Light Up The Night: a Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy Romance (Lick of Fire Book 2)

by Jacqueline Sweet

  "Mac, tell her, would you?"

  MacKenzie shook her head. "Leave me out of this. I have my own shit to worry about."

  Hannah nodded to the door and Tamsin followed her outside. They knew better than to try and have a conversation near MacKenzie. Rye and Gray were gone. And judging by the loud feminine shrieking coming from their room, Cash still had the room.

  Outside the door, Hannah gave her a withering stare. "Look First Year, we aren't supposed to talk about this. It's one of those secret Penrose things? But on Lughnasa morning there's a test. It’s like a midterm? Your counselor will come find you and you’ll have to demonstrate a certain level of magical proficiency.”

  “No one’s said anything about this.” She wanted to disbelieve Hannah, but it felt like a thing Penrose would do. They couldn’t make it easy, right? It was all mazes and tests and madness.

  “It's sink or swim time and we both know which way you'll go.” Hannah’s pity deepened into a cruel frown. “And I bet Gray knows to. That's why his invitation is a cruel joke. He can’t be serious. Highborns like him only ever date other highborns. It’s basically a law. And since the dance is for students only you won’t be able to go. And instead of a dance with the dashing silver-haired prince, you’re going to get treated to a look at the real Penrose.”

  How long had Hannah been waiting to unload on her? Since day one, it felt like.

  “You’re going to fail that test so hard. We both know it. And then they're going to wipe your mind, dump you in a psych ward somewhere for a few weeks, and then send you back to whatever stupid little town you came from."

  “Seattle isn’t a stupid little town. And what is your fucking problem with me? You’ve been attacking me since the moment I set foot on this campus and I've never done a single thing to you. Why do you hate me so much?" The hall was spinning around her. Rage didn’t do anything to sober you up, apparently.

  College was supposed to be magical.

  Roommates were supposed to friends.

  She didn't sign up for any of this.

  Hannah smirked at her. She looked in that moment like every mean girl queen bee she’d ever met.

  The door inside Hannah stopped rattling.

  A knock sounded on it.

  Something knocked from the other side of the door in her mind.

  Tamsin could almost see it. The Thing That Knocked had long bony fingers. It wore a robe of spiderwebs. From its mouth emanated foul breath that stunk of the grave. And when it spoke, it would speak in a voice you only hear once in your life. The final sound.

  She knew if she opened the door The Thing That Knocked would come through and Hannah would never bully anyone ever again.

  It would be so easy.

  The golden key was there, in her heart.

  She just needed to slide it into the door and Hannah would be dealt with.

  But no, she could never do that.

  She took that golden key from her heart and thrust it hard into Hannah's chest. She could make the girl give her answers. She was the opener, after all.

  This time the opening didn't have that same all over bubbly warm exploding feeling like before. No, this time the magic felt sharp and cruel, like her whole body cramped up at once.

  Hannah's eyes changed. "It's just not fair. Girls like me—we grow up right alongside all the very best, most eligible men. These beautiful highborn boys. We’re together from the age of three, did you know that? But that means the boys see us at our absolute worst. They see our braces and pimples, our cruelty before we learn to disguise it.”

  Spit flecked Hannah’s perfect lips. Her perfect porcelain skin was blotchy and raw. “By the time we attend Penrose, they are sick of us. They’ve had their fun with us. We’re just like furniture to them. Background noise. We’re supposed to marry these boys, to secure our bloodlines. But how can we when some new pretty face with mongrel halfbreed features like yours shows up?How can we compete with that?"

  “What did you just call me?" Tamsin balled her fists. The Thing That Knocked knocked even louder.

  Hannah didn't seem to realize the danger she was in. "I mean, did your parents have standards? What even are you? Korean German?"

  "I'm American, bitch," Tamsin said right as she swung her balled fist up and into Hannah's perfect nose.

  18

  Damn It, Janet

  Tamsin didn't sleep that night. Her insomnia was due in part to the alcohol. And definitely in part to the cold fury she still felt for Hannah—who had spent the evening at the university health services having her nose rearranged.

