Arcane Dropout

by Edmund Hughes

  “Your spell shield is... pink?” said Eliza. “Huh. I’ve never seen that before. They’re usually blue or green.”

  A few of the other initiates who’d already cast their spell shields were also taking notice. Lee heard a familiar scoff as Kristoff pointed an arm at him.

  “Are you trying to tell us something, Amaranth?” he jeered.

  Lee didn’t care. He grinned from ear to ear, his thoughts filled mostly with ideas of what he could give Tess to repay her for the favor. She was a genius, in his humble opinion.

  His good humor faded as he saw Instructor Harper slowly making her way toward his group. Her eyes were focused on his “spell shield” rather than on him, and she folded her arms and frowned as she drew near.

  “How curious,” said Instructor Harper. “I’ve never seen a pink spell shield before.”

  She uncrossed her arms and adopted the elemental casting stance.

  “Uh, Instructor Harper…” said Lee, through gritted teeth.

  “We’ll be testing each spell shield today, as well.” Harper wiggled the fingers of her left hand and a fireball the size of a skull appeared over her palm. “There’s no way to improve one’s defensive magic without probing for flaws.”

  Eliza and Toma stepped away from Lee, unaware of the imminently approaching disaster. Tess was still focused on spinning the glowsticks. Lee shook his head, and opened his mouth to protest, or perhaps admit the truth.

  He never got a chance. Harper stabbed her arm forward. The fireball let out a crackling hiss as it surged through the air, slamming into Lee’s chest before he could even dodge reflexively.

  For a split second, he was aware of the fact that his feet were no longer on the ground, and that his robes were on fire. Then everything went black.

  CHAPTER 20

  Everything hurt when Lee woke up, and it took him a few seconds to remember why. Alteration class. The spell shield. Tess’s brilliant idea with a singular, potentially fatal flaw.

  The back of his head felt sensitive, as though he’d slammed it down against the floor, or more likely a desk. His chest was coated in some type of ointment, though given how he remembered the front of his robes igniting, it was less painful than he would have expected.

  His shoulder and elbow both felt bruised, and one of his ankles had either a compression sleeve or a cast around it. Somebody was also nearby, crying softly. Lee groaned and forced his eyes open.

  Tess’s ethereal figure was sitting in an otherwise empty chair by the side of his bed, and she was cradling her face in her hands. He wasn’t in his dorm room, but in the school’s infirmary, with a white curtain hanging from a curved rod half-drawn to cordon off his bed.

  “Hey,” muttered Lee. “What’s got you looking so glum?”

  Tess sniffled and sat up straight. “I–I–I’m so sorry! Lee, I’m such an idiot! I just thought that if I could help you cast a spell shield, you could stay at the school a while longer, and then you wouldn’t have to…”

  “Tess…” Lee exhaled, extending his mystic stream and taking hold of one of her hands. “It’s okay. This isn’t your fault.”

  Tess’s brown hair looked messy, and she had small bags underneath her eyes. She slid forward on her chair, resting her free hand on Lee’s shoulder as she continued to sniffle.

  “Instructor Harper is out of her mind,” said Lee. “Did you see the size of that fireball? She wasn’t testing my shield. She was trying to make a point.”

  A point that had been effectively illustrated, judging by the state of his body.

  “She came by once to see you,” said Tess. “So did Toma and the auburn-haired girl with the big boobs.”

  “Good to know,” said Lee. “Wait. How long have I been unconscious for?”

  “More than a day,” said Tess. “It’s almost lunchtime.”

  “Damn. Well, maybe I can play up the sympathy angle when I have to explain why my spell shield failed so spectacularly.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” whispered Tess. “Mercy me, Lee, all that matters is that you’re finally awake and that you’re okay.”

  She reached her hand out to cup his cheek, smiling as she leaned in to kiss him. Lee noticed that there were a few parts of him that had gone unscathed by Harper’s spell, and one part in particular that seemed rather excited to see Tess.

  “You know,” he said. “If you’re still feeling guilty, I’m sure there are ways you could make it up to me.”

