Magicbound to a Snake Girl

by Kurtis Eckstein

  Really, these guys were the first time I’d ever done it – killed a person. It felt…weird. I had an uneasy sensation in the pit of my stomach. I was trying hard not to think about it.

  Kain hesitated, before running over to grab the other man’s gun.

  When he returned, his gait was unsteady, and he looked like he was going to be sick. I suspected it was from getting a closer view of the gaping hole in the man’s chest. Beads of sweat were rapidly forming on his brow, his green eyes almost looking pained.

  Kain’s hand began trembling as he held the gun close to the living man’s head.

  Chapter 9: Shaken

  I came to a halt automatically when Kain bent over to vomit again. This was the third time we had been required to stop. I used the opportunity while he wasn’t looking to shift to my demon form, also for the third time. All my senses were so much more sensitive when transformed, and it was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable – muted – whenever I was normal.

  We were still safely away from anyone seeing us, but I wasn’t sure how long that would last before the Guard started doing a detailed sweep of the area. Thankfully, we were almost back to Roe and Lee.

  “Sorry,” Kain whispered, panting heavily. “I’ve never killed anyone before. I feel like shit.”

  “It’s okay,” I replied just as quietly, looking human again. “I don’t feel very well either,” I admitted, before pausing. “It was my first time too.”

  He looked up at me in surprise, which I unexpectedly found offensive.

  “Seriously?!” I exclaimed. “Don’t look so shocked.”

  “Sorry,” he repeated, standing up straight. “That was rude.”

  “Very rude,” I agreed, my arms crossed over my chest.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s keep moving.”

  I met his gaze for a moment before nodding hesitantly. He was just so…accepting of everything. As if it didn’t matter to him that I was half-demon. That I could look like a demon. That I could kill like a demon. He didn’t seem to care. If anything, his expression was even more tender because of it. As if he liked having a secret with me.

  I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as we continued on. I was glad when he removed his hand from my shoulder. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the warmth of his palm, or the fondness in his expression. I didn’t even know him, at least not other than having seen him around.

  When we rounded the last corner, we found that the alleyway was empty – Roe and Lee were nowhere to be seen.

  We both exchanged a glance.

  “We should head back to your house like we originally planned,” Kain suggested. “When they woke up, they would have known there was no hope of figuring out where we went. They might have gone to tell your father.”

  I paused as I considered that. “Would they have tried telling the Guard?” I asked seriously.

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, your dad’s a member of the Night Watch, right? And trying to walk around town to find one of the Guard could take a while.”

  “Oh,” I replied. “I guess that’s true. Well, let’s go then. Hopefully, they are there. Otherwise, we need to come up with an excuse for explaining how we weren’t involved if they tell someone else.” I thought back to last night. “Maybe we can say a mage in black–”

  Yelling, near the entrance to the alleyway, caught our attention.

  “Over here!” someone yelled. “I think the lightning came from this direction!”

  Kain abruptly cursed under his breath, before wiping his mouth and shoving me against the wall.

  I gasped as he slid his knee in between my legs. “What are you doing?!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide.

  “Sorry,” he whispered. “Just trust me.”

  I froze when he ran his fingers through my hair and shoved his lips on mine. His skin was smooth, soft, and warm. My face unexpectedly felt like it was going to explode as I’m sure it turned a dark shade of crimson.

  “What in the hell?” someone exclaimed under their breath.

  Kain quickly pulled away and looked over at the four men that had just appeared in the alleyway. I stared straight down at the ground, unable to look up at any of them.

  “Oh!” Kain exclaimed, sounding embarrassed. “We weren’t doing anything.”

  “Kids these days,” another one of them scoffed.

  The first one spoke up again. “Take it someplace else!” he barked out. “This isn’t the time to be sneaking around!”

  “Yes sir,” Kain retorted firmly, grabbing my hand and tugging me along.

  I didn’t even bother looking up at them as we passed, my face still bright red.

  He kissed me. My first kiss. Suddenly, that’s all I could think about. It took me a few minutes to realize we were now walking at a normal pace hand-in-hand, our fingers intertwined. I glanced back to make sure no one was watching, before carefully pulling my hand away.

  He let go immediately. “Sorry about that,” he said, his cheeks slightly red too. “I just figured it was the easiest way to avoid us raising suspicion.”

  I just nodded without a word, holding my hand against my chest, the heat still lingering in my fingers. Did that really just happen? I felt more rattled from the kiss than from killing those men. Although, now the two sensations were combining, making me just generally uneasy all over.

  “You aren’t mad, are you?” he asked seriously after a moment.

  I glanced up at him, before immediately looking away. “Just please don’t do that again,” I said. I then gently bit my lip, lowering my voice. “I mean, at least not without my permission.”

  “Sorry,” he repeated quietly. He then took a deep breath. “I’m sure that was disgusting, considering I had just vomited.”

  I didn’t answer. Honestly, I didn’t even notice, but I wasn’t about to admit that. “Have you done that before?” I asked hesitantly after a moment.

