by ERIN BEDFORD
If I had to describe them I'd say they weren’t simply women, but ladies. Their hair was coiffed and curled, pinned to their heads and covered by small and stylish hats while their perfectly formed bodies were covered in primp and proper dresses of pale pinks, yellows, and other flowery colors. The clothes followed their curves as if each dress had been exactingly tailored to their forms. Their skirts fluttered around their legs to show off classy matching heels.
"Blue Bonnet Academy," Aidan told me from my left. He nodded toward the bus and the ladies looking around like they had stepped into a swamp rather than our campus. "They're from Texas."
I cocked my head to the side. "How do you know that?"
Aidan crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes scanning over the other students pouring out of their buses. "We played them last year."
"Hold up." I held my hand up and turned to him. "You guys had the Games last year and I didn't know about it? How is that possible?"
Aidan lifted and dropped a shoulder. "You were busy."
"I wouldn't think that I was so busy that I’d miss something like this." I shook my head as I watched the next bus, a dark tan colored monstrosity with an emblem of a mountain and a spell book on the side, I tried to think about what I'd been doing during my first year here.
Now that I thought back on it, I'd been so focused on trying to get through classes and the awe of it all that I guess I hadn't really paid much attention to anything else. Oh, and of course, there were the guys and then Sabrina trying to thwart me at every turn. None of that would have helped. Plus, my grandparents were on my case every single week about some bullshit or other.
But to be so self-absorbed that I missed a whole grand event like these games were supposed to be? I called foul.
Aidan must have sensed my displeasure and bumped me with his arm which knocked me over. His hand grabbed my elbow before I could face plant. A chagrined smile crept up his lips as he smoothed his hands over my arms before leaning down to me.
"Don't feel too bad. It wasn't at our school last year. Every year a school hosts the games. This year is Winchester Academy’s. They’ll be here the whole year." He paused and seemed to think about it before adding, “It’s a great honor.”
"But still..." My eyes trailed over to the tan bus as the doors finally opened.
"They're from Colorado. The Mountaineers," Aidan informed me as a mixed group of guys and girls came off the bus. They wore jeans, t-shirts, and baseball caps, a lot more... normal than the first team. At least they didn't look too stuck up, not like the Texans Bluebells.
"Did you participate last year?" I asked, trying to get a better look. The Mountaineers were a lot more boisterous and ready to play than the Texans... and there was still another bus that hadn't unloaded yet.
"Yes."
I turned my eyes from the avocado spread bus to look at him. "And I missed that too, huh?"
Aidan shrugged. "We weren't dating then. And I only went for the games. I didn’t stay. Too much work here."
"Still, I feel like a right bitch.” I sighed heavily. “I should know more about you guys than I do."
A familiar snort came from my right, and I twisted around just in time to see Sabrina flip her long blonde hair over a shoulder as she walked up. "Well, there are four of them. I'm surprised you keep their names straight."
I wrinkled my nose at her. "It's not hard. They're all different."
Aidan looked softly down at me and I winked at him.
Sabrina shook her head, crossing her pale arms over her pink t-shirt dress. The bangles on her wrist clinked together and shone in the light. "Still, I don't know how you remember who's fucking you, let alone what their favorite color is. Paul's is blue by the way and Ian's is green." She gave me a smug grin before flicking her eyes over to the buses. "Ugh, gross. I hate Cali guys, even more than the girls. It's always ‘bro this, bro that, let's get some grub and smash.’"
I glanced back at the green bus and noticed the wave-and-broomstick crest on the side. The group on the bus had already climbed out and were milling about the side of the bus. The guys among them wore board shorts and tank tops, and most of them had shells on a string around their neck. The girls wore short shorts and bikini tops underneath their shirts. Their tanned skin and sun-kissed hair made me feel lackluster and frumpy. I should go to the beach more.
The thought actually made me wonder what the guys would be like at the beach. I'd have to make a point for us to go together sometime.
"Smash?" I asked Sabrina at last, pulling my eyes away from the group of them and back to her.
