Bad effing ass!
I danced the papers around until they formed a paper phoenix, and it flew around the high ceiling of the classroom.
Cauldron watched with approval. “Looks like she’s already learning how to use it. Just remember it’s connected to your emotions, so you have to regulate them or you’ll have outbursts like that again.” The phoenix flew low to his head, ruffling his hair, before it sailed right into Halace’s face.
“Can do, Headmaster.”
6
Magicae Equidem
After a rocky start, classes were slowly becoming easier, especially with my newfound telekinesis, and after a week I’d gotten enough of a handle on them to stop earning demerits. My peers, on the other hand, were not quite as simple. Potions class had just let out late on Friday, and the three girls I still had to sit next to were checking their faces in their compacts before they left. Busy putting my stuff back into my bag, I just barely caught their conversation.
“I heard he’s taken. He hasn’t gone out with anyone in a week.”
One of the other girls scoffed and rummaged in her bag for some lip gloss. “There’s no way he’s off the market.” She puckered into her compact and reapplied her already perfect sheen of gloss. “Cole Cauldron was caught crying in the boy’s locker room when he found out Alec bailed on their date.”
Rolling my eyes, I got up and went down the bleacher stairs, but their next words stopped me in my tracks.
“Alec said himself he’d never stop messing around unless it was magicae equidem, and I highly doubt he’s found his soulmate from this crop of weirdos. If he’s not soulmates with Candace Cauldron, he’s not soulmates with anyone. Remember the look on her face when he dumped her in tenth grade? She was so mad, she hexed him to jizz himself every time he saw her for a week.”
Alec had dated Candace effing Cauldron?
Cole was one thing, Candace was quite another. So glad I hadn’t let Alec kiss me, there was no way I was touching where Candace had been.
I left the classroom and went straight out the front doors, down the path, and up to the magical barrier that I crossed without pausing. Gilbert was nowhere to be seen, so I stomped as hard as my boots would go across the road to Highborn Village, not stopping until I had the tavern in my sights.
I was getting smashed tonight.
“Jazzzzzz!” someone shouted above me, Gilbert, no surprise there. He floated around and landed on his see-through feet in front of me. His dark hair looked especially fluffed, like the wind had blown it around for hours. “I missed you so much! You haven’t come to visit in two days!”
“I’ve been…” I trailed off, noticing a group of girls fast approaching the tavern with Candace in the lead. “Busy—shit,” I swore and turned around, disappearing down a side street so they wouldn’t see me, Gilbert floating along as I navigated through the town until we were on the outskirts at the only other tavern.
Finally. Booze.
When I passed an alley, something was moving in the shadows.
Wolves in the alley.
My grandmother’s words returned to me when a figure appeared from around a trash dumpster. He had on a leather jacket and black jeans, long layered brown hair that was swiped over his forehead, and if my guess was correct, he was of Korean descent with smooth skin and high cheekbones. When he came closer, I realized something was off about him, and my magic rang in my ears like an alarm.
He was a Lycan.
It was enough to send me reeling back, bumping into someone on the street, and when I looked back he was gone.
“Wotcher.” I screamed and turned to see Alec standing beside me. “Nice to see you again, Jaz. What’s got you so riled up?”
“There’s a Lycan…” Looking back at the alley, the man hadn’t reappeared, and I stepped into the dark path to investigate.
“Jaz, don’t go in there!” Gilbert bleated above my head, but he was powerless to stop me, especially when I was far enough into the alley to see where the man had gone to. He stood in a darkened nook that hid him from the street, and he was staring at me with startling intent.
Alec was there, grabbing my arm away, having not seen the threat yet. “Jaz, come on. If we’re going to be in an alley, at least buy me a drink first.”
The Lycan stepped out of the shadows and fixed his eyes on Alec as if he was two seconds away from gnawing the other man’s arms down to stumps. “Hands off her, warlock.” His eyes started glowing bright blue, sparking my memory of that night in the woods.
“You’re the silvery wolf from before,” I said to him, his glowing eyes turning on me.
