Clever Witch

by Nikki Dean

She nodded. Dice butted against her hand for scratches.

  "And that will be..." Paul dragged the last syllable out, clearly rethinking their welcome.

  "Just the weekend. I'd like to see Mom and Dad while I'm back, but we really came to visit you," she replied. "We have some questions about the sigil, and who you lifted it from. Plus who stabbed you for it."

  Paul's gaze went from Dice to his sister's face, then to the line of men standing behind her. "All of you, huh? Come in, I guess."

  "Thanks." She breezed by, Dice at her side. Matt followed with her backpack on and his own bag over one shoulder. The rest filed in after them.

  Everett was last. He stopped in front of Paul, sizing him up. Paul didn't say anything as he held the door open, and Everett finally went inside. Mallory met her brother's gaze and shrugged. Paul didn't ask.

  * * *

  They settled into Paul's two spare rooms. He usually had a roommate in one or the other, so both had beds, and he pulled out an inflatable mattress to throw onto the floor. He ordered take-out and they all sat down for a late dinner.

  "So, what's so important about this thing that you drove all the way to Winn to talk about it? Couldn't you have just called?" Paul asked around a mouthful of food.

  Mallory set her fork down and took the sigil out of her pocket. "I could have, but then I wouldn't have known you were lying to me about stealing it. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

  He shrugged. "Dunno. Why's it matter after so long, anyway? I literally got stabbed over it, so I think I've paid my debt to society." The sarcasm dripped from his voice. “How’d you even find out about it?”

  "Why don't you start by telling us what it is?" Matt chimed in. "Someone in the Defense Department is very interested, and we need to know what you know."

  "That's dumb. It's just a wishing box toy," Paul said in disgust. "Is that really what the Defense Department is into these days? Toys?"

  Mallory caught Everett's glare and shook her head slightly.

  "Paul, why would you steal a toy?" she asked. "Seems like a ridiculous thing to get stabbed over."

  "I know." He rolled his eyes. "I was pretty pissed about it. I lost a bet with some buddies at school, so we all agreed that I'd have to take Luca's magic box. He was really attached to it and kept talking about how it would turn his life around, so I was going to steal it as a joke. I always planned to give it back to him, but then it went missing. Why didn't you ever tell me that you found it?"

  "I didn't. A raccoon did, and gave it to me that night. And I don't know, maybe because I was really upset that my brother almost died, so a dumb sigil didn't seem important."

  He shrugged, as though to agree with her.

  "What kind of wishes does it grant?" Alec asked. They all looked at him. "What? He said it grants wishes. I wanna know more."

  "It's a fake," Paul grumbled. "I made plenty of wishes on it while I had it, but nothing happened. Luca said it takes a certain kind of magic to activate it."

  "What kind?" Mallory asked. My web? Or my shadows?

  "Dunno. We couldn't ever figure it out. Only found out afterwards that he was planning to sell it for a lot of money, which clearly didn't happen."

  "What happened to Luca?" Damon asked.

  "Nothing happened to him," Paul replied, irritated. "He told them I stole it, someone stabbed me and everyone moved on. Why would anything happen to him?"

  "People like that don't usually just 'move on'," Damon muttered. "They must not have been serious buyers. Or there was already a paper trail in the DD."

  "Wait, you think the buyer was someone in the Department of Defense?" Paul demanded. "And they had me stabbed?"

  "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at this point," Mallory muttered. "There are a few crazies in there."

  "Says the woman with a jaguar," Matt pointed out with a wink.

  She flipped him off. He grinned.

  "So what's going on with you guys?" Paul asked. "You're all dating or something?"

  Mallory nearly choked.

  "Just Mallory and I, and she and Matt," Nico said. He reached over and rubbed her back. "But not Matt and I, or anything like that."

  "Huh." Paul sat back, his gaze darting between all of them before it finally settled on his sister. "But why?"

  "Fuck you," Mal finally managed to wheeze. "Why are you so interested in my love life?"

  "It's weird, Mal. You can't even tell me it's not. Why date two guys when you could just date one? Are you that needy?" he teased.