Sabrina's nose curled up in a sneer. "You know, smash? Hit the waves, but unlike those puny humans, they're riding brooms. Fucking jerks don't care who they might expose with their crap."
"Ah, Craftsman, don't be like that, you know we use a concealment charm." a tall, sun-kissed god said as he appeared out of nowhere to throw his arm around Sabrina's shoulders.
"Ew, Chad. Get off." Sabrina shoved his arm off of her like it was something from the bottom of the trash can, not something belonging to a hot guy.
‘Chad’ flashed us a toothy grin that complimented his bright green eyes. His brown hair was wind tossed long enough to brush his ears and nape of his neck. From the shells around his neck and the red and white board shorts he wore, I could easily guess where he was from. The California wizard arched a brow at me as if making a point to say he knew I was looking and didn't care, before holding a hand out to me.
"Chadwick Von Wooden. And you are?"
Before I could answer him, Aidan stepped closer and put his arm around my waist aggressively. "Taken."
"Woah, dude." Chadwick held his hands up, giving an easygoing grin. "Just saying hello. I'm not scamming on your girl."
Sabrina scoffed and muttered, "Not yet."
That sounded like it came from experience. I tucked that bit of information away for later and lifted my chin toward Chad. "Max. I'm assuming you know Sabrina and Aidan?" I wrapped my arm around Aidan's waist, hugging him tight to show him I wasn't into the guy before us.
"Yeah, we've met." Chad grinned at Aidan who was still glowering at the wizard. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend though, good for you man."
Just then, Paul and Ian jogged toward us, excitement bright in their eyes. Before I could say anything, Ian pulled me from Aidan's arms, lifted me up, and kissed me right on the mouth. I should have tried to not make a fuss, especially in front of other schools with the potential for drama I didn't need, but my guys had a way of making forget that I was in a crowd of people. My fingers tangled in his hair as I slanted my mouth over his, letting him fuck my mouth the way he'd done just the other day. When he released me, my lips felt swollen and my cheeks hot.
Paul, not to be outdone by his brother, scooped me up next, but this time, he dipped me like they did in the movies. He kissed me until I was panting and wanting nothing more than to hole up in my room with the three of them.
"Hold up, hold up. Time out, dude." Chad held his hands up in a t-shape and then whipped a finger to Aidan and then back to me and the brothers. "I thought she was your girl? Why are they macking on her?"
Aidan didn't answer him, but Ian saw the California wizard and grinned. "Chad, my man! How are those waves back in Cali?" He and Chad shook hands and did some weird bro handshake while Chad still watched us with his mouth agape.
"They're good. What are you up to?" Chad's eyes finally left my flushed face and went to Ian who didn't seem to care what the guy thought.
"Good." Ian slipped an arm around my waist while Paul held my hand. "I see you've met my girlfriend, Max."
"Your girlfriend?" Chad's brows went up another notch then shot a wary look at Aidan. "I thought she was yours?"
Sabrina took this moment to insert herself into the conversation again with a wicked grin. "Oh, didn't you hear? Max is the new queen witch now and has gathered herself quite a little group of groupies."
I scowled at her. "They're not groupie
s."
"Whatever.” Sabrina shrugged and stared at her nails. “You fuck them all, and they do what you want, so if that's not a groupie, I don't know what it is."
"It’s called a relationship," I snapped back. "And I thought you weren't going to be a bitch this year?"
Sabrina arched a perfectly manicured brow. "When did I promise that?"
Before I could answer, a high pitched squeal permeated the air which made most of us wince... but made Sabrina's face scrunch together in a snarl. We turned to see one of the Texan ladies heading our way with a jubilant expression on her face. Red curls flowed down her back, her piercing green eyes alight with joy while the mint green dress floated around her form. Two other ladies flanked her, one with blonde hair cut short and dressed in a sunflower yellow dress and the other with dark hair and a violet colored dress.
"Sabrina, darling!" The redhead opened her arms as she came toward us.
"Oh, fuck," Sabrina muttered, visibly flinching before the redhead even hugged her. "I change my mind, there's something I hate more."
