As Wicked As They Come

by Emma Dean

Mika tugged on her necklace with the queens’ blood crystals. Maybe it was time to take a look and see what was inside.

  11

  The door opened and closed behind her. Mika tucked her necklace back into her shirt and turned around to find Malachi leaning against the wall, bag slung over his shoulder. He looked so…bored.

  “So, what do you want to do instead of taking that class?” he asked.

  “Why did you leave?” Mika narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to get a read on him.

  “I’m not about to listen to someone you can’t trust.” Malachi shrugged one shoulder and pushed off the wall. “I’m never doing that again, even if my intentions were in the right place last time.”

  She just stared at him as he grew closer. He chuckled a little, but he wasn’t amused. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions though, right? A bit ironic, considering.”

  Mika started walking toward her next class which was, of course, on the other side of campus. “If I thought he could teach me anything I couldn’t find in a book, I would have stayed regardless of how I feel about him.”

  “Your ability to ignore your feelings and get shit done has always impressed me.” Malachi walked alongside her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Are you going to try to pick up another class?”

  Mika stopped and turned to one of the large archways that led out to the grounds at the center of the school where some students were studying on benches or in the sun. It was still warm enough to enjoy the outdoors for now.

  She leaned against the stone pillar and sighed. “You seem to be the only one who’s not annoyed with me. Corbin and Ethan are both still a little pissed, I can sense it even though they hide it well. Lucien was angry but he got over it, I think. He’s always been like that though – he feels strongly in the moment and then moves on because why dwell? He considers it a waste of energy.”

  Malachi sat on the ledge of the stone, and for the first time she noticed he’d let his curls grow out into columns of spikes. It looked good on him.

  “Audrey was worried more than anything, and she was too busy to really notice how much time had passed.” Mika nudged Malachi’s combat boot with her foot. “Why aren’t you pissed I cut myself off from everyone?”

  He looked up at her and smiled slightly. “Being upset you needed time seems ridiculous and petty after what you went through. I wasn’t owed your time or attention. After isolating myself for the entire summer to get what needed to be done, done…I knew I needed to earn a second chance.”

  It was strange to hear, and Mika wondered if he’d talked to the other boys about it or if they all just expected this.

  “How do you plan to earn a second chance?” she asked, more curious than anything.

  He shrugged. “I figured I should just stick around and be patient. Knowing you, I’m sure there will be something crazy going on. And if not, well…witches live long lives.”

  Mika couldn’t help the smile that escaped. “You’re that sure my life is a circus?”

  “You were the one who told me it was a shitshow.” Malachi raised an eyebrow at her, one corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile.

  “True.” She sat down next to him and looked out at the trees that surrounded Morgana.

  They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mika finally answered him. “There’s nothing this place can teach me,” she confessed. “I can read the books on my own. There are only so many practical classes and a lot of them require advanced placement. So, I need to test into them which I can do but…”

  “But there’s nothing for you to learn here that you can’t learn on your own,” Malachi finished for her. “I’m here for the healing and hunting. I want those degrees for what they will do for me. What is it you want to do when you leave? What’s the goal?”

  Mika watched as the wind made the trees sway and the leaves shiver. Beyond the forest was the cliffs, and beyond that the ocean where the undine ruled.

  “I don’t have one,” she finally admitted. “I came here hoping to find something that would help me overcome my block. I did that. Now…I don’t think I have the time to dabble and try to find what would make me happy. I don’t have the energy for natural healing. I had no idea that you even could.”

  Malachi chuckled, and reached into his backpack for his water bottle. “It’s why I came here originally. I got a battle magic dodgeball scholarship and needed to take extracurriculars. The hunter classes were a happy surprise. Originally, I only took them to get stronger, gain an edge in dodgeball. I couldn’t afford to lose my scholarship.”

  “You’ve healed before?” she asked, shaking her head when he offered her some water.

  “My mother is a natural healer but couldn’t afford to get the proper training.” He took a sip of water and shrugged, as if it didn’t matter, but she knew it did. Not having the money for the university, or the coven funding to help get you there if you didn’t have a coven couldn’t be easy.

  “My mother found out she was a healer when she fixed my broken arm as a kid,” Malachi explained, flexing his wrist as if he could feel it. “All she did was touch me and it was better. I’ve only been able to heal a few times, but the classes have been helping. She has more of the natural gift than I do.”

  Mika tugged on her necklace, thumb rubbing the nearly black-red blood crystals Morgana had given her. “I wish I had the ability to heal.”

  “You do.” Malachi got up and offered her his hand. “It’s just not the same kind as mine.”

  Taking his hand, she let him pull her to her feet. Malachi didn’t let go though and she looked up at him in surprise.

  “Thank you for letting me in,” he murmured, tucking a piece of loose hair behind her ear. “The others were scared for you, but now that you’re here they’ll forgive you.”

  “They’re the ones who agreed to let me be. Hopefully we can get through this without too much issue,” Mika muttered, taking her hand out of his. “Would you like to get some coffee?”

