Page 253 of Castings & Curses

“You a pigpen too?” the second asshole asked Mabe.

Sweat was beading on his brow as his beady eyes stared at her small, firm breasts in her tank top. Her eyes were glowing red, and I knew from experience, that meant trouble.

Crap.

Oh crap.

“Look, Jeremy, my friend is sick. You need to leave with your buddy over there now. Like, right now,” I warned one last time, my gaze flicking to Mabe.

Weeks of working to earn everyone’s trust and keeping her secret would go right out the window if she went all sucky-bloody on these two idiots—even if they deserved it.

“Shut up, little piggy. Know what? I think I’ll teach you a lesson right here. You used to love my cock, didn’t you? Fucking slut. How would you like it now? I’ll stuff you so full right on this precious dirt you love so much,” he threatened, shoving me hard in the shoulder.

Of course, I fell down, but it was honestly the best thing for me. Furious at the vile things he said to me, with my hands in the dirt, I did the one thing that came more naturally than breathing. I channeled my powers and begged aid from the original Goddess herself.

Mother Earth heed my call,

As your servant,

my will to thee,

rid this place of those,

who seek to revile your bounty,

with evil deeds.

I’d only recently started adding verbal casts to my spells, and I was getting better with the rhyming, believe it or not. But earth magic was different from the rest. My magic was not a wave of powerful water like Rio’s, or a flash of fire like Tana’s. It did not propel me into the air, like Maia. Turn me into a weapon like Mabe. Or make me see things like Enid.

But there was something I could do. I’d done it before, and that situation was not half as dire as this one. And I did not mean because Jeremy lunged for me again, evil intent plain as the nose on his face. That loser was not important. I was more worried about Mabe. If she gave in to her bloodlust, there was no telling what would happen to the blood witch.

“Come here,” Jeremy grunted, grabbing my ankles, and pulling me toward him.

I kicked out with my rubber clogs, hardly making an impact, but it didn’t matter. It was a stalling tactic. I had my fingers in the soil and was connected to the earth—my one true happy place aside from Arlo’s arms.

I found the plant I was looking for, still so young and new to this world. I pulled on my magic stores, thanking the Goddess for giving me plenty. Earth magic was separate from the magical world in that my Goddess, Mother Earth, controlled what we used. Yes, I had inherited stores, and yes, it was finite, but my Goddess could give and replenish as she chose. Right then, she chose me. I, in turn, used it to make a certain vine, one I’d spliced with a formerly thought extinct woody vine, and planted against the back of Greenhouse Twelve section A, grow.

And grow.

AND GROW.

Come on progymnospermaic solanum lycopersicum—or as I liked to call it, Jurassic Mater—don’t fail me now!

CHAPTER10

One minute Jeremywas ripping one of my overall straps, the next, that assface was swinging upside down from one very pissed off giant tomato plant. Mabe’s tormentor was next, but that was as much for his sake as hers. She’d been seconds away from ravaging his neck, her fangs already protruded from her gums.

“Ha ha! That’s what you get, you piece of shit,” Mabe shouted before doubling over as hunger pangs took hold of her.

“Jade! JADE!”

I heard Arlo yelling my name as he ran across the field. I waved him over, quickly telling him what happened as the others joined us.

“She needs blood or magic. We have to get her away from here,” I told him as he lifted Mabe off the ground.

“Back to the dorm?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, but I will need a few minutes with the sentinels. Rio called Magnus and Brandon, but others are coming as well, since this is a campus safety issue.”

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