  "Two and a half," Alec said again.

  "How do you halfway date someone?" Paul asked.

  "I just found out it'd even be possible," Alec said. "So I haven't put as much effort into it as I should have."

  "What the fuck does that mean?" Mallory burst out. "Just because I can copy your strength means you suddenly want to date me? That doesn't sound like settling at all, Alec. Answer is no."

  "I liked you before, but now I like you more since I won't accidentally kill you."

  "Hey, I don't know you or care how big you are, but if you hurt my sister, I'm going to beat the shit out of you. Just so we're all clear," Paul declared with a glare. He set his plate down on the table and leaned against it. "I won't wait for her to give me permission or any of that stupid shit girls think they can do about this stuff - if you hurt her, you'll regret it. You get me?"

  Alec stared at him for a second before he burst out laughing. Paul's brows drew even lower. Dice growled.

  "Both of you shut up," Mallory ordered. "Paul, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle Alec. Seriously, you don't need to worry about it. Alec, stop being an ass to my brother."

  "What's he talking about, accidentally kill you?" Paul demanded.

  She sighed and sent Nico a beseeching look. "Alec's magic makes it difficult for him to interact with people on a regular basis."

  "Difficult how?" Paul demanded. "And how are you planning to deal with it?"

  "Because I can counteract it," Mal said. "It's weird, and I'm just now learning what all I can do. My magic pretty much went crazy after I got to the Academy of Dark Arts, and now I can use it in a lot of different ways that I couldn't before. I've actually learned a lot, even if it wasn't necessarily because of the classes," she begrudgingly admitted.

  Matt and Nico both smirked. She refused to acknowledge them.

  "So you're just wandering around magic academy, picking up guys?" Paul asked in disbelief. "Because your magic works well with theirs? That sounds dumb."

  "I mean, it's no less of a basis for a relationship than liking the same movies, or music," Mallory replied in annoyance. "I like Matt and Nico a lot. Like a lot, Paul. Enough to say that you'd better get used to this idea, because they're sticking around for a long time. Alec is cool too, but I'm just now getting used to having two boyfriends, so I'm not trying to add a third. He's just overly excited because my magic makes me seem like an option."

  "Hey!" Alec protested. "That's bullshit and you know it, Bunny!"

  Paul lifted his eyebrows at the pet name, but didn't say anything.

  "Is it, though?" Mallory demanded. "You were flirting before, yeah, but that's just how you are. Or at least, that's how I've always seen you, and you only started mentioning this dating stuff after I kicked your ass last Sunday. Please, tell me how that doesn't make it seem like you're just settling because I can handle your strength?"

  "I'm not settling," he growled, shoving his chair back from the table. "You'll see." He stormed out the door, slamming it so hard the wall rattled behind him.

  Paul leaned back in his seat with a whistle. "You sure you can handle that, Mal? Seems like some anger issues to me."

  The room filled with black, so thick that Mallory couldn't at first tell where it was coming from. She was surprised to see that it was oozing out of all of them, her included.

  "He's usually pretty great," Mal said. "Funny and charming, and really chill. I guess I upset him a lot by accusing him of only wanting to date me becau
se I'm convenient."

  "You fucking think?" Damon bit out. A vein she'd never noticed before was popping out in his forehead. "He literally just told you that he has feelings for you in front of your brother, and you shot him down without a second thought."

  "Hey! His feelings aren't my responsibility!" Mallory protested. "It's not my job to let him down easily, or anyone else. We're friends. That's it."

  Even Paul flinched at the proclamation. "Fuck, maybe I should take him a beer."

  "Fuck you guys," Mallory muttered, pushing back from the table too. "He's an adult. We're all adults. I've already said no, and he keeps pushing it." Nevertheless she grabbed two beers and went to the door. "He knows I'm already committed to Nico and Matt. Knows how I feel about them. I mean, is this a thing that you guys all do? Date the same girl? Because Nico's been telling me that I'd love all of you from the beginning, but it's just crazy to me. Especially both of your grumpy asses."

  Damon flipped her off and Everett just shrugged.

