Page 28 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)
Training
Damon
Despite only getting a few hours of sleep after the catastrophic events of the day before, I wasn’t getting any sort of reprieve.
All I wanted was some time to process this new side of myself, to absorb it and the magic into my personality, my life, before I had to actually do something with it. Was it too much to ask that the witches would leave me alone for a day or two, just to give me a chance to accept my new reality?
Granted, I was elated I would have the longer lifespan witches were gifted, accidents and murder aside, of course. The downsides were this magic, which I would have to train to use, and the shiny new target on my back.
Brothers.
I couldn’t quite believe I had two brothers and one was probably going to try to kill me if Thyme was to be believed.
Actually, I believed my half brother wanted me dead. The cold look in Basil’s eyes after he touched me struck a nerve. The witch hated me for what I represented. I was the child who escaped his machinations. Fern had evaded him, had me regardless of his schemes to prevent other heirs from being born. That was the root of it. Basil hadn’t wanted other potential heirs to the coven being born. With Thyme transitioned, his magic reduced in scale, he wasn’t a suitable choice for High Witch instead of Basil. Likely why the job went to Poppy after Basil was removed from the job.
Persistent knocking came from the door. Hela let out a low growl. The hellcat was a fantastic protector. With her nearby, it was easy to get some sleep. Until, of course, my other half brother decided sleep was for the weak and I had to learn how to cast spells immediately.
Hela chirped a greeting as I shuffled to the door dressed only in a silk robe. Mori gave off too much heat at night to bother with clothes. I barely needed a blanket with him tucked up against me.
“Hey, Hela, let’s see who has no manners, will we?”
As soon as I opened the door, I wanted to close it again. Thyme looked haunted, Oak annoyed, yet there they stood with a bakery bag and cup holder full of coffees. “Breakfast and training!” Thyme aimed for cheerful, but fell far short of the mark .
I stood aside to let them through as Mori came out of our bedroom. He’d slung on some sweatpants and a tank, making him far too delectable for other eyes. He raised a brow, as if he knew where my thoughts were going. “Why don’t you get dressed, sweetheart? I’ll feed Hela and save you the best pastry.”
With a quick kiss, Mori set about his tasks as I retreated into the safety of our room. I blew out a breath, tried to get myself together, then looked for some comfortable clothes. While well-tailored suits were a passion of mine, I enjoyed the freedom of movement I got in yoga pants. As a hired killer, I was trained in several martial arts, though it wasn’t my preferred method of killing. I liked to make things look like an accident where I could.
Pulling on a t-shirt, I walked back into the living room where Mori was sitting with Thyme and Oak in an uncomfortable silence. Hela sat at Mori’s feet, just watching them. She was still in her hellcat form, barbed ears and tail out, wings ready to help her glide places. I found her endlessly fascinating. Hela had bonded so closely with Cody after she had helped him find Toth. I thought she only tolerated me and Mori, but it seemed like she held affection for us too.
“We can’t wait to start your training,” Thyme said apologetically. “Now that Basil knows who you are. He could attack at any moment, and I don’t want to leave you vulnerable.”
“Fine,” I muttered bitterly. The reasoning was sound. I didn’t want to die anytime soon, not now that I had Mori in my life, had my family in Cody and Toth, Parker and Gregoris. Absently, I petted Hela’s head, careful of her barbed ears. “What do I need to learn?”
“Everything,” Oak said deadpan.
“We’ll just start with shielding right now,” Thyme amended. “It’s one of the first things young witches learn after their spell language.”
“Spell language?” I asked, sitting forward. This was all new to me.
“You might have noticed most witches speak a different language when they cast. It’s often a language we don’t speak in daily life. Oak uses Bulgarian, for instance. At home growing up, they spoke Cantonese and Mandarin along with English. I speak German.”
“Right, so how do I know which language I’ll use? I never learned another language in school. Foster care, remember? I moved around a lot.”
Thyme’s face fell briefly, a blink and miss expression. Then he rebounded and said brightly, “Well, I’m sure it will come to you. It’s personal to each witch. Could even be completely made up from what the history texts say. ”
“Should we go into the club for this? Where there’s more space?” Mori suggested.
The others agreed, which is why we found ourselves half an hour later on the dancefloor of the club with Thyme lobbing balls at my face. It was instinctive to reach inside myself and pull the magic out to protect me, just like a shield would.
What was unusual was I didn’t use any words to do it. Other witches would mutter or whisper their spell words under their breath as to not broadcast their moves. I just had to think about what I wanted. Thyme believed it was due to my insane power level and lack of formal training as a kid. Nothing to worry about, he assured me. Not really reassuring when he kept giving me the side eye. Great, so I was a freak.
“Time for something a little harder. Let’s grab a seat.” We found a booth with some seats in front of it. Thyme and Oak took the booth and left us to take the chairs. “I want you to try a glamor.”
“A glamor?”
“Yeah, so you are showing the world one thing and are really something else. Kind of like Mori’s human side or Hela’s domestic cat version.” She looked like a Savannah cat when in disguise.
“Okay, so what do I do?”
“Concentrate on what you want us to see. Pick something simple, like changing yours and Mori’s clothes.” Thyme thought for a second. “Oh! Put you two in your tuxedos from last night.”
I glared at Thyme for the reminder of what Mori had done to his tux. It was in ruins! I appreciated he’d been upset, but did he have to trash it completely?
