A Charmed Mind: Mage Paranormal Romance (Illusions Academy Book 1)

by Kaylin Peyerk

  “I work out here every morning. Why are you everywhere I am?” he asks, turning it back on me.

  I grip the front of his shirt, and his grinning expression turns serious as tears form in my eyes. “I messed up, again.”

  He looks from one side to the other before gripping my hand and pulling me along behind him. Little does he know, the moment he touched me I had started to siphon magic from him. Like a little stream of water flowing into my mouth after days in the desert, I inhale it. My well swells with it in a greedy, starved manner that I’m ashamed of. This isn’t right, and I should pull away, but I can’t. This compulsion is stronger than my will to be a good person. At least right now it is, especially when he doesn’t seem remotely bothered to be losing a little bit of juice.

  He drags us into another building, and through a set of double doors before stopping and turning back to me. I look around and blush when I realize where we are. The boys locker room. There can’t be any other place that smells this much like sweat and cologne. Hopefully it’s safe here and no one will come in. Demetri would know better than I do, so I glance at him and back at the door, worried.

  “No one’s here at this hour, so go ahead, spill it,” he says, hands on his hips.

  “My class went to the gym today to watch the third year elementals train. I sort of stepped forward against my will and. . .” I trail off, feeling embarrassed.

  “And?” he urges.

  “I touched the earth mage’s pillar he created out of thin air. I was just so impressed and hungry, you know?”

  He makes a confused face. “Hungry? You lost me there. And what’s so bad about touching it?”

  I throw up my hands. “Because once I touched it the lingering magic rushed into me, filling my magical well. And since I can’t control myself worth a damn, it immediately came back out into the ground, sprouting flowers.”

  “Flowers?” he asks, cringing.

  “Yes, flowers!” I shout, still flailing my arms like a deranged octopus.

  He grips my shoulders, forcing me to face him. “This is okay, it’s going to be okay. Now, explain the hunger thing, I still don’t get that part.”

  His fingers slide along my biceps, and I step back, the feeling of his power seeping into me churning my stomach. If there’s one person I don’t ever want to take advantage of, it’s Demetri. He’s the person trying to help me through this, however he can, so I have to be honest with him. I wrap my arms around my waist, hugging myself for comfort.

  “Ever since my power awakened when I touched you on orientation day, it’s grown further and further beyond my control. Whenever I see another person use magic, my mouth waters, and I have this uncontrollable urge to take it. It’s like I’m starving, Demetri, you know?” I say, and somehow I had moved, trapping him against the wall of lockers.

  My forearms rest on either side of his head, and my hands hover just above his face, shaking. He’s not much taller than me, maybe only one or two inches, so his eyes look directly into mine, suddenly a stormy ocean blue. Is the change evidence of his desire? Or something else? Fear, perhaps? I’d be afraid if I were him, I’m not acting like myself. I don’t usually trap people against a wall of lockers while talking about how hungry my magical well is. Our lips hover closer, millimeters apart, so close that I can feel his breath. Just one more slight movement and we’d be kissing, and I’d be feeding. I want to stop, but it’s like I’m strapped into the back seat of my own body, simply watching.

  “And I think I’ve been starving for my entire life, somehow not allowing myself to fill up on magic like I was supposed to. And now I can’t seem to stop myself, it’s a compulsion.” I pause, trailing two fingers down his face as golden magic begins to shine, blinding me. “And you taste so good Demetri. Like I’m eating my favorite meal, so if you wouldn’t mind, I’d love a taste.”

  He visibly swallows, closing his eyes. “While I’m certainly flattered by your confession of how tasty I am, I’d prefer it if you didn’t eat me.”

  My fingers begin exploring the planes of his face, trailing lightly, but somehow I don’t feed. I give him a little bit of my own reserve, the dredges of what I have left from earlier. A tiny sigh escapes him at my touch, and I press my body further into his, relishing the feeling of his hard muscles. But there’s clothing there, and I need skin to drink from him. To feed on him.

