18. Matilda
18
MATILDA
Opening the library doors at five to six, I consider my actions carefully.
Again.
It’s not like I haven’t been over this a thousand times already. I need to know if Vex can help me, seeing as Blackthorn is adamant that Advanced Dark Magick is on my timetable, and there is nothing I can do about it. Biting my bottom lip, I look over my shoulder, half expecting to see Draven lurking, but he seemed to accept that I was going to the library to start catching up on everything I’ve missed so far.
Which is kind of true. I know I should’ve told him about this little tutoring session, but I’m so embarrassed, I don’t really want anyone to know just yet. Maybe if Vex can help me, I’ll mention it. Until then, it’s my secret.
Stepping into the library, I close the door quietly and stare in awe at my surroundings.
The library is massive, with towering shelves that stretch endlessly upward. The air is thick with the scent of old books and parchment. Soft magickal lights flicker between the stacks, casting a warm glow over everything.
I wander deeper into the library, my footsteps muffled on the plush carpet. Ornate reading tables are scattered throughout, some occupied by students hunched over ancient tomes. If anything was going to make me back out, it was this. The grandeur and magnificence of this place makes me feel small and useless. I gulp and take a step back, but then my gaze lands on Vex. He is sitting at a table in the corner, black shirt half undone to show runes glowing faintly that have been etched into his skin. His feet are on the table, and he is casually reading from a huge book propped up in front of him. The cover is black leather with gold writing on it that I can’t read from here. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I sidle forward, unable to help myself.
“Well Family History of Dark Magick,” I murmur, reading the title as I get closer.
He looks up with that smile that makes my knees go weak. “You’re here.”
“I am. So you’re a Well or you just like reading about them?” I’ve heard of them. Who hasn’t? Extremely powerful magickal family that dates back centuries.
He slams the book closed and moves it to the side. “Both.”
“Okay, Vex Well. That is impressive and has convinced me that you know what you’re talking about.”
He chuckles. “Just Vex, and I definitely know what I’m talking about.”
I narrow my eyes. “You don’t like taking your family name?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Family is.”
“You know something about that, Matilda?”
“More than you know,” I say, dropping my backpack on the solid, dark wood table. “So, where do we start?”
He stands up. “With you sitting here.” He gestures to the chair he vacated.
I hesitate when he doesn’t move away, but then slip into the chair, surprised that he helps me with it, moving me snugly against the table.
“We will jump right in,” he says, getting down to business, to my relief. There is something about him that turns me on in ways I could only ever dream about. It’s different to Draven. We have a chemistry that is off the charts, and it shows when we are alone together. This with Vex is more subtle, even though he is an arrogant arsehole.
I start when he places his hands on either side of my head, not touching me. “Is it okay if I touch you, Matilda?”
“ Now you’re asking after you accosted me outside the lecture hall?” I ask dryly.
He chuckles again. It’s deep and dark, sending little sparks of lust to my nipples, peaking them as my pussy goes a little damp. “That was wrong of me. I apologise.”
“You know how to apologise? Well, blow me over with a feather.”
“Answer the question, honey witch.” His voice has dropped to a low, smooth tone, making me shiver. Fuck. What is this man doing to me?
“Within reason, if you feel it is necessary to help me learn how to access the dark magick that is supposedly inside me, then yes, it’s okay to touch my shoulders.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “Planning on being a lawyer, Matilda? You have a way with words and meanings.”
“Never thought about it. I wasn’t…” I trail off and purse my lips. I don’t want to tell him about me. But there is something about him that makes me want to. The gods only know why.
“Wasn’t what?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
He pauses but thankfully drops it. He keeps his hands near my head, still not touching despite the permission given.
“Close your eyes, Matilda, and breathe in deeply.”
I do as he says.
“Breathe out and then in again. Fall into a relaxed state.”
I feel myself loosening up under his instruction. He drops his hands to my shoulders and my eyes fly open when he starts to gently massage them.
“You are as stiff as a board, honey. You need to relax.”
That is extremely difficult with his hands on me. My body wants to arch into his touch, and it takes everything I have not to moan and encourage him to continue. His fingers dig deeper, and I let out a noise of sheer bliss.
“Fuck, that feels good,” I murmur without thinking.
