Chapter 17- Loxley
THE NEXT TWO weeks are a blur of contentment. The coven is doing well, and Shugo and Kenta fit right in with us. There are no more empath-related headaches thanks to the charm. I manage to get an informatics job at a hospital, so that’s more than enough reason to celebrate. Everything’s looking up.
Best of all, I’m growing closer to Gordy Lee. Even when we can’t see each other and only text all day, a sense of contentment grows in my heart. In our free time, we hang out in my room, play video games, and when the door is shut, we get intimate in the best ways.
Well, maybe not all the best ways. We still haven’t done one specific thing, and I haven’t dared to broach the subject.
Sure, I’m having a good time, but I want that last base so badly.
I’m aware it’s going to require a significant amount of preparation, and maybe even some magic. And lube, lots of it.
That’s right: I want to be topped by the turtle.
But we’re still new, so my ass can wait, literally.
We haven’t even defined the relationship.
He only recently admitted that he wants all of me and is afraid of me getting hurt.
That might be part of the reason why he hasn’t offered anal sex yet.
I hate being treated like a fragile paper doll, but Gordy and I are going through a lot of changes in our lives.
And again, it’s early on in our relationship.
So, I can wait on that one base. Because I’m invested in us. And I want to see where we go. Because I can envision myself getting very serious with Gordy.
One sunny afternoon, I’m helping Shugo put up chicken wire on a small patch of grass.
Apparently, Auntie is letting my roommate bring his new pet into the house, as long as it stays downstairs or outside.
He decided to move his bed into the basement to sleep there and set up a small, indoor chicken coop.
In addition, we’ve crafted this little fenced area in part of the backyard.
Since there’s so much material, we’re putting things up without magic.
I’ve never been hands-on, but we’re a coven, and we help each other.
Shugo has quickly become my friend. A little hammering is the least I can do to help him since he keeps forging my runic necklaces to dampen my arcana.
When I’m done with the task, I stand up straight.
The wire sits three feet above the grass, like a little tunnel extending two yards in length.
My attention is pulled to my left at the sounds of someone making baby noises.
Shugo walks up the outdoor basement entrance, cradling his magical pet in his hands, an ordinary-looking, brown-and-white rooster.
My new friend’s familiar is a chicken. Never a dull moment here in Boysen House.
“Here you go,” he coos. He places his pet into the top of the chicken-wire area, then closes the makeshift latch. “Didn’t Uncle Loxley do a good job setting up your new outdoor playpen?”
A laugh bubbles from my chest, and I lean on my knees. Meanwhile, the chicken clucks and wanders around his new domain.
“What?” Shugo asks with a smile.
“I’m…a chicken’s uncle.” We share a laugh and stand next to each other.
“Well, my brother, the lazy ass, didn’t want to help. So thank you, Loxley.” He gazes with fondness at the rooster underneath the wiry metal. “Only the best for my familiar.”
I shoot him a confused look. “What?” he asks.
Nervousness thrums through me, and I wipe my palms on my jeans. The memory of seeing Gordy for the first time is one I could never forget. I made a fool of myself moments later by declaring him my familiar. But more importantly, that pull was so remarkable.
After weeks of growing closer and sleeping with him, I know that he’s significant to me. But is he my familiar? My powers do get stronger when I’m with him…
“Loxley?” Shugo’s voice gets me out of my trance.
I push up my glasses and wave my hand, gesturing to forget about it.
“You can ask me anything, you know. We’re young witches. We’re in this together.” He readjusts his glasses and turns to study the chicken. “I know it takes you a while to form words, but you can ask me when you’re ready.”
Swallowing my anxiety, I say, “Your familiar.”
Shugo looks at me, and I shove my hands into my pockets. “How did you…know?”
He snickers and replies, “Ah. You sound like my brother. I knew he was mine on instinct.”
I give him a quizzical expression, and he continues, “The pull of my pet is so…undeniable. My magic links with him, and I feel invigorated. Like I’m the most powerful version of myself.”
His words remind me so much of my pull to Gordy. But how can this be the same? He’s not some pet turtle or rooster; he’s a man. A big, hunky man.
I’m not going to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to me by claiming him as my familiar again. For now, I’m going to see where my blossoming relationship goes.
