Chapter 3
I met up with Olivia back at our dorms. She had picked her new Dark Mage curriculum for our sophomore “year,” which was a feat given that she still couldn’t perform magic without risking her own life.
She held up a translucent orb and stared at it until I cleared my throat. “Lily!” She gasped and clutched at her chest. “Can’t you see I’m concentrating?”
A smirk lifted the edge of my mouth as I dumped my bag on the floor.
“Is that a conjuring orb? Didn’t you learn your lesson from the last time we tried to use one of those?
” Olivia had given me a truth orb that made the victim amenable to suggestion.
It had been helpful when it came to a stubborn guy like Hendrik, but it was also why I was in this mess with him to begin with.
I had accidentally used a Hell orb instead and summoned a demonspawn from the pit, draining three weeks of his magic and then some just to keep us all from dying a horrible, gruesome death. Oops.
She chuckled and placed the orb on the table. “This one’s a conduit.” She poked at my necklace. “Kind of like this, just not as powerful.”
I hummed. “So your plan is to gather magic on your own so that you don’t have to draw on the Dark Mage collective?”
She shrugged. “It came with a class and it would be nice to have an alternative.” She eyed my Blood Stone, her gaze growing hungry for its power.
I wanted to give it to her, but then I’d be in shit with Hendrik all over again.
No telling what he’d do to Olivia if I pissed him off twice.
No, I had to figure out a way to get Hendrik under control.
Everyone had a weakness. He was unwittingly teaching me how to exploit that in others and soon I’d figure out a way to turn those tactics on him.
“An alternative would be great,” I agreed as I slumped into the adjacent chair.
“I’m getting tired of being Hendrik’s lapdog.
” Everyone knew it, too, which made my debt all the more humiliating.
Perhaps I was taking my frustrations out on Orion—or I had been, anyway, before he’d learned how to get me all hot and bothered and use that against me. Gorgeous glowing bastard.
Olivia rummaged through her bag and produced what I could only describe as a grimoire. She thumped it onto the desk and gave the cover a brush of her hand. “Well if kicking a Demigod in the balls isn’t a surefire way to charge your Blood Stone, I don’t know what is.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that was fun, but Orion isn’t enough to charge this thing. Hendrik said I needed to go after Logan, too, and even then it might not be enough.” I didn’t even want to think about what else I’d have to do if I actually managed to unseat Logan as Alpha of his pack.
“He’s been totally MIA. Did you ask your counselor to get you into one of his classes?
Because I don’t know how you’re going to mess with him if you can’t even interact with him.
” When I bit my lip, she straightened and her dark eyes flared with excitement.
“Oh, you figured out a way to butter up Miss Williams, didn’t you? How did you do it?”
I shrugged. “She wouldn’t get me into a class with Logan, but she did tell me how to get closer to him.
Apparently the shifter games aren’t exclusive and anyone can sign up for them.
I’ll put my name down for today’s game.” I plucked the translucent orb Olivia was working on off the table.
It shimmered with the scraps of power she’d managed to store inside of it.
I didn’t even want to ask where that power had come from or what this artifact fed on.
“As for how, that was easy. She was so flustered about whatever Orion’s chocolates had done to her that she helped me and told me to get lost. I think she just wanted me to get out of her hair. ”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “Why would she be flustered over Orion’s chocolates?”
“Uh, because I gave them to her when I was trying to get on her good side?” The golden tin that housed glittering, delicious looking chocolates seemed like the perfect bribe at the time.
I’d been tempted to keep them for myself, but something felt wrong to eat chocolates from a suitor who was just trying to play with my head.
Orion wanted me, sure, but he didn’t fully understand the potential of our connection.
I took my Virtue mate bonds seriously. Until he was done playing games, I wasn’t going to indulge him, even when it came to something as simple as chocolates.
Olivia broke out in one of the biggest smiles I’d ever seen. “You… gave Miss Williams the chocolates. The ones from Orion.”
I put the orb down. “Uh, yeah. That’s what I said.” I tilted my head. “What, do you know something I don’t?”
She bit her lip before replying. “So, I might have stolen a couple of chocolates.”
“Olivia!”
“What?” she screeched as she splayed her arms open. “They were sitting right there on the table and in an inviting little golden box and everything! I thought you were sharing!”
I swiped my face with my hand. “Well, I guess I was, but I didn’t think you would want them. You hate the Demis as much as I do.”
She shrugged. “Chocolate is still chocolate.”
I leaned in, dying to know what had gotten Miss Williams’s panties all in a bunch. “So? What did they do? Did you get sick?”
Her eyelashes fluttered as she stared at her hands. “Uh, sort of.”
“What do you mean ‘sort of?’”
She bit her lip again and began to wring her hands. “Well, uh, they sort of caused… feelings.”
“What kind of feelings?” Olivia began to sweat. “Olivia! Just tell me!”
“Orgasms!” she yelled, flinging her arms into the air. “They caused orgasms, okay? Lots, and lots, of orgasms.”
I choked on a laugh and promptly covered my mouth. “Oh gods.”
“At first I thought I was going to vomit. Thought they were poisoned or something, you know?” She rambled as her gaze took on a glassy, distant appearance as if reliving the past trauma.
“But then… I liked it. And then I really liked it, you know? It became kind of addicting… and, well…” She rummaged in her pocket and produced a chocolate with golden flecks garnishing its surface.
“I kind of spelled it with a cold spell so it won’t melt and I was saving it for later.
I used some of the magic from my conduit orb, since it’s good for little spells like that.
Anyway, I just wanted to hold onto it. Like for when I inevitably find out I’m going to run out of magic and die.
” She shrugged. “Wanted to go out with a bang, and all that.”
A ridiculous grin made my jaw hurt, but it was worth it.
I hadn’t heard anything this hysterical since, well, ever.
“You seriously kept one? Even after you knew what they did?” I picked up the chocolate, admiring her spell that kept the surface cool and delicately smooth.
The sweet scent coming off of it was absolutely sinful and even I was tempted to take a bite, but the last thing I wanted was to have an orgasm in front of my best friend.
“You can have that one,” Olivia said with a small grin as she produced another chocolate. “I kept two.”
My eyes widened as I realized the implications. “Oh gods. How long does it take to kick in?” How many chocolates did Miss Williams have before she figured it out?
“About ten minutes. I’m glad I only tried one first before I learned they were… special.”
Knowing Miss Williams penchant for sweets, she’d probably eaten the whole tin before…
I doubled over laughing. “Poor Miss Williams!”
Olivia covered her mouth as she snorted, no doubt coming to the same realization as I had.
Yeah, this was pretty much the best prank ever, and now that I had one chocolate left, I was sure going to put it to good use.
“I think it’s time for Orion to have a taste of his own medicine—er, chocolates.
” I held it up to the light, admiring the golden flecks.
“Do you have any juice left in that orb? It’s time for some orgasmic payback. ”