He leans in close to my ear. “Imagine what I could do if I had access to your whole body, honey.”
My eyes fly open at his seductive tone. “Maybe we should get back to the magick?”
He runs his thumbs down my spine, and I groan, hating it when he removes his hands from me.
“Can you feel the magick inside you, honey? Any magick?”
I refocus, closing my eyes, and I shake my head. “No. I never can,” I admit, ashamed. “I’m sorry, I’m probably wasting your time.”
He rests his hand on the back of my neck and then hisses as the amethyst flares up, electrocuting him and me.
“Ah!” I gasp, my eyes snapping open and my hand closing over the pendant.
“What the fuck is that?” Vex growls.
“A protection crystal,” I spit out. “What were you trying to do to me?”
“Me?” he asks, shaking out his hand. “You are the one who tried to fry my hand.”
“Not on purpose,” I snap, turning around to face him. “You must’ve had bad intentions.”
His eyes narrow, and his gaze drops to the pendant in my hand. “Who gave that to you?”
“My sister,” I mutter. “Why does it matter?”
“What did she tell you it was for?” he asks with a frown, crouching down to my level and removing my hand from it.
“I told you, it’s a protection crystal.”
“And has it ever protected you?” He picks up the side of the silver chain and glares closer at the pendant.
I blink. This is the thing. In the grand scheme of things, no, not really. But it’s that theory I don’t want to test. Maybe it made things less worse.
“Matilda?”
“Why do you care?” I ask instead. “What’s it to you?”
“It tried to stop you from accessing your magick,” he says, lifting his concerned gaze to mine.
“What? No, that’s not right.”
His eyes search mine. “Is it protecting you from your own magick, honey?”
I stare at him open-mouthed. “What? That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Doesn’t it? Take it off.”
I hesitate, my hand going to the amethyst pendant protectively. “I... I can’t. My sister told me to never take it off.”
Vex’s eyes narrow. “And why is that, do you think?”
“To keep me safe,” I say, but uncertainty creeps into my voice.
“Safe from what?” Vex presses. “Or from who?”
I shake my head, confused. “From everything!”
“I don’t care what your sister said, this pendant isn’t protecting you, Matilda. It’s suppressing your magick. Caging it.”
I shake my head vehemently, feeling sick. “No, that can’t be right. My sister wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Are you sure?” Vex challenges. “Take it off and prove me wrong.”
Glowering at him, I rise to his gauntlet. Reaching around, I unclasp the necklace and drop it into his waiting palm with a shaking hand.
He stares at it, examining it, but the world goes blurry, and I scoot back, feeling red hot and then icy cold. Power from the bottom of my feet rises up, coiling in my guts. A magickal breeze whips my hair into my face, and I choke on the enormity of the rush.
Pink lightning flashes around me, and I cause an implosion, the likes of which I have never seen before, let alone been the cause of. Vex goes flying backwards as books tumble from the stacks around us.
Panic surges through me as I watch Vex slam into a bookshelf, books raining down around him. The library erupts into chaos as papers swirl through the air, furniture slides across the floor, and lights flicker ominously.
“Oh gods,” I gasp, staring at my hands in horror. Rainbow lightning flashes across my fingertips as the power roars through me. “What’s happening to me?”
Vex grins as he gets to his feet, seemingly unharmed. “That, honey witch, is your magick, and it’s fucking incredible.”
I shake my head frantically. “No, no, this isn’t right. I can’t control it!” Another burst of energy explodes from me, shattering a nearby table into splinters.
Vex approaches me cautiously, hands raised. “Matilda, you can control it. It’s yours. Take a deep breath.”
“I can’t!” I cry, feeling the magick building again as all the air is squeezed from my lungs. “Make it stop!”
“Only you can do that.”
He reaches for me, but I stumble back. “Don’t touch me! I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You can’t,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve got you.”
I meet his intense blue gaze as he reaches for me. The second his hands touch my skin, the power instantly dies down. Vanishes completely. I stare down at his hand and choke back the sob of betrayal. He has pressed the crystal against me, and it snuffed out my magick. Choking on air, I grab it and my backpack and run from the library, away from him, away from the mess I’ve caused, my heart breaking that the one person I thought had my back was part of the problem from the beginning.