“Fine,” I grumbled, pulling up the mental image of the tuxedos from the previous night. The image came easily. The magic flowed again without a spoken word.
“That’s great, Damon. Now I want to step it up a notch. Mori, I want you to distract Damon. While he’s trying that, Damon, I want you to hold the image and block any sounds. Okay?”
“Right,” Mori and I agreed.
Keeping the focus on what I was projecting, I attempted to ignore Mori as he slipped off the seat and onto his knees next to my chair. He let some of his demon features out. His tail flicked back and forth before heading for my crotch.
“Mori!” I gasped as he stuck a hand down my pants, letting his tail slip inside alongside it.
“Hmm, commando. Thought so. Do you think you can stop them from seeing what I’m doing to you?”
His hand slipped free while his tail wrapped itself around my cock.
“Um…” Oak raised an eyebrow at us as the image slipped a little .
“Can he hear us?” Mori whispered in my ear as his tail worked my cock. He trailed a finger down my chest, then up again under my t-shirt. His skin was always so warm. I fought back a shudder and kept tight control of the magic.
“You’re doing great, Damon. It just looks like you and Mori are sitting staring at us. To be honest, it’s a little creepy.”
It was hard, no pun intended, to listen to my new brother while Mori’s tail was wrapped around my dick. He slicked my precum down my shaft and worked it with a delicious twist that added a bite of pain that was exquisite.
“Mori,” I moaned. “Close.”
He tightened his grip as I struggled to hold onto the magic. I felt it flicker and saw the brief reaction of Thyme and Oak as they saw Mori crouched behind me, hand up my shirt tweaking my nipples as his tail jerked me off.
The picture we must have made nearly had me spilling over myself and Mori’s naughty tail. Damn, it was so hot he could do that.
“Not yet,” Mori breathed against my ear. His tail tightened against my base for a second before he was gone.
Mori yanked his tail away and stood, breaking the magic. “Go grab us some lunch, would you? I have stuff to do.” He transformed, letting his demon skin shred his tank, then picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder with a smack to my ass.
“Apparently, I’m stuff. Though I’ll be the one doing.” I couldn’t hold back my laugh at the look of exasperation on their faces.
Mori dropped me on the bed then went for my clothes. We met in a sloppy, though enthusiastic kiss, Mori pushing me down into the mattress.
Being carried like that had been hot. Mori acting like a caveman fired all my buttons, or whatever the saying was. I could hardly concentrate with Mori’s tongue in my mouth and his wandering hands. My cock was still achingly hard from his tail job. Dammit, just thinking about it had me close to blowing. We were so doing that again.
“Mori,” I panted against his mouth as his tail found the print of my cock in my pants.
“I couldn’t wait anymore. I need you inside me, Damon.” Mori shoved off his torn clothes, letting his dick free .
“Let me suck you while I stretch you.” I trailed kisses down his neck, nipping at the joint where his shoulder met his neck.
Mori shivered. “No, I just want it quick.”
He straddled me, set the head of my cock at his entrance, and sank down in one fluid movement, stealing my breath. Damn, he was so tight, hot and wet around me.
With slow rocking movements, Mori worked himself on my cock. He sped up, rising and falling harder and faster as I focused on not shooting straight away.
I grasped his cock, smeared his precum over it and let him fuck into the tunnel of my fist. “Fuck, Mori, you feel so good.” I remembered how much he’d loved me calling him my good boy, and repeated it.
“Damon!” Mori cried out.
“Use your tail on me, please. I want to try it.” The idea came from nowhere, but felt right. I trusted Mori not to hurt me. He only wanted my pleasure.
With a start, I felt his tail push inside him, alongside my cock. “Getting it wet,” he smirked. He rocked slowly.
“That’s hot.”
He pulled his tail out and trailed it down my base, balls, and taint before he reached my hole. The wet tip slid around as Mori continued his slow movements, my cock deep inside him .
The tip entered me with a slow glide, then a sharp burn as it widened. “No!” I shouted, unable to stop myself.
Mori withdrew his tail carefully and stopped, my cock still inside him. “Do you want to stop?”
“No, I just…”
“You aren’t ready for that. Might never be ready and that’s okay. Don’t push yourself, my love.” Mori bent to kiss me sweetly. “Will we stop?”
“You better not. I need to come so badly.”
His sigh of relief made me shiver as he tightened and relaxed around me.
“I have another idea.” He began to fuck himself on my length again. His tail reached for my throat. “I sensed it at the club. Danger, a little pain gets you off. So I’m going to wrap this around your throat and squeeze.”
Holy fuck.
“With your magic, I want you to push it away when it gets too tight, okay?”
I nodded and lifted my head a little so his tail could wrap itself around me. Then it squeezed as Mori picked up the pace.
Harder and tighter, and then it was too much. Without thinking, my magic pushed his tail away, forming a shield for a few seconds so I could breathe, then letting it drop so I soared.
Apparently, I was into breath play now.
We played like that for a while, getting all sweaty and breathless as Mori pleasured us both.
I tightened the hold I had on Mori’s length, making him moan and rock faster.
“Damon!” Mori cried as he came all over me. He spread his cum over my stomach with a gleam in his eyes. “Mine.”
“Yes!” I shouted with the last of my air as I filled him and blacked out.
Best way to train was my final thought as I faded into unconsciousness.