Chapter 6
Coral
After Myrtil hogged me for nearly half an hour, I could have wept with relief when Vazul barged in on our conversation and expressed his desire to leave. I didn’t even ask him the reason why and jumped at the opportunity to get the heck out of there.
It shamed me to admit that the entire time I feared I would lose him tonight. With everyone multiplying the ways to drag me away from him, it didn’t take a genius to understand they were playing wingman to Angie. I didn’t understand this blind loyalty, especially since so many of them disliked her.
Sophia actually intervened a few times, injecting herself in the conversation to free me from a particularly clingy minion keeping me from my man.
I loved her for it. Although I wished she could have done more, my friend was walking on thin ice.
As a member of Angelique’s coven, Sophia had to tread carefully not to be too obvious in her efforts to assist me for fear she might become a pariah herself.
While we got along great and genuinely appreciated each other, we weren’t so close that she would jeopardize the future she’d been working so hard for to protect me.
Anyway, I didn’t want that for her either.
I was just grateful for whatever assistance I could get.
However, the biggest shock came from Myrtil.
As the Head Priestess of their coven, she should be setting the example instead of enabling one of her witches who was attempting to cause harm or distress to another.
Granted, I wasn’t officially a member of their coven.
But I was still ‘friends’ with all of them.
After all, the only reason I hadn’t joined their rank was my lack of assiduity in my training.
The door was opened to me if I reached the basic requirement levels.
But even with that, if only for ethical reasons, Myrtil shouldn’t have allowed herself to become an accomplice.
The most infuriating part was that I couldn’t even openly accuse her of plotting with Angie against me.
The conversation had been similar to the ones she and I had in the past regarding my lack of commitment to magical training.
According to her, I possessed great potential that I was allowing to go to waste.
And she was right. Magic came easily to me.
With a bit of focus and regular training, I truly believed I could surpass Angelique.
However, I couldn’t picture myself interacting on a regular basis with this crowd.
I didn’t trust any of them. So having them as mentors felt a little suicidal to me.
A few of them I wouldn’t put past causing genuine harm out of jealousy under the guise of pranks or hazing.
As I drove us back home, I stole many wary glances at Vazul. He was sitting quietly, staring straight ahead, the barely visible crease on his forehead indicating that he was intensely reflecting on something. Unable to stand the silence any longer, I took a deep breath and then went for it.
“I’m sorry for what my friends put you through,” I said in an apologetic tone.
He gave me a sideways look, his expression hinting that I had just said something ludicrous.
“Don’t be. You’re not responsible for their actions. And do not call them your friends. None of them are, except for Sophia,” he said in a factual manner.
I flinched. I now understood that Vazul unintentionally spoke in a way that sometimes came across as cruel and insensitive.
It was comparable to the way one occasionally blurted out something they shouldn’t have then immediately kicked themselves for it.
However, there was no self-kicking where my demon was concerned as he didn’t see how his words were harmful.
He was merely being honest and stating facts, not opinions.
This cut deep simply because I knew it to be true. But the people pleaser in me kept clinging to hope that some way, somehow, they would eventually recognize my worth as a person and as a friend.
“Why do you mingle with these people?” he asked in a soft tone with genuine curiosity and confusion.
I shifted uneasily in the driver’s seat and took a moment to reflect on my answer.
“I don’t really hang out with any of them anymore, except with Sophia from time to time. Angie and I attended the same Fine Arts program in college. I focused on sculpture and woodworking while she focused on painting. But we both partook in miniature art workshops. That’s how we started talking.”
He nodded with an unimpressed expression that took me aback at first.
“Right. And let me guess, many of those conversations revolved around her gleaning ideas from you?”
Even though he formulated it as a question, it was more of a statement. I snorted, blown away by his intuition. Or was it his ability to read people?
“It took me too long to realize that she was indeed fishing for ideas she could appropriate. Sadly, I’ve struggled my whole life with pretty sad people pleasing tendencies,” I conceded with self-derision.
