I usually prefer to only post my serial stories on my Yahoo group until they are finished, and only then post them to Fictionmania and Big Closer. However, this time I decided to try something different and post my new story here in serial format as it is written.

Part 1

All through history there have been stories of beings who could do things that that were far outside the normal, things that would be considered miraculous or even impossible. Nearly every culture has legends of people who could transform into animals or perform unbelievable feats of magic. Gods…demons…monsters…witches… There were almost as many names for these beings as there were stories. And as with most stories, these ones contained a grain of truth.

For the most part, these old stories are filled with gross exaggerations and details which have been vastly twisted from countless retellings. And of course, there are even bits of intentional misinformation in order to keep people from discovering the truth.

The truth is that these beings are neither monsters nor gods. The truth is, they are just people…with all the good and bad that entails. These people are not otherworldly creatures but are your neighbors…your friends…and sometimes your own family.

To any outsider, we’d appear to be a perfectly ordinary family with a working mom, a stay at home dad, and a slightly nerdy sixteen year old son. And for the most part, that was exactly what we were. However, there was also much more to us, though we were very careful to keep any normal from discovering this.

At the moment, I was in my bedroom, playing on the new laptop that my parents had given me for my birthday two weeks ago. I was intentionally trying to keep myself distracted and not think of what was to come to night. Or what might not come tonight. I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness, made all the more potent due to the uncertainty.

“Aaron Erland Morris,” I told myself aloud, using my best impersonation of my mom’s tone of voice when she was exasperated with me. “Focus on your homework and don’t worry about tonight.” But then, I couldn’t resist adding my own side of that argument as well. “But how can I not worry about tonight?”

With that, I leaned back, adjusted my glasses and stared at my monitor without actually paying attention to what was on it. In spite of my talk about doing my homework, that wasn’t at all what I’d been working on. In fact, I’d just spent the last hour watching Doctor Who…the Tom Baker version.

After a minute, I decided to go see what my dad was up to. He worked from home doing editing work for some publishing company, and at this time of day he was probably busy doing that in his office. Dad usually got annoyed when I interrupted him while he was working, but today was a little different from normal and I knew he’d understand.

Tonight was the full moon. Specifically, tonight was the first full moon after my sixteenth birthday. For most people, that didn’t really mean anything. For a Were…it meant everything. For a Were, the first full moon after they turn sixteen is their Changing Day…the coming of age when their special nature is revealed for the first time.

Every Were transforms into an animal under the full moon and has the ability to change every other night if they choose. However, every Were also changes into a different animal. Their Changing Day…the first full moon after their sixteenth birthday, is when they transform for the first time and discover what animal it is that they will become. For a Were, their Changing Day is very special since it is the rite of passage that proves they are a Were. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t even sure that I was going to have a Changing Day.

My dad is a Were who can turn into a bear. Not a big and powerful grizzly but a much smaller and somewhat less intimidating black bear. My mom on the other hand is not a Were at all, which means that I only have a fifty percent chance of being a Were, hence my mixed feelings about tonight. I was honestly uncertain as to whether I wanted to be a Were or not.

“I hope I don’t turn into something stupid,” I muttered, knowing how much trouble it could be to turn into the wrong animal.

Dad always had to be very careful when he changed, because people tended to get antsy when they saw bears running around loose. That was one of the main reasons that we lived well away from any other houses. Dad still had it easy since one of his friends turned into mouse and he had to be extremely careful of being seen by cats or owls.

“A bear wouldn’t be too bad,” I mused, though of course I knew that wouldn’t happen. Weres didn’t inherit their animal forms from their parents and whatever they turned into seemed to be completely random.

I was going to my dad’s office to talk to him about my worries when I heard his voice coming from the living room. Someone else was talking as well, which startled me since I hadn’t realized anyone else was here besides us. I went to the living room doorway to see who dad was talking to and then paused as I recognized her.

Dad was sitting in the recliner and the woman sitting across from him on the couch was about his age with reddish brown hair. Vivian Carrol was dad’s cousin or second cousin…I wasn’t completely sure which. She was also a fox. Literally. Or at least she was under the full moon.

I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but when I heard my name, my curiosity got the best of me. I took a step back, further out of view, and listened intently.

“I’m glad you came by for a visit,” dad told Vivian, sounding rather proud. “It’s Aarons Changing Day…but I suspect you already know that.”

“I do,” Vivian agreed pleasantly. There was a pause before she added, “To be honest, that’s why I’m here instead of waiting.”

“What do you mean?” dad asked cautiously.

“Well, you know that group I work with,” she stared her explanation.

I peeked around the corner, and though I couldn’t see dad’s face very clearly, I could see him nodding his head. “Yes,” he responded thoughtfully. “I remember you telling me about it before. You’ve been doing surveys at all the gatherings…recording what other forms we have and tracking family trees to see if you can find a pattern in what animal forms we develop.”

“Right,” she said. “We’ve been especially interested in mythics.”

At the mention of mythics, she suddenly had my full attention. A mythic is a Were who changes into an animal that doesn’t really exist in nature…a mythical creature. They are very rare, and as a result, a subject of great interest for most Weres.

“I’d imagine so,” dad told her, sounding even more curious. Of course, mention of mythics was enough to do that to most Weres.

“Well,” Vivian explained with clear excitement in her voice, “we’ve found that over the past ten years, the percentage of new mythics has increased greatly. This isn’t an increase of ten percent…but over three hundred.”

“Three hundred?” dad exclaimed in surprise while I just stood there gaping. “Maybe there are just more mythics reporting it…”

“No,” Vivian assured him. “It’s more than that. Most of these new mythics are actually humanoid mythics…something that was almost unheard of before this. I mean, we have a dryad, a mermaid, a pixie… There are twin sisters who became a naga and a centaur respectively. And just last month, one girl became a satyr on her Changing Day.”

“A satyr?” dad blurted out. “I thought satyrs were supposed to all be male”

Vivian chuckled at that. “They are. From what I hear, she’s extremely embarrassed by it. Not surprising.”

“That poor girl,” dad said sympathetically.

“Well,” Vivian continued a moment later. “We were tracking down the family trees of these mythics to see if there was any family history of it…when we found something that caught our attention.” There was a long dramatic pause before she added, “A lot of them…especially all the ones with the humanoid mythics...intersect.”

“What exactly does that mean?” dad asked.

“It means,” Vivian responded excitedly, “If you go back just a few generations…they’re related. Most of the mythics in this new surge…and all of the ones with humanoid or partly humanoid forms are all descended from the same bloodline. We estimate that the common ancestor may have lived only two hundred years ago.”

“Unbelievable,” dad responded while I nodded along, desperately wanting to step forward and ask some questions but not wanting to admit that I was eavesdropping.

“We aren’t ready to make this general knowledge yet,” Vivian explained in a grim tone. “Before we release this, we wanted more evidence…not to mention the identity of the common ancestor. The reason I’m here telling you this is…well…you’re descended from this bloodline too…on your father’s side.”

“Aaron,” dad blurted out my name, and for a brief moment I feared that he’d realized I was listening in. Then he continued, “You think Aaron is going to be a mythic?”

I gasped at that and had to clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from making a sound. The idea of being a mythic was hard to imagine, not that I hadn’t tried doing so countless times while growing up. Being able to turn into something like a dragon or a griffin would be unbelievably cool. Among the Were community, being able to turn into a mythical creature of any sort meant bragging rights for life.

“I don’t know,” Vivian admitted. “But if the pattern holds true, then he’ll probably have a higher chance than normal.”

“You forget,” dad pointed out after a moment, sounding almost disappointed. “He might not even be a Were at all. He might take after his mother instead.” Then he quickly added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Helen is an interesting woman,” Vivian responded with a chuckle. “Most women would kill to have a talent like hers.”

“I am a lucky man,” dad agreed happily.

I listened for another half minute but the topic of conversation had drifted away from me and mythics and was no longer of much interest to me. I already felt a little guilty for listening in like this so turned and made my way back to my room, my thoughts still dwelling on what I’d heard.

When I reached my room, I sat back down in front of my laptop and removed my glasses to rub at my eyes. “Imagine,” I told myself with a chuckle. “Me…a mythic.” The idea seemed about as realistic as picturing myself as a rock star. Of course, that never stopped me from doing so before. And with that, I turned my attention to my laptop and searching the web again. This time, I wasn’t searching for humorous videos but for descriptions on all the different types of mythical creatures.

Dinner consisted of glazed chicken, shallot mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts that had been cooked with bacon. It was all completely delicious, including the brussels sprouts. Of course, that was to be expected since my mom used to be a professional sous chef before she decided that she preferred working outside the kitchen and having more reasonable hours. Now, she worked as some sort of supply chain manager and sourced products for a local high end restaurant chain.

We were all sitting at the dinner table, including Vivian who’d stayed, probably to satisfy her curiosity as to whether I was going to be a Were or not, not to mention which kind. When I’d finished looking up the different types of mythical creatures on the web and came back out of my room earlier on, I pretended to be surprised to find her here. She didn’t say a word about my possibly being a mythic, nor did dad. I suspected that he just wanted to keep me from getting my hopes up. As it was, I only had a fifty percent chance of being a Were at all.

Mom sat across from me, being slender with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair. She was still very attractive for her age and I knew that a lot of the guys at school would probably call her a MILF, especially right now. Mom usually had small breasts, but at the moment she was a nice D cup…just a bit larger than Vivian. Of course, that was no accident.

Though my mom wasn’t a Were, she certainly wasn’t a normal either. In fact, my mom was from a people who were known as the Touched. The name came from the old belief that they were touched by god…or by the devil.

While most old legends and stories about people who turn into animals or about animals who act like people are inspired by the Were, the ones about witches and wizards were inspired by the Touched. And like the Were, the Touched have been hiding among humans for a very long time. It is even believed that both races share a common origin and may even have once been a single race.

The Touched have magic and can do things that would normally be completely impossible, though no more so than a man being able to turn into a bear. Every touched has a single magic power, a talent which they can perform at just about any time. This talent is different for every Touched and appears to be almost random. For my mom, her talent is that she can make her breasts grow larger for about an hour. Needless to say, my dad absolutely loves it when she uses it.

I glanced at Vivian and then looked back at my plate, thinking about what she’d said earlier. I also thought of how it would be getting dark soon and how she and dad would both change. And of course, how I might change as well…or not. My emotions about that were still mixed since I thought it would be exciting to be a Were who turned into a cool animal, especially a mythical one, but it would also be great to have some other kind of magic talent.

In just a short time, I would find out for certain whether I was a Were or not. But even if I didn’t take after my dad, there was still no guarantee that I’d take after my mom. If both parents were Were, then you were guaranteed to be a Were as well. But even if both of your parents were Touched, there was still no guarantee you would be too. Most of the time you would be, but it did sometimes skip a generation. I was a little nervous that this might be the case, that I wouldn’t have inherited enough from either of my parents to take after them and that I’d be left as a normal. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with normal since all my friends at school were, but considering my family, I knew that I’d feel ashamed and left out.

“It’s only a little bit longer,” Vivian told me from across the table. She gave me an odd look and asked, “So, are you excited? I remember I was during my Changing Day.”

“A bit,” I admitted.

“Remember,” mom reminded Vivian. “Aaron might end up being Touched rather than Were.”

Vivian nodded at that and then asked mom, “Do Touched have a Changing Day?”

“No,” mom responded with an amused smile. “We don’t have anything quite like it. You see, our talents aren’t as predictable about when they’re going to appear.“

“The sixteenth birthday is still important though,” dad added, giving me a quick look and grinning. “We discover our other form on the first full moon afterwards…”

“And we can discover our talent anytime afterwards,” mom continued with a chuckle. “We tap into the source of magic anytime between our sixteenth and seventeenth birthdays and develop our talent. If we don’t do it before seventeen, then we never do.” She shrugged at that. “I don’t know why that is…only that this is how it works.”

“I always wondered why it has to be the sixteenth birthday,” Vivian said with a shake of her head. “It always seemed so arbitrary…”

The three adults continued talking about the similarities and differences between Were and Touched while I just ate in silence. When I was finished, I left the table and returned to my room, immediately glancing at the clock when I got there.

“Only a couple hours,” I reminded myself, feeling a knot in my stomach.

I’d spent half the day imagining what it would be like to be a Were but now I found myself thinking about being Touched. If I was touched, what kind of talent would I get? I grinned as I imagined what it would be like to actually do magic.

Specific talents weren’t inherited any more than Were forms were, but sometimes certain types of talents would run in a family. In my mom’s family, most of the talents seemed to cause some kind of physical change or transformation. Mom could make her own breasts grow, grandma could make people fat, and my aunt June could turn them into frogs. Then there was my uncle Dave who could turn himself into a raccoon and was sometimes mistaken as a Were because of that. In fact, that very misunderstanding was what led to him meeting my dad and introducing my parents to each other all those years ago.

There is a family legend that the reason our bloodline has so much transformation magic is that we are descended from the powerful sorceress Circe. However, there is absolutely no evidence to prove this and Circe herself has been dead for a VERY long time. More than likely, someone had just made it up in order to try impressing other people with.

“Touched or Were,” I mused with a sigh. “I guess in a little bit I’ll be able to check one of them off.”

I decided that I’d had enough of worrying about this for now and wanted to take my mind off of the topic of Weres and Touched. Instead, I went to the table that was set up in the corner of my room and which was covered with a half complete jigsaw puzzle. Putting puzzles together was something of a hobby of mine, as demonstrated by the two large assembled puzzles which had been framed and hung from my bedroom walls. As an only child, I’d always had to find ways to entertain myself and this was one of my favorite ways of doing that.

The puzzle I was currently working on was a nature landscape and was a bit of a pain since so much of it was shades of green and brown, making the pieces hard to tell apart. Still, I rather enjoyed the challenge of that and knew that I’d feel quite proud of myself once I was able to complete it. It was a pretty nice picture to so I might even end up framing it and putting it on my wall as well.

I had been intently focused on the puzzle for a good half hour before I was distracted the sound of a hesitant knock on my bedroom door. I didn’t even have a chance to answer before the door opened and my mom stepped into the room.

“How are you doing?” mom asked me with a slightly concerned look.

“I’m fine,” I lied, giving her a cheerful smile.

“Well, I know that in your place, I’d be a little nervous,” she told me. “But regardless of whether you end up Touched or as a Were, I want you to know that your father and I will both still love you the same.”

“I know,” I responded. Then I hesitantly admitted, “I’m just not sure which I’d rather be… I know there are some good things about both…”

“Well, I certainly have no complaints about being Touched,” she told me with a faint smirk. “But I’m sure you’d be perfectly happy as a Were too.” In spite of her saying this, I knew that she was really hoping that I’d be Touched like she was. She was nearly as nervous about tonight as I was, though she wouldn’t admit it.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” I told her with a wry smile.

“Now come on,” mom told me, putting her arm around my shoulder and leading me towards the door. “We have cake to celebrate your Changing Day.”

“But what if it’s not my changing day?” I asked.

She just grinned and answered, “Then we have cake for dessert.”

I stared at the clock, feeling my heart nearly skip a beat as the digit for the minute changed. There were only ten more minutes until it was time to find out if I was a Were or not. I looked to the half eaten cake and briefly considering having another slice while we waited but then decided against it.

“What are you doing?” I asked my mom when I noticed her standing there with her camera.

“I just wanted to get the camera ready,” she told me with a grin. “If you do change, I’m going to want pictures of your first time…”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” dad told her with a sigh. “Would you want someone taking before and after pictures of you when you use your talent? Besides, what if the wrong person was to see them…?”

While dad was talking mom out of recording my change, if I had one, I decided to go take care of some last minute business. I wanted to go relieve myself so I wouldn’t suddenly turn into a dog and then immediately have to go looking for a fire hydrant. After I finished my business, I washed my hands in the sink and found myself staring into the mirror, wondering what it would be like to see someone…something else staring back.

My own reflection wasn’t really all that impressive. I was 5 foot 9 and had a slender build that I’d inherited from my mom, along with my dirty blonde hair color. My glasses helped give me a somewhat nerdy appearance, though my T-shirt probably added to that. It was a black T-shirt with a picture of a bowtie on it along the words ‘BOWTIES ARE COOL’.

I growled experimentally into the mirror as if I was a dog or bear, though I immediately felt foolish. “I guess I’ll find out in a few minutes,” I muttered, turning away from the mirror and going back out.

Vivian was no longer in the living room, which was a good thing since dad was in the process of taking off his pants. Mom told me that she’d gone into the guest bedroom so she could change in privacy. Dad was just getting ready to go outside and change like he did every full moon.

“You’d better go outside too,” mom told me firmly. “I will not have you turning into an elephant in my house…”

“Good point,” dad agreed with a chuckle. “The first time I changed, I was in the bathroom so I could get some privacy for it. Needless to say, I accidentally made a bit of a mess. My dad even took the cost of a new sink out of my allowance.”

“And you should take your clothes off too,” mom said, looking just a little concerned. “Just in case.”

I nodded at that and then went out the back door and began undressing on the patio. I wished I had a blanked to cover myself with, but since dad never bothered with anything like that I didn’t either. Still, I made sure to stay turned away from my parents so they couldn’t see my front side.

“If I don’t change,” I announced, “I’m going to feel ridiculous.”

A minute later, I felt it, a tingling that suddenly began to run through my entire body. I let out a loud gasp, knowing exactly what this meant. It meant that I actually was a Were and was really going to go through my first change. There was a sense of relief at that and of excitement, yet I felt a little disappointed too because it meant that I wasn’t Touched.

Then my body began to transform. I could feel all my flesh and bones moving and changing, almost as though being reshaped by invisible hands. It wasn’t painful, just a bit uncomfortable and VERY weird.

With my muscles all rippling and changing as they were, I lost control of them and collapsed to my knees. I was barely able to get my hands out enough to catch myself so that I didn’t hit the ground completely. From this angle, I could see that my hands had changed. My nails had turned black and were growing longer and sharper as I watched. Whatever I was becoming, it had claws.

I closed my eyes under the onslaught of sensations coming from every inch of my body. Parts of me felt like they were pushing out while other parts felt like they were stretching, twisting, or pulling. It was all too overwhelming to keep track of so I just tried to brace myself until it was over.

The transformation only took about a minute to complete, though it felt like much longer. When it was finished, I remained where I was with my eyes closed, taking deep breaths and just trying to make sense of how different my body now felt. It was already obvious that I’d changed a great deal.

“Aaron,” mom called out, her voice sounding almost afraid. “Are you all right?”

I opened my eyes and responded, “I think so.” However, there wasn’t much certainty to that. Then I suddenly realized that I’d just spoken aloud. Weres couldn’t talk in their animal forms any more than the real animal could.

I slowly got to my feet, finding that it was a bit awkward to do so with my new body and balance. I still had two legs, two arms, and a body that seemed to be mostly human in form. However, when I got to my feet and looked down at myself, I couldn’t really see past the two large fleshy mounts on my chest.

For a moment, I just stared down at the mounds of flesh on my chest with a feeling of confusion but then I became aware of other new body parts as well. I had something growing from my back…two somethings. I turned enough to see that I now had a pair of wings…large leathery wings somewhat like a bat. And I felt something bumping up against my legs, something that moved when I thought about it. It took me several seconds to realize that I now seemed to have a tail as well as wings.

“What the hell am I?” I blurted out in surprise. My voice sounded strange to my ears.

“You’re…you’re a Were,” mom responded, staring at me with an open mouthed look of disbelief. A black bear sat on his haunches beside her and nodded in agreement. “You look like some kind of demon,” she told me, trying to look calm and casual but failing. “And female. Definitely female.”

“I’m a mythic,” I whispered, though that had been obvious from the moment I spoke.

I stared down at myself again, still trying to take this all in. I’d been prepared to turn into some kind of animal and had even imagined that I might be some kind of mythic. However, the reality was a bit more than I’d been prepared for.

I was so caught up in my new body that I momentarily forgot mom and dad were there and grabbed my very prominent new breasts, noting that they were large, round, and about the size of basketballs. They were also high on my chest and firm, appearing impossibly perfect to my limited experience.

“Holy hand grenade of Antioch…” I muttered.

Then my fingers brushed my nipples, which immediately hardened and felt good. This seemed to send a spark straight down to my groin and set it on fire…in a good way. A VERY good way. I yanked my hands away, suddenly remembering I wasn’t alone and feeling unbelievably embarrassed.