  Paul raised his hand. "I'm still right here, you know."

  "Shut up," they all said in unison.

  Paul sighed and got his own beer.

  "I still don't think anyone should be dating you. You're a student," Damon retorted. "Keep that in mind while you're out there consoling him."

  Mallory threw her arms out with a huff. "You're the one that was just pissed because I said no, and now you're giving me hell because I'm going to talk to him? Seriously, pick a side here, Damon."

  "There shouldn't be any sides," Everett said, his voice tight with anger. It was nothing new, really. "We were all fine before you came along, and now we're like this. Picking sides. I fucking warned you guys." Everett got up and stalked to the door, shoving his way past Mallory. "But would any of you listen? Of course not."

  Dice took a swipe at him on the way by, earning a glare and another curse. The door slammed again as Everett left.

  Mallory stood there in silence for a second.

  "It'll all work out in the end," Matt said. "Trust me on this."

  "How can you know that?" Mallory whispered. "There's no possible way to know that. All the magic in the world can't guarantee that this will all be okay."

  "All we can do is try," Nico said. He got up and gave her a hug, holding her tightly regardless of Paul's presence in the room. "I love you no matter what. Now go talk to Alec before he breaks something."

  Mallory huffed a little, not amused enough to laugh, but enough for something. Anything other than feeling like she was tearing their group apart. Nico swatted her ass and pointed her toward the door. "Love you, Bunny."

  "Love you, too."

  She could feel Paul's astonished confusion as she walked out to find Alec. Luckily, he hadn't gone far and was sitting on the edge of the porch. She sat down beside him, dangling her legs over the edge of the unfinished side.

  "He's been working on getting a railing up for the last year and a half," she said.

  Alec didn't respond. She cracked the first beer open and set it down between them.

  "I asked him to move back to Helston before I met Matt and the rest of you, but he always refused. Said it was too nice out here at night to leave the view."

  "It looks pretty dark to me," Alec finally replied. "What's there to like about that?"

  She shrugged and opened her own beer. "It's cloudy so there's no moon tonight, but usually it lights up the whole sky. You can see everything, and the stars are gorgeous. Not like back home in Helston, where the city drowns so much. And you can hear the bugs, and the animals more."

  Speaking of which, the door opened behind them and Dice padded out, then someone pulled it closed. Nico. He's always so considerate. Dice sat beside her, leaning into her side a little too exuberantly. Mallory's shoulder hit Alec's and he stiffened.

  "Sorry," she said as she straightened. "My cat has no sense of personal space."

  "They don't usually."

  "Oh, yeah? You like cats?" she asked in surprise. He'd never mentioned it before.

  "I used to. We had one at home, before I moved to the academy."

  Oh. Of course, you dumb bitch. He would be afraid of hurting an animal.

  "I'm not settling, you know."

  The words surprised her, even though they shouldn't have. It was why she came out to talk to him, after all.

  "How do you know that, though?" Mal asked. "We're friends, sure, but you have a lot of options. I'm sure there's another girl out there who can cancel out your magic. Someone like Everett, maybe, or even like me, that can copy it. It can't be that hard to find."

  "I don't want another girl, though."

  His words warmed her heart, even as they made it hurt. "What about Damon? He's made it pretty clear that he's not into the idea of Matt and Nico and I being together, and he's your best friend. What's that going to do to you guys if you want to date me, too? Not that I would even know how to wrap my head around three relationships, instead of two. I'm still getting used to the two that I have."

  "Damon will get over it. You don't need to worry about him," Alec promised. "I know it's a lot to think about, but being with you wouldn't ever be settling for me. I like you, Mallory. Sorry I didn't make it clear before last week."

  "I'm sorry that I accused you of that. It wasn't fair. You're an adult and you know how you feel." She sighed. "I'm just afraid that I can't return it, Alec. I'm afraid that I'm going to mess up things between your entire group by picking Nico and Matt, and not you, too. But on the other hand, Damon would be pissed if we started talking more, and Everett seems like he'd just hate me even more. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, least of all you. I like you too, and if I wasn't already in love with two of your friends, and you hadn't told me that I smelled like a bar dumpster the first time we met, I'd have probably been tempted to date you, too."

