Hidden Mage

by Sophie Stern

  She was, however, a vampire. This made their friendship particularly interesting. She liked hanging out with Tabitha, but she also liked to feed from her. Tabitha didn’t mind. She knew that Storm got a special high from witch’s blood, and she was happy to share this part of herself with her friend.

  “I’m sorry,” Tabitha said. She didn’t want to upset Storm. That hadn’t been her intention at all. Nope. What she really wanted was to pretend like nothing bad had ever happened in her life and to imagine that everything was going to be okay once she found the right island.

  Once she found the witch.

  She kept promising herself that if she worked hard enough, that if she believed enough, that somehow, everything would be just fine.

  Only, she knew that it might not be.

  The Isle of Kyanite was her last chance at revenge. She’d been searching and seeking, trying to find out who had killed the Mages Guild and why, and she’d finally learned the truth. Now she needed to get to the island so she could punish the witch who had taken her family.

  She had to destroy the horrible person who had taken everything from her: her past, her family...her future.

  “I’m just feeling tense,” she said.

  “Too tense to feed me?” Storm raised an eyebrow.

  “No,” Tabitha shook her head. She smiled softly. “Never.”

  “Good,” Storm smiled. “Then come here.”

  Tabitha nodded demurely, and she stood up and walked slowly across the bedroom. Storm was sitting in an oversized armchair that was more than big enough for two, and Tabitha lowered herself onto the vampire’s lap.

  They’d done this a million times, the two of them. Tabitha couldn’t even really remember the first time they’d been together. They weren’t in a relationship, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, but there was a sort of connection between them.

  Storm didn’t demand much from Tabitha.

  She knew Tabitha was a witch, and she knew she was on a vengeance mission, but aside from that, the two didn’t discuss personal matters too much. That was perfectly fine with Tabitha. In fact, it was better than fine.

  “Such a pretty girl,” Storm murmured as Tabitha got comfortable in her lap.

  “Thank you,” Tabitha whispered.

  Storm kissed her right on the lips, teasing her tongue, and Tabitha kissed her back eagerly. Storm was incredible: sexy, beautiful, compassionate.

  Storm knew exactly how to touch Tabitha in a way that made her feel incredibly alive...

  Incredibly powerful.

  As they kissed, Storm’s hands moved across Tabitha’s body. Tabitha was wearing a skirt and a t-shirt, and Storm’s hands slid up the shirt and over Tabitha’s breasts. Tabitha moaned, biting her lip, wiggling a little. Storm only chuckled.

  “Are you ready for me, little human?”

  “Yes.”

  Storm was the only person who had ever called Tabitha a “little human.”

  The first time she’d said it, it had been incredibly unexpected, and it wasn’t until later that Tabitha realized Storm was a vampire. The two of them had become friends, and now that Tabitha lived in Storm’s spare room, they were lovers, too.

  Oh, they weren’t in love. They just liked to play together. Storm was as polyamorous as they came, and she didn’t want the commitment of only being with one person. Tabitha wasn’t sure what her personal beliefs were on monogamy, but she knew that these moments with Storm were the only reason she still felt alive.

  Storm licked Tabitha’s neck, sliding her tongue over her skin gently. Tabitha groaned as Storm raked her sharp teeth over her skin, teasing her before they pierced her neck.

  “That’s a good girl,” Storm murmured, and then she bit down. Tabitha cried out at the sensation. It hurt a little bit. It always did at first. Soon the pleasure came, though. Tabitha closed her eyes as Storm drank from her, and Storm’s hands continued to move over her body.

  Soon Storm was reaching between Tabitha’s legs, stroking her softly, bringing her to the edge of orgasm.

  “Please,” Tabitha whispered.

  She was close.

  She was so, so close.

  Storm always did this to her. She teased her, taunting her softly. She liked to have her waver on the edge of orgasm for a little while before she pushed her all the way over. It was like a game for her. It was a sort of wild thing that she did.

  When Tabitha asked her about it, Storm called it edging, and she said it made Tabitha’s blood taste even sweeter than it normally did.

  “I think that it’s just the magic,” Tabitha has whispered to her.

  “Sweetie, I can taste that, too.”

  Now, as Storm played with her, Tabitha wiggled more and more. Storm sucked a little harder, taking a little more blood, but she was still in control. She was always in control. Tabitha never had to be scared or worried that Storm might take more than she intended to.

  Unlike younger, fresher vampires, Storm was experienced, and she knew exactly the right amount to take.

  Soon, she stroked Tabitha faster.

  “Yes!”

  Tabitha’s eyes were closed as she focused on blocking out everything except this moment.

  She didn’t think about stealing the map.

  She didn’t think about finding the witch.

  She didn’t think about anything except accepting the pleasure that Storm was offering to her.

  When she came, she cried out, and Storm pulled her teeth out of Tabitha’s neck at the same time. She pressed her lips to Tabitha’s, kissing her, and their tongues swirled around each other in a beautiful dance. Tabitha could taste her own blood on Storm’s tongue, but she didn’t care.

  She just wanted her.

  She just wanted this moment.