  But mostly it was fear that kept her awake.

  A surprise midterm on her practical magic skills—she couldn't cram her way through that. No amount of studying or practice at this point could get her up to speed in time. She was going to fail. They were going to kick her out and erase her memories. She’d be bewildered and ashamed and broken.

  But she couldn't go home. Not yet. Her father and Jiro were depending on her.

  She skipped her meeting with Professor Schoenherr. She couldn’t stand to look at his face. She could ask him about the secret test. But he’d just lie to her or tell her that poor communication encouraged personal growth. If he lied to her, she would just lose it. But she needed to see Janet, so she hid outside his office until the girl emerged.

  The dark-haired girl did not seem surprised to see her. "Oh hey there, Opener Girl, how’s it going?”

  Tamsin didn't have time to ease into it. There were only a few days until the secret midterm that would determine her future. "Janet, I need help and you are basically the only person I can ask."

  Janet put a finger to her lips and waggled her eyebrows at the professor’s door, as if to say let's go somewhere more private okay?

  She steered Tamsin silently through the halls, into a wing Tamsin had never seen before. They’d crossed into the Mollystone half of Wilde House. The walls here were charred and blackened stone. Smoke still rose from them as if a fire had very recently recently swept through.

  “This is the practical magic study area,” Janet said upon seeing the confusion in Tamsin’s eyes. “It’s where the third and fourth year students try out the more dangerous spells.” An explosion sounded near by, followed by peels of laughter.

  The stone wall was healing, even as Tamsin watched. The flame scarring faded and was replaced by new, old-looking stone.

  “You wouldn’t believe the work it took to make this.” Janet pulled her into an empty classroom. The walls had blackboards mounted across the length of them and were covered with neat chalk writing that looked like chemistry equations mixed with calculus and a bit of hermetic magic theory.

  Janet pulled out her wand from the sheath on her hip—it was black and short and hardly wider than a pencil. She sketched complicated shapes in the air that Tamsin struggled to recognize. There was a rune for sounds and one for negation and one for darkness, but after that Janet lost her.

  For the briefest of moments, Tamsin felt a thrill of pride. She understood this stuff. Magic was making sense to her, on an intellectual level. She wasn’t completely a lost cause. Sure she was absolutely awful at casting spells or laying enchantments—but the theory was coming to her.

  But Janet was a First Year. Just like her. And her spellcraft was so beautifully refined. It was as if the girl was doing calligraphy while Tamsin was still trying to sound out her letters. How could she ever catch up?

  “Tell me everything,” Janet said, once the spell was done. A faintly shimmering dome filled the room. It was as if they were standing within a giant soap bubble. On the inside of it, the runes bobbed and danced.

  “What was this spell you just cast?”

  “You like it? It’s a complete sensory shield. It doesn’t last long, but no one outside this room will be able to see or hear or even smell us.” She beamed with pride. “I’ve been working on it with the professor as a way to control my sensory magic. I need this to actually fall asleep at night, otherwis
e I hear the snores of every single person in Mollystone. Bu this is the opposite of what I usually do.”

  “You should teach this to my roommate, MacKenzie. This would make her so happy.”

  “Sure, sure. Once I publish it in the journals I’ll be happy to share.” For a moment something seemed wrong with Janet’s skin. It was a bit too shiny in the dim light of the lab. Tamsin shook her head. It was probably some high-grade witch make-up.

  Tamsin told her everything. Nearly everything. She told Janet about just learning about magic, about the illness in her family, and about having the mystical strength of a hamster. She came clean. The only things she kept to herself were the boys next door. And the door inside herself. It felt dangerous to tell her about that.

  “I’m going to fail the midterm,” Tamsin said at last.

  “What midterm?” Janet stood straighter. Not that she had anything to worry about. She had amazing skills.