Chapter 6
"My word, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" the red bombshell crooned in her Southern Belle accent, a voice that had several male and female students alike turning their heads as she embraced Sabrina.
The blonde in question hid her snarl behind a smile that even I could tell was fake. "Beth Ann, how lovely to see you again. Has it been a year already?" Sarcasm filled Sabrina's voice as she pulled away from the hug as soon as she could.
Beth Ann giggled politely and fluttered her long lashes as if she were waiting for someone to bring out cameras and start a photo shoot for her at any moment. "Oh, darlin', I don't know how y’all can handle this Georgia weather, it's killer on my curls. Back home, at least it's a dry heat." She fanned herself while exchanging a cool smile with her friends who held back to let her take point.
"Well, we like it just fine,” Ian shot back, pulling the redhead's attention our way. “Perhaps you should go home then."
Those bright green eyes slid over Ian and Paul appreciatively, moving right on over me like I wasn't even in-between the two brothers. A slow satisfied grin, like a cat who had had too much cream, crept up her face.
"Why, Ian Broomstein, as I live and breathe! I didn't know you were still walking the halls of Winchester Academy. You don't write, don't call..." She pouted and stepped a few paces closer so that she could place her hand on the arm not wrapped around my waist. "I was beginning to think you forgot about me and that long winter break we spent cuddled up in my daddy's cabin."
My heart pounded in my chest and my stomach twisted into knots at the blatant way Beth Ann was coming on Ian right in front of me. Geez, was I invisible or what?
I had thought all the mean girl antics were over with Sabrina now ostensibly a friend, but it seemed that I was just trading up for a newer, more primped-up model of bitch. At least Sabrina acted like she lived in our century and not like she was the star in some Gone with the Wind remake.
Thankfully, Ian wasn't playing Beth Ann's games. His arm tightened around my waist as he stiffened against her touch. "I had, actually." Instead of giving into her not-so-subtle hints, Ian pulled me a bit closer to his side. "Have you met my girlfriend, Maxine Mancaster?"
Beth Ann's sultry gaze slipped over to me, surveying every inch of me as she glanced up and down my form. Whatever she saw, she clearly didn't find me worth her time, but she hid any venom in her eyes quickly behind a smile even faker than Sabrina's.
"Beth Ann Scarlette." She offered me one of her pale tiny hands, slipping a sly grin over her shoulder at her friends who had matching expressions. "Of the bourbon Scarlettes."
"I don't know who or what that is, but I'm Max." Against my better judgment, I took the hand she offered and gave it one firm shake before trying to take it back. Beth Ann, however, had an inner strength hidden under all that simpering lady facade and held on tight.
"These are my closest friends in the whole wide world, Bridget and Abigail." She gestured to the blonde and then the brunette respectively. "You're a Mancaster? I heard that right?" She angled her head toward Ian but kept her gaze on me.
My brows bunched together as I narrowed my eyes on her. "Yes, I am."
She hummed and then a wicked smile curled up her lips. "I wasn't aware that Nina and Harold had any children. Last I heard, they had disowned their only daughter for marrying a human." She let out a small laugh.
While I didn’t like where she was going with this, I wouldn’t back down. I stepped out of Ian and Paul's arms, something that Beth Ann definitely took note of, and into her personal space.
"Yes. My mom is Peggy and my dad, Wesley, is human. Do you have a problem with that?"
Beth Ann stared at me for a moment, then she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and let out an annoying laugh. "Oh, my, you are something else, aren't you?"
"She sure is," Paul drawled and pulled me back to lean against his front. "There’s not another girl like her."
I sighed into his embrace, a warmth filling my heart as I suddenly didn't give two rats asses about Beth Ann or her time with Ian at her 'daddy's' cabin. I was with them now, and that was all that mattered.
Beth Ann's eyes flitted between us and then over to Ian, a frown pulling at the edges of her lips. Then her searching eyes moved to Aidan and that simpering smile came back in full force. "Why, Aidan Templar, look at you all quiet and hiding in the background as usual. Don't you ever get tired of being overlooked?"