Right then, a fox came out of the house and stopped just beside the door to stare at me. And though foxes weren’t capable of human facial expressions, her body language screamed surprise. Vivian slowly came closer to me, appearing to sniff the air as she did so. Then she stopped a short distance away and continued to watch me.

“It seems that Aaron is a mythic,” mom said with a nervous chuckle. Then almost under her breath, she muttered, “A very female one…” At that, her breasts grew a couple more cup sizes.

“Oh shit,” I blurted out, suddenly realizing that I was completely and totally naked in front of Vivian and my parents. I started to turn and tried to cover up as best I could without actually touching my breasts or anything. But in the process, I lost my balance and toppled to the ground again.

“Are you okay?” mom asked, starting to come towards me. But then dad made some kind of low growl and got in front of mom and began to push at her with his nose, almost as though pushing her away from me. “What are you doing?” mom demanded of him. Then she paused and exclaimed, “Oh, of course… We should give him...her some privacy.” Dad gave a short growl of agreement while nodding his head. However, mom gave me another odd look and said, “I’ll see if I can find something for you to cover up with.”

A moment later, mom went inside while dad and Vivian wandered away to give me some privacy with my new body. I was grateful for that since I was damn curious about myself but couldn’t very well look myself over with them all standing around gaping.

I was about to get back up again when I noticed my feet. While standing, I hadn’t been able to see down past my breasts well enough to see them, though I certainly could from my current position. My feet were…not feet. My legs looked normal…for a very sexy woman, but at about the ankle they changed and I had a pair of black cloven hooves instead of feet.

I carefully got back to my feet, thinking that with feet like these and being so top heavy, it was no wonder that my balance was off so badly. I took several cautious steps, finding that it wasn’t quite as bad to walk as I’d feared. Still, I took my time as I made my way back into the house. Once I was inside, I immediately made my way to the bathroom so I could see what I now looked like. I was dying of curiosity.

When I was in the privacy of the bathroom, I locked the door and began to look over my new body. I alternated between looking at it directly and staring into the mirror. It was a bit of a shock when I actually saw my reflection.

Though I already knew that I was now female, it didn’t fully hit me until I saw myself. I looked like a wet dream come true. My body was mostly human looking, and that of an overly sexy girl. I had big round breasts, a thin waist, and an absolutely killer figure. In fact, my proportions leaned a little closer to a Barbie than to a real woman.

My face was gorgeous, in a dark and slightly scary way. My eyes were solid black, as black as two pools of ink. My lips were full and very kissable looking but were black as well, almost as though I was wearing black lipstick like some kind of goth. And when I opened my mouth to see the vampire fangs I could feel with my tongue, I saw that the skin inside was all black, including my tongue.

“Weird,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair.

My hair had turned raven black and had grown much longer so that it now hung to halfway down my back. When I moved my hair aside, I saw that my ears were pointed.

“I still look pretty human,” I thought aloud. “But I’m definitely not.”

I twitched my wings but kept from opening them all the way since there wasn’t room in the bathroom for that. The wings were a dark crimson color which seemed to turn black in a few spots. My tail…which looked almost like a classic devil’s tail was about the same color.

“Unbelievable,” I said, staring at my hands. They were feminine hands with sharp looking black nails that looked more like talons. I had a feeling that they could do some serious damage, especially since I had a feeling that they were much harder than human nails. “I’ve got claws.”

While I was examining my new body, I was fully aware of the fact that if I hadn’t known for certain that I’d change back with the sunrise, I’d REALLY be freaking out. But since I did know that, my curiosity was able to take over.

Once I’d looked myself over, I did it again, this time more slowly. I ran my hands over my skin, marveling at how smooth and flawless it was. When I reached my breasts, they immediately responded to my touch, as did my groin.

“Damn,” I moaned, feeling very horny.

One of my hands slipped down between my legs to feel my new equipment. It was already soaked down there and my touch felt fantastic. It was all I could do to pull my hand away and keep from actually playing with myself.

“What the hell am I?” I exclaimed in frustration. However, one more glance at my reflection in the mirror and I realized that I’d asked just the right question. I did appear to be something right out of hell. I appeared to have become some sort of demon. Then with a sigh, I said, “At least I’m a mythic.”

I left the bathroom, deciding that too much privacy might be dangerous to my self-control at the moment. When I did so, I found mom waiting in the living room for me.

I stared at her for a moment and suddenly realized that she looked shorter than normal. Mom was only two inches shorter than me which meant that when she wore heels, she was just a little taller. But now, she was wearing heels and I was still taller than her by a couple inches.

“So, I’m taller,” I mused in surprise. I hadn’t expected that. If anything, I would have thought that turning into a girl would have made me shorter. However, from standing next to my mom I had to estimate that I was between six foot and six foot two. “Wow, I feel tall…”

“It’s hard to believe that’s really you,” mom told me with a nervous smile. She stared at me for a moment and I could see the disappointment that I wasn’t going to be Touched like her. I couldn’t help but feeling a little disappointed by that as well. “I guess we’ll just have to get used to this since you’re going to be looking like this every full moon.”

“Yeah,” I responded self-consciously. “It feels pretty weird…” I looked down at myself and suddenly wondered if this was what a Time Lord felt like after regenerating.

“Well, I did get you something to wear,” mom said, holding up a bikini top. “This should be about your size and you’ll even be able to wear it with the wings.”

I nodded and accepted the garment with a wry smile. I wasn’t at all surprised that mom had a top in my size since she had a rather large collection of bras and such in different sizes.

“I couldn’t find anything that would fit,” she told me, gesturing to my lower half. “So, I had to improvise.”

A few minutes later, I was wearing mom’s bikini top, which was actually a pretty good fit. She was a pretty good judge of breast size and had been able to gauge mine with just a look. I also had a large towel wrapped around my waist and connected with a pin to make a quick and easy skirt.

“At least you’re decent now,” mom told me with a nod of approval.

After this, I went back outside and stretched my new wings. It felt sort of good to do so, though I made absolutely no effort to see if they’d really work or if they were just for show. Being able to fly might be pretty cool, but I already had enough to absorb without that.

Then I walked away from the house and the light provided around the porch. As I got further from the house, it got darker out. The moon was hidden behind a heavy cover of clouds so there was little light from that source. But in spite of that, my ability to see didn’t diminish at all. If anything, it got better.

I’d already noticed that even though I wasn’t wearing my glasses, I could see with a crystal clarity, without any of the usual blurriness. Now, it appeared that I could also see in the dark. I moved even further away from the house, going to the darkest parts of the field behind us and verifying that I could still see as though it was daylight.

“I guess that proves it,” I said, pausing to go back.

Then I noticed the fox that was creeping through the shadows, trying to follow me without being seen. I stared straight at Vivian for a moment and grinned to show that I saw her there. A moment later, I went back towards the house.

“So, I can see in the dark,” I mused to myself. “I don’t feel cold at all…in spite of the fact that I’m outside with almost nothing on. And I might even be able to fly. I wonder what else I can do.”

However, I didn’t feel like trying out much more of this at the moment. I was still trying to just get used to the idea of being a Were…of being a mythic…and being…whatever it was I’d become.

A couple hours later, Vivian came into the house and went back to the guest bedroom to curl up for the night at the foot of the bed. Dad went to the shed which had been set up for him on nights like this and would be a comfortable place for a bear to spend the night. Mom went to bed as well, leaving me the only one still up.

In spite of it being later than I usually stayed up, I felt perfectly wide awake. I suspected that this was because whatever I’d turned into, it was nocturnal.

I locked myself in my bedroom and tried to distract myself from the sensations coming from my body. My body felt pretty weird, but at the same time, it felt kind of good. It was hard to describe, though I knew it was more than just the vague horniness that I still felt. What I did know was that it would have been far too easy to start playing with myself, and I couldn’t let that happen. Not when there were two animals with very sharp senses hanging around nearby.

To distract myself from what I was feeling, as well as to get some answers, I spent several hours searching online to find out what I’d become. Lots of cultures had different myths and stories about demons and strange creatures that resembled sexy women. There was one such creature that I kept going back to.

“Succubus,” I whispered, thinking about my exaggerated sexy body, how I still felt horny, and of a strange craving that I was beginning to feel. “I’m a Were succubus.”

I woke up to the overwhelming sensations of my body transforming. In an instant, I went from sleep to wide awake, gasping as my flesh and bones reshaped themselves. I could feel my wings pulling back into my body and my breasts deflated as well. As I held my hands in front of me, I could see my nails becoming shorter and lighter. In just a minute, I was human once again.

“Frell,” I muttered, taking several deep breaths. “That is not a good way to wake up.”

Then I thought of last night, shaking my head as I remembered becoming a Were…turning into that creature. I was pretty sure I’d become a succubus, but it wasn’t like there were a lot of experts on succubi that I could ask to confirm that.

As I thought about that, I began to blush, feeling embarrassed as I remembered finally giving into my curiosity and playing with myself. It had felt good…REALLY good. I’d eventually fallen asleep doing that, and when I glanced to my clock, I realized that I’d slept for less than two hours.

“After waking up that way,” I muttered to myself in disgust, “I don’t think I can get back to sleep…”

Since my vision was back to being a little blurry, I put my glasses on and then wrapped my blanket around myself. I staggered out of my room and went to the bathroom to relieve myself, wondering if it was going to be like this every morning after I changed back.

“I only have to do it during the full moon,” I reminded myself. Of course, I could change on any other night if I wanted to, but it was only on the full moon that I’d have no choice. “At least I’m back to normal.”

It suddenly struck me that I was not only a Were but a mythic, the rarest kind of Were. And though that would normally be worth bragging about, I realized that I couldn’t very well do that. Even if I was a mythic, every guy would just laugh at me for becoming a succubus. I’d be a laughing stock.

When got to the bathroom, I dropped the blanked to the floor and then reached down to do my business. But to my surprise, I didn’t feel my equipment. I grabbed more firmly and suddenly realized that I didn’t feel any of it.

“What the…?” I started, bending over to look and letting out a loud gasp.

There was no sign of my bat and balls. Instead, there was a little mound down there with a slit…just like what I had last night. I was still a girl down there.

I snapped around to look in the bathroom mirror, gaping open mouthed at my reflection. I looked almost like myself…almost. My hair was now black and hung to about my shoulders, but other than that, I looked like a girl version of myself. I stared for only a few seconds and then screamed.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting in the living room, wearing a T-shirt and pair of shorts which normally fit perfectly but were now too loose. I sat there in silence, staring down at myself and the two small bumps pushing out of the front of my shirt.

There was no doubt that I was now a girl, though it made no sense. Weres changed back to normal during daylight…always. But for some reason, I had changed back to human but not fully to normal.

As soon as my mom had come running in to see what all the screaming was about, I found that I was now shorter than before. Last night, I’d been about 6 foot 1, but now I was only about 5 foot 6. My body was slender with small but perky breasts that were a large A cup or small B. They weren’t nearly as obvious at the monsters I’d had last night but I was definitely noticing them.

Everyone had gotten up, though I was actually more dressed than anyone else. All three of the adults were wearing robes, which seemed to be something of a requirement for Weres. In that case, I’d need to get one myself so I’d have something quick and easy to put on before and after my changes.

“This just isn’t possible,” dad exclaimed, staring at me in disbelief. “Weres always change back…”

“Maybe it’s some kind of side effect,” mom suggested. “Maybe it just got kind of stuck and he’ll finish changing back later…”

“It doesn’t work that way,” Vivian said, staring at me as well. “I’ve never heard of this happening.” Then she heisted a moment before saying, “Maybe it’s because of his Touched blood…”

Mom and dad gave each other a thoughtful look for a moment before they simultaneously looked at me. I felt self-conscious under their attention, more so than I had last night when I was changed.

“When we found out I was pregnant,” mom said after a moment, “we weren’t sure what would happen. Neither of us had ever heard of a Were and a Touched having a child together…”

“There aren’t very many mixed couples,” Vivian agreed. “I’ve seen plenty where one is a Were and the other human, but you’re the only ones I’ve ever met who were Were and Touched.”

“We’ve met a couple others,” dad told her with a weak smile. “But you’re right, there aren’t many around. We did ask around though and in every case we heard of, their children were either completely Were or completely Touched.”

“None of the children we heard about showed any complications from their mixed blood,” mom added.

“Then what’s wrong with me?” I blurted out in frustration. I pointed to my chest and spat out, “I was supposed to lose these when the sun came up.”

“At least you changed most of the way back,” Vivian said hopefully.

I rolled my eyes at that. Sure, at least I looked human now and could go out in public, but that didn’t exactly make me feel better. I was scared and confused so didn’t appreciate her ‘glass half full’ outlook very much.

“I’ll make some calls and see if anyone has heard of something like this happening before,” dad said.

“Me too,” Vivian added. “The group I work with has been tracking Were bloodlines. One of the others might have heard of someone not fully changing back.”

I spent the next few hours in my room, trying hard not to think of my female body and attempting to distract myself. It seemed funny, in a not so funny way, that I was doing the exact same thing I’d done last night. Between last night and this, I was able to finish the jigsaw puzzle that I’d been working on.

When lunch came, we were still without answers. Dad and Vivian had both made calls without any luck, though they insisted that we just needed to be patient.

“We need to give people time to get the message,” dad assured me gently. “And maybe do some research.”

“Being a succubus was weird,” I snapped in annoyance. “But at least I knew I’d change back to normal.”

Mom gave me a look of surprise. “A succubus? I thought you were some kind of demon.”

“Well, she certainly had the right build for a succubus,” Vivian muttered, giving me an odd look.

“Maybe I can change again tonight,” I exclaimed as an idea came to me. “Then I can change back again… Maybe I’m just stuck this way and changing back again will unstick me.”

“Maybe,” dad responded thoughtfully, rubbing at his chin as he considered that. “It would be worth a shot.”

“But what if he changes back a little less each time?” mom asked with a suddenly worried look. “If he changes enough times, he’d be stuck as a demon…a succubus permanently.”

I closed my eyes and groaned at that. “That wouldn’t be good…” Now I was too afraid of that possibility to even try my idea.

While I was sitting there with my eyes closed, trying to think of another idea, I suddenly realized that I could sense something…odd. I couldn’t make sense of what it was and when I mentally poked at it, I felt a warm tingling rush through my body.

A moment later, I felt my flesh and bones beginning to change again. I let out a loud gasp and suddenly all three of the adults froze and stared at me with looks of shock.

“I think I’m changing again,” I exclaimed.

“But that’s impossible,” Vivian protested weakly.

In spite of Vivian’s proclamation that this was impossible, my body continued to change. My clothes ceased being loose and became tighter, especially in my chest. I could feel my breasts swelling larger.

After only half a minute, the changes all stopped and I sat there feeling a little stunned. I jumped to my feet, realizing that I still had feet rather than hooves. A quick look back revealed no sign of my wings. In fact, my breasts looked to be about DD cup…quite a bit smaller than they’d been last night.

“I’m still human,” I said in realization.

My body had definitely changed again and from what I could see, I’d become taller, bustier, and sexier…but I hadn’t become a succubus. I just stared down at myself, feeling completely confused by this latest change.

“You…you just used magic,” mom exclaimed, staring at me in surprise and amazement. “You’re Touched.”

I stared back at mom and then down at myself, then said, “But I thought it was impossible to be both…”

“Apparently not,” mom responded with a wry smile. Then she reached for the phone and announced, “I think it’s time to call my sister…”

My aunt June was a very pretty woman, though she didn’t quite meet the level to be a model. She had a slender figure and breasts that were a little larger than what my mom’s were naturally, though of course, my mom could cheat. She had golden blond hair that went to her shoulder and was currently dressed in an outfit with a short skirt and somewhat revealing top, almost as though she was ready to go on a date.

Even though aunt June only looked to be I her mid-twenties, she was actually my mom’s older sister. Twelve years older. And in spite of her appearance, she was something of an expert which was why mom had called her for help.

“I came as soon as I could,” aunt June said, staring at me with a curious look.

“Thank you,” mom told her with a weak smile. “I appreciate it. So, how have things been going for you?”

“The same as usual,” aunt June responded with a grin and a shrug. “Every time I kiss a prince, he turns into a frog.”

Mom and aunt June both chuckled at that old joke. I heard it just about every time the two of them met up. It was a reference to aunt June’s talent of being able to turn people into frogs for a little while. Apparently, she’d first discovered this talent when she was having her first kiss and actually turned the boy into a frog.

“But it’s still fun trying to find the right prince,” aunt June added before turning her attention back to me. She reached out and gently touched my face, saying, “Is that really you Aaron?”

“Um…yeah,” I responded self-consciously.

Of course, I wasn’t quite as embarrassed as I would have been if she’d seen me last night or even a couple hours ago. After only an hour or so of being sexy and busty, my body had changed back to the plain girl version that I’d first been this morning.

“I’m sorry, honey,” aunt June told me with a wry look. “I’m sure this has to be a bit of a shock for you.”

“Last night was Aaron’s changing day,” mom told her. “He changed, proving that he’s a Were like his father. But this morning, he didn’t change back to normal…at least not all the way.”

“You mentioned that on the phone,” aunt June said, giving me an even odder look. “I’m afraid that I don’t really know much about Weres.”

“But this morning, he used magic,” mom explained. “I think he has a talent.”

“You have a talent too?” aunt June asked. “You’re both a Were and Touched?”

“We didn’t think it was possible,” dad said while Vivian nodded in agreement.

“We’ve never heard of anyone being both Were and Touched,” mom told her with a grimace. “I thought it was impossible...”

Aunt June gave me another curious look and mused, “Just because you’ve never heard of it happening before, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t.” Then she asked me, ”Can you show me your talent?”

I gulped at that. “Um…I’ve only had it happen once. I’m not sure if I can do it again…”

“Nonsense,” aunt June said with an amused look. “If you are touched, you should be able to use your talent without any problem.”

I scowled at that and then reminded myself that I’d have to show her everything if she was going to be able to help me. With that, I tried repeating what I’d done earlier by accident. I reached out for the magic and suddenly felt it kick in. My body was changing again.

My flesh rippled and changed, though I was getting used to it enough that I could actually pay attention to how I was changing. I especially paid attention to my breasts swelling larger, stopping at a DD cup size.

When I finished changing, I looked down at myself, already knowing exactly how I looked. After I’d changed like this earlier today, I’d checked myself out pretty well.

I was now 5 foot 10, a tiny bit taller than I was in my normal male form. My hair was still black but had grown longer and now touched my shoulder blades. And of course, I looked much prettier and sexier.

Then I adjusted my glasses self-consciously, annoyed that even though my body had changed so much, I still needed the glasses. I looked at aunt June to see her reaction of my new form.

“Sort of like your talent,” aunt June told my mom with a grin. “Instant makeover…”

“A little,” mom admitted. “I only make my breasts grow larger. Aaron seems to improve his entire body.”

“That depends on how you define the word improve,” I said, not bothering to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

“You’re definitely Touched,” aunt June said, giving me an amused look. Then she said, “Now tell me everything you can about his Were form and what happened…”

Since I was the one who’d gone through this, I was the one who explained what had happened and how I’d changed. I felt embarrassed as I described my other form and how I’d actually felt turned on while I was like that. However, I did neglect to mention that I’d actually played with myself. There were some things that were just too private.

“Very interesting,” aunt June mused thoughtfully when I was finished. “A succubus…” She shook her head, gave me a sympathetic look and said, “I have a few things I want to try…”

Aunt June reached into her purse and pulled out a crystal ball that was about the size of a baseball, then she reached in and pulled out several more items. I watched curiously, wondering what she had in mind.

“How in the world did you fit all that into that purse?” Vivian blurted out, giving the purse a suspicious look.

“Magic,” aunt June responded smugly.

“Her purse is bigger on the inside than the outside,” mom added, looking a little jealous.

“Sort of like a Tardis,” I explained.

“What’s a Tardis?” Vivian asked with a blank look.

“Something from one of Aaron’s old science fiction shows,” mom told her, giving me an amused look. “It always surprises me that Aaron is more interested in science fiction than something like Harry Potter…”

I just snorted at that. “Harry Potter is too much like reality. If you want something with real imagination, watch Doctor Who or Farscape…”

“Nevermind that,” aunt June said, looking like she was trying to keep from laughing. She handed me the crystal ball and said. “Concentrate on this…”

I held the sphere and concentrated on it like I’d been instructed and it began to glow blue. Aunt June nodded at that and then snatched the crystal ball out of my hand without saying a thing. She then used several of the crystals and amulets she’d pulled out of her purse, though I wasn’t really sure what any of them did.

