Cursed Magic: A Paranormal Academy Romance (Daughter of Nyx Series Book 1)

by Charlie Daniels

  “Declan, I’m going to kill him,” I growl, and I wish I could picture delightful ways of pushing him from a cliff, or having Keaira eat him, but I can’t, because his lusty voodoo has taken control of my mind.

  Dane chuckles as he closes the door behind him, a tsking sound filling the air. “And you thought drinking alcohol would help you what, exactly? Stop you from killing him or send the pain away?”

  But I groan, and he pauses at the side of my bed, his eyes widening as they focus on me. I can feel his power whipping around me and the frantic intensity of it touching my aura. Any other time, I would be embarrassed and annoyed. But right now, all I can think of is his muscular body and those hot, fiery kisses.

  My mind feels like it’s in a haze as I glance at him, his aura a mishmash of colors. It’s psychedelic and… oddly appealing. There’s lust. Longing. Need. Humor. Worry. But that last one does nothing for me.

  “Serena? What… are you okay?” he asks, and his voice is like a silken caress to my ears. I lift the bottle of scotch to my lips and take a sip to calm the raging fire in my blood. Or maybe it’s the alcohol.

  “Declan used his lusty voodoo on me.”

  Dane snorts, but his eyes pinch together as he comes to sit on the bed next to me, his warmth like warm honey smothering my skin. “Lusty voodoo? What’s lusty voodoo?”

  I picture the scene in the backyard perfectly, and I repeat everything that happened. Everything that was said, everything I’d felt. The way his eyes swirled with scarlet power.

  By the time I’d finished, my body still felt obnoxiously hot, and the fabric rubbing against my skin was the last straw. Screwing the cap on the bottle, I set it on my nightstand with more force than really necessary and leap on Dane, his familiar smell wrapping around me like I am to him. He is my mountain, and I am the goat.

  “I don’t know why we haven’t done it already, but I think we should, Dane. It’s time, you know? I like you, you like me, and maybe it’s time we bump uglies,” I sing, distorting the words of a children’s song I vaguely remember.

  Strong hands wrap around me, and I’m lifted from the bed, my body jostling as Dane takes me from my room. “Declan! Get your fucking ass out here!” Dane calls, and I wince at the anger deafening my ear drums.

  Dane barges down the hall to Declan’s room, bursting through the door like it wasn’t even there. “Damn, my man’s strong.” I whisper, and even though his body is full of tension, his aura wobbles with hints of laughter.

  “What the hell, man? What’s your problem?” Declan shoves open the door of his bathroom wrapped only in a towel, and my mouth grows so dry it’s like I’m in a desert, and he’s the first glass of water I’ve seen in a long, long time.

  A tall and delicious glass of water.

  I bite my lip as his muscles ripple in his chest, the world drowning out around me.

  “My problem? What kind of Aphrodite bullshit did you do to her?” he hisses, his chest rumbling against me, and I groan at the vibrations against my skin.

  “You’re like a giant sex toy,” I whisper, and he chokes, the anger in his face deflating as he glances at me.

  “I’m glad you think so, Serena, but let’s just get you back to normal, and you can tell me then,” he replies, and I melt at the softness in his voice.

  A strangled sound fills the air, and we both turn to see Declan’s eyes widen. The toothbrush in his hands drops to the ground. “No. It’s not possible,” he whispers, his feet taking him backwards until he hits the far wall.

  “What’s not possible? Your—”

  “Lusty voodoo,” I supply, and Dane’s lips twitch as he continues.

  “Your lusty voodoo did something to her. Now fix it.” He unwraps my arms from around his neck and sets me down on Dec’s black bed.

  It smells like Dec, and I sink into the softness of his sheets. I feel like a cat with a ball of catnip, and all I want to do is roll around. With him. And Dane. I sigh happily as I cuddle a pillow to my chest and the haze in my mind begins to fade the longer I remain on his bed.

  Dane sighs, and the bed shifts as he sits at the end of it, glancing between Declan and I. “Are you feeling better?”