  “Like what?”

  Lee raised his eyebrows suggestively. Tess stared at him in complete incomprehension.

  “Oh, you know,” he said. “It’s one of those things that all guys really like.”

  “A backrub?”

  “No,” said Lee. “It involves the mouth... and the lips…”

  “You want another kiss?”

  Lee rolled his eyes. “It’s something that a proper lady like you would scoff at.”

  “Oh,” said Tess. “Oh!”

  She blushed and brought her hand to her mouth, but seemed to consider it after a moment. Lee watched as she glanced around the infirmary and at the door, confirming that they were alone. She looked at him, still seeming conflicted, and sighed.

  “Fine,” she said. “But only because I feel partially responsible for this. For the record, it is indeed something that a proper lady would scoff at. This is a one-time thing, Lee Amaranth, are we clear?”

  “Crystal.” Lee grinned at her and pulled the sheets back. Someone had changed him into a simple hospital robe at some point, sans underwear, making it easy to free his cock for access.

  Tess collected her hair and used a hair tie that she seemingly pulled from thin air to put it back in a ponytail. She shifted her position on her chair, leaning in close and setting a warm hand on his bare thigh. She glanced over at Lee as her fingers grazed his cock, suddenly blushing and shooting him an exaggerated scowl.

  “Don’t laugh at me,” she said.

  “Why would I laugh at you?” asked Lee. “I’m only smiling because I’m excited.”

  Tess seemed to relax a little, and even flashed a smile. “Well, I can already tell that much.”

  She took hold of his cock and slowly began to stroke with soft, gentle movements. She had a cute and dainty way of moving her hand, almost like she was petting a small animal. She leaned her head further forward until Lee could feel the hot tickle of her breath against the tip of his tool.

  “Just make sure to warn me before you, well, you know,” she whispered.

  “Before I what?” asked Lee in a teasing voice.

  “You know what I’m talking about, Mr. Amaranth.”

  “I haven’t the faintest idea.”

  “Before you... release,” said Tess.

  “You’ll have plenty of time to do this before they release me from the infirmary,” said Lee.

  Tess made an annoyed-sounding noise and gave his cock a small squeeze.

  “I... do not want you... to come in my mouth,” said Tess. “Happy?”

  “Yeah,” said Lee. “It’s kind of hot to hear a proper lady like you using words like—”

  He cut off as Tess stuck out her tongue and slowly ran it up the length of his shaft. She let it glide over the tip, as though using a wet, warm cloth to polish the top of a trophy. Lee groaned and leaned his head back, though not so far as to keep him from watching her work.

  He’d thought that Tess had a cute mouth from the first moment he’d seen her up close. There was something particularly lewd about watching her sliding that cute mouth over the end of his tool, closing her soft lips against his shaft as she gently began to suck.

  It was bliss. It brought Lee into a warm, happy place that he wanted to curl up within and fall asleep inside of. Tess went slowly, bobbing her head up and down, not taking his entire length into her mouth but more than enough to be pleasurable.

  She seemed to lose herself in the act. Even when Lee reached out and took her hair into his hand, using it to gently guide her movements,
she didn’t object. Her mouth felt so incredible, hot and wet in all the right ways. Lee found himself hoping that what she’d said before about it being a one-time thing was just a modesty-preserving lie.

  Tess let out soft, almost inaudible moaning noises as she continued the job, her lips gliding along his slick shaft with much less hesitation than she’d had in the beginning. She’d been keeping her eyes focused on what she was doing, but she tilted her head at a slight angle, briefly making eye contact with him. Her expression was a mixture of lust, embarrassment, and oddly enough, satisfaction, as though she was pleased by the effect she was having on him.

  Lee was on the verge of giving her the warning that she’d been so cute in demanding, when a knock came at the door. Tess squealed and hurled herself back. Lee tried not to swear out loud as he pulled the sheets back into place, feeling cheated and frustrated.