“Before?” Alec shrieked, still grabbing at me. “You’ve met this mangy flea bag before? Get out of here, dog. Your kind isn’t welcome in our territory, or in case you don’t remember, we’re at war with magical beasts.”
The wolf’s eyes followed Alec’s movements like a cat stalking his prey. Or dog, I guess. “I’m well aware, warlock. I’m the Alpha of my pack, I know exactly what it means to trespass into witch territory. I’m here because of her,” he announced, thrusting his chin towards me without breaking his eye contact with Alec.
“Are you expecting a thank you for saving me from becoming your pack’s dinner?” The wolf broke his stare-off to look at me. “If that’s the case, thanks, bye.”
“I only wish it was that simple, witch.” He looked me over, a grimace on his face that he did nothing to hide, but it didn’t stop his slow perusal of my boobs. “You’re my mate.”
What in the boiling hell?
“That’s ridiculous,” Alec scoffed, trying to pull me away and making the Lycan growl low in his throat. “You can’t be mated to a witch.”
“Look, I’m not happy about it either, but it happened. I can’t take it back. I saw her, I smelled her scent, and I knew. Surely your kind has something like that.”
We did, but he didn’t need to know about it, because it had certainly not happened yet on my end. I wouldn’t know unless we kissed, and I wasn’t going to swap saliva with a Lycan, even if he was really hot.
Alec tried stepping in front of me, being chivalrous for once. “Get out of here, or I’ll call the guard. I don’t care about your little crush, she’s with me.”
I shoved him out of the way. “Stop it, Tarzan. I don’t belong to you, and I sure as hell—” I pointed to the Lycan with an accusatory finger. “—don’t belong to you either.”
“What about me?” Gilbert asked me, hovering above, drawing the Lycan’s attention up to him.
“When did the ghost get here?” he asked, swiping his bangs out of his eyes when they drooped down.
My mouth dropped open in shock. “You can see him? How?”
The Lycan was very clearly looking exactly where Gilbert was. “Animal instincts.”
Alec looked up as well, seeing nothing. “What ghost?”
A group of students in the street saw us and called to Alec, making the Lycan shrink back into the shadows.
“Alec! We’re getting smashed, want to come?”
The Lycan watched the group carefully, desperately looking back at me, unwilling to leave despite the danger. “Your name. That’s all I want. I have to know my mate’s name.”
I stepped closer to him, enough where I could see the subtle glow of his eyes in the shadows and noted he was as short as I was, which was in complete contrast with the size of his wolf form. “I’m not your mate,” I hissed at him, checking the group still standing there calling to Alec who was halfway between us and the other witches, trying to get them to go away.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” he assured them, trying not to be obvious as he looked back at me.
The Lycan growled slightly, then he whined at me, tapping his foot impatiently. “Don’t argue semantics right now. Just tell me. Please.”
I walked into the nook until we were both in the shadows, and it was somehow making this secret exchange feel like a stolen kiss in the dark. The only thing I could see in the
darkening light was his glowing eyes and a hint of his slender frame, and though it was cold enough outside to make my breath visible, standing that close to him was starting a fire inside me.
Ignore it. He’s just a Lycan.
Swallowing hard, I tried to focus on him so the exchange would end quickly. “Fair trade, dude. Your name for mine. And then you leave.”
“Pierce,” he answered, turning his head with a start at a noise behind us, growling low in his throat when Alec appeared.
The warmth inside me was spreading as Pierce came closer, so much that I felt like I was about to start sweating. God damn it, I was reacting to a Lycan. The sooner he was gone, the better.
“I’m Jaz. Now go before the guard catches you.”
Grunting, the shadow of his hand moved towards me, brushing slightly at my pink tipped curls before I could stop him and sending a jolt of electricity through me. Then he was gone, jumping up to the dumpster and turning into a wolf before he landed, going over the wall behind the receptacle, out of sight and hopefully out of town.
Gilbert and Alec were instantly on me in the nook, asking if I was okay at the same time, and I brushed past both of them. “I’m fine, stop fussing. He didn’t even touch me.”
