I reappear in human form facing the door, just in case Lena was changing or something.
I wanna check on her, not creep her out. “Colin ...”
I turn and see her standing in front of the full length mirror by the
bathroom door: she’s touching her lips and her eyes are red, as if she’d been crying.
I’m behind her in two short strides and surround her waist with my arms, resting my chin on her shoulder and locking eyes with her in the mirror.
“I just wanted to check on you, gorgeous.” She emits a deep, shuddering sigh, fighting hard not to cry and I realize right then that I’d do anything for this girl.
My friends and I have been wanting to get close to Lena since
freshman year but we never had the courage to ask her out because she never hung out with anyone, leaving school in a rush after last period.
We now know that it was because she was taking care of her sick grandma but the distance she kept from everyone was intimidating.
I wish I’d followed my heart sooner and reached out to her, because in the short week that the guys and I have been hanging out with her, Lena found a permanent place in my heart.
I’d been infatuated with her beauty but now that I’m getting to know her, I’m falling for her kindness, her wit and the simmering fire in those beautiful green eyes.
I’m falling hard and fast because she’s even better than the image I had of her in my mind when I used to dream about her from afar.
“Lena, you know that the guys and I care about you, right? That we’re in this together and we won’t stop until we break this curse? Finn will be working with Miss Lockwood to try and find a loophole in the spell and I called my grandma. She’s a council elder and she’s working to find out if anything can be done. Until then, we’ll all be by your side.” One single tear slides down her cheek and I spin her around in my arms following the wet trail of the tear with my lips and stopping dangerously close to the corner of her mouth.
“Colin, don’t.”
Her voice is just a whisper and I feel my blood boil in my veins with anger at the thought of what this cruel spell is taking away from us.
My lips don’t leave her skin but descend the column of her neck and I can’t resist from grazing her soft skin with my teeth when I get to the base of her neck and I feel myself react to her scent, to the feeling of her soft tits pressed against my chest.
I get hard, aching to have more of her, to make her feel how much I care by giving her pleasure.
So I slide down on my knees in front of her, lifting the cotton of her t- shirt and peppering light kisses all over her stomach, tracing the waistband of her cotton shorts.
I lift my gaze to look into her eyes again and I find them shadowed by the same desire I feel, so I silently ask permission as my fingers begin to lower her shorts.
She nods and then adds:
“Colin, I’ve never—”
I tell her that all I want is to make her feel good, that I won’t take
anything she isn’t ready to give.
So I lower her silk panties down her hips and uncover the beautiful,
bare skin of her most intimate area and I know that I wanna taste her more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
I place my lips on her soft skin and start with shallow, light kisses.
Her breathing becomes immediately more labored when I apply a bit more pressure on her center and when I find the spot I was looking for, the tip of my tongue darts out to taste her and her sweet taste makes me moan against her skin.
That causes a little excited gasp coming from her and wetness starts
collecting on my tongue, encouraging me to continue my exploration. I alternate flicks of my tongue with a light suction, using my lips to
increase the contact with her sensitive skin and I know I found her sweet spot when I feel her tightening against my mouth.
When she screams and the first shiver shakes her body, I wrap my arms against her waist to support her weight while I keep licking her and sucking her until her breathing eventually begins to slow down again.
Then I lift her up in my arms and lower her on her bed. “Colin ... don’t leave me. Sleep here, with me.”
“Anything you want, Lena.”
And when I lie next to her, she whispers in my ear: “Anything?”
“Yes.”
“Then show me how to do to you what you just did to me.”
Lena
I feel Max’s gaze roving all over my body as I step out of my
bathroom in a pale pink bikini.
Ms. Morgan has sent up to my room a whole case of hot sauce and
I’m supposed to cover my body with it to see if it’ll neutralize Jessica’s magic.
I’m glad the headmistress didn’t offer to help because to be honest I don’t trust her.
I don’t think she necessarily means badly but Jessica is her daughter, so how could she not be biased in all this and do what’s best for her kin?
And the fact that since the spell happened over twenty four hours ago, she’s had me confined in my room, only proves my theory.
She motivated her decision with the intention to avoid me being embarrassed by my peers and the faculty’s probing questions but I bet that she hasn’t reported the ‘incident’, like she keeps referring to it, to the Council yet and she probably hopes to find a way to minimize the fallout if the hot sauce has the desired effect.
Max offered me his help to apply the hot sauce and I said yes, so now we’re alone in my room and he suggested I put on a bikini to avoid getting hot sauce on sensitive areas of my body.
So I’m standing in front of him in the skimpiest bikini I own as he opens the first bottle of hot sauce.
Ms. Morgan told me to put the sauce on as much of my body as possible: if we cover around ninety per cent, we should be sure that the attempt is a reliable one.
Max and I are completely alone because Finn has been pulling an all-nighter in the library with Miss Lockwood helping her to research the most ancient spell books the academy owns for anything that could revert the spell, while Colin is meeting his grandma in San Francisco, hoping to get some advice from her.
