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I looked down at myself. I was human on top and snake on the bottom, but something was off.
“It looks right but feels wrong, if that makes sense. I feel like half human, half snake, instead of full naga.” I wasn’t stable. I was sure that if I relaxed, my snake would take over completely. I wouldn’t be able to stay in this form for long, and it definitely didn’t feel natural. Not like it should.
“I think I understand. Kinda like an imitation?”
“Yesss.” There was my snake again, slipping out.
She leaned back and looked me up and down. “It’s wavering.”
I concentrated until I was fully man again. I was ravenous, which was a good thing I suppose. It meant that my snake hadn’t hunted down some poor deer for a meal.
“You hungry?” I asked.
“Famished.” She glanced over into the kitchen. “But I don’t think we can use the kitchen till it gets cleaned up.”
She mumbled something and waved her hand, the most adorable look of concentration on her face. The food packages that were scattered all over the floor started to arrange themselves into neat piles. The cloth on the counter rolled up into a ball and dipped itself into the soapy water in the sink before beginning to scrub away at the counter.
“That’s convenient,” I mused.
It still impressed me every time she used her magic. She’d explained that whenever she did it siphoned energy from her, but these simple household spells didn’t take much, and as long as she stayed well-fed and well-rested, it wouldn’t affect her wards.
“Too bad it can’t figure out which of those packages of shortbread are expired and which are still good. I still need to do that myself. If you’re hungry now, there’s a charcoal grill outside next to the gazebo. We also have the fire pit.”
I imagined my little witch dancing naked around a bonfire under the full moon, the bass pumping loud and filling the air with music.
“If we do the fire pit, will you dance around it naked?”
She laughed. “That depends. Is it a full moon?”
“Nope, but we can pretend it is.” I waggled my brows at her. “Is that even a real thing? Or is it made up?”
“The witch’s sabbath was most definitely a real thing. But it fell out of fashion a long time ago, probably because witches were being burnt at the stake and had to go into hiding. But yeah, they used to call demons, satyrs, incubi, and succubi to their gatherings to help replenish their magic through…”
“Through sex?” I finished, my brows raised.
“You got it.”
“Is that how you replenish your magic too?” I asked.
She dropped her eyes. “A little bit. But mostly I recharge with food and sleep. I also augment my magic by surrounding myself with magic-infused objects and other things I love, like my familiars. Great Granny Syl was the same, except she didn’t have a pet and just recharged with her objects.” She looked around at the clutter. “But all this is too much for me. I need it to be neatly arranged and tranquil.”
Like the shrine she’d set up in her childhood room. I had noticed it was aesthetically pleasing and harmonious. Even her rats’ cage was decorated with matching hammocks and toys. The set in their cage right now had a jungle theme, with fleece vines and leaves. Adorable.
Which reminded me. “Where’s Salt and Pepper?” They’d been out when I left to let my serpent out.
“I put them back in their cage when I started clearing out the kitchen. They ripped open a package of decade-old cookies, and I had to wrestle one out of Pepper’s mouth.”
“Shall we take them outside? Or do you not trust them near the grill?”
“No, they can’t go outside. but it’s not the grill I’m worried about. There’s an owl in the area. And you must’ve seen the hawks out during the day.”
“Right. I didn’t even think of that.” I wondered what the hawk had thought when it saw my snake.
“I might build a big enclosure so they can hang out outside when I do. They really enjoyed chilling by the pool at the Redrock penthouse.”
“Nice. They’ll enjoy that.” I got up from the couch, my stomach growling. “I’ll go fire up the grill.”
I was just reaching for the door handle when Sybil cleared her throat.
