Shadow Magic: Year 3 Read online

  “Not if we act quickly,” Topher says. “Ogres feed on dark magic. He was probably trying to poison you so he could take your magic once you were immobilized. The fastest way to remove the poison is to draw it out. And the easiest way to do that is… Not pleasant.”

  “I don’t care,” I say, gasping in pain when I shift my leg. “Do it.”

  “I’m going to have to suck it out,” he says.

  I swallow hard and then nod. “Okay.”

  If it’s a choice between dying, or even losing a leg, and having a demon suck on me, I’ll go for the latter. Especially when the demon is one I trust as much as I do Topher.

  Without any more discussion, he lowers his lips to the bite mark, gently running his tongue across the indents. I gasp, and not just in pain this time. His tongue is black and freakishly long—like six inches at least, with a tapered tip. I try not to show my horror, even though he’s not looking. He might hear it from my mind. Asher told me demons had black cum, not that they had black tongues. And oh my god, it’s so long! I try to imagine kissing someone with that tongue, or—a shudder that’s half horror and have squeamish arousal goes through me when I think about other things that tongue could do.

  Oh my god, does Elowen know? Has that tongue been inside her? And now it’s exploring the ogre bites on my legs like he’s tasting someone for the first time. His tongue swipes into the gash left by the ogre’s teeth, stroking through the broken skin in a rhythm that makes me have to hold back from squirming. His warm tongue lashes into the wound, parting the slit and exploring further, deeper, the pointed end of that tongue burrowing into me. A dart of pain goes up my leg, and I can’t help but let out a surprised squeak, a ripple of magic running through me and condensing in its usual spot. A tongue feels good just about anywhere, but it’s so naughty and black and long…

  And shit, is he reading my mind?

  A small moan escapes me as I feel the sensation of the unwelcome poison draining from my leg. Topher snaps upright, spitting a mouthful of black-and-red ichor onto the grass. “Sorry if this is uncomfortable for you,” he mutters. “Put a little of your healing magic into it if you can. I’ll take out the venom, but your magic is the one that can heal the wound.”

  “I’m comfortable,” I say quickly. “I mean, you’re the one doing the heavy lifting.” I hope he can’t see the tinge of humiliated arousal rising to my cheeks. I wish the pain wasn’t fading quite so fast. It makes it really hard not to press my knees together when slippery tongue is flicking into my wound as he works, taking away my pain with each stroke. It makes it feel a little too good as his hands cradle my leg, one of them gripping my thigh as he rotates the flesh to get better access to the bite. I push my magic toward his mouth as he instructed, and I immediately become aware of his fingers digging into my bare skin, his mouth caressing and sucking gently at my torn flesh…

  I bite my lip, fingers curling around the bench while watching the demon’s head bob. Fuck, it looks exactly like watching a guy licking something else. It takes everything I have to keep my magic under control, to focus it on the wound in my leg, trying to heal it without letting it get me even more worked up as Topher works diligently, his tongue stroking my broken flesh and sending a million confusing, inappropriate thoughts through my head. So this is what it feels like when it’s my magic pulling me toward someone I’m not normally attracted to.

  It’s arousing, but my head isn’t in it. My head wants me to jump up and run away, the thoughts spinning through it as my body is taken over by the magic while my heart isn’t in the connection. It feels wrong, like spying on someone having sex. Both naughty and shameful but arousing in a dirty kinda way.

  Finally, Topher sits up, avoiding my gaze as he carefully brushes his hand against my injury. A shudder runs up my spine, but the demon nods in satisfaction. “Good. It seems all the venom’s out. Now you’ll need to send more of your magic to the area to heal it completely.”

  I nod, pressing my lips together. I really don’t want to do this in front of him. What if he’s overcome by it? But Darius said he was strong, and I trust them both, so I take a deep breath and push my magic to my leg, which throbs faintly with each heartbeat. I shut out thoughts of Topher and home in on my wound. I can feel my magic swirling through it, and I focus it on the task at hand just like I do when I use it to control a wand or a spell. After a few minutes, my skin is smooth as new, with only a scar remaining.