  “Sure.” Malachi nudged her with his elbow. “But just because they agreed doesn’t mean they liked it. You can respect someone without being happy about it. We’re all allowed to feel the way we feel – including you. They’ll get over it, you’ll get better. All it takes is time.”

  “Are you getting better?” she asked, stopping at one of her favorite coffee carts and ordering for the both of them. Mika paid and then handed Malachi his white mocha.

  “Flattered you remembered,” he murmured, taking a sip. Malachi closed his eyes and savored it. “Thank you for this.”

  “It’s nothing.” Mika started walking toward the hunter’s wing and waited for Malachi to answer her.

  “I think I am getting better, but I’ll never be who I was,” he admitted, taking another sip. “And coming to terms with that is not easy. I’m not a healer anymore – I’m a killer. Now I’m just trying to find a balance between who I was and what I became.”

  Mika rubbed her thumb along the lapis lazuli she favored and then focused on it, watching as it rose from her palm.

  It was odd how much Malachi mirrored her – how he was a warped reflection. She could see her own struggles in his and being near him was a relief. He was one of the few people who didn’t pollute the air with their mess of emotions and volatile energy.

  Now that Corbin, Ethan, and Lucien were settling down, being around them was easier. Mika knew she would be just as close to them, if not closer, than she was before. But it wouldn’t be the same because she was different now and that would have to be okay.

  She’d killed her sister.

  Mika had to embrace a magic she hadn’t even wanted, but was an inherent part of her – built into her genetics just like the color of her eyes and hair.

  She couldn’t get rid of the blood magic. And she had to come to terms with that. Mika needed to embrace it instead of constantly fighting against it.

  “I have an appointment with D
ean De Rosa later,” Mika told him. “But I think I’m going to see what’s on these crystals while I wait for my next class.”

  “Want some company?” Malachi asked. “I’ve nothing else to do.”

  Mika nodded, changing direction and heading for the massive library. “Sure, why not.” It wasn’t like she needed his help, but having someone stand guard while she disappeared into the blood dreams wasn’t a bad idea.

  She’d been studying her clan’s crystals for months now and Mika had read every blood magic book she could, but until the last few weeks she’d avoided blood magic as much as possible. She was still uncomfortable with it, and she still needed to learn how to avoid that initial hesitation after a lifetime of being told it was evil and shameful and forbidden.

  Because this is who she was and no matter what she chose to do with her life, that part of her would never go away.

  Mika was a morrigan and she needed to start acting like one.

  12

  The study room they’d used to say their blood oaths was waiting for Mika and Malachi as if they were the only people who even knew this room existed.

  She closed the door behind her and sealed it. Her spell wouldn’t be as strong as anything Audrey could do, but she didn’t want her blood staining the wood. Some objects liked to absorb and hold onto life forces.

  Mika wasn’t interested in explaining to the librarian why there was a blood stain on her door, and she didn’t want to risk the dean or the Council using it to access her memories.

  That is, if they ever admitted to knowing any blood magic at all.

  Malachi set his coffee down on the table and then went to the window to open the curtains. “So, explain to me how this works?”

  The crystals were even darker in this dim light. Mika shivered as she studied the largest, nearly black crystal. The smaller one she assumed was the clan crystal Morgana had meant to give her daughter.

  Was every blood witch supposed to have one? Mika tilted her head and studied it with apprehension. It wasn’t like she’d worked on any new spells. But she supposed she could compile her studies in one for her future children, or any of Audrey’s potential children.

  “I tap into the blood stored in the crystal and access the memories of those who’ve deposited them. My clan has our own crystals, but it's like a grimoire for blood witches. No one else can access them as far as I know.”

  A knock on the door made her jump, but Mika stood and went to answer it, ignoring the look Malachi gave her.

  “Hello, dove.” Corbin’s ruby red eyes flashed down at her and she sighed in relief. “I thought you had class.”

  “Ryan is the professor.” She turned back to the table and grabbed the crystals. “I’m not sure I’ll pick up another class to take its place.”

  He looked around the room as if he knew this is where they’d plotted against him, before everything had changed. “Well, at least I have good news. The replacement librarian in my flock might know where Aine is. I’m flying out to the eyrie now. Armad will be watching over you until I get back, but you won’t see him.”

  Slipping her hand in Corbin’s, Mika wasn’t sure what to say. Her heart constricted when she thought about him leaving again. “When will you be back?”

  The raven eyed Malachi, but it wasn’t suspicious or territorial. Then he turned to Mika and tugged her closer. She was just a breath away from him, but he waited for her to take the next step.

  Cautiously Mika wrapped her arms around his neck, holding his gaze to make sure he wanted this as well.

  His sigh of relief at her touch sent another shudder through her, but this time it sent a soothing heat from her head to her toes.

  Corbin placed his hands on her waist and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. “I hope no more than a day or so. Sooner if I can find what I need quickly. I’ll text you every morning and night though. Is there anything else you need of me while I’m out?”

  Mika breathed him in, tasting the frigid wind on feathers scent that always seemed to cling to Corbin no matter what form he was in. “See if you can get Kenzie and the chaos to find us a necromancer and a banshee. I don’t want to miss the next full moon if we can help it.”