  “The secret midterm that they don’t tell us about, where students like me get kicked out for underperforming.” Tamsin gnawed on her lip. She’d hoped it would feel better to get everything off her chest. But it didn’t feel better. It felt worse. She was a boiling pot of anxiety and exhaustion.

  “Oh yeah,” Janet said. “My parents call it the Culling. They weren’t supposed to tell me about it, I think. From what they say it’s pretty brutal and totally secret. Like, even just talking about it can get you on probation or sent to work in the library.” Janet shivered at the thought of the library. It was completely off limit to first years.

  “I don’t want to get culled,” Tamsin blurted out. “That sounds like a terrible thing to have done to you.”

  “But you’re an Opener,” Janet said. “They won’t cull you. Your talent is one of those once in a century things.”

  “But no one knows I’m an Opener! I haven’t told anyone. Not anyone. You are literally the only person who knows. Though the professor definitely suspects.” Tamsin’s neck and shoulders ached with tension. Her belly was full of acid.

  “I don’t understand how I can help? I don’t have time to tutor you between now and then. That would be like cramming eight years of schooling into what—three days?”

  “How is this fair?” Tamsin asked. “How do they expect kids like me to succeed when we haven’t had any training?” But it was possible. She’d seen it with her own eyes. Rachel and Suresh came into Penrose knowing almost nothing and now they were at least competent mages. They could turn frogs invisible, float a feather, change their eye color—they’d mastered all the beginning spells.

  Janet plucked her lip and thought for several long minutes, before jumping up and clapping her hands. “I have an idea! It’s a stupid idea and maybe a little dangerous, but I have an idea.” She jumped with excitement. “The student who meets with Schoenherr after me—he’s this big sexy hunk of a man and yeah, so maybe I sometimes listen in on his conversations with the professor just so I can like breathe in his manly presence and feel his growl of a voice move through me.” Janet paused and looked to see if Tamsin was going to judge her.

  Tamsin had no patience. “Okay, and how is this a solution? Can this guy change shape and take the test for me? Can he magically put me into a pocket dimension where time doesn’t pass for a few years so I can practice?”

  “He’s a spirit talker. And a wolf shifter. He and Schoenherr talk a lot about the difference between demons—which are bad—and spirits.” Janet shrugged. “There are good and bad spirits, I guess? It’s really far from my wheelhouse, so I breeze out on the details sometimes. But I remember them talking about a powerful spirit who dwells nearby. They called him the King of Shadow? No, wait, the King in Shadow. That was it.”

  “That’s a creepy name, Janet. Creepy as hell.”

  “Schoenherr said that a student he knew summoned the King in Shadow and the King gave him mad skills and knowledge, in exchange for a favor.” She paused and listened to something far away. “The professor wanted the sexy spirit talker’s help to meet the King.”

  “What was the favor?” What wouldn’t Tamsin do to stay in school?

  “The King had the kid write a book about the King and how to meet him. That’s all. He just, like, took dictation. The book is in the professor’s office. They talked about the whole ritual and honestly, it didn’t sound hard at all. A normal person could even do it, if they had the words and the circles drawn right.”

  “You think this King could help me?”

  Janet shrugged. “From the way the professor talked, yeah. I do. But there were two tricky things about the ritual.”

  “What’s that? Do I need to be a virgin?”

  “Eww. What? No. It just needs to happen during a full moon.”

  “That’s tonight,” Tamsin said.

  “And you need a working cell phone for the King to come through.”

  “But no one here has phones. Where could I get a—wait, I know. Breakon and Grace. Those two weirdo kissy people.”

  “Weirdo kissy people?”

  “Never mind,” Tamsin said. “Thank you, Janet. You’ve been a huge help.”

  Tamsin ran out of the room, her tired mind busily making plans.

  She didn’t see the satisfied look on Janet’s face.

  19

  Witches Be Crazy

  Stealing the book was too easy.

