Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Nati

Meic struggles with his tablet to bring up a movie for the two of us to watch and I take a moment to admire him. Not that I’ve really stopped doing that since he blurted out that he thinks I’m his fated mate. And it would be a lie to say I didn’t find him attractive before that. Which I suppose makes sense. We’ve been fated mates the entire time even if one or both of us have been oblivious to it. It should scare me more than it does.

His shirt has come untucked at the back, and he’s taken off his tie, giving him a more casual look than when he’s in uniform. The rolled-up sleeves help with that too, and I can see the muscles of his arms flexing as he moves. Not for the first time, I find myself thinking about what it would be like for him to touch me. For his hand to be on my waist while he’s close enough for me to kiss. Will he be gentle or demanding when he kisses me? It’s hard to decide which option I want more.

A hiss sounds in my head and I scowl. “I’m allowed to have thoughts,” I mutter to my snakes.

There’s another hiss in response.

“Seriously, stop it,” I chide them.

“Are you okay?” Meic asks, finally managing to get the movie on screen. The opening credits start to play, and thanks to his speakers, the sound isn’t actually bad.

“My snakes are just restless,” I admit. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into them.”

A sarcastic hiss comes from my head. This is going to get old really fast. I can’t have a relationship with Meic if my snakes are going to insist on getting in the way.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

I shake my head. “There isn’t much anyone can do. I can take a potion that’s supposed to be able to encourage them to sleep, but I don’t really want to do that. It always feels like such a risky thing to do.”

“Understandable,” he responds. “I wouldn’t want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” He comes to sit down beside me.

“Thank you.”

“And I like your snakes.”

I snort. “Even if they don’t like you?”

He shrugs. “I’ll win them around eventually. Maybe I can bring them snacks next time we watch a movie.”

“That could work,” I muse, settling back amongst the pillows and barely paying attention to the screen. Not that I ever really intended to, I suggested something we’ve both watched before because it would mean that we’d get to spend more time talking to each other, and that’s what being here is really about, at least to me.

“I didn’t draw a line,” Meic murmurs, sounding like he’s disappointed in himself. It’s surprising when I didn’t even think about the line myself.

“That’s okay.”

“But...”

“Meic, it’s okay. I was thinking about crossing it anyway.” I take a deep breath and move closer to him.

He reaches out and puts an arm around me, resting it gently over my shoulders. “How is that?”

“That’s good,” I assure him, gingerly putting my head on his shoulder, but not without worrying about the snakes.

He doesn’t seem to notice them even though they’re moving like they normally do.

Gingerly, I reach out to touch his chest. I’m not used to showing affection like this to anyone, even with my family. There it’s mostly a case of everyone making sure that their snakes are behaving and there’s no chance of anyone accidentally being turned into stone. It hasn’t happened yet, but there’s always a chance of it when family members don’t have the same snake species living on their heads.

The steady beat of Meic’s heart fills my ears, distracting me from the movie and making it so that he’s the only thing I can think about. A small part of me wants to ask about touching his horns now that we’ve crossed the touching line, but I’m not sure if it’s rude.

Probably. I wouldn’t want anyone asking to touch my snakes. But then again, he isn’t just anyone. Maybe I would let him touch my snakes.

I let out a soft sigh.

“Are you okay?” Meic asks.

I bite my lip, wondering how much I can tell him. “I was thinking about your horns,” I admit, realising it’s better to just put the thoughts out there rather than bottling them in.

“Oh?” He reaches up to touch one of them, and I follow the movement more intensely than I intend to.

I suppose there’s no reason not to finish my thought now. “I was thinking about how I kind of want to touch them, but that I didn’t want to ask because I wouldn’t just want anyone to touch my snakes, but then you’re not anyone.”

“You can touch them if you want,” he says. “But gently. Don’t manhandle them or anything.”

“Is that an issue?”

He shrugs. “Can be.”

I kneel between his legs and reach out tentatively, not entirely sure what to expect. My hand grazes against his left horn and I follow the twists and turns of it down. “Can you feel anything?”

“Not really,” he responds. “Other than how close you are to me.”

“Oh.” I try not to feel too disappointed about that. I sit back on my heels, not moving away from him. How can I when this is something I want more than I ever realised?

He reaches out tentatively, his hand hovering close to my skin but not touching it.

“You don’t have to hold back,” I murmur.