  I laugh, but it’s a low, sultry sound. “Don’t worry, you’ll replenish the magic. I take nothing vital from you, but you might feel tired or weak for a few hours.”

  His eyes open to slits, and he appears dazed, his cheeks flushed with desire. “Do you really need this?” he whispers.

  “Yes,” I breathe.

  He bites his bottom lip, dragging it between his teeth, “Okay, then you can do it, but please, be careful.”

  As soon as he finished speaking, my mouth descended onto his, ravaging him. At first my magical well is greedy, wanting, but some little shocked part of myself forces it to slow. Taking the magic at a speed that’s acceptable and won’t hurt him, as he wanted. Our lips move together, and he moans against me, and a feeling of warmth settles low in my stomach. One of his hands hikes my leg up around his waist, while the other grips the back of my neck, holding me to his mouth.

  Whatever had its hold on me relinquishes it, and I fall limply into his chest, but he holds me aloft, taking control. Demetri explores my mouth with his tongue, taking all of me, pleasuring me in a way I’ve never experienced. My core throbs in response, and a pathetic mewling sound escapes me as I lean in, pressing my body as close as possible. All my soft spots press against all of his hard ones, and I gasp against his mouth, surprised by how aroused he is.

  I lose track of time, and we kiss for minutes, hours, days even. I’m not sure how long it lasts, but common sense comes back to me when my magical well fills completely. I’m kissing Demetri Valkyrie. With tongue. Horrified by that notion, I push away from him, violently. His shoulders slam against the lockers, and the sound echoes around the concrete room. Demetri looks dazed, aroused beyond reason, but still dazed. Like he doesn’t know what just happened. I bring both hands up to cover my mouth as disgust fills me as the realization that I just forced him into giving me his magic slams into me. I’m disgusted with myself.

  “I’m so sorry,” I murmur, but it comes out breathy and wanting. So, not very convincing.

  His eyes seem to focus, and he looks at me. “What the hell just…” he trails off, rubbing his swollen lips with two fingers, and damn me if I didn’t watch.

  Him doing that stirs the already worked up part of me into action again, and it begs me to step forward and finish what we started. Instead of doing that I step back, taking a deep breath. Now that my magical well is full, I can’t blame the crazed delphic mage side of me for wanting him. This is all me. It’s my desire, mine. Since when did I want to kiss the living daylights out of Demetri Valkyrie? Hell, if I’m being honest with myself I’ve wanted to kiss him ever since I saw him on orientation day. Our past stopped me, his annoying teasing stopped me, not a lack of desire.

  “God, I really am a monster. I’m a monster that can’t control herself,” I pause, looking up to find that he’s still looking at me through hooded eyes. “I’m a horny monster. And stop looking at me like that!”

  That seems to snap him out of whatever trance I put him in, and he laughs. “A horny monster? Well, why didn’t you say so? I can help with that.”

  He steps forward, reaching for me with a come hither grin. I step back against the opposite wall, making an X over chest to ward him off. My cheeks burn with embarrassment, so much so that I think I’ll burst into flames. I just told him that I’m a horny monster. What the hell is wrong with me? And why isn’t he more bothered by what just happened? Does he not realize what I did?

  Demetri places a hand on either side of my head, trapping me against the wall as I had done to him. “I’ll leave you alone today, but find me the next time you need a refill. I don’t want anyone
else experiencing that with you but me.”

  His words send a shiver of pleasure coursing down my spine, and I close my eyes just so I don’t kiss him again. Without waiting for my response he pushes off of the wall and leaves the locker room. I slide down to the floor, my legs no longer able to hold me aloft. He didn’t even appear tired from the siphoning. And trust me, I took a lot of his magic. There’s no way I didn’t if my own magical well is this full. For the first time in my entire life I feel whole, and it’s all thanks to Demetri. But what I did was horrible, unforgivable.

  So why is he willing to do it again?

