“Damn,” he said. “This is my fault. I brought you two there. I knew the familiar thing was taboo, but I figured you’d get a pass for growing up human, as long as you didn’t hold hands or something.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “I had an awesome time.”
“We were only there for one night! I meant for us to do so many more things.”
“I was the one with the bright idea to approach the other school.”
“But I should have—”
“It’s both your faults,” Harris said. “Let’s establish that and move on.”
I looked back and stuck my tongue at him. He was jammed into the middle seat between Alec and Firian, who both looked pointedly irritated at him. None of us seemed to know why he had insisted on coming with us. I gathered that he had shown up just moments before I did.
“Well, anyway, she said it was very inappropriate that I was so close to Firian, and that he would have to be blocked from me, and cast a spell on me. She started doing this magic on me to make me confess. At that point, I tried to call on Samuel Caruthers because I’m supposed to have inherited his powers but so far he hasn’t done squat for me. And then I heard his voice.”
“Really?” Alec asked.
“He told me to call spirits to help me, so these spirits showed up and battled the witches. I think Samuel helped me summon them. The more I think about it, like—” I tried to shove some ice cream in my mouth before it melted completely, as I remembered the feeling. “It was the first time I felt like a spell I cast went perfectly right. I didn’t burn anything down. I didn’t summon anything bad. These beautiful women appeared and I just knew they were there to help me.”
“Were they ghosts?” Firian asked.
“Ghosts seems like a crude word for them. They were spirits. I like the sound of that, anyway.”
“And you’re sure you heard Samuel’s voice?”
“I heard a voice in my head that was too chill to be me in that moment,” I said. “And it was a male voice.”
“So you really did inherit Samuel’s powers.” Firian scratched his chin.
“See? You are the fucking Chosen One,” Harris groused.
“So maybe I am,” I said airily.
“Necromancy can go very wrong. Just as wrong as summoning demons.”
“These were nice spirits,” I said. “Badass, that is, but helpful.”
“Still, you might want to table that for the moment,” Harris said. “If you start casting necromancy spells you’ll open yourself up to even more trouble.”
“Harris, go ahead and tell us why you’re here crowding my car so Char can drink her Blizzard,” Montague said.
“I was kidnapped by your sire,” Harris said. “Right after I left your boat.”
“My—” Montague got a tight frown. “You mean—you met Rayner?”
I almost spit out my Heath Bar slop. “The five hundred year old vampire?”
“Yes. Rayner and his band of immoral kidnappers decided that they’d take a break from kidnapping this Lisbeth girl and kidnap me instead. They wanted you, of course. I was a trade. When I refused to cooperate, they just started drinking my blood. So thank you for that.”
“Shit,” Montague said. “Are you serious? They drank your blood?”
“They are vampires,” Alec said.
“How did you escape?” I asked.
“I got them talking,” Harris said. “It didn’t take me long to find out that we all share a common enemy. The Withered Lord.”
“No way…”
“It’s not that strange.” Harris shrugged. “He’s the demon flavor of the month. So I said we should team up and take him on. Me, Daisy, the vampires… They said they would rejoin us during winter break, when Daisy comes back to Merlin.”
The other three guys were very quiet but had expressions of complete horror.
“Harris…,” Alec said. “Man, you’re acting like this is no big deal, and I know you know it’s a big deal. Those vampires scared the shit out of you. You can just say so. You can just admit you didn’t know what to do.”
Harris looked down, his jaw working back and forth. I really needed to stop twisting in my seat to look at him.
I’m not sure why such a prickly guy like Harris, who would never admit what he really thought or felt, was someone I wanted to have around. But things felt right when he was with us. Maybe HAM just belongs together. Even though they hassle each other, I can tell these guys are close.
“I don’t know why I need to admit that when clearly, you already know,” Harris finally said.
“We’ll help you deal with it,” Alec said.
“I had to find some way out without giving up Monty,” Harris said.
“We can’t defeat a high demon,” Montague said.
“This demon has wrecked Charlotte’s family. Daisy’s too,” Harris said. “What if we can defeat him and we need those vampires to do it?”
“A high demon is going to ruin all of us,” Firian said.
“Wait,” I said. “I…I mean…is it possible to defeat him, though? Like…I know it’ll be hard, but should we just dismiss it like that? We have some pretty powerful people on our side, potentially.”
“Exactly,” Harris said. “Although you’re staying out of it. You can’t operate on that level.”
“Oh, you did not just say that after I defended your plan. I’m going to pretend I just heard static back there. I do have Samuel Caruthers’ powers and I’m going to become a white necromancer once I figure out what that actually is, and then I am getting my mom back.”
“I hope Master Blair will let you back in,” Firian said. “I have to admit, it makes me nervous that these witches suspect I might have gone rogue…”
“Either way, we’re probably safer there than anywhere else,” I said. “I’m showing up. He’ll have to kick me out.”
