Lessons in Love

Chapter 76: The Witch's Tests

POV: Beta Ben Westlake

My afternoon sucked. I was on edge, replaying the conversation with Lulu over and over. I found myself wandering toward the school around four. Doubt had been worming around my brain since lunch and had eaten a path through all my logical responses to it. I needed to touch Riley. I needed to smell her and feel the bond between us. I needed to shut the doubt up before it got any further out of hand.

I walked into the gym quietly as they were doing their aura exercises. It was always the last thing Riley did with them. My mother stood in the circle with the other girls, a shy smile on her face as she growled loudly. Several of the girls stepped back from her aura. Riley had made her stronger too, I thought absently as I held up the door frame. After each girl went, they all applauded the effort and control one another had shown. Riley wasn’t just teaching these girls to fight; she was teaching them to be a team. It was something the boys’ training program lacked.

Riley dismissed the girls. Shawna started picking up mats and tidying the space. My mother chatted with a few of the girls before noticing me. “Hi sweetheart,” she smiled. She came over and gave me a hug before going to pack up her needlework. Riley was focused on helping Shawna. She was locking her emotions down pretty tightly, but I sensed nervousness off her. I gave her the space she clearly needed. When Shawna headed for the change room, Riley turned to me. She didn’t look nervous. She looked downright afraid. I moved toward her slowly and wrapped my arms around her. I felt her hands across my back and sighed. I pulled her in tightly to me and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m scared.” She whispered into my chest.

“Me too.” I replied. “But we’re in this together.” I said, pulling her back from me to see her face. “We’re going to deal with the curse, and then I am taking you back to our suite, and I’m …”

“I was thinking,” my mother’s voice interrupted. I felt heat rise in my face as quickly as it was rising on Riley’s. “I would like to move into the Gamma quarters. Sam isn’t going to use them, and I think you two need your privacy.” She smiled ruefully.

“We can help you right after …” I started.

My mother shook her head. “No need. I asked a few of the girls to come by and help me. I’ll be out of the suite by the time you’ve destroyed the stone.”

“Mom, you don’t have to do this.” I said, feeling like I was forcing her out.

“Yes, I do.” She said, smiling at us. She walked up to us and took our hands in hers. “I need to be independent. I need to move on. I want to sell that house, and work here at the school, and rebuild the solarium, and …” she looked at me then. “Live a life.”

“I love you, mom.” I said with a smile of my own. Riley and I drew her into a hug.

“I love you. Both of you.” She said as she pulled back from us, tears in her eyes.

“You ready, Luna Claire?” Shawna and Lisa came out of the change room.

Mom gave me one last look, her happiness overflowing. “Yes,” she said firmly. “I believe I am.” She turned toward the girls, and they started to collect her bags. Riley and I stayed there until they left the gym.

“What was that you were planning to do after we break the curse?” Riley asked, rubbing against me.

I buried my face in her neck and growled against her mating spot. “I’m going to start biting.”

Riley giggled. “Well then, we better get moving.” She smiled at me before she grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips.

On the walk back to the packhouse, I told Riley about Lulu’s reaction to the stone. Riley didn’t seem phased by it. “Lu didn’t say anything because she needs all the information before she’ll state her conclusions. Even if she easily identified it, she wouldn’t want to say anything until she’d double-checked and confirmed her findings. She’s thorough.”

I felt better at hearing that, but it still didn’t relieve my anxiety entirely. We walked into the packhouse and headed for the great hall. Riley ran up to Cindy and Lulu, hugging them and talking a mile a minute. Rick was pulling a table down off a stack in the corner. I went over and grabbed an end.

“Thanks,” he said as we lifted it down. We set the table up, and the women descended on it, putting out bowls of herbs and some crystals. Rick and I stepped back. “You doing okay?” He asked quietly.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I admitted, watching Riley laughing and joking with the other women.

“Do you want anyone else here?” He asked. “Your mom, or Sam and Katherine?” He offered.

I shook my head and looked down at the floor. “Just you.” I said.

Rick gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You are her mate.” He said firmly. “And she is yours. I’ve never been so sure of something in my entire life, Ben.”

“Okay,” Lulu announced, her voice filling the space. “Let’s get started.” She smiled. “I’m going to need to have a look at your auras first. I want to see them individually, and then I’m going to need to see them interacting.”

