Page 20

September nineteenth was International Talk Like a Pirate Day… And we were in October. I’d mixed up the pages I’d printed out and messed it all up.

Even my own prank. September thirteenth was Positive Thinking Day and I’d done it on October thirteenth.

I really was a blonde bimbo like so many accused me of. I was mortified. Sergey was the one who pointed it out when he saw the banners, having seen something on social media the month before.

I’d run to Gloria to tell her my mistake, completely embarrassed and apologetic.

“I honestly thought you did that on purpose so no one saw it coming,” Robin admitted with a shrug. “It’s not a big deal, Bevin. It’s not like we’ll lose points for doing a fake, fun holiday a month late for the Wicked Challenges.”

The others were in agreement, but I was still mortified.

And people around me kept laughing. I was shocked when Link was one of them, his laugh mocking even. I was going to ream him for being mean, but then I saw the indicators of stress and figured it was more that he needed any laugh than he was mocking me.

Still, I wasn’t just going to stand there and take that, so I left.

Luckily, no one seemed to really notice or they thought it was part of throwing people off. This prank went much, much better than mine. That bummed me out a bit since I’d tried so hard and this had been my idea too.

But at least it went well, right?

People embraced it, and the older witches even had a circle at the guard station where people could “wash” off the magic in case they needed to make calls or leave campus. They got extra points for that as well, basically that people admitted they couldn’t get the magic off themselves and needed their help.

That was a good suggestion from Mrs. Reid.

I was a bit confused when most of the faculty wasn’t affected. I made a point to be early to class to ask Wyatt.

“They don’t have the power you and Winter do,” he explained. “You both blew through most everyone’s protections—even tenured professors. That was a flex on the master’s students’ part and it was intentional. It’s also what pissed so many people off, so Gloria and the others played it smart and fun.”

“Yeah, I rarely play things smart,” I grumbled, thanking him and going to leave. But I stopped and pet Quinn for a minute. We were doing better, and he’d made a real point to be a good friend to me, not a bratty familiar. He soaked up the love and even the strawberries I’d brought from breakfast for him.

“Bevin?” Quinn called after me when I turned to leave, waiting until I looked back at him. “Could we work on a blanket when you have some time? You’re the first witch or warlock I really trust besides Derek, and I—there were a lot of problems when he was growing up. I’d really like to do a blanket with you.”

He was so hesitant and vulnerable that I could almost see the real scars him having to survive being a familiar in the Wyatt family gave him.

I smiled. “I’d love that, Quinn. We’re getting more in for everyone else, but we can scroll through other options and order what you like.”

“I’d want you to pick for me. I can pick with Derek what I like. I want one from you that we work on. If that’s okay?”

“I could use the break and fun time,” I told him, glad when he made happy noises. Getting me to take a break and relax more had been the goal.

Wyatt was glancing between us, trying to figure out what was going on and he missed. I gave a half shrug and mentally promised to fill him in later.

In between classes, I went to the guard station and pretended that I needed to be cleaned of the magic so Gloria got more points. I’d sidestepped it all with my protections and magic… But others didn’t need to know that.

Several asked because people were too nosy, but I just told them I went to the guard station and kept walking. Seriously, people needed lives besides fixating on me.

I mean, not the ones I knew. That I understood, but random people I’d never met before just walked into my path and asked me questions like my answers were owed to them.

So bizarre.

I did get a playful earful about not warning anyone I was involved with. Kelton and Nigel were kind of adorable talking like pirates. Winter kept giving me looks while staying silent mostly. I was pretty sure he wasn’t affected and didn’t want to blow his cover.

And Sergey was fucking sexy. Something with his accent and stern vibe… It just fucking worked for him.

There were a few deans and members of the board in training class. Emma told us to ignore it and basically they were checking out the other aides to see if any of them could take over for Coach.

Which meant he was officially out? That would be welcome news for sure.

I focused on what I was doing, and Emma reminded us that it was the first day of the new witches running club. Apparently, it had gotten around how even if my parents treated me as a useless woman, I focused on always being able to run away from any enemy.

And people admitted it was a damn good idea.

So after class, we met at the quad and I got in an extra five miles which I felt great after. I received some shit looks from others and it didn’t even upset me. Hell, I’d gotten those from Link and a bunch of Taylor’s people. No one liked it being pointed out that they were behind or weaker.

I wasn’t poking at it or anything so whatever.

