f*******n Magic

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

WORK WAS MORE BORING than I remembered. But I liked boring. I liked routine, the simplicity of doing a task over and over again.

I filed away one of the largest spell books I’d ever seen, and walked back to the front desk, my arms finally empty. There was a slight strain in my muscles from carrying it around, but I didn’t mind. It felt good to be back. It felt good to be doing these things, especially if they were boring.

I picked up my bag and adjusted the strap over my shoulder. “Is there anything else you’d like me to do before I leave?” I asked Hillary, who was standing behind the counter going through the daily log book for the teachers.

The time had flown by, despite the fact that there wasn’t a lot I actually did. The air conditioning kept me cool and the small tasks Hillary had me do kept me focused. I didn’t know if I would feel the same way tomorrow or the day after, but it was a good first day back.

“No, I’d say we’re all done for the day,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for your help today.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure.” I pulled the strap of my bag over my shoulder and glanced down to make sure I had everything with me. “Thank you for letting me come back to work with you, even after... you know, all the mess I caused.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as Hillary stared at me with sadness in her eyes. I wasn’t fond of pity. I was trying to be honest, trying to show my appreciation.

Between Travis, Matlock, and me throwing spells and physically crashing into bookshelves left, right, and center, we’d left the library in a real mess. I was surprised there weren’t more books damaged. Yet, coming back here, no one would know that such an event occurred in the first place.

“You survived an incredible ordeal, Bella. I’m proud to have you on my team,” Hillary said with a smile.

Emotion clogged my throat. I’d never had anyone say they were proud of me, not before leaving my mother’s realm in search of help for Courtney.

All this approval was hard to deal with.

“Ah, thanks. I think I better get going,” I said, adjusting the glasses on my nose. “I’m surprised Matlock hasn’t come back to pick me up and walk me home.”

Behind me, someone said, “He sent me instead.”

When I spun around a man stood there staring at me. He wasn’t much older than me. He was attractive, and I hoped the flush that currently crawled up my neck wasn’t as noticeable as it felt. His eyes flickered over my body, though his gaze wasn’t lecherous. If anything, he was checking to make sure I was okay. Which was strange.

“I know you,” I said, taking in his dark eyes and lean body. “You were at Oliver’s shop a few weeks ago.”

He had a beautiful face and there was the sudden flash of yellow in his eyes that I’d seen at the apothecary. He was part shifter, or was he the full one? I couldn’t remember who my father had said was the mix and I mentally cursed myself for not paying more attention. With everything going on at the moment, it was important for me to remember pertinent details.

He grinned. “And you’re the new heir to the High Warlock everyone’s talking about.”

His voice was confident but there was a genuine playfulness to it. Even from my peripheral, Hillary was leaning forward in her chair, eyes on him. I couldn’t blame her.

Heat blossomed up my face and through my cheeks like someone had set a brush fire through my veins. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look elsewhere. I couldn’t be sure, but it felt as though he could see through me, despite the wards and shields I put around myself to protect me. Of course, besides the tattoo on my stomach, there weren’t actual shields, but the sentiment was still the same.

“I... Um...” I stammered, with absolutely no idea how to finish that sentence. This wasn’t like me. I was never speechless. If I chose not to speak, it was because I had nothing to say, not because I didn’t know what to say. I rubbed my lips together and finally managed to verbalize a single thought. “People are talking about me?”

He grinned, and this time I felt the pleasure of his smile through my body. In my belly. Deep inside me.

I looked away, unable to keep my gaze on the man in front of me. He made me feel strange, in ways I’d never experienced before.

“Are you kidding?” He laughed and it was the nicest sound I’d ever heard. “You and your sister are all anyone can talk about.”

“Which sister?” I asked. I probably shouldn’t have said that. I wasn’t sure if they knew about Courtney so I still wanted to keep her presence as much of a secret as I could. Granted, I didn’t know how long that secret would last, especially if people were already talking, but I didn’t want the information to come from me.