“But being approached by the popular girl flattered my ego. It turned out she and her roommate were looking for a third to replace the one who had just left. Sharing an apartment would allow me to save even more money towards the downpayment for my house and starting my own business. So yeah, I jumped at the opportunity.”
“How convenient,” he replied.
“More like how unsurprising. It wasn’t until I moved in that I realized how unbearable living with her was.
But that’s also how I met Sophia. She and I immediately clicked.
Even though we have very different personalities.
She’s a Teflon, where I’m a doormat. She comes in, does what she needs to do regardless of how toxic and unpleasant the situation is, then walks out and washed it off unscathed.
I just get stuck with everyone else’s dirt digging into every fiber of my being. ”
“You’re not a doormat,” he said sternly. “You’re an empath. And people take advantage of it. We’ll just need to work on you setting and enforcing your boundaries. But fear not. You have me now to remind you and run interference until you own the inner strength I see clearly in you.”
My chest warmed for my demon. If I hadn’t been driving right now, I would have given him a bone crushing hug.
“You’re giving me whiplash,” I mumbled to hide my embarrassment.
“Whiplash?” Vazul asked, slightly confused.
“You can be such a jerk sometimes with your blunt brutality. And then, you turn around and say something so incredibly sweet.”
He gave me an odd look before shrugging.
“In all instances, I’m merely speaking the truth as I see it.
It is you misinterpreting my intentions as being a jerk.
Whatever my actions or words, know that where you are concerned, they will never be fueled by malice or cruelty.
I exist to improve your life and make you thrive. ”
“Like I said, whiplash…” I repeated, while melting from the inside out.
He snorted.
“Anyway, it was Sophia who got me into magic. I didn’t even know it was a real thing,” I continued. “Angie only invited me to share their apartment because she could feel my latent talent. It also made it easier for her to have unfettered access to my ideas so that she could appropriate them.”
“Naturally,” he replied, his voice thick with sarcasm. “But she seems quite wealthy. Why did she need roommates?”
“Because we had a fancy apartment on campus. Sadly for her, that specific one required three people. Once their former roommate left, they needed a replacement or they would have to relinquish the place and downgrade instead. It’s far more convenient to live on campus rather than deal with the nightmare traffic every day. ”
“Then I’ll just rejoice that you had to deal with it long enough to hatch me,” he said teasingly.
I snorted and playfully elbowed him. Still, it gave me warm fuzzies whenever he spoke like that.
“I guess it wasn’t such a bad thing after all, despite what an aggravating experience it had been,” I concurred.
“So how come you’re not part of their coven?” he asked, genuinely intrigued.
“Honestly, I considered it. In fact, I really enjoyed discovering all the things that I could do with it. Magic is really cool. The camaraderie of a coven also appealed to me as I’d often felt like the odd girl out who didn’t really fit in any particular group.
Even Myrtil, the Head Priestess, said I had great potential.
But that entire crowd makes me feel uneasy. ”
“Of course,” he replied in a self-evident manner. “They have very different values, morals, and ambitions. You are a sheep among wolves with them.”
That stung. Although I understood he hadn’t meant it in a derogatory way, it still made me feel less, and like the pushover I too often tended to be.
“You must buy me boring in comparison,” I said, immediately mentally kicking myself for sounding so pathetic and needy.
“Don’t be silly,” he said with a frown. “If you weren’t currently driving us—which I should be doing—I’d put you across my knees and give you a proper spanking.
And not of the fun type. Everything about you tastes and feels better than those sharks.
Stop comparing yourself with people who are inferior to you in all the ways that matter.
Their magic means nothing. With proper training, you will by far exceed theirs.
But no amount of effort or even therapy will make them emotionally even half as wonderful as you are.
I’m glad you hatched me instead of her. I would never want to belong to any of them while I happily belong to you. ”
Yep, my ovaries exploded again. It was a miracle I didn’t crash into some wall or run a red light I was so busy flying high under his sweet words.
“See! The emotions you currently feel taste divine. Stop ruining my snacks with irrational and unfounded feelings,” he grumbled.
The silliest grin stretched my lips as I beamed at him.