I showered when I was back in my dorm and Sergey was waiting for me when I got out. I raised an eyebrow at that, but he just smirked and told me he needed to practice his magic. And that he didn’t peek.

But he said it all like a damn pirate. Seriously, why did that turn me on?

His eyes flashed shock as he seemed to catch on to what was happening. He stood and moved over to me, giving me a soft kiss as he slid his arm around me. “Are ya in that mood? Is that what ya be tellin’ me, foxy?”

I backed him up to the bed and pushed him to sit, smirking when he bounced before I straddled his lap. He was super happy when I took off my towel and even let my wet hair fall all around us.

“You locked the door, right?” I checked, glad when he nodded. “Then take care of your girl, Sergey.”

He groaned and pulled me down for a kiss as he massaged my breast. Then he kissed my breasts and started fingering me. It was exactly what I needed. I squirmed and told him to tell me what he wanted to do to me.

He did and I loved it, but then I had a flash of a certain professor without a shirt on and a ballcap, wondering how turned on I’d be if he was talking pirate to me too. Okay, I needed to talk to Emma about the pirate talk kink.

Right? That was weird?

Johnny Depp fetish?

I came hard, focusing back on what was going on. I smirked at Sergey. “You’re going to taste me too, right?”

“Oh yeah, foxy,” he chuckled before flipping me onto the bed. He pushed me up towards the pillow and spread my legs wide. He told me that my pussy was perfect and how much he wanted to fuck me all night.

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t pirate as much as everything just sounded dirtier?

Best to stop analyzing it and just go with the fun.

He licked me and fingered me exactly how I needed and didn’t even know I’d wanted it. After giving me two more orgasms, he wiped his mouth and gave me a soft kiss. I felt magic and realized he took the spell off so he would talk normally.

He looked a bit like he was ready to be smacked. “You took your potion this month on time, right? Can I ask that?”

My answer was immediate. “Yes. Yes, of course you can.” I nodded when he seemed hesitant. “It’s something that affects us , of course you can. And yes, I did.” I cleared my throat. “Do you want me to share the calendar reminder with you I have to go pick it up and drink it?”

“Yeah, I really would. Thanks, Bev. Thanks for understanding.”

I kissed him. “I like being spoiled, and I like being good to you too.”

“Then ride me, foxy. I need you to ride me again and declare you’re my woman,” he said with a groan. He rolled out of bed and was naked too fast.

I liked watching him strip. I really did. We switched places and something hit me. “There’s a potion you can take too, right? Let’s both take them so we’re covered and—why not? Neither of us wants an accident.”

“I was thinking about it and was going to talk to you about it,” he admitted with a heavy sigh. He scrubbed his hand over his face rough enough that it left marks. “It’s not you, I swear. I just… I have nightmares. I always have since I realized I was ready to have sex. I can’t think of what my families would do if I had a kid. How they would take it and control me to—”

“I get it,” I promised, not making him say more. I moved to straddle his lap. “We’ll go together and get our potions.” I swallowed loudly when his jaw fell open. “If you want.”

“I want,” he immediately said.

Mostly because it would be all over campus by the end of the day that we were really together and it was—we were together then. A couple.

Wow, that sounded scary.

“But it is the only pussy you will fuck, Sergey,” I told him, the warning clear in my voice.

“Only you, Bevin,” he promised and moved his cock to me. “Lower.”

I did, wiggling the way he wanted as I obliged. I worked my hips until he was deep inside of me. I leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. “Tell me what to do. Tell me how to please you like I should, Sergey.”

Shit, apparently that was waving a red flag in front of a bull. He thrust up and told me to tease my tits as he fucked me. I did, crying out as the first orgasm hit me fast. Then his hands covered my breasts and he told me to ride him. I had flashes of things I shouldn’t and tried to push it out of my head, focusing only on Sergey and what I wanted.

We came at the same time and I got annoyed when I thought of Wyatt, but in comparison that I liked this type of sex better.

But I wished also that Wyatt had given it to me too.

“Where did you go?” Sergey asked me gently when we were done and calmed down a bit.

I couldn’t hide my guilt. “Sorry. I’m so all over the place and—”

“You thought of one of them while we were together?” he asked, his tone tight.

“Yes—no, but yes.” I sighed, pushing my wet—and now knotted hair—out of my face. “I was—it was unintentional and thinking about this sex being so much better than…” I shrugged. “This is so different than being with him.”

