Chapter 9: Braeden

A month into the academy and I was still having dreams about Kyler, Dash, and Oliver. They weren't sexual dreams. But dreams about them and Cassandra. In the dreams, they were all attracted to her and were always falling all over themselves trying to please her. I was tired of waking up in a cold sweat because I was trying to chase them away from her.

I watched how they interacted with her throughout the day when we were all together. They were always playful and waited on her hand and foot. Dash approached things a bit differently, however. He was passive aggressive about his feelings. It was always tough guy first, and then the sensitive guy would come at just at the right moment. I sensed Cassandra knew this but found his behavior endearing. I found it childish and not a good look for the connection we all had with her.

I considered telling Cassandra about the dreams but then decided not to, thinking she might ask me if I dreamed of her in that way. Of course I did. As far back as our early teen years together. Some mornings I would wake and have to rush to the bathroom. It happened more often than I cared to admit to her. Anyone who spent any amount of time with Cassandra fell head over heels after her. But what was going on at the academy was strange. It was more than head over heels.

The guys had not come right out and said it to me, but I knew what they were thinking. Each of them wanted her. They didn't talk about her in a raunchy, sexual way, just that the connection they felt was doing things to their bodies. They couldn't help thinking about her day and night. But I wasn't willing to let any of them hurt her. That was the difference between me and them. I wanted her but knew there was no way in the world I could ever hurt her emotionally.

A year or so ago, Cassandra asked if I'd ever had a girlfriend. I shrugged off her question, saying who had time for that. But truth be told, I'd been with a few women my age and an older woman the year I turned eighteen. The woman had been the mother of a friend. I happened to stop by the friend's house one day and found he wasn't there, but his mother was. My friend's dad had left them several years before, so she was home alone. She invited me in to wait, saying her son should be home anytime. Fact was, he'd gone to work and wouldn't return for hours. She asked me about my magic, and spells, and all the things a warlock could do. Neither her nor her son had magical powers. I showed her a few little tricks and cast some simple spells. She then invited herself into my personal space. At first, I politely declined her advances, but the more she pushed the more I decided declining was not an option. We eventually made our way into her bedroom and into her bed. She taught me several things that day, things I've used only twice. She taught me how to please a woman, something I was grateful for even to this day. We all had to be taught the things we didn't know.

I left my room and headed to the game room where the guys usually hung out on Saturday evenings. The curfew was still in effect, so we were forced to find things to do at the academy on Saturday nights. Most of the time we found ourselves bored to death, childishly playing with our magic to entertain each other. The video game craze had long passed, and a ban on the Internet made people find things outside to do. The world got skinnier as a result.

The academy's administration still had not found who was stealing students' powers. But we were reminded daily to stay together when we were not on the academy campus. The warning provided a false sense of protection because whoever was taking the powers had done so despite students watching out for one another. Basically, we were all easy pickings.

In the game room, Dash and Oliver sat in chairs at a table, Kyler, still a frog, sat in the middle of the table, his little froggie mouth moving as he spoke. Dash still brought Kyler to class and when they weren't at their desks, Dash had Kyler sitting on the counter while he mixed potions. On the third day after Kyler turned himself into a frog, the six of us were sitting outside, Kyler in the middle. I saw the shadow before I saw the eagle. It swooped down from the sky and snatched Kyler before any of us could react. Oliver, being the smartest of the group, reacted the quickest as the bird took flight, casting a spell at the bird and turning it into a sparrow. Kyler dropped from the sky, and Dash ran to catch him. A second bird appeared from the trees, taking aim at Kyler. Dash leapt into the air just as the bird opened its claws. If we could all have friends like that.

We watched with bated breath as Dash fell to the ground, the bird flying off, the sun blinding us. Dash, facing away, finally stood and turned, Kyler the frog in his hands. He patted Kyler on the head and spoke words of encouragement to his green friend. He promised Kyler nothing like that would ever happen again. Since that day, Dash wore a cloak, keeping Kyler safely in his cloak pocket. Often, when Kyler croaked from inside the cloak pocket, other students thought Dash was turning into a frog.

"Guys," I said and took a seat. "Still no change?" I nodded at Kyler. "He looks sick. Should we take him to a vet?"

"Nope," Dash said. "He'll be okay. Though, he may be eating flies the rest of his life." He rubbed Kyler's head. "I put a female frog, or I thought it was female, in his aquarium last night. When I woke this morning, the other frog was trying to hump him."

Kyler croaked and looked up at us.

"He needs a princess to kiss him," Oliver said.

"I'm out," I said. I placed my elbows on the table. "I wanted to talk to you guys about Cassandra. About the way you guys interact with her."

Oliver and Dash sat up straight. Kyler said something, but his words were always filled with too much saliva, like he was gurgling when he spoke.

"What's on your mind?" Dash said suspiciously. He had a scar over his left eye that his hair usually covered. The three guys never talked much about each other, their friendship close the way Cassandra and I were close.

"I just wanted to say if any of you have an interest in her, that if you ever hurt her in any way, you'll have me to answer to." I swallowed hard and waited a moment. Physically I could handle any of the three. Magically, I hadn't seen enough of their magic to decide what would happen if we went head to head. I guessed I would be okay.

"That so?" Dash said. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned toward me, Kyler looking up at his throat. His hair fell back over the scar. I was used to Dash challenging everything anyone said. Most people bought his act; I didn't.

I leaned forward. "That's so. I've known her longer than any of you have. We've been through some pretty rough shit in the past twelve years. I don't want to see her hurt or taken advantage of."

"Maybe Oliver and I want her too. Maybe we want what you've had and still have." He sat back. "Nothing wrong with that. Competition is good for the soul."