Page 59 of Hearts of Stone

Witches and warlocks had drawn power from me many times over the years, but it’d never felt like this. It was like the moment when my seed shot from my body, right as I felt swollen, bloated with ecstasy, so ready to burst. Added to that was that frantic feeling of wanting it to never stop and needing it too all at once, as I was completely overwhelmed. My cock rose of its own volition, the sensory overload too much for my control, my fingers still digging into Jade’s shoulders, only the knowledge I must be hurting her bringing me back to myself. I blinked, trying to get the tent to reinstate itself in my field of vision and instead found Jade staring up at me.

“What did I just do?” she asked.

“Found equilibrium,” Agnes informed her. “Everything we do as practitioners has a reaction. If you do good with your power, you will attract more of that to your life. If you strike out against someone with ill will, or try to use the power you have to take from others, someone or something has to pay that price.” Her focus shifted to me and my stone brothers. “And in the case of the First Families, that’s usually your familiars.”

“Familiars?” Jade tried to get up from the chair and found herself sinking back down into that pulsing feeling of pleasure as more of our power leached into her. “Is that why the Whiteleys… my family collected so many gargoyles?”

“Gargoyles are the sons of witches who have mated with gargoyles,” I told her. “We have all the power of a warlock, but instead of using it for ourselves—”

“We save it for you.”

Seneca stared up into Jade’s face, begging her to understand. This was the first time it hadn’t hurt when someone drewpower from me, the feeling so completely different to when even Master Ashley took from us, as to need a new name. I wanted her to take from me, more and more, until she was stronger than any that could try and best her.

“The witch that cursed the gargoyles,” Agnes said with a slight smile, “she did witchkind a great favour. Rather than dealing with the vagaries of elemental creatures with little control, she welded both witches and gargoyles together, creating a partnership stronger than any other before.” Her lips thinned. “But it also made warlocks near irrelevant. Be very careful, Jade, daughter of Madeline. You are a powerful, yet untrained witch, in possession of a great fortune and…” She stared into my eyes, something sad rising in hers. “You’ve found the creatures destined to form a soul bond with you, who will replenish your power reserves as quickly as you use them.”

She leaned forward.

“Let me share with you something I’ve noticed from walking this earth for more than two hundred years. When existing power structures are threatened, be they human or paranormal, whether they are systems that support men or women, or any other creatures that walk the earth, those with a vested interest in maintaining their power will do anything to preserve those structures and systems.”

For a moment we just sat there quietly, each one of us considering what that might mean, then Agnes broke the pensive silence with a clap of her hands.

“Which means I need you to come back here regularly, young lady. I’ll teach you everything I know, because, somehow, I think you’re going to need it.”

Chapter 35

Jade

But the next lesson wasn’t going to be happening any time soon, it seemed.

“You’ve exerted a lot of energy tonight,” Agnes said, leaning forward and patting me on the arm. “That’s something you need to be careful of. Don’t get excited at home, thinking you can magic this or magic that. It’s like starting a new exercise regime. You must start slow, and build up your stamina, but you will be fine. You are young and new to your power. Enjoy the night!”

But the whole ‘you’re a seriously powerful battery that can be used and abused by male witches’ thing she’d dumped on me kinda dampened any interest in cutting loose.

Because I knew exactly what it was like to be manipulated by someone who had turned out to have no interest in my wellbeing.

Anxiety drove my fingers to pick at my nails, tearing off the white tips, then worrying at the cuticles. Because I’d been right here before, hadn’t I?

My tertiary entrance rank had actually been better than Trevor’s. He’d had to do a Bachelor of Arts first, then get his GPAup high enough so he could transfer into law. Mum and Dad had said many times that I should’ve been the one to go to university, not him. But he’d talked me round, promised that if I made this sacrifice, he’d… I shook my head. I might have been a naive little idiot then, but I would never get fooled like that again.

“OK.” I forced my eyes up to meet those of the gargoyles and it was so hard to simply look at them. I wanted to feast on them with my eyes, get closer still. Something about them drew me nearer, like a moth to a flame, but I stopped myself from acting on my desires. It was endlessly seductive, the way they focussed entirely on me, but I’d be damned if I’d let myself get swept away by any man, male, whatever they were. I forced myself to smile. “This place is just about all of my Diagon Alley fantasies rolled into one. I want to see more.”

And so I strode out of the tent and off towards the closest stall.

“Oh…!” A creature that looked like it was part man, part weasel looked up from the stool he was crouched upon, gold teeth flashing as he smiled.

“Something for the lady?”

He gestured to a series of very dubious looking jars, each one filled with murky fluid and… animal parts? God, I hoped that was what they were.

“Um, no, no thanks,” I said hurriedly, stumbling backwards and tripping over my feet in the process, but I was saved from falling on my backside by a strong pair of hands.

“Whoa! Watch it there, sis.” I spun around to see a tall Aboriginal woman standing there, her teeth gleaming white as she smiled at me. She set me back on my feet, then stepped backwards. “See something you didn’t like at Old Barney’s stall?” Her nose wrinkled. “Nasty stuff, that fulla has.” Her eyes narrowed slightly as they went a little unfocussed, as if she was looking at me, but not actually seeing me. “Oh, you’re a properpowerful one. Wrong kind of magic for my people, but…” Then, as the gargoyles arrived, a wide grin spread across her face. “You looking after this one ’ere?”

“She belongs to us,” Graven said.

“You better keep a better eye on her then, ay?” the woman said, with a nod. “Strong magic like that; she’ll be attracting the wrong people.” She turned back to me and held out her hand. “I’m Rosie.” I took it and gave it a shake. “This isn’t my Country—just down ’ere seeing the mob—so I can’t point you to someone who can help—”

“We’ve just come from Mother Agnes’ tent,” Graven informed her.

---