I rubbed my forehead. “Not Pitch, Penny. She’s Penelope Rose’s granddaughter. She’s also the Devil’s granddaughter. Her step-father is a spell-master and her parents are a complete mystery. She has a curse that is so powerful, it can fuel a protection spell that takes me three days to cast under Jasper’s direction. It’s powerful enough to slip through my guard without the slightest effort on her part. She also moved in with me. Today.”
She swayed as though she would fall on me. “A cursed witch? And that kind of family? The Devil of Darkside? The actual Devil of Darkside? You’re allying with that kind of witch? Do they allow unmarried witches and mages to live together? That’s so progressive. When I went there, the headmaster would have thrown you out at the slightest hint of scandal.”
I shot her a glare, daring her to fall over on top of me and spill my drink. “Penny Lane isn’t like any kind of witch. I’m completely out of my depth. I’m also going to offer her a contract, the marital kind if I get up my nerve.” I drank deeply.
She frowned at my glass. “You drink too much. What does your father think? Of course, he doesn’t know.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, he’s gotten involved with things. You see…” How to explain this as quickly as possible. “Penny’s involved in a war with a Deception Sorcerer who uses the Creagh as his personal assault team in order to capture Penny and therefore Pitch.”
My aunt’s puzzled face shifted to something a little more calculating. “This sorcerer gave her the curse? Why? Where is her father in all of this?”
I sighed. “It could be that the Darkside sorcerer is her father. She’s three quarters Darksider.”
She pursed her lips. “I suppose Darksiders have a certain charm, but I can’t imagine you being attracted to that sort of witch. You’re such a fancy mage.”
I smiled as I balanced my glass on the tips of my fingers. “Penny is the fanciest person I’ve ever met. She forces me to level up in every arena, except rational ones. I’m learning spellcraft for her.”
She smiled and sipped from the drink I didn’t notice her taking from my fingers. “Tell me more about her, this witch you’re willing to throw away all your solemn vows of celibacy for.”
“Celibacy? I never said anything about—”
She waved her hand in my face. “Tell me about her. What does she look like? Is she pretty? Prettier than the Pennmore witch? What are her skills? Three-quarter Darksider, I imagine she’s an amazing tourney player. Is she Pitch’s old partner? What was her name?”
I rolled my eyes. Sometimes when my aunt was trying to be cool and current, it was terribly painful. “Lit. No. She’s not like that. She’s whimsical. Every time I think I understand her, she blows my expectations in the most peculiar way.”
“Darksiders do not think like Daysiders.”
“She’s not like a Darksider. She has empathy. She has pets that she dresses in clothes and trains to have tea parties with her. She has a business with all edible lotions. She’s painfully brilliant mixed with ridiculously oblivious. She aced the Chem exam, but can’t operate a washing machine. She’s funny and strange and dangerous and beautiful. So beautiful. She’s never cut her hair, red-gold curls below her obscenely short skirts, and every time I kiss her, she faints.”
My aunt stared at me while I ran my hand through my hair, completely messing it up. I wanted to look good for the coming process. I didn’t want Penny to see me in any way that was slightly imperfect, not when I was going to offer her the contract, and I had no idea what she would do with it. She might make a dress out of it for her weasel, or me, or Professor Vale.
“Drake, you sound an awfully lot like a mage in love. That’s not a good idea.”
I glared at her. “I don’t love her. I can’t. I know. I know perfectly well. I’m not…” I inhaled deeply and lowered my voice. “It’ll be a strong alliance with mutual benefits. The contract is very clear.”
“And you don’t have blood on your cuffs because another mage touched her.”
I got up to get away from her. I paced in front of the fireplace where it roared and flickered, heat and life that danced like the energy inside of me, burning, consuming, energy that ached for her, my witch. “She belongs to me. She’s mine.”
She laughed, light and delicate, a sound that was calculated to diminish the growing furious energy inside me. Mine. I’d been gone from her too long. I would not let her ignore me for another week, not for another minute. Not that she could, not if she was living with me. She couldn’t live with me, not when I felt like this.