He shrugged. “Ava is old news now,” he said. “You and the redhead are the gossip.”

So, they did know about Courtney. I wasn’t sure if he purposefully didn’t say her name or if he genuinely didn’t know it, but I wasn’t going to be the one to clarify. Instead, I shifted and placed a hand on my chest.

“I’m Bella,” I said, before I adjusted my glasses on my nose. Maybe if I focused more on myself, despite my insistence to stay small and retreat to my books and my introverted way of doing things, he would drop any curiosity he might have had about Courtney.

“Christian,” he said, sticking out his hand.

I looked down and hesitantly reached out to shake it. Touching was not something I was particularly fond of, whether it was my father or strangers. In fact, it was difficult for me to be physically affectionate with my own sisters, and they were the people I was closest to in the entire world.

He took my hand and as soon as our skin connected a gasp caught in my throat as heat seared along my arm.

“What’s that?” I asked, withdrawing my hand and wiping it on my skirt.

“What?” he asked. “Are my hands sweaty?”

He looked down at his palm, then wiped his palm on his jeans.

I narrowed my eyes. “Didn’t you feel that?”

“No....” He shook his head, but this time when he grinned, there was no light in his eyes.

Had he felt that strange connection? The glimmer of electricity and awareness I’d felt on touching him?

I shook my head. “Nothing.” If he wasn’t going to own up to it, I wasn’t going to, either. “Did you say my father sent you?”

He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “Yes. I am officially your night guard.”

“My what?”

I couldn’t have heard him right. A night guard?

“Well,” he said, “as of tomorrow, I’ll be the college’s night guard, patrolling the grounds and the library from three o’clock until midnight, except for when I walk you home. That’s part of the agreement.”

This still didn’t make sense. I scrunched my face, trying to understand.

“Because of what happened to me and Courtney?” I asked, swallowing hard. I forced my hands behind my back. I didn’t want him to see them shake.

“Yeah, that was rough.” His voice lost the playfulness and dropped an octave, causing goose bumps to erupt over my skin. I wasn’t sure if it was the reminder of what happened or the sound of his voice that had an effect on my body I hadn’t prepared for.

I swallowed, putting my bag strap over my shoulder and holding tight to the leather.

“And tonight?” I asked, wincing when my voice cracked slightly. I cleared my throat again. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he thought I was coming down with some sort of cold. “Are you here for a reason?”

“Yes.” He looked at me as though this was obvious. “The High Warlock asked me to walk you home.”

My mouth dropped open. My father wouldn’t. My cheeks burned with redness and I tried once again to figure out how to say what was on my mind.

“He asked you to....” I shook my head, holding up a hand. “You really don’t have to do that. I can take care of myself.”

He grinned. “I know. Everyone does now. But since I told him I would, I’d appreciate the company, otherwise I’ll have to just walk behind you.”

The picture of him trotting behind me like a little puppy made me smile.

“Okay, let’s walk together. But you have to answer some questions for me.” I looked behind me and waved to the head librarian. “Good night, Hillary.”

She waved me off, and Christian and I made our way out the college doors and through its foreboding gates.

“What sort of questions do you have, Bella?” Christian asked.

I glanced up at him as we walked down the quiet streets toward the Council building. The last thing I wanted to do was stare so brazenly at him, and I kept looking away to ensure that didn’t happen. At the same time, I genuinely couldn’t help it. The guy was gorgeous, more so than I initially thought.

“You’re a wolf shifter, right?” I asked, hoping that would distract me enough to pull my gaze away from him and focus on what was in front of me. “Are you a mix of warlock and wolf? Or ....”

My voice trailed off and I looked over at him. A heavy frown sliced his chiseled face.

I froze. “What’s wrong?”

“How did you know?” he asked, glancing around as though someone was watching him, as though someone might have overheard our conversation.

