Page 32 of Sold to the Devil
He asks softly, his head tilting in curiosity.
“Do you think you could teach me? My father never wanted to. He always said it was too dangerous and useless for a witch, that only using magic mattered.”
I understand now why he was always adamant about it. He didn't want to awaken my shapeshifting side. The question is:why?
“I'll teach you. I must warn you though, Aelys. I'm not a very patient teacher and I'm not going to hold back. I'm going to push your limits, darling.”
I nod, accepting this. I need to learn, and what better way to learn than the hard way? I yelp in surprise when I'm pushed back onto the bed and feel something cold against my throat. My eyes widen as I stare at Tom in disbelief and he grins devilishly.
“You really need my teaching, darling. You have no reflexes.”
I roll my eyes as he steps aside and helps me sit back up. We realize it's time for dinner and decide to head back to the main hall. As I follow him out of his dorm, I curse myself when I remember I'm barefoot.
“I have to go by my dorm, I don't have any shoes,” I sigh, disappointed.
He offers to come with me and I accept. Luckily, Mattheo isn't there, so I choose my boots and put them on. On the way to dinner, Tom asks me if I want to learn how to fight with a knife or my hands first. I choose my hands, saying we can practice with a knife afterwards. I won't have a knife on me all the time, so it's probably best to learn the basics first.
“You're not wrong, but maybe you should start carrying one with you all the time, like you do with your wand. I noticed you put it in the holster on your thigh; you can do the same with a knife on your other thigh,” he suggests.
“Why not. I need to buy one though,” I laugh and he smiles.
He promises to take me to his favorite weapon store next weekend, and I'm excited to buy my first knife. Or maybe I'll buy a dagger. I always thought they were cool.
We enter the main hall and notice our friends sitting toward the end of the wizarding table, in deep conversation. Mattheo isn't there, and I'm starting to feel anxious. What if he explodes right here, in front of everyone, once he sees the hickeys?
Nancy smiles delightedly as I sit down next to her while Tom sits down across the table.
“I see you've agreed to our plan,” she giggles in my ear. “How was it? Judging by their size, I bet it was good!” She whispers excitedly, curiosity shining in her green eyes.
I blush, unsure of what to say, and she raises her eyebrows suggestively. I burst out laughing and playfully nudge her shoulder.
“It was just a kiss, Nance. We agreed that we are just friends and that it will never be more, so don't get any ideas,” I whisper so only she can hear.
Paula and Kiara look at me before pointing at their own necks in a silent question, their eyes shining with curiosity.
“Payback, girls. Nancy and I will explain everything in detail after dinner.” I wink at them and they giggle.
The guys greet us and ask how we're doing. We start chatting together, laughing lightly at Theo's jokes. He tries to demonstrate his flirting skills by telling us corny one-liners and we can't stop laughing.
“What do you think of this: 'I like my bed but I'd rather be in yours!'.”
We snort in amusement and he tries to silence us with a wave of his hand.
“Or: 'Did you just come out of the oven? Because you're hot!'”
He winks at Paula and she blushes bright red. I laugh out loud. They're terrible at hiding their crushes on each other. I lean over to my friend and whisper in her ear.
“You should tell him, you know. I think he likes you too.”
Her blush gets worse and she nudges my shoulder playfully, making me laugh. I feel Nancy nudge me with her elbow and glance pointedly toward the doors of the main hall. I frown before looking at what she's pointing at, but I freeze when I see Mattheo walking towards us.
I swallow as he sits down next to his brother, who's glaring at him, and across from my cousin. I start playing with the food on my plate, keeping my head down. I can feel his gaze on me, and as much as I want him to see the hickeys, I don't want him to throw a fit in front of the whole school.
Of course, that's when Theo notices Mattheo staring at me, he sees my hickeys and decides to tease me about it.
“Wow, Aelys, your fiancé is a fucking vampire! I didn't know you were into this kind of thing, Rigast!” He chuckles as he looks at Mattheo.
The group laughs too, all the boys noticing the hickeys as well. I freeze, waiting to hear his response. I feel Nancy place her hand on my knee, letting me know she's there. I keep my head down but glance at Mattheo from under my eyelashes.