  Chapter Eleven

  For the rest of the school day I walk around feeling dirty. My eyes dart back and forth between the teachers and students around me, but none of them focus on me in particular. Despite knowing that I don’t look any different on the outside, I still feel like I have a scarlet letter imprinted on my forehead. Or that I’m holding a sign that reads, I forcibly fed from another human being and I liked it!

  Even Professor Jacobsen ignored me during class, and he’s usually extra attentive. By the time I got to my final elemental magic class, my anxiety had lessened to a manageable level. That is, until Helen walks directly to my desk the moment she enters the classroom. Every student watches us closely as she comes to a stop next to me.

  Helen smiles, but it does little to ease my nerves. “Elise, will you stay after class please? Some of the professors would like to speak with you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I reply quietly, a nervous sweat breaking out along my neck.

  She turns on her heel and clicks back to the white board, immediately launching into a lesson on water magic and its properties. But I can’t seem to listen. Am I in trouble? Is this about what happened in the arena? Or worse, did someone see Demetri and I this morning? If it wasn’t for my stupid golden magic it would have just looked like two horny college students going at it. So if someone saw us and reported it, then I’m in big trouble. Like life threatening trouble.

  All I can do is watch the clock while repeatedly wiping my damp hands along my jeans. Thirty minutes until the end of class. Fifteen. Ten. Five. And then the bell rings loudly, startling me despite me knowing exactly what time it is. I stay rooted in my seat as the other students pack up, rushing to get back to the dorms. When they’re all gone, Helen motions for me to take a seat near the front of the class.

  As I’m gathering my things Professor Elphane and Professor Orissa come into the room, followed by Jacobsen. I gulp as I plop into the front row, my eyes darting from one professor to the next. Are they angry? Disappointed? Blood thirsty? I can’t tell.

  “Um, I’m starting to get freaked out here. What is this about?” I ask.

  Professor Elphane laughs. “We don’t mean to scare you, Elise. It’s just hard to put this into words.”

  Jacobsen steps forward, splaying his hands out in front of him. “The easy answer is that you are indeed your mother’s daughter. You’re an earth mage, and a powerful one. That’s how you were able to shatter the mage stones.”

  Professor Orissa cuts in, “And how you could bloom flowers, which, I might add, is something not even most adult earth mages can do. It’s easy to destroy things with our power, the hard part is creating.”

  I swallow my relief down into the pit of my stomach. At least this isn’t about Demetri and I, and it’s a good thing that they all agree on what I am. I didn’t expect that. So all I have to do is focus on acting like an earth mage for the rest of my life. I can do that, right? It won’t be that hard, well, as long as I can get the siphoning under control. Taking a deep breath, I force myself to focus on what the professors are saying.

  “Okay, so I’m an earth mage. That makes sense. My mom is one, and my dad is a powerful air mage. This makes sense,” I babble out.

  Helen comes forward, leaning down to place her hand on mine, and I’m suddenly thankful that my magical well is not hungry. “You seem a bit overwhelmed, honey. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just a lot. My mom refused to do premature magic with me. She was a law follower, obviously, so I’ve never done any of this before. Not even on my own.”

  That’s the truest thing I’ve said all week.

  Elphane smiles widely. “We know, and that’s why we’re going to change up your class schedule. Instead of staying in Professor Jacobsen’s class, you’ll have a workshop hour. That’s what we call it when a student needs their own time to train, to master their craft because it’s dangerous to them and the people around them.”

  I shake my head, not really understanding. “Wait? So I’m supposed to, what? Train myself on how to use earth magic? I don’t know the first thing about it.”

  The trainer steps forward, one hand on her hip. “That’s where I come in. Instead of Helen’s class, you’ll join me and the only other earth student here, Aden, for class before your workshop where you will be learning the basics of earth magic.”

  “So one hour of learning and then another of implementing what I learned on my own?” I ask.

  Helen nods. “Exactly. I know it seems doubtful now, but your body will know what to do. Half of mastering your element is instinct. And it’s too dangerous for anyone else to be present when you’re learning earth magic. You could seriously hurt someone. However, Professor Orissa has volunteered to watch from the stands for your first few sessions to help you get the hang of it.”