Max pours the thick, red sauce on his palm and begins to apply gently on my forehead and the bridge of my nose, working on my face and down my neck.
He avoids my eyes and my lips, as we need to see their color change back to normal, if the hot sauce works.
If what he’s lathering on me was sunscreen, this would be such a sexy moment but even with the pungent smell of the hot sauce, the effect of his gentle touch isn’t lost on me.
I’m hyper aware of his hands descending everywhere from my hips, my legs, my buttocks, between my thighs.
I feel goosebumps spreading everywhere and my nipples hardening painfully in my bikini top while a totally different type of heat collects between my legs.
Once he’s done, my boyfriend steps back to look at me and I know from the disappointment in his blue eyes that this hasn’t worked.
“Maybe if we covered some of the areas we avoided?”
His eyes are fixed on my chest and I nod, thinking that regardless of
this working, I want to feel his hands on my breasts.
So he unties the strings that hold my bikini top together and I
immediately see the effect that has on him.
“Wow, Lena! You have the most gorgeous tits I’ve ever seen.” The hunger in his gaze makes me feel better about being totally
covered in hot sauce, because let’s face it, I mustn’t be much of a sexy sight right now.
But he lathers my boobs with the most gentle and reverent touch taking way more time than needed and I don’t mind it one bit, because I feel really hot with his hands on me and it has nothing to do with the sauce.
Once the job is done, we wait several minutes but it’s soon clear that either Jessica lied about hot sauce neutralizing her magic to add insult to injury, or
that the curse is way too powerful to be undone by a mere kitchen condiment.
“I’m gonna wash this shit off me.”
“Right. I’ll text Colin and Finn to let them know that the hot sauce was a bust.”
I step under the hot stream of the shower and it’s a relief to feel that gross hot sauce wash away from my body: I don’t think I can ever eat the stuff ever again after today.
The only thing that was good in this whole situation was Max’s touch and the heat in his gaze and I find myself wishing that he’d offered to help me wash.
“Need any help with your back?” My dreams comes true as I see him step into the bathroom and I can’t resist from teasing him a little.
“I’d love some help but you definitely look overdressed for the task at hand.”
Max sheds his jeans and t-shirt in seconds and when he steps into the shower cubicle, I surround his neck with my arms.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a long moment, unable to say anything, knowing that we want to kiss more than anything but we can’t. He does with my shower gel what he did earlier with the hot sauce, but this time I don’t feel uncomfortable, I feel excited and return the favor by washing his chest and abs, relishing the sights of rivulets of sudsy water running down every ridge and valley of his perfect body.
Max is still wearing his boxer briefs and I still have my bikini bottoms on but my eyes feast on his smooth, soft skin that encases his chiseled, sculpted muscles.
I let my fingers follow my gaze and my lips begin to kiss every inch of skin I touch.
I see his reaction to my attention in the obvious bulge straining the wet fabric of his underwear and I grab the waistband and begin pulling it down.
His breathing hitches in is throat and he says:
“Baby, I—” I interrupt him.
“Max, I know that we’ve been dating for just over a week and I know that this situation sucks so bad. But I’ve had a crush on you for years and if we can’t kiss, at least we can—”
It’s his turn to interrupt. “As long as you’re sure, Lena. I’ve wanted you from the first time I saw you in homeroom, the first day of freshman year. But I never had the courage to ask you out, this is why I tried to sign up for all your classes, so I could at least be in the same room.”
I slide his underwear down his hips and his lips find the sensitive spot behind my ear, kissing me while his hands make quick work or taking my bikini bottoms off.
I feel his hard-on brush my sensitive skin and I can’t take my eyes off of his.
“I’m sure. You could’ve walked away from this but you’re here, with me. And anyway, I don’t wanna die a virgin ...”
My last words were a huge mistake: I see it in Max’s physical reaction and his pupils dilate in surprise and his grip on my hips loosens.
“Lena. I had no idea that you ... Shit! I know I’ll regret this but maybe we should think about it. I don’t wanna be selfish and take something that means so much to you. And if it’s me that you want to share this with, I wanna make it special, romantic and—”
At first I feel rejected but then I see it in his blue eyes that he cares and he isn’t completely wrong that maybe I should think about this.
“I do want you, Max. But I also feel the same way about Colin and Finn.”
If I was worried about jealousy, he reassures me by nodding and wrapping his strong arms around me.
“Then what about making this decision together? I know they feel the same way I feel about you, baby. Maybe we could get together and see where things go? No pressure and you can say it at any time if you’re uncomfortable. But Lena, you’re so very important to us. This isn’t a hookup or a fling, we all care deeply about you.”
And this is the thing: I believe him and I trust him and the others with my life.
I know until last week, we only watched one another from afar and my responsibilities at home kept me from even thinking about getting close to the guys.