Riley straightened her shoulders and growled quietly, slowly pushing her aura out around her. Lulu smiled at Riley as she did. It occurred to me that this was probably not the first time Lulu had read Riley’s aura.

“Okay,” Lulu looked at me. “You’re up.”

“I don’t have as good of control on mine.” I said.

“Just do your best.” Lulu smiled.

I let out a growl, and my aura flowed out of me. I noticed Cindy take a step back, but no one else did. Lulu looked thoughtfully at the air around me, like she could physically see my aura. I wanted to ask what she saw but didn’t know if talking would interrupt what she was doing. She stepped around me, circling to examine every inch of my aura.

“Can you throw more of it out?” She asked softly. I pushed my aura out as Lulu came back around in front of me. “Thank you.” She smiled, but it read as polite, not genuine. “Cindy, can you describe what you felt?”

“Rage, pure rage.” Cindy said with a shiver.

“Rick,” Lulu turned to him next. “What did you feel?”

“Courage,” he said firmly. “Rage, but it was focused away from me …”

“Like the rage is directed at people that would hurt you, not at you.” Riley said softly.

“Yeah,” Rick smiled at her. “Just like that.” Riley didn’t seem happy at that description.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Lulu looked between the three of us. “One more test.” She said firmly. “I want you and Riley to push your auras toward each other. Rick, I’m going to need you to walk through it. Flex your aura if you need to protect yourself or filter them out. I am going to need to see all the power here. Riley, Ben, don’t hold a thing back. Cindy, you’re going to want to back up.”

Riley stood in front of me and took my hands in hers. She held my gaze firmly. I felt and saw the worry. “I don’t like this.” I said, voicing the concern naked on Riley’s face. “Why do you need to do this? Just tell me.” I demanded.

Riley squeezed my hands, drawing my attention back to her. “You have to do as she asks. It’s always for a reason. Telling us the reason will only make it hard for us to focus. It could change the outcome of the test. I know it’s hard, Ben, but it’s how it has to be done.”

“This might be hardest on you, Rick.” Lulu said, turning to him. “No matter what Rick’s reaction is, you two need to keep blasting each other with your aura.”

“No,” I said. “No, I’m not okay with that.”

“Ben, yours doesn’t hurt me. We know that.” Rick said, gripping my shoulder. “As for Riley’s,” he smiled at her. “I guess we’re going to find out.”

“It’s going to be okay. I won’t let him get really hurt.” Lulu said. “Ready?” She looked between us. Rick took several steps back from us, and Riley pushed her aura out fast and hard, forcing mine to meet hers. I growled, trying to control it as Rick started to step toward us.

“Let go,” Lulu said firmly to me. I looked at Riley. She gave me a nod. I looked at Rick, and he nodded, too. I let it loose. Rick started wading through the combined auras. He winced as he got closer. It wasn’t hurting him, but it wasn’t comfortable for him. He gritted his teeth, and I felt his aura hit us. It was different feeling something so familiar filtered through our combined auras.

Where Rick’s aura usually projected malice, a purely physical threat, I felt something shifting in it. Like his aura was changing to match our energy in some way. That threat didn’t feel directed at me, but rather like it was directed at the world around us. I looked at Riley. She didn’t seem to be feeling anything negative off Rick.

A thud next to me brought my head around to find Rick on his knees on the floor. I started to pull away, but Riley gripped my hands firmly. She looked as worried as I felt, but she shook her head. We had to follow Lulu’s rules. Rick growled furiously, pushing his aura through and around us. The growl sounded effortful and painful. I growled myself, trying to do I was told and focus on my own aura, but if we were hurting him, we had to stop. I let it go on for another minute or two and couldn’t take the sound of Rick’s growls a second longer.

“Enough!” I pulled back. Riley pulled her aura back in as Rick slumped on his side, lying on the ground. Riley and I hit the floor in front of him. “Rick!” I grabbed his shoulder. He was shaking a little, sweat beading on his face. He was panting too, and for a moment, I thought he was having a panic attack.

“That was new.” He said, sitting up slowly.

“Take it easy.” I said, helping him.

“I’m okay,” he said. We got him up off the floor, and I whipped around at Lulu with an angry growl. Lulu had tears in her eyes as she stared at Rick.