“I know it’s not the same, but I’ll get your pizza, and you can have it at home.” He leaned over and kissed her before getting out of the car.
“Don’t move, don’t open the doors, if someone comes by and tries to talk to you, ignore them. I’ll be quick.” Evan locked the car as he walked away.
Lila sank down low into her seat and called Sebastian.
It took him six or seven rings to answer, and when he did, the noise of the club invaded the phone.
“Teacher?” Lila had to speak loudly to hear herself.
“Evan? What’s the matter?”
“It’s Lila, Sebastian, something happened after we left. You need to get home right now.”
“Why?” Sebastian sounded annoyed.
“We were attacked in the pizza parlor on 4th, and the Police were called. I killed a shifter.”
“You what?!” Sebastian sounded both dumbstruck and livid.
“We’re at the grocery store, should we pick you up?”
Lila could hear Sebastian talking to someone else before he came back on the line.
“No, Xander is coming with me, see you at home.”
By the time Evan turned down the long drive to Sebastian’s home, he could see Xander’s headlights half a mile behind him. He carried his groceries into the house behind Lila and they both went straight to the kitchen. Evan had bought six bottles of white wine, three oven pepperoni pizzas, and two gallons of Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream. After loading the frozen food into the freezer, he turned on the oven and twisted open a bottle of wine. He poured eight ounces into a wine glass for Lila and got himself a whiskey before Sebastian and Xander walked into the kitchen. They started when they saw Evan’s disheveled clothing.
“What the hell happened?” Demanded Sebastian.
Together, Evan and Lila recounted the circumstances that lead to Lila blasting the shifter with enough magic to kill him.
“Damn,” Alexander said.”That’s not good.”
Evan and Sebastian looked at him incredulously.
“He deserved it!” Evan cried.
“He may have, we’ll have to read the report. But this doesn’t look good coming right after Lila’s presentation.”
“Feck the elders, she was defending herself from unknown debauchery!”
Evan’s tirade was interrupted by the oven timer alerting him that the pizza was cooked. He turned his back to the others and took the pizza out of the oven. He did not use a hot mitt.
Lila barely registered the incongruity. She was leaning her elbow on the table and had her head in her hand. She was exhausted by the day’s events, and the adrenaline spike at the end of it sapped her even more. All she wanted was one whole slice of pizza so that she could go to sleep and not get woken up by hunger at 2am. She sipped her wine sleepily, the alcohol having worked it’s magic by removing her anxieties from the evening’s events.
Evan cut the pizza into six slices with a long carving knife, and passed Lila a china plate with two slices on it. Lila smiled gratefully, and blew on it.
“It might be nice to reimburse the pizza parlor for their broken furniture,” Lila commented, “Those guys were really nice to help us.”
“Rest assured, Student, the owner will be compensated for his assistance.” Sebastian said.
“Hmm, maybe the Chosen One should compensate him,” Xander said thoughtfully.
“If that’s the case, make sure you send the other guy some compensation as well,” Lila said.
“Or you could order a to-go pizza and tip him yourself,” Evan suggested.
Lila studied the three men around her. They each had a different vested interest in her, and they each had their own attachment to the Chosen One. She would have to remember to separate their interests in her and their interests in the Chosen One from now on, so that she could keep track of her own interests in the future.
Lila touched her pizza and finding it not too hot, she picked up a slice and ate it. It wasn’t as good as the one bite of Tony’s she’d had earlier, but it was adequate. She ate two slices, said good night, and stood to leave, Evan shadowing her.
With every upward step, Lila relaxed just a little more. By the time she reached the third floor of the house, she felt like jello, and Evan had to stop himself from picking her up. Instead he molded himself to her back and walked her into her bedroom. Lila immediately started stripping off her clothes as if she was alone, tossing the discarded clothes aside as she made her way to the bathroom. When she reached behind herself to unclasp her bra, she felt a hand capture hers and stop its intention.