  I rub my arms, suddenly feeling cold. “Okay, I can do this.”

  Professor Orissa grins. “That’s the spirit. Be at the arena tomorrow after lunch, the usual time for your third class.”

  “Alright, will do.”

  I stand, sensing the dismissal I’m about to get, and gather my things. The professors do the same, and we all file out of the classroom together. They talk amongst themselves as I walk quickly ahead of them, eager to get away from the powerful mages behind me that might smell my delphicness on me or something. At the double doors, I turn back to the teachers and wave. Most of them wave back normally, except for Jacobsen. He winks as if we’re both in on some master plan. It sends a cold shiver down my back.

  This just keeps getting more and more complicated.

  ***

  The rest of the day passed quickly into the next one, and I woke up with an eager feeling in my chest. I finally have a sense of direction for my magic. For some reason that makes it seem more manageable, like if I put it into a box labeled earth mage everything will work out. That might be wishful thinking, but it’s the best I have right now. Plus, I didn’t see Demetri at all after that horrific scene in the locker room, for which I’m grateful. I don’t know if I can face him after what I did, and whether he enjoyed it or not isn’t the point.

  Sage is already gone when I step out of my room, but there’s a steaming cup of coffee waiting for me on the counter with a cute note.

  Good luck on your first day as an earth mage!

  -Sage

  I smile down at the note before folding it delicately and putting it into my pocket. Maybe the sheer willpower of her positivity will keep me full of it for the rest of the day. You never know, she might be a healer in disguise that’s capable of that kind of thing. At least that’s what I tell myself as I sip my coffee and grab my bag off the hook by the door. It swings open and I step out, not really paying attention to what’s in front of me.

  “So you’re an earth mage now?” Demetri asks, and my head snaps up in surprise.

  He’s leaning on the wall across from my door, casually, as if his body was made for that wall. The sight both irritates me and makes a deep part of me swoon. That might be the main reason he’s so frustrating. Half of my body wants him, while the other doesn’t want anything to do with him. And I know that the part pushing him away is the child in me, whining about how he treated me when we were kids, but we’re not kids anymore. Is that just an excuse to kiss him again? And so what if it is? I’m young, vibrant, and I deserve to have a fling after the tight contro
l my mother kept me under. Right?

  I can practically hear her response in my head, That’s just another worthless excuse.

  Ugh. Maybe I need therapy.

  I hike my backpack further onto my shoulder as I pass him, and he kicks off the wall to follow me. “Yeah, that’s me. Where’d you hear that?”

  He lifts one shoulder. “Aden won’t stop talking about it, and he’s only three doors down from me. He’s convinced you guys will hit it off.”

  I wrinkle my nose. “We haven’t said a word to each other yet and he’s already pairing us up?”

  “That’s what I said,” he replies, sounding slightly miffed about it.

  I laugh. “Why do you sound jealous?”

  He glowers at me. “I’m not, it’s just when a girl makes out with you, steals your magical energy, and then is getting talked about by another guy it kind of ticks you off.”

  I swallow hard, guilt hitting me in the chest. “Fair enough.”

  We walk in silence for several unbearable minutes until arriving at the first year building. I wave goodbye before practically sprinting up the stairs to get away from him. I knew it would come up again, and I knew it would be bad, but it’s worse than I thought. He’s pissed, really pissed. And I’m not sure what to do to make it better. I’m sure apologizing won’t do any good. Taking a chance, I glance back at him, and he’s still there, looking up at me with that familiar look of annoyance from our childhood. Maybe he really hasn’t changed.

  Instead of facing it, I speed walked to my first class, arriving ten minutes earlier than the teacher. Other students are already there, and they immediately swarm my desk as I sit down. I fall back in my seat with surprise, struggling to understand their questions with it all hurtling at me at once. Days went by without them caring about my presence, and as soon as I showed promise like my mother did? They descend on me like a pack of wolves.