  “Remarkable,” Topher murmurs, sitting back on his heel. His black eyes are fixed on me with the same intensity I once found creepy. Now I know that’s just his way, like I know that the pitch black eyes are a sign he’s not long for this world… At least not in his current host. I wonder if his tongue is another sign, and I try not to shudder at the gruesome, titillating thought of it. It doesn’t help that he’s looking at me like he might want to use it on more than my leg.

  Damn my magic.

  “So,” I say, choosing a safe topic and trying to sound normal. “Did I summon that ogre?”

  Topher glances around. “Perhaps,” he says. “You’re extremely powerful, Jade. Now that you’re learning dark magic…” He looks at me and swallows, his eyes roving over me.

  “Lovely,” I say. “I guess I’m going to need my guards again.”

  The thought is strangely comforting, which bothers me a little. I don’t like depending on anyone. I used to think of the guard as an annoyance. No college student wants a chaperone twenty-four seven, even if they are yummy and powerful. But now that I’ve bonded with them, I miss not having them around as much, not to mention I feel so much safer with them. I may not like it, but I do depend on them. Plus, having them as guards gives me an excuse to spend more time with them. Maybe even Ryker will come around.

  “Let’s get you inside,” Topher says, frowning around at the campus, where darkness has swallowed us. “I don’t want to risk anything else coming after you. I might not be able to fight it off like I did that one.”

  I start to remind him that actually, Cleo and I were about to dispose of the thing permanently before he came along. But he’s my friend, so I let the guy have his ego. It’s the least I can do after he ate out my leg wound.

  “We should tell Darius,” I say, taking a tentative step on my leg. It’s a little tender, but barely hurts at all. Between Topher sucking out the dark stuff and my healing ability, it’s almost all better.

  He takes my elbow, his grip gentle but firm. “Let me handle Darius,” he says. “For now, you need to worry about your safety. Let’s get you to your dorm.”

  “Okay,” I agree reluctantly, though I wouldn’t have minded an excuse to visit Darius. Now that he’s the Headmaster, I’ve barely seen him. A few secret smiles across a room aren’t enough. Yes, I have Rocco for company, and Thorn has taken me on a couple dates this month and even spent the night once or twice, though I have an inkling he’s trying to make it clear to Rocco that he can’t hoard me as much as anything. But they are not Darius. I miss him the same way I would miss either of them if they stopped being a part of my life.

  “Here we are,” Topher says, pulling me from my thoughts as we stop outside my dorm.

  “You’ll tell Darius about the ogre?” I say, chewing on my lip.

  “I’ll make sure he reinstates your guard if they haven’t been with you.”

  I frown at him, and he frowns back. Was he looking in my head on the walk over? Is he intentionally keeping me from seeing Darius because he doesn’t approve?

  “What about the ogre?” I ask.

  “I’d like to look into the matter for a few days first,” Topher says. “There shouldn’t be enough dark magic on this campus to attract an ogre, even with you learning it. Your energy is still mostly light.”

  “Could someone have summoned it?” I ask. “Like the Bellas summoned the demonlings?”

  He shakes his head. “No one summons an ogre. They’re attracted to dark magic. They don’t obey human command.”

  I wonder if they ob
ey demon command, but I don’t say anything. Of course Topher didn’t call an ogre to campus just to chase it off again.

  “Are there more dark magic students this year?” I ask. “Something that might have tipped the scales?”

  He shakes his head. “We actually had two more dark magic students last year. The four sorcerers, myself, and you are the only other dark magicians.”

  “So, I’m the only new addition to the School of Dark Arts,” I say, feeling guilty. “It is me.”

  “You were practicing last year,” Topher says. “It’s possible that it was at the border of campus, where the wards are in place, but when you walked along the edge of campus, it was drawn to your magic because you were so close.”

  “You think it’s a coincidence?” I ask skeptically. Nothing bad that happens around here is ever a coincidence.

  It’s usually a Bellas’ fault.

  “I’d like a chance to look into it before we scare people unnecessarily,” Topher says.

