“Think I have a chance?” she asked, watching him finish his final drill.
“Your record is better than most,” he pointed out. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Abigail can run circles around me, and she’s only a freshman. I wouldn’t have as many medals as I do if she put any effort into track meets.”
“She’s not in it for the scholarships.”
“I take it you’re not either? I notice you participate as little as possible, and I rarely see your full potential.”
“You’ve never seen my full potential.” He grabbed two bottles of water from the team cooler. Then he handed one to Rachel and took a drink from the other. “Like I said, I’m here for the credit, nothing more.”
“Wait a minute, your sprints aren’t your best?”
“No.”
“That’s crazy. Why don’t you try? If you’re that fast, why don’t you compete?”
Quin shrugged and sat on a bench. “I don’t care. I don’t care if I’m fast, and I don’t care if I win. I have zero passion for track meets, so it’s only fair that I stay out of the way and let people who are passionate about it compete.”
She still stood, staring at him like he belonged in a mental institute. “Is there anything you’re passionate about?”
“Sure,” he answered, but he couldn’t be specific. Everything that ignited passion in him was foreign to her. “But school is not on the list.”
“I guess that’s fair,” she decided, “but man, what a waste of talent.”
He laughed at the unintended insult. “I’ll try to be of use in other aspects of my life.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. I’m just giving you hell.”
“Oh.” She glanced to the right, catching sight of Abigail and Kegan. Then she returned her gaze to Quin and waved. “I better go. Thanks for running with me.”
“You’re welcome,” he returned, deciding Rachel was all right. “Have a good spring break.”
“Yeah. You, too.”
Abigail and Kegan were quickly approaching, so Rachel turned and jogged away. Smart girl.
Summoning his satchel from the locker room, Quin looked to his right just in time to see Kegan sit down.
“How was that?” he whispered, watching Rachel’s departure while grabbing a bottle of water. “Awkward?”
“Not too bad,” Quin answered. “She was looking for a running partner. That’s it.”
“Yeah right,” Abigail laughed. “Quinlan Kavanagh – always quick with the humble card, even when it comes to the hexless.”
Quin narrowed his eyes on her. “I don’t play games with girls.”
Her spine straightened, but instead of getting mad, she flashed a seductive smile while walking backward. “Good to know. So I’ll see you two tonight?”
“We’ll be there,” Kegan answered. Then he waited for her to get out of earshot before punching Quin’s shoulder. “If you don’t take the bait she’s throwing you, Weylin will never let you live it down.”
Quin stood and headed for the exit. “I don’t give a shit what Weylin thinks.”
“I know you don’t, but this is Abigail-fucking-Bryant, the hottest witch in our school, the one we all want but no one gets.”
“I doubt that.”
“I’m serious, man. No one’s touched her.”
“Really?”
“Really. We’re talking unexplored territory.”
“Bullshit.” Quin tried to recall someone mentioning a romp with Abigail, but couldn’t.
“I’m not bullshitting you,” Kegan insisted. “Ask the guys when you get to the hockey clearing. Not one of them has gotten past second base with her.”
“Then what makes you think I would?”
“Have you not been paying attention? She’s all over you, man.”
“She’s all over everyone.”
“She flirts with all of us, but she’s practically sitting on your dick. Watch, I bet you find her on your lap tonight.”
Quin laughed and shook his head. “I bet I’m not the only one.”
“We’ll see. Abby could have anyone she wants, but it’s obvious she wants you. You’re out of your mind if you don’t go for it.”
Wrong. If Quin’s mind was in total control, he’d stay far away from Abigail. Unfortunately, he was a walking fucking erection, and the witches his age were coming into their sexuality with a vengeance.
The tunnel to the locker rooms was full of students gushing about their spring break plans, so Quin bypassed it and jumped the fence.
Kegan paused to summon his bag then followed, catching up as Quin entered a deserted alley. “Are you working tonight?”