  Tamsin might have trouble with the classroom spells, but her opener gifts only got easier to use. She just waited until the professor left and then pushed her invisible imaginary magic key into his office door. This time it didn’t feel like anything at all. Did the feeling of her magic change depending on who or what she used it on? That seemed to be the case. Hannah felt like muscle cramps. But Rye and Gray—they felt ecstatic.

  Being in Schoenherr’s office without him there was creepy. Did he have security cameras? Tracking spells? Would he know that she broke in?

  She’d seen the King in Shadows book before.

  Reading the spines of the professor’s books while he droned on and one about another time someone got messed up by a demon was her favorite office hours activity.

  Why did Janet get help creating a new spell, while all she got was lectures?

  Did Schoenherr know she was going to fail? Did he just not want to waste his time?

  The book was short and squat, like a paperback novel. It was handwritten in an old journal and it had always stood out on the shelf.

  Tamsin pocketed it, locked the door behind herself, and went off to find Breakon and Grace.

  She imagined that every person she passed knew that she was a thief now.

  There may as well be a big scarlet T on her shirt.

  As she crossed campus to Darden Hall, she read through the book. It made her feel marginally less guilty to focus on something productive. Though the guilt of stealing felt like chains on her heart.

  She was one of dozens of students walking and reading at the same time. It was part of the character of Penrose that she appreciated. Everyone had their nose buried in books. Perhaps it was because phones worked so poorly on campus? She tried to pay attention as she walked, but she was almost hit by two bicyclist. Then she walked into three tree branches—evergreens—and accidentally kicked a pigeon.

  But by the time she got to Grace’s dorm, she had a handle on the basics of the King in Shadows book.

  It was properly called a ritual, not a spell. A spell drew upon the magic within you, while a ritual drew upon the magic without. That was the difference, as far as Tamsin could tell. Of course most rituals involved spells as well. The advanced ritual were a messy and complicated combination that was the mystical equivalent of rocket science. But the one to summon the King in Shadow didn’t look too hard.

  There were three circles you had to draw. The one around yourself protected you and gave you command over the spirit. The second circle brought the King in Shadow into the world. And then the third circle protected Tamsin from interruption and kept the spirit king from escaping int
o the world. They had to be drawn with exacting care or it would fail, or the King wouldn’t have to do her bidding. There were words to chant and herbs to burn—but nothing she couldn’t get at the grocer.

  The only hard parts were finding a place to do the ritual and finding a phone.

  The King emerged from the phone and would destroy it in the process.

  She couldn’t exactly borrow one.

  Darden Hall was quite different from her dorm. It was airy and narrow, full of gentle light and plants. It was built like an enormous greenhouse with residences wrapped around it. When it was hot outside, it was sweltering within. But in the winter it would be an incredibly cozy place to live, Tamsin was sure. But this was summer and Darden Hall was a wet and sticky hell.

  The girl at the front desk was chipper and didn’t seem to notice the heat. She gave Tamsin Grace’s room number and called ahead to let her know she had a visitor.

  Darden was girls only. They had strict procedures for visitors.

  The front desk girl tossed Tamsin a smooth silver stone. “Lick this,” she said.

  “Is this a joke?”

  The girl blinked. “We just need to make sure you are who you say you are. No boys allowed, y’know?”

  The stone smelled salty and slightly fishy. Tamsin stuck out her tongue and touched it briefly to the stone. She tasted electricity, like when Jiro tricked her into licking a battery when they were kids.

  A twin of the stone on the front desk chimed and the girl nodded. “You can go in. Leave the stone, please.”

  Grace didn’t seem surprised to see her, when Tamsin climbed the stairs to the second floor. She was sitting outside her door, smoking from a clay pipe as long as her arm. Her hair was purple now and spilled across her shoulders in tendrils that writhed with every breath. The effect wasn’t serpentine, but more like an octopus was sitting on her head. She was wearing a glamour, of course, and not a skillful one. Even Tamsin could see the ill fitting edges of it and the plastic highlights on her skin. But maybe the poor quality was a statement in itself? It was impossible to tell what was irony and what was poor just poor quality.