When aunt June was finished, she looked at me and said, “I think I know why you can’t change back.”

“Go ahead,” dad said, obviously trying to remain patient though I could see the worry on his face.

“You are definitely Touched,” aunt June told me, her expression turning serious. “I’m guessing that you tapped into magic for the first time last night…maybe even while you were changing. As you know, the first time you draw on magic, it forms a pattern that is branded onto your being and which forms your talent. It appears that either your Were form influenced how your pattern formed…but admittedly, it could have been the other way around.”

“So, his turning into a…a succubus is why he gets…like that,” mom said, gesturing to me. I noticed her breast size increase a cup or so. She tended to use her talent like that almost unconsciously whenever she felt too outdone.

“But why didn’t he change back?” dad demanded, keeping his voice calm and quiet, but barely. “Why is Aaron still a girl?”

Aunt June was silent for a moment before she abruptly asked, “How much do you know about the magic class system?”

Dad gave her a blank look while Vivian responded, “Absolutely nothing.”

“Not a whole lot,” mom admitted. “Of course, I’ve heard of it, but I can’t pull enough magic to make it very relevant.”

Aunt June nodded at that and looked intently at me. “The amount of magic you can draw is measured on a scale of one through ten. Most Touched are only a class one or two. You have to be a class three before you have enough magic to do anything more than just your talent. It’s the very minimum level to become a sorceress…” She paused for a moment before adding, “You just measured as a class four. You have enough magic to become a sorcerer.”

“You’re kidding,” I blurted out, staring at aunt June in surprise. “Me…a sorcerer?”

For the touched, being a sorcerer was a little like being a Mythic, though not quite as rare. About one out of every ten Touched could draw enough magic to become one, though unlike the special talents that they…that we have, using sorcery requires a lot of training.

“But what does that have to do with his being a girl?” dad asked in frustration.

Mom stared at me with a sinking look and then she looked to aunt June. “I think I know. It’s one of those sorcerer’s marks…isn’t it.”

“I think so,” aunt June said, looking just a little sad.

“What’s a sorcerer’s mark?” I demanded, getting even more worried than before because of the way mom and aunt June were acting.

“Sometimes, when a Touched is able to draw enough magic,” aunt June began to explain, “it does more than just give them the pattern for their talent. Sometimes the extra magic causes unexpected side effects. They used to say that these side effects mark you as a sorcerer. They’re sorcerer’s marks.”

“What?” I demanded, grabbing my breasts and grimacing. “These are side effects? I thought these were from my talent…”

“Well, they are,” aunt June told me with a sigh. “But I think the reason you stayed as a girl is that it’s a sorcerer’s mark. Obviously, influenced by your Were form and talent.”

I stared at her with a sinking feeling as I asked, “Is this going to wear off?”

“I don’t know,” aunt June admitted. “Every sorcerer’s mark is different.” She paused to give me a wry smile and added, “Mine is that my eyes tend to glow when I get…excited.” Then she blushed a little and before saying, “Probably not.”

I stared at aunt June, feeling like my heart was jumping into my throat. Then I slowly looked down at myself and the bulges which pushed out from my shirt, muttering, “Frak.”

I sat on the edge of my bed, silently staring at the alarm clock. At this time last night, I’d been a sexy demon girl and had been filled with shock and curiosity. But now, I just felt numb with an underlying sense of dread.

One of my hands went to my chest and felt the small breasts that I now possessed. I was back in my normal girl form since my sexy girl form seemed to wear off after only an hour or so. Unfortunately, this form didn’t seem to wear off at all. I still hadn’t changed back to being a boy.

The last twenty-four hours had been a swirl of shock and discovery. I’d discovered that I was both Were and Touched, and more than that, I was a mythic and a potential sorcerer. Unfortunately, those things came with some serious downsides.

“I’m a girl,” I said, still having a hard time believing it even though I’d had to sit down to pee all day long.

It seemed absolutely ridiculous that my Were form was a succubus, a ridiculously sexy demon girl. That was a bit embarrassing but it wouldn’t have been too bad since I’d only have to deal with it once a month. However, I then find that my Touched talent is that I can make myself temporarily become a sexy human girl. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I discover that I have sorcerer level potential, and as a side effect of that, I end up being stuck as a girl even when I’m not using my talent or my Were form.

Vivian had been absolutely amazed that I was both Were and Touched, but once she realized that all of my weirdness beyond the succubus thing was a result of being Touched, she’d decided there was nothing more she could do and had left. However, aunt June had decided to stick around for a bit longer and had moved into the guest bedroom that Vivian had left.

“What in the world am I going to do?” I muttered in frustration. “I can’t be a girl for good.”

I closed my eyes and I could feel it inside of me. I could feel my link to the magic that gave me my Touched abilities. I knew that with just a thought, I could call on my talent and become sexy again. However, I could feel more than just that.

I could feel the succubus inside of me, hiding just beneath the skin. It would be so easy to let her back out, to transform once again. That would put even my sexy human form to shame and I knew that it wouldn’t take any more effort. I held back from doing either.

After another minute, I decided that I couldn’t really put it off any longer. I was already late getting to bed and knew that I’d have to climb under the covers sooner or later. I just snorted at the idea of actually being able to fall asleep.

“And to think,” I reminded myself with a snort. “Yesterday, I didn’t know if I’d rather be a Were or Touched. Now I’m both.” I began undressing as I muttered, “Be careful what you wish for.”

I turned off the light and then climbed under the covers where I remained for a long time, my mind still going too much for me to fall asleep. Eventually, I began to feel my small but perky breasts, holding them in my hands and wondering if I’d ever get used to having these.

“At least I’m not too big,” I muttered, knowing that it would probably be a pain I was stuck as big as I was when I used my talent…or worse yet…when I went succubus.

Still, it felt kind of nice to touch my nipples and nowhere near as overpowering as it had been while I was a succubus. They were definitely more sensitive than normal though. I reached down between my legs to feel my new equipment, feeling very self-conscious as I did.

In spite of the placement of my hands, I wasn’t really masturbating. Instead, I was just feeling my new parts and trying to absorb the fact that they were even there. How long would it even take to get used to having them?

Then, out of curiosity, I reached for my talent and flipped the mental switch. My body once again began to shift and change, becoming taller and sexier. I went from a plain and slightly nerdy looking girl to one who was a total babe, all in about half a minute.

My breasts definitely felt larger in my hands, and to my surprise, more sensitive. In almost no time at all, my nipples were hard and poking into the palms of my hands. My new equipment was responding as well, getting warm and wet.

“Damn,” I muttered, becoming even more self-conscious as well as excited.

When I’d started feeling myself up like this, I hadn’t intended to play with myself. All I’d wanted to do was get a feel for my changes. However, that intention was quickly slipping away, especially as I remembered how good it had felt last night as a succubus.

For a brief moment, I considered changing again, turning into a succubus like I had last night. But then I decided against it since that would just be too much. Still, I couldn’t help but wondering what would happen if I used my talent while I was in succubus form. Maybe I’d have to try it and see some time…but just not now.

I continued playing with myself, loving how good it felt but also feeling guilty as well. The orgasm, when I finally came, was much better than it normally was when I jacked off as a guy, but afterwards, I couldn’t help but feeling even more conflicted.

In spite of my current body, I was a guy inside and it just felt wrong to play with my girl parts this way. It felt almost like I was being gay or betraying my male self. It was probably a bit silly, but that was the way I felt.

“I don’t care what aunt June says,” I told myself before finally drifting off to sleep. “There has to be a way to change back.”

I felt self-conscious at being out in public for the first time as a girl and I kept glaring at mom and aunt June, blaming them for dragging me here to the mall. They said it was to get me some clothes to fit my new body, but I secretly suspected a conspiracy to humiliate me.

As I walked through the mall, I felt as though everyone was staring at me, and that at any moment someone would point me out as a fraud or a crossdresser. I knew that this was mostly just my imagination and a little paranoia. In reality, they were more likely to call me a tomboy.

At the moment, I was in what seemed to be my ‘normal’ girl form, a female version of my usual self. I was kind of cute but certainly no bombshell. Of course, that could be changed with little more than a thought, but I was already self-conscious enough and didn’t want any more attention.

“We’re going to need a variety of clothes,” mom said thoughtfully. “We’ll need things to fit you as you are now since this seems to be your default, but we’ll need some things for when you use your talent as well.”

“And perhaps for his…her Were form,” aunt June commented thoughtfully.

“Good point,” mom agreed. “That one will be a little more difficult to find things to fit for.”

“Come on,” I snapped in annoyance, blushing brightly as mom gestured to a lingerie store. “You guys didn’t even try changing me back to normal…” I glared at aunt June and insisted, “There has to be some kind of spell.”

“Not really,” aunt June started, but she hesitated so I knew she was hiding something.

“There is a spell,” I exclaimed, glaring at her suspiciously. “Why didn’t you try it?”

Mom looked to aunt June and asked, “Is Aaron right?”

“Well,” aunt June responded with a shrug. “Yes and no.”

Mom and I both glared at aunt June so she let out a sigh. “There is a possibility, but I didn’t mention it because I’m pretty sure it won’t work and I don’t work to get your hopes up.”

“What do you mean?” mom asked with a scowl.

“There are spells to change a person’s gender,” aunt June answered. “I don’t have any of them, but I can get my hands on one fairly easily. The problem is, any of the ones I would be able to cast would only be for a temporary gender change…for an hour or so. But I’m afraid even that might not work well for Aaron.”

“Why not?” I demanded impatiently.

“Because your sorcerer’s mark is branded to your being the same way your talent is,” aunt June explained. “Sorcerer’s marks tend to…resist any attempts to remove them. They overwhelm any spells that would change them. Because of that, I could use a spell to change you back into a boy…but it might not work at all. It might only work for five minutes before your sorcerer’s mark caused the spell to break. And even if it did work, it would only be for an hour or two. I’ve already contacted a friend to give me a copy of the spell so we could try, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“So, even if the spell works perfectly,” mom said grimly, “Aaron will still be a girl.”

“His…her sorcerer’s mark means that she’s now female by default,” aunt June agreed.

I stared at aunt June and then down at myself. I wasn’t sure why I suddenly had this cold lump in my stomach because aunt June had already told me yesterday that this would probably be permanent. It wasn’t like this was news. Of course, she’d said that there was a possibility that the spell could turn me back into a guy…at least for short periods. It wasn’t much to hope for but I did.

“Then either way, we still need new clothes,” mom said with a sigh. “Though I do wish you would have told me this earlier.”

We continued our shopping trip, though it was something of a nightmare for me since all three of us had different ideas of what kind of clothes to buy. I wanted jean and T-shirts, the same kind of stuff I always wore. If I was stuck being a girl, I wanted to at least be a tomboy.

Mom, on the other hand, thought that I needed girl clothes that would look ‘cute’ on me. I had to protest vehemently when she tried getting me a pink jacket or a shirt with butterflies on it. But as bad as mom was, aunt June was even worse. She thought that I shouldn’t just look like a girl but that I should try to look like a woman. She wanted makeup and clothes that would show off my feminine curves, especially when I was in my sexier form.

By the time we stopped off at the food court for lunch, I was already exhausted and we still had more things to get. I shuddered at the idea of getting a bra, which was where mom and aunt June both insisted we go next. Of course, I already knew that aunt June would push for the sexy and lacy lingerie that would make me die of embarrassment.

“I’ve been thinking,” aunt June said while we ate.

Mom immediately responded, “That must be a novel experience.” The two of them glared at each other for a moment and then burst into giggles.

“I mean, this is going to cause problems with going back to school,” aunt June said. “You can’t very well explain the overnight sex change to a normal.”

“Oh God,” mom exclaimed with a look of horror. “I hadn’t even thought about that…”

“I have,” aunt June told her with a serious look. “I was thinking, Aaron should probably go to the Academy.”

“The Academy?” I asked in surprise.

Of course, I’d heard of the Academy before. It was some kind of private school just for the Touched. For the most part, Touched kids already knew how to control their talents perfectly well before going, so it was less about teaching them magic and more about giving them a place where they could be themselves. It was a place where Touched kids could be with other Touched kids and learn about the culture and history of our people.

I’d never even been certain if I was going to be Touched or not, so going to the Academy had never been a serious consideration. I’d always thought that even if I did turn out to be Touched, I’d just continue going to my regular school. It would have been a lot easier, and admittedly, I wouldn’t have to move away from my family.

“The Academy would probably be the best place for you right now,” aunt June told me. “They have experience dealing with unique situations.”

I just snorted at that. “Yeah, this is definitely unique.”

“There are probably only a couple dozen hybrids in the entire world,” aunt June agreed. “As far as I know, you’re the only one to have fully inherited both sides.”

“Lucky me,” I responded, rolling my eyes.

“Well,” mom told me with a faint smile. “You are a mythic and it looks like you can also draw enough magic to be a sorcerer. That sounds pretty lucky to me.”

“Speaking of which,” aunt June said, putting her hand on mine and staring me in the eyes. “That is another reason you should go to the Academy. And if you do decide to attend the sorcerer’s course…I would be honored to be your sponsor.”

I stared at aunt June, a little surprised by her offer since I knew what it meant. It meant that she was offering to take care of my financial needs at the Academy. That she was offering to give up a lot of time and effort to go to the Academy and tutor me. And it meant that for all practical terms, she was asking me to become her apprentice.

“I…,” I started but my throat suddenly felt dry. I gulped and answered, “I’d like that.”

I lightly pounded my head on the dinner table, groaning in frustration. When I was done with that, I let out a long sigh and put my glasses back on.

“Are you done now?” aunt June asked me with an amused look.

“For now,” I responded. “But I reserve the right to release my frustrations at any time. I think next time I’ll try for a primal scream.”

“Just give me warning before you do,” she told me, now smirking.

I just let out a sigh and said, “I never thought I’d have to study just so I could get ready to go to school…”

“Well, you are coming into the semester a little late,” aunt June explained for the third or fourth time. “I’m just trying to get you caught up a bit before you get there.”

I nodded at that, knowing what she meant but still not liking it. Ever since I’d agreed to go to the Academy yesterday, aunt June had been drilling me on all the kinds of things I’d learn in order to get me ready. Yesterday had been mostly Touched history and the theory of how magic worked. Now she was starting up into sorcery.

“Every touched has a talent,” aunt June explained, slipping into lecture mode. “The first time you touch the source of magic, it forms a pattern on your being. That pattern is the blueprint for the effects your magic will have. All you have to do is draw magic energy through your pattern and you get your talent…a single spell you can cast at will.”

“And I got one that makes me look like a bimbo,” I muttered, knowing it was a bit of an exaggeration. It made me look hot and busty, but at least I didn’t look stupid when I used my talent.

“Most women would kill for that talent,” aunt June responded with a faint smile. “I was always jealous of Helen’s talent. Being able to turn people into frogs has its uses, but it doesn’t do much to help you get a guy.”

“I do have a good talent,” mom said as she stepped into the room and looked us over. “But don’t act like you’re jealous of me. You’re a sorceress and look over twenty years younger than you are.” Mom gave aunt June a look of envy.

“There are benefits to being a sorceress,” aunt June told me with a broad grin. “Lots of them.”

“Like being able to copy anyone else’s talents,” mom said with a sigh. “Or being able to live forever.”

“Not forever,” aunt June corrected her with a smug look. “Just a bit longer.” Then she turned to me and said, “The more powerful you are as a sorceress, the longer you can extend your life. I’ll probably live to be three or four hundred…assuming nothing happens to me first.”

I stared at aunt June, having known that her magic let her slow her aging quite a bit but I hadn’t realized just how much it would add to her life span. Then I understood what she was really trying to tell me, that I might be able to live a lot longer as well.

“Wow,” I finally said.

“Now go away,” aunt June told mom with a shooing gesture. “We’re trying to work here.”

Once mom had left the room again, aunt June continued her lecture. “Most Touched can only pull enough magic to use their talent. The thing that makes a sorceress different is that we can pull more magic. And since we have extra magic to play around with, there are a lot of things we can do with it. We can create new patterns to guide the magic and create other effects than those our talents give us. Admittedly, most of these spells were originally copied from other people’s talents.”

For the next hour, aunt June told me a lot about the theory of how magic could be made into different spells while I listened intently. Most of what she was telling me was old information, things I’d picked up from her and mom while growing up. However, she was giving me more details and putting it together in ways that I hadn’t really considered before.

“But if it can take an hour to cast a spell this way,” I asked her in confusion. “Then what good is it?” Then I quickly added, “Besides, I’ve seen you cast spells immediately.”

“No,” aunt June told me with a smile. “What you’ve seen me do is invoke a spell.”

I was confused for a moment and then remembered her showing off some of her magic to me when I was a kid. “This is because of those token things you told me about, isn’t it?”

“Right,” she told me, looking pleased. “You can cast a spell, then right as you finish, you can sort of freeze dry it for later. You can store it into some kind of physical item that we call a token. Then when you’re ready, you can sort of add water and use the spell.”

With that, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small stack of white business cards and set them on the table in front of me. I picked them up and noticed that instead of having her name on the cards, they had various words on them such as ‘BE’ or ‘Escape Clause’.

“These are some of my tokens,” aunt June explained. “Paper is one of the most common things that sorcerers use to make tokens out of.”

“So these are all spells,” I mused, more thinking aloud than asking since I already knew the answer.

“This one,” aunt June said, tapping her perfectly manicured nail onto the card that said ‘Escape Clause’, “is a spell to get away from trouble. It teleports me about twenty yards away from wherever I am. It’s hard to really control though so I’ll only use it in an emergency.”

“And this one?” I asked, pointing to the card that said ‘BE’.

“That stands for Breast Expansion,” aunt June responded with a smirk. “It has a copy of your mom’s talent in it…” With that, she picked up the card and said, “Abra kadabra.”

Suddenly, the business card crumbled to ash in aunt June’s hand and a second later her chest started to swell larger. She only grew a couple cup sizes, but it was definitely noticeable since she always dressed to show off her assets.

“See,” aunt June said smugly. “All I have to do is activate the token and it releases the spell.”

I was used to mom’s breasts suddenly growing so this wasn’t really all that impressive. Still, knowing that this wasn’t her talent but that she had done it with a spell did make it more interesting.

“Not all of my tokens are paper,” aunt June told me, still smirking a bit. “I mean, paper is easy to use but it gets destroyed when you do. If you know how, you can make permanent tokens…ones you can use over and over again.” She tapped the gold bracelet on her wrist and said, “Most of my jewelry doubles as tokens, holding a spell in it.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise, noting that aunt June usually wore a decent amount of jewelry.

“Sure,” she responded with a grin. “In the old days, they used to use staffs and wands the same way, but I find jewelry is MUCH more fashionable.”

“So, you can make tokens out of just about anything?” I asked, growing more and more curious about these tokens.

Aunt June looked thoughtful for a moment before responding, “Just about, though it takes special preparation to make ones that can be reused.” Then she fingered her bracelet as she continued, “Oh, and some people believe that you have to hand make the tokens yourself as some sort of art piece for them to work right. Personally, I think that is mostly elitist hogwash.”

“I guess that’s good,” I told her with a wry smile. “I’m not exactly very artistic.”

“Me either,” she admitted. “At least not with that kind of thing. My art is more in the performance…”

I nodded at that and said, “Which is why you’re a stage magician.” Then I frowned as I considered something. “Since you have real magic, why aren’t you working a big show in Vegas?”

“Because the other sorcerers would never allow it,” aunt June pointed out, her expression serious. “We Touched still have to keep quiet about what we really are, especially after we went through so much trouble to convince normal that we don’t even exist. Most normals probably wouldn’t take news of our existence very well. Think witch burnings. I can use magic in public, as long as everyone thinks it’s just a trick. But if I get too much attention or too much notice…” She shuddered at that. “Let’s just say, I occasionally make some intentional mistakes every couple shows in order to throw off any possible suspicion.”

“Now back to tokens,” aunt June said, stirring me back to the topic she was trying to lecture me on.

We continued talking about the different types of tokens and how to use them for the next hour or two. Aunt June even suggested that I start thinking about what kind of tokens I might want to use. Of course, I’d already begun doing that the moment she’d shown off her own.

“Before you go to the Academy,” aunt June finally told me. “I want you to be able to cast at least a basic spell. It’ll take a few days to finish getting all the paperwork done, so we’ll keep practicing until then.”

“Okay,” I responded with a sigh.

Though I’d been looking forward to learning magic, I hadn’t realized just how much work it would take. And even more, I hadn’t expected aunt June to be the one to push me at it. She’d always been the fun and laid back aunt, but I had a feeling that I was going to be seeing a whole different side to her now.

