At first they just watched me. The smoke started circling around them and then they started moving toward me. Crap. There was no way I could out crawl them. I did NOT want to get mauled by giant magical groundhogs right now. I just wanted to get home.
I crawled faster and tried to get to my feet and run. I was too weak and shaking too badly. The cold was seeping into my bones and I couldn’t feel my hands or feet any more.
They were just a few feet away when a little hissing ball of fur jumped over the top of me and got between us. It was a kitten, actually a tiny kitten that still had its baby fur. It was fuzzed up, tail out straight, and hopping sideways. It was mad. It was pure attitude. It was going to rip those groundhogs limb from limb if they took one more step.
It was so unexpected that everyone froze. The little black and white kitten probably only weighed about two pounds. It was facing off against three powerful groundhogs who were easily ten times its size. They looked at all that attitude and looked at me like What the hell is this?
I had no idea what this was or why I suddenly had a teeny ferocious protector.
The darkness moved first. It sent a patch of inky blackness to take over the cat just like it had the groundhogs. I didn’t want to lose my little guy. He was on my side and I didn’t have a lot going for me at the moment.
I don’t know who was more surprised, me or the remnant, when the darkness reached the cat and he slashed it with his claws. It shouldn’t have affected smoke, but the remnant let out a shriek and the patch of darkness vanished. The kitten pounced on the next column of smoke, which happened to be the one connecting me and the groundhogs. He tore it up.
The remnant screamed bloody murder and the smoke around the groundhogs vanished. They looked at each other like What the heck are we doing here? and turned and ran into the shadows.
The remnant was weakened but not done with me yet. It curled around me and doubled down on the cold. I was shivering so bad I couldn’t even crawl. I closed my eyes and tried to get control of myself. I had to beat this if I was going to live.
I was still fighting hard when I felt a warm raspy tongue on my face. The kitten was licking me in fast urgent strokes. Then he paused and I felt his little paw touch me. The darkness hissed and retreated. It didn’t retreat a lot, but it was enough.
I got my arms and legs under me again and started crawling. We made it to the road and I didn’t stop. I just hoped that someone didn’t run me over as I laboriously made my way across the pavement. My black and white companion followed me the whole way, whining and licking everywhere he could reach. He beat back the cold and kept me going.
I made it to the sidewalk and then to the front lawn of the House. I could feel when I pushed through the House wards and a few moments later Tyler ran out and got me. He picked me up in his strong arms and carried me to my room. Once there he undressed me, got naked himself, and then crawled into bed with me.
I started bawling. This night had just been too much for me to handle. Now I was safe, all my emotions started leaking out of me.
His body heat felt like the sun on a warm summer day. I basked in his natural glow, so very glad to be home again. He held me close, rubbing me and making soothing noises, until the shivering stopped.
I meant to say thank you and find out what happened to Annabeth, but when the tears finally dried up, I just fell asleep.
10 Perfect Morning
I love waking up slowly. It’s the perfect way to start the day. One moment you’re sleeping, the next you’re aware of your warm safe space and a bit of the world around you. Then the day slowly loads itself into your brain and when you get up it seems a natural thing to do. It beats waking up with an alarm clock any day.
This morning it was the sun that tipped me over to wakefulness. I could feel my bedroom was filled with light, happy to start the day. Actually, it might not be morning. The sun seemed to be really bright. That’s ok, a late start is fine too.
I had strong arms around me and I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the snuggle. A few moment later it occurred to me it was probably Tyler, doing his incubus thing. I touched my magic, and I could feel him very slowly pulling something from me.
Thank goodness he was here. I couldn’t imagine fighting the remnants on my own. Suddenly I remembered the night before. That had been crazy! I must have tensed because Tyler kissed the back of my neck and gave me a squeeze.
I felt something on my nose too, something soft. I let my eyes open gently, to be greeted by the sight of a kitten on my pillow. He was white belly to the sky, one paw on my nose, and head thrown back, fast asleep. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen.
I took it all in for a long moment, just breathing and being in my safe place. Then the cuteness was too much for me and I had to rub the belly. There was only room for two fingers, but I lightly stroked his tiny tummy. He gave a big stretch, yawned like his head was folding in half, and then latched on my hand. His little claws were sharp! I switched from the belly to his head and his eyes closed in contentment. A throaty purring filled the room. It got even louder as I worked my way down his back. Clearly this cat was loving my lovin.
“I think he likes you,” Tyler said.
“This little guy saved my life last night,” I replied. I scooched around on my back so I could talk to Tyler. He was as close as the kitten, and just as cute, although in an entirely different way. I found myself studying his face. It was perfect. Warm chocolate eyes, long brown lashes, full eyebrows that arched just right without looking like they had been plucked. A nose that was cute, but not feminine, and lips that curved up slightly in the corner so it looked like he was always smiling. If someone had sculpted the perfect face, this would be it. He was the Mona Lisa of men.