Aidan stared at her without bothering to give her an answer.
I didn't like the way she talked about him. Beth Ann acted like she knew my guys and even Sabrina. It made me want to slap that smug expression on her face or maybe find a spur to shove up her annoying ass.
"So did you guys meet during the last MagiX Games?" I asked as I tried to push back the need for violence and moved my finger around the group. Ian and Paul shifted next to me as if it were something they didn't want to talk about, but Beth Ann seemed more than happy to fill in the blanks.
"Oh, we go way back. Don't we, darlin'?" She directed that sultry purr in Ian's direction. Ian gave a weak nod but let her continue to answer for them. "You see, before we all went off to our respective colleges of choice..." Beth Ann paused and giggled. "Well, our parent's choice anyway, we all went to summer camp together, Camp Merlin."
She sighed a bit dreamily and her friends echoed her sentiment. "It was like nothing else y’all’d ever been to before. Every day was like a dream come true, especially when I had this handsome gentleman just waiting to steal my heart and," she gave Ian a coy smile, "any other part of me he could get those naughty hands on."
"I don't remember you complaining," Ian retorted as he tucked his hands in his pockets with a frown.
"Who would?" Beth Ann winked in my direction and then turned her eyes on Sabrina. "I hear you have had a taste of our bad boy Broomstein as well. Can't say that I blame you, one brother is good, but two?" She gave a little shrug and grinned. "Who could resist?"
Sabrina gritted her teeth as her hands curled into tight fists. I felt bad for her. I mean, I shouldn't because Sabrina had done the exact same thing to me not too long ago, but having been on the receiving end of such nastiness, I wanted to protect the blonde who was now two seconds away from pulling Beth Ann's red hair out of her head.
"But as I was saying, it feels good to have us all together again." Beth Ann beamed, her hands clasped in front of her and her shoulders up to her ears. "Of course, y’all never could beat my team at Camp, so I doubt y’all will do much better against me and my ladies this time around."
"Now, now, hold up." Ian held his hands up, an arrogant grin on his lips. "You only won then because I went easy on you."
"Ha, you wish!" She shoved a finger at him with an arched brow. "You just can't admit that I'm better than you."
My lips pressed into a hard thin line as I watched them interact so easily. Ian had been standoffish to her so far, but no
w that they had something to discuss that he cared about, it seemed like that cold mask he'd put up was cracking. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
I mean, I didn't want to be that jealous girlfriend. I also wasn't sure if I was allowed to be. I was dating all four of them, and of course, we'd talked about being exclusive to just me, but I wasn't sure if that was fair.
Paul squeezed my shoulders, massaging them as if he knew I needed some reassurance. However, while I was worried about Ian's reaction to Beth Ann, they were really getting into it, and now Sabrina had joined in.
"Forget it." Sabrina shook her head, a mean glint in her eyes. "There's no way... no way... that the Bluebells win this year. Winchester will take home the trophy, for sure."
"Oh, really, little witch!" Beth Ann smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Then put your magic where your mouth is." She pursed her lips and looked Sabrina up and down. "Or are you a yellow belly ‘possum?"
Sabrina gasped. "I am not and you're on. Winchester versus Bluebell." She held her hand out to Beth Ann with a gleam in her eye that would have made the Devil shake in his boots.
"Same terms as usual?" Beth Ann asked before shaking Sabrina's hand.
"You got it," Sabrina quipped back and then released her hand with a jerk.
"What are the usual terms?" I whispered to Ian but he waved me off.
"Don't worry about it."
But I did want to worry about it. I didn't trust Beth Ann or Sabrina as far as I could throw them, especially not this new witch. I'd rather go up against the witch I knew than the witch I didn't, and right now, they were both up to no good.
Beth Ann turned away from Sabrina to smile sweetly at Ian, but when she saw me clutching his arm, my front pressed against him with Paul up against my back, she paused and frowned again. She opened her mouth, probably to say something nasty when Chad reminded us all that he was still here.