“I don’t know,” Quin answered. “I need to talk to my dad; make sure he doesn’t need me over the weekend.”
“Of course you do. Well I’m off for the rest of the week, so I’m starting the party early. I’ll see you when you get there.”
“Yep.” Quin made sure they were alone. Then he watched Kegan’s body disappear before concealing his own and flying away.
He stopped by his parents’ warehouse in Portland first, finding it empty, and when he checked the schedule, he came across a note from his dad.
I’m taking your mom out tonight. I cleared your schedule next week so you could take off for spring break. If you plan on going out of state, wait until tomorrow. Your mom will want to say goodbye.
P.S. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
Quin wondered how his dad handled beautiful witches at sixteen, and quickly decided he didn’t want details. Quin’s peers had very little restraint when it came to willing witches, and it had been that way for a couple of years. Quin was choosier than most, but even he’d acquired a list. It started with a few older girls with more experience than he could claim, but at fifteen, the age gap narrowed. Now he had a freshman fishing for him, and he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t tempted to bite. At fifteen, Abigail had the curves of a woman, and she knew exactly how to use them.
“That shit should be against the laws of nature,” he muttered, leaving through the back entrance. “No way she’s still a virgin.”
After a short trip home to leave a note for his parents and take a shower, Quin flew to the large clearing they used for hockey games, surprising Weylin and Kegan with his early arrival.
“Look at that,” Weylin approved. “Quin’s come to the dark side.”
Quin landed and scanned the clearing, finding more than a dozen wizards, but the witches hadn’t arrived yet. Weylin and Kegan had set up their tents and were lounging in front of them, and they already had jugs of alcohol in hand.
“Wine or liquor?” Quin asked, sitting next to Weylin.
Weylin shook his bottle. “This is wine, but there’s scotch in my tent for after dinner.”
“Is that what’s happening over there?” Quin motioned toward a group of wizards playing with fire. Then he laughed when one of them used a large wave of water to stifle a small flame on another’s shirtsleeve.
Kegan rolled his eyes while replying loud enough for them to hear. “Brynton’s supposed to be grilling the steaks Weylin brought.”
“I’m on it,” Brynton called back. Then he tried to stifle his laughter long enough to tell the others to stop screwing around.
“Half of them are already drunk,” Weylin explained. “Brynton skipped school and has been here since noon.”
Quin raised a wary eyebrow. “And you put him in charge of cooking?”
“Nevyn’s sober,” Kegan assured. “He’ll let us know if Bryn gets too crazy.”
“Brynton will pass out after he eats,” Weylin laughed.
“Fuck you, Wey,” Brynton challenged. “I’m not stopping ’til the sun comes up.”
“We’ll see,” Weylin taunted. Then he lowered his voice. “He’ll be out by sundown.”
Kegan smirked. “His loss. The ladies won’t even show up ’til eight.”
“Speaking of ladies,” Weylin cut
in, narrowing his eyes on Quin. “What’s this I hear about you blowing off Abby to run with a hexless girl? Are you fucking crazy?”
“I didn’t blow off anyone,” Quin corrected. “I did a girl a favor.”
Weylin shook his head. “You need to do Abby a favor. She’s got the body of a goddess, and she’s begging to be fucked.”
“Go for it.”
“You don’t think I’ve tried? Every wizard here has taken a shot at her. Right, guys?”
The crowd cooking looked over as Brynton replied. “What’s that?”
“Abigail,” Weylin answered. “She already shot your ass down.”
“Oh yeah,” Brynton admitted, firing a pretend gun. “Boom. Denied.”
Most of the other wizards nodded their agreement, but one of them pushed back his shoulders and grinned. “I got me a handful of her tits.”
Weylin rolled his eyes. “We’ve all gotten a handful of her tits, but no one’s been between her thighs.”
“I haven’t gotten a handful of her tits,” Nevyn mourned.