  I nod, unable to voice my words. The fire that had been a raging inferno was now a dull simmer, and the heat flooding my skin no longer had me aching to be naked.

  “So, are you going to tell me what the hell you did to her?” Dane growls, and I glance to where Declan stands with wide eyes, his back still against the wall. He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen fear on his face. Or him speechless. I guess it must be a first for Dane too, as his anger morphs into an expression of worry.

  “Seriously, man… Are you both okay? Do I need to call your dad?” he asks, and Declan’s head shakes so hard I’m afraid it might snap off his neck.

  “N-no. Don’t call him. It’s… we’ll be fine. She’ll be fine,” he says as his eyes move over my face and down my body, and even I can tell he’s saying that more for himself than for me. He disappears into the bathroom for a few seconds and comes back out wearing gym shorts.

  With a softness I didn’t expect from him, he places his hand on my forehead and ripples of pleasure wash through my body.

  “You really… need to… stop that…” I pant and clutch at the pillow until I’m afraid I might rip it apart. His hand immediately drops from my face, and I both love and hate him for it. What in the world is wrong with me?

  “What’s with all of the… Oh my God. What did we miss?” Rory’s jaw drops as Declan slides onto the bed next to me, and I immediately wrap myself around him.

  My body burns before everything seems to float away, and it’s like I’m on a bed of clouds. Sighing, I snuggle into his chest, squeezing him close to me as exhaustion fills my limbs.

  “I don’t know whether I want to laugh or feel jealous right now,” Rory whispers to Paxton, who nods in agreement.

  “Well, whatever happened, he needs to keep fixing it and explain,” Dane whispers, and Declan tenses at the harshness in his friend’s words, but I pat his chest and shoo the others away.

  “Be gone. We’ll figure it out in the morning,” I whisper, and a wave of dizziness fills my mind, so I close my eyes and let the clouds swirl around me.

  Shoes shuffle across the floor before the lights dim, and the door closes behind them. The chest underneath my ear rises high, before falling.

  “I’m so sorry, Serena,” he whispers, and I shrug as I move his arms to wrap around me.

  “I’d say I’m mad, but I can’t really feel mad right now. Maybe tomorrow. But I want to know what you did and how to fix it.”

  He stills before his body deflates and silence fills the air for so long, I think he’s fallen asleep. But before I lose myself to slumber, he answers me:

  “There’s no fixing it, Serena. I’m sorry.”

  Angry voices drift around me, rousing me from my peaceful doze. God, why can’t a girl just get some relaxing shut eye? Is that really too much to ask?

  I crack my eyes open and a strangled gasp rips from my throat at the room that’s definitely not my own. Declan’s familiar smell drifts from the pillow I’m constricting with both my legs and arms, and I fling it away. “What the hell am I…?” I trail off as the memories of yesterday flow through my mind.

  Training.

  Declan.

  Pink eyes.

  And everything after that is like a world filled with alcohol and hazy lust. I close my eyes, trying to clear everything away, but my memories don’t want to cooperate.

  My head snaps up at the crack of the door opening, and Dane’s head pops in. “How are you feeling, Serena?”

  “Mountain goat…” I whisper.

  Dane’s eyebrows pull together and he gives me a quizzical smile, pushing the door open completely. “Mountain goat?”

  The hazy memory of my body wrapping around his large frame, and my intense need to climb his dick like a mountain fills my mind, an
d I bury my head in my hands. “Seriously, Dane, what the hell happened?”

  The bed shifts as he comes to sit down next to me, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. “Declan used his powers on you while you were outside training, but there was a small issue—”

  “Small!” I shriek and jerk away, gesturing to him and the room around me. “I felt like I was on fire because of his lusty—”

  “Voodoo?” he smirks at my confusion and my wrinkled nose.

  I wave my hands. “Whatever you want to call it. Where is he? We need to have a little chat,” I growl and shove the blankets off my body.

  “He left.”

  I pause with one leg off the bed and stare at the empty space where his bag usually rests. “What do you mean ‘he left’? For school?”

  Dane rises and helps me from the bed.

