by Casey Morgan
Jacob’s head rested against mine, his breath seeping onto the nape of my neck. He moved ever so slightly and whispered to me, “Should I continue?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
With permission to dive deeper, the two of us fell into a desperate trance. Since we were out in an open field, I made no reservation in the sounds that I let escape me. Whispers, moans, and begging for more escaped from my lips.
Jacob responded just as enthusiastically. Our mouths melding together in desire and our bodies following suit. His hands didn’t neglect my breasts and paid my nipples extra attention. They stiffened and sent waves of pleasure down my bare stomach and into my pussy.
I couldn’t take the teasing anymore and decided that it was time for me to take things to the next level. I used my hand to caress his long cock. I felt it fully stand at attention. Slowly, I guided the warm giant towards my entrance. I slipped it ever so slightly between my folds. It slid back and forth a few times, spreading my juices to allow for easier entry. I removed my hand and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Jacob took the initiative to thrust inside me. The moment he broke past the threshold, I felt that I was filled with warmth. My legs lifted around his hips, and I tucked myself into him as he began to pump in and out of my pussy. Pleasure rushed through my veins and into my heart as he picked up the pace.
I panted, but it couldn’t be heard over the sound of his hips slamming into my thighs. I could feel energy building up below me, as well as the energy radiating from within him. As we both got closer and closer to sweet release, I decided that then was the perfect moment to enter his mind. The moonstone necklace collected the energy that we were generating and allowed my consciousness to flow.
Pleasure and heat slowly transformed into consciousness and clarity. I found myself standing on the outside of a clearing, peeking out from behind a tree. In front of me was a stunning, tall, and proud woman. Her face and eyes reminded me of Jacob, and I knew instantly that she was his mother. I looked down to my right and saw a younger version of Jacob also watching from behind the tree.
Jacob had been forbidden to watch the ritual that his mother was performing, and yet, here he was watching in secret. Knowing that I wouldn’t get much information from the young boy himself, I turned my attention back to the ritual.
Jacob’s mother chanted and contorted her body in shapes that seemed to correspond with the words that she was saying. Slowly, the peaceful energy of the forest transformed into something nasty. Vibrations that didn’t go together started ringing against each other. The land was suddenly cast into a discolored shadow. His mother stopped chanting and began looking around frantically, trying to figure out what was going on.
From the ground below her, grass melted into a black sludge that stuck together and mercilessly climbed itself. Soon, it formed a tall figure with the legs of a crocodile, the torso of a man, and arms of an ape. Its head twisted in a full circle, cracking its neck into place. The upside-down head of a goat grimaced back at us. Jacob screamed, and a large amount of energy was released.
This must have been the moment. This was what Jacob had been keeping from Angie and me in the Library. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help, it was that he was afraid. The demon that his mother had summoned had made him wary of death magic.
I was a little disappointed that this was what was behind his strange actions. To be honest, I was expecting something less dramatic, something a bit more fixable.
Our surroundings began to shift. I soon found that a now aged-up Jacob stood in front of Archer Dawn, the witch boy I had met in the supply room with the gray eyes and the handsome face.
“You should join,” Archer urged Jacob, putting a hand on the lion shifter’s shoulder and trying to get Jacob to look him in the eyes.
Angie had told me that Archer could mesmerize anyone with a simple look. Most students avoided his gaze like the plague. In my vision, Jacob stared at the floor.
“I don’t think I can,” he responded nervously.
“You should. The Necromancy Secret Society could use a strong player like you.”
“Like I said, Archer, I refuse.”
Although Jacob refused, this gave me a wonderful idea. If Archer Dawn was a part of The Necromancy Secret Society, then I could ask him for help with my problem. He had to know something about ghosts. I knew of the rumors surrounding him, but I wasn’t afraid of his powers. If anything, I was intrigued.
I felt myself slipping away from the scene, and I decided to drop myself out of Jacob’s thoughts.
I found myself back in the present with my head thrown back as Jacob relentlessly slammed into me. The friction and sweat that we shared had accumulated into a large ball of tension in my core. I knew that any moment now, that energy would release into a euphoric explosion.
“Almost there,” I panted.
“We’ll cum together,” Jacob replied.
He was true to his word. Just when I felt myself about to burst, he thrust one last time, full force, into the deepest corner of my pussy. We orgasmed together, and he rolled off of me. I noticed that he wrapped his hand around mine and tightened the moment that we lost the heat between us.
Our breathing was in sync with each other, and I smiled at the observation. I squeezed his hand and turned on my side, looking into his stunning eyes.
“You were so powerful,” I told him. “Primal, almost.”
“I am a Lion shifter...” Jacob added, with a goofy smile.
I laughed, “What is it like to be a lion?”
“Can’t you shift into anything you want to?”
I dropped my jaw. He was right. As a shapeshifter, I could be whatever I wanted. “I.... guess that I can.”
With that being said, Jacob let go of my hand. A burst of energy emitted from beside me. Jacob stood tall and proud as a lion with a wild mane. I smiled and knew exactly what he wanted.
