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Whoa there. She’s being a lot more possessive than she was when I said we should just be friends. I turn my head to the side to stop myself from going too far. I know Vega cares about this job just as much as I do, but her instincts don’t; I’ve got to make the hard decision to save us both.
Her arm presses into the wall next to my head, her mass of muscles hovering above me. Orange blossoms and honey fill my nose, drawing me in to her. Why does it have to be this hard? Why couldn’t I have the hots for a chiropractor or a mechanic—a situation without so much baggage.
V’s nose, with its cute bump at the bridge, touches mine as our lips brush against each other’s, and the door swings open once more. Vega backs away, scratching the back of her neck.
It’s a satyr. He’s an intern here. I’ve seen him walking around making folks coffee, but I have yet to learn his name. He’s precious, closer to my height and size, but he’s only nineteen or twenty. He stares at us, wide-eyed and awkward. “Professor Watson, you’re—” His face is turning pink. “I’m so sorry—the door wasn’t locked.”
Shit, that’s right. And I don’t have a shirt on.
“I spilled coffee on myself. I’m so sorry for the indecency,” I say, embarrassed as all hell.
He smiles, looking away. “It’s fine, sorry there’s two people in here. Dr. Daelor and I will be leaving.” He turns around, heading out the door, and coughs at Vega when she fails to do the same. Our eyes remain locked until he grabs her by the arm and pulls V out of the single-use bathroom. I can barely contain my laughter as I put back on my sopping wet shirt. Sweet summer child.
As I walk outside of the building into the cool air, V follows shortly behind me, her footsteps loud as they hit the wooden platform. I fight my body, refusing to shiver, and step onto a bridge that connects to the Charms 101 building. I’m hopeful there’s an extra shirt in my office, but I doubt it.
Opening the door, I dip into my office, which is a building in the Charms Tree that has rooms for every charms professor. Vega, as the new chair, has her own office in a separate adjacent building, and for that I am grateful. I can’t deal with how badly I want her, or her body heat right now.
Soft fabric lands on top of me, and I pull the dark brown article off, investigating it. A sweater. V stands in the doorway, leaning against it with her forehead creased.
“Borrow my sweater. You’re probably freezing. Why didn’t you stick your shirt under the dryer?”
I shrug. “I didn’t wanna traumatize the intern anymore than we already did.”
“I promise you he had no idea what was going on, but I understand. Your concern is both sweet and valid.”
Itisvalid. We could lose our jobs. “I’m sorry, but what happened back there was—”
“Inappropriate? Unacceptable?” She grins. “Don’t be sorry; you’re right. I should be the one apologizing. I lost control. It won’t happen again… unless you ask me to.”
“Thank you,” I say. “It cannot happen again.”
Ping.I touch my phone screen to see a text from my mom. Great, just what I needed today—to disappoint not only myself but also my mother.
“Have a good day, Indigo. Let me know if you need anything,” Vega says as she walks out my door.
I don’t think I will. I need a Xanax after saying no to that ass.
five
VEGA
Indigo Watson will bethe fucking death of me. She is the reason for every urge I’m having to fight. Typically, when a fox chases after a bunny, the bunny runs away… this rabbit might as well be seasoning herself, waiting to be devoured. Between the scent I sense coming from the apex of her thighs, to the way she stares at me in meetings like she’s stripping me in her mind, I’m going to lose it. What can I do? Yesterday she said she wasn’t interested in breaking the rules, and I respect that… so if I cannot get my act together, I’ll quit. I’ll quit and move out to the sticks somewhere with no cellular service and become a bog mage, never to be seen again.
Itcannothappen again, I repeat to myself as I splash my face with cold water. Orcs experience mating frenzies. It’s a real, scientific phenomenon. It stems from our difficulties getting pregnant, long gestation cycles, and struggles with giving birth. Wehaveto want each other a lot, otherwise orcs will cease to exist. But I don’t want to give birth, or date men, so why am I feeling this way? I’m only a half-orc… so is this a half-frenzy? Jeez.
Walking back to my office building, a tiny creature stops on my shoulder, and I take a deep breath when I realize it’s my familiar, Freja. Familiars are an important part of a mage’s journey. Given to us when we mature, they’re magical animals that are blessed with the ability to live out the same time as their mage’s lifespan, and in return, they give their bodies to be used as conduits for magic. When we use our magic, it wears them out like exercise would. Most familiars don’t complain. However, my familiar is a sassy, whiny little shit. Orcs and orclings usually have giant beings as our familiars: winged-bulls, amphibious elephants, dragon whales. Yet, somehow,Igot stuck with a hummingmouse? An animal created in The Convergence. She is half-hummingbird, half-mouse. With my genetics, I suppose it’s fitting.
Entering the building, I sit at my desk and sort through the tall stack of paperwork I’ve been procrastinating. Freja jumps down and climbs over to her cage, chirping a happy little song. For me, it’s paper after paper after paper. Complaints from students, ideas from staff, many absurd requests, you name it! I didn’t realize taking a job in the middle of a semester would come with so much unfinished paperwork. I don’t know my predecessor personally, but boy did he suck at the admin side of this. Best to get some if it done before I fall further behind.
* * *
Freja squeaks at me, trying to get my attention. I’ve been at these administrative tasks for a few hours, and I’m sick of it. I look up at her, and I swear she is giving me her best attempt at a reprimand. Her long beak pecks at my chest, a grumpy expression on her face, and it clicks. I keep her snack in the pocket of my sweater, which I gave to Indigo. Well… that might be a problem. Freja gets hangry quickly, so I’ll have to go find her something. I look up at the clock. Indigo is teaching a history course right now, and class will be over relatively soon… I could just go ask for the bag?
I’m walking out the door, Freja resting on my shoulder, before I even think of how this might go down. I mean, it’ll probably be fine. I just hope I’m not disrespecting her wishes by bothering her. We’re friends… and friends help friends… and it’s my sweater anyway.
History 101 is held in the History Tree, which is a bit of a walk, but it’s beautiful outside. There’s greenery all around me, and I breathe in the fresh air. According to my research, Earth was doing pretty horribly prior to The Convergence. Nature was dying, and the air pollution levels were high. Now? It’s healthy and full of vegetation. I climb up to the building that currently houses Indigo and her students. I can just listen to the end of her lecture and catch her after everyone else has left. That’s the most respectful thing to do.
Placing my ear against the door, I hear muffled noises, and that pretty sing-song voice of hers. “To understand the history of mages, you must understand the history of Earth, but especially The Convergence. We’ve covered a lot of grounds so far this semester, and I know most of you did well on your midterms; but the real question is… do any of you remember anything from our first few lessons? Remember, finals will be on all modules. Let’s test, and potentially refresh, your knowledge.”
