by L M Adams
I laugh, “Ok, tomorrow we will go past your place.”
“Jae!” Tabari shouts my name. “Let’s go see about recharging your cat’s gem.”
“Huh?” I ask with a dumb look on my face. Tabari knows my magic is shit.
Lust, glamour, and my body takes over the healing stuff on its own, pilfering the magic in my Chi as needed. That’s about all I know in the magic department. I’d barely survived the basics when I was training to be a Reaper.
“None of that! To the yard we go. We’ll do this outside just in case anything goes boom.” Tabari is already walking towards the storm doors that lead directly to the yard.
He passes a hand over the panel and it unlocks. I haven’t coded any of their chips to unlock my doors. It’s on my ever growing to do list.
“How?” I ask as I join him climbing out into the twilight sky.
“I’m the most powerful…” I cut him off: “Magi of our generation. Blah blah blah.” I tease. He shoves me as I turn, laughing.
The sun is setting, the sky is that color between blue and black a hint of purple, the line between light and dark.
Tabari places the emerald gem, with its gold setting, on the grass in front of me.
He still has on the white shirt and jeans. Even with the barbeque, cleaning the basement, and everything else we’ve done today it doesn’t have a spot on it. I’d never be able to pull that off. Maybe it’s a magic trick.
His hair is free and blowing in the wind. He keeps tucking the left side behind his pointy ear. I guess he feels comfortable enough not to glamour the pointy ears away.
“If I burn you up, or you fall over drowning in your own lust, one: I don’t know CPR, two: I’m not having sex with you.”
He only smiles at my threat, or warning, or whatever.
“You can do this little sister. You know all magic is energy given purpose. The stronger the magi, witch, or warlock, the more energy they can channel and give purpose with force of will.” He starts talking excitedly. The guy really likes his magic.
It’s one of the first lessons I learned about magic. Energy is all around us. You can take it from the air around you or living creatures. Anything that can create kinetic energy is a source of potential energy for a person that knows how to gather it. But the mother lode is the earth itself or more specifically the electromagnetic field that covers it. I can take the energy of a person by drawing the energy of their lust through their Sacral Chakra. But I can’t tap the EM field of the earth. My synapses will fry just attempting it and no magic rain dance would put me back together again.
I look at Tabari like he’s crazy when he tells me I’m going to channel the energy into the gem, because he is.
“Tabari, I can draw power through the Sacral. I know this and you know this and if you think I’m going to let you pour raw power into my Chi, you’ve obviously gone plumb fucking crazy from the absurd amount of inbreeding in your family.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Why do you know it’s the only energy you can hold? Because you were born a succubus and like everyone you accepted this to be truth. But energy is energy. Just last night you controlled wolf magic,” he says in a placating tone.
“And I was almost burned alive from the inside out!” I shot back at him.
“Because it was magic with a purpose you couldn’t understand, you aren’t a wolf.” He says as he explains his crazy idea.
“No shit I’m not a wolf! I’m not a Magi either!” I turn to stomp back in the house. I’ll give Minx one of my gems for letting the guys stay here, but like hell I’m doing this.
And then I feel it, warm and tingling making all the hairs stand up on my arms. I turn looking at Tabari. His wolf eyes are glowing and his hair is lifting at the ends. I smell the wash of ozone coming from him.
“Tabari, what are you doing?” I ask in a calm voice. I think it’s calm anyway because I am freaking out inside.
“I’m trickling power into you, very slowly. Nothing more dramatic than static electricity. You can manipulate Chakra; have you ever stopped to wonder how far you could manipulate them? To accept power straight to your Manipura rather than you Sacral? No, you cannot make your own connection to the EM field, but you can train your body to accept pure power, in time, without danger to your synapses. Right now I just want you to act as a conduit. Don’t walk away, Jaevia. You’re braver than that,” he says.
I may have walked away, if the rest of the boy band hadn’t come outside, with Minx in tow. But, like shit I’m going to be a coward in front of everyone.
