Witch, Please (Not Your Basic Witch Book 1) Read online

  “Oh, that’s how it’s going to be?” Drayce challenged with a cocky smirk and narrowed eyes. “Alright then, it’s on,” he challenged confidently, reaching around Caspian and grabbing a handful. Caspian tried—and failed—to jump away from the onslaught of the baking ingredient as it rained down on him, both men now covered in a light dusting of flour.

  “You have some crazy friends, Sweets,” Kye mumbled.

  “Aww!” I was practically brimming with happiness and tingling magic as it continued to run over my skin with the closeness of the three men in the room. “They’re pretty great, aren’t they? But you’re pretty awesome yourself,” I teased, poking him in the stomach. “Ow.” I shook my hand out, having poked him too hard in his ab muscles, hurting my finger. “You have some serious muscle hiding under that shirt.” Not sure what came over me, I reached out without hesitation and pulled his shirt up enough to see the six-pack. Holy hells bells. “Yup, definitely some muscle. Hot damn, Honey.” Kye quickly brushed my hands away so his shirt would drop back down, his cheeks reddening slightly at my appreciation. So modest!

  “No more shots for you, Sweets,” he murmured, stepping out of arm’s reach and moving over to help Drayce and Caspian, who were still fighting with food.

  “Never send anyone else to do what I need done,” I hummed at the chaos, skipping up to the counter. Picking up one of the measuring cups, I looked it over. “Is this the right one? I’m going with it.” I started to sing under my breath as I threw random ingredients into the bowl. Once the brownie was turned into a proper looking batter, I poured it in the pan and put it in the oven.

  “Well done!” Caspian cheered, gathering up the dishes and swaying over to the sink. Drayce followed suit, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him, almost as if he had a magnetic pull to Caspian. Drayce started washing the dishes, ordering Caspian to dry and me to put them away. The first measuring cup that clattered to the ground was all it took for Drayce to laugh, grab Caspian by the hips, and guide him to the counter. In a show of strength, he picked him up easily and placed him on the countertop.

  “I feel like you’re safer here,” Drayce said with laughter in his voice as he patted Caspian on the thigh. “Angel, you sober enough to dry?” he asked, turning to me. I gave an overly enthusiastic nod and bounced on my toes in excitement. Drayce came over to me, curling me under his arm and into his warm chest. “Good, then you keep your pretty ass over here. Otherwise, I’ll have to come over and spank it,” he whispered the last bit in my ear, making my cheeks flair in a bright pink blush.

  “You got it, Babe” I mumbled, too distracted by the surge of desire uncurling in my belly to say much else.

  “Good,” he murmured against my cheek as he held me tightly before moving toward the dishes. “Kye, come help me.”

  “Why?” Kye countered, his arms crossed. “I didn’t ask to come here.” Drayce cocked a brow and glanced at him.

  “Because your girl wanted to bake brownies, and you’re going to help her clean it up. Just like the rest of us… well, except for lightweight over there,” Drayce countered with a tiny chuckle, looking over at Caspian who was slouched against the wall in a drunken stupor. Kye grumbled but didn’t argue as he came over to us.

  “Thank you,” I chimed in, looking up at Kye, his hickory and gold eyes glancing down at me. “I appreciate your help. Yours too, Drayce.”

  “You’re welcome, Angel,” Drayce responded, leaning forward to look at me from around Kye.

  “You’re welcome,” Kye grumbled but couldn’t hide the hint of laughter in his eyes as he turned back to the dishes. It took a bit, but the dishes were clean before the brownies finished baking, and the Witches Brew was safely back in the fridge. Drayce took them out and placed them on a plate before reaching for one.

  “Only one!” I squeaked, taking the plate from him. “I need these for an apology.”

  “Did you run into someone?” Drayce asked me with a grin. I shook my head quickly.

  “No, I was a meanie pants, and I haven’t been able to apologize properly, so I figured what’s a better apology than baked treats!” I held up the plate as emphasis with a bright smile. “Come on now, I got to deliver these while they’re fresh!”