“Let’s go then.” She got up and went to the floor length mirror hanging opposite the fireplace. She made the marks, chanted the chant and stepped through the glass to come out in my bedroom at Rosewood.
I followed, stepping throughside into a road with a dog silhouetted against the moon howling. Not a dog exactly. It lowered its head and its red eyes sought out mine. I growled and it turned and ran before I stepped into my room. My aunt was already on the couch, stretched out and watching a telenovela.
I took off my jacket and folded it over the back of the couch while I tried to be the cool, diabolical mage I was supposed to be. I inhaled sharply when someone knocked on the door. I walked over and opened it with my most irascible smile.
Ian grinned at me. “I hope I’m not late to the party.”
I growled at him and leaned out past him to search up and down the hall. “Where is she?”
“Perhaps she had an emergency. What would a Penny emergency look like? I know, out of lollipops. Or her skirt wasn’t short enough and she had to go shopping. Maybe she ran into Zach.” He grinned while I struggled not to put his head through my door. Would be bad for the door.
“Come in. You know Ramona.” I closed the door and turned to glare at my aunt where she relaxed in her messy painting clothes. She was a terrible painter, but that didn’t stop her. She’d intentionally chosen something she had zero natural talent to pursue.
“Incredible. You’re even lovelier than the last time we met,” Ian said going over to her to kneel down, taking her hand in his as though it were a precious flower he was plucking.
She patted his cheek. “Tell me about his witch. She couldn’t possibly be as mystical as he makes her sound. I am impressed by the shipping trunks, but the hot pink glitter? A bit too much.”
He raised an eyebrow and took a seat on the floor beside her, happy to bask in the beauty of a witch he hadn’t yet seduced. “Penny is unlike any witch I’ve ever met. She’s dazzling. Utterly bewitching. You’ll see when she comes. What do you think of this Creagh business? You worked for them didn’t you?”
I stared at Ian and then my aunt. I’d never heard a whisper of that gossip.
She raised her eyebrows. “The only people you could have heard about that from aren’t polite kinds of people. You really do get around. Yes. I worked with them.”
“And is the curse true? No Creagh can conceive?”
She hesitated. “Conception isn’t the complete problem. Very few witches have been able to carry a child to term. Creagh aren’t the sect most interested in children, but it’s become a serious problem. I left before the Subtle Sorcerer got his hooks into them. And you, Ian, are you entertaining Creagh often?”
Ian smiled mildly. “I enjoy all aspects of femininity. I’m wondering what kind of curse could possibly spread in a community that powerful. It must have been cast by at least a circle of mages and witches.”
My aunt hesitated. “We’re talking about Darkside. It’s been hundreds of years since their last reorganization and uprising during which the most powerful mages were either killed or became part of the new order. Those old bloodlines are reemerging and some of their gifts are unfathomable. We know that this sorcerer wants Pitch, who seems to be an enigma to everyone, but what does he want with Darkside as a whole? If we can get an idea of where the chips will fall…”
“We can put our assets where it will be the most advantageous,” I filled i
n. “The trouble I’m having is the meddling with the Devil’s Treaty. When Darkside starts to push into Dayside, it becomes a matter of more than business.”
“How is your personal project coming along?” my aunt asked, leaning her elbow on her knee as she gazed at me with large green eyes.
“It’s…” How to explain about my humans? “My goal is more observation than outcome. I want to see the results of Darkside on humanity, and understand what implications that has for us, those who walk both worlds. I haven’t had time to do deep analysis.”
“He’s been busy going to church.” Ian grinned and headed to the cupboard where I kept my best bottles.
“Church?” My aunt stared at me. “I’ve never been. What’s it like? Did you feel like you were going to combust into flames? A three-quarter Darksider witch can go to church? How peculiar.”
“I’ve been more busy in Darkside fighting the seemingly inexhaustible soldiers of the sorcerer.”
“Has nothing to do with the mage contract you’ve been poring over for months.”
I glared at Ian who smiled back without the slightest sense of shame. “It’s needed several adaptations.”
“You’re really going to marry her? You’re so young. I suppose if she has that much Darksider, it’s for the best.”
