Strange Magic *Ambrose Spellman*

Night One of Lupercalia

Freya

Here I am, back in the woods. This shouldn't be a surprise anymore. The woods are basically my second home now. I'm either here, at the house, or at the academy. And quite honestly, I like it that way. Witches and warlocks gather together in the woods and Ambrose and I stand in front of them.

"Witches! Warlocks! Congratulations, you have been matched. Tonight, you and your paramour shall go into the woods and re-enact the courting. What that means is that each couple shall go into the woods and disrobe and anoint themselves. And lie under this blessed Lupercalian moon, absorbing the potency of the Goddess Selene herself. Abstinence is encourage," a few people boo from the crowd. 

"...in anticipation for the powerful release that concludes Lupercalia. However, should couples be moved to unite, I'm sure the Dark Lord would not oppose." Ambrose says with a cheeky grin. I grab a couple of the prepared baskets and start handing them out to the couples.

"The milk and blood are for the purification. The oysters and figs are for fertility and virility. The cherries are for-" "Popping?" Prudence jokes cutting me off. I roll my eyes at her and take my spot next to Ambrose once all the baskets have been handed out.

"A word or two of caution. Each couple must stay together the entire night. And, above all, do not stray from the path. All manner of lust filled creatures stalk the woods during the Lupercalia. Now with the Dark Lord's blessing, let the courting begin." Father Blackwood says. Ambrose picks up an old horn and blows into it. The couples grasp their baskets and start running off in all directions. 

"Shall we?" I ask holding up our basket. "We shall." Ambrose says as he offers me his arm, which I greatly accept. We try to stay away from the rest of the couples but try not to venture too far out. After all, if anyone needed anything, we were the ones to come to. Once we find a nice quiet spot in a clearing, I set the basket down and start to pull out the blanket. 

"No no darling, let me." Ambrose says as he takes the blanket from my hands. "What a gentleman." I joke. When he turns his back to set up the blanket, I quickly unzip my dress and shimmy it down my legs, leaving me in my white ceremonial slip. When Ambrose finishes setting up, he turns around and looks me up and down, as if it was the first time he's seen me like this.

"This holiday just gets better and better." He jokes as he begins taking off his shirt. I laugh and kneel down on the blanket, pulling out all of the necessary items for the anointment. Ambrose quickly joins me on his knees across from me. I grab the knife and vial of blood, quickly pouring it onto the edge of the knife.

"Why is that in itself sexy?" Ambrose teases. I reach over and carefully drag the knife over his forehead, careful not to cut him. "By Lilith's blood." I say. Ambrose takes his own knife and pours what is left of the blood onto it. "By Lucifer's love." He says as he carefully drags it across my forehead. After the anointment is done, I lean in and give him a quick peck on the lips. 

"And so it begins." Ambrose jokes. He takes the washcloth and dips it in the milk before wiping the blood off of my forehead. He does it so carefully and basically cradles my head in his arms. Once he is finished, I take the washcloth and begin doing the same for him. I notice a small bead of milk rolling down his cheek so I take the opportunity to quickly lick it off his face.

"It's sweet." I say leaning back. "You're going to be trouble." Ambrose says as he grabs onto my waist and pulls me down on top of him. I just laugh and he starts kissing up my neck. His hands run all over my body and legs, one stopping on my lower back (basically my ass) and the other on my thigh. 

"Happy Lupercalia." I say softly. "Happy Lupercalia." Ambrose says eagerly before he leans up and captures my lips with his. I grab the back of his neck and pull him up, so that he is in a sitting position and I quickly settle into a straddle. His hand goes to the back of my neck and holds me there against him. And this really gets me going. 

If it were any other night, I would give in and let him have me. But no, tonight was supposed to be about abstaining. So when I push off his chest and roll so I'm laying next to him, he makes the most pathetic puppy dog face I've ever seen. 

"And what was that for?" He asks rubbing his puffy lips. "Abstinence. You gave the speech yourself." I say with a smile. "Did you not here the part about how it was okay to unite." He says with a groan. I lean up on my elbows and look up at him. "No, I was too busy replaying the part about the powerful release." I say with a smirk. He grins but rolls his eyes.

"Come down here. Come soak in the moon with me." I plead. He agrees and lays down next to me and interlaces our fingers. "As much as I would have enjoyed continuing that little rendezvous, this is quite relaxing." Ambrose says after a moment. "And romantic." I add. He turns his head to look at me. 

"Then we should do this more often. I like seeing you happy like this." He says. I turn to look at him and kiss the end of his nose. "When I'm with you, I'm always happy." I say. For a second I think he's going to make fun of me for being such a sap, but I know he actually enjoys talks like this. 

"I love you Ambrose." "I love you too Freya." Ambrose says with a smile. Right as the world leave his mouth a loud howl comes from the woods nearby. I quickly sit up and look around. Ambrose hops to his feet and looks around, making sure it's not too close.

"Was that a-" "Wolf? Yes." Ambrose says as he pulls me to my feet. "Come on, I'm not letting us stay out here with wolves." He says throwing me my dress as he begins stuffing all our supplies back in the basket. 

"But the festival-" "Screw the festival." Ambrose says. "But babe I want to do this correctly. It's my first Lupercalia." I say whining. Don't get me wrong, I'm terrified that the wolves will come eat me, but I really do want to do this correctly. 

"Then we can do correctly at home. With some take out and wine." He says as he finished packing. "I mean... that does sound pretty nice." I admit. "And then we can enjoy a nice bath." "Alright- you already had me convinced. Let's go lover boy"