Lila looked up and saw Evan behind her, reflected in the bathroom mirror. Their eyes met, and she let her hand fall from her back, but Evan left his where it was. Tingles skittered up and down Lila’s spine from where Evan’s hand touched her skin. She was tired, but also titillated.
“Evan,” she whispered.
“Angel.”
They were like magnets, unable to turn away from each other. Lila turned and flung her arms around his neck and Evan’s hands encircled her ribs. Her magic turned into a tempest churning inside the both of them. Lila tipped her face upward, her lips reaching for Evan’s mouth, and his arms tightened around her as his lips parted for her entry. Whether it was pent up desire, or a release of adrenaline, their passions collided in a sensual and desperate kiss.
Evan tasted like whiskey, earth, and man to Lila. It was the most intoxicating flavor Lila had ever tasted. Granted, her experience with men was fairly lackluster, but not even her imagination had prepared her for the manliness that overpowered her sense of smell and taste. Images flashed across her brain of gladiators, knights, and protectors, and suddenly Lila was certain of Evan’s dedication to her. He was a man she could trust under any and all circumstances. He would guard her and love her, whether or not she was the Chosen One. That fact made all the craziness of her new life worth all the chaos. With every cloud comes a silver lining. Evan was handsome, nearly indestructible, and he loved her. He was a keeper.
Lila sighed into Evan’s mouth, and he tamped down his desire for her as he registered her fatigue. He wanted her, but more importantly, she was exhausted. She needed to rest, and his libido was interfering. He backed away and looked down at her.
“One day soon, Lila, you and I will have our time together, and the Oracle will rejoice. But tonight is not that time. You need to sleep, and I need to guard you.” He kissed the tip of her nose and let go of her. It was the hardest thing he’d had to do all day. He backed away two steps out of the bath room and watched her from outside the doorway. Lila looked at him, knowing he was right, but wishing he’d ignore his conscience. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, and then walked to her dresser to find a large t-shirt to pull over her head. She did the same maneuver she had the other day to remove her bra under her shirt that fascinated Evan.
When she crawled under the covers, he removed his shoes and climbed on top of the covers to spoon her.
“Is this in the bodyguard hand book?” She teased.
“It is now, my love,” he said, and he slid his arm under her head and pulled her closer.
Chapter 8
October
The police investigation of the altercation at Tony’s pizza parlor was closed in favor of Evan and Lila’s story. The two shifters were imprisoned for assault and battery, and the third’s cause of death was officially determined to be a heart attack. A rarity in shifters, but not impossible.
Lila and Evan began dating openly. They went out to dinner, movies, and once, live music. Lila loved concerts, but saw that Evan was uncomfortable. She guessed that the volume was too much for his vampire hearing.
They mostly went to human establishments because human men were less likely to challenge Evan for her attention. They would mostly admire her, some would cat call or make lewd suggestions, but Evan could intimidate anyone with little effort. If they did go to a Magique club, it was for team meetings, and few Magique males would challenge f
ive men for a female’s attention.
Lila found a healer that she liked, a woman named Star, who looked a little older than herself. Lila gave her the file on her blood work, and Star took more blood to test her hormone levels. A few days later Star called her to inform her that Lila’s suspicions were correct. She was infertile. The how was as mysterious as her making, and Star could only surmise that something changed her chemically during her “making.”
Lila didn’t know how to feel about her infertility. On one hand, it was something else that had been done to her without her knowledge or permission. On the other hand, she was falling in love with Evan, a vampire who couldn’t give her children anyway. She had to accept the fact that if she ever wanted children in the future, she would end up adopting them.
Lila continued to talk to her mom regularly on the phone. Since there was no hiding her conversations from Evan’s super hearing, she and Evan would lie on her bed and cuddle while she talked to her mom. During one conversation, Lily asked why no other team members besides Alexander were mated. Lila thought about it.
“I don’t know Mom, I guess they haven’t had their switch flipped yet.”