  As the last waves of pleasure from her orgasm faded, Storm ended their kiss and slid her tongue across Tabitha’s neck. Tabitha knew this was part of the healing process. A vampire didn’t need to kill someone they fed with. They could use their tongues to heal the skin, teasing it back together.

  It was like magic.

  Storm was powerful, Tabitha knew. She didn’t talk about it much, but every once in awhile, other vampires came over and they always seemed both very awed by storm and shocked at the fact that Storm kept a “human pet.”

  That’s what someone had called her once.

  Tabitha had overheard the words and asked Storm about it later. The vampire had frowned but told Tabitha not to worry about it. Tabitha had trusted Storm and didn’t bring it up again.

  Those vampires had never come back to the house, and those who did come over had never referred to her as a pet again.

  “That was incredible,” she whispered.

  “Consider it a going-away present,” Storm said.

  “Going away...” Tabitha whispered the words. She knew what Storm was saying, and she understood that this really was a sort of goodbye. She’d been working toward finding this map for so long that she hadn’t really thought about how it would affect those she was leaving behind...

  She would never forget Storm, but she also knew that she might never see her again.

  “I know you’re going on a long journey, little human. You’re going to need all the luck you can muster.”

  Tabitha wasn’t really sure what to say about that, so she said nothing. Instead, she leaned her head against Storm’s chest, closed her eyes, and wondered what the morning was going to bring.

  “No matter how far away you go,” Storm whispered, “I will never forget you.”

  It was a wonderful sort of promise, Tabitha thought. It was sweet and gentle, and it was something that made her feel safe.

  “I’ll never forget you, either.”

  “Even if everything goes horribly wrong, you’ll always have a place here,” Storm added. “You know that, don’t you?”

  Tabitha nodded.

  She knew.

  She knew that she and Storm had something special that was now coming to a
close, but she understood that if she ever needed her vampire mistress again, Storm would be there for her. She was a good person that way.

  She was the best.

  Chapter 4

  Felix had lived on the island for as long as he could remember, but he couldn’t remember how long that was.

  He couldn’t remember much of anything, really, and that had never stopped bothering him. He growled, muttering to himself like some sort of shipwreck survivor who had washed up on a deserted island. That was how he felt most of the time.

  Felix was jealous of people like that, though. Pirates and sailors had memories to keep them warm. They could remember the people they had loved before they crashed onto the worst island in the world. He had none of that.

  His only memories were with her.

  His only memories were of her cruelty and of the pain she’d inflicted upon him.

  Now that he was free from her claim, Felix spent most of his time walking around, exploring. Although he’d grown up on the island, he’d never really been allowed to explore. He was certainly making up for lost time now.

  It wasn’t until six months ago, when he’d killed the witch who “owned” him, that he’d started wandering out of the castle tower he’d grown up in. It hadn’t been nearly as difficult as he thought it would be to leave the confines of the castle. He’d been a prisoner there, and now he was free, but he mourned the years she’d stolen from him.

  How sad was that?

  There he was, a fully grown man, and he’d been locked up by someone who had kidnapped him when he’d been only a child.

  That was something Felix knew with certainty.

  There wasn’t a lot that he knew when it came to his own past, but he knew that Ursula wasn’t his mother. She had demanded that he call her “Mother.” His entire life, he’d been forced to use that term with her.

  What she didn’t know was that his birth mother had been his mama. That had been the name he’d used when he’d met her. He hadn’t cared about Ursula’s stupid “Mother” title. That didn’t make her a mother anymore than sprouting wings would make Felix a bird.

  He wasn’t a bird.

  He was just...himself.

  And now he was alone.

  He didn’t like knowing that he was alone now. That wasn’t how his life was supposed to turn out. Was it? No, he didn’t think so. What Felix truly wanted more than anything else in his life was to know that he wasn’t worthless or isolated, but he feared that he was.

  He was trapped now on an island he had no recollection of arriving at.

  An island he didn’t belong on.

  He spent his days walking around the island with Maple Sugar, his cat. “Mother,” whom Felix now knew was actually called “Ursula,” had gifted him with the cat five years ago. She’d known he was lonely, and it was obvious that she wasn’t about to let him leave of his own accord.

  She’d finally gotten him the cat, and it had been quite wonderful to Felix.

  Maple Sugar was everything he’d wanted in a companion, but then Ursula had started to realize that Felix loved the cat. He adored the cat. He liked the cat more than he liked Ursula, and she couldn’t have that.

  Their entire relationship was based on destruction and chaos. Ursula made him do things – powerful things – or she would hurt him. Most of the time, she made him do things like build her furniture. Sometimes, she made him hunt.

  She was a witch, Felix knew, so he thought she should be doing those things herself, but her powers had dwindled with age, and she hadn’t been able to replenish them. She’d tried to hide that fact, but Felix had seen the obvious shift in her in different ways.

  Finally, about six months ago, she’d been weaker than she’d ever been. He could tell because the magical chains she bound him in when he wasn’t studying, doing chores, or appearing to island visitors as her dutiful son, had weakened. He hadn’t told her or shared this fact with her.

