Page 25 of Overwhelmed By Magic

“I guess? Sure.”

Rumi chuckles. “And it seems you brought Skye. I hope you claimed him. He’s going to be a very hot commodity around here.”

My gaze narrows at the angel. I want to fight those words so bad but that would only get me in trouble and I’m not sure I could hold my own against these three. Disappearing from this plane of existence is an option but that’s not something I want to make known just yet. Rumi and Ambrose already know that I can transport myself to other places but existing outside of this plane? I'm harboring that secret for a little longer. “Well, hands off. Yes, I claimed him. He has my mark.”

Ambrose finds his way to the mattress and plops down beside me. “Why does he smell so fucking delicious, though? You said you couldn’t smell it but that sounds like lies.” His voice is like honey and danger, drawing me to answer his question without another thought. He’s a mage, for sure but there’s something else. His tongue darts out to lick his lips and I stare at the darkness exuding from him.

The scar over his eye adds to his mysterious persona but I can’t get over the thickness of his aura and how it moves so fluidly. I’ve never seen a Magila's essence do that before. It’s like it’s living.

“I don’t smell him. I mean he wears cologne occasionally?”

Rumi steps closer, pulling the purple-haired one in front of him. His regal beauty is suddenly made known, my entire body igniting with sudden need. I’ve never met an Incubus before but I instantly know that he is one. I bite back a groan, hissing through my teeth as he leans forward and sniffs, his eyes widening. “That’s the new counselor’s scent?”

Rumi nods and I just stare at them before aggressively sniffing my hands and shirt and armpits. Can’t be too safe. “I don’t smell anything. Are you guys fucking with me? Maybe humans just have a scent.”

“Oh, they do,” Ambrose purrs. He’s suddenly right next to me, his tongue darting out to lick my cheek. I shudder but don’t move, realizing too late that I’ve added another problem. “Oh, that’s interesting. Spirits can’t interact with this plane of existence, Harlow but you’re very, very real, aren’t you? No wonder your little human is enjoying you at his side. I think the kids call it ghost dick these days?”

I pop off the mattress, throwing my hands up and putting distance between us. “We all know that we’re fucked up in some way according to the Magila system. I died and came back, that’s all I know. Now, can someone introduce me to the sex demon? Hi, I’m Harlow. You are?” I stick my hand out at him and his eyes widen impossibly further. He looks so fucking innocent that it’s comical.

He steps back into Rumi before grimacing and obviously trying to find a way out of this handshake. I’ve never seen an Incubus avoid touch before. Ambrose is grinning like a little shit on the bed, his legs folded as he stares at me. “Jade, here, has a very bad habit of stealing essence. Go ahead, try and touch him.”

I’m not stupid to try that especially when Jade lets out a little squeak, frantically waving his hands in front of him. I catch onto the gold mark just below his left wrist and snort at Rumi’s claim. Rumi doesn’t seem like the soft type but his protectiveness over Jade is obvious enough.

“I will be touching no one. Now, what do we have to do for food around here?” I make a mental note to check on Skye and bring him a plate full of sustenance. He needs it.

“You eat?” Jade asks, tilting his head to the side. Goddess, he’s fucking adorable, although I quickly wipe that thought from my head when Rumi bares his teeth at me. Fucking protective asshole.

“I like the taste of things.”

Ambrose jumps off my bed, a little too eager to show me. “Breakfast ended a few hours ago. Lunch is soon. There’s a few orientation classes going on about now but I have a feeling you’re not going to be attending.”

“Your feeling would be correct.”

“Ah, you’re going to be way more fun to play with than the other two, Harlow. This year might actually be fun.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I mutter, following him out of the room. He seems like a rather big asshole, Rumi not far behind. I think the worst part is that I didn’t quite hate him licking my fucking face. I know it was to taste Skye but fuck, my dick twitched when Ambrose was that close.

A fact that’s going to my grave.

16

SKYE

Thirty minutes later, I’m swiveling around in my cranky old desk chair, flipping through the first volume of Magila history when it was first discovered in 1503. It’s hella interesting even if the pages are worn and the writing is faded. I run my fingers across the words, trying to focus on the brilliant discovery of essence and what it all meant. It was a time of excitement and celebration as the first Magila was revealed—a Dr. Quentin Garrett.

He was an artist and adventurer, many believing that he was just a bag full of tricks until someone else emerged with essence. It became a guild, highly prized and promoted as something both precious and an honor. No one sees essence like that now.

They are greedy, wanting to be a Magila without giving Mother Nature her due. A smile spreads across my lips as I snuggle deeper into my chair, my wrists starting to tingle before the pink essence I’m still uncomfortable with begins running across the pages. I watch in awe as it seems to play the words like piano keys, letters lighting up when they are touched.

It’s mesmerizing and I know I should do something but just like that day Harlow died, I’m too curious about what is happening. I lean closer, eyes widening as I see that the essence from my marks are playing with something from the book—as if the book itself has essence.

That doesn’t make any fucking sense.

People have essence. The Earth has essence. But things? Objects?

I follow the pink aura as it skips off the page, wisps that remind me of the beginning of a sunset beginning to travel through the room. It interacts with the banister and other books, almost playing with an essence I can’t see. It’s so free and energetic and I stand up to follow it. I’m in danger and the nightmares I fight every night are crowding my thoughts but I can’t be bothered by anything other than the essence slowly drawing me in.

It feels like there’s something it wants to say but I don’t know enough about essence to figure it out.

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