I must have been studying him too long because he poked me. I’m ticklish so I jumped. This disturbed the kitten who glared at both of us. I picked it up and sat it on my chest. I started rubbing it again and his eyes closed in contentment, loud purring on full blast.
“So what happened last night?” Tyler asked. I told him everything, Annabeth’s charms, her getting kicked by the golem, my mad run through the city, the remnant attacking, and the kitten showing up to save me. I thought he would be shocked by how crazy violent it was. Instead he reacted like it was an adventure.
“Does crazy stuff like that happen all the time?” I asked. I’m new to this supernatural thing, but it seemed to me my life constantly shouldn’t be in danger.
“It seems to go in waves,” he said. “Sometimes it’s one adventure after another. Sometimes a whole year goes by and nothing much happens. You’ll learn to roll with it. As long as you don’t die you can recover from just about anything.”
That was sort of comforting. I was looking forward to life being less exciting. Hopefully that would happen soon.
“So how long have I been sleeping?” I asked.
“About twelve hours or so. I’ve been here, working on your remnants the whole time. Want to hear some good news?”
“Of course!” I could use some good news right about now.
“Your escapade last night made one of the lesser remnants come to the surface in a big way. I was able to completely clean it out of your system. I’ve also been working on the weakest one too and it’s almost gone.”
That was awesome news! Life would be so much better without these poltergeists stalking me. One down, three still to go. Without disturbing the kitten, I gave him a gentle high five.
“I found your shirt and the golem core. I didn’t want it rolling around so I put it in your dresser drawer.”
I thanked him. The last thing I wanted was for someone to find it and activate it somehow.
“You should probably show that to Sandy as soon as possible. I’m a natural, not a mage so I don’t know how dangerous it is. She’ll have a better clue what you are dealing with.”
That sounded like a very good idea. I didn’t want to activate it and have the golem coming after me again.
; “How is Annabeth doing?” I asked.
“She’s ok. She was worried about you, of course. Sandy is taking care of her. Last I heard she was up for a while and now she’s sleeping again. Sandy said she’s got some big bruises and she’s sore but nothing is broken.”
That was great to hear. I was afraid the golem kick had done more damage. Thank goodness it hadn’t kicked her twice.
Tyler’s naked body was still resting up against me and his hand was absent mindedly making little circles on my abs. My body was liking this, liking it a lot.
“Where are you from?” I asked, attempting to keep my mind occupied on innocent things.
“I’m from another House,” he said and left it at that.
“What other House?”
“It’s probably best that you don’t know.” He smiled to take the sting out of his words. “I have clashed with a lot of supernaturals over time and it’s probably best that people don’t know too much about me. If they don’t know where I live then they can’t find me.”
That made sense. I’m sure he’d been asked this a lot, but there is one thing I really wanted to know.
“Are you with someone? Do you have a boyfriend?” Then a thought occurred to me. “Or a girlfriend?”
He smiled and gave me a half hug. “Yes I do. And, no, I’m not going to tell you about them either.”
“They don’t mind you doing all… this?” I gestured at our naked bodies together.
“Nope. I’m an incubus. That’s what I do. It’s how I contribute to the House and gain my power. I couldn’t be in a relationship with someone that wanted to keep me all to themselves. That just wouldn’t work.” He paused. “I can tell you that I’ve spent more time with you than any other person for a long time and it’s driving me a bit crazy.”
“Oh really?”
“I eat negative energy, usually through sex. It’s what I’m good at. In your case you have a huge heaping lot of it, but I can only take one little sip at a time. It’s like being at a huge buffet and only having a tiny spoon.”
He was driving me crazy too. My body was awake and ready for some man time, and there was a perfectly good one lying right next to me that I couldn’t touch.
“I can promise you this, though.” His beautiful eyes locked on me intently. “There will be a time where the last remnant is too weak to resist and when that comes, I’m going to shag you like you have never been shagged before. You’re going to be screaming my name and begging god for mercy before I am through with you. It will be the single greatest night of your young life, I promise you that.”
His words sent a shiver through me. I wanted that to happen and I wanted it now.
“In the meantime, I’d better go.” He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and hopped out of bed. “I don’t want to take down the wall again.”
That reminded me, I realized my bedroom wall was back to normal.
“The wall, it’s fixed!”
“Yep. I’m sure the House took take of it,” he said on his way out the bedroom door.
That seemed like such a strange thing to say. I’m sure he meant that John had taken care of it.
Also, was he just going to walk out of my apartment naked? You just don’t do that. This whole place was a bit strange.
“Oh, by the way.” He walked back in again, “you need to think about food and water for your little friend. Sandy has cats so she probably has something you can use short term.”
He was fully clothed. Blue shorts, white shirt, sandals. Looked like he walked right out of a J Crew catalogue. How the hell did he do that?
“Bye for now little fella.” He waved at the kitten on my chest, who blinked back with lazy eyes. He left and then I heard my apartment door open and close.
I laid there for a few more minutes, absorbing the last of the perfect morning. Finally, I got up and started the day.