“Of course, now I’m part of the Union of Mages. I have access to solo magic.” He walks to the edge of the cage and opens up the top. Instantly, the rooster dashes to him. With a few clucks, the bird ends up in Shugo’s arms, and he picks it up. The adoration on my roommate’s face is unmistakable.
“But I’m a better protection witch when I’m with this guy.”
He nuzzles the rooster, puts it back down, then closes the gate. “Speaking of, I’m going to check up on the runes at the edge of the yard. Want me to show you in case you have to cover for me one day?”
I have no clue how to interpret the runes; a protection witch, I am not. Still, Shugo is my friend, and it would be wise to familiarize myself with what he’s doing.
We make our way to the trees at the edge of the property. It wasn’t that long ago that we were here placing magical stones down, but Shugo told me that all protection runes are temporary. Like a battery, they get used up, some faster, some slower, but they’re not permanent.
After crouching down, Shugo mutters, “What in the world…?”
The distress in his voice concerns me. When I lean over to see what he’s holding, I catch a glimpse of one of the many stones we placed. The etched marking, previously white and pink, now appears black. And it’s burnt, as if someone took a blowtorch to it. What part of magic is this?
Shugo immediately darts up, holding the stones. “We need to have a coven meeting, ASAP.” The urgency in his voice leaves little room for argument. “Meanwhile, can you take a look at the rest of the stones to determine if any have this discoloration?”
I nod and get to work. Whatever is happening, I need to trust our new protection witch.
Two hours later, our coven is all gathered in the living room. Shugo has laid out three protection stones on the table. All of us Boysen witches are standing in a circle, looking down at the rocks.
“Okay, we’re all here. You’re probably wondering why I summoned you,” Shugo announces.
“I’m wondering why the new guy has the capacity to call a meeting,” Anika murmurs.
“I know. So annoying,” Kenta says. He shoots a facetious grin at Taina.
Taina nods and says, “Actually, I’d like to know what Shugo has to say.”
“Me too,” Kenta says quickly. I try not to roll my eyes at the straight dude, and instead, study the runic rocks on the table.
“What’s going on, Mr. Kondo?” Auntie asks.
“As you know, I’ve put up wards to protect us from harm.”
“Right, to make anyone with malicious intent stay away. Break-ins and the like,” Anika says.
“My protection runes need regular charging and exchanging. Today, when checking them by the perimeter, I found them like so.”
We all look down again, and Auntie says, “What are we looking at? I’m not the best when it comes to protection witchcraft.”
“These protection runes are burnt out,” Shugo says with nervousness.
“So? Just charge ’em up. Case closed,” Kenta says.
“No. Look at the marking of the symbols.” He picks up the stone and shows us the dark lettering. Indeed, it looks a lot different than the day we placed them. “These were burnt out by dark magic.”
“Dark magic?” Anika murmurs, and a nervous lump grows in my throat.
Shugo puts the rock down and bites his thumb. After a long, tense moment, he says, “A magical being actively tried to get in.”
“What if it was Kai or Seb, and they left something at the house?” Taina asks.
“No. They’re welcome guests. Plus, according to you, they would never hurt us,” Shugo counters.
“That’s true. Protection runes don’t work on familiar beings without malicious intent,” Auntie says.
“What if they did try to hurt us?” Kenta asks.
“Seb and Kai wouldn’t do that,” Taina retorts.
“Plus, they’ve been here since before I placed these wards,” Shugo says. “And the way my wards are burnt…something really tried to intrude. Something mystical in nature.”
His somber words render us all silent for a long pause. A magical threat was right outside our door? Kai told me about monsters from a dark dimension, but the Union takes care of those. Maybe it was some other dark threat.
“What does this mean?” Taina asks. “What do we do?”
“We keep putting up more wards,” Lisbeth says.
“I’ll get right on it,” Shugo says, picking up the rocks.
“I can try to install cameras,” Anika says. With a shrug, she continues, “The mortals have plenty of ways to protect themselves. Why don’t we do that?”
“And I can inform Seb and Kai,” Taina adds. “If they’re after us…”
“They could be after any magical being,” Auntie says. She plays with her hair and adds, “I’ll inform the agents of SPELL, too.” Looking up at all of us, she gives us a serious look. “We should all check in on each other regularly. Let Shugo do his work and be alert at all times.”
The rest of the coven nods and walks away. Meanwhile, my anxiety ramps up. Is someone―or something―really coming after us at Boysen House? And how am I, a mediocre empath witch, going to help?