  He smiled, like she'd hoped he would. "You reeked."

  "You're probably right. Shea and Ashleigh and I went hard that night," she agreed. "And I hadn't even showered that morning."

  He laughed and put his arm around her. "See? You're perfect for me, stinky and all."

  There wasn't any heartache in it, so she leaned into him and tapped her beer against his leg. "Super stinky, and not perfect for anyone. Perfection doesn't exist." Except Nico, and Matt. And maybe you, if it wasn't guaranteed to drive a wedge between you and your best friend. The thought was a little depressing, because she really would have been tempted if things had been different. His flirty humor, his laidback attitude and killer back rubs were difficult to resist. Not to mention that glorious body that he delighted in flexing for her while they ran with Damon, doing his best to motivate her into sticking with it.

  His consideration came out differently than Nico's, but it was definitely there. It had always been. Mallory sighed. Why is everything always so complicated?

  Chapter 19

  The door opened again and Paul came out this time. He sat on Dice's other side, giving the big cat a look from the corner of his eye. "Is that thing going to eat me?"

  "Probably," Mallory answered. Dice didn't even twitch. "But you can pet him in the meantime. Here, give me your hand."

  Paul reluctantly did and she introduced him to the jaguar the same way she'd introduced the other guys, waiting until he had licked Paul's fingers in acceptance before she let him go.

  "That's it?" Paul asked in disbelief. "He just smells me and we're good?"

  "I mean, he could bite you if you want," Mallory said. "Up to you."

  "No, no, this is fine." Paul hesitated, his hand suspended over Dice's flank. "Can I really pet him?"

  "Sure."

  "What's going on in there?" Mal asked as he stroked Dice's side. He really was laidback, for a cat. Much less a jaguar, but who was she to know how they usually acted?

  "Your boyfriends are watching TV. The other guy, Damon, tried to tell them how he knew you'd cause problems, but they shut him down pretty quick. You must have really pissed him off, huh?" Paul repli
ed.

  Alec stiffened. Mal laid her hand on his thigh.

  "Not really. He's disliked me from the beginning, just like Everett. They have their reasons, I'm sure. I have no idea what Ev's are, but Damon disapproves because I'm a student. The rest of them are teaching assistants, so they could get into a lot of trouble."

  "Not Matt," Alec said. "And it would be fine. We're not professors, and we could handle anything the administration felt like throwing at us. Honestly, they probably wouldn't even do anything."

  "Why not?" Paul asked. "They let teaching assistants date students there? That seems like a conflict of interests."

  "Which is exactly what Damon keeps saying. We don't know that the administration wouldn't do anything, they're all just assuming," Mallory told him. "Hoping I'm too dumb to know better. I don't want to ruin their lives, though."

  "You wouldn't be ruining anything," Alec grumbled.

  "Honestly, sis, it seems like that would be their choice. Not yours. Those are their consequences to deal with."

  "Which is easy to say, except that it could result in whoever got caught getting kicked out of the university and put back into active duty to go on missions. Then poof, they're gone. Maybe forever." She thought of Matt lying so still in that hospital bed, tubes running out of him and the awful bag of blue sedative dripping into his veins and shuddered. We got him back. He's okay now. But that's even more motivation not to let anything like that happen again. They're all safe as long as they're TAs, so I can't fuck that up for them.

  Alec put his arm around her as if he knew what she was thinking. She didn't push him off.

  They sat there in silence for a few minutes, finishing their drinks. Paul handed them each fresh ones when they were done.

  "Why'd you really come all the way out here?" he finally asked. "It's a long drive from Helston, and you haven't been back in months."

  "I haven't had a car in a year," she protested.

  He nodded. "I know. I'm not blaming you, just asking. Why now? Is it really just about that sigil?"

  Mal sighed. "Yes and no. I wanted to see you, see Mom and Dad and introduce all of you to the guys. But they have questions about the sigil, and I do too, so the best way to get answers was to ask in person. Why'd you lie to me on the phone and swear you didn't steal it?"