Chapter Thirteen
Charlotte
The rest of my vacation got a little weird, seeing as I didn’t want to tell Dad what happened or leave the guys, but we had lost our place to stay. Montague contacted his parents and they suggested we stay with his cousin in Tampa. So we did. His cousin had a bigger house but it wasn’t on the beach or anything. And he didn’t have a boat. And I was sort of nervous about getting close to Firian again, especially since now Harris was there and so was Montague’s cousin Diego and he was too friendly.
We ate a lot of Cuban food. Like, a lot. I think my sweat smelled like garlic and onions by the end of the trip.
More reasons I didn’t get any action in Tampa.
I did do a lot of studying. Montague’s cousin had a decent magic library. All the books were dusty and ancient; I got the feeling they were inherited.
“So white necromancers talk to the dead and summon the dead, but they’re good,” I said, scribbling notes in an armchair across from Firian. “Professor McGuinness said it was rare for necromancers to be good, but why would it be?”
“Obviously it’s because people usually become necromancers to bring back the dead or talk to their loved ones,” Firian said. “And that’s never a good idea.”
“Oh. That’s it? That’s the whole reason?”
He nodded. “Pretty much. Think about it. If your dad died, and you were already dabbling in necromancy, and you knew you could bring him back, where does your brain go?”
“Yeah…” I chewed the clicky thing on my pen before remembering it was Diego’s pen. “My mom bargained with the Withered Lord to bring Ina back, and that was what doomed her…is that it?”
“Just…don’t bring anyone back from the dead,” Firian said. “That’s the only rule you need to know. No matter who it is. And if someone you love dies, you have to let them go. You can talk to other dead people and summon badass spirits to help you fight and that sort of thing. Just not the ones you loved when they were alive.”
I swallowed. Just thinking about all the people I wouldn’t want to lose, and I understood why it was so hard t
o stay a white necromancer.
“Charlotte?”
As soon as I walked into the assembly that kicked off the school year, Master Blair’s gaze shot to me and he came hurrying over.
“Charlotte, you’re not supposed to be here. How did you even get past the gate?”
I shrugged. “I just hid under a blanket in Montague’s back seat.”
“I really need to speak to security,” he said. “They can’t just assume the students aren’t smuggling in other students.”
“To be fair, that is a first,” Stuart said behind him.
“I have heard things about your summer exploits,” Master Blair said. “I got an interesting letter from Mrs. Tyler at the Southern Finishing Magic…whatever that horrible place is called.”
“Are you impressed?” I asked. “Did she tell you I summoned spirit ladies to fight for me?”
Master Blair stopped whatever he was about to say. “No. No, she said you cast fireballs. I had blocked your magic for a reason, you know. You definitely don’t have the experience to summon the dead.”
“I think Samuel talked to me,” I said. “He helped me cast the spell and escape. I have to know more and I really really want to be here.”
I could see that Master Blair wanted to know more, but was reluctant to admit it.
“We can’t kick her out now, can we?” Stuart said. “You sent her away for her own good, but she’s gone to so much trouble to attend anyway…besides, we don’t want those old guard witches to get a hold of her.”
“All right, all right. You’re admitted on a probationary basis,” Master Blair said.
“Thank you! You won’t regret it!” I shook his hand, then I went and gave Montague and Firian high fives.
“I’m in!” I said. “I’m in! This year is going to be much better than last year. I can feel it.”
Last year I was an unwanted novelty, but this time I was kicking off the year with allies—super hot allies—and I wasn’t getting hassled nearly as much. We all packed the restaurant for dinner, and Harris stuck with us, despite his best attempts to act aloof. Even Firian didn’t seem to be getting as much hate as before. Maybe everyone had just given up on bothering us, which was a big reason for my optimism. We ordered a bottle of wine, ate our fancy dinners, and made a toast to sophomore year.
I had missed this place.
Chapter Fourteen
Charlotte
The year was starting off pretty much the same as last year. I still had my dorm room with Alec. A few senior students in Lancelot House were gone, replaced with incoming freshmen. The older guys bullied me and leered at me, but the younger guys seemed more intimidated. They had clearly been warned by their parents to be careful of the witch at Merlin College.
My class schedule this year was pretty similar to last, but magical history was swapped out for a class with Stuart called Magical Theory and Principles.
“This is the class we’ve all been waiting for,” Alec said, as I was pinning the schedule next to my Fortune’s Favor calendar.
“Why? What do we learn in it?”
“Wand making.”
“Wand making!?” I pretty much exploded into glitter as I jumped around on the bed to face him. “We get to make our own wands?”
“God, you’re cute,” he said, lifting his hand like he wanted to pat my head. Then he pretended he always meant to wipe off the lenses of his glasses. I knew his deal. Sometimes Alec still forgot he couldn’t touch me. “Yes. Of course we do.”
“I wasn’t sure when or if wands happened,” I said. “This is so exciting.”
Alec went back to changing out the artwork on his walls. The wolf creature painting he did last year, that turned out to be my mom’s werewolf demon form, was thankfully swapped out for a greenish female form with a puckish face and a body that seemed blurred by motion.
