Chapter 10
Anja
The sun is already starting to set, bathing the academy grounds in a pleasant orange glow and making them warm and inviting. Or maybe that's just the prospect of the evening to come.
I look around, nerves jittering in my stomach as I consider that Cethin may have changed his mind without telling me, or that something has come up.
"Hey."
I jump at the sound of his voice. "Hi." I wince at how squeaky it comes out.
A hand on the small of my back offers me more comfort than I expect it to. I lean into his touch, already yearning for more of it.
"Shall we?" He gestures vaguely to the grounds.
I nod. "Though I didn't think this through, I've no idea where we can go."
"Luckily, I thought of that." He pats his bag.
I give him a questioning look.
"I brought a blanket," he responds. "I figured that the benches might be a bit too public. So now we can choose where to sit."
I bite my lip and nod. "Do you have anywhere in mind?"
He reaches down and takes my hand, sending tingles shooting up and down my arm in response.
"Come with me." His voice is low and full of promise.
Neither of us says anything as we make our way through the grounds until we come to a small patch of grass enclosed by some of the academy walls.
But more importantly, walls without windows.
"This is a good spot," I suggest.
He nods and opens his bag, pulling out a chequered blanket. A surprising choice especially when he hasn't had much time to prepare for us actually going on a date.
He spreads it out on the ground and gestures for me to take a seat.
I do, and pull out the strawberries that I brought with me. "It feels naughty to have taken food out of the dining room," I admit.
He lets out an amused laugh and takes a seat next to me.
"I know what you mean. Though I didn't do it this time, I had some shortbread Mum sent me.
" He pulls out a battered metal tin and pulls off the lid, offering me a piece.
The sweet scent of freshly baked biscuits fills my nose, and from the kitchen paper inside, I'm going to have to guess they're homemade.
"Are you sure?" I ask, not wanting to take something so personal from him without checking first.
"Of course. I brought them to share."
"They'll go perfectly with strawberries," I respond, putting them between us and taking a piece of shortbread. "Does your mum send you baked treats a lot?"
He nods. "At least once every couple of weeks. I think it's her way of saying she misses having me at home." He sets the tin down and takes one for himself.
"That's so cute."
"Ah, just what I was going for." He wiggles his ears, making me laugh in response.
"If you want me to think that you're something other than cute, you should stop doing cute things."
"Then again, I like hearing you laugh," he responds. "So maybe I should keep doing them."
A blush rises to my cheeks and I glance away, nibbling on the piece of shortbread to save myself from blurting out the first thing on my mind. The buttery goodness melts on my tongue, a welcome distraction from the thoughts I'm barely controlling.
"How is your sister's The Doctor's Monster paper going?" I ask once I've regained my thoughts properly.
"Well, I think? She's being a bit cagey about it."
"Which means she hasn't even started writing the essay," I joke. "I used to do that with my dad."
"You might be onto something there."
I offer him the last strawberry, but he shakes his head and indicates that I should have it. I bite into it, enjoying the tart sweetness that combats the shortbread.
A light breeze passes by and I let out a small shiver.
Cethin puts the lid back on his shortbread tin and holds out his arm in what I have to assume is an invitation. I lean in and he puts his hand on my shoulder, making me feel all kinds of warm and glowy in response. There's something so right about sitting with him like this.
I smooth my hand over his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscles even through his shirt and wondering what it would be like if he wasn't wearing one at all.
"Anja?" he asks, his voice low and rough.
"Mmm?" I look up, noticing the ring of purple glowing in his eyes. I don't know what's causing it, or what it means, but I can sense that it's not something that's bad for me. There's no risk of anything bad happening when I'm with him.
I reach out and touch his cheek, biting my lip as I do.
His gaze drops there and warmth spreads through me in response. I shuffle closer, feeling the change in the air as I do. He searches my face, clearly looking for something, though I don't know what. It's only when a small smile curls at the corners of his mouth that I realise.
He's making sure I want this as much as he does. And there's a way to prove that.