I ran my hands through my hair and walked over to take a glass. Penny’s text had said forty-five minutes. It was fifty-two. I wanted Revere here so I could associate with him, show him that I was her mage and also see exactly what kind of mage he was. What would he do when he saw her shipping trunks in my room? Where was I going to put them all? We should get a bigger room. Or a house. A cottage in the woods.
I stopped walking while a vision struck me. Penny Lane stood in front of a cottage in that clearing in the woods with the trees and waterfall golden in the evening sun. Beneath her wild curls, she held a child on one hip, another hiding behind her long skirt, only his green eyes and bright red hair visible. She smiled at me, cocking her head like she was wondering what was taking me so long.
“Drake, are you all right? You look like you’ve been electrocuted.” My aunt’s voice came from far away.
I shook my head, bringing the room back into focus. The room at Rosewood was so ordinary. She needed a woodland boudoir inside a cottage in the woods. “Fine. I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 7
Witch
I glanced at Viney as I hesitated outside Drake’s door. “Why do you want to watch this? It’s incredibly boring.”
“Sure, a spellmaster creates a spell that requires witch and mage magic, that’s so boring. Sometimes I just want to punch you.”
“And then you punch me.”
“True.” She flashed a tiny smile at me and I shivered. “Anyway, if Drake thinks I’m not going to hang out in his room with you, like he’s absorbed you into his world, he’s out of his mind. Which he is because he chose an idiot like you instead of any of the other girls at Rosewood.”
“Wow, Viney. Thanks.” I knocked on Drake’s door and it opened, but it wasn’t Drake. The sandy haired guy with a beachy smile stood there with a pleasantly concerned expression. “Jasper. Hi. This is my friend Viney.” I pulled her close to me, gripping her hand like it was my life preserver as I faced Drake’s butler guy.
She yanked her hand out of mine while Jasper smiled a super nice smile. “Miss Pinhouse. Are you participating in Miss Lane’s spell?”
“Perfect,” Drake said from behind me in the hall.
I whirled around and the sight of his smirk made me all weak and idiotic. Could I kiss him in the doorway in front of Jasper and… I happened to glance behind him at the blond girl with big eyes and dragon and unicorn t-shirt. Were the mythical creatures making out? Rhoda had no shame.
“What is she doing here?” I crossed my arms and glared at Drake.
He glanced down running his eyes over me in a way that made me blush. “Five mages, four witches, it’s perfect.”
“It isn’t a bad idea,” Revere said from behind him. I was apparently blocking the door, but like I was going to move back and let Rhoda come into Drake’s room so she could make out with him.
“Penny, I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said, her voice soft and careful. “I didn’t know that he belonged to you. None of us knew that.”
I swallowed. Everyone was listening intently to her. Like I needed to explain about Zach. “Whatever.” I glared at Drake. “You’ve always listened to Drake more than me, anyway.” I turned and stalked into the room, away from Drake, ignoring Ian and the woman on the couch who must be Drake’s aunt. I went to Drake’s kitchenette and got a glass of water. He had so many different bottles of clear stuff that wasn’t water.
“Is everyone here?” Revere asked, taking his place behind the couch.
“Are you ready?” Drake asked, grabbing my hand and raising it to press a kiss to the back of it, with teeth. His eyes sparked green as he gazed at me.
I pulled away from him. Revere was not into public expressions of anything. “Sure. This feels like a party. Was the last one this busy?”
He put a hand around my waist and pulled me to his side. Why did he keep touching me? In front of Revere? “Not nearly as fun. I hope you don’t mind, but I definitely prefer you fully conscious when you’re in my bed.”
I put a hand on his chest and he covered it with his. “Drake,” I said in a low voice, glancing over at Revere. “I don’t do parties with my step-father.”
He blinked at me then glanced over at Revere where he stood stiff like a statue, trying not to notice anyone else in the room. “Oh. You want me to keep my distance? It’s so difficult since we are living together, but I will do my best.” He kissed my throat with teeth and tongue in front of everyone before he pulled away and winked at me.
I stood there, the feel of him making everything kind of weird and dizzy. He moved with so much confidence, but there was a slight stagger, and he’d smelled kind of awful beneath the black cherry. Was he drunk?
