Page 11 of November Reign
“Well done, Damon. Part of doing magic is fixing your mistakes. You got the hang of it quickly with the water.” I didn’t want him to focus on everything that had gone wrong.
“Yeah,” Oak agreed. “Water really seems to call to you. Maybe we need to teach you more healing.”
“Jorgoth is a great healer. I wish he could be here.” Barr’s face fell, remembering where the elemental, Jorgoth, was. He was still imprisoned for his safety after Basil summoned him.
“Why don’t you guys rescue Cody from Toth, maybe let them know the kitchen will be fine? The house isn’t going to burn down. I’ll order in for lunch.” At my suggestion, the others all left, leaving me alone with Oak.
“So, what did you think of your first magic 101 session?” Oak asked as he got a mop out to clean up with me.
“Better than expected, actually.”
He bumped his shoulder against mine playfully. “Yeah, it was.”
Flirting Basics
Thyme
Oak was right. Takingthings back to the start was just the thing we needed to ignite some passion for magic in our students.
Cody, naturally, did better than Damon, who lived for Cody bettering him at something. Out of the best friends, Cody had the previous knowledge from his training as a child before his parents gave up on him. We’d all believed Cody had no magic of his own, or barely enough to make him a witch. Only Poppy’s insistence that he was included in the coven gave him the protections being a coven member afforded us. Useful when the hit was put out on him. Then we’d found out about his demon parentage and half the coven wanted him out. Not me. I was fascinated about the two supernatural species merging. I’d never heard of it happening before.
For Damon, going back to basics finally gave him the context he needed for many of the harder, defensive spells we’d had him learning. While I didn’t think hetruly loved being a witch, he seemed to no longer hate that part of himself, a huge deal in my eyes.
Physically, both changed before our eyes. Cody was more confident, standing taller and letting his demon side out more often. I quickly became accustomed to seeing his ears change shape or his horns curving up from his head. He wasn’t quite comfortable having his wings or tail on display like Toth was. I understood that. They were sensitive to touch and hardly practical for defense or magic training.
Damon was calmer. Held himself still more before springing into motion. He was quicker when he did move, using his magic to speed his movements.
Going back to the start had other benefits. Damon discovered a love of potion making. Truly, he was talented at it. With more time, he would be coming up with his own recipes!
Having something he was good at outside of fighting did something to my little brother. I think it helped him see his magic wasn’t a burden. In his life, there hadn’t been many opportunities for him to help people outside of doing contracts as a hitman. Making healing salves, sleep draughts, medicinal tinctures, gave him a new purpose.
He was still ruthless, could kill in the blink of an eye without it affecting his conscience, but he had a new softer edge.
Weeks passed, until we were nearing the end of October, with real progress from our students. They weren’t resisting the training anymore. Useful since there were a string of attacks in Northarbor, all of which likely came from Basil.
As far as I knew, he was still working with the Northarbor aviary. He’d sought allies and sanctuary there after our other run-ins. A strange choice, considering his views on shifters. He saw them as beneath him. Poppy, on the other hand, had worked hard to foster a great relationship with the local packs, in particular the Sweetwater pack where her friend, Kade, was the Alpha Mate.
Oak was just back from a patrol with some of the other coven members and a few of the Northarbor pride shifters. They had an alliance with Sweetwater, so we were trying to work with them too. Important since we were often in their territory.
“How’d it go?” I asked, as Oak stripped off his jacket and hung it in the closet.
“No sign. They were long gone by the time we got there.” Oak shook his head, the disappointment evident.
Our relationship had undergone a welcome change over the last few weeks. Since the decision to change the training, Oak had been friendlier to me. He didn’t seek me out, but didn’t avoid me either. He was lessconfrontational, which really didn’t help my crush situation.
Oak was gorgeous. His Thai background gave him golden skin I envied. I was so pale I was almost transparent. His eyes were the deepest gray before black. He was tall, just over six feet compared to my five-six, and more muscular than me with long dark hair he more often than not tied half up in a bun, the rest around his shoulders.
So many times I caught myself longing to run my fingers through his hair as he kissed me senseless. I just knew his lips would be soft under mine, His mouth was wide, his lips inviting though on the thinner side. He had a sharp jawline and cheekbones that would make most models cry. Seriously, his bone structure made him look like he’d been carved from marble. He was just so beautiful.
“Were there any injuries?” Oak had taken Damon to make use of his fighting skills with shifters involved. They’d taken plenty of Damon’s new and improved healing potions.
“None.” Damon came into the hallway almost looking irritated he hadn’t had a reason to use his skills. “It was all done by the time we got there. Sweetwater got away with their delivery intact.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah,” Oak agreed. “Listen, I’m going to go shower, maybe take a nap.”
“Still not sleeping well? Want me to make more of that milk for you later?”