  A woman with hot-pink hair, a curvy figure, and wearing a white blouse and skirt walked into the infirmary. Lee recognized her instantly, and felt his jaw drop open in surprise.

  She was the succubus he’d seen at the First Night Feast. Primhaven’s resident nurse was a succubus.

  CHAPTER 21

  “Oh!” said the succubus. “You’re awake. I... wasn’t expecting that.”

  Her cheeks were flushed, and Lee was well aware of the reason. Succubi were supernatural entities that fed off lust essence, and as such, they could detect it in other people when it was properly primed. Tess’s hot mouth had brought Lee to the verge, and he had no doubt that his new nurse was vividly aware of that fact.

  “I, uh, woke up a few minutes ago,” said Lee. “Maybe I should rest for a few more minutes?”

  “No!” she said. “I mean, I don’t think that’s necessary. My name is Susie Cartier, but you can call me Nurse Susie, Lee. I’ve been taking care of you while you’ve been recovering here.”

  Nurse Susie pulled a chair up to Lee’s bedside and set a hand on his shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh as her fingers made contact. Similar to most succubae, she was extremely attractive, with large breasts and waist to hip proportions that would have been the envy of any porn starlet.

  The fact that her hair was dyed pink, which was the color of the aura of a succubus when viewed by a mystic, was so blatant that it made Lee wonder if Primhaven did any sort of background check on their hires. He exhaled, extending his mystic stream to encompass her and expose her true form.

  It was an odd transition, almost like watching a costume fade into being on someone, or more accurately, be taken off. The succubus underneath the Nurse Susie persona was of a similar height and build, but with red skin, golden yellow eyes, and a small set of jet-black wings.

  Bizarrely enough, she seemed even more alluring to him like that, forbidden, exotic, and dripping sexuality from head to toe. She began rubbing his shoulder as she leaned in closer, staring at him with hungry eyes.

  “You’re a very strong young man, to have recovered so fast,” said Nurse Susie. “Mmm. But that’s just how young men are, aren’t they? Always so energetic and eager in everything they do.”

  Lee coughed uncomfortably. “I’m really more of an old soul. I’m feeling better, too, so I should probably…”

  He started to sit up. Nurse Susie set a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

  “Lee,” she whispered. “I need to check you over.”

  Her hand began to roam, and Lee winced as it grazed across the sheets over his crotch. He’d still been aroused when she’d first come in, and anyone with eyes would have seen the significant tent and guessed at his state. It was almost funny watching the succubus make such a studious attempt to avoid noticing it, even though Lee knew it was everything she wanted.

  Only an extremely hungry succubus would feed off a person in a manner that led to death. That wasn’t the issue for Lee. It was that from the few stories he’d heard, the effect of a succubus’s magic during sex was more addictive than the hardest drug. Engaging in playtime with Nurse Susie might lead to him upending his life and committing himself to her, throwing his personal agency away in the name of the raw, unbelievable pleasure she could offer.

  “You don’t have to be embarrassed,” said Nurse Susie in a singsong, excited voice. “I’ve seen it all before. I promise I won’t make this uncomfortable for you.”

  “Really, I’m fine,” repeated Lee.

  “Oh, but I insist.” Nurse Susie reached a hand out to pull the sheet back. Lee caught it by the wrist and looked her straight in the eyes.

  “I know what you are,” he said, lowering his voice.

  “Of course you do,” whispered Nurse Susie. “I’m the sweet, caring nurse who is going to take special care of you.”

  She leaned over him, letting out a low, sexually charged sigh. Before Lee could stop her, she kissed him.

  All rational thought fled his mind as images of Susie in a dozen different lewd, naked poses danced through his mind. He was being unfair, so unfair! All she wanted to do was take care of him, do for him what she’d denied herself for far too long.

  He felt the conflict and the shame that undercut her insatiable lust. She’d been at Primhaven for over a year and hadn’t fed once. She’d gone to great lengths to keep herself away from temptation, making sure she kept a distance from the male students and even the male Instructors. Forgoing so many normal interactions only to find herself in a situation where a teenager with an erection was enough to break her iron-clad resolve.