I stared at aunt June for a moment and took a deep breath before broaching the topic that I’d been thinking about since yesterday at the mall. “You said that you could get a spell to try changing me into a guy again…”

“I don’t have it yet,” she assured me with a slight frown. “But I assure you, we’ll try it out as soon as I get a copy of it. Now be patient…and don’t get your hopes up.”

“I’m not,” I lied.

Aunt June gave me a skeptical look at that. “Well, until the spell arrives, you should probably try getting used to your new body.” Then she gave me a mischievious look and said, “I want you to use your talent.”

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“The more time you spend in your enhanced form,” she explained, “the less dramatic your normal one will seem.”

I snorted at that and responded, “By that logic, I should be spending all my time as a succubus.”

“Not a bad idea,” she teased. “But for now, I think your normal enhanced form should do.”

For a moment, I just glared at aunt June, then I grumbled for a moment before activating my talent. A moment later, I felt my body beginning to shift and change again. My clothes, which had fit perfectly, now became tight on me, especially across the chest.

“Oh frell,” I blurted out. My bra had already been uncomfortable, but now it was painfully tight.

I glared at aunt June again while she just laughed, then I hurried to my bedroom to change clothes. A few minutes later, I came back wearing clothes that were the right size for my current form. I gave aunt June yet another glare while she just smirked.

“I suppose you’ll have to think ahead,” aunt June told me, making no attempt to hide her amusement. “This is exactly why I always say a woman needs to have multiple outfits handy.”

“Bite me,” I grumbled, knowing that my voice had changed along with my appearance. It now had a sexier and more feminine quality about it. I suddenly realized that if I said that to a guy while looking the way I did right then, he might very well try to taking me up on it.

Aunt June just looked me over and nodded. “Not bad. You really do make a beautiful young woman you know. You’d look even better though if you dressed up for it and used a little makeup…”

“Aunt June,” I protested in horror at the idea.

“Don’t worry,” she told me with a smile. “I won’t make you do that…yet. But from now on, I want you to use this form when we’re working together. I think it will help you get used to having a female body…and help you get over the distraction it may cause when we’re working magic.”

I stared at aunt June in horror, suddenly regretting my agreement for her to be my sponsor. “Mom,” I called out loudly for the only help I could get, “Aunt June is trying to make me look like a slut…”

“You won’t get any help there,” aunt June said with an even bigger smirk than the one she’d already had. “Helen and I made an agreement that she won’t interfere in how I teach you magic. Now sit down missy because I have a lot more to teach you.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” I announced as I stepped into the living room where aunt June was waiting for me.

I was currently in my enhanced form, wearing jeans and a T-shirt with the words ‘I Aim to Misbehave’ written across the front. Just a short time ago, I’d shown up for our morning lessons, only to find that she was standing by her pronouncement from yesterday. She refused to begin the lessons until I changed into my sexier form. That meant not only a change of body, but also a change of clothes.

I glared at aunt June, not being very happy with her at the moment. I was uncomfortable with being a girl in the first place and it felt like she was rubbing my face in it. She seemed to take a strange delight in making me stay as the sexy version of my new self, much to my embarrassment.

But in spite of how self-conscious I was like this, I wasn’t about to miss my lessons with aunt June, especially not today. Aunt June had promised to teach me how to actually cast a real spell before I left for the Academy, and since I was supposed to leave for the Academy tomorrow, that meant we’d be doing it today. I was pretty excited about that.

“Much better,” aunt June declared with an approving nod. “Now we can begin.” She stood up from where she’d been sitting on the couch and announced, “I have something special for today…”

“You’re going to teach me to cast a spell,” I said eagerly.

“In a bit,” she responded with an amused look. “I have something else first.”

Aunt June picked up a small stack of papers and then went out the back door. I followed her into a spot in the back yard that was well away from the house. There was a circle drawn on the ground with powdered chalk and inside of it there were some lines and symbols drawn. I immediately recognized this as a spell circle since aunt June had told me all about them yesterday, even drawing diagrams as examples.

A spell circle was simply a place where a spell was made. The circle marked a border to contain loose magic while all the lines and symbols inside were the blueprint and guide for how to actually build the spell. According to aunt June, if you really knew what you were doing, you could make a spell without all that stuff, but otherwise it was really useful for showing you how to form the right magical pattern.

“To start with,” aunt June said, looking over the papers she’d brought with her. “I’m going to cast a spell and I want you to stand back and watch. Pay attention to the magic like I showed you yesterday and see how I’m forming the pattern. Don’t worry if you get lost. This spell is a fairly complicated one and well above what I’m going to start you with.”

Aunt June began casting a spell, saying the strange sounding words which I now knew were not really necessary but were basically just her reciting the instructions aloud. I stood back and watched intently as she gathered magical energy and formed it into a pattern, following the guides she’d drawn in the circle. It was interesting but hard to follow, and after ten minutes, I was starting to get bored.

Aunt June continued working this spell for over half an hour, and just as she finished it, she suddenly did something else and I saw all the magic vanish. She held up a business card in her hand and I could somehow sense the magic tied to it. Aunt June had not just cast a spell but she’d also placed it into a token.

“That always takes a bit out of me,” aunt June confided to me, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Now what?” I asked, looking to the token she now held in her hand.

“Now, we test it,” she responded with a grin.

I nodded at that, more than eager to see her test it. After all, I’d just watched her spend half an hour casting the spell so I was dying to know what it actually did.

“So, what does it do?” I asked.

“This is the spell you’ve been waiting for,” aunt June answered, giving me a serious look. “A friend just sent it to me last night and I’ve been preparing to cast it for you.”

“That can change me back into a guy?” I gasped, nearly jumping with excitement.

“It MIGHT,” aunt June cautioned me. “Remember, I already told you that it probably won’t work very well. Still, it can’t hurt to try so cross your fingers.”

I made a show of crossing my fingers and then braced myself as aunt June held out the card and exclaimed, “Abra kadabra.”

I immediately felt the now familiar sensation of my body changing. My flesh and bones once again began to shift and reshape, though this time I was thankful for it. My breasts deflated until they were gone and before I knew it, I was male again. My clothes were uncomfortable on me, especially the bra I was still wearing, but I was beyond ecstatic.

“YES,” I exclaimed, grabbing my flat chest and grinning like an idiot. “I’m me again…”

“You were always you,” aunt June pointed out with a chuckle.

“I mean I’m a guy again,” I responded, sticking out my tongue.

“Remember,” she reminded me, “this isn’t permanent. This is just a temporary gender change spell and your sorcerer’s mark might make it even more so.”

“But maybe it reset everything,” I argued. “Maybe I’ll stay this way.”

Aunt June gave me a look that suggested I was being foolish but she didn’t say anything. But just ten minutes later, the spell wore off and I quickly found myself changing again. When it was over, I was back to my plain girl form rather than the enhanced one I’d been before using the spell.

“No,” I cried out, staring down at myself in disappointment.

Aunt June didn’t say ‘I told you so’, though she did give me a sympathetic look. Instead, she said, “Let’s try it again with you in your base form.”

When aunt June cast the spell for a second time, I paid even closer attention. Now that I knew what this spell was for, I had a very strong interest in it.

“Now, let’s try this again,” aunt June said when she was finished. She gestured to me with the newly made token and repeated the same activation words she usually used. “Abra kadabra.”

My body began changing yet again, though this time I had less breast size to lose than the last. In half a minute, I was back to my male form again. However, I was less excited about it this time because I knew that it really wouldn’t last.

“Please stay this way,” I prayed to whatever god looked over the Touched. Unfortunately, whatever god it was didn’t appear to be listening because I changed back ten minutes later.

“I’m sorry,” aunt June told me sympathetically. “It looks like you’ll just have to get used to this.”

“But maybe if we try using the spell while I’m already a guy,” I suggested out of desperation.

Aunt June gave me a steady look and said, “It won’t work and I’m not going to spend the entire day casting that spell for you…not when we have more work to do.”

“But…” I started.

“I’ll make more tokens later on,” she promised. “But for now, I still have some things to teach you.”

After a moment, I reluctantly nodded at that. Still, I couldn’t resist looking to the spell circle she’d been working out of and sighing. That spell might not do much right now, but it could still be the key to changing me back into a guy. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to learn how to cast that one.

Then I looked down at myself again and thought of the clothes I was wearing which were too large and loose for my current body. With that, I reached for my talent and felt my body changing again. At least this way my clothes would fit.

“Okay,” I finally said, looking to aunt June. “What next?”

“I think that’s enough for today,” aunt June pronounced.

“Just one more time,” I pleaded, feeling tired but eager to continue.

It was nearly time to go in for dinner and I’d spent the entire day learning magic with aunt June. Though I was disappointed that the attempt to turn me back into a guy had failed this morning, the rest of the day had been great. Aunt June had shown me how to read some of the diagrams that were used to make spell circles and I’d practiced making one myself, making it a half dozen times before she’d even let me try casting the spell. That had taken a few tries before I got it right and was able to cast my first spell. I’d then cast it two more times since then and was ready to do so yet again.

“You might be able to keep going,” aunt June told me with an amused look. “But I’m tired.”

“I just never though it would take so much work just to light a candle,” I told her, proud that I’d managed to accomplish something so simple. Of course, doing it with magic had been a lot more complicated than doing it with a lighter.

“That’s usually one of the first spells any sorcerer learns,” aunt June told me, not for the first time. “It’s one of the easiest to perform.” Then she continued the lecture as we walked back to the house. “Elemental spells and talents are pretty primal. They tend to be some of the simplest and easiest to learn, but they can also be some of the most powerful.”

I nodded at that and asked, “What about the spell to turn me back into a boy?”

Aunt June hesitated a moment before answering. “Transformation spells are a bit more difficult. Their patterns are a lot more complicated and they tend to use a lot more magical energy.”

“Oh,” I responded with a sigh of disappointment.

“You’ll get up to that level eventually,” she assured me. But for some reason, I had a feeling that there was something she wasn’t saying.

Dad met us at the door as we went back into the house. “How did it go,” he asked me with a smile. Of course, he’d already come out and checked up on us every hour or so and he’d even watched me cast the spell one of the times.

“Pretty good,” I told dad with a grin. “I actually got to do a magic spell…”

“Just a very basic one,” aunt June assured him. “We’ll get to more complicated ones at the Academy. They have a lot more resources there for us to train with.”

Then as aunt June walked away, dad gave me a hug and said, “I’m proud of you Aaron…” He pulled away a moment later, looking self-conscious. He gave me an odd look and told me, “This is a little difficult to get used to…”

“You have a difficult time getting used to it?” I responded with a snort. “I have frakking boobs.”

Dad gave a weak chuckle at that. “I guess it is a lot more difficult for you.” Then he gave me an odd look before saying, “I know you’re excited to be using magic and learning to be a sorcerer…sorceress…” He paused at that, suddenly uncertain of the right gender to use for me. “I’m happy that you found something good about your situation and I’m proud of you. But I want you to remember that you’re not just Touched. You’re also a Were.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “I know.”

“I just don’t want you to neglect that part of yourself,” dad told me. “You’re a Were…a mythic. You should be proud of that.”

“But it’s…embarrassing,” I said, thinking of my other form.

“Maybe so,” dad responded with a weak chuckle. “But it is a part of who you are now. You’ll need to get used to it and learn to accept it.”

“It’s weird enough learning to be a normal girl,” I told him with a shudder.

“A lot of Weres have difficulty accepting their other form at first,” dad admitted. “Sometimes they think it makes them less human, or they’re self-conscious about becoming something less than glamorous. But your other form is going to be with you for the rest of your life so you’ll need to come to terms with it.” Then he gave me another hug and said, “You should be proud of it.”

“I’ll try,” I promised with a sigh. It was easier to like the idea of being a mythic when I thought it would be something like a dragon or pegasus, not when it was something I wouldn’t dare admit to anyone else.

“Good,” dad said with a grin, putting a hand on my shoulder and saying, “Now, your mom got home from work early to start preparing dinner…and she’s going all out.”

My eyes lit up at that and I began to drool, knowing that I could expect some great eating tonight. When mom went all out, it was like eating at a high end restaurant. And though my mom wasn’t a pastry chef, she certainly wasn’t a slouch in the dessert department either.

Dinner proved to be just as good as I’d expected, if not even better. Mom had fixed several of my favorites, including a toffee chocolate mousse for dessert. Of course, this was meant to be my farewell dinner to celebrate my leaving for the Academy. In a way, it also felt as though it was my last meal.

Though I was excited about the idea of learning magic and becoming a sorcerer, I was actually scared about leaving my home and family to go to a strange place where I didn’t know anyone. It was only the knowledge that aunt June would be showing up quite often that kept me from changing my mind and refusing to go. Of course, I was a bit embarrassed about my fears and didn’t say anything.

“Oh, Vivian called me,” dad said while we ate. “She’d been asking around about Weres who’ve been stuck…”

“Yeah?” I asked, taking a bite of my meal but not taking my eyes from dad.

“There have been a few Weres who didn’t change back,” dad told me. “Or who kept some of their animal traits. But almost every time, it was a result of an encounter with some Touched.”

“Magic interfering with the Were transformation,” aunt June mused. “I’m guessing most of those times were due to curses.”

Dad nodded at that. “So Vivian said. But she did have one exception. There was a man who turned into a panda, and for some reason, he had the power to change during the day as well as at night.”

“That’s unusual,” mom commented.

“According to Vivian,” dad continued, “she looked into it a little more and found out that he wasn’t just a Were. He was a hybrid.”

“Then being able to change during the day might have been his talent,” aunt June said with a look of realization. She glanced to me and said, “His talent was derived from his Were form…just as yours seems to be.”

“So I’m not the first one to be both,” I said, feeling a little relieved at that.

“Apparently not,” dad agreed.

“There may have been more,” aunt June mused. “I imagine some might not want to stand out so might hide their Were nature or their Touched nature, pretending to be just one or the other rather than both.”

“It could be,” dad agreed. “But right now, it’s only a theory.”

After that, dad and aunt June continued talking about this for the rest of the meal while mom and I just listened and ate. It was nice to know that I wasn’t a complete freak, there had been other hybrids who were both Were and Touched and had the gifts of both. Unfortunately, it didn’t do me much good since I couldn’t talk to anyone else like me.

Once dinner was over and the sun had set, dad patted his stomach and told mom, “Great dinner honey.” Then he made a bit of a show of stretching and announced, “I’m going to go get some fresh air.”

I watched dad go out the back door, knowing fully well that ‘going to go get some fresh air’ was a euphemism for saying he was going to turn into a bear and wander around in the back field. He did this at least once a week, though I always thought it was an excuse to avoid doing dishes.

As I thought about dad going out to wander about as a bear, I remembered what he’d told me earlier about needing to get in touch with my Were side. I frowned at that, not liking the idea of turning into a succubus again with other people around to see, but admitting that he had a point. I wouldn’t have as many opportunities to explore that other form once I left for the Academy either, which meant tonight would probably be my last chance for awhile.

Without saying a word, I got up and went to my bedroom and locked the door behind me. Once I’d done that, I muttered, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” and reached for my Were side. It was like flipping a mental switch, very similar to how I used my talent in some ways. It was only then that I realized that I’d forgotten to change out of my clothes first.

My body immediately began to transform again and my clothes, which were just the right size for my plain female form, quickly became too tight and began pinch painfully. My quickly swell breasts strained my shirt to the breaking point and then beyond as the garment burst at the seams. I let out a faint gasp of relief at that even as my pants began to tear as well.

“Frell,” I hissed out in disgust.

I’d just gotten those clothes a couple days ago and I’d really liked that shirt. Still, the damage had already been done so I used my newly grown claws to tear off the remains of my clothes so that I could free myself. A moment later, I stretched out my burgeoning wings so they could finish growing.

When I finished transforming, I stood up and stretched, marveling at how good my body felt. I’d almost forgotten that from the first time. It wasn’t just the vague horniness I felt. It was something more.

I stared at my black clawed hands and then down at my massive breasts. I resisted the temptation to play with them, knowing that it would only drive my vague horniness into a burning fever.

With that, I turned my attention to covering up my impressive assets. Fortunately, mom had thought ahead and made sure I had at least a few pieces of clothing that would fit me in this form. To cover my monstrous breasts, I had something that I was hesitant to call a shirt. It was more like a large bandanna with strings on it to tie around my neck and back so it would stay in place and look something like a shirt from the front. It was black with a white skull, which I thought was appropriate for my current form. And to go with that, I had a black skirt with a slit cut into it for my tail.

“This should do,” I mused, looking myself over and knowing even without a mirror that I was absolutely hot looking. Of course, that was all part of being a succubus.

With that, I left my room and walked into the living room where mom and aunt June stared at me. This was only the second time I’d transformed into this form so this was the first time that aunt June had seen me like this.

“I’m going out for some fresh air,” I said, knowing that my voice was low, husky, and very sexy. I hadn’t really noticed that the first time I’d transformed, though mom had pointed it out to me afterwards.

“Wow,” aunt June said, still staring at me in amazement. “That’s…impressive.” Then she stuck her tongue out at me.

I stuck my tongue out at her as well, but to my surprise, my tongue stuck out a full foot from my mouth, looking something like a black tentacle. I quickly pulled it back in and then turned to go out the back door before I did anything else embarrassing.

“Damn,” aunt June exclaimed to my mom as I walked away. “That was weird.”

I stood outside the back door and stretched my wings. It felt good to do so. In fact, my entire body felt good…very good. I somehow felt more alive and full of energy…with a faint horniness running through it all.

The first time I’d been in my succubus form, I’d been so caught up in the strangeness that I hadn’t really noticed much about how my new body felt, at least not beyond being feeling turned on. But now, I realized that there was more to my new body than that, though I was still trying to process it all.

I thought about how I’d stuck my tongue out at aunt June just a minute ago and how it had gone out a lot further than I’d expected. Since no one was watching me at the moment, I stuck my tongue out again, sticking it out as far as it would go which was about a foot.

Out of curiosity, I touched my tongue and found that it was just a little slick and slimy. I pulled my tongue back in and rubbed my finger where I’d touched my tongue. It was definitely different than normal, and I had to admit, kind of gross as well.

This was just another reminder that in spite of looking largely human in this form, I wasn’t a human. I didn’t even know if I had the same internal organs that a human did. In fact, I knew virtually nothing about my own biology.

“I wonder if all mythics are this ignorant about their own bodies,” I mused aloud. I suspected that they probably were.

One of the things that I’d been curious about since my first transformation was whether or not my wings actually worked. I flapped them a little to get used to the idea of being able to move them and knew that this was my chance to actually find out.

“Here goes nothing,” I said and tried flapping my wings and flinging myself into the air. I went up about ten feet but then fell right back into the ground, breasts first.

After a few choice profanities I tried again, faring a little better before I hit the ground again. On my third try, I got up higher but then started to come down. I ended up landing on the roof of the house.

“Just great,” I grumbled looking out over the large behind our house and spotting the black bear that was a good distance away. It seemed that my great vision went beyond just being able to see in the dark. “At least dad is having fun.”

I took a deep breath and tried it again, having learned a little from each of my previous attempts and hoping that this would be it. This time, I was able to stay in the air and soared along just a short distance above the ground. And with an excited laugh, I moved my wings and began to go higher.

Technically, I knew that this should actually be impossible. There was no way my wings could actually support a body of my size and fly with it. However, one of the benefits of magic is that it lets you bypass annoying things like the laws of physics.

“The benefits of being a mythic,” I mused.

But as I went higher and looked back down at the ground, I suddenly realized something that I’d never known about myself before. I was afraid of heights.

“Oh shit,” I blurted out as I felt a sudden surge of terror.

All I could think of at that moment was falling and getting splattered on the ground. I completely froze at that and then began to quickly fall straight towards the ground, my fear making what I was afraid of into a reality.

“No,” I cried out in desperation, tightening my wings and slowing my descent enough so that when I hit the ground below, it wasn’t hard enough to break anything.

I remained where I was on the ground, breathing hard and shaking a bit from both the fear and relief. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down…trying to get control of myself.

“If God had meant us to fly, he would have given us wings,” I muttered bitterly. Then I looked back and sighed. “Oh yeah. He did.”

After I’d recovered a little, I stood up and stretched my wings. Nothing seemed to be injured, much to my relief. Still, that fall had been scary.

“Shazbot,” I muttered in disgust. I’d been doing so well before I freaked out and froze up.

