Sex, Lies & Magic

Eighteen

Sam, Alex, Dana and I stood around the kitchen table at Sam's.

In the middle of the enormous butcher's block monstrosity sat a spell written on a grid of printer paper. The shimmering wizarding script was still a mystery to me. According to Sam, however, the swirly illegibility held the key to one of the greatest incantations of modern times. And she wrote it with Tabitha during her training.

Apparently, it was a big deal. No one had created a new spell like it in centuries.

"Behold my masterpiece!" Sam's near giddy excitement was palpable but I didn't think she fully got that it looked like a big pile of nothing to the rest of us—perhaps I should reiterate Sorcerers can't read wizard script.

"That's... great." I tilted my head to the side. "So, what does it do exactly?"

"It permanently amplifies magic, sorcery to be specific."

"Wait. Are you serious?"

"Yup. No crystals trapping the essences of dead fae, just your own powers you were born with corrected."

"What do you mean by corrected?"

"Sorcery has degraded through the generations. Male sorcerers having strong powers has always been rare. But there's been a distinct drop off in ability for all you guys over the last few decades. Most of the problems come from the attempts the heads of the houses have used to keep the lines pure. It was supposed to be a routine exercise, I did it a million times at Knottsborough.

Usually the spell is nothing new. Tabs had me come up with an idea and write a spell that could be the solution. Here it is."

"Will it hurt?"

"A little."

"Could it kill us?"

"Nope."

"So you cast this and we'll be powerful?"

"More than you are now. I can't say you'll be on my level. But your abilities will be greater than before."

"Gotcha. So how do we do this?"

"I have to get some shit from Perfect Balance."

"I'll be the first Guinea pig." Alex volunteered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

****

We went to Perfect Balance together. Sam gave us each a list and unleashed us on the shop. Two steps in the door and I froze. The others avoided Craven expertly with only Dana giving him a once over. Only a week had passed, and that was nowhere near enough time to forget how gorgeous he was. Added on top of my admiration for how good he looked in black was the still very raw wound of his betrayal.

"Mia." He grabbed my arm as I passed him, forcing me to turn and focus my attention on him.

I didn't say anything to him. Instead, I broke the hold he had on me and went about gathering the ingredients for the spell. Craven shadowed me, lingering close enough that his familiar scent made things deep inside me react and clench with the memory of that toe-curlingly amazing night before everything fell to bits.

"I know you've been seeing him. He's not interested in you like you think he is."

Ignoring Craven, I grabbed the different candles we needed. It wasn't merely various colors we needed, but some pre-anointed ones, and a couple herb infused. I focused on the candles and not my new sexy shadow.