Quin ignored him and searched the crowd for more confessions, but nobody spoke up. “So she’s really a virgin? No one here has slept with her or heard of her sleeping with someone else?”
Most of them shook their heads as Weylin answered. “You’d know if someone scored with Abby. Who could keep that a secret?”
“Quin,” Kegan answered, lighting up a joint. “That’s why he’s the perfect candidate.”
“Son of a bitch,” Weylin complained. “You’re right. We won’t get details either way.”
“That’s bullshit, Quin,” Brynton lectured. “What kind of friend are you?”
Quin laughed and dug a bottle of wine from his bag. “The kind who knows when to keep his mouth shut. I still can’t believe she’s a virgin. She doesn’t flirt like a virgin.”
Weylin gave a nod while accepting the joint from Kegan. “You got that right. Girl’s already got the moves of a woman.”
“She’s a cock tease,” someone noted.
Quin scowled over his shoulder. “Show some fucking respect.”
“She isn’t even here, man.”
“I don’t give a shit where she is or how many guys she’s shot down after getting their dicks up. Keep calling her disrespectful names, and I’ll kick your ass. You’re lucky no one from her coven is here, or you’d already be eating dirt.”
“He speaks the truth,” Weylin advocated. “You should know better.”
All civilized wizards knew better, so the shamed teen dropped his guilty head and kept his mouth shut.
Retrieving his calm, Quin took a drink and accepted the herb Weylin offered. “I’ve never taken a girl’s virginity.”
Weylin’s eyes nearly popped from his skull. “No shit?”
“No shit. I guess you guys have?”
“My first three were virgins,” Weylin confessed.
“I’ve been with two,” Kegan added. “I can’t believe you haven’t had one.”
Quin took a couple of hits then floated the joint to the nearest wizard on his right. “I’ve had my fingers in a few, but that’s it.”
Weylin continued to stare at Quin like he didn’t know him. “Damn, man, are you applying for sainthood or what?”
“You know better,” Quin laughed. “It’s not like I’m a virgin.”
“Right. So how did you spend the last few years of your life getting laid without taking anyone’s virginity?”
“Carefully.”
“I’d say.”
Quin lowered his voice, keeping the conversation between the three of them. “So how did they handle it?”
Weylin leaned forward and tried to be quiet. “I assume you’re asking if they got clingy.”
“Sure.”
“My first one was clingy, but I was digging it until my second came along. That one tried to play it cool and didn’t even tell me she was a virgin until the deed was done. We stuck together for a couple of months before parting on good terms. In hindsight, my third was probably the riskiest, a one-night-stand while on vacation in Australia, but she was more than willing, and I was leaving the next day. What was I to do?”
Kegan laughed then offered up his own accounts. “My first time was more like a business transaction than a relationship. I managed to earn the trust of a witch who wanted to get her virginity out of the way as badly as I did, so we had sex then went our separate ways. The second one I was with made me work for five months before giving it up. Then she kept me tied down for three months before cutting me loose.”
Despite the lack of names, Quin clearly recalled the past few years of his friends’ lives, so he easily deduced who they were talking about. Except for the one in Australia; she’d remain Weylin’s mystery.
Weylin shoved Quin’s shoulder. “See? No horror stories.”
Quin knew there was much more to it. “Out of your three, how many heard you say I love you?”
Weylin rolled his eyes, and Kegan laughed. “He’s got you pegged, Wey.”
“I did love them,” Weylin asserted. “I fucking loved every inch of them.”
“Every inch,” someone joyously echoed.
Quin laughed and shook his head. “Well I have no plans to profess my love to any witch, virgin or not.”
“Abby isn’t fishing for I love yous, man. She’s damn near sixteen. How many sixteen-year-old virgin witches do you know?”
Quin thought this over and couldn’t come up with a name.
“Exactly,” Weylin continued. “Abigail’s looking to get laid and wants the best man for the job. If you don’t step up, she’ll have to step down. Is that really what you want? For her to lose her virginity to Brynton’s drunk ass?”