Pride cometh before the fall, the succubus hisses.
Yeah, she doesn’t think this is a good idea either.
We fuck and torture for our power.
And that is enough to make me agree to what probably is going to be the worst decision of my life. If I can do this, I will no longer need her to gain power. That alone is worth the risk.
I turn and face him again. “Please Tabari, go slow and if I say stop, you stop.”
“I’ll stop, Jae, I promise,” Tabari says.
He holds his left arm out towards me. I feel the energy increase. It’s too much to hold on to my glamour and concentrate on this. I let it fall. I know my eyes are glowing and my horns show. But it’s nothing anyone here hasn’t seen. Well maybe Peter hasn’t seen the horns. My small vampire teeth slip down from my gums. Mothers hide your children.
I extend my right hand out towards Tabari, my left hand I hold over my stomach. Your chi flows through your body but I always imagine its center as my stomach where Manipura is, the gatherer of energy.
I let the flowing energy come towards me and through my arm I try to think of it like it’s my usual flavor. I’ve already trained myself to take the power of lust into my chi and store it.
“No! Jae. Do not give it purpose. Let it fill you as it is, as pure energy. Don’t turn it to lust; you can’t make a gem horny.” Tabari says in a rush.
I give him a lopsided look. Ok electricity, pure power runs on wires, conduits, my body is a conduit my chi is the destination. Like a battery it can hold the energy. Store it. I close my eyes running my haphazard reasoning through my mind. Maybe if I say it enough, my body will start to believe it.
“That’s good, Jae, you’re doing great. Now I’m going to pull in some direct energy from the EM field. It’s raw and harsher. Harder to grab hold of, but you can do it.”
Tabari lifts his right arm to the sky; the smell of ozone is stronger now. His fingers glow in the most curious kaleidoscope of colors. Pleasure is written all over his face. Tabari loves what he is. Bully for him.
His words give me courage and I nod my head. I don’t know what I expect, but whatever I thought it would feel like, does no justice to what I actually feel. The heat of it alone is terrifying. The power isn’t like before, not easy to guide. This is wild, like it has a mind of its own.
My blood begins to feel as if it’s boiling in my veins. I scream, or at least I hope I do. I can’t form the word ‘stop’ but I hope my blood-curdling scream will suffice as a safe word. I want it out of me. I want it out now.
I see the gem in front of me and reach out my arm in its direction. The emerald begins to glow so bright, first green and then a pure white blinding color. I try to pour all I have inside of me into that gem. But it’s full. How do I know that? Tabari is screaming at me to let the field go. To just let it go. When had I started drawing raw power from the field into myself on my own? I close the door on my Manipura with a bang. I imagine a solid metal box snapping shut around it. I still burn inside I’m still holding too much. My brain is going to fry any second now I just know it is.
I rock back and forth on my knees with the smell of ozone, burnt grass and earth blowing over towards me. When had I fallen to my knees? Tabari is kneeling in front of me.
“Please,” I croak out. I look to him with tears in my eyes.
“You have to let me in Jae. I can take the power but you have to let me inside.” He’s
shaking me.
“No, no, I can’t.” The box, my shield, it’s the only thing keeping that energy from raging through each of my Chakras like a wild fire. I scream again the next thing I know I’m being snatched to my feet.
“First position!” Lucien is shouting at me.
He wants me to exercise right now? I just want to die in peace. Any second now I know I’ll be a vegetable. He kicks my right leg forward and stands beside me taking the first position.
“Tabari, you will have to be ready when her chi is open.” I hear Lucien say. What in god’s name is Beast going on about now? The thought helps clear my mind a little.
“Do it, Jae, or I swear to Ra himself that I will lay you out on this grass and fuck you senseless. That ought to make you either unlock your chi so Tabari can take some of the power or you can convert it to lust. Your choice. Dance the dragon with me or get fucked in the grass in front of everyone like a common whore!” Lucien barks at me.