I lean in and brush my lips against his, excitement and anticipation zipping through me as I do. There's something intoxicating about the moment, even if I'm not entirely sure what's causing it or why.
He barely responds, and I pull back, panicking slightly that I've done something wrong.
"I'm..."
"No," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't say it."
"If you don't want this..." I trail off, mostly because I'm not sure how to finish the sentence.
"Oh, I do, Anja. I want it."
So why didn't he kiss me back?
His hand brushes against my waist and his gaze fixates on my lips again.
"Kiss me again," he says.
I nod, shifting so I'm on my knees next to him on the blanket. I reach out and touch his cheek again, leaning in. I can feel his breath tickling my skin and it only makes me want him more.
This time when I press my lips against mine, he kisses me back.
Softly at first, but then with an increasing hunger until it feels like I'm the only thing he can think about.
He tastes of strawberries, shortbread, and something else that I can't put my finger on.
But no matter what it is, I like it. And I want more of it.
I want to press myself against him more and lose myself in the kiss properly.
Unsure how else to manage that, I shift so I'm straddling him.
Cethin's hand on my lower back pulls me closer, and I can feel every inch of him even through our clothes.
He deepens the kiss and I wrap my arms around him.
We lose balance and he falls back, taking me with him and not breaking the kiss at all.
Caw!
I jump, breaking away from him, but not moving from my position other than that.
A raven jumps around beside us.
Caw! Caw!
I groan. "Really? Now is when you're choosing to talk to me again?"
Cethin gives me an odd look. "You know the raven?" His voice is husky and his eyes are glowing even more purple than before. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy, even if I can't explain why.
"I think so." I climb off his lap, kind of disappointed that we can't take this further, even if we're out in the grounds of the academy where anyone could come across us anyway. Next time, I should suggest a more private location.
"You're going to have to explain that."
"I keep running into it," I say, digging my hand into my pocket for the speckled white pebble I've been carrying around there in case I run into my raven friend again. "Normally after I've woken up from one of my dreams."
"Maybe it's your familiar."
I frown and hold the pebble out to the raven. "I don't have a familiar."
"Obviously."
I give him an unamused look.
The raven shifts forward and inspects the pebble. It's only now it's closer that I realise it has something in its mouth. No doubt it's trying to work out if my offering is good enough before giving it to me.
"Sorry, I know that wasn't helpful." Cethin sighs and shifts into a more comfortable position, his eyes having returned to their normal colour.
For some reason, I'm disappointed by that.
"Are you sure it's the same raven?" he asks.
I study the bird hopping around and looking at me with intelligent beady eyes. It drops a tarnished ring next to the pebble and I find myself smiling.
"Yes," I say to the warlock. "And thank you, I'll put that with my button." I pull it out of my pocket to show the raven so it knows I've been treasuring its gift.
Caw!
It's almost as if the raven is trying to tell me that it approves. Though I don't know whether it's because of our gift exchange, or my assessment about it being the same raven.
"But I don't know why it's interested in me," I admit.
"Magic," Cethin responds. "It's the most logical explanation."
"I suppose it does make more sense than the idea I'm being stalked by a raven," I muse. "What do I do about it?"
"I think that's up to you," he responds.
I look at the raven and think about what it might mean that I have one in the first place. I guess it confirms that I am magical, though I'd gathered that already simply from the fact I'm here.
"Would you like to be my familiar?" I ask the bird.
The raven flaps its wings and picks up the pebble before it jumps into the air.
Is that an answer? Or does it just mean that the raven has gotten tired of my indecision already? Just like every aspect of who I am, I'm left confused and without the answers.
I shake my head. "Typical. It interrupts us at a great moment, and then disappears as soon as we're trying to work it out.
" I pick up the ring and slip it into my pocket with the button.
I know there's nothing special about either of them, but it feels like they're important.
Maybe because the raven is supposed to be connected to me.
He chuckles. "It was a great moment."
"I suppose it just gives us an excuse to have another great moment." I lean back in. "If you want one?"
The purple glow returns to his eyes.
I guess I have my answer.