I looked around and realized for the first time that I’d gone a bit further than I’d intended. I’d fallen close to the house of our nearest neighbor. Too close.

As I stood there, I realized that I felt something…something from the neighbor’s house. It was something…appealing. It was almost like catching the scent of fresh baked cookies.

The last time I’d transformed into a succubus, I’d begun feeling a strange craving, though I hadn’t been quite sure what for. Now, I instinctively knew that what I was craving was in that house. I felt drawn to it.

I became so caught up in what it was that I was feeling that I leapt back into the sky, completely forgetting my newly discovered fear of heights. I flew right to the neighbor’s house and landed right behind it.

A part of me knew that this was a REALLY bad idea. Weres had to keep their existence secret from normals and mythics had to do so even more. I couldn’t take the risk that someone might look out the window and see me, but at the moment, I scarcely cared.

I was driven by my succubus instincts as I moved to the window and peaked inside. I could see the man who lived there and I knew that he had what I wanted. I found myself licking my lips and getting even more turned on.

Then I took a deep breath and felt myself absorbing some of what it was that I was craving. It felt good and I immediately wanted more. He had more.

“What am I thinking?” I blurted out, coming to my senses. I shook my head and backed away from the house, still craving this delicious thing I was feeling from within but no longer letting it drive me.

There was no doubt that I had to get away from here before I lost control again. With that, I flew up into the air again, still afraid of falling but even more afraid of what would happen if I didn’t get away now.

I flew back to my own house and landed a short distance from the back door. My heart was racing from what had just happened, but my nipples were poking out like crazy and I felt incredibly wet between my legs.

“What in the world was I thinking?” I demanded of myself, hunched over and trying to make sense of it all. Of course, I knew that it wasn’t a matter of what I’d been thinking but of what I’d been feeling.

I hadn’t felt anything like that with mom or aunt June...thank God. Then I wondered if maybe it was because that guy I’d seen in the house had been a guy. Of course, I hadn’t felt anything like that with dad either. Then again, both times I’d been like this, dad had been in bear form.

“What the frell am I?” I demanded, staring at my clawed black fingernails.

Of course, I already knew the answer to that. If I’d had any doubts before, they were now gone. I was a succubus.

An awkward silence filled the car as we made the trip to the Academy. Mom, dad, and aunt June would occasionally say something, but the talking was kept to a minimum as we all thought about what this trip meant.

I felt extremely apprehensive, though I was hesitant to admit it to anyone. After all, I was leaving my home and family to go off to some strange private school. It wasn’t the first time I’d been away from home, but this was more than just staying the week with some relatives.

And then there were my friends from school, not that I had very many of those. It was hard having a close friendship with someone when you had to keep so many things about your life a secret from them. The one time I’d slipped as a kid and told someone about my dad turning into a bear, he’d thought I was a liar and my parents had grounded me for a full month. I certainly couldn’t tell what few friends I did have about my situation or why I was leaving. All I could do was send them e-mails about having to leave for some family emergency.

As nervous as I was about leaving home, there was something else that occupied my thoughts far more. I gulped as I remembered last night and how I’d lost control to my succubus instincts. Dad had told me that Weres usually had to deal with their animal instincts when they were transformed, but he’d made it sound like it wasn’t really a big deal. After what I’d nearly done, though, I thought that it was definitely a very big deal. However, I certainly couldn’t tell anyone else about it. All I could do was try to keep from changing into a succubus again until the next full moon.

“We’re here,” aunt June said as we pulled into the parking lot of a book store that was an hour drive away from home.

We all climbed out of the car and removed my luggage. It surprised me how much could be packed into those suitcases, though there was a lot more I would have liked to bring as well. Maybe I should have tried talking aunt June into making one of my suitcases like her purse, bigger on the inside than the outside. Then I would have been able to bring everything I wanted. Fortunately, aunt June promised to bring anything else I needed when she came back.

I glanced over my bags, knowing that I had more than just clothes in there. There was my laptop, a new jigsaw puzzle that I’d bought at the mall when we were there a few days ago, and a few presents from my family. Mom had given me an expensive set of chef’s knives and a cook book, pointing out that the Academy had a kitchen for the students to use and saying that she expected me to eat well, even if I had to cook it myself. Dad, on the other hand, had bought me a new game to play on my laptop.

Of course, there were a couple things in my bags that I’d happily do without, such as the box of feminine hygiene pads that mom had insisted I bring. Aunt June might have spent the last few days giving me magic lessons, but mom had still found time in my schedule to give me a few lessons of her own. I winced when I remembered the VERY embarrassing feminine hygiene lessons as well as the revamped birds and bees talk.

“I know this is short notice,” mom told me as she gave me a hug. “But you know we don’t have much choice.”

“I know,” I responded with a sigh.

The truth was, since I was now a girl, I couldn’t continue going to my regular school. There would be far too many questions that we just couldn’t afford to answer. The Academy was the only school that was used to dealing with odd situations like mine.

Normally, when a Touched manifested their talent, they’d have to wait until the next semester started before they could go to the Academy, but my special situation meant that they were letting me in even though the semester had already started a month ago. That was why they’d rushed though the paperwork in such a short time and why aunt June had been trying to tutor me. I would have liked a little longer just to get used to the idea of being girl before leaving home, but waiting any longer would only mean getting further behind the other students.

We grabbed my luggage and went into the book store where aunt June handed the woman behind the counter a piece of paper, my acceptance letter to the Academy. The woman looked it over and nodded.

“The Academy,” the woman mused, giving me a speculative look. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time there. I know I did when I was your age.”

Then the woman led us to the back stock room which had boxes full of used books. She pushed on a book shelf which slid to the side, revealing another room which had been hidden. This one was empty except for a single bookshelf, which I knew must contain books not meant for the general public, and four other doorways.

Each of these other doorways was made of ceramic and had runes carved all over the frame. They were each set a foot away from the wall but didn’t actually go anywhere, or at least they didn’t appear to. The truth was that each of these doors led to another door that was located somewhere else. If you stepped through one of these doors, you might suddenly find yourself in Miami, London, or Hong Kong.

These doorways had been made by powerful sorcerers and were part of the secret transportation network that the Touched have used for centuries. Aunt June had used these very doorways to come visit me on short notice, even though she actually lived on the other side of the country. This was how I was getting to the Academy.

“I’m afraid that we don’t have a direct line to the Academy from here,” the woman who was the guardian of this station told us. “But if you take this door to Boston,” she pointed at one of the doorways, “you’ll find another door that goes there.”

“I guess this is it,” dad said, giving me a big bear hug.

“You take care,” mom said, beginning to cry as she gave me a hug as well.

We continued saying goodbye for another five minutes before aunt June and I finally left. Aunt June stepped through the doorway first and just vanished. I was choked up as I gave my mom and dad the Vulcan salute and then stepped through the doorway as well.

Stepping through the doorway was no different than going through any other doorway, except that the room I found myself in was quite a distance away from the one I’d just left. There were six of the ceramic doorways in this room and aunt June was already going and looking at them one at a time until she found the one she wanted.

“This is the one to the Academy,” she announced, though I couldn’t tell exactly how she knew. Then as if reading my mind, she pointed to some of the symbols on the side and explained, “The destinations are written in the old language so that only the people who should be using these things are.”

I nodded at that, wondering why I hadn’t realized this since it was obvious from the runes all over the doorways. The old language, as they called it, was a written language created by the Touched so that they could communicate with each other in code. Most sorcerer’s spells and records were written in the old language, and it was even used to make notations in spell circles. I only knew a few of the symbols but this was one of the things that I’d be learning at the Academy.

Aunt June and I went through the doorway that she’d pointed out and I found myself in a large round room with a white domed ceiling. There white ceramic doors placed near the outer wall the entire way around. I froze and looked around, gasping in amazement as I did so.

“Welcome to the Academy,” aunt June told me with a smile. “This is the hall of doors.”

I was still gaping and feeling overwhelmed when I noticed a woman walking right towards us. She looked to be in her thirties, though I knew that didn’t necessarily mean anything for a sorceress. I knew that she was a sorceress because her hair was pure white and she had violet eyes. The eyes at least were obviously part of a sorcerer’s mark, and the hair could very well have been as well.

“Amylia,” aunt June said in a respectful tone as she bowed her head slightly. I was a bit surprised by that since the only other person I’d ever seen aunt June be that respectful to was my grandma.

“This is the one you told me about on the phone?” the strange woman asked aunt June, giving me a speculative look. “Your…niece?”

“Yes,” aunt June responded, handing my acceptance letter to the woman.

I gulped as the woman read the acceptance letter and then looked at me again. “Everything seems to be in order.” Then she stated, “I am Amylia and I will be one of your primary instructors in the sorcerers course. You will address me either as Amylia or as ma’am. Is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” I responded nervously.

“Before you ask,” Amylia continued in an almost pleasant tone. “No, I do not have a surname. I surrendered my family name a very long time ago. The reasons for this are not your concern, and in spite of what school gossip may say, I have never promised to grant a wish or favor to anyone who guesses what it once was.”

“That story is still going around?” aunt June asked in surprise.

“Unfortunately,” Amylia responded, giving aunt June a flat look and adding, “I would dearly love to get my hands on the student who started it.”

Aunt June suddenly changed the subject, saying, “I believe we have some paperwork to sign.”

“Of course,” Amylia replied, still giving her a suspicious look. Then she turned to me. “Leave your luggage here. Someone will take it to your room. Now come with me while we complete your registration.”

“This takes me back,” aunt June mused as we followed Amylia out of the building.

“As you may know,” Amylia said as we walked, “the Academy is physically located on a small island just off the coast of Oregon. Certain magic spells are in place to keep normals from coming too close. We currently have just over four hundred students, nearly four dozen of which are enrolled in the sorcerers course…”

Amylia continued giving this basic tour as we walked across campus, pointing out one building and identifying it as the dorm while the one we were walking towards was hall of sorcerers. When we arrived at the hall of sorcerers, she had aunt June and I both sign some papers.

“You are now registered as a student of the Academy,” Amylia told me. But before I could respond to that, she added, “However, there is one more thing before you are officially enrolled into the sorcerers course. An application review.”

“Don’t worry,” aunt June assured me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “This is mostly just a formality.”

A few minutes later, I discovered that the ‘formality’ that aunt June had mentioned was actually a tribunal. The room was set almost like a courtroom with a bunch of empty seats for witnesses, while in front of me there was a raised podium with three senior instructors sitting behind it and looking down at me. I just stood there, feeling as though I was on trial.

Sitting in the middle was an old woman with white hair and a pair of glasses. Aunt June had quietly told me that this was Professor Roangard, the chairman of the Academy and the person in charge. An overweight man with a black beard sat to one side while a slender black woman who was completely bald sat on the other.

“Don’t worry,” aunt June whispered to me and gave me a reassuring smile. “They’re just making sure you meet all the requirements.

They’d already spent several minutes talking about my application, commenting on my grades from my old school and the fact that I had been measured as a class 4, which didn’t seem to impress them at all. So far, everything seemed to be going all right.

“I see here that your sorcerer’s mark is a permanent gender reversal,” Professor Roangard finally said, giving me a steady look.

I cringed a little under her gaze, feeling more than a little self-conscious. It was bad enough that my own family saw me like this, but to have complete strangers know…

Then Professor Roangard’s expression softened and she looked sympathetic. “You are not the first child with problems of this nature to attend the Academy, and I suspect you will not be the last.”

I was a little startled by that and had to bite my tongue to keep from asking what she meant. I glanced to aunt June but she didn’t show any reactions.

“What concerns me is this bit claiming you are also a Were,” the bearded man stated, giving me a skeptical look that suggested he thought I had made that up. “I’m afraid you’ve made a rather large error. It’s impossible to be both.”

“She is both,” aunt June stated firmly, looking as though she was daring him to argue with her. “Her father is a Were and she inherited his Were nature. I’ve seen her Were form with my own eyes.”

“This is why we review the applications,” the bearded man said with an arrogant tone. “To catch these obvious falsehoods...”

“Master Tonkas,” Professor Roangard said in a sharp tone, giving a level look at the bearded man. “I fear you may be misinformed. Hybrids are rare, but they do exist.” She turned to look at me with a thoughtful expression and mused, “Though it has been nearly a century since I last met one who was of sorceress level.”

The bearded man…Master Tonkas looked annoying at being corrected that way. He gave me another look before snorting, though he didn’t say anything.

“I think we can assume that you do have a sponsor,” the black woman said with a slight accent that I couldn’t place. She was looking right at aunt June.

“Erin Morris,” Professor Roangard announced in a formal tone. “Do you accept this woman as your sponsor?”

I nodded at that. “Yes ma’am.”

"You have fulfilled all of the requirements for entry into the Academy's training course for sorcerers,” Professor Roangard stated, giving me a faint smile. “Congratulations and welcome to the course.”

“Welcome to the sorcerer’s course,” Master Tonkas said grimly. “I look forward to instructing you.”

The black woman nodded faintly and told me, “Your training begins at the hall of sorcerers tomorrow morning at nine. I suggest you take the rest of the take to familiarize yourself with the Academy grounds.”

“Congratulations,” aunt June exclaimed, giving me a hug. “You are now officially a sorceress in training.”

“Thanks,” I responded, deciding not to point out that I’d rather be a sorcerer in training.

The Academy was a very strange school and unlike any of my previous educational experiences. Half my classes were ones that all the students took, things like math, science, and history, while the other half of my classes were reserved for students in the sorcerers course. These were the classes that were the most unusual, especially since there were only a dozen of us first year sorcery students.

My first period class had been taught by Master Tonkas, the bearded man who’d accused me of lying about being a Were during my application review. Fortunately, in spite of being embarrassed at having been chastised for that by Professor Roangard, he didn’t seem to hold it against me. He came off as a bit pompous in class, but not vindictive. After briefly introducing me to the other students, he launched into a long winded lecture that went over my head and made clear just how much I was behind the other students.

I was currently sitting in my second sorcery class of the day, feeling almost as lost and confused as in the last one. This class was being taught by Mrs. Xiata Khuto, the black woman who’d been present during my application review. Unlike Master Tonkas who seemed to enjoy hearing himself talk, she seemed sparse with her words, speaking calmly and to the point.

While Mrs. Khuto talked about ‘rebound theory’, I looked around the rest of the class and silently studied the other students. Two other students had obvious sorcerers marks, a boy with a slightly greenish color to his skin and an auburn haired girl with what looked like glowing blue tribal style tattoos on her right arm and cheek. However, the student I kept looking at was a somewhat busty brunette girl who didn’t appear to have a sorcerers mark, but who was still well worth looking at.

I didn’t really know who any of the other students were though and none of them had made any move to talk to me. They’d all seemed curious for the first minute, but the girls all quickly decided that I wasn’t competition and the guys just as quickly decided that there were more attractive girls in class to pay attention to.

“Now separate into pairs,” Mrs. Khuto instructed the class. “Discuss possible effects of magical rebound with your partner. Afterwards, each team will submit three examples.”

I soon found myself paired with the girl who had the glowing blue tattoos on her arm. “Hi, I’m Sylvie Baerd,” she introduced herself to me.

I hesitated a moment, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. “Erin Morris,” I finally told her, blushing as I held up my notebook which had my name written on the cover with the new spelling. Mom had strongly ‘suggested’ that since I was going to school here as a girl, that I should use ‘Erin’ rather than ‘Aaron’ in order to fit in better and draw less questions.

“Nice to meet you,” Sylvie responded with an easy grin. Then she gave me a curious look before cautiously asking, “How much do you know about this stuff?”

“Magic rebound?” I asked with a grimace. At her nod, I reluctantly admitted, “Absolutely nothing.”

Sylvie had a look of disgust at that and then glared to Mrs. Khuto, muttering, “This is so unfair.”

“Not your fault,” she apologized, looking just a little sorry. “I mean, you just got in today…” Then she gave me a curious look before asking, “How did you rate coming in late anyway? They usually make you wait…”

“Um...,” I started uncomfortably, knowing that I was probably blushing again. I adjusted my glasses and then quietly admitted, “I can’t go back to my old school because of my sorcerers mark.”

“What?” Sylvie asked, silently examining me again before giving me a skeptical look. “What sorcerers mark?”

“I’d rather not talk about that right now,” I told her apologetically. “It’s kind of…embarrassing.”

“Okay,” Sylvie responded, now looking even more curious.

After this, Sylvia explained what Mrs. Khuto had been talking about and helped me gain at least a basic understanding of the subject. However, I felt bad that she pretty much had to do our little assignment and come up with examples by herself. Still, her explanation made sure that the rest of the class was a little less confusing.

When class was over, I was surprised to find Sylvie coming up to me, saying, “Hey Erin… Since you’re new here and probably don’t know anyone yet, why don’t you eat lunch with me and my friends.”

For a brief moment, I had a sudden hope that maybe she liked me and might even consider me as boyfriend material. Sylvie was rather pretty, though not in the same league as the hot brunette from class. But then reality hit me and I remembered what I looked like…a plain teenage girl. She thought of me as one of the girls and was just trying to be friendly.

“Sure,” I responded awkwardly. Then I smiled, thankful that someone was being friendly and appreciating her offer.

Sylvie and I went to the cafeteria and grabbed our food, then she immediately headed straight for a table that was already occupied with a slender Asian girl. “This is Kimberly,” Sylvia introduced her to me. Then she grinned as she added, “And don’t call her Kim.”

“I’m Erin,” I told the new girl self-consciously.

“She just started today,” Sylvie explained. “She’s in the sorcerers course.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Kimberly told me, giving me a curious look.

“Are you in the sorcery course too?” I asked her. I didn’t remember seeing her in my sorcery classes, though I think I might have seen her in the history one.

“No,” Kimberly responded with a shrug. “I’m just a normal Touched.” She held out her hand and a ball of glowing white light appeared in the palm. She closed her hand and the light vanished. “My only talent is that I make my own flash light.”

“It would be nice never having to worry about having a flashlight,” Sylvie commented with a grin. “Once I learn how, I want to copy that talent into a spell.”

“That would probably be useful,” I agreed.

“My talent is to put people to sleep,” Sylvie told me with a wry look. “Of course, I have to sing when I use it.”

I blinked at that. “You have to sing?”

“It’s like, I just make any lullaby more effective.” Sylvie explained with a grin. “My family has a lot of talents that tie into music or sound in one way or another.”

“Mine have transformation talents,” I told her with a shrug. Then I noticed that Sylvie and Kimberly were both looking at me expectantly and realized that they were waiting for me to tell them what my talent was. I let out a sigh and said, “Mine is pretty embarrassing…” I held my hands out in front of my chest as though grabbing a large pair of breasts and awkwardly said, “I can make myself…bigger.”

Sylvie and Kimberly both stared at me with wided eyed looks, seeming impressed by that. Of course, I hadn’t been completely accurate since it was my mom who had the talent to make her breasts larger. My talent just caused an overall improvement in my entire body, not just the breasts. However, this was easier to describe.

“Can you show us?” Sylvie asked curiously.

“Not without removing my bra,” I responded self-consciously, wishing that I hadn’t mentioned my talent. “It gets kind of painful.” Then I added, “And embarrassing.”

“That sounds like a fun talent to me,” Kimberly said with an amused look.

“Um…not really,” I replied with a grimace. I hesitated a moment, knowing that I was probably blushing like crazy. “I want to be up front with you guys…” I paused to look at Sylvie and then Kimberly, knowing that I should probably keep my mouth shut and just play along but not feeling comfortable with that. “I don’t want you guys finding out later and then accusing me of lying or trying to trick you…”

“What do you mean?” Sylvie asked, giving me a suspicious look.

“My sorcerers mark,” I said quietly, staring down at my food and not looking at them. “It…it made me switch genders.”

Neither of them said a word so I looked at them again and saw that they both looked a little confused. “It turns you into a guy?” Sylvie asked.

“No, I AM a guy,” I admitted in embarrassment. Then more quietly, I added, “At least I was until a few days ago…”

Sylvie and Kimberly both stared at me in surprise before Kimberly finally responded, “So, you’re a guy who’s sorcerers mark turned you into a girl and your talent is to get bigger breasts?”

After I nodded at that, Sylvie said, “Honestly, I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or laugh.”

I turned bright red at that, or at least even more so, feeling hurt and more than a little humiliated. Without a word, I picked up my lunch tray and stood up. It looked like I was going to have to find a new place to eat.