I had never shifted naked before, there was something so natural about my skin having no boundaries to expand or transform. Being a lioness felt more empowering than any other form that I had been in previously. I let the feeling envelop me. I couldn’t help but hold my head up high.
Jacob and I wasted no time playing with each other. We prayed and played, pawing at each other and playing tag on the backfield. The feeling was absolutely liberating. We may have snarled and growled at each other, but inside I was laughing out of pure joy.
Eventually, the two of us decided that it was enough and shifted back into humans. Returning to my natural form was just as cathartic. My clothes still lay in a pile off to the side.
“That was amazing!” I laughed.
Jacob sat next to me; a smile plastered on his face. “So, you enjoyed tonight?”
“Every single part of it.”
“Me too...” he trailed off, “But there is one thing that I don’t fully understand.”
“What?”
“You’re an alpha shifter, but you didn’t say anything. Why is that?”
“I—”
He cut me off, “I would much rather pledge to you than to Cade.”
I was confused and couldn’t think of what else I could possibly say in response. But Angie had pledged to me and there hadn’t been any problems. It’s not that Cade would be able to tell, so I didn’t see a problem with it.
“Sure, why not?” I agreed.
Jacob took my hands in his, “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Nine
I suppose Angie had gotten up before me. I woke up to an empty room with a post-it note on my desk. I picked it up gently and looked at the smooth handwriting.
Had to do some studying, so I went to the library! See you later today.
I smiled at the note. It was really considerate of her to leave me a notice that she was going to be out for a bit. My roommate was really worried about me. I honestly couldn't even imagine the emotional turmoil that Angie was going through. Both her twin and I were in danger, it must’ve been a lot of weight on her
mind.
I quickly got dressed and began to pack up my backpack. I needed to go see Archer today. Something told me that he would be able to help—there were always whispers in the hallway about him and his abilities. I opened my dorm door and locked it behind me. As soon as I lifted my head from the doorknob, my eyes locked onto a male figure leaning against the wall next to my door.
“Cade?” I asked in surprise.
“Hey, Ruby,” he responded, “We need to talk.”
I paid special attention to the alpha’s body language. His foot was tapping, and he kept playing with his hands. Even his eyes were more narrow than usual, Cade was clearly agitated. I couldn’t think of anything that would get him so riled up, but it was slightly concerning.
I raised my eyebrows, inviting him to continue his train of thought.
He continued, “I can tell that Jacob Savannah pledged to another alpha.”
“You… you can?” I stuttered.
He nodded, leaning towards me, and putting his big hands onto the door frame behind my head. I was caught in the circle of his muscular arms. “Yes, it’s well within my capabilities. But here’s where it gets interesting. I saw you and him walking out to the field together last night.”
“How is that interesting?” I shrugged.
Cade raised his eyebrows. His amber eyes bore into me. “It was right before I felt the shift, the shift indicating that he switched alphas.”
I knew that there was no getting out of this. Lying would do me no good. Cade definitely already knew the truth. He was just waiting for me to confirm it. Playing dumb or lying would just seem more suspicious than telling him.
I sighed and leaned against my door, tilting my head to the side. “Okay, you got me,” I confessed. “I’m the alpha shifter for both Jacob and Angie.”
“Really, Ruby!?” Cade jumped back and snatched his hands away like I burned him.
“I don’t see how it’s a problem.”
“You know anything about being an alpha!” I watched as he balled his hands into fists. “You don’t have a sense of what the responsibilities, the title, the importance, or what the role really means,” he snapped. “You can’t go around acting like an alpha because you don’t even know what it means to act like an alpha.”
I was stunned at the sudden declaration. Cade eyed me angrily, pushing himself off of the wall and moving in front of me, effectively blocking me from leaving my spot against my door again. He was right. I really didn’t know much about it. I just knew that whenever I made a pact, it felt right, and I felt more powerful.
“I know that I don’t know any of that,” I admitted, “But you could teach me.”
I leaned forward and tried to place my lips upon his, but he aggressively stepped back, effectively distancing himself from me. I looked up at Cade and noticed that if he was mad before then, he was definitely furious now. I could practically see the fury in his eyes.
“You probably slept with Jacob, too,” he spat. “Didn’t you?”
“I did.” I was getting angry now, too. “We aren’t exclusive, so what does it matter to you?”
I was expecting him to bite back, and I braced myself for it. However, the werewolf simply huffed and turned around. I was about to call out to him; I wasn’t going to let Cade turn his back on me like that. But before I could, he stormed off and out of the hallway. I wanted to follow him and address his behavior, but the weight of my backpack on my shoulders reminded me that I needed to go see Archer. More importantly, I needed to get the death curse lifted first.
I waited a few minutes then left the dorm. My best bet at finding Archer was heading to the supply room since that was where he worked. I just hoped that he didn’t take the day off.
The trip to the supply room was uneventful, but to my surprise, it was full of students. I couldn’t see Archer from where I was standing, but I knew that he was there. All of the students in the supply room were looking down at the ground. The rumors must’ve been true then—Archer had powerful mesmerizing magic. None of the students dared look up and risk making eye contact, or else they may fall under his power.
