Page 38 of Bonds of Magic
The adrenaline was beginning to ebb from my system, and I realized he was still shivering and probably didn’t want tocontinue this conversation naked. Besides, if I was going to get him back before curfew, we needed to get started on the lesson.
I nudged Sean with the tip of my shoe. “You. Get out of my sight.” He looked up, confused, and a new surge of anger coursed through me. “You need me to say it again? Get out. And don’t bother coming to class tomorrow. I don’t want to see you.”
Fear painted his features. It was the first time I’d seen him drop the confident asshole facade. I liked the change.
He pushed to his feet and attempted to straighten his shirt, but another glare from me sent him running for the door. He stumbled halfway there, and I grunted in satisfaction.
I waited until he was gone before telling Cory, “Get changed and meet me out in the hall when you’re ready.”
I didn’t look at him as I said it. The least I could do was give him some privacy now.
I was relieved that Sean was gone when I got out into the hall. I didn’t trust myself around that kid right now. Much as I wanted to beat him to a pulp, I knew Isaac would have some questions if I did it without telling him why. Isaac would undoubtedly want me not to beat Sean to a pulp at all.
Sometimes his principles made me want to scream.
Cory and I didn’t talk until we’d made it outside and were walking down the path to the woods. Cory’s raven, Cat, flapped in out of nowhere and he let out a contented little sigh as the bird settled on his shoulder. I knew he must still be shaken up, though.
“You don’t have to worry about ever seeing him again,” I told Cory as we walked. “As soon as our lesson’s over, I’m going to talk to Isaac. Sean will be out on his ass by noon tomorrow.”
“What?” Cory looked at me, wide-eyed. “No, you can’t do that.”
“I can and I will. I promise, you don’t have to worry about him trying to get revenge or punishing you for speaking out. Isaac has as little tolerance for that type of behavior as I do. He won’t even make you tell him what happened face to face. I can keep you out of it.”
“No. Please, don’t.”
“He won’t hurt you again.”
“Please just leave it.”
“Why?” I stopped, staring at Cory in the moonlight as a new suspicion rose within me. “If this really is some kind of fucked up game between you two, if you really are together and you dragged me into—”
“No, no.” Cory held up his hands in protest, and Cat flapped their wings like they were ready to take off. “That’s not what’s happening, I swear. I’m not with him at all. But he—” He broke off and looked at his feet.
It was cold out. My breath was misting in the air. I wanted to get inside and get this lesson over with so I could find Isaac. What the hell could Cory’s objection be?
“But hewhat?” I asked sharply.
“We’renothooking up,” Cory said firmly. “But we—we did. Once.”
He darted a glance at my face, then looked back at the ground. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Cory had slept with that shithead? He’d let Sean touch him? Hold him? All the things I’d been aching to do, but denying myself—Cory had done them with Sean, of all people?
It felt like a betrayal. I knew that wasn’t fair. But it felt like one anyway.
I said nothing, and eventually Cory spoke.
“It was only one time,” he said, talking directly to his shoes. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t even like him. But he might have…kind of gotten the idea that I, um…like being pushed around?”
“Why.” It was an effort to keep the rage out of my voice.
“Because I—God, do I really have to talk about this?”
Maybe it wasn’t fair to make Cory explain any further. But if he and Sean had some sick game going on that they’d pulled me into, I needed to know.
“You do if it has any connection to what happened back there.” I nodded towards the manor. “If you’re lying to me—”
“I’m not lying.” Cory’s head swung up, his eyes meeting mine. “But I was—God, do you have any idea what this has been like for me? I’ve been having weird sex dreams for months. I’m attracted to people—to men—who I’ve never wanted to want. Then I discover magic is real, and that I’m an incubus, and that my future is going to be nothingbutsex dreams with men, unless I’d prefer to die?”
His eyes begged for a sign of approval. Of forgiveness. I couldn’t bring myself to give him one.