  “Could someone’s family have… Tampered with the protections around the campus?” I ask, trying to think of how Bella might be to blame for this one.

  The demon frowns. “I don’t think so. I’ll monitor my students in class this week and see if anything comes up. And Darius will be notified that you’ve requested your guard be reinstated.”

  I huff, about to protest. I don’t want him thinking I’m some helpless damsel who needs a guard for no reason, or that I’m getting jumpy about shadows. I handle my shit. And I definitely don’t want to bear the brunt of Ryker’s wrath when he finds out he has to guard me again.

  But if I say something, will Topher rat us out? A long look passes between us, and I somehow know that he knows. He’s subtly challenging me. It’s not an outright threat to go to the Society of Supernaturals about us, but he knows. Elowen says he’s towing the line, and he probably doesn’t like having to break up with her while Darius, who also had an affair with a student, got promoted to Headmaster. For all I know, he’s gunning for Darius’s job. I’m sure as shit not going to be the reason he loses his job after only a month.

  “Fine,” I say. “But I get to help get to the bottom of this, and if we can’t figure it out, we go to Darius.”

  Topher arches a brow, and the tip of his black tongue darts out to wet the corner of his lips. He smiles and holds out a hand, a slight smile on his face. “Deal.”

  Chapter Twelve

  For the next week, we go about business as usual. I manage to slip away one evening to research with Topher, but we can’t find much more on ogres. They’re attracted to dark magic and basically feed on it, but they don’t use it the way dark magicians do. They kind of… Digest and absorb it into their poison.

  Which means they aren’t actually powerful in themselves, though they are super strong, and their bite is usually deadly. Because of the way they convert dark magic instead of containing it to reuse as a magician would, they are immune to a lot of spells that would bind magic or ward it off. That’s the closest we can find to how it managed to breach the wards on campus.

  At least Darius’s job and reputation are secure, at the very least, even if we haven’t come any closer to finding an answer. Speaking of looking for answers, I haven’t been able to pry anything out of Asher, either. I knew he was a little salty about me not revealing my lover, but I thought he’d be too excited about the new boyfriend to keep me in the dark for long. But then, Asher was never very forthcoming about his lovers last year, either, so I try not to take offense. He said freshman year that he’d let me know if he got serious with anyone, so I let it go and trust that he’ll bring him around when he’s ready.

  It stings a little when he blows me off a couple times during the week, though. The highlight of my week is when I open my drawer on Wednesday to find that all my old, raggedy underwear from home is gone, replaced by an assortment of brand-new ones in an assortment of styles and colors, all in my size, with tags still attached. I smile to myself, thinking of Rocco as I choose a pair. They’re high-end brands, too, ones I’d never be able to afford on my own.

  I pick up a pair of red silk bikini-cut panties, shivering at the delicious sensation of them sliding through my fingers. I know I should save them for a special occasion when Rocco will be seeing them and taking them off me. I should wear a sensible pair of white cotton panties to class today. But I’ve never had nice underwear in my life, so I decide to wear them on an ordinary day. Not for Rocco or anyone else. Just for me. I sigh as they caress my skin as I pull them on. All through the day, they’re like a sweet secret hidden under my skirt.

  I decide to wear sexy underwear every single day after that. Screw the cotton ones. Well, except on period days when I feel fat. Then I’ll wear the sensible ones. Or maybe not.

  Even on uneventful days, I can enjoy the simple pleasure of new, nice panties. I’m heading to the cafeteria for dinner on Thursday night after my solo practice with Cleo when I catch the buzz of excited conversation from several groups huddled together, heading to dinner at the same time. “What’s going on?” I ask Thorn, who’s walking beside me, back on guard duty.

  “I’m not sure,” he says, looking a bit on edge as he also scans the other students.

  We step into the dining hall, and immediately, the buzz grows into a low roar. The tension in the air is tangible, and everyone’s shoved tables and chairs together, chatting away in hushed, excited whispers. I catch Elowen off to the side, nervously stirring her spoon in the soup-of-the-day as she glances off towards the huge, mass of people. The center of which, unsurprisingly, is Bella and Dirk.