  Instead, he’d hidden that information from her, tucking it away like a little secret.

  He didn’t want her to know that he had been paying attention.

  He definitely didn’t want her to know that he was completely aware of what he would need to do in order to claim his freedom.

  Killing wasn’t something the witch had taught him. It wasn’t something she would approve of. Who would? Still, he knew it would be the only way he would ever get free of her, so he’d done it.

  Now he was free.

  But he carried a burden with him, and he was stuck on the island.

  Felix didn’t know what she’d done, but she’d managed, somehow, to trap him on the island, and he didn’t know how he was going to break free.

  He walked, making his way along the outside of the island the way that he always did. He could see the water. He could even touch it, but the moment he tried to swim away, and invisible barrier blocked him, keeping him firmly on land.

  He was bound to the island, and he hated that fact.

  Maple Sugar ran over toward the water and touched it with her paw before running back. She disappeared into a group of trees, but Felix knew she’d be back. Maple Sugar always came back to him. She was wildly good at locating him no matter where he might be.

  Felix sighed as he looked at the water. He wanted his freedom. He wanted to leave this place once and for all, but he couldn’t. He held onto the hope that as time passed, the spell Ursula had cast on him would be gone for good and that he’d find a way to escape.

  Even if he never got off of the island, though, he was glad that he’d killed her.

  He was happy he’d ended her life.

  The witch had done something terrible shortly before he’d killed her. She’d slaughtered a group of people. It had drained the last of her powers. Felix knew she’d done it in order to strengthen her powers. She was trying to grow strong once more, but it hadn’t worked.

  Instead of giving her power, the experience had made her weaker.

  She’d returned weak and worn out. His chains had lost all of their magical hold over him, and Felix had broken out. He’d seen his shot, and he’d taken it, and now he was alone.

  He walked along the beach, kicking sand and rocks as he moved. He was a fully-grown adult man, and he lived on the worst fucking island in the world. If only he could break free. If only he could find an escape.

  And then it happened.

  He wasn’t sure, at first, if he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, but after he blinked a few times, he realized that he was.

  “A ship.”

  No.

  Not a ship.

  A boat.

  It wasn’t a very big one, and it wasn’t a very good one, but it was definitely a small little boat nonetheless. The boat flowed slowly up to the beach. Felix dashed behind a tree, peering. He looked at the vessel, shocked.

  Where had it come from?

  Why was it here?

  Was this going to be his way to freedom?

  He crouched down, hiding himself from view. There were at least 30 yards between him and the boat, and he still hadn’t spotted the captain of the vessel.

  Then he did.

  His cock hardened instantly when he saw her, and he chided himself for having such a reaction.

  “What the fuck is she doing here?” Felix whispered out loud.

  He couldn’t help himself.

  She was tall and curvy in all the best ways, and her long hair flowed down over her shoulders. She hopped out of the boat and grabbed it, hauling it higher onto the shore.

  What was she doing here?

  What was she looking for?

  Had she come to rescue him?

  He knew, even as the thought crossed his mind, that he was still on his own. This woman might be useful. She might be a threat. She could be here to find Ursula. Perhaps she was here for a different reason altogether. He didn’t know.

  What he did know was that he hadn’t seen another person in six months, and he wasn’t wasting his chance.

&n
bsp; “Hey!” Felix yelled, stepping out from his position behind the tree.

  Instantly, the woman’s head spun around, and her hands went up. Nothing happened, but he knew perfectly well what that gesture meant.

  She was a witch, too, was she?

  Interesting.

  His heart stilled, irritated that he’d been so excited to see her. She was just another witch. She was like the last one, and now he’d have to kill her, too. Was that why she’d come to the island?

  Had she come to hurt him?

  “Who are you?”

  He detected something in her voice. It wavered. She was scared. She hadn’t expected to see him, had she?

  Interesting.

  So maybe she wasn’t here to hurt him.

  “My name is Felix,” he answered, walking forward. He closed the gap between them until the two of them stood only ten feet apart. He looked at her, carefully considering her appearance. She’d been traveling for awhile, if he had to guess. She looked tired, and her feet were bare.

  She didn’t seem so scared now. In fact, he could tell that she liked the way he looked. Felix couldn’t quite explain how he knew. He had always had this ability. He could scent the emotions of the people around him. If the witch had known, she’d never mentioned it, and Felix had never told her.

  Secrets were a rare commodity when he’d been growing up, and he’d held his close to his chest.

  “Who are you?”

  “I just told you my name,” Felix said. “Who are you?”

  The woman stared at him, and he suddenly knew that whatever she said next would be a lie.

  “Yvette,” she said.

  “Liar.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. That’s a lie. I want to know who you actually are.”

  “You don’t know me,” she snapped, frowning. “What makes you think that you have the right to call me a liar?”

  “I just did.”

  “I’m not a liar.”

  “You are,” he said.

  Felix was patient. He’d wait all day if he had to. He was used to waiting. He’d never gotten anything that he wanted right away, and he didn’t have to get anything now. Whoever this woman was, she’d traveled here alone. She’d brought a little boat that was barely larger than a canoe.