  “Lee!” Tess’s voice sounded far off, but he forced himself to focus on it. “She let her guard down! I’m using my ghost abilities to siphon away her powers.”

  “What?” he muttered, in between kisses with Susie.

  “Just go with the flow,” said Tess. “Your lust essence will transfer to me instead of her, and I can feed it back to you as you lose it.”

  Just go with the flow. It was more of a crushing waterfall that Lee had already gone over the precipice of than a simple flow. Nurse Susie was climbing on top of him while simultaneously wiggling out of a pair of black lace panties.

  “Oh god!” moaned Susie. “I–I can’t resist!”

  She straddled him and kissed him. Lee tried to hold back and found that he couldn’t. Tess’s words still echoed in his head, but sleeping with another woman in front of her, even if she was a succubus whose spell he was currently under the effects of, felt wrong.

  “Really, Lee,” said Tess, as though reading his mind. “It’s okay. This will actually help me, in a manner of speaking. Just don’t have too much fun.”

  Fun. Again, Tess’s phrasing seemed like a massive understatement. Nurse Susie had torn back the sheets and was currently in the process of rubbing her bare slit along his cock, teasing him in preparation for real sex. Lee reached up and pulled the front of her blouse down, letting her huge breasts jiggle out.

  “No, this is so wrong,” whispered Susie. “With a student? I… oh god… I need it!”

  Her appearance flickered back and forth between the sexy pink-haired nurse and the even sexier red-skinned, supernatural hottie. It was as though she was trying harder to keep her illusion mask up now that she was aware of her complete loss of control, strengthening it to the point of even beating out Lee’s mystic stream.

  “You…” Lee ran his hands up her voluptuous body. “You really can’t control yourself, can you?”

  He took her by the hips and pulled her downward, letting his cock probe into her. Nurse Susie made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sob. Her hips began to move, grinding back and forth as she lowered herself further onto his shaft.

  “I’m such a slut,” she whispered. “I’m such a dirty, horny slut.”

  She kept repeating it like a mantra. Lee squeezed her buttocks, feeling drunk on the insane pleasure of her hot, tight lane. Nurse Susie’s breasts jiggled in his face, moving up and down in rhythm with her riding, with one occasionally bouncing to the side as though in protest.

  “Oh yeah,” said Lee. “Nurse Suzie, you
are dirty, aren’t you?”

  “I am!” she cried. “Oh god! I need this! I’m such a slut!”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. Lee took a tight grip of her buttocks and thrust his cock upward, bouncing her up and down on his shaft.

  “You’re more than just a slut,” said Lee. “Aren’t you?”

  “I… I’m a horny slut!” cried Suzie.

  Lee thrust harder, his crotch slapping against her butt with each movement.

  “You know what I mean,” said Lee. “Tell me what you are.”

  “I… I can’t!” cried Nurse Susie.

  He took her by the hips, continuing his assault as he stared into her face. Nurse Susie seemed as though she wanted to look anywhere else, but her gaze stayed on his even as she shook her head.

  “Say it,” said Lee.

  He slid his hand up and squeezed one of her breasts, eliciting a full-body shiver from her.

  “I… I’m your slut!” cried Nurse Susie. “I’m your dirty, little slut!”

  “Say it, or I’ll make you say it.”

  Nurse Susie gasped. Lee flipped her underneath him, pinning her on the bed and thrusting into her with reckless, lustful force.

  “I’m your dirty little... succubus,” cried Nurse Susie. “I’m your succubus slut!”

  Lee was breathing heavily. They were both dripping with sweat. Susie wrapped her legs around him, crying out in ecstasy as they both came in unison. The intensity of the encounter had almost made Lee forget about Tess and the protection she was providing, for one anxious, worried second.

  “Oh god,” whispered Nurse Susie as she slid off the bed. “Oh god, oh god, oh god!”

  She fixed her clothing and slowly turned around to face Lee, her head hanging forward in shame.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” said Lee. “These things happen, I guess.”