They both laughed and soon after said goodbye.
“What does it mean to have your ‘switch flipped’” Evan asked curiously.
Lila grinned at him.
“It’s an observation Mom had years ago that she shared with me.
“Most men are happy to get laid by anyone and everyone, making no commitments. Then one day it’s like a switch has been flipped, and the next woman they date, they marry.”
Evan looked at her through narrowed eyes.
“Are you saying that you think I’ve flipped my switch?”
Lila laughed at him and rolled on top of him to nuzzle noses.
“No Baby, you don’t flip the switch. In fact, you have no control over it, it just happens to you.”
“So did it?” he asked, enjoying the energy she was causing to thrum through his body from her magical touches.
“You are the only one who can answer that, Baby.”
“Mmm, Angel, you just called me ‘Baby’ for the first time. Twice.”
“I did. Do you like it?” She started kissing across his face to his ear. It had only been a couple of weeks since the pizza parlor debacle, and they were both happy to take things slow. Lila was unsure about mixing her magic energy with the intense sexual desire she felt, so they’d kept everything PG so far.
Evan hummed his pleasure from her kisses.
Lila nibbled his ear lobe and smiled when it made him squirm. She began kissing down the side of his neck, enjoying the soft scratchy texture of his three-day beard. Moving to the other side of his neck Lila scraped her bottom teeth up his neck.
“Feck Me!” he shouted and clenched his arms tightly around her, grinding his pelvis into hers. Lila stopped, surprised by the intense reaction. He was panting and Lila could feel his heart pounding.
“Christ that feels good. Don’t do that again unless you’re ready to have your brains fucked outa ya.”
“Seriously?” Lila started giggling.
“Fecking seriously,” he laughed, and rolled her under him so he could tickle her neck with kisses. This made Lila giggle even more. Soon she was panting and begging him to stop the torture.
Evan was astonished by how much he just wanted to touch Lila and hold her. It was not an addiction to her magic, but maybe to her. For a man who had not wanted to spend more than an hour with a woman in 500 years, it was...surprising. Lila was beautiful, intelligent, and funny, and she accepted him for who and what he was. She never made him feel guilty or uncomfortable for being a vampire with a shady past, and she didn’t demand anything from him. They were compatible in a way that he had never before experienced.
Most nights Evan held Lila in his arms until she fell asleep. Then he would leave to patrol the outside of the house and property. Lila would wake up alone, get dressed for training, and head downstairs to the kitchen. She and Sebastian had an unspoken rule that the first in the kitchen made breakfast. Evan would stroll in the back door whenever he heard Lila in there, and the three of them fell into a routine of discussing the day’s schedule while the two mages ate.
At one such meeting, Sebastian pulled out a cream colored envelope with Lila’s name calligraphed on it.
“This was delivered last night.”
Lila’s eyebrows rose but she didn’t touch it.
“Who’s getting married?” she asked. The only time she’d ever seen an invitation this fancy, was for a college friend’s wedding.
“No one, Student. Catherine DuBois is throwing a masquerade. I was also invited.”
“Do you mean a costume party?” Lila asked excitedly. This could be fun.
“Yes. It’s in two weeks, and I’ve already made an appointment for us at the Costume Shoppe.”
“What’s that?”
“It is a rental company. You choose the costume you would like to wear and they tailor it to fit you perfectly.”
“Wow, are there enough costume parties to keep a place like that in business?”
“They also rent to theater companies.”
“Ooo, I could go as Joan of Arc. Or Miranda from The Tempest.”
“You should read the invitation, Student,” Sebastian said with a smile. “There is a halloween theme, and couples most often pair their costumes.
“So we will have a shortened workout, as we need to choose our costumes before our fitting at 11.”
Lila’s heart sank. She didn’t want to be Sebastian’s date and have Evan follow her around as her bodyguard.
“What’s wrong, Angel?”