“My father told me the day I met you at Oliver’s,” I said slowly. “Why? What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, his shoulders relaxing a little. “I wasn’t sure if he knew or not.”

“Who? My father?” I sighed. “It’s still so weird calling someone that.”

Christian slid his gaze sideways at me. “Is it really true that you’d never met him before a few weeks ago?”

“Ah...” I looked down at the pavement. I had the strangest desire to tell him the utter truth. “Yeah.”

“How is that even possible?” he asked. “I mean, you must have heard of him. Seen him.”

I shook my head. “No. My mother kept us in a private realm. She didn’t let us leave and her magic kept us pretty much hostage. Then she got sick and we stayed to look after her.”

“Then she died?” he asked.

I nodded, swallowing hard against the emotion in my throat. “Yeah, she did.”

“You must have wanted to leave after that,” he said.

“No. Not at all,” I said, shaking my head. “I loved my house. Staying home.”

“Then why did you come here?” he asked.

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. Yellow flashed in his pupils.

“Why do I feel like I could tell you anything?” I asked him. It seemed crazy. For someone as logical as I was, as guarded as I was, to be able to feel this comfortable around a stranger wasn’t something I trusted right away. Yet, with Christian, it was different.

His eyes widened and his eyebrows flicked up. “I don’t know. I kinda feel the same way.”

We were only half a block from the Council building now.

“Enough about me.” I said quickly, shoving my hands in my pockets. My cheeks burned with heat. It was difficult to look him in the eye. “Tell me why you’re... odd, about the whole wolf shifter thing.”

“Shh....” he said, his eyebrows narrowing in a scowl.

I ignored his reaction.

We kept walking, and when he glanced over at me again, a small smile played on his lips. “You really don’t know anything about me... about this world, do you?”

I laughed. “I told you. I was raised in a realm with my mother and sisters. I didn’t leave. We weren’t able to. Everything I know is what my mother taught me, or what I read in her books.”

We arrived at the base of the Council steps. The shops around us were beginning to close, the people on the streets going home.

Dusk was upon us and, as I glanced around, the colors of the sunset made me smile. The purples and pinks and oranges were simply stunning.

“Thanks for walking me back, Christian. I must admit to feeling safer with you around.” I glanced down at my black shoes, pivoting on the balls of my feet as a wave of embarrassment flowed over me.

He reached out and touched my arm to get my attention. The sizzle of attraction moved through me before I glanced up again.

“What was that question you asked me again?” he said with a slow smile.

I couldn’t help the way my face flushed. “I just wanted to know about the whole... you know.”

I moved my hand in the air to encompass him.

I swallowed hard against the desire to say ‘wolf shifter’ again. I gathered that I shouldn’t. Especially not around the witches.

“I’m not sure I can explain it in one conversation.”

“Okay,” I said, shrugging. Why was I pushing for information when someone didn’t want to give it to me? Surely it wasn’t that hard to tell me something I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything.

“Maybe we could talk, over lunch tomorrow?” he asked.

“What?” I blinked.

He wanted to continue the conversation over a meal. Was it like some sort of date? Or was I just overthinking things?

He ran a hand through his dark hair that fell to just below his ears.

“If you want to,” he said. He sounded nervous, and that wasn’t something that sounded natural coming from him. “I mean... you’re the heir to the High Warlock and I know that witches don’t like hanging out with us.”

I frowned at him. “Haven’t you been listening to anything?” I sighed. “Where would you like to have lunch?”

I wasn’t sure if this was some sort of date, or the hand of friendship, but I was taking it. And if the sudden increase in my heart rate was any indication, my body hoped it was a date.

“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow and we can walk somewhere nearby.”

“Okay,” I said, fidgeting with the strap on my bag.

“Great. I’ll see you then.” He waved to me before heading off.

I watched him go, admiring the grace and the way he moved. I didn’t understand why the witches and warlocks had a problem with the wolf shifters, but I was going to find out.