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“Ah yes. Right.” While there had been many opportunities in my young adult life to run wild and take advantage of the physical offerings by many in the academic setting, I had not. Not once. Not one. Had not even read a book about it beyond the basic anatomy and physiology of magical species and creatures. I wasn’t sure if my unique design would even work with what she had over there. Essentially, a human body type.
“Pub or seafood?” she asked and I realized she may have been talking all this time, but I was staring straight ahead trying to figure out if I could find a way to know for sure before my mating alarm rang any louder in my ears. How? Why? This made no sense.
“Pub.” I needed a drink and was old enough to get one. She was too, but I definitely needed some liquid courage to settle myself down and really think about the consequences of what my body was telling me. Mine. She had to be mine. I had to have her. There was no other path in my current state of mind. Every moment I spent with her was like I fell deeper under her spell. Only, I knew she was not powerful in this realm and if she did cast a love spell on me, it would result in me falling for one of those plants and not her. She was not terribly good at getting what she wanted through her witchy powers yet. But that gave me an idea. “And then to Penhallows.” And for good measure, “And Moonbright after that.”
Yeah, I needed a couple pints. I’d known her less than a day and I was already in provider mode. I was already determined to do whatever it took to care for my mate. Mate.Fuck. Mate.
CHAPTER5
Eleanor
Isit even possible to be more attracted to someone than I was to Braz. Braz. One more sip of this cherry beer and I might just call him that out loud. He had told me during our study session that most people called him Patrick as it was what everyone on the sporting teams did. Inside Buckingham’s (Buckie’s) Pub & Billiards, Braz ate like a demon. I wasn’t sure if he was eating so much because he was hungry or if it was to keep from sharing more about himself with me.
“Patrick!” An actual demon slapped him on the back and winked at me. “Introduce us to your new friend.”
He didn’t seem exceptionally thrilled to speak to them as he said, “This is Eleanor. Elanor, this is the… debate team?”
They roared with laughter. All of them. The beautiful blue skinned, blond haired creature that reminded me of a mermaid if they were guys, shoved at the demon’s back and said, “Let’s go! We have to get this done tonight.”
“Later, Patrick.” The demon and Braz did some sort of hand gesture and the team was heading out the door.
I waited, but Braz was not going to be forthcoming with the information, so I had to ask. “Are you on that team?”
“I used to be. Not anymore.” He shrugged.
“Oh.” I wanted to know more. He was not going to disclose more, so I opted for, “Does your skin turn a different color when you drink or—”
“What?” He looked at his arms, his hands.
I shook my head. “It’s your neck. Somewhat… pink.”
“Pink!” It was a statement not a question. He lifted his head back and pointed as he asked, “Where? Here? There?”
The more he talked, the more it spread to a deep magenta all over him. I gulped and admitted, “Well, now it is… everywhere.”
He closed his eyes and when he opened them, I felt something akin to fear, but also… I was… curious.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me.” He shook his head. His long black hair seemed to move in slow motion like he had his own personal fan that displayed all of his sexy features to their best at this moment. Everything, absolutely everything he did was… turning me on.
“Me either.” It was a breathy whisper and I squeezed my knees tighter together for both the sudden relief of friction and because I wanted to lock myself in place before I climbed over this table and attacked his lips with mine.
“We should go.” He inhaled sharply and I watched his nostrils flare. “Now.”
He called out, “Put it on my tab.”
One look at him and the server nodded, not coming near us. As we left the pub, he pulled his shirt over his head. Wowza. Mygowza. Sheeshyazowza. My brain was speaking awed nonsense as my eyes absorbed the awesome sight of him. Then they popped up, like bat wings extending from his back in one sharp motion. I gasped and the creature who was my defensive arts tutor looked at me as though I should run in another direction, but my feet were stupid, so they moved toward him instead. “You have wings.”
His transformation continued, only slightly altering his facial features to be a bit more rugged, a tad more carved in stone. His teeth were a bit sharper when he spoke and said, “We need to get back to the campus. Immediately.”
I nodded and looked for the transportation that had brought us, but it was gone already. Before I could turn back to ask what the plan was, he had swooped me up, into his firm, strong arms as he pushed off the ground and… we were flying. Well, he was flying. I was trying not to choke him as I held on for my life. If he thought he would drop me like that eagle dropped a turtle in our backyard that one time, he was sorely mistaken. I was not about to let go and I doubted he would navigate as smoothly with me dangling from his neck like a necklace.
A few moments into the ride, I dared to open my eyes and pull my face away from the heat and safety of his chest. “Where are we going?”
I could see the school ahead of us, but it didn’t seem like he was about to land. Or at least not like I thought he would. What the hell did I know? I was basing all this on things I had seen or read and… oh. A specific passage in a book I read one summer at my magical grandmother’s house popped into my mind. I remembered when I read it, I got all tingly and awkward. It called to me on some level and I was too young to understand why. He… was flushing in color because his… mate was near.
I didn’t even hear his response. I closed my eyes and tucked my cheek to his chest and wished we never left campus. Wished I could understand why, the first time I was interested in a guy, he would be hit with the mating stick and need to get me out of his way as soon as physically possible.
CHAPTER6