He let out a slow breath and nodded. “Thank you for being honest. I’m glad I’m better.” He waited until I nodded before giving me a soft kiss this time. “I get it. He is the only person you have to compare to. I had those thoughts at the wrong time too, and then once you start, your brain can’t like shut it off.”

“Yes, exactly. Sorry,” I mumbled and gently moved off of him.

“It’s fine. I’m going to have thoughts like that too, and—I think it’s natural to have thoughts of past partners and what they did that you liked or how it feels different in that same position.” He gave me a challenging look like I had no room to say anything.

I ground my jaw and didn’t like how the turnabout made me feel. “Well, I guess you didn’t do your job of pleasing me if I had enough brain power left to think.” I turned over so I was on all fours and pushed up my ass. “It’s a shame I didn’t please you enough that you could think of other women. I find that shocking when you say my body is perfect.”

“It is perfect, foxy,” he muttered as he ran his hand up my thigh. “I didn’t say I had. Just it would be normal if—”

“If you have enough energy to talk, you should be fucking me,” I cut in. “However you want.” I leaned down a bit like I was doing yoga and then started to come back up.

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me up onto my knees so I was flush against his chest. “You’re playing with fire, Bev.”

I turned my head a bit just so I could tease his lips with my tongue. “Then punish me, but remember that I was horny for you and jumped you.” I cried out when he thrust into me, loving how it felt. He pushed me back down and fucked me.

Like fucked me . It was exactly what we both needed and I loved it.

Apparently, I really, really loved being fucked doggy style on my bed while he grunted how good I felt and how perfect my body was. I couldn’t stop my body from climaxing if I wanted, and it drove him mad how I was dripping down my thighs.

He finished so hard that he sort of growled or snarled in a way that was actually sexy. He started to fall onto me but then turned us so we were on our sides, hugging me tightly to him.

“Jesus, foxy, you are too much, and you have to use that power over me sparingly.”

I snorted. “Yeah, who was the one who smirked as he pushed my buttons to be jealous?

“I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled.

“Naw, we’re not lying to each other like that even over goofy shit.”

“I got jealous and lashed out,” he admitted after a moment. “I want to be sorry, but I’m still in the afterglow of amazing sex and everything is perfect.”

He wasn’t wrong… Until he reminded me we had to go because we had tutoring with his mom.

Oh shit! I’d totally forgotten. Nothing was more embarrassing than going to see his mom after I’d rocked his world.

And he’d rocked mine. Yikes!

Still, we’d made it through it and things were going well. Really well.

The prank was a hit. So much was going well with work and I was caught up with school. Hell, people were on my side against the Rices, and… Something absolutely had to go wrong and try to throw me into another depressive spiral.

I just didn’t see it coming from where it did.

Or someone able to break into my room.

Conrad Hanson, Councilman Hanson’s son, smirked as I came into my room Thursday before lunch. I’d started having lunch at home since I had a list of people to work with and my afternoon class was my independent study. I’d come just to grab a few things and my security didn’t follow me up to my room.

There was no reason to.

Until now.

I was never so glad that I was smart and didn’t let people talk me out of things. I didn’t even have to pull out my phone to record this time, but hold a button on my watch. It was all set up to default to the recording app.

Thank you, Emma, for listening to me!

“Go ahead and scream,” he chuckled when I opened my mouth. “I would love a scene and to get to explain why I was in your room when the magic only allows that by invitation.”

I wasn’t falling for that, and I hadn’t been about to scream, but chew his ass out. “I’d blast you out that window before I’d just scream like a bad low-budget film. And you’re the eldest son of a councilman , of course you can get around the magic of a college freshman. You’d still be in trouble for sneaking into the dorms and have to answer how you got onto campus to—”

“Oh please, our world’s worst-kept secret that any alum can get back on campus if they attended all six years,” he drawled, even rolling his eyes. “We sneak in and out of here as we want and everyone knows it.”

Warning bells went off in my head. The attack. That was how the werewolf attack could have happened and the wards came down.

A former student who could sneak onto campus was behind it all.

“That’s different than the dorms,” I countered easily as I set down my bag.

“But you invited me to sneak in here to be with you,” he purred.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m willing to go under truth magic to say otherwise and you wouldn’t be so try again.”

He ground his jaw but rallied. “You can’t take another scandal, and I’m not going to spar with you about this. You know it wouldn’t be clean-cut and just done.”