My little companion followed me everywhere. He sat on the top of the toilet and watched me shower. The toilet paper that was resting there quickly landed on the floor. He found the stream of water fascinating as I was brushing my teeth and shaving. He must have been thirsty too because he drank for a good while.
For Netflix and breakfast, he climbed up the back of the sofa and rested on my shoulder. Then he played Swat the Spoon as I tried to eat cereal. It made for a messy, milky time. I really wasn’t used to this level of attention. My time was quiet time. I just wanted to chill.
He was so freakin cute, though. Clearly, he liked me and wanted to spend time with me. I found that oddly flattering.
After breakfast I dressed, grabbed the golem core and my little guest, and headed up to see Sandy.
11 Saving Penny
Sandy instantly fell in love with the kitten. There was lots of cooing and kisses and the little guy was clearly having a good time. Sandy put him down by the food bowl and he ate like he was starving, which he probably was. Sandy’s two cats, Snowy and Biscuit, weren’t exactly sure how to handle him. Finally, they just decided to ignore him and that seemed to work.
Sandy said she had some spare litter, food, and a couple plastic containers to use for food and water. She didn’t have an extra litter box, though, and suggested I visit John to see what he could repurpose.
I started telling her the story of last night while she made me a sandwich. It wasn’t just any old sandwich either. She had homemade raisin bread, which she sliced thick, then added ham, turkey, cheddar, and mayo. I’d had breakfast already but this was amazing. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I wolfed the whole thing down.
When I got to the part of the story with the golem core, I pulled it out to show her. Her eyes lit up.
“Oh wow!” She took the orb from me very gently and began examining it in detail.
“This is just amazing! I was sure charms like this existed but I’ve never seen anything like it before. Just look at the size of it.”
“I thought you would like it,” I said. “I don’t know anything about charms but this one seems pretty special.”
“It’s in a whole other class from the types of charms I make or that I’ve seen,” she said. “Mine are single-use charms that only do one thing and rely on the caster to determine the final result. For example, let’s say you have a charm that makes light. You need the right rune for the kind of light you want. For example, do you want a blue light or a white light? Do you want light and heat or just light? Once you have the right rune and power it, the caster has to shape the result. So, do you want a soft glow for a while? A harsh blinding flash? A directional light like a flashlight or a general radius of light like a lantern?
A charm that makes light sounds so simple but there is a lot that goes into it once you start thinking about it. The golem was on a whole different level. It actually had a limited intelligence and performed on its own without the caster being present. That meant it had runes that could detect Annabeth’s magic. Then it had runes that allowed it to have arms and legs and move around. I guess it also had runes that pulled the rocks together. Once it had a target, it knew to move toward that target and attack it.
“Whoever made this not only knows a lot more runes that I do, but they also know how to link charms in a stable way. I’ve tried to link charms before, but even two links make everything very unstable. When it blows up, it really explodes. This thing must have hundreds of runes all linked together and somehow it all works. That is sophistication that I haven’t seen from a charm before.
“The other thing is everyone knows that charms have to made in one shot. You form the image of what you want in your mind, and then cast it into a vessel. If you get the image or casting wrong by even a little bit, the whole thing could blow up. Given the size and complexity of this core I’m very sure that whoever made this couldn’t have cast it in one go. They have to have done it a piece at a time. If I can figure out how they did that than I could really make some powerful charms.”
That was a lot of information, but even with my limited magical kno
wledge it made sense. Sandy was going to be the rare type of teacher that made learning look easy.
“This might be a dumb question, but isn’t there a book or something that you can read to learn about all this?” I asked.
Sandy shook her head. “I wish there were. The supernatural world is built on power, and knowledge is power. The more power you have, the safer you are, and the more valuable you are to your supernatural family. Everyone is looking for an advantage and once you find one you don’t share it with the world. If you do, then everyone has it and it’s not an advantage anymore.
“The magical community is built on the apprentice system. Masters hoard their knowledge so they have lots of apprentices working for them and doing whatever they want. I’ve seen masters use their students as sex slaves, assassins, soldiers, or staff for their mansions. There are no real rules so if you have power and someone else wants it then you can ask for just about anything and get it.
“I was very lucky. My teacher saw how eager I was to learn and instead of using that against me she taught me what she knew. The more I see of the world, the more grateful I am to her. Whenever I find out something new for myself, I always make sure and pass it back.”
“Wow,” I said. “She sounds like a remarkable woman.”
“She is,” Sandy replied. “She not only taught me magic, she got me out of my funk after my transition and showed me how to be a better person. She’s the reason I’m head of this branch of the House today. The House picked me but she molded me into the right person for the job. When everything settles down here, we’ll have to travel to Chicago and you can meet her.”
I hadn’t had a home in a long time, but Sandy, Annabeth, and John seemed like such happy and warmhearted people. I liked being here. Sandy was doing for me what her teacher had done for her. Maybe someday I’d be strong enough to help someone else. I hoped so.
Misfit Mage Page 13