Anger burns through me and my arm shoots out with fingers curled into a fist except my index and middle fingers. Lucien nods his head and starts moving with me. Flowing through the movements of basic Tai Chi. Easy and gentle and soothing. Turn, bend, sweep, my body knows these movements. My brain can’t function right now but my body knows these by reflex. Bend, sweep, jump.
He takes us to the upper level, Dancing the Dragons. My body shakes with the effort to keep up with him, dance, leap, flight. We move together, a few times he mixes in moves I don’t remember but I adapt to them well. My body stretches and struggles to keep up with Lucien. He’s in better shape than I am. Soon my mind is clearer. I still feel the energy locked inside of me, but it’s not crippling any longer. I may not be able to meditate but exercise has always helped me order my thoughts, align my Chakras. Now I understand. I’ve disrupted the flow through my own body. The only way for me to open my Manipura to Tabari is to realign them and exercise, next to sex, is my best bet.
“Good, again, First Position!” Lucien shouts.
I let my mind drift- the closest I come to mediation. Lucien is moving beside me, beautiful and graceful. I’m panting and sweating as we come to the last move. I look at Lucien; he nods.
I turn back to Tabari, he places his hand a few inches away from my stomach and I feel the excess energy drain out of me like sand being swept away by the tide, the pressure behind my eyes eases. My body relaxes finally. I let myself enjoy the feeling, touching each of my chakra letting my sacral flair to life.
I turn to Lucien. “You called me a common whore!” I shout.
“No, I said I was going to fuck you like a common whore. Before you get worked up in your righteous anger, it was either you let Tabari in, or die. So I’ll take an angry Jae over no Jae at all!” Lucien stomps past me.
Tabari is standing there waiting for me to read him the riot act. But that would be too easy. Instead, I walk right past him without a word and go back into the house. Everyone has different expressions of shock, awe and pride.
Stupid Magi, stupid brother, stupid Jae.
Chapter Twenty-one
Vampires have feelings too.
I make it to living room before Minx calls out after me. I close my eyes for a millisecond and turn. She’s standing there with her gem in her hand. She’s rubbing her thumb in circles over the gem.
“You are powerful bruja. No need for charge for long while. Thank you,” Her English is halting and cryptic with a heavy Spanish accent. I think she knows more English than she lets on but is still confused by the syntax.
“No Minx, I’m not a bruja, I’m not a witch. I can’t do that again for you.” Let’s nip that thought in the bud.
“You cannot do a thing you can do? No, you choose not to do a thing. You choose not to be what you are. I choose not to be woman, but I am. Maybe we both learn to be what we are someday.”
With that cryptic bit of advice, she goes back up the stairs leaving me standing at the bottom. I think that has to be our second longest conversation ever. The first had been about me not touching her cream, but I’m not quite sure that one could be qualified as a conversation.
I shake my head and make my way back up the stairs and to my room. Have I chosen not to be what I am? No, I am a succubus I am a vampire. Sure, I’m not a practicing vampire but only because I see no benefit to drinking blood.
Have I downplayed my magical abilities? Maybe, my magic has always been in lust. I am a Reaper. I still see no need to develop anything that will put me firmly in the sex camp instead of the death camp. Either way, I can’t funnel an EM field no matter what I do. I just don’t have the genes needed for it.
We just did funnel an EM field.
Shut up.
I walk over to my dresser to change into some comfy clothes. I catch my reflection in the mirror above the dresser.
“Oh my god.” My hair is all over my head, almost standing on end. I’d left it down today to frame my face. It almost reaches midway down my back when it isn’t frizzed and I don’t look like The bride of Frankenstein.
I pick up a brush and attack it ferociously. That only makes matters worse, much worse. I close my eyes and pray for divine intervention and patience.
I can’t find it no matter how I try.
I walk to my door and down the hallway to the top of the stairs. “Jack!”
Jack comes quickly, Tabari is behind him. Both of them look up with horrified expressions. Tabari looks like he’s choking on a smile. Jack turns his head away, trying to hide a smile.