  “What’d she do this time?” I ask, nodding to Dirk, who sports a bandage across his cheek. “Punch him in the face?”

  Thorn shrugs, looking sour now that he knows it’s some Bella drama.

  “Elowen,” I call out with a wave as I make my way toward her. She jumps in her chair before giving a nervous wave. Thorn pulls out my chair, and we scoot in at her table. “What’s going on?”

  “Apparently Dirk was attacked today in the courtyard. Some of the upperclassmen say it was an ogre.”

  I feel my skin grow cold at the name. “An… Ogre?”

  Mistaking my shock for fear, Elowen pats my hand. “Bella says Professor Darius killed it.”

  “Oh,” I say, my mind racing. Topher was sure it was gone for good, that it wouldn’t come back. I didn’t say anything, and now Dirk was attacked. “He’s okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” she says, gesturing to where he’s holding court, looking as happy as Bella to be the center of attention as they recount the story.

  “Ogre venom is deadly,” I say slowly. “I wonder how he got away without more than that.”

  “I don’t know,” Elowen says, looking dreamy. “I bet Darius’s magic saved him.”

  Bella catches sight of us watching and raises her voice, making sure we can hear her. “So, anyway, Daddy’s going to put a ton of money into hiring the best investigators until we get to the bottom of this. No way some gross swamp monster’s getting away with hurting my boyfriend.”

  I roll my eyes. Does she think letting Ryker fuck her in a trash can won’t hurt him?

  She clutches Dirk’s arm possessively, and he glances our way to see who she’s putting on a show for. “It’s real sweet of you to do that for me, babe,” he says, leaning down to kiss her.

  “I take care of my man.” Bella gives a haughty toss of her head as the crowd around her croons and gushes over her blatant lie. “I just wish Daddy had won the Headmaster’s seat,” Bella goes on. “If he had, he wouldn’t let half the things on this campus stay.”

  Her eyes fix on me as she delivers her vicious words. That bitch is about to get slapped.

  “You know, it’s probably that demon’s fault there are ogres here,” Bella says. “I can’t believe Darius lets him set foot on our campus, let alone teach our classes. What did he expect to happen?”

  Tears appear in Elowen’s eyes as she stands, her chair scrapin
g loudly against the ground. “Topher wouldn’t summon an ogre,” she cries. “He cares about all us dark magic students. N-Not that you would get that, Bella.”

  For a second, the room is silent, frozen in shock. I fight the urge to applaud. I never thought I’d see the day when Elowen stood up to Bella Goodwin. Maybe she’s finally finding her strength, after all.

  Bella lets out a huff, pushes out of her chair, and stomps over to us, getting up in Elowen’s face. “You would say that,” she spits out. “Given you were his little fuck toy. Not that you could do any better, but seriously. Who willingly spreads her legs for a hell-spawn? Unless he raped you, and you’re so desperate that you actually enjoyed getting dick for the first time in your life.”

  Elowen stumbles back, her bravery apparently spent. But I’m not about to let this bitch talk to my friend that way. I shoot to my feet and smack Bella across the face with my palm before I have a chance to think twice about it. Her head snaps around, and a chorus of ‘oohs’ goes up around the room.

  “You bitch,” she screeches, lunging for me. Dirk grabs her around the waist, and she jerks to a stop, folded in half over his arms. That skinny little emo boy is stronger than he looks.

  “Don’t talk to my friend that way,” I snap. “Elowen could get twice as many guys as you if she wanted them, but some people have more class than to fuck anything with a dick. My friend demands respect and has high standards. And if you want to talk about desperate, we can revisit a little incident involving a trash can, if you want to go there.”

  Bella’s mouth falls open, and her eyes go round. “You wouldn’t,” she hisses.

  I shrug. “It’s not really my business. Just like who Elowen dates isn’t yours.”

  “She fucked that zombie!” Bella rages. “That’s all demons are. They inhabit dead bodies! It’s disgusting. Mr. Stephen’s head should be on a spike at the perimeter as a warning—not teaching my boyfriend’s classes.”