His inviting chuckle feels full of promise. “Believe me, Nati, I do.”

“What happens if you don’t?” There’s a part of me that wants him to ignore anything holding him back, though the rest of me is grateful for it. I don’t want to rush this.

He clears his throat. “You wouldn’t be wearing any clothes any longer.”

“I figured. That sounds kind of fun.”

He groans. “We haven’t even kissed yet.”

“We can change that,” I murmur as I lean closer and brush my lips against his.

It’s only for a second, but it makes my whole body come alive. My heart pounds in my chest and it’s everything I can do to pull back.

Meic finally touches my cheek, his hand warm and inviting. I’m not sure which of us makes the next move, but his lips are on mine in a searing kiss that makes me forget my own name.

His other hand lands on my waist, drawing me closer, and I shift in his arms so I can be more comfortable. Desire pools inside me and I want to go further.

I almost need it.

My breathing is ragged by the time we break apart and I look into Meic’s dark eyes to see naked need staring back at me. No matter how much he’s trying to hold himself back, there’s no denying that he wants me.

A rattle comes from my hair and I can sense one of the snakes getting restless. I lean back, causing hurt to flash over Meic’s face.

“It’s not what you think,” I say quickly.

“What...”

Before he can even finish the question, a flash of green appears and Frank sinks his teeth into Meic’s forehead, his sharp teeth easily able to penetrate Meic’s dark skin.

My eyes widen, the horror of what just happened really sinking in. “Frank! No!”

The snake pulls back, leaving two droplets of black blood on Meic’s skin. My thoughts race and I try to remember what I’m supposed to do in this situation.

Except not look in his eyes. If I do that...

I cut the thought off before I even have time to properly register it. The venom makes him more likely to be affected by my gaze, but it’s not a done deal. He might not turn into stone at all. And if I avoid direct eye contact, then it should be enough to stop that eventuality from coming to pass anyway.

“And just when I was starting to think he liked me,” Meic muses, touching his forehead.

“Are you okay?” I look around for something to wipe away the blood. “I didn’t mean for him to do that, I mean, I don’t have any real control over him. They’re trying to teach me it in Familiar Training but I’m not very good at it. I just need to make sure you’re okay.”

He reaches out and takes my hand in his, running his thumb over the back of it in a surprisingly comforting manner. “I’m fine,” he assures me. “It’s just a bite.”

“It’s not just a bite,” I murmur.

He frowns. “Why isn’t it just a bite?”

I bite my lip and look down, which is good in that it definitely makes him less likely to be turned into stone. “The venom will make you susceptible to my gaze.”

“I hate to break it to you, Nati, but I’d say I’m entranced by it already.”

“Will you ever stop with the cheesy pickup lines?”

“Nope. I mean, they’ve got me this far.”

I laugh, temporarily forgetting what I’m doing, and looking up, my gaze meeting his. My eyes widen and panic starts to build within me. What have I done?

At first, I don’t think anything is going to happen, and I’m worrying for nothing. But then his skin starts to harden in front of me. The ink black fading to grey and his expression freezing in place.

“No, no, no, no.” I reach out and touch his cheek, only feeling the unforgiving stone beneath my fingertips. “Meic...” My voice cracks and I don’t have the words for what I want to say to him. I don’t even know if he can hear me, so little is understood about how gorgon magic works.

Frank slithers down onto my shoulder and gives a loud hiss.

“Don’t you start,” I snap. “Why did you have to do this?”

He hisses in response, which doesn’t actually give me an answer.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. If I’m going to fix this, then I’m going to need to stay calm and not panic.

But what am I supposed to do? It’s not like I can go and tell a member of staff that I’ve turned Meic into stone in one of the secret rooms, nor can I let Meic miss all of his classes tomorrow because he’s stuck here.

The only option I’ve got is to find the potion that can undo gorgon magic, and now . Except that I have no idea about how to make it or know anyone who will.

Or maybe that isn’t entirely true.

“I’m going to be back really soon,” I tell Meic in case he can hear me. “I just need your best friend’s help in order to fix this.” I pause for a moment then lean in to kiss his cheek.

Hopefully, he’s not going to be too angry about the situation when he turns back to normal, even if it would be completely warranted.

I pull out my phone and type out a quick message to Anja, hoping that she and Cethin are both still awake and willing to break into the Charms and Potions classroom for me. Not that they haven’t done that before, I just don’t know if they’ll do it for me.