“I like that one,” I said. “I’m getting a bit of Brian Froud vibe.”
“Oh, really? Good,” he said, stepping back to consider the arrangement of the pieces while I considered the arrangement of his toned backside. “Dad and I visited some old growth forest earlier this summer and I painted that forest nymph.” Then he looked slightly bemused. “The painting helps.”
I didn’t need to ask what he needed help with. “You didn’t have sex with that nymph, did you?”
He grabbed a pillow off his bed and swatted me with it. “No. But I’m going to remember every time you asked me a question like that and when I finally get my hands on you…” My whole body burned as he moved closer to me, so the only thing between us was the pillow. “Every frustration I feel I’m going to unleash on you all…at…once.” His eyes hooded and I was feeling so frustrated personally that I wondered how he could possibly stand it.
“Maybe I could paint you sometime,” he said.
“Like one of your French girls?”
“Who?”
I sighed. “You know who Brian Froud is and you’ve never seen Titanic? I can’t keep up. I mean…paint me with my new wand. With nothing but my new wand.”
“That would kill me.”
“I’m teaching you control. Maybe I’ll work a little magic with it. Just the tip!”
“That is a very inappropriate use of a wand.” He snorted while he was practically twitching with wanting to grab me and do things to me.“I’m trying to find other ways to define myself and you’re not helping at all.”
“You are a wonderful artist,” I said. “But maybe…you don’t need to try so hard to find other ways to define yourself. You are an incubus. And…I like you…just like that. Do you think I mind that you’re attracted to me?”
“Think of this way. I know you’re attracted to me, but that’s my nature—to attract women. And it’s also my nature to be attracted to women in return. So how do I know what’s special?” His hand, both graceful and masculine, lifted as if he was going to brush my arm, but stopped short. “If I can resist you, it must be special. I’ll know it’s about more.”
“That makes sense. I never thought of it that way before.”
“Enjoy Firian and Montague. I’ll wait,” he said.
I laughed, a little embarrassed. “I will enjoy them, thank you.”
His hand dared to move to my hair, stroking the ends a little. This was one way he could touch me without touching me. There were a lot more ways. I already knew that from the dreams. “I really hope, at some point, I get to watch.”
I nearly micro-orgasmed just from the way he was looking at me with those mesmerizing eyes and touching my hair in this faint, teasing way. “Does that really count as waiting, Alec?”
“Oh, yeah. Definitely. It lets me draw magic from sex without…going too far. It’s still torture for me.”
I felt hot and needy. Exposed.
“You like that, don’t you?” He smirked. “Well, don’t get too distracted, Charlotte. And be sure to practice safe wand usage.”
“Uh-huh…”
Chapter Fifteen
Montague
Rayner had to climb onto the roof of the house to get a look at the courtyard and see where this life had taken his Lisbeth.
He and Silvus were in China. The journey had been very long. He was exhausted and angry at fate for putting her so far away from him.
Jie, the guide he’d hired to help him move through this land where hardly anyone spoke any of the languages he knew, told him that if Lisbeth was a well-off young woman, she would rarely leave the family house and if she was married, she would be under the thumb of her husband and mother-in-law.
There was another thing, that boiled inside Rayner.
Women here had their feet broken and bound. They were in pain with every step. Rayner almost found himself praying that when he found Lisbeth, she would be reincarnated as a man. What would he do if that was the case?
But the moment he saw her, he knew her. She might have been a different race than in her previous two lives, wearing different clothes, in a different culture. It didn’t matte
r. She was still Lisbeth.
“That’s—” Silvus started to point.
“I know,” Rayner said. “We’re not moving yet. I’m going to watch, and everyone who hurts her—we kill.”
Rayner was hungry and not inclined to be merciful.
I woke shouting, “No. No!” I sat up in a rush.
I was breathing hard, but I calmed down when I heard the calm ticking of a clock on the mantel of our room’s old fireplace, and saw moonlight falling on my bed and Harris’ across from me.
He opened his eyes and slowly sat up. “Monty…you okay?”
“Man, I don’t know,” I said, irritated.
“Are you dreaming about them?”
“Yeah…” My hands were shaking a little, but I took a deep breath and steadied them. Harris and I had been best friends for so long, but we never had to face anything like this. We had fun. We didn’t talk about things like this very often.
Harris looked like he was thinking about this too. Life had gotten a lot more serious. I knew he was entangled in an engagement and a set path he didn’t want, and meanwhile I had…vampires. I used to talk to my familiar when something worried me, but now she was gone. I had to find someone else. I didn’t want to freak out Charlotte.
“They were in China looking for Lisbeth,” I said. “In one of her incarnations. She had bound feet and I think she had just been married. Rayner was furious and he—well, I didn’t get to see the whole scenario, but I think he killed her husband and her new family. I imagine he probably took her away. He didn’t even speak any Chinese.”
“So he was upset because they hurt her,” Harris said.
“I’m sure he was, but that was just what they did back then,” I said. “I mean, you can’t just murder people over a custom.”
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