  “Oh, yay, time to go see my douche brother,” Caspian huffed sarcastically, stumbling off the counter. I pouted looking at him, not appreciating his negativity. Realizing I was upset, he perked up and threw an arm over my shoulder. “Sorry, Cupcake. Let’s go give Torryn these brownies. Come on, Buttercup,” he hooked his other arm around Drayce’s shoulders to pull him along.

  “Gladly, Sprinkles.” Drayce looked over at Kye. “Come on, dude, Aris wants you to come along too, right, Angel?” I nodded brightly.

  “Pleaseee, Honey?” I begged with a pout. Kye sighed but moved to my other side, mumbling under his breath.

  “That damn pout will be the death of me,” he grumbled.

  “You think it’s cute,” I challenged with a proud smile. He balked, realizing I could hear him.

  “Maybe a little,” he teased quietly, quickly looking away. He slowed his steps, so he hung just behind us as we walked. I think the cheerfulness was starting to get to him. We stumbled all the way to Torryn’s classroom, stopping just outside of the door.

  “You guys wait here, please,” I whispered, clutching the plate to my chest and opening the door. The classroom was empty and dark as I stepped in. The lack of light was a bit much for my drunken haze, making me wish I could manage that fire spell he’d tried to teach me. A noise from his office had me stopping in my tracks. Holy shit! I didn’t think he’d be here this time of night!

  There goes my plan of leaving a note and brownies as a surprise for him.

  Torryn

  I was sitting at my desk, the words in front of me crossing as I read the same sentence for the hundredth time since familiar training had finished. Why the hell can’t I focus? Despite asking, I knew the answer.

  A petite, pink-haired witch with the cutest dimples and fire in her steel eyes.

  I groaned, shoving the book away and finally giving up on attempting to read. This is going to be a long year if I don’t get my shit straight. I had just started to get up from my chair when I heard a shuffling in my classroom. What the… I strode out of the room, readying myself to reprimand the witch who came into my classroom after hours, only to discover Aris standing with wide eyes and a plate of brownies. The urge I got every time she was around was nearly enough to bring me to my knees. I know it’s inappropriate, yet nothing has ever felt so right. Gods… she’s perfect. No, you need to stop.

  “Uh,” she started. “Hi?” she stated with the tiniest tilt at the end, making it sound more like a question.

  “Aris.” I couldn’t stop my voice from lowering as a surge of magic filled me—something about her pulled to me. Seriously, stop it, she’s a student, and you’re a teacher… her teacher. With that sobering thought, I crossed my arms, and my stern look had her smile faltering. She took a tentative step forward, a slight wobble to her walk.

  “Look, I tried to apologize, but you kept leaving before I could. So, I made you brownies as a way to say I’m sorry for pouring water on you, but then you were here, so I couldn’t just leave them...” she trailed off. I noticed she had a tendency to ramble when she was nervous. Only then did it occur to me she said she had made me brownies.

  “Wait, what?” I said stupidly, my brows furrowing as I stared at her. She made me brownies? “Why?”

  She huffed and glared at me like I was an idiot.

  “Because I was a meanie pants, and you got mad at me—rightly so—but I felt bad because I don’t like when you’re mad at me, Torryn. So, I decided to bake you brownies since you wouldn’t freaking stand still long enough for me to apologize today, then you canceled familiar training and yeah. So, here are your brownies!” she said cheerfully, taking a step forward and holding them out—except she swayed as she stepped and nearly fell into me. I caught the brownies with one hand
and steadied her with the other. Now that she was closer, I could smell alcohol mixed in with the sweet strawberry scent that followed her, teasing me relentlessly.

  “Have you been drinking?” I asked, surprised. She gave a guilty smile and nodded slowly before her eyes widened. My annoyance gave way to worry, and I knew, despite my best efforts to remain professionally aloof, I was fully on my way to being a lost cause.

  “Your eyes are so pretty!” she squealed, stepping forward and stumbling into me. As her face smashed into my chest, she took a long inhale.

  “Did you just fucking smell me?” I asked in shock, unable to stop the surge of blood rushing to my cock at the feeling of her in my arms. Her gray eyes pulled me in as I felt her breasts pushing against my side. Focus on something else. I forced my eyes to stay on her face despite wanting desperately to look at where she had molded herself to me.