“Don’t go,” Sylvia exclaimed, reaching out to touch my arm. “I’m sorry… Just say here with us…”

I nodded and slowly sat back down. Kimberly gave me a nervous smile and said, “This has to be pretty weird for you then…”

“Yeah,” I admitted with a nervous smile of my own. “It is.” And then I sighed. “And you have no idea.”

“That explains why you were looking so lost earlier,” Sylvia told me. “I thought it was just because you were new here.”

“A bit of both,” I responded with a weak chuckle.

“I appreciate you being honest,” Sylvie told me, looking a little confused. “But…why? I mean, you barely know us.”

“Like I said, you probably would have found out sooner or later and then you’d probably get pissed at me,” I told her. Then I sighed and added, “And I guess I’m just tired of lying to everyone all the time. I mean, I’ve had to lie to every friend I ever had so they didn’t find out that my mom’s Touched or that my dad is a Were. I just thought that the Academy was the one place that I wouldn’t have to hide that that stuff…”

“Wait,” Kimberly blurted out, staring at me in surprise. “Did you just say your dad is a Were?”

“Yeah,” I responded slowly.

“Holy shit,” Kimberly exclaimed. “You must have to keep silver bullets around all the time…”

“What?” I demanded, not quite sure that I’d just heard what I thought I did.

“Everyone knows Weres are more animal than human,” Kimberly said, apparently oblivious to just how offensive her words were. “You never know when they’re going to go all wild animal on you and attack…”

“That’s bullshit,” I snapped at Kimberly, jumping to my feet and glaring at her angrily. If I knew any Chinese profanities, I would have used them on her right then and there. But since I didn’t, I spat out, “And for your information, silver doesn’t work on us.”

With that, I walked away from the table, not even bothering to grab my tray this time as I heard Kimberly blurt out, “Us?” in realization.

I was angry and humiliated as I left the cafeteria, cursing the fact that I’d told them so much about myself. Sylvie had been right, I did barely know them. I’d gotten so caught up in the idea of trying to make friends that I’d said more than I should have, and now I was paying the price. This was NOT a good start to my time at the Academy.

So far, my second day at the Academy wasn’t really going any better than the first.

I was in class and silently watching as Amylia was demonstrating a spell for us by casting it in front of the entire class. The spell was a little more complicated than the candle starting one that aunt June had taught me, but I didn’t think it was too far out of my league. In fact, I suspected that I might even be able to cast this one, though it would probably take me a few tries to get it right.

In spite of my interest in the topic of this class, my attention still managed to wander. I glanced at Sylvie who was sitting on the opposite side of the class. The two of us had been avoiding each other since lunch yesterday. I’d only seen Kimberly a couple times since then, but I still got angry when I remembered what she’d said about Weres.

Then I turned my attention to Teressa, the busty brunette girl that I’d been eying yesterday. Even before my change, she still would have been out of my league, and from little I could tell by watching her, she would definitely have let me know that.

Even though I hadn’t been here for very long, I could still see that there were some things that were the same as my old school. There were still the different social groups and cliques. The popular students were the ones who were pretty, rich, or had particularly interesting or powerful talents. The sorcery students seemed to have replaced the traditional role of the jocks and were automatically given a few more social points, which meant that the pretty and wealthy sorcerers tended to be the most popular.

I was still the new kid and no one was quite sure what to make of me yet, which meant that I was currently a bit of an outcast. However, the fact that I was in the sorcerers course meant that I probably wouldn’t be at the bottom social rung.

My attention was brought back to the lesson when Amylia completed the spell and a whirlwind appeared in the air in front of her, spinning around like a tiny tornado and causing papers from several desks to go flying around the room. I could feel the wind blowing against my skin, though it wasn’t very powerful from where I was sitting. After ten seconds, it faded away and vanished.

“Awesome,” one boy exclaimed while Teressa gave him a look of contempt. I might have shown how impressed I was as well if it hadn’t been for the fear of receiving that look myself.

“As I have told you before,” Amylia announced, looking around the room. “Elemental spells usually have relatively simple patterns and are among the easiest to cast. This simplicity means that most of the magic put into them goes not into holding the complicated pattern but into making it…and the effect more powerful.” Then she paused to look around the room before adding, “Magically speaking…this makes them very efficient.”

Amylia talked about elemental spells for a bit longer and had those with elemental type talents demonstrate them for the class. Then she passed out some papers with diagrams and instructions for the spell she’d just cast, announcing that we’d all be practicing that one tomorrow. I grinned at that, eager to actually cast more real spells.

When class ended, Amylia said, “Erin, I would like to speak with you for a minute.”

“Yes?” I responded nervously, wondering if I was going to get chewed out for not paying attention in class.

“You arrived later than the others,” Amylia told me gently. “So I understand that you are a little behind.”

“Aunt June was working with me before I came,” I said. Then I admitted, “But it was only a couple days… But she said she’s going to help me more when she comes back.”

Amylia nodded at that. “And when is she going to be here next?”

“Tomorrow night,” I answered with a weak smile.

When aunt June had said goodbye, she’d promised to come back in a couple says to see how I was doing and help me catch up. As it was, she’d had to cancel a couple of her shows when she came to help me so she couldn’t afford to cancel any more of them so soon. I was trying to be patient but it wasn’t easy.

“I fear that you may need more help to catch up with the others than she can easily provide,” Amylia mused. Then she gave me a curious look and abruptly said, “Your record states that you are a Were…”

“Yes,” I responded cautiously, remembering how Kimberly had reacted when she’d found out.

“Interesting,” Amylia said, though I couldn’t quite tell if she thought my being a Were was a good thing or bad. “Hybrids are very uncommon. Ones who can learn sorcery even more so.”

“I guess,” I said, not sure what else I could say.

“Your record doesn’t say what your Were form is,” Amylia commented, giving me a curious look.

I hesitated a moment before answering, “It’s…embarrassing.”

When we’d filled out the application, it had asked if I had any special circumstances that they’d need to be aware of and aunt June had thought that my being a Were did. However, we’d neglected to mention that I was a Were succubus, and fortunately, no one had asked.

“I understand,” Amylia told me with a faint look of amusement. “If you don’t feel comfortable sharing that, I won’t press you.”

“Thank you,” I told her, letting out a sigh of relief.

Amylia nodded again and absently fingered a silver bracelet on her wrist as she looked at me with a thoughtful expression. “I know that your current circumstances are not easy for you.” She gave me a gentle smile and added, “Coming to a new school. Being behind your peers. Being the only Were here. And of course, your sorcerers mark. I would imagine that it is all quite a bit for you to deal with.”

I found myself nodding at that, a little surprised that a teacher would bother trying to understand. “I’ll be fine,” I said, not quite sure myself if I was telling the truth or not.

“Regardless,” Amylia told me, “You won’t do very well if you’re too distracted by these issues. I’ll see what I can do to help you.” Then she paused and smiled in amusement. “Now, you’d better go. Someone seems to be waiting for you.”

“What?” I asked, looking to the door and being surprised to see Sylvie standing there waiting.

I thanked Amylia and then went to see what Sylvie wanted. Though I was glad that she wasn’t avoiding me, I was still a little nervous after what had happened yesterday at lunch.

“I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” Sylvie said, looking a little self-conscious as well. “I’m sorry Kimberly offended you. She didn’t mean to.”

“It’s not your fault,” I told her with a faint smile.

“No,” she agreed. “But I should have said something. I was just surprised and you left before I realized…”

“It’s okay,” I said. Then I admitted, “I might have overreacted a little…”

“Then come on and have lunch with me again,” Sylvie said. “I never did get to introduce you to the others…”

I hesitated a moment and then nodded my agreement. A few minutes later, we were in the cafeteria, grabbing lunch and sitting down at the same table as yesterday. This time, there was no one there waiting for us.

“Is Kimberly going to come?” I asked, keeping my voice calm.

“Probably not,” Sylvie answered. “I think she’s afraid you’re still mad at her.”

“A little,” I admitted, giving a grin. “But I’m getting over it.”

Sylvie took a few bites from her food before asking, “Is your dad really a Were?”

“Yeah,” I told her with a shrug. “It’s just kind of weird saying it aloud. I mean, I usually have to keep it quiet.” Then I hesitated a moment before saying, “I am too.”

Sylvie nodded at that, giving me a curious look. “I didn’t think you could be both Were and Touched…” Then she quickly added, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a Were before.”

“Most Weres never meet Touched either,” I said as I remembered one of the Were gatherings dad had brought me to as a kid. Most of the Weres there had been stunned when they heard my mom was Touched. Some of them hadn’t even known that the Touched existed.

“So...,” she asked carefully. “What do you turn into?”

I hesitated a moment and blushed before answering, “I’d rather not say. It’s pretty embarrassing.”

“More embarrassing than turning into a girl and growing bigger breasts?” she asked skeptically. When I nodded, she exclaimed, “Damn…”

“Who is this girl who makes you swear so?” a new voice asked from behind me.

I didn’t even need to turn around to see the boy who spoke because he sat down at the table with us and gave me a curious look. I looked back, noticing that he was probably about six feet tall and athletic looking in a lean sort of way. He also had auburn hair, a pleasant grin, and the kind of good looks that I knew a lot of girls liked.

“This is my brother Todd,” Sylvie told me with an exaggerated look of exasperation. “I just call him Toad.”

“Please don’t,” he said to me. Then he looked at my chest for a moment and added, “Cool shirt.”

I blinked at that and then looked down because I didn’t remember which shirt I was wearing. It was the one with a picture of a blue British police box and the logo from the show Doctor Who.

“No,” I responded with a smirk. “Bowties are cool.”

“So are Fezzes,” he said with a grin.

“You watch the show?” I asked, suddenly more interested in this guy.

Todd just laughed. “I never miss an episode.”

“Oh God,” Sylvie exclaimed with a look of mock horror. “There’s two of them…”

“I think I’m in love,” Todd teased while I just squirmed, suddenly very uncomfortable.

“Before you fall in love, I think there’s something you should know,” Sylvie said with a smirk. “Then again, I’m tempted not to tell you…”

I grimaced at that, suddenly regretting my decision to be so open about who I really was. I really didn’t want to have to go through this every time I met someone new.

“She’s a he,” Sylvie said before I could.

“What?” Todd asked with a look of confusion.

I let out a sigh. “Until a week ago when my sorcerers mark appeared, I was a guy.” I kept my voice calm and casual, as though this wasn’t really a big deal. Maybe if I said it enough times I might come to believe it. Then I gestured down at myself and said, “Overnight sex change.”

“Damn,” Todd responded, staring at me in surprise and then shrugging. “Must be rough.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered in response. Since Todd didn’t seem to be too shaken up about my really being a guy, probably because I looked like a tomboy, I hesitantly asked, “Now, what do you think of Weres?”

The gymnasium at the Academy was almost nothing like the one from my previous school. It was an enormous room about four times the size, and instead of having a basketball court and bleachers set up inside, it had a dozen permanent spell circles engraved into the floor. Each of these spell circles had a tray of chalk sitting beside it so that they could easily be used to work spells.

This class was a special one which was held only once a week. Every student in the sorcerers course was here, not only the first year students like myself. This class was described as something of a ‘free study’ period where the more experienced sorcery students could mentor the less experienced ones and show them the tricks they’d learned. However, for all practical purposes, it was just an excuse for the senior students to show off their tokens and spells.

I stood next to Sylvie, watching as an older student showed off some small ceramic figurines, each the size of a chess piece. These were his tokens which he then demonstrated by activating one at a time. The first figurine crumbled to dust and an armored knight appeared just a short distance away. This was actually just a conjuring, which was explained to me as a solid illusion.

I frowned slightly as I watched the demonstration in front of me, feeling jealous since my own attempts at magic weren’t nearly as successful. I’d tried casting the whirlwind spell earlier today in class but hadn’t been able to get it. By the end of the class, I was pretty sure that I was close. If I’d had time to try one or two more times, I’m sure that I would have succeeded. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and was the only person in class who hadn’t been able to successfully cast that one.

“Todd would kill to see this one,” Sylvie commented as the boy in front of us conjured an impressive looking black horse with flames coming out of its nostrils.

I nodded at that, thinking that it must be difficult for Todd to be a normal Touched while his younger sister was a sorceress. He was only a year older than her so they were still close enough in age to be very close and competitive.

Sylvia’s mention of her brother also made me chuckle as I remembered my conversation with him at lunch just a short time ago. The two of us had spent most of the lunch arguing over which Doctor Who companion had been the best. Then, just to yank his chain, I started mentioning companions from the original series, which Todd had never seen.

“I might have to correct that,” I absently mused, thankful that my laptop had streaming video capabilities.

Kimberly had shown up in the middle of lunch and sat down at the table, acting as though the events from two days before had never happened. She didn’t apologize, but since she hadn’t intended to be offensive, I just shrugged it off and decided it was water under the bridge. By the time lunch was over, the two of us had been joking around as though we were old friends instead of new ones.

Sylvie distracted me from my thoughts by calling out, “Hey Eve…” She waved to a blonde girl whom I’d been briefly introduced to during lunch.

I didn’t know much about Eve other than that she was a very pretty sorceress in training who was a year ahead of me. She’d sat down at our lunch table next to Todd, so I got the impression that they were probably dating. If that was the case, then Todd was a lucky guy. Then again, I got the impression that a lot of the other girls around school would think that she was the lucky one.

“Sylvie,” Eve greeted my new friend. Then she looked at me as though trying to think before asking, “It was Erin…right?”

“Yeah,” I responded with a faint smile.

“I was hoping you could show us some of your spells,” Sylvie said with a grin. “I liked that one you showed me a couple weeks ago and Erin could use some pointers.”

“Sure,” Eve responded her with a cheerful smile. She reached into a pouch on her belt and told me, “I like to use marbles for my tokens.” Then she held out two marbles, one a transparent red one and one an opaque white one. “And I color code them so I know what spells are in them.”

“That makes sense,” I said, thinking about how aunt June always wrote something on the business cards she used to let her know what spells were stored in each. However, I wondered how she was able to keep track of all the ones that were stored in her jewelry. I’d have to ask her about that tonight when I saw her.

Eve held the red marble up and stated, “Invoke” before setting it on the ground. A moment later, a small fire appeared in front of us, just the right size for camping.

“Now I wish I’d brought marshmallows,” I commented with a grin.

“No problem,” Eve responded, holding up her other marble and saying, “Invoke.” She suddenly had a bag of marshmallows in her hand.

“Pretty Good,” Sylvie commented with an amused look. “But where are the marshmallow sticks?”

“I knew I forgot something,” Eve muttered.

Suddenly, Sylvie scowled and told Eve, “It looks like you’ve got an audience.”

I looked to were Sylvie gestured and saw Teressa watching us from halfway across the gym. She was glaring at us with an angry expression that left me feeling confused. Teressa wasn’t alone though as she had a red headed girl standing beside her and looking annoyed. I recognized the red head from my classes. Her name was Kaellie, and from what I could remember, she was usually hanging out with Teressa.

“What’s up with them?” I asked.

“Teressa has a thing for my brother,” Sylvie responded with a smirk. Then she gestured to Eve and added, “And she’s jealous because she thinks Eve is dating him.”

“You’re not?” I asked Eve in surprise.

Eve shook her head. “Naw. We’re just friends. He’s not even my type.” Then she paused for a moment, looking a bit self-conscious as she admitted, “I kind of play for the other team, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re qay?” I asked, feeling surprised again.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Eve demanded, looking as though she was about to take offense.

I remembered how I’d felt when Kimberly insulted Weres and I didn’t want to do that to Eve by accident. “No,” I quickly assured her. “I just thought you and Todd were an item.”

“No,” she responded with a chuckle. “Feel free to go after him if you want.”

At that, Sylvie suddenly burst out laughing. “You don’t know yet, do you?” She gestured to me and smirked. “Erin plays for the other team too.”

Even gave me a curious look at that, though her expression quickly turned to one of consideration. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head before she discounted me as a possible romantic interest. For a brief moment, I considered changing to my enhanced form just to make her reconsider. But then, I realized that this was just my pride feeling a little bruised, nothing more.

I wasn’t sure whether to tell Eve about my change or not when Sylvie took the question out of my hands and began to tell her. I just stood there, feeling self-conscious and then shrugging.

“And I thought my mark was rough,” Eve said when Sylvie was done. At my curious look since she didn’t have any visible sorcerers marks that I could see, she let out a sigh and then explained. “I sometimes turn into a little kid. I’m not sure what triggers it, but every couple days I turn into a little girl for a few hours. Fortunately, I only get hit with it every couple days.”

“Yeah, it could be a lot worse,” another voice said from behind us.

I snapped around and saw a girl standing there. She was beautiful, with a nice body and long black hair. I vaguely recognized her as one of the senior sorcery students that I’d seen around, but I didn’t really know who she was.

“Sorry to listen in,” the girl apologized with a shrug. Then she looked straight at me and smiled, asking, “You’re Erin, right?”

“Yeah,” I responded suspiciously.

“Amylia suggested I come over and introduce myself,” the older girl told me with a smile. She held out her hand and said, “Hi. I’m Gayle.”

Gayle stood in front of me, holding up a pair of tarot cards and giving me a speculative look. It made me a bit uncomfortable because she was a complete stranger who’d just showed up out of nowhere and I didn’t know the first thing about her.

“Amylia asked me to tutor you a bit and help you catch up,” Gayle told me pleasantly. “She also said some other things, but…” She paused to glance at Sylvie and Eve. “I think we should meet up after classes so we can talk in private.”

“Um…okay,” I responded uncertainly.

“For now, maybe I can show you some nice tricks. She held up her tarot cards.

“Actually, Eve was showing us a few spells,” I said, gesturing to the blonde girl.

“Oh no,” Eve quickly protested. “If you want to show us something, I’ll be glad to watch.”

I was a little startled by that since I would have thought Eve would be annoyed at the interruption. Instead, she almost seemed eager to see what Gayle had to show us.

Gayle smiled and handed me one of her tarot cards. I held it up and saw that the picture on it was of a picture of a mannequin who was wearing a flowing pink ball gown, almost like what you’d see in some Disney cartoon.

“I like to paint my tokens,” Gayle told me. “Customizing this way not only makes them work better, but it’s also a matter of pride.”

I nodded at that, knowing that aunt June had a somewhat different perspective. In fact, aunt June had said that spending a lot of time to customize tokens that were only going to be destroyed when you used them, was a waste of time and a mark of vanity. Of course, this was also coming from the same woman who loved to use jewelry as her tokens.

“See if you can feel the magic in it,” Gayle told me. “Once you get enough practice, you can actually feel the pattern inside. And if you know your patterns well enough, you can get a good idea of what the spell actually does.”

“I can feel the magic,” I replied, closing my eyes and trying to extend my senses. I wasn’t able to make out what the pattern looked like though.

“Now invoke it,” Gayle instructed me. “It’s keyed to the word invoke.”

I hesitated a moment, not feeling comfortable about using someone else’s magic when I didn’t even know what it would do. Still, Sylvie and Eve were watching expectantly so I did as Gayle asked and said, “Invoke.”

The card crumbled to ash in my hand as the magic was released and swirled around me. A moment later, I was surprised to suddenly find myself wearing a pink ball gown…exactly like what had been painted on the card.

“Not exactly your color,” Sylvie commented with a smirk while Eve burst out laughing.

I grimaced and glared at Gayle. “It’s only a conjuring,” Gayle assured me, looking amused. “Normally it would last for about an hour, but I can take care of it for you.” With that, she held up the second card in her hand and said, “Invoke.”

The gown vanished from around me and I let out a sigh of relief. It was bad enough looking like a girl. I sure as hell didn’t want to dress like one, at least not like that.

After this, Gayle showed us some tricks for drawing the symbols and lines in a spell circle more quickly. “When you’re trying to cast multiple spells in a row, this shortcut can help cut down on the preparation time.”

When the class ended a short time later, Gayle told me, “I’ll meet you in your room after classes are over. She gave me an odd look, one that seemed sympathetic. “There are some things that we need to talk about.”

Gayle smiled at me and then left. Sylvie and Eve both watched her go with odd looks on their faces.

“I can’t believe Amylia asked her to tutor you,” Eve blurted out.

“Why?” I asked in confusion. “Who is she?”

“She’s the best duelist in the school,” Sylvie said.

“Someone challenges her to a duel every couple months,” Eve told me with a chuckle. “But she always wins. And she has quite a reputation among the other seniors…”

“A good reputation or a bad one?” I asked curiously.