“I’d like to introduce you all to Penny’s step-father. He’s here to show us how to reset Penny’s Protection spell. Without further ado, I turn the floor over to him.” He gestured grandly towards Revere.
Revere shot me a look as dark and irritated as any I’d ever seen. I stiffened up. This was a bad idea. His phone conversation hadn’t been exactly pleased. He’d called Drake a lot of insulting things and Drake was acting like a prissy rich boy who owned the world. He was definitely drunk. Revere was going to put him in his place and Drake would suffer for every sip of alcohol he’d taken.
Revere said, “If you would all relax and focus on the color pink, we could…”
The room seemed to swirl and everyone was in a different position, the mages spread evenly around the five-sided room while the witches were on each side of the couch.
Drake’s aunt gasped as she shot an outraged look at Revere. Viney had this look of intense delight and Rhoda’s eyes were enormous. We were missing two. One witch, one mage.
The door blew open and Zach came in with Professor Vale. She walked directly to her corner of the couch while Zach shot me a glare before he slouched over to his point. He looked so nice, so normal, not like he was the biggest jerk in the history of the world. Jerk.
Revere waved his hand and all the witch supplies appeared on the coffee table directly in front of the couch.
Drake’s aunt shook her head, her eyes filled with daggers. “You want to set up for a witch? How obliging of you. Because we couldn’t possibly manage our own business.” Her sneer was as pronounced as Revere’s.
It was almost like they knew each other. Drake’s aunt looked at me and I felt like a slug on a rock while she ripped me apart, analyzing every piece of me. She looked from me to Revere then shook her head.
“What is the purpose of this spell?”
Revere stared at her. “It is a protection spell. Feel free to pay attention.”
She cocked her head and crossed her ar
ms communicating Viney’s kind of attitude. “I’m here to help my nephew. I assumed that meant my skills would be used. I’m not entirely incompetent, mage.”
His lips thinned. “Competence hasn’t ever been your problem.” He said it like an insult. Oooh. She was going to curse him or rip off his face. He didn’t care. He lived with my mother. She couldn’t do anything close to what my mother could do. Revere continued with the flicker of a smile that made me shiver. “If you and your competence require more freedom, feel free to leave.”
She glared at him, sticking out her chin. She was really cute and hard to take seriously. Drake stepped between his aunt and my step-father, tugging on his ear. “Ramona, my dearest aunt, can you behave, or shall I send for someone else?”
Ian’s low voice was right behind me making me jump. “Like watching cats and dogs. Drake’s aunt Ramona married a human because she absolutely cannot tolerate mages for any amount of time. We all thought that Drake would follow in her footsteps. You’re a delightful surprise, the witch who Drake doesn’t despise.”
I stepped away from him, his low voice ridiculously attractive in the most golden honey way. “Shouldn’t you stick to your point?”
He smiled and took a few steps away from me. Not enough. He smiled too much. Also, he smelled like alcohol, so he’d probably gotten drunk with Drake before this extremely fun party. Drake wasn’t taking this seriously enough, Revere seriously enough.
I cleared my throat. “Ramona, my step-father would love you to take part in this extremely interesting spellwork experience, but he’s pretty OCD, so if you can’t follow direction, you’d better leave.” I glared at Zach because he couldn’t follow any directions.
Revere sighed. “Are we going to perform a spell today? If not, I have other opportunities for deepest torture I could be experiencing.”
“Please, my aunt is fully compliant.” Drake smiled at everyone generally, but there was an edge to it as well as an undertone of authority that had Revere moving, turning a person this way, drawing a line in the air, and then focused on the ingredients on the table in front of the couch with precision. Ramona glared at him, but she didn’t say anything, just leaned closer to watch the way he turned a particular vial as though that was important. Maybe it was. I had no idea. Spells and real potions didn’t work for me. Even witch energy stuff wasn’t my thing. Hurters, sure, but none of the emotional energy stuff that they did. My energy was much more physical. Explosive. Violent.
Blooming Black: Rosewood Academy of Witches and Mages (Darkly Sweet Book 4) Page 5