murmured as she twirled around the room, taking in the plush red lounges and armchairs set up in the corner. There was even a tidy, old wooden desk in the center of the room where I’d studied on occasion.
“Yeah, Lucas spends a lot of time in here, studying magic. He wants to start up a big magical potion shop one day,” I grinned.
“So that’s why he’s studying business then,” Ally murmured as she ran her hand over the world globe sitting on the desk. “There’s no dust in here,” she remarked as she rubbed her fingers together and inspected them.
“Lucas uses magic to keep the place tidy all the time. Skip can get messy,” I said as I flopped down onto one of the red armchairs to watch her take in the beauty of the library room.
I loved how mesmerized she was by it, and I was so glad I’d been the one to show it to her.
I liked her. She was funny, and we all clicked so well together. Well, except for Marcus, but he was always the odd one out since he got turned.
Who could blame him after what happened? I’d want to keep everyone at arm’s length too.
“So, what do you do in your free time?” Ally asked as she moved around the room, inspecting the various books on the shelves. I watched quietly as she pulled one out after the other, flipping through them, her eyes bright and excited as she began setting some out on the desk. Mostly history ones.
“I read a bit,” I shrugged. I did have a hobby, but I didn’t want to share it. She might laugh at it.
“That’s all?” Ally mused as she selected out an old red leather-bound book to add to her reading stack.
“I play PlayStation with Skip, I used to play it with Lucas, but he’s turned into a party guy now,” I scoffed. We’d been so close for so long, but he’d changed a lot lately, and I kept to myself more. I hoped that with uni starting back up that things would return back to the way they were.
Maybe Ally could help bring everyone back together more, she’d managed it already. Skip was fascinated with her, I could tell by the way he watched her. So was I, she was beautiful, doe-eyed and sweet but with a bit of fire underneath. And she was good on the eyes too.
The thought made my face flush, and I was glad she was too busy looking at the books.
“So Lucas is a partier, is that where he was last night?” Ally mused as she skimmed through the red book.
“Yeah, last Friday night thing with his group of friends from uni. Tonight he’s catching up with some of his friends from our high school days. I didn’t know them too well, I was a few years down in the grades, so I mostly hung out with him outside of school thanks to our families,” I said, but then I bit my lip as I played with the hem of my jacket.
I hoped she wouldn’t ask about my family again. I really didn’t want to talk about them.
“What about Skip? Where was he? Is he a partier too?” she continued, breezing past my mention of my family. I knew she’d caught it though, because she’d flicked those chocolate eyes my way before focusing back on her book.
She perched on the desk as she became fascinated with it, and I leaned forward to try to read the cover.
Supernatural Encyclopedia by the looks, one of a few. She’d have her reading cut out for her if she was intent on reading all about the different kinds of supernatural creatures and everything about them.
“He was out drinking. I was meant to go but then I got stuck as a cat, so I got left at home,” I sighed. It hadn’t been planned. I hated this curse so much. “You might notice he likes to drink. He comes from a rather bogan family out at Gympie. They’ve got a cattle farm out there.”
“Right,” Allison nodded, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere as she turned the page of the encyclopedia.
“Whatcha reading?” I asked as I rested my chin on my hand to stare at her.
She was bent over the book as she sat on the edge of the desk, her short dress riding up to show her thighs. Damn, those long legs were perfect. So smooth and flawless, not a freckle in sight.
Her brown locks were falling free from her ponytail, a few strands framing her face as she frowned at the book.
“Pixies. Just wanting to know more about what I am I guess,” she murmured, entranced as her eyes flicked over the pages.
“Learning anything?” I asked, unable to keep my eyes from gliding over her, soaking up her moment of beauty, caught in a state of utter concentration, her lips parted ever so slightly. I wonder how soft they were? What they’d feel like to kiss?
“We like sweets, I knew that, we have mischief magic, I also knew that, but nothing about my ability to sense when things are wrong with animals. But apparently I can—” she stopped immediately, her cheeks blushing crazily as she did everything not to look at me.
Okay, now I was curious as hell.
“You can what?” I pushed, standing up as I cocked my head at her.
“Nothing,” she mumbled, unable to look me in the eyes.
“Let me see it?” I stuck out my hand, but she pulled the book close to her chest as she shook her head timidly.
“Really? You’re going to play this game?” I chuckled.
Now I had to know. I darted forward, snatching at the book, but she turned her body away, her legs not moving fast enough as I stumbled into the table.
“No,” she giggled as I tried to grab the book, her legs pinned by my thighs as I reached over her.
“I will find out,” I grinned, reaching for the book as she held it over her head to avoid me. She was leaning back in her attempt to keep it away from me, and I leaned over her, stretching to get it.
My breath caught as her body pressed against mine, and I froze, realizing I’d pinned her to the desk.
Those chocolate eyes were just as surprised as mine, our faces inches apart as I still had my hands out, although I’d momentarily lost interest in the book.
Damn, those eyes were so beautiful, up clo
se, you could see the small golden flecks in them, a reminder that she had a bit of wolf in her. I’d never met a werewolf before, they were uncommon here in Australia.
Her lips looked soft, and she was drawing in sharp, shallow breaths as her eyes flicked between mine.
I wondered what those lips would taste like? If she’d taste as good as she smelt, like honey and flowers.
Her body was pushed up against mine, and I knew my body was starting to react to her warmth, her body melding nicely against my own. So soft and petite, but those boobs were pressed against my chest, and they were a perfect size for her. They’d fit perfectly in the cup of my hand.
“Wow, don’t let me intrude.”
I snapped back like someone had hit me with a bucket of water, scowling at Skip who stood in the doorway with a grin ear to ear.
“She’s hiding some pixie ability, she read it in the book!” I defended myself, already feeling the heat rushing to my cheeks.
And not just there, I could feel something else had come alive, and I angled my body away from Skip and Ally to avoid further embarrassment.
“What was it?” Skip asked, glancing between us curiously.
“Nothing,” Ally shot back quickly as she sat up and straightened her dress. It had ridden up even more in our little moment, and I’d caught the sight of her black panties.
“Obviously it’s something if you two were going at it like that,” Skip laughed, and I flicked my eyes apologetically to Ally who just groaned and clutched the book to her chest.
“It’s nothing you two need to know,” she muttered as she slid off the desk.
“Technically, that belongs to Lucas, so we have just as much right as you to read it,” Skip retorted with a gleeful grin as he strode over.
I glanced down at my denim shorts, grateful that my body was calming down. Still, it wasn’t going away fast enough.
Damn, she’d smelled so good too.
“C’mon, it can’t be that bad,” Skip smirked as he held out his hand. “Don’t make me take it, I’ll be much more capable than the kitten,” Skip snickered.