  “Yes, you smell like pine and freshly cut grass. I had to stop myself from sniffing you on Wednesday. I mean, that’d be really weird,” she rambled, more to herself than to me as her head tilted back-and-forth, the succulent strawberry scent making it harder to focus on the fact I was a teacher and shouldn’t be enjoying her in my arms. “But totally wouldn’t have been as weird as telling you I lost my virginity to your brother because that totally crossed my mind too. I mean, hell, I didn’t even know you two were related, but I guess that makes sense. I see the similarities now, although your facial hair makes you look very rugged while Caspian has a cute, slightly babyface,” she continued to ramble until I cut her off.

  “You lost your virginity to Caspian?” I enunciated very slowly, anger building at the fact he would take that from someone on their first day… take that from Aris on her first day here. Her eyes grew comically wide, realizing she said all her internal thoughts out loud. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and holy hellsticks if I didn’t want to do the same.

  “Uh… I mean... I’m just going to go.” She stumbled back, her face turning beet red in embarrassment. I dropped the plate of brownies on the closest desk and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist to keep her from falling on her face in her poor attempt to run away.

  “Aris,” I urged as she struggled against me. “Please stop. I’m not going to yell at you. Just tell me the truth?” She deflated in my arms, giving up all pretense of running away, her arms falling to her sides.

  “Yes, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t wanted. He didn’t try to make me do anything, so don’t yell at him or whatever you would do. Please,” she sniffled.

  Oh, fucking hellsticks, nice job making her cry, ass.

  “Look at me,” I commanded softly, and when she didn’t, I hooked her chin with a finger until she made eye contact with me. “I’m not. I just want to make sure you’re safe, and drinking and being around kitchen appliances probably isn’t the best thing, but thank you for the brownies.” She perked up slightly.

  “You forgive me for being a meanie pants?” she questioned with such hope, my chest squeezed.

  She stepped into me, her hopeful eyes meeting mine as her candied strawberry scent filled my senses. A flow of magic I had noticed around her started to intensify the longer we held our gaze. A small smile blossomed on her lips, and I sighed, having no choice but to return the smile. I was finding it harder and harder to resist her the longer she was in my arms.

  “Yes. Just next time, try not to douse us in water, alright?” She bobbed her head eagerly, her tears drying as she became her happy, bubbly self again.

  “Promise! I’m happy you liked the brownies we made!” she chirped out, turning and stepping away again as if she suddenly remembered she had somewhere to be. We? What in the witch’s wart?

  “Who is ‘we’?” I questioned casually, trying not to let jealousy tint my words, but I couldn’t stop the acid burning in my gut at the word.

  “My friends!” she called over her shoulder, already fumbling with the doorknob. I followed her over to the door, gently pulling her back and opening it for her so she could stumble out to the hallway. Let’s see who these friends are.

  Her friends turned out to be my very drunk younger brother, being held up by Drayce Nodin while Kyelerian Tanan sat against the wall, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. My eyes zeroed in on the way Drayce was holding Caspian, almost a little too close for only friends. Caspian better not fucking hurt Aris with whatever he had going on with Drayce.

  “Oh! Hi, Professor Callahan!” Drayce greeted happily, finally realizing I stood at the door, Aris slowly leaning more and more into me in such a way, I actively had to ignore the tight feeling in my trousers. “Wait,” Drayce murmured, looking over at Caspian who was leaning into his chest. “Brother? Professor Callahan is your brother?” The witch turned his eyes back to me before glancing back at Caspian, and after a few more times of his gaze darting back-and-forth, he responded, “Yeah, I can see it.”

  “So, why were you four drinking and cooking in the kitchen?” I questioned, looking between the three of them with narrowed eyes. “Whose idea was it to drink?”

  “Oh, Caspian and I found some Witches Brew, and the other two just kind of joined in as we stumbled across them,” Aris answered, looking up at me, her pink hair bright against my black button-up shirt. My brows shot up.

  “Hellsticks, you’ve been drinking Witches Brew?” I bit out. She bobbed her head against my chest, a long yawn escaping her lips, making it hard to stay mad at them for being reckless. “Alright, Mr. Nodin and Mr. Tanan, can you assist my younger brother back to his room? I feel it’ll take both of you to get him there safely,” I requested, glancing at Caspian with a frown.