“Let’s make sure it stays that way,” Alec warned, ruffling his coat collar. “If that dog comes back here, I’ll have him arrested.”
“Mated to a wolf, my ass!” Gilbert scoffed, standing beside Alec with his arms crossed over his silvery chest.
“Okay, look, you two. He’s gone, it’s over, let’s calm down.”
“Two?” Alec snorted. “You mean the ghost you mentioned?” He looked around, completely passing over where Gilbert was standing. “Where is he?” I pointed, and he squinted at the empty air beside him. “I think you’re screwing with me. There’s nothing there.”
Gilbert smiled and waved at the warlock. “Hello, Jaz’s friend. I don’t like you very much.”
“He says he doesn’t like you,” I repeated, drawing Alec’s eyes away from the alley.
“Now I know you’re joking. Everyone likes me.” His fingers twitched until he shoved them into his pants pockets. “I was heading to the pub, would you like to come along?”
“God, yes.”
With Gilbert staying outside, we went into the tavern and side-stepped a group as they were leaving. Not paying attention, I didn’t notice I was pressed against Alec to avoid the group until they had already left and I looked up, seeing him staring down at me, my breasts pressed to his stomach. My skin suddenly felt tight all over and the temperature of the room rose a thousand degrees.
“Not that I’m complaining about this predicament, but I suggest you don’t move or you’re going to… Ahh.” During his warning, another group of kids passed us, shoving me further into him, and I felt the issue he was having. It was hard to miss. “I am enjoying the view, though.” My tank top had ridden down and revealed some of my cleavage, but my hands snapped up to hide it with a scowl.
“Show’s over.” He grumbled in complaint as I backed away and turned, heading towards an empty table, then he sat across from me and motioned with two fingers to the barmaid. She waltzed over to us, her generous breasts swaying along with her hips. He pretended not to notice.
“What can I get for you two?” She turned to face me, revealing a large mess of disfiguring scars on the other side of her face. She cackled at my horrified expression. “Sorry about that, love. Bit disconcerting, I know. That’s what happens when you scuffle with a Lycan.”
Alec’s slow stare was enough for me to bring out my middle finger for him.
“A Lycan attacked you?” I asked her, lowering my hand.
“A pack held me captive for a week. Sounds sexy, it wasn’t. They spent that long deciding what to do with me. I’m technically not a witch, but since I live among them, it was a bit of a grey area. Tried to escape and got this for my troubles before I got away.”
“Did you…” I flicked my eyes to Alec and back to the barmaid. “Did you learn anything about them?” Alec’s shoe came up and kicked me under the table, right in my shin, but I ignored the pain. “Like, do they have mates?”
“Of course they do. Wolves mate for life. My guard told me about the first time he saw his girl. He said it was all he needed to know she was his mate. Wasn’t a choice, or a feeling he could ignore. He was powerless, fell in love with her immediately. The ironic part was she happened to be dating his brother at the time, but thankfully they worked it all out. His brother had to let her go or the poor guy would’ve died without her.”
“Yes, that’s great. Can we stop talking about our enemies?” Alec interjected, toeing me again with his shoe. “We’ll have two of whatever’s on tap.”
“That stuffs a bit strong, love.” Her scarred face looked down at me, as if trying to judge my tolerance from a glance, and apparently she thought I was a lightweight because she straightened and raised her eyebrows at me. “Sure you two can handle it?”
“We’re good,” I assured her, and she strutted off to the bar for our drinks without another word. “Clearly she’s never been to booze night at my house. I can drink both of my dads into a corner.”
Alec opened his mouth to respond with a laugh, but he froze, his eyes growing in shock a millisecond before someone dumped an entire pitcher of freezing cold beer on my head. Amidst taunting laughter, I wiped at the droplets in my eyes and looked up to see Cole Cauldron and his friends jeering at me.
“That’ll teach you to steal Alec, you scheming little witch,” Cole sneered, tossing the pitcher against my shoulder and splashing me with more liquid.
Alec shot up, getting up in Cole’s face, several inches taller than the blonde boy. “That’s enough, Cole,” he warned with gritted teeth, his voice dangerously low.