  He nodded, barely blinking as he gazed down at her. “Anything for you, dove.”

  Those words made her breath catch. Even after everything, he was still like this – for her.

  Mika felt like he’d stolen the air from her lungs, and she stood up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. She’d missed him. She’d missed this – the way his hands gripped her hard, how his tongue slid into her mouth to taste her, how her heart beat so fast she felt a little bit dizzy. Because of this raven, because he was still here for her after everything.

  “Come back to me soon,” she whispered, pulling back slightly so she could look into his eyes again. “I don’t want you to miss out on anything exciting.”

  Corbin grumbled nonsense under his breath before kissing her cheek hard. “Stay out of trouble, if you can.”

  He turned and left without another word and disappeared through the door. Mika pressed it closed and sighed.

  Even though she’d kept everyone out for three weeks, she’d seen Corbin in his raven form with Armad in the trees right outside her house every single day and night, and his presence had been comforting. Just knowing he was there – that she could break the wards by running outside if she so desired, it had been more than enough.

  If she were honest with herself it had helped keep her from completely losing it too.

  She turned and leaned against the door, studying Malachi who was now sitting at the table, sipping his white mocha with a smirk.

  Awkward.

  “You guys are adorable together,” he told her.

  Mika narrowed her eyes at him, slightly annoyed he was trying to make it more awkward.

  “At first I didn’t know what you saw in the raven. He was an assassin after all,” Malachi admitted, draining the rest of his coffee before setting the cup on fire. He watched the flames for a moment before pressing down until the paper cup was nothing more than ash. “But over the last few weeks I’ve really gotten to know him and…the world isn’t as black and white as I used to think it was. He’s a good guy – for an assassin.”

  He smirked up at her then and Mika smiled slightly at that. “It’s not strange?”

  “You mean because you have like…four boyfriends?”

  She glared at him and crossed the room to her chair, pulling it out harder than necessary. “Three boyfriends, and technically Corbin and I don’t use labels. He is my raven. It’s different.”

  Malachi had the audacity to roll his eyes at her. “Whatever you say, princess.”

  She bit her tongue. If he wanted to answer her question, he would.

  Picking up the crystals on the table she selected the larger, darker one.

  “I don’t think it’s weird,” Malachi finally admitted. “You have a lot of different aspects to your life. You have a lot you need, but not in a bad way. I also like how close Lucien and Ethan are now. It’s changed them both for the better and you can see how they balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses. That friendship never would have happened without this strange relationship you guys have built.”

  She nodded once, trying to see it from an outsider’s perspective. “I suppose that’s true.” Mika shrugged. “We’re the ones who have to live with it after all. If someone else doesn’t like it, they can simply move along.”

  He didn’t say anything to that, but his smirk grew.

  “Anyways, here goes nothing,” Mika said, turning her attention to the crystal.

  Malachi crossed his arms over his chest and settled in to watch. “I’ll make sure there’s nothing out here that can mess with you.”

  She nodded, feeling a little nervous despite being familiar with the process. Who would she see this time? Would the location be familiar?

  Mika sliced the inside of her middle finger with her thum
bnail and let a drop escape. She gave Malachi a nod before she closed her eyes.

  The world faded away just as it did with her own crystals, but this time it stayed dark. Mika couldn’t see anything, and the blackness went on forever until she felt someone more than saw them.

  Morgana stepped out of the darkness, lit by some ethereal glow with no real source.

  Then another stepped forward, and another – until Mika was surrounded by females in various types of armor, all wearing the same savage crown glittering with rubies so dark they were almost black, steel spikes reaching for the stars as a symbol to the dual nature of all females.

  Gorgeous, caring, deadly.

  This Morgana didn’t recognize her, nothing more than a memory unattached and not updated by the ghost witch.

  “Welcome to our ranks, Witch Queen.”

  Mika almost told them she wasn’t officially anything, but she bit her tongue. She didn’t know what kind of protective magics this crystal might possess.

  “Are you ready for your initiation?” another queen with red hair asked, stepping forward.

  She looked nothing like Morgana. None of them looked related and Mika had to remember the ruling queen could be any blood witch who held the most power.

  “What exactly does that mean?” Mika asked, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants even though she knew none of this was real.

  “Becoming witch queen comes with the gifts necessary to rule,” a third queen stated. “Are you ready to rule?”

  Mika shook her head. “I don’t think you understand, Morgana was the last witch queen. It’s been about 1400 years since then. The only reason her ghost gave me this crystal is because I’m the last blood witch.”

  The weight of those stares was immeasurable. It was crushing. She wanted to fall to her knees and apologize for whatever it was they deemed her failure. Instead she explained to them everything she’d learned, everything she hadn’t learned, and what she was trying to do.

  “Morgana’s bones were scattered across her island and her ghost gave me the crystal.” Mika looked up at the seven queens whose memories were held in this place. “I am not sure if I’m truly the last blood witch, but the world has forgotten who we are.”