But I know exactly what Max means when he talks about his feelings: with humans things might be different but once a witch grows into his or her powers, your powers sense others around you.
It’s like an aura thing but on steroids: your powers immediately recognize someone compatible, you could call it a kindred spirit type of connection because it works almost like Tinder.
Your magic will hum and vibrate within you when you meet someone compatible, while it’ll make you feel the opposite when someone isn’t right for you.
And I’ve felt this irresistible pull towards all three of my boys from the very first time I’ve seen them.
The same way Jessica’s magic always made my skin crawl with all sorts of negative feelings.
“Yes, Max. I’d love to spend a night with all three of you.” He hugs me tighter and I can’t help but feel how hard he still is against me, so I wrap my fingers around the base of his shaft and glide my hand up and down his entire length, squeezing lightly.
“But I still wanna take care of you right now.”
Max brushes his fingers against the sensitive skin of my center and his light touch sends a shiver of anticipation up and down my spine like an electric current.
And we take care of each other in the shower, basking in each other’s pleasure and when I feel Max’s release hit the skin of my stomach, there’s only one thing that could make this moment more perfect: a kiss.
Lifted
Max
I leave Lena in her room, to do some of the homework that I had brought her up when I went to help her with the hot sauce.
I agree with her that she shouldn’t be confined in her room, as if she’d done something wrong, and I’ll make sure that Ms. Morgan and Jessica don’t get out of this situation scot-free, regardless of the spell being broken.
I always knew that her and her friends were trouble and one the
reasons why I didn’t give into my urges in the shower with Lena earlier, is that I feel guilty about this whole situation.
I’ve always known that Lena was the one I wanted and Jessica had never made a mystery of her attraction towards me.
So I should’ve never hooked up with her last year: my drunken mistake is what caused Jessica’s delusions that we could be together and her bitter feelings towards Lena when she realized that her attraction wasn’t reciprocated.
This is why, regardless of my feelings for Lena, I have to fix this.
I find Finn in the most remote section of the library, where the rarest spell books are kept.
Normally there are wards all over the place and only faculty is allowed here but yesterday Miss Lockwood cast an all-access spell to add my friends.
Think of it as the magic equivalent to a permission slip.
I know immediately that Finn’s relentless search for an antidote or a counterspell has been fruitless when I notice his disheveled hair and clothes and the dark circles under his eyes.
“Nothing. That spell is unbreakable. We’ll never get to kiss Lena again. The only good thing in this whole shit show is that at least we won’t even have to worry about revenge: because those three bitches are as good as dead.”
I lower myself in the chair next to my bestie and he guesses immediately that the hot sauce was a total bust by looking at my grim expression.
This is how Colin finds us when he steps into the room and he doesn’t need to ask us how our efforts fared.
“Ok so nothing, huh? Not even the hot sauce helped?” I shake my head and that’s when Colin drops his bombshell on us. “So there might be a way to break the curse ...” We interrupt him with an onslaught of questions and he shakes his head, not looking as happy as I’d expect.
“It’s risky though and if it goes wrong, you know what the
consequences are. We’ll kill Lena and die in the process.”
I run my hands through my hair and tell him that I’d do anything for my girl.
Colin nods.
“That’s exactly the spirit, bro. My grandma agreed that th
ere’s no
known way to break those ancient, powerful curses but since those spells stemmed essentially from hatred and the desire to cause harm, the natural antidote can only be the opposite feeling.”
Finn’s eyes sparkle with interest when he asks: “Do you mean what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah. Love. Love’s the opposite emotion of the one the Romeo and
Juliet curse was created with. So in theory, it should have the power to break it. So a kiss could be just the very thing we need.”
I’m confused. “I thought that was the whole point of the curse: if we kiss her she dies and so do we.”
Colin explains that most magic has flaws because it inherently
subverts Nature’s laws.
Especially black magic. “And if you remember, even the poison initially used by Juliet in the famous play was nothing but an illusion.” “Right.”
“This is where the danger lies: the only kind of love that has the power to dissolve the hatred that feeds that curse is pure, true love. If she’s kissed by someone who loves her unconditionally and with all his heart, the curse will be broken. But if not, we’ll all be dead.”
I don’t miss Colin’s choice of words: ‘we’. “I’m in. I know it sounds crazy but for me it was love at first sight with Lena. I just wish I’d had the courage to act on it sooner. But it’s a feeling that has been lurking and growing in my heart for years and now it’s reached the point where I know for sure that she’s the one for me. Our powers sparked the attraction and time has caused the feeling to put solid roots in my mind. And now that I’m spending real time with her, I know how right it all feels. I’ll die for her if I need to.”
My friends nod in unison, with matching serious expressions on their faces: they totally understand the way I feel because they feel it too.
I tell them about my earlier encounter with Lena and how she wants to be with all of us.
Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology Page 23