“Oh, everyone thinks this is funny? Neither of you should sleep tonight.” I turn away and walk back to my room, slamming the door.
I walk back to the dresser looking at myself. I look like a goddamn poodle. Maybe if I wash it and load it with conditioner, it will help. If I have to cut it off, then I’m shaving both of their heads and they’ll sit there while I do it. And they’ll damn well like it!
I turn from the mirror as the door opens. It’s Tabari with Jack quick on his heels. I cut my eyes at both of them.
“I’m sure I can fix it, Jae,” Tabari has the decency to look somewhat contrite.
“What? With more magic? That is the reason it looks like this!” My voice is far from calm.
Why am I so upset about my hair? I have a hundred other things to be upset over.
Denial is a wonderful coping mechanism.
Yup.
“I’ll just take the extra electricity off. It’s not hard to do. It will go away on its own but you seem pretty upset about it.” Tabari responds in his yet again placating voice.
I sit down on the bed. “Fine.”
“Where did the hole in the wall come from?” he asks, a little absent-mindedly.
I scoff. “One of Lucien’s famous conversations.”
“Oh…. Well then, I’ll get it fixed.” He doesn’t even care, so firmly on Lucien’s side.
I huff.
“So how long are you going to stay mad at me? I had no idea you could pull your own field.” Tabari says, walking over to me. He starts at my forehead and runs his fingers through my hair. I try to ignore the snags and yanks he muscles through.
“I don’t know. You should have known, Tabari, or at least warned me you had no earthy clue what you were doing.” I respond.
“That didn’t happen when I’d tried it with Lucien. When I let go of the field, it stopped pouring into him,” he says.
“When did you and Lucien become best friends?” I ask acidly.
“When you left. It was hard, for both of us.” He rushes on, “I’d like to try to figure out why what happened, happened.” He steps back, looking down at me.
“What happened? You almost killed me! Mystery solved. Fuck that, I’m not doing it again.” I stand up and walk over to the dresser. It is better, but it still looks a bit poofy to me.
“Jae, just think; if you can channel your own power, you’ll be so much more powerful. No I don’t think you can change the form of the energy, but still. You could fill your Chi,
or, with work and training, be able to guide that pure energy at your enemies and fry them crispy.” He sounds happy and excited. Am I the only one that was there when he was cooking me from the inside out and frying me crispy less than twenty minutes ago?
“No. End of discussion. Jack, can you braid my hair, please? Tabari, get out.”
I walk back to the bed and sit down, handing Jack a comb and thoroughly ignoring Tabari. He can go experiment on Lucien all he wants. I’m not a damn guinea pig.
Jack takes the comb from my hand and kneels on the bed behind me. When he begins combing it in parts, I close my eyes at the feel of his fingertips; the man really has bewitched my scalp. I hear the door close behind Tabari. I let out a pent-up breath.
“I like having you here.” I say to Jack. He pauses for a second and then resumes taking the hair at the crown of my head in hand.
“Why?” he asks. As if he’s just curious.
I open my mouth to respond. Because I like you doing my hair? No, it’s more than that.
“I don’t know,” I pull away to turn and look at him. “Maybe because you make me feel calm when you’re near. In control.”
I look into his soft eyes; his mouth is beautiful. I reach up and run my thumb along his bottom lip. He’s completely still.
“Say something?” I drop my hand back down to my side. I feel shy now.
He grabs me by my hair wrapping it in his fist yanking my head harshly back. My breath hitches in my throat. I mean to tell him to stop. I want him to stop.
No you don’t.
I watch as his fangs extend. I close my eyes and whimper. I don’t want him to bite me. My heart is hammering in my chest. He leans in gently breathing on the pulse in my neck. It feels as if it could burst from my skin, inviting him to taste the blood of my beating heart.
I’m enough of a vampire to know what’s going through his mind right now, and how much control it will take him to stop. I feel his fangs graze across that pulse. My body responds, not with fear, no. I feel the gush of wetness from between my thighs. I lift my arms to push him away or pull him closer.