I didn’t have time to wait in line, and anger still lingered within me from my encounter with Cade, so I pushed to the front of the line. I didn’t even bother apologizing as I shouldered my way through the students waiting for their turn. When I got closer to the front, my suspicions were confirmed. Tall, muscular, and blue-black haired Archer stood behind a small desk handing out a textbook to a smaller girl. Before I could think twice or have any doubts, I pushed her out of the way and looked directly into Archer’s steel-grey eyes. They widened in surprise, but slowly returned to normal.
Without breaking eye contact, I demanded, “I need to talk to you in private.”
He scoffed and raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
“Yes.”
Archer’s voice was gentle and flowed like a stream. “Aren’t you the new girl? The one who just started at Ironwood recently? I remember giving you your uniforms.” He leaned forward on the desk, a move that emphasized his broad shoulders.
I blinked a few times, confused as to why this turned into somewhat of an interrogation, “Yes, I am, and you did give me my uniforms. But more important—”
“I’ve heard all sorts of crazy things about you.” He cut me off and looked up and down my body with his soft grey eyes. “The uniform looks good on you.”
I groaned internally, but I was so curious as to what it could possibly be that he has heard about me. I’ve learned that rumors spread like wildfire at Ironwood, so he could be talking about anything, real or fake. I needed to put my curiosity behind me, though, and focus on the problem at hand. There was no use for knowing rumors about me if I was dead.
“Listen,” I continued, “Please, can we talk alone? Could you take a break or something?”
The sexy witch chuckled slightly at me. “There’s no need for that.”
I watched as he picked up a book from behind him and dropped it on the ground. The thud of the book hitting the floor echoed in the small room. Every single student jumped and looked up to see what happened. I watched as every one of their faces went slack, and their eyes glazed over with complacency. They were all mesmerized.
I turned my attention back to Archer, who was smirking, a twinkle in his eyes.
The amount of power that he held over people was incredibly attractive. I could already feel myself itching to have him inside me. Not only would it feel amazing to have such a hot guy fuck me, but the amount of knowledge that I could absorb from Archer was huge. I needed to learn how to mesmerize people the way that he just effortlessly did.
“There,” Archer said softly. “They’re all practically asleep, so why don’t you go ahead and say what you need to say.”
I explained quickly and without taking much of a break. Archer watched me explain with a sympathetic expression on his face. I couldn’t tell if he actually cared about Drew or me, but he was definitely intrigued by the circumstances.
“So, I need to fix it before he drags me to my death,” I finished. “Which should be soon.”
“I can help.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I wasn’t expecting such a fast and favorable response. I could feel tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. Someone could finally help!
“You can?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t misheard.
“Yeah, I can. I’m actually the head of the Necromancy Secret Society at Ironwood.”
“T-That’s illegal! And amazing!”
He chuckled at my eagerness. “We just need to get Headmaster Thorn’s permission.”
“W-We do?” My shoulders dropped.
“Yes, I still need his permission to practice any type of death magic.”
I sighed and stepped back. “I really don’t want to talk to Thorn about it. Is there any way around it?”
Archer frowned. He stood but kept his hands on the desk in front of him. “No, there isn’t. But I insist, the headmaster i
sn’t that bad.”
Archer moved from his position behind the desk and gently held my hand. His skin was cooler than mine. He led me past all of the students who were still frozen in place. I decided that talking to Headmaster Thorn would be worth it. After all, I didn’t think that I could sink lower than death. I let the powerful witch continue to lead me out of the supply room and into the hallway.
We went through the corridors hand in hand on our way to see Headmaster Thorn. Having Archer’s hand in mine made the situation seem a bit safer—it was nice.
As we walked, I caught sight of Blaise. He looked at me and then at Archer. I watched his eyes flicker back and forth and finally land on our hands. His neutral face melted into a frown. His red eyes made contact with mine and he scowled, looking absolutely disgusted. I didn't have time to worry about it, but the image of his scowl and the unknown reason behind it was stuck in the back of my head for the rest of the trip.
Chapter Ten
Eventually, Archer and I stood outside of the headmaster’s office. I looked up at the red door with fear and anticipation. I really did not want to go inside. Archer must have sensed something because his grip on my hand tightened. He leaned forward and knocked a few times on the door.
“You may come in,” Headmaster Thorn’s voice called.
Archer turned to look at me. He smiled and let go of my hand in order to open the door for me. We walked in together, strolled right past all the bookshelves, and up to the large wooden desk.
Headmaster Thorn looked up from his work and placed his book down. When he saw me, he looked disappointed. However, the moment that he saw Archer, his attitude seemed to change dramatically. He even smiled. The sight made me shiver in disgust.
“Mr. Dawn,” Thorn spoke, “What can I help you with?”
“I want to perform a séance,” Archer responded.
“A séance? What for?”
“To contact a soul that has passed on, one by the name of Andrew Birch.”
Frowning, Thorn glanced at me. “Interesting. Will this help progress your academic pursuits?”