“Nothing.” Lila opened her invitation, no longer excited for it. A smaller card fell out when she flipped it open. It was the RSVP card, and it said “Lila and guest” on it. She tossed the card aside and gave the invitation a cursory glance, then tossed it as well.
“Lila,” Sebastian said, a warning in his tone. “You’ll have to send the RSVP immediately. This party is mandatory for you to attend.”
“Fine.” Lila got up, found a pen, picked up her RSVP card, and marked the box next to “will gladly attend,” and put it in front of Sebastian.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Sebastian asked, looking at the card.
“What?!” Lila had already had enough of this torture. How many of these events would she have to go to as Sebastian’s Student, Evan shadowing her, the two of them ignoring each other.
Sebastian pushed his plate away and crossed his arms on the table in front of him. He was getting used to Lila’s mood swings, and he knew when he had to tread lightly. Something else was bothering his student, and experience had taught him that it usually came down to a miscommunication.
“Lila, my Dear,” he said slowly, ”Something has not translated correctly, and now you are upset. Please tell me why you are upset, and I will strive to rectify it.”
Lila did not look up, but ran her fingernail along a deeper groove in the table’s grain. She knew she was acting like a petulant child, and she couldn’t help it. She took a deep breath and looked up. Both Sebastian and Evan were looking at her, love and acceptance in their eyes. Her heart melted in an instant.
“I...I don’t want to...” Lila stopped herself, not wanting to make Sebastian feel bad. “I want to bring my own date,” she finished, hoping that was enough to not insult Sebastian.
Sebastian’s eyes softened even more, and he slid the card back over to her.
“That’s why there’s a line in the middle of the card. You are supposed to write in his name for your host.”
Lila stared at her teacher.
“But---”
“You thought that you would be required to go as my Student?” Sebastian finished for her.
“Yes,” Lila answered faintly.
“You have been presented to the elders, Lila. Now you must come out as the Chosen One. You must be seen as an independent person, even if y
ou are still being taught by me.”
Lila and Sebastian looked at each other for a long time. Their relationship was complicated. It was sometimes teacher and student, and other times father and daughter. No other relationship in Lila’s life had ever been as rewarding or frustrating. Now, after nearly three months of constant interaction, they were reaching a place where they appreciated each other.
“So,” Sebastian said, rolling the pen towards her, “Isn’t there someone’s name you’d like to write down on that card?”
Lila stopped the pen with her hand before it rolled off the table. She looked up at Evan and then again at Sebastian. Her teacher smiled warmly at her.
“Evan,” Lila said quietly, will you be my date for this masquerade?”
“Yes Angel, of course I will. But can I have a say in our costume?”
Our costume, Lila momentarily reverted to the 13 year old girl inside of herself who dreamed about friendship bracelets and matching outfits.
“Let’s choose it together,” she said with a grin. “We both have to be happy with it, or else we find something else.”
“Deal.”
Three hours later Lila and Evan were at the Costume Shoppe, perusing the halloween costumes.
“Bonnie and Clyde?” Evan asked.
“That's not very scary,” Lila said, from the rack opposite him.
“But we could carry real guns, that’s scary.”
Lila snorted.
“Antony and Cleopatra,” Lila said as she paused at the two toga costumes. “No, nevermind, I don’t want anyone else looking at your sexy legs.”
“Thank god, that means Highlander is out,” Evan quipped, and he came up behind Lila to look over her shoulder.
“Just you wait, Baby, someone, some day is going to throw a literary costume party and I’m going to make you wear a red wig, a beard, a kilt, and nothing else. And you’ll have to talk with a scottish accent all night.” Lila cackled.
“What book is that from?”
“Wee Free Men,’ by Terry Pratchet. I’ll get a copy and read it to you at bed time.”
“Mmm, I like bedtime stories,” Evan’s hands found their way under Lila’s sweater and caressed the skin of her back. “Do you think we can find a Jessica Rabbit costume, Angel?”
Magic's Love Page 14