“That depends on who you talk to,” Eve admitted. “Some of them think she’s the antichrist while others think that she’s the second coming. I’ve heard some really ridiculous rumors from some of the seniors and don’t know what’s true and what isn’t.”

“I do know one thing,” Sylvie told me with an amused look. “I heard she’s got a sorcerers mark and that it sometimes turns her into a guy.”

“Into a guy?” I asked in surprise. “That must be why Amylia asked her to tutor me.”

“Probably,” Sylvie agreed.

I went to my next class after this, though I spent the entire time alternately thinking of Gayle and the fact that aunt June was supposed to come tonight. I was looking forward to seeing her again.

Once classes were over for the day, I went to my dorm room and waited for Gayle. I didn’t have to wait long before she knocked on my door.

“You’re probably wondering why Amylia asked me to tutor,” Gayle said when I let her in. She looked almost amused.

I frowned for a moment before responding, “Someone told me that your sorcerers mark is that you sometimes turn into a guy…”

“Turn into a guy?” she repeated, staring at me for a moment before she abruptly burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, feeling even more confused by her odd behavior.

“No,” Gayle told me with a grin. “I was born a guy. My mark turns me into a girl.”

I was startled by that revelation. “What?”

“My mark makes me allergic to magic,” Gayle told me with a chuckle. “Whenever I’m around too much magic, I break out in estrogen.”

“Wait,” I said, feeling a little confused. “You turn into a girl?”

“When I use magic,” she agreed. Then she gave me a wry look and added, “You can imagine that’s a bit of a situation for a sorceress.”

I stared at Gayle, feeling excited that I was actually with someone else who knew what it was like to change like this. However, I also felt a surge of jealousy.

“So you can change back into a guy?”

“If I go long enough without using magic,” Gayle admitted, looking almost self-conscious about it. She sat down on my bed and told me, “I usually wake up as a guy, but it’s been three weeks since I last spent any real time as a guy.”

“But if you change whenever you’re near magic,” I asked, “why are you in the sorcerers course?”

Gayle was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful as though trying to decide how to answer me. “I had the opportunity to learn sorcery so I made the decision.” She shrugged. “It was pretty weird at first but I got used to it.”

I snorted at that, wondering how I could possibly ever get used to this. I looked down at myself, hating the idea of getting used to this. I might have a girl’s body, but I wasn’t a girl.

“Look, I’m not going to tell you that being a girl is great and that you’ll love it,” Gayle told me. “I think there are lots of great things about being a girl, but my situation is different from yours. Still, I can help you make things easier.”

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the older girl who’d made herself at home. Then I smiled in relief and said, “Thank you. I’d really appreciate that.”

Lunch had become my favorite part of the day, due mostly to the fact that nearly all my new friends gathered together at the same table every day for lunch. Sylvie and I were in the same sorcery classes so got to see each other through most of the day, and I was in a couple regular classes with Kimberly. However, Todd and Eve were both a year ahead of us so this was the one we could all hang out together until classes were done for the day.

Unfortunately, the last few days have been pretty busy for me after classes were over and I haven’t had much time to hang out. Between my tutoring lessons with Gayle and the ones with aunt June, I’ve barely had a moment to rest.

“So, what’s it like working with Gayle?” Eve asked me curiously.

“I heard she burned some guy’s skin off once,” Kimberly commented with a somewhat nervous look.

“You can’t believe everything you hear,” Sylvie told her, giving her an elbow to the side.

“She seems pretty cool,” I admitted. Of course, she knew a lot about what I was going through, being turned into a girl and all, so I felt like I could really connect with her. And she seemed to really know a lot about magic. “She’s been helping me a lot.”

Just then, Todd reached over and snatched some fries from my plate. “Hey,” I snapped at him, giving him a glare. “Eat your own fries.”

Todd just smirked at me, then said “The Ferengi rules of acquisition state that one should never ignore an opportunity to seize unguarded treasure.”

I laughed at his Star Trek reference, then joked back, “Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.”

Sylvie rolled her eyes but looked amused anyway. “Hey Toad,” she told her brother. “If you’re going to go quoting things, you should do it right.”

“What are you talking about?” Todd asked with a look of mock innocence. To my surprise, his voice sounded exactly like Sylvie’s.

“Stop that,” Sylvie snapped at him.

“Stop that,” Todd repeated, still sounding exactly like her.

“I hate when he does me,” Sylvie told me as she glared at her brother.

“I hate when he does me,” Todd continued to mimic her.

At my confused look, Eve grinned. “Todd’s talent is that he can mimic other people’s voices.”

“It’s a great party trick,” Todd told me with a shrug. “But not really useful. Well, it was when I used to call into my old school and tell them that I was staying home sick.”

“You should hear him sing karaoke,” Even said with a laugh. “I mean, the last time, he did an absolutely perfect Adele.”

“Back when I was playing little league, I used to dream of becoming a professional baseball player,” Todd told me with a shrug. “Now, I figure I should become a celebrity impersonator or start some kind of tribute band.”

“Hey Toad,” Sylvie told her brother, gesturing to the side. “Your number one stalker is watching you again.”

I glanced over and saw Teressa watching us from another table with a dark expression. As usual, she wasn’t alone. Nearly every time I saw Teressa, she had the red head Kaellie with her, and now was no different.

Teressa’s other companion was a hot looking blond girl named Monica. Monica was a regular Touched and not a sorceress so she couldn’t attend all of Teressa’s classes the way Kaellie did. However, she hung out with Teressa whenever possible. I’d even heard a few of the other kids in our class jokingly refer to her as a ‘wannabe’.

“Just ignore them,” Todd commented without even looking towards their table. “I’m hoping that if I ignore her for long enough, she’ll give up and go away.”

“Todd always attracts the crazy ones,” Sylvie said with a chuckle.

I nodded at that, feeling just a tiny bit jealous that Todd would get three hot girls attracted to him when he wasn’t even interested. The only girl who would be interested in me would be a lesbian, and as Eve had demonstrated, I was probably too plain looking to attract most of them.

“Well, it looks like lunch is about over,” Kimberly said, reminding the rest of us of what time it was. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“See you guys at dinner,” Eve said as she went in one direction while Kimberly went in another.

Sylvie, Todd, and I left the cafeteria together. Sylvie and I had our next class together while Todd kept us company for the moment.

“You promised me a Doctor Who marathon,” Todd reminded me. “Maybe I can mimic Statler and Waldorf and heckle the entire thing.”

“Don’t you dare,” I warned him. “If you’re going to heckle the original series, you need something more appropriate. The Mystery Science Theater guys…”

All three of us were chuckling at that when Sylvie suddenly stopped and I nearly ran into her. A second later, I saw why she’d stopped like that. Teressa, Kaellie, and Monica were all standing in front of us with their hands on their hips, trying to look intimidating.

“Todd,” Teressa announced, her eyes locked on Todd. “I’m tired of waiting for you to ask me out, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. We are going out tonight for dinner.”

“I don’t think so,” Todd responded with a tone of annoyance. “I’m busy washing my hair.”

Teressa suddenly glared at me. “Is she why? Why would you possibly be interested in her when you can have me?”

“Well, she certainly has more personality,” Todd said.

“Hey, leave me out of this,” I protested.

“Back off,” Sylvie commanded Teressa. “Todd isn’t interested. Get a fucking clue.”

Teressa snarled, looking pissed. “I’ll show you what she has…or what she doesn’t have.” Then Teressa looked to Monica and said, “Do it.”

Monica nodded and stared at me with a smirk. “Take this,” Monica exclaimed, activating her Talent and unleashing it on me.

A second later, my skin felt just a little itchy and my clothes began to crumble and disintegrate. I’ve heard of her talent to disintegrate clothes before, but I certainly hadn’t expected to be the target of it.

As my clothes crumbled away from me, Teressa laughed. “Let’s show Todd how your flat chest compares to a real woman…”

“You bitch,” Sylvie cried out angrily.

I frantically tried covering myself, feeling angry and humiliated. Then I decided that if Teressa was so determined to let everyone see me naked, I was going to give them something worth seeing. Then I snarled and activated my own talent.

My body quickly began to change and transform, before the last shreds of my clothes crumbled away. The familiar sensation of my flesh and bones moving around no longer overwhelmed me as much as it had the first few times.

There were gasps from around me as other people realized that my body was changing. I just grimaced, hardly able to believe that I’d willingly changed in front of everyone like this, but I couldn’t just let Teressa get her away.

A moment later, I stood there completely naked, except for my glasses which hadn’t been destroyed like my clothes. I was now four inches taller than I had been before this and much sexier.

“What the frell?” I demanded of Teressa, knowing that my voice had changed along with my body and was sexier. I glared at the other girl, pleased that she looked like she was in shock at the fact that I was now hotter looking than she was. “What is wrong with you?”

“Holy shit,” Sylvie exclaimed from beside me, staring at me in amazement. I was also aware that Todd was staring at me too and I tried covering myself even more, not that it did any good.

“You…you changed,” Monica blurted out.

“No way,” Teresa exclaimed. “She doesn’t have a body like that…”

“She didn’t use any tokens,” Kaellie said.

Before they could realize that I’d just used my talent, I decided to mess with them a little. “Great…the spells on my clothes kept me changed so that people wouldn’t keep ogling me all the time. Thanks a lot. And here I was trying to avoid this kind of attention…”

“Get the hell out of here,” Todd snarled at Teressa angrily, taking off his jacket and trying to help me cover up.

“You,” Teressa gasped, staring at me with a look that was turning from shock and confusion to hatred.

Teressa and her friends turned and hurried away while I glared after them and spat out, “What a smeg head.”

“Yeah,” Sylvie added. Then she looked at me again and exclaimed, “Damn…” She shook her head and added, “Let’s get you out of sight so we can get some new clothes…”

“Damn,” I blurted out, knowing that I was blushing brightly. I felt absolutely humiliated like this, especially with all the students around being able to see me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this…but I really wish I had Gayle’s dress spell right now…”

“Let me help,” one girl called out as she came running towards us. I vaguely recognized her as one of the older girls in the sorcerers course, though I didn’t know her name. “This should get you to safety…”

The other girl activated a token and I suddenly had white bandages appear from nowhere and wrap around my body. A moment later, I almost looked like a mummy, but at least I was covered up.

“That should last long enough for you to get back to your room,” the older girl said. “You’d better hurry though.”

“Thanks,” I told the girl, already rushing towards my room with Sylvie clearing the path for me.

I glanced back, seeing that Todd wasn’t coming, but he was still watching me with a strange expression on his face that suddenly made me blush even more. I realized, that after Todd had seen me like this, he would probably no longer think of me as one of the guys.

One of the many unique things about the sorcerers course is that each student is actually given their own private study room in the hall of sorcerers. It is a room reserved just for them and their sponsors to work together in.

My study room contained a desk where we could work at as well as a bookshelf and a permanent spell circle engraved in the floor. The desk was covered with the various papers and notes from the spells we were working on.

“What are we doing tonight?” I asked aunt June whom I’d just met up with a couple minutes ago.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she asked me with an amused look.

I let out a sigh, having hoped that she would have forgotten about this. Of course, I hadn’t really expected that she would have, which was why I’d worn loose clothes and no bra. I activated my talent and felt my body growing and improving.

“Are you satisfied?” I asked once I was in my enhanced form.

“Yes I am,” aunt June responded. Then she looked me over and said, “One of these nights, I’m going to make you wear some makeup and clothes to show off your body.”

I paled at that, not quite sure if aunt June was joking about that or not. Knowing her, she probably wasn’t.

“But not tonight,” aunt June told me with a smile. “Tonight, we’re going to try something new.”

“Okay,” I said, growing curious.

“Well, you’ve been doing very well the last couple times I was here,” aunt June said with an amused look. “You’re really getting the hang of casting these spells.”

“Gayle has been helping me every day,” I responded, pleased by the compliment. “She got me caught up with the rest of the class.”

“You’re going to have to introduce me to her sometime,” aunt June told me. “But right now, I’m going to show you how to make a token.”

“Really?” I asked in delight. “Great.”

“We’re going to use some of the spells you’ve already done,” she told me, pulling out the right diagrams. I looked them over and then nodded. “You’ve watched me make tokens several times so you should already have a basic idea.”

Aunt June pulled out a stack of blank business cards, her preferred material to make tokens out of. Or at least, it was her preferred material for disposable tokens since she’d made it clear that she definitely liked using jewelry even more.

After aunt June described what I needed to do, she had me prepare the spell circle and then she cast the first spell while I watched closely to what she did to bind the magic into the token. Then she stepped back and had me repeat the entire process.

It took me only two attempts before I was able to successfully bind the spell into the token. “I did it,” I exclaimed, nearly jumping up and down as I held out the business card that had the spell in it. “I made a token…”

“Now try it out,” aunt June told me.

“Irefay,” I exclaimed, using the activation word I’d chosen for the token.

An instant later, the business card crumbled in my hand and a small fire appeared on the floor, similar to the camp fire that Even had had shown me last week. I grinned proudly while aunt June nodded her own approval.

“Very good,” she told me. “But you might not want to use pig latin for your activation words.”

“I thought it was a cool idea,” I protested.

“It is,” she agreed, chuckling faintly. “But you want to standardize your activation words so you can activate any of your tokens without having to stop and remember what word you used. I’ve heard of sorcerers who customize each of their activation words and then they can’t remember them fast enough in an emergency.”

Aunt June had me practice a few more times, casting spells and then freezing them at the last moment into a token. I did the fire spell again and the whirlwind spell, as well as one to freeze water. Before long, I was growing confident in my ability to actually transfer a spell into a token.

“I think you’ve got that,” aunt June told me proudly. “For someone who started off behind everyone else, you’re sure picking this up fast.”

“It was Gayle’s tutoring,” I told her. Then at her hurt look, I quickly added, “And all of your great teaching.”

“Good catch,” she responded with a grin. “But you are doing pretty good. The first time I tried making a token, it took me four tries.”

“So, what next?” I asked.

“I had planned on spending a little longer working with the tokens,” aunt June told me with a grin. “But, we’re a little ahead of schedule so I think we have time for something else. I’m going to teach you a spell that’s a little more complicated that anything you’ve done so far.”

I used a wet sponge and wiped the chalk lines out of the spell circle and then she began to draw new ones. I watched carefully as she placed the lines and symbols, noticing something about a couple of the lines and marks that caught my attention.

Aunt June began casting the spell and I stood back, watching intently as she called the magic and formed it into the pattern. Again, something struck me as familiar but I couldn’t place quite what it was at first. By the time she completed the spell and transferred it into a token, I had a guess.

“Is this some kind of fire spell?” I asked aunt June.

“Yes, it is,” she responded, giving me a look of surprise. “How did you know?”

“Every time I do a fire spell, the pattern comes out here and here,” I tried pointing into the air, though it was hard to do since the pattern was no longer there. I gestured to the drawings in the spell circle and gestured to a few other spots. “And these are kind of the same.”

Aunt June stared at me for a long moment, making me uncomfortable. “You know, I was here for nearly six months before I started learning how to tell what a spell is by looking at the pattern.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

“Really,” she answered, giving me a thoughtful look. “Most sorcerers don’t learn how to read the patterns until they’ve had a bit more experience.”

I chuckled self-consciously at that. “Well, those tests they had us take at my old school said that I was really good at pattern recognition.”

I had always been pretty good at being able to see patterns and where things went, not that it was very useful. I thought that it had to do with the amount of practice I had putting together jigsaw puzzles. After doing it enough times, I could look over all the pieces and quickly pick out where the right shapes and colors matched. I could put a puzzle together in very little time when I put my mind to it, though I usually preferred to go slow and take my time.

“Well, I want you to start paying attention when you cast spells,” she told me thoughtfully. “See if you can start recognizing other spells.”

After this, aunt June had me perform the same spell that she’d just cast. I still didn’t know exactly what it did, only that it was related to fire. It was a complicated spell compared to any of the other ones that I’d done, but I was eager to try it out. It took me three tries before I was able to complete it and tie it into a token.

“Now to see exactly what it does,” aunt June said, holding her token out and saying, “Abra kadabra.”

A ball of fire appeared in the air and just floated there like a miniature sun. Then after ten seconds, it went nova and exploded.

“Cool,” I exclaimed, holding my token out and saying, “Activate.” A new burning sun appeared where the previous one had been, and it too exploded after only ten seconds.

“I think we’re about done for now,” aunt June told, looking quite pleased. “I need to get going home.”

“Are you going to be back again tomorrow?” I asked her hopefully. Even though I had to be in my enhanced form whenever aunt June worked with me, I still looked forward to it.

“I’m afraid not,” she apologized. “I’ve got a few things that I need to take care of and a few shows to perform. I won’t be able to get back until next week.”

“Okay,” I responded with a sigh of disappointment.

“Don’t worry,” she teased me. “You’re not going to be bored.” There was a mischievious look in her eyes, the same look she had just before she’d first announced that I’d have to be in my enhanced form when she taught me. “I might not be here, but I’m going to leave you with some homework…”

A short time later, I walked aunt June to the hall of doors and said goodbye. I gave her a hug and then watched as she disappeared through one of the doors.

I was just turning away to go back to my dorm room when I felt the faint tingle that always preceded my enhanced form wearing off. Without really thinking about it, I absently touched my talent again and felt the tingling vanish, giving myself another hour or two in this form as I started for my room.

I sat in class, trying to pay attention to our teacher though Sylvie kept distracting me with her jokes. Kimberly, who was sitting on the other side of Sylvie, kept distracting me as well due to how loud she was giggling in response to the jokes.

At the moment, we were attending a history and social studies class that all students took, not just the ones in the sorcerers course. Our instructor was Mister Estoban, a forty something man who took after his Vietnamese mother more than his Cuban father. I think he enjoyed confusing people with his Asian appearance and Hispanic name.

“Someone really doesn’t like you,” Sylvie told me quietly, gesturing to the other side of the classroom where Teressa and her cohorts were silently glaring at me.

“Someone really doesn’t care,” I responded with a grin.

Ever since the incident with Teressa and her cronies a few days ago, she’d been glaring at me as though I was her sworn enemy. She now thought that I was the one dating Todd, an impression that had been encouraged by Todd’s comments at that time. Teressa now thought I was a romantic rival, an unworthy one who’d stolen the guy she was interested in. And even worse, at least from her point of view, her attempts to humiliate me by destroying my clothes had backfired on her.

“At least Eve is relieved,” Sylvie told me with a chuckle. “Teressa hasn’t been bothering her since this started.”

“Lucky her,” I replied wryly. “I’d tell Teressa that I was really a guy and had no interest in Todd, but I don’t want to give her the satisfaction.”

“I hate to tell you,” Sylvie whispered with a smirk. “But if you have all the right plumbing, that means you aren’t a guy anymore.”

“And from what I heard,” Kimberly added, “you certainly didn’t look like one then.”

I glared at Sylvie and Kimberly, knowing that as much as I hated it, they did have a point. Physically, I really was a girl and I would remain that way for the rest of my life unless I found a spell that could overcome my sorcerers mark. Intellectually, I knew that wasn’t very likely, but I had to try.

This conversation also made me think of Todd and how he’d been treating me differently ever since the incident. After he’d seen me in my enhanced form, he now seemed to think of me as girl rather than one of the guys. The way I’d teased Teressa had probably contributed to that, but there was no doubt that our relationship had changed.

Just then, my attention was suddenly brought back to Mr. Estoban’s lecture by hearing him mention the Were. I didn’t catch the context since the last time I was actually paying full attention a minute ago, he was talking about the Sier, another race of people who existed alongside the Touched and Were.

“As far as we know, there are very few Sier left,” Mr. Estoban stated. “It is difficult to estimate their numbers as they are even more secretive with outsiders than we are. But the Were, on the other hand, seem to be flourishing much the same as we Touched.”

“Just what we need,” Teressa commented with a contemptuous snort. “A bunch of filthy werewolves running around…”

“I know,” Monica added with a snicker from beside her.

“Uh oh,” Kimberly muttered, looking to me.

“There are only about a half dozen Were wolves in the entire world,” I responded loudly, glaring at Teressa in anger. “If you count the dogs, dingos, coyotes and the like, the number goes up to a couple dozen. I wouldn’t call that a bunch…but I guess, if you have to use your fingers to count it might seem like a lot.”

There were a lot of gasps around the entire classroom at that. “You fucking bitch,” Teressa snarled.

I stood up and continued glaring at her. “And as for them being filthy… Well, every Were I know bathes regularly. I couldn’t say the same for you.”

