Page 220 of Castings & Curses

“No.” I smiled. “A few weeks ago, I might have judged you. Now. Whose to say what you’re doing is wrong if you’re ridding their realm of bad people? Humans are notorious for not adequately punishing those who harm others needlessly. Here, justice is still served. That’s how you get your volunteers, right?”

She tipped her bag toward me. “Right you are.”

“So. If you want to build your own partner, you have the ability to do that, humans have a better chance of living longer or happier without their problem people at large, then…do you, Nad. Do you.”

“So.” She settled on her bed and looked at me. “Tell me everything. Is he an A or a B in bed?”

“Nadia!” I laughed. “You and that grudge!”

“It is on my permanent record!” She was so offended by that grade. I needed to know more, but not now.

“And you settle for nothing less than perfection.” I smiled.

She shrugged. “Tell me good things so I don’t hate him anymore.”

I could do that. I could tell her lots of good things about the professor. I started with, “He makes amazing pancakes.”

She choked on the drink of blood she just took so it was comical to see her choke it down and also spit some of it out. I laughed. She shook her head and wiped her mouth. “Jerk.”

“I mean it though. He’s a great cook. Very sweet.” I winked.

“Get to the good part! Does he have a…magic stick?” she asked and tried to remain serious but we both cracked up laughing.

“Shame on you.” I shook my head. “He’s very good and a lot of things.”

“And you’re…okay?” she asked and I nodded. “Good. I know you…never really felt those urges and it was kinda weird seeing you siphon magic around the room when you would get to dreaming of him, so I knew you eventually would want to fuck someone. Him, actually, but…I wasn’t sure how the sexy, mysterious, and way too serious professor would handle you.”

“Just fine.” I closed my eyes and thought about it. Then I opened my eyes and she giggled. “Sorry.”

“No. Cheers to you, Peach. You deserve it.” Then she said, “Just like I deserved that A. Stupid new professors.”

We spent the rest of the night catching up on things that did not pertain to our love interests.

When I finally settled to go to sleep, I felt the call from my moms. I got up and grabbed the bowl that sat on the window sill near my desk. I went to the bathroom and filled it with water. I took it outside and found a place to talk in private and not wake the finally resting Nadia or any other creature in our dorms.

“Moms?” I asked and looked at their smiling faces as they crowded the bowl.

“Peach!” They were very excited, happy. “You’re all right!”

“Of course, I’m all right.” I worried they somehow knew everything.

“The locket—”

“Of course.” I nodded and touched the locket. “It saved me. You saved me, but I wasn’t going to worry you with all of that.”

“You should know we will always protect you. Our baby. Our Peach. When you come home, we will recharge the protection spells and ensure—”

“Moms.” It wasn’t like just one of them was talking at a time. They spoke in tandem, one saying one sentence and the other carrying on the next. It was confusing to others, but natural to me. “I’m fine.”

We caught up and when I explained that I was in love, they were insistent, “We must meet him, Peach.”

“Of course.” Once I could get my desire for him under control, that would be possible. Before then, it was all I could do to return to my own dorm room at night and not try to trap him in his office or the faculty housing and…No. Bad Peach. I gave the scrying water to the nearby tree and headed back to my room.

CHAPTER10

Three months later…

We were not the same people we were when this semester started. My warlock professor was teaching a class and I was at the very back of it tormenting him with suggestive looks, invasive thoughts, and as I slowly spread my knees apart, he said abruptly, “Class dismissed.”

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