  “What about Sweets?” Kyelerian challenged, shifting from his seated position. “Who is going to help her to her room?” I didn’t hear any type of innuendo in his statement, but it still irked me he called her Sweets, so I moved us forward, shutting the classroom door behind us.

  “I will,” I bit out. Leaning down, I wrapped her arm around my shoulder as I steadied her increasingly swaying body. With a small glare from both Drayce and Kyelerian at the way she leaned into me, they moved to help a barely conscious Caspian down the hall toward the student dorms.

  “Come on, Gorgeous, let’s get you to your room,” I mumbled softly as I scooped her up in my arms as another yawn flew from her mouth with a shiver of her body, alerting me she was quickly reaching the point of passing out. Witches Brew will get you every time. A smile played across her lips at the nickname which made my heart warm. I made it about a hundred feet down the hall before I realized I didn’t even know where to find her key, and I wasn’t about to check her pockets. Sighing, I turned and carried her back to my office, placing her gently on the couch. Grabbing a throw blanket off the back, I covered her and dimmed the lanterns overhead. She made a small, sleepy noise before her breaths evened out as she fell asleep.

  Trying to ignore the magic still floating between us, I moved back to my desk. Knowing I would get no work done now, I slid my book and notes away before grabbing a piece of parchment and quickly jotted a quick plane to Caspian, letting him know where Aris was so he didn’t worry. Not that he would care, I grumbled, sending the little red note zipping through the air. As soon as it left my hand, I rested my head on my arms before peering over at the small pink witch who was determined to make my life complicated. But damn if I didn’t want her, more than I’d ever wanted anyone.

  This is going to be difficult to fight.

  September 7th

  Saturday Morning

  Aris

  This isn’t my bed. Shifting, the smooth leather of the couch I was on brushed against my fingers. My eyes popped open, memories of last night coming in all at once, a flood of ridiculous moments. I let out a groan, putting my hand on my forehead as I scolded myself. Way to make yourself look like a crazy witch, Aris!

  “Sleep well, Aris?”

  Torryn’s smooth voice echoed loudly in the room, the sudden noise making me wince, my head hurting slightly with the aftere
ffects of Witches Brew.

  “Like a rock,” I deadpanned. When I risked a glance at him, amusement danced in his eyes though his rumpled shirt and dark circles under his eyes told me he had slept at his desk. “I’m sorry, Tor, I didn’t mean for you to have to babysit me,” I huffed. His eyebrow quirked as his lips curled into a tiny smile.

  “Tor, huh?” he questioned, a hint of joy coloring his words.

  I groaned, adjusting to get comfortable enough so my headache would ease, but it didn’t do any good.

  “Well, I thought I should get to call you something since you called me Gorgeous last night, but I figured it wouldn’t be ‘proper’ to call you Handsome, Sir,” I mumbled, tossing my arm over my eyes as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud as it filtered through the window. “But I would if you wanted me to.” I balked, realizing I said that last portion out loud. I might still be a bit drunk. Shooting up, I ignored the throbbing in my skull as I popped off the couch. “Alrighty, time for me to go before I die of embarrassment. Bye!” I attempted to scurry out of his office, but Torryn was faster, wrapping me in his arms before I could avoid dealing with what I had said.

  “Hmm,” he hummed, his muscled chest and soft dress shirt molding to my back, my heart rate picking up as he held me intimately against him. “If that nickname comes from your pretty lips, I would definitely want you to say it,” he whispered, his breath caressing my neck as he dipped his head and buried his nose into my hair. “You’re not the only one who struggles with not getting too close. You smell pretty damn delicious, Aris.”

  Warmth flooded me at the feel of him pressed against me. His obvious flirting caught me off guard, but I loved it.

  “That can be arranged,” I teased back, twisting in his arms, my hands resting on his chiseled chest. He was hiding more muscles under his shirt than I had anticipated. His eyes darkened as he leaned down, one of his hands going to rest on my hip. His face moved lower, making my heart beat furiously in my chest. Before his lips could touch mine, a loud thud of the classroom door closing had us both jumping away. The door was open, so I hurried to straighten out my sleep-wrinkled clothes and stepped out of the room first. Torryn’s face was pale, his eyes wide in fear as he froze in his spot.