  “What? Kiss? Of course,” he scoffed, before his eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, was that your first kiss?”

  “So what if it was?!” I snapped, unexpectedly annoyed.

  “Calm down,” he retorted. “It’s just surprising since you’re so pretty. Besides, it wasn’t even really much of a kiss.”

  “It wasn’t?” I asked, confused now.

  He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Well, no. Not really. I mean touching lips is nice, but the fun part is using your tongue.”

  I immediately stared down at the ground, my face turning red all over again. I didn’t want to think about this right now. I had more important issues going on in my life, rather than worrying about boys and kissing.

  I didn’t say anything in response, and he either took the hint or else was just as embarrassed as I was now. Either way, he was quiet after that, and we didn’t talk the rest of the way to my house.

  I assumed my dad might be there, since going out to search for me would be a fruitless endeavor, but I was still relieved when I saw him outside with Roe and Lee. And even more relieved when he ran up to me and snatched me up in his arms, pulling me away from the uncomfortable tension lingering between me and Kain.

  I sighed heavily as I hugged him back, my feet off the ground. “Hi dad,” I whispered simply, feeling all my uneasiness finally unwind. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I started sobbing uncontrollably.

  Apparently, killing someone wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I had trapped, killed, and cleaned so many animals over the years that I didn’t think killing a person would be much different.

  But it was different.

  Very different.

  I had never been this upset over killing an animal. And now I was thankful I hadn’t really been able to go through with ‘taking care’ of Kaylee. Granted, I was sure I never would have actually been able to do it anyway.

  Once I started calming down a little, my dad asked the three boys to wait outside while he took me in. I suspected he wa
nted to talk to them more, and he probably assumed I wanted to see Jasmyn.

  He was right.

  She was hiding in my room, knowing we had company outside. When he sat me down on my bed, she immediately wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

  I was a little surprised to discover that she was wearing what I assumed must be one of my mom’s corsets. It was black with frill along the top and bottom edges, along with a cute silk ribbon in the middle. It fit her really well, and it looked great on her too, sharply contrasted against her brighter coloring. The laces on each side would have allowed her to put it on herself – I certainly doubted my dad would have helped her, though I had no doubt he was the one who had recommended she wear it instead of one of my torn shirts. Jasmyn certainly never would have gone rummaging through my mom’s clothes on her own.

  Her snowy hair was combed a little too, although the rest of it still looked to be so hopelessly tangled that her only chance of combing all of it was just to get her hair cut short. I decided in passing that I’d talk to her about that eventually, so I could help her take care of her hair from now on.

  As my dad began to leave the room, I quickly spoke up to stop him. “Umm,” I sniffled, “the boy that was with me, Kain, saw me. He promised not to say anything though.” I sighed heavily. “I kind of saved his life, so he owes me anyway.”

  My dad nodded. “It seems like they are all willing to stay quiet about it, although I’ll probably need to give the other two some explanation.”

  “Just tell them I’m a mage?” I suggested hesitantly.

  He nodded again. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Which solves that problem for now, but I’m really concerned about the fact that someone tried to have you killed in the first place.”

  “What?” Jasmyn hissed next to me. “That’s what this is about?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Yes,” I whispered, leaning more into her.

  She automatically tightened her embrace around me in response. “But who would do that? And why?”

  My father shook his head. “They said it was a well-dressed man who approached them, and when they described him, it reminded me of someone…” He paused to sigh. “But that would be very problematic.”

  “Who?” I asked seriously, reaching up to wipe my eyes.

  My dad gave me a stern look. “I’ll tell you, but only if you promise not to go running off at night to take care of anything yourself.”

  I shivered at the idea, especially considering how I felt now. “I promise,” I whispered.

  He nodded. “I don’t actually know the man’s name. But, if it’s who I’m thinking of, then the person who likely put him up to the task is the mayor.”

  My eyes widened. “You think Ryker’s dad is trying to have me killed?” I clarified in disbelief.

  “Possibly,” he replied. “And given that his son just died, it seems likely.”

  “But he shouldn’t know I’m involved,” I retorted. “Unless…” I gasped, dread filling my chest.

  Please don’t tell me Kaylee lied…

  “Unless what?” Jasmyn asked.

  I didn’t answer her though. I didn’t want to say it out loud. It felt like saying it would make it true.

  My dad stared at me for a moment, seeing if I would continue, before replying to my first comment. “Actually, it doesn’t matter if he knows you were involved.” He sighed again. “The man hates mages. I’m pretty sure he’s the person who started the rumor that your mother is a devil.” He scoffed. “Of course, he had no idea how close to the truth he was, but to him mages are all devils.”

  “But what does that have to do with me?” I wondered seriously.

  He scratched the back of his head. “His grief over his son’s death has probably turned to an irrational hatred. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wants someone to blame, and he picked you, assuming the explosion could be your fault. It’s not far of a stretch to assume you’re a mage too considering your mother is.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not even how Ryker died.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” my dad replied. “When people are blind with grief and hatred, they generally don’t think clearly.” He took a deep breath. “Either way, whoever hired the men to kill you is going to feel confident that you are involved now.”