“I’m gonna kill you,” Teressa exclaimed, jumping to her feet while her friends did the same. She pulled out a token that looked like a knot of beads and began to yell, “Inv…”

“ENOUGH!” Mr. Estoban yelled. There was a flash of illusionary lightning and everyone froze at that. Mr. Estoban wasn’t a sorcerer, but I’d seen him use his talent to get the class’ attention before.

“Oh shit,” Sylvie exclaimed, giving me a nervous look.

“YOU,” Mr. Estoban stated, pointing directly at Teressa. “If you ever attempt to assault another student with magic in this class, I will have you expelled from the Academy.” Teressa paled at that and then he turned to glare at me. “And you Ms. Morris. You seem to think yourself some sort of expert on the Were. Why would you think that you know more about the subject than I do?”

“Because I am a Were,” I responded proudly. I might be embarrassed by what I turned into, but I was still proud to be a Were nonetheless.

There were sudden gasps and mutterings through the entire class. Mr. Estoban didn’t look the least bit surprised, though he was smiling faintly.

“Then as a Were,” Mr. Estoban told me with a gleam in his eyes. “Perhaps you would be willing to clarify some of our misconceptions.”

I stared at Mr. Estoban, suddenly realizing that he’d just played me. As a teacher, he would have already known that I was a Were. In fact, I’d overheard a few things that made me think it was a matter of gossip among most of the teachers. Mr. Estoban couldn’t just tell the class that I was a Were, but now that I’d just outed myself, he was able to use me as a teaching tool.

“Bullshit,” one of the other students called out.

“It is true that the Were and Touched are two different races,” Mr. Estoban said, looking around the class. “But occasionally, we do have children together.” He looked at me.

“My mom is Touched,” I stated, feeling extremely self-conscious about all the attention on me. “My dad is a Were.” There were more mumbles and whispers at that. I took a deep breath and forced myself to continue. “Most kids of Were and Touched are either one or another. Occasionally, you get a hybrid like me. Someone who is both.”

“What do you turn into?” one boy demanded. Another student called out, “Prove it.”

“On the first full moon after a Were turns sixteen,” I said, trying to stay calm amid all the stared and whispers, some of which seemed almost hostile. “That is when a Were first changes into whatever animal they are going to turn into. It’s pretty random so we don’t have any idea what we’re going to turn into until the first time it happens.”

“Animals,” someone said in clear contempt, though I couldn’t be sure who it was.

I didn’t have time to go into anything more because the class came to an end. Mr. Estoban said, “Thank you for your unique input on Weres, Ms. Morris.”

I looked around at my classmates, most of whom were staring at me. Then I quickly left the classroom, letting out a sigh of relief. “Thank Primus that’s over.”

“I can’t believe that,” Sylvie exclaimed, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. “The way you told that bitch off…” She burst out laughing. “I loved it.”

“I can’t believe you told everyone you were a Were,” Kimberly said.

“It’s not like I was really hiding it,” I responded with a shrug. Of course, I hadn’t really been spreading it around either.

“Damn, did you see Teressa’s face?” Sylvie continued with a broad grin. “It was priceless.”

That just made me frown as I clearly remembered the look on Teressa’s face right before we left the room. It had been a look of hatred, but also a smug one. The look on her face had almost said, “I’ve got you now,” and that made me worry.

Todd and I had engaged in a fierce philosophical debate almost since the moment that the last class of the day ended an hour ago. And after all this time, we’d only settled on one point that we both agreed on. Han shot first.

“Jar Jar is one of the worst things to ever happen to the universe,” I protested emphatically. “He was a weak attempt to throw in some comedy for the kids, but all he did was distract from the storyline…”

“He wasn’t that bad,” Todd argued. “I thought he was kind of funny. Besides, it wasn’t like he was a precedent for anything. Lucas had already used the Ewoks to appeal to kids…”

Todd and I stopped and stared at each other for a moment before we burst out laughing. “This is a pretty silly thing for us to be arguing over,” Todd finally said.

“Yeah,” I agreed with a smirk. “Because you’re obviously wrong.” The fact that this was a silly and absolutely pointless argument was what made it so fun.

Todd chuckled at that but leaned back and stared at me with an odd expression. I pretended that I didn’t notice it, though it did make me just a little uncomfortable. He’d been looking at me more and more like that over the last week, ever since he’d seen me using my talent.

“What are you staring at?” I snapped at one boy who was walking past.

We were in the middle of one of the dorm day rooms which meant that we didn’t have a lot of privacy at the moment. Unfortunately, our dorm rooms were all pretty small and staying in them for too long made me feel a little claustrophobic. I was pretty sure that they’d been designed that way intentionally, just to force the students to get out and socialize a bit more.

“You know,” Todd said carefully. “You looked pretty nice when you changed. I was just wondering why you don’t change more often…”

“Because I don’t like people staring at me,” I told him, standing up and stretching. “It’s weird enough being a girl. I don’t need guys hitting on me as well.”

Just then, two girls walked past and both of them gave me looks of contempt. “Mooo,” one of them said while the other giggled and called out, “Woof woof.”

“What was that about?” Todd asked with a confused look.

“Some people don’t like the Were,” I responded bitterly.

Ever since I’d come out in class two days ago, I’d been dealing with this kind of behavior. News of my being a Were seems to have spread through the entire school, encouraged no doubt by Teressa and her friends. Now, everyone seemed to know, and a few liked to make it clear what they thought of the Were.

Most of the students didn’t seem to really care one way or another that I was a Were, though I had gotten a few questions that seemed to be honest curiosity. However, as I’d already learned before, some Touched had poor opinions of the Were, thinking that we were more animal than person and other similar things. And unfortunately, those were the ones who liked to make their views heard.

“I need some fresh air,” I stated grimly, leaving the dorm with Todd walking beside me.

As we walked out, I overheard someone say, “Animal,” but I didn’t bother looking to see who. I grimaced, already aware of what some of these people were saying. Just yesterday, someone I’d thought of as a friend had told me to my face that the Were had been created as a result of bestiality. I’d been furious at that, even more because the guy had actually seemed to believe it.

“I’m beginning to see why you don’t want more attention,” Todd said, apparently having noticed more than I thought he had. “And why you’ve been in such a bad mood all day.”

“I just haven’t been feeling good,” I told him with a sigh. “It’s all the stress.”

“I’d imagine,” Todd agreed sympathetically. “By the way, you never did tell me what you turn into.”

“No,” I responded with a faint smile. “I didn’t.”

Suddenly, I heard someone yell out, “That’s her… She’s the one who attacked me…”

I looked around and was startled to see that Kaellie had been the one yelling, pointing at me as she did so. I noticed that one of her arms was wrapped up with a bandage. Master Tonkas and Amylia were right beside her, both of them looking very grim.

“She was the one who attacked me,” Kaellie exclaimed, still pointing at me. “She turned into a wolf and jumped me…”

“You saw her change?” Amylia asked Kaellie in a calm voice.

Kaellie hesitated a moment and then admitted, “No. But she came at me in wolf form and bit me…” She held up her arm. “I have a bunch of witnesses.”

“What?” I gasped in surprise. “I didn’t do anything…”

“You are the only Were in the Academy,” Master Tonkas said thoughtfully.

“I don’t even turn into a wolf,” I argued, growing angry at being blamed for something I didn’t do.

“And what is your Were form?” Master Tonkas demanded. “That information is not on record.”

“I’m…” I paused and took a deep breath. “I’m a mythic.”

“Really?” Amylia exclaimed, staring at me in surprise. “That is very interesting…” Then she abruptly turned to Kaellie and asked, “And when did you say this attack occurred?”

“About twenty minutes ago,” Kaellie responded, glaring at me. “She just came at me and bit me…”

“No way,” Todd exclaimed, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Erin would never do that. Besides, she was with me…”

“So, you are saying that you were attacked by a Were wolf twenty minutes ago,” Amylia said to Kaellie, who nodded emphatic agreement. “In broad daylight.”

“Everyone got a good look at her,” Kaellie insisted.

Master Tonkas stared at her with a look of realization. “Weres are incapable of transforming during the day. Whatever attacked you, it was most certainly NOT a Were…”

“No, it was not,” Amylia agreed with a grim expression. “I suspect it was a conjuring.” She gestured to me and said, “Erin is not advanced enough to cast a spell of that nature even if she was of a mind to. I suspect someone may have been attempting to use her Were status to blame her.”

“Agreed,” Master Tonkas said after a moment.

Amylia stood there for a moment with a thoughtful expression, then she looked to Master Tonkas and said, “You know this is not the first occasion when a student was attacked by a wolf.”

Master Tonkas scowled at that. “True. But the student responsible for that attack was expelled and banned from the Academy. It couldn’t possibly be him.”

“That would seem very unlikely,” Amylia agreed.

I glanced to Todd, wondering what was going on. Kaellie and I both seemed to have been almost forgotten about at the moment, though I was actually thankful for that.

“But what about her?” Kaellie demanded, drawing Amylia and Master Tonkas’ attention back to us. “She attacked me.”

“I see absolutely no indication that Erin was behind the attack,” Amylia told Kaellie. “None besides your baseless accusations.”

“Go to the infirmary and have Mrs. Reveine look at your arm,” Master Tonkas told her. “She should be able to heal it right up for you.”

Kaellie glared at me for a moment before turning and hurrying off. I didn’t know what had happened, but I didn’t really feel any sympathy for her, not after the way she’d blamed me like this.

Master Tonkas looked at me for a moment and then bowed his head. “I apologize for this misunderstanding. We are required to investigate all accusations.”

I nodded at that, not sure what to think about his apology. First, he’d accused me of lying about being a Were, now he’d practically accused me of committing an assault because I was a Were. However, he did seem sincere.

Master Tonkas walked away but Amylia stayed behind and put a hand on my shoulder. “I am deeply sorry about this,” she told me with a sigh. “Unfortunately, most Touched know very little about the Were and have a number of misconceptions. We like to accuse normals of being intolerant and hostile to that which is different, but we seem to forget that we are just as capable of those behaviors. I fear that now your status as a Were is public, you can expect more insults and false accusations.”

“That’s not fair,” Todd protested.

“No, it isn’t,” Amylia agreed sadly. “All Erin can do is deal with it as best she can and try to avoid trouble when possible.” Then she gave me a gentle smile and said, “Being a mythic is very special, and being a mythic as well as a sorceress is almost unheard of. If you wish to talk to someone about this, I would be happy to listen.”

Once Amylia had left as well, Todd turned to me and said, “That was kind of scary.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, feeling more shaken than I wanted to admit. I had a feeling that if Amylia hadn’t been there, things could have gone very differently.

After a few more seconds, Todd gave me a look and said, “Okay… What the hell is a mythic?”

My dorm room was small and cramped, not even the size of my old bedroom from back home. I had room for my bed, a dresser, and desk, as well as the small table I’d stuffed into the corner to assemble my puzzle on. However, I didn’t really have much extra room beyond that.

I was in a foul mood as I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling exhausted and uncomfortable. I just wanted to go to bed and get some sleep, hopefully forgetting all about the events of the day before I woke up again. Unfortunately, I knew that wasn’t going to happen and at least one of those events was going to give me a reminder first thing in the morning.

It had been bad enough when Keillie had accused me of being the wolf who’d attacked her, though at least the teachers hadn’t believed it. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the rumors from spreading among the students that I had. The fact that no one had seen me, only a wolf, was irrelevant to them. As was the fact that Weres couldn’t transform into their animal forms during the day. I suspected that Teressa had something to do with why those particular rumors had spread so fast.

But as bad as the accusations and rumors were, they were nothing compared to my real problem. I hadn’t been feeling very good over the past few days, though I’d just put it down to the stress of dealing with all the whispers and insults. But a few hours ago, I’d found blood in my panties. Mom had given me the talk and had even warned me that this would probably happen, though I hadn’t believed her at the time. I was having my period.

Ever since my transformation, I’d been telling myself that I was still a guy. I’d been insisting that even though I looked like a girl, the changes were really only skin deep and that I was still a boy inside. With the arrival of my period, reality had hit me upside the head like a brick. It was as though nature had decided to slap me in the face with the fact that I really was female now, that I had all the messy female biology and hormones rather than the male ones I was used to.

“Just great,” I grumbled, grabbing my breasts through my shirt and grimacing. “I really am a girl now…”

I’d been trying hard to ignore my female body as much as possible, to pretend that everything was perfectly normal. I even avoided getting too playful with my new parts, at least most of the time. But this was something I couldn’t ignore.

“They might as well be full sized,” I muttered. Then on an impulse, I activated my talent and felt myself beginning to change. “There,” I said once I’d finished and my small breasts had grown much larger. “Now they’re a handful.”

I wasn’t really even sure why I’d just done that, though I had to admit that I did feel rather good this way…not that I’d ever admit it to anyone else.

Maybe aunt June had been right when she’d said that spending time in my enhanced form would help me get more comfortable with my new gender. I’d spent enough time in this form that it no longer felt so alien to me and I barely even noticed the oddness of my plain form anymore.

“And now I’m having a period,” I muttered with a sigh. I closed my eyes, hardly able to believe it. Of course, I knew that I should have expected this but it had still caught me by surprise.

When I opened my eyes again, I stared at the stack of books that were piled on my desk next to my laptop. I sighed at the sight, remembering that I was supposed to be doing my homework.

The last time I’d seen aunt June, she’d given me a few books that she wanted me to read through. She’d also given me directions to look over the spells in the books and see if I could start recognizing the patterns. Between that and the instructions to practice making tokens, she’d given me a lot to keep me busy.

Aunt June hadn’t been the only one to give me homework though. Gayle had gotten me caught up with the rest of the class and was no longer my tutor, but she did give me another book and ‘suggested’ that I read through it.

I stared at the books for several minutes before letting out a sigh. As uncomfortable as I was at the moment, I did need to get my homework done. And more importantly, maybe it would distract me from what I was going through.

I tried reading for a good half hour, but between being tired, uncomfortable, and distracted, I just couldn’t focus on the pages. I put the book down and shook my head in annoyance.

As I sat there feeling too tired to focus and too uncomfortable to sleep, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I might be tired and uncomfortable, but a succubus was nocturnal and would be bound to be more awake. And since I felt so good in my succubus form, I might not be as uncomfortable either.

“That’s a bad idea,” I told myself, remembering what had happened the last time I’d changed. “But I won’t leave my room.”

With that, I began removing the sweat suit that I usually wore while relaxing in my room before bed. Once I was fully undressed, I called my Were form.

The succubus inside of me was close, hiding just under the skin. It was easy to call that part of myself, too easy. I moaned as my body began to transform, growing larger and sexier. I almost smiled at the sensation of my breasts swelling larger.

When my transformation had finished, I stood up and stretched as much as I could. There wasn’t enough room to really spread my wings so I had to make due.

“This does feel better,” I said, marveling that the cramps and discomfort from my period had completely vanished. Instead, I felt good…strong and…sexy. “Much better.”

I also felt awake. Wide awake and full of energy. Every trace of the drowsiness I’d felt a minute ago had vanished entirely.

A moment later, I began to run my hands down my body but had to force myself to stop. I knew that if I let myself start playing, it would be very difficult to stop. As it was, the horniness was a nice warmth over my body. The last thing I needed at the moment was to stoke it into a blaze.

Then I froze, suddenly becoming aware of something. I could feel something…the same thing I’d felt from my neighbor and which had made me lose control. Unlike then, it wasn’t coming from a single direction. It was coming from almost every direction.

“Oh frell,” I whispered, knowing that I was sensing sexual energy…male sexual energy. I was a succubus in the middle of a dorm full of horny teenage boys. “This was a bad idea.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to contain my succubus instincts which were starting to rise. It was almost as though I was salivating over a delicious meal placed before me. All I had to do was reach out and help myself.

I took another deep breath and drew in some of this energy at the same time. It felt good…delicious. I wanted more. But instead of getting up and running out to grab the nearest boy I the hallway, I took another deep breath and drew in a little more energy.

For the next ten minutes, I remained where I was, slowly absorbing some of this energy. There was so much of it in this building that I didn’t even need to go out and find a target. The air was so rich with it that I could just absorb what I needed from here in my room.

My human side was relieved at that while my succubus side was merely content. I was able to feed this craving without actually having to go out and harm anyone. A part of me still wanted to, but I was able to control myself for now.

Once I’d satisfied my cravings enough, I was finally able to turn my attention to the books. I picked one up and went back to reading, still being distracted both by the delicious energy and my own horniness, but at least this time I wasn’t tired.

I studied the books aunt June had given me for the next two hours, occasionally drawing in more of the energy while I was doing so. I was beginning to pick out a few more similarities between certain spell types, such as a particular swirl in the pattern that seemed to occur with all the water based spells.

Eventually, I got bored of just reading and leaned back. “At least this was productive.”

I started to stretch my wings but then remembered that I didn’t have enough room to do it properly. I glanced to the window and smiled faintly. I could go out there and stretch my wings.

“I need some fresh air,” I mused.

For a minute, I just stared at the window, knowing that it would be a very bad idea to go out there looking like I now did. But in spite of that, I moved to the window anyway. Perhaps my succubus nature was removing some of my caution, or maybe I was just tired of feeling cooped up.

I jumped out the window, stretched my wings and caught the air. It wasn’t until that moment that I remembered my fear of heights. However, it was too late so I tried to relax and remember that I’d successfully flown before.

The idea of flying around the Academy and creeping around the rooftops was tempting, but it was also a bad idea. Instead, I flew away from the buildings and towards the other side of the island which had been left natural and undeveloped.

I passed over a large pond in the middle of the island, one which was nearly the size of a small lake. I’d walked around it a few times during the day time, but this was the first time I’d seen it at night. Of course, with my eyes, it might as well have been day.

As I flew over the pond, I sensed something from it, something that confused me. It wasn’t like the sexual energy I felt around the school and it didn’t feel as though it was drawing me toward it. I frowned, staring down at the center of the waters, wondering what could possibly be down there.

With a shake of my head, I continued flying, doing a loop around the island and then heading back to my dorm room. As nice as it was to be out like this rather than being cooped up in my room, it was also risky. I didn’t want to take the chance that anyone might see me.

When I returned to my dorm window, I scrambled back inside with a broad grin on my face. After that, my fear of heights may be a thing of the past. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to have to try this again sometime.

“Now to change back and get some sleep,” I mused, now in a MUCH better mood than I’d been earlier.

However, I was still wide awake and full of energy. It almost seemed like a shame to waste that. I glanced to the books, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to do a little more studying, and then after that, I could play with my horny body for a bit.

“That sounds like a plan to me,” I announced as I licked my lips and reached for a book.

I was a bit surprised by myself over what I’d done last night. I could hardly believe that I’d intentionally turned into a succubus again and had willingly stayed that way until the sun rose. And what was even more unbelievable...I’d enjoyed myself.

Last night, I’d been wide awake and full of energy so had been able to get a lot of my homework done. On top of that, I’d been given a nice reprieve from the period which had recently begun. Those things alone had been good reason to appreciate my time as a succubus, but of course, how that body felt had certainly added to the experience.

Of course, the main reasons that I’d been so hesitant to turn into a succubus again…so…afraid…had been because of the things I felt. The things my succubus body craved. But last night, I hadn’t lost control of myself, which had been my greatest fear. I’d been able to control myself and even found a way to satisfy my cravings without getting close to another person. Without hurting anyone else or even letting them see me like this.

After last night, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Perhaps it was because I’d been able to satisfy my succubus needs. Perhaps it was because I’d been able to overcome some of my greatest fears about being in that form. Dad told me that I would have to come to terms with my Were side, that I would have to accept that it was a part of me. I think that last night was my first real step in doing that.

When I changed back to my normal form with the sunrise, the effects of my period returned. I cursed bitterly at the cramps and bleeding, though I knew that at least I was luckier than most girls in that my Were form could give me a reprieve.

Strangely, even though I’d been up all night studying, watching old Twilight Zone episodes online, and playing with myself, I felt wide awake and full of energy once I changed back. In fact, I almost felt as though I’d downed an energy drink. I’d felt oddly awake after changing back the first two times, but not quite to this level. The only real difference that I could think of was that this time, I’d fed as a succubus.

I was in a strange mood as I got dressed and went to my first class. On one hand, I was upset by my period and the bloody reminder of my female status. But on the other, my mood was lightened a great deal when I thought of last night. It was almost as though at least a part of the weight had been removed from my shoulders.

About mid-morning, I was sitting in class next to Sylvie and paying attention while Amylia gave us a lecture on the different types of magic. At the moment, she was talking about illusion magic and how it different