“Hell, yeah!” Brynton approved. “Send her to me. I’ll tell her I love her all night if that’s what she wants.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Weylin dismissed. “He’d pass out and drool on her tits is what he’d do.”
Brynton snickered and started serving dinner. “Talk about sweet dreams. Give me pillows like that, and I may never wake up.”
As it turned out, Brynton didn’t need anything more than a full belly to fall into a deep sleep, and he did it with his head propped up on a tent pole instead of a soft pair of breasts. The party continued without him, and around sundown, the ladies started showing up, making the grand entrance they deserved.
“And the heavens have opened,” Weylin sighed, watching the first group of witches descend.
But Kegan was scowling. “What the fuck is Bri doing here?”
Quin narrowed his eyes on Brietta, who was dressed in one of the skimpiest outfits he’d ever seen her in as she landed between Caitlyn and Maeveen. “Shit,” he muttered. “She’s growing up too damn fast.”
“She shouldn’t be here,” Kegan insisted. “Why would Cait and Mae bring her?”
“She’s almost fifteen,” Weylin noted. “We started coming to parties here when we were thirteen.”
“It’s different for us,” Quin countered, catching Brietta’s gaze and motioning for her to come over. “She already has seniors gawking at her.” Before she reached them, Quin gave Kegan a stern look and quietly spoke. “Keep your mouth shut about her age. This is her first high school party, and she has every right to be here. Don’t ruin it.”
“Whatever, man, just make sure she knows to stay in sight.”
“Hey, Quin,” Brietta greeted, keeping a nervous eye on him while waving at the others.
“You look nice,” Quin offered.
She glanced down and swished her skirt. “Thanks.”
“Does Enid know you’re here?”
“Yeah. She knows you’re here, too.”
“I see. I was your bargaining chip.”
“Kind of. I promised I’d leave when you go.”
“I’m staying the night.”
“Oh. Then I’ll go when Caitlyn leaves. She has to be home by one.”
“Is she drinking?”
“No.”
“Let me know before you leave, and call your mom when you get there.”
“Okay.”
“You realize I’m going to get interviewed by your dad when I get home tomorrow.”
Brietta gave him a pleading pucker. “Don’t be mad. I promise I’ll give you good things to say. I won’t drink or smoke or wander off. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Fine,” Quin conceded. “Just stay in sight. If you need something and can’t find me, ask Keg or Wey.”
“You mean you trust these two?” she teased, wrinkling her nose at them.
Weylin gave her the same flirtatious wink he offered all witches, but Kegan maintained a solemn expression.
“I trust them more than I trust the rest of these assholes,” Quin answered. “And they are assholes, so don’t let them convince you otherwise.”
“Right,” she laughed, and Quin offered her a reassuring smile so she’d feel comfortable walking away.
“When’s her birthday?” Weylin asked, watching her go.
Quin cast a ball of thick fog between Weylin’s gaze and Brietta’s backside. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Sorry. She’s off my radar. But I have to point out the obvious. She’s not a little girl anymore. She’s growing up gorgeous and gets along with everyone. If she wasn’t the closest thing you have to a little sister, over half the guys here would already be chasing her skirt.”
Quin grimaced and snapped a twig in two. “I know, but she’s not ready for that yet.”
“Says who? You?”
“No. She’s saying it. Check your hormones for a moment and take a good look at her aura and body language. Right now she likes the security and freedom my presence provides. A girl her age at her first high school party – that shit would be terrifying, even for witches, especially for witches, because wizards can’t hide their arousal.”
“Aura boners,” Weylin offered.
Quin closed his eyes and stifled a groan. “I hate that phrase.”
“I know,” Weylin laughed. “So you were saying all our aura boners scare the girls.”
“That description would make anybody flee. Seriously, go try it out and see how far it gets you.”
“Come on now. I’ve got better lines than that.”
Quin 1 (The Mystic Series) Page 2