  “Why?” I asked breathlessly, my eyes wide.

  “Because of that attack you used,” he answered simply. “If it is the mayor, then he knows that the men he hired tried to kill you, only to be killed with the same type of magic as was seen when his son died.”

  I felt dread creep into my chest again. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t know the attack was going to be that powerful.”

  My dad drew closer and laid his hand on top of my head. “Sweetie, it’s alright. This kind of problem is normal for demons.”

  I gawked at him. “It is?”

  He smiled at me. “Yes, it really is. Humans often have a difficult time releasing magic in the first place – they must train to become effective mages. However, magical creatures like demons, dragons, and elves all have to train how to control their magic. Letting it out is the easy part for most of them, whereas keeping it under control once they do let it out is something they have to train.” He sighed heavily. “Usually, you would have started training at a young age when your energy pool was still small. However, now you’re like an infant in an adult body when it comes to your magic.”

  “If that’s such a bad thing,” I replied slowly, “then why not train me sooner?”

  He shrugged. “Your mother really wanted you to have a normal human life, since it can be difficult for those of mixed races to find acceptance anywhere. And while you might have had more control over your released magic now, it would have taken you years to learn how to completely bottle it up. Instead, now that you’re older, it took you barely half an hour to look human again.”

  I nodded slowly. “So what do we do then?” I wondered. “If Ryker’s dad knows I was involved, then won’t he send people after me again?” I shivered at the idea of having to defend myself a second time…and killing more people. “Or…” I realized, my eyes widening. “What if he tells everyone?”

  My dad gently ran his fingers through my hair. “You let me worry about that, honey. If he tells anyone, then we will just leave. However, I’m not about to be run out of town by one person who insists on trying to harm my family. I’ll find the man who I think set this up and get some answers out of him. If it turns out that it’s the mayor, then I’ll take care of it.” He grimaced. “I may be a human right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to stealthily eliminate enemies.”

  My eyes widened in shock. Was he really going to kill the mayor? I knew this was different than the situation with Kaylee, but still…

  “Please be careful,” I whispered. “I don’t like the idea of you getting hurt…or worse…”

  He patted me on the head and stepped away. “I can still always turn back into a dragon if I need to.” He then sighed. “Anyway, I’m going to go talk more with the boys who tried to protect you. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  I nodded somberly, leaning more heavily into Jasmyn’s embrace. “Okay,” I whispered. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetie,” he replied with a warm smile, before heading outside.

  Later that evening, after he had talked to the guys, my dad had to leave since it was his turn to help with the Night Watch. It wasn’t unusual for me to spend a couple nights a month alone in the house, since my dad had been helping out with keeping the town secure at night for several years now. However, this night in particular was one in which I was especially thankful Jasmyn had started living with us. I wasn’t sure I could handle being alone right now.

  I had honestly already forgotten about my embarrassing moment with Kain, but then Jasmyn wondered if I would tell her exactly what happened. I still didn’t think much of it while I began recounting the story. However, once I got to that part, I started blush
ing again and skipped right over it. I figured it wasn’t that important anyway, but she knew I was hiding something.

  We were laying down in my bed, with me facing the wall and her behind me, as was becoming our usual sleeping arrangement. And I was doing a poor job of not reacting.

  “Alyssa,” she whined. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “He kissed me,” I blurted out, covering my face with my hands.

  She propped herself up on her elbow to get a better look at me. “What’s a kiss?” she asked seriously.

  I turned my head to gawk up at her. “You don’t know?” I wondered in disbelief.

  She shook her head, looking embarrassed now.

  My expression was immediately apologetic for assuming. “Sorry. It’s when two people put their lips together.”

  Jasmyn immediately grimaced. “Gross!” she exclaimed. “That sounds disgusting.”

  My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” she retorted. “Why would you want to do that?”

  I looked past her and stared at the ceiling as I thought about it. “Well…I guess usually it’s supposed to be a romantic thing when you do it with someone who isn’t family. Something people do when they like each other a lot.”

  She abruptly looked shocked. “Wait. Did you like it?”

  I covered my face with my hands again. “I don’t know,” I moaned, my voice muffled. “I’ve never been kissed before on the lips. It was really embarrassing, especially because people saw.”

  When Jasmyn didn’t respond, I peeked at her through my fingers. Her brow was furrowed now, seeming pensive.

  “What do Nagas do?” I wondered hesitantly. “Like when they want to be romantic with each other.”

  Now she looked embarrassed. She immediately averted her eyes. “Well…they…” She plopped back down and hid her eyes behind her hands, prompting me to flip over to face her. “They…” She took a deep breath. “Sort of, wrap around each other,” she finally managed.

  I glanced down at her sky-blue tail, most of it flowing off the bed and laying on the floor. “Oh,” I said simply. I was then pensive. “That sounds a little more intimate than just kissing though,” I considered.