  “He didn’t give us any specifics, but he said he had to leave to find out something. But he did say he would be back before the trial…” Dane trails off as he takes in my slumped expression.

  He didn’t even say goodbye? For some unknown reason, the thought of him not saying anything to me actually hurts. Even if we’re not… I picture the way I’d clung to him, and I shudder.

  We’re a team, and we’re friends. He should have said something. Anything.

  My eyebrows pull together as I walk on my wobbly, baby-lamb legs and make my way down the stairs to the kitchen, the guys silent as they look up from their places at the table. “Did he say anything to you?”

  Rory shakes his head, but Paxton nods as he glances down at his plate. “He didn’t tell me much, Serena, but whatever happened freaked him out. He left to go visit his grandma.”

  “His grandma?” I ask, my exasperation growing when he nods.

  “His grandmother is a seer, blessed by Psyche.” He looks up and a tight feeling fills my chest at the worry in his eyes. “He said that she may know what happened, and that he needed to talk to her, and before you ask, he didn’t tell me about what.”

  I glance over my shoulder to Dane who nods at Paxton’s words. “It’s true. His grandma is pretty legendary. So, if he had to go and see her in the middle of classes, then it must be important.”

  The room falls silent as we each mull over our thoughts. What’s so important that he had to go talk to her? Am I going to go nympho again?

  “At least he’s a control freak and has his assignments completed, so we don’t really have to worry about that?” Rory suggests, and I huff at his attempt to lighten the situation.

  Paxton continues to stare at me, his eyes trailing over my face. “Are you okay, Serena?”

  A familiar presence wrapping his arms around me before I can reply. “It’s fine, Serena.” He squeezes me lightly before releasing me, a grin pulling on his lips. “On the bright side, at least we know you like me. And, apparently, Declan.”

  He waggles his eyebrows, and I groan. “That is not a bright side, Dane.”

  Dane shrugs and pulls out an empty seat for me, then begins to fill my plate with waffles. As I take my seat, the other two share a look, and they shrug as well before digging into their own towers.

  As I bite into a waffle, it takes a great deal of effort to chew as memories from the previous day continue to haunt me. God, I acted like a freaking nymphomaniac. I groan, and Lore flutters down next to me while Keaira curls around my legs, purring.

  “So glad you two could finally show up. Where were you?” I ask, not bothering to hide my annoyance, and they both look away.

  Lore replies, “We were in the library trying to figure out if there were any texts linking to the Trials or the treasures, and by the time we got back, you were pretty out of it.”

  They brush their heads against my arm, and I can feel their remorse, which only spikes my own, and I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I just wish you could have helped.”

  “There was nothing we could have done, Mistress. Plus, I tried to shut off our connection as you have been feeling quite lusty lately,” she eyes Dane before turning back to my reddened face. “So, I just thought you two were having relations. I should have known better.”

  I don’t say a word as the thought of how much canoodling I’d been wanting to do flows through me, and Dane chuckles beside me before digging into his waffles.

  We continue to eat in silence, and I wish I could erase my afternoon and night away, but I know from experience that nothing can erase the memories that haunt you. No matter how much you try, no matter the spell, or the amount of alcohol.

  Paxton rises from his chair first and grabs everyone’s empty plates to stack them in the washer. His deeply troubled eyes lift to meet mine, and I look away, unsure of what to say other than I’m sorry.

  “Pax? If he calls, can you tell him to call me? Or at least let me know he’s okay?” I ask, and Paxton nods with a small smile. “And tell him that he better have a good excuse for running off and leaving me alone in his bed.”

  He walks toward me and gives me a headlock-type of hug. “I’ll tell him, Serena. You have nothing to worry about. Other than me kicking your butt in class today.”

  He jokes and the others tease him as they head up to get changed, but a niggling feeling in the back of my mind gives me pause.

  “There’s no fixing it, Serena.”

  Declan isn’t the type of guy to up and leave. But he did. And that worries me. More than I care to admit.

  Chapter 16

  I pace along the floor of my room, my anger growing with each tick of the clock.