“No, but it wouldn’t be for you either, so enough of the bullshit, and just tell me what you want before I get on the phone with your dad and—”

“Oh please, he’s all for this, and even Reid would come around as long as you’re under the control of a council family,” he drawled.

“You don’t know the Reids and certainly not the Oliverias well enough to make such a stupid statement,” I threw right back with just as much sarcasm. “But at least I know what you want. And your threat.” I glanced him over and sighed. “How disappointing. Seriously.”

That pissed him off and he lost his amusement. “This is why you need to be controlled and—”

“Yeah, not going to happen, asshole, so leave the way you came. I don’t care what lies you’ll try to—”

“Oh, I have proof that you’re a goddess witch,” he chuckled darkly. “I have sealed council records that I’ll slip to the media. You’re na?ve to think they’re on your side when they’ve had hearings and meetings about you.”

I didn’t say anything, simply staring at him which wasn’t what he’d wanted. I could play games well too, and this would unnerve him.

I’d seen it work dozens of times for Charles Shaw. So even if I didn’t ever want to be like my father… This lesson was useful.

He adjusted his neck. “You will name me your priest or I will tell everyone that you’re a goddess witch.”

“No,” I snorted, shaking my head when he continued. “Naming the wrong priest could kill me .” I wasn’t sure if it was really true, but it wasn’t a lie either given what I’d read. “The books are clear that the strongest of the points of the star has to be the priest or it could kill the goddess witch and the priest.”

He snorted. “I am the strongest if I got in here past whichever—”

“That’s not the only way to be the strongest, idiot,” I snapped. “Your familiar from the gods would never approve of you forcing a woman to be subservient to you and control her. You’re damaging your bond with him to do this, and that will weaken you no matter the magic you harvest to break a spell. You’re mixing apples and oranges.

“So go ahead and tell everyone and I’ll take my chances, but I am not dying for your stupid plan. I will not fall in line or any of it, especially for someone weaker than me or my other points. And your plan here alone makes it clear that you’re not up to—” I turned when I thought I heard something in the hallway, noting I hadn’t locked the door.

He’d moved when I’d been distracted and then was in front of me, fisting my hair and forcing me to kiss him. I didn’t shove him away or fight, but didn’t respond, knowing it was all to get a reaction out of me.

He growled when he caught onto what I was doing. “I’ll make it good for you if you behave, you little twit. Behave and—”

I thrust the heel of my hand up into his nose the way Emma had taught me. I lost some hair when he went to pull away and he was still holding my head, but it was worth it.

“You are thirty-two forcing yourself on an eighteen-year-old,” I seethed. “You want to tell people we’re dating, you go right ahead and see the fallout and piles of problems it will cause you. Even our world isn’t that fucking disgusting.”

He wasn’t wrong when he snorted, but I smirked knowing it had to hurt given what I’d done to his nose.

“But I will take my chances being outed over naming the wrong priest and dying.” I waited until he seemed to accept that. “But if you ever put your hands on me again, you fucking pig, I will go to war and blow up your world like you want to mine. And I mean I have enough to cost your father his council seat which will smear your family for generations .”

“You’re bluffing,” he bit out before working his mouth to move his nose and see how it was.

“I’m not, so you better go check with Daddy that you’re making approved plays. Look at my face, Conrad. Look in my eyes and see the truth that I can bring you just as much pain if you push me.” I showed him the determination and blood I wanted now.

And he flinched.

Bullies always did when they saw the truth and how they’d misjudged who was prey.

“I don’t believe you for one second,” he lied. “And fine, we date for now, but when I get stronger than your other points who are kids , you name me your priest. Even to the council or I’ll out you.” He moved closer but froze when I gathered magic, ready to blast his ass. He bared his teeth at me. “Because I am a petty, vindictive man. Never doubt that.”

“I don’t. Small men who like to think they’re predators always are,” I purred, nodding for him to leave.

“My point is that if I can’t have you, I’d rather you be dead. So believe that and I don’t care if that’s the outcome. The council will, but I don’t, and if you fuck me over, I will laugh when this world eats you like they do every other fucking goddess witch stupid enough to think they matter more than who controls them.”

And then he stormed out, hopefully cloaking so no one saw him.

I let out a shaky breath before pulling back my magic and sinking to my knees. Yeah, I cried.

Even Emma would agree this was definitely a time to cry and I wasn’t letting my emotions control me.

No, this was the time to fucking freak out and I didn’t even know how to handle this new mess.