Demon, Devil, Spirit, Totem Ch. 02

"Huh. Didn't know it would do that. Better?" She gave him a thumbs up, then they swam in to the each. Coral surfaced to blow her a farewell kiss with a smile. "Farewell, friend of Jonathan. Enjoy yourself!" With that, the Totem reverted back into her animal form, showing off one more time with a triple spin and a backflip before disappearing into the deep. The two humans reluctantly returned to the sandy shore. They let the morning sun dry them off for a while, laying entwined on his big yellow beach towel. Naked. She didn't fucking care now. She traced circles on his chest, following the lines of his tribal tattoos.

"Are you going to be there tonight, at the ceremony?"

He kissed her on the top of her head. "Wouldn't miss it. Promise me one thing?"

She looked up at him. "Just promise me that, whatever you choose, you do it honestly. Do it for you. It's your path, not mine or anybody else's. Once you pick, you can't go back."

"Actually, I already decided last night. Let me ask you something. You and Coral, have you ever...?"

He snorted. "HELL Yes. All the goddamn time. She's fucking insatiable. Why do you ask? I hope it ain't jealousy."

She kept playing with his tats. "No, it's just, I was wondering what it was like, doing it with someone who's not a... person."

"She's a person, just not a human. There's a difference. Remember that with whatever familiar you choose. They have wants and needs, likes and dislikes, personalities. But they are also not human beings. They don't think the same way, you can't ignore their nature. Treat them like people. Just not like human people. Do that and you'll be fine."

They kissed some more, and then finally got up and got dressed. Jon decided to stay down here and work on another spell. For a Shaman, places like this were his workshop, not the stuffy library and alchemy stations of the Abbey. She rode off on the ancient lime green bike, going slowly. She was hellish sore after the pounding he had given her. Deliciously so. She took the scenic route back, up along the northern part of the island. The whole thing was only a few miles long and maybe a mile wide, at most. Just one more dazzling Greek island in a sea filled with a thousand such islands. Well, maybe not quite like this.

By the time she got back, it was almost lunch time, and she was ravenous. They served roast beef sandwiches with a delicious German potato salad. She had two. One thing about going to magic school, the food was phenomenal, served by professional chefs. Money was no object here. As she sat down with her second sandwich, Connor and Timur sat down across the table with her. Timur had his big, shit eating grin on. "So, ready for the big night? We sure fucking are! Am I right, Bug Bear?" He poked Connor in the side as he said that, causing him to wince out of the way. Timur was from one of the WhatizStans that used to be the Soviet Union, and his accent showed it. He had a little Mongol in him on his Daddy's side, which gave his dark eyes an exotic slant. And perhaps made him an asshole.

Cassie set her ridiculously tasty sandwich down and finished chewing. "Knock it off. You know we aren't supposed to talk about that."

Timur waved his hand in dismissal. "Tell it to my Succubus. Me and Bug Bear here, we're going to get matching bitches and make them fight each other, yes? Yes!" Connor just smiled hesitantly and took another forkful of potato salad. Cassie hated the way the little Mongol had latched on to big Connor as a punching bag. School was still school, no matter where you went. Timur looked at her critically.

"You get some sun there, girl? You look a little sunburned."

Cassie blushed. "Uh, yeah, I went out for a long bike ride this morning. Mediterranean sun and all."

After a few more uncomfortable minutes with Timur, he spied some Ascended he wanted to smooze with and left the other two novices alone with their lunch. Connor, for his large size, could be a picky eater. He was pulling bits of beef off his sandwich distractedly.

"I wish he wouldn't be such an asshole. You don't have to take that from him."

"Ahh, he's just putting one on," the Scottish lad said as he looked over at her. "He knows I'm worried about the cermony tonight, that's all."

"You know what you're choosing then?" He shook his head no. "Do you?"

She smiled and nodded. She took his hand. "Hey, it's okay. We made it! We are going to be actual magicians!"

He smiled back at her, covered her slender hand in his larger one. "I know, I just wish that... well... I wish all this magic didn't have to revolve around sex!"

Cassie snickered a little. She couldn't help it. "Connor, I love you brother, but your accent is killing me."

"The fuck are you on about, then?"

"You say sex like it has two H's in it. And fuck has a U in it, not an O."

"At least I'm from the island with the actual English people, you Shiite! What about your cowboy accent, anyhow?"

"I'm from Lubbock. Texans don't have an accent. All Y'all do, but not me."

They laughed and he nodded in silent thanks. He knew she was just getting a rise out of him to make him stop worrying. Truth was, sex and magic were hopelessly intertwined. The sex drive was one of the strongest people had, stronger than food even. That's why half the internet wasn't cooking channels. A magician's companion creature was the key to power, the conduit they used to tap into primeval magic. And sex was the currency used to make these transactions. It might be in different forms, more like love or lust, more like trust or torture, but in the end, it was the one thing all creatures universally respond to.

Connor watched her get up from the table and leave. He watched her walk across the atrium to return to her room. People didn't see Connor, but he saw a lot. Not just Cassie's willowy, shy, honest sensuality, but also Chiara's blatant attention grabbing shenanigans. And Aranya's exotic, dark skinned form, as well. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he left the atrium, whistling a tune. Perhaps Cassie had helped him choose a Companion, after all.