  “Two fucking weeks, Lore. He’s been gone for two weeks, and he hasn’t bothered to call or text,” I growl, roughly buttoning up my jeans. “He should be here. He should be helping us prepare and telling me that leather isn’t an acceptance trial outfit.”

  I straighten my jacket and slip on my Dr. Martens. Today is the day. The day I’ll compete against other teams for the trident, and the day I’ll betray my friends.

  I have a feeling the others will be prepped with light armor and whatever other specialist equipment they need, so I know I won’t stand out as over-prepared—except for the giant monstrosity that is Keaira.

  In two weeks, she’s grown to the size of a miniature horse. But thankfully, her shifting abilities aren’t just limited to staffs, and she is able to shrink her size to make living with her a little more bearable—in some ways. But she is strong. And she’ll keep growing so long as I do.

  I glance down at the weapons on my bed and pick up a knife, tucking it into my boot, then slide another down the back of my jeans and a smaller pocket knife down the front.

  Keaira laughs, her tail swishing behind her. “I don’t think you’re going to need all of those. You have me.”

  I shrug and glance at the remaining blades, but the shrill sound of my phone sends an avalanche fit for the Alps into my stomach. When I pick it up, I almost drop it again when I see the caller ID. Immediately, my mouth is dry, and my hands are trembling.

  Clenching my jaw, I press answer, and hold it to my face.

  “Why haven’t you called, Serena? You know how important today is, and you have missed five consecutive check-ins.” I remain silent, focusing on my breathing, and he continues, “Are you prepared for today?”

  “Yes, sir,” I reply quietly, and he tsks.

  “Good, because if you aren’t, I will have you replaced, Serena.” My hand instinctively moves to the knife at my back, knowing what he really means. “And those four boys of yours might get caught in the crossfire.” he hisses out, but his anger dissolves into chuckles at the gasp that pulls from my lips.

  “Make no mistake, Serena. I won’t hesitate to kill them if things go wrong today. Though, I must say I’m impressed by the company you keep. A prince and a paladin, no less? They may come in useful, so I do hope you won’t disappoint me.”

  “What do you want me to do?” I ask in a whisper.

  “As soon as you win, head to the woods,” he says gleefully. “And we will take it from you. Crossing me will
be your undoing, so don’t even think about it.”

  And the line goes dead, unlike my heart, which is beating like a stick on a drum.

  “He’s really threatening to kill the guys…”

  Lore chirps as she lands on my shoulder, sending waves of reassurance through me. “We knew this could happen, but you have to trust them, Serena. They can protect themselves. You just need to make sure you get him what he wants so we can be rid of him. No matter what happens, we are with you.”

  Keaira growls, and her form shrinks until she is a reasonable size to fit on my shoulder, then she claws her way up my back. “What the bird said.”

  “Serena, are you ready?” Paxton calls from the other side of the door. I open it to find him in his black training gear with light armor padding his vital organs.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” I reply, jaw set, and shuffle around him, not bothering to look him in the eye.

  “Serena… please. You know—”

  Spinning on my heel, I poke him in his chest, wishing I could hurt him the way he’d been hurting me. “What I know is that you won’t let me talk to him. You keep saying he’s fine and that he’s okay, but if that was the case, then why isn’t he here with us? Why is he missing today when he knows how much it means to me… to us?”

  Paxton says nothing. He just looks away and I nod. “I’ll see you downstairs.”

  I take the stairs two at a time, and Keaira chuckles lightly in my ear.

  “Damn, you know how to cut a man down.”

  I shrug as I move to the front door where Dane and Rory wait for us, dressed similarly to Paxton. My arms immediately wrap around Dane, and I hug him to me, wishing he could take away all of the pain and pent up anger and hurt that had been fueling me for the past couple of weeks.

  “Everything will be okay, Serena. I can feel it.” His arms wrap around me, he kisses my head, and the tension growing in the pit of my stomach lessens under his warmth.

  Even though I know he can feel my guilt, he never asks about it, or what it could mean, but I know he has his theories and has hinted at them many times before.