One of Cole’s friends leaned over me, inhaling deeply. “Seems you became a slut after all, ehh, Neck?”
Memories rose inside me, and I was back in middle school, back to the day I lost my magic, when all the people I called friends showed a side of them that was full of hatred. Hatred for me. Hatred for anyone who wasn’t like them. They’d done much worse than dump beer on my head.
Drops fell down my nose, beer mixed with tears, and my damp hand shot out past the boy leaning over me to grasp Alec’s fingers. He broke from his stare-down with Cole, his full attention on my face like the boys weren’t even there.
Clenching my jaw to stop more tears, I slowly looked up at him, meeting his steel eyes. “I accept your offer.”
My hand shook, Alec shoved the boy aside and wrenched me up from the bench to press me against him for a second time that day, and I trembled with the terrible memories running through me.
Alec’s arm slowly went around me, pulling me closer to him, so close I could smell the musky scent of his aftershave, feel his lean, muscled body underneath his blue suit, and his hot breath on my face. With his other hand, he came up to grasp my chin, and he closed the distance between us, locking his lips onto mine with an intensity I’d never felt before.
My magic rose inside me, calling out to his. Like my spirit leaving my body, tendrils of my power escaped and flew around me, then his did the same, shooting out from him and grasping at the tendrils, holding my magic exactly like he held me.
Gasping against his lips at the sensation, I knew in that moment that our magic was made to be together, and judging by the way he clung to me, brought me so close to him I felt every plane and curve of his body, he felt it too.
Magicae equidem.
Magical soulmates.
Goddess help me.
I’d like to say the revelation that I’d found my soulmate was the best thing that had ever happened to me, but considering it was with Alec Claus, I can’t say for sure.
Once our magic died down and receded back inside us, I broke from his lips, staring up at him, more tears coming down my cheeks, though I had no idea what I was crying about.
I wanted more. More of him. God, I was
on fire for him.
“That’s bullshit!” Cole thundered beside us, but Alec’s eyes never wavered from mine. “You’re magicae equidem with her?” The entire tavern had seen the display, it was as impossible to miss as a naked man running down the street.
A timid, genuine smile came to Alec’s lips, and he looked shy for the first time since I’d met him. “I suppose I am. Die mad about it, Cole.” His fingers brushed through my drenched curls, not even phased, and he leaned down to brush his lips against mine again, deepening the kiss with a low moan in his throat that I echoed, pushing my chest against him and fitting our bodies together. Heat pooled inside me, settling right between my thighs.
Keep touching me, warlock boy. You might just come in my chimney tonight.
“Okay, love birds, that’s enough,” the barmaid declared behind us when I was two seconds away from unbuttoning Alec’s shirt.
We broke apart again and Alec finally looked back at Cole, still stroking my hair with his hand and leveling the other boy with a glare that could boil ice. “Jaz belongs to me now. You hurt her, I hurt you. Tell all of your stupid friends, including your rotten sister. Now get lost.” They scuffled out, tossing a few complaints that Alec ignored.
I looked down at his blue suit and saw that it was covered in beer stains from my drenched clothes. “Shit, I’m sorry, Alec.”
He gave it one glance and shrugged. “It’s just a suit. Besides, this gives me a good reason to take it off.” He winked, flirtatiously clicking his tongue at me, and even though I felt an instant wave of desire sweep over me, I shoved the feeling away and narrowed my eyes at him because that moment had passed.
“I agreed to be your girlfriend, that didn’t include naked stuff.”
He contemplated that, eyes towards the ceiling. “Nah, I’m pretty sure it did.”
“Drinks for the happy couple,” the barmaid announced, clunking the large glass mugs onto the table beside us. “You want to kiss again, or anything else, I suggest you do it outside.” I sat back down and pulled my mug closer to me, putting my lips to the straw she’d put inside it. “But, on a nicer note. It’s been a long time since I saw magicae equidem. Very rare, but so beautiful to see, the way your magic calls to the other. I just about cried. Well, enjoy, loves.”
Neck-Romancer: A Neck-Romancer Novel Page 7