A Mastery of Magic

Chapter 10: Cassandra

A ray of sunlight warmed my face, preventing me from rolling out of bed. A week had passed since the five of us had experienced that night together, and every night since I'd slept like a baby.

Crawling out of bed had become a chore. Some mornings I found a pillow being hurled at me as a joke to wake me up. My life had become a bit dreamy despite being sandwiched by drama and chaos. I loved my life, and I loved the guys.

I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, then closed my eyes, imagining the night the five of us spent together. Having two of the guys inside me at the same time was not something I ever dreamed of and, in fact, never thought I would do. But the sensation, the euphoria it caused, made damn sure we'd be doing it again. The care they showed was only equaled by the energy that passed between us that night. Somehow, we'd felt each other climaxing, feeling the ebb and flow of energy. We agreed the whole experience brought out the deepest, darkest eroticism any of us had ever experienced. I even thanked Oliver for starting the whole thing. He proudly took credit.

"You were okay with us all in the same bed?" I had asked Dash the next evening when we were alone in the bedroom. I knew his macho, bad boy side struggled with not being stud number one.

"It's for you, remember," he said. "When people come together for a common goal, they put aside pettiness." He scratched his head. "And it was pretty f*****g hot with us having our hands all over you. Made my f*****g head spin."

The guys promised me our s****l explorations would always be better than the last time, and I should expect climaxes on top of my climaxes. Hearing them say it actually made me giggle. How in the hell could they possibly top what they did? There was no doubting their commitment to our relationship. I'd fallen in love with four men at the same time.

I showered and dressed, skipping the school's dress code for the day. Walking around like a bunch of Catholic schoolgirls was not the way to practice magic. Though the guys loved the short school-girl skirt and tight blue shirts. Aurelius had assured us it was okay to dress in whatever way made us comfortable as long as guys wore their pants above the waistlines and the girls showed no cleavage. Most of us still opted for leggings or yoga pants, wearing a tight shirt that suggested a lot of hidden cleavage.

"Hey, Cassandra," Lars said as he approached me in the courtyard. "You seen Nicolette anywhere?"

I shook my head. "Not today. You try the admin building?" She'd up and disappeared after Ashlynn appeared in the auditorium. Oliver claimed to have spoken to her. According to him, Nicolette didn't want to be bothered. There was still more to their story that Oliver had yet to share. I didn't want to press him on the matter and decided he could tell us when he wanted. He especially needed to explain his accent. I stopped Lars as he passed. "There are a lot of girls on campus, Lars. Nicolette isn't the only fish in the sea."

"But they're not like Nicolette," he said. I couldn't help but agree and let him go on his way. "See you in class, Lars."

"Not if I see you first!" Okay, maybe Nicolette shouldn't give him the time of day.

I stopped by the cafeteria for a brief bite to eat and ran into Ling Xu. Her English was surprisingly well spoken.

"I hear you have four boyfriends," she said when I sat across from her. Most of the students at the academy knew about our arrangement, but few, if any, ever talked to me about it. When another female student found the nerve to ask, I encouraged her to do what I did. Forget what other people had to say. Nothing wrong with a girl having a little fun.

"Yeah, they're great guys. A little needy at times." We both laughed. I didn't feel like she was being nosey, just genuinely interested. She looked away, meaning she wanted to ask something more but felt embarrassed. "Ever been part of something like that?"

She smiled, and I knew then she wanted to talk about her experience. "I have three boyfriends back home. We shared a house, but no one knew what we were doing. We didn't show each other affection when we were out in public like you guys do."

"They took care of you?"

She nodded. "Very much so. Every possible need." The smile meant she needn't explain more. "Your guys do the same?"

"They would lay down their lives for me, and I would do the same for them," I said. "We share an energy unlike anything I've ever experienced with another person."

"You've had them all?" She shrugged. "I've been dying to ask."

"I have. And one way or another had them all at the same time." I skipped the intimate details but wanted her know it was all right to do what her heart was telling her to do.

"I need your help with something." She took a sip of her soda. "The guys are still in China. Was hoping you could help me get them over here."

"To the academy?"

She shrugged. "To the States would be fine. They don't have to be at the academy. But close by."

"I'll talk to Aurelius and see how he can help. Are they warlocks?"

Ling laughed. "Not at all. They're just good in bed." We both laughed, and I felt a bond grow between us. She obviously missed them, and I would do whatever I could to help her.

"I'm heading to class," I said. "I'll let you know what I find out."

The conversation with Ling opened my eyes to the world around me. My experience was not exclusively mine. I enjoyed hearing other women were experiencing the same joy I had every day. I smiled at the thought of creating a club for women in my situation. The Cassandra Clarke Society of Reverse Harems. I laughed out loud and drew the stares of several students. But who cared? I was enjoying myself, as were the guys.

In the classroom building I met up with Kyler, and the two of us walked to class together, his arm around my shoulders, my free hand tucked in his back pocket. Sonny seemed to be a past memory, and I couldn't be happier about it.

"I got something for you," Kyler said, and led me into an empty office. He sat me on the desk, spread my legs and stood in front of me. He kissed me slowly with passionate intent. "As much as I enjoyed the group experience, I've also missed alone time with you." He kissed me again, his tongue meeting mine, my hands around his waist and pulling him against me. The second kiss lasted until the bell rang.

"I think you need to miss me more often!" I said and felt him grow against his pants.

"We should skip class." He held up his hands. "I know. I know." He hurried me out of the office and down to our classroom, using his book bag to hide his erection.

When we stopped at the door, Kyler took a deep breath.

"You ready now?" I asked.

Kyler moved the bag and looked down. "It'll have to do."

"I've been thinking about your shapeshifting."

"Okay?" He eyed me suspiciously.

"I've been working on a shapeshifting spell. When I have it perfected, I want to join you in the woods. I'd like to run with you." Like Ling Xu, I had another question I wanted to ask but wasn't sure if I should. I let it go, hoping to bring it up again when we ran off into the woods together.

Dash, Braeden, and Oliver stared at us as we entered the room. I licked my lips, still tasting Kyler. Kyler slapped the other guys on the back and took a seat next to a guy he didn't know, but Braeden and I sure did. Matt, from our guild that had been destroyed. Could the semester treat me any better?

"Matt," I said, and then looked at Braeden. "Where'd you find him?"

"Yeah, I know." Braeden looked away in disgust. We'd been told most everyone died except for a few and those few had shown up at the academy. Ashlynn trying to kill everyone and now Matt.

"It's good to see you made it out of the guild before Edius destroyed it," I said. "Thank God for small miracles." It was one of those times I hated keeping the peace. I really wanted to know why he didn't stop the m******e and destruction.

Of course, he caught my sarcasm. "It was, Cass. I barely made it out. I could have easily died."

"Yeah, while everyone else did." I glanced at the others. "But I guess you know Ashlynn made an appearance last week?"

He shrugged and looked away. "The last time I saw her she was a ball of flames. She must have used a water spell to save herself."

"Must have." It was Braeden's turn to be sarcastic.

"I passed out when someone hit me with a stray spell. When I woke up, everyone was gone."

"Why're you here?" I'd learned over the past week to question absolutely everything and everyone. Even those closest to me had things to hide.

He shrugged again, and for a moment I thought he might actually be sincere. "I have nowhere else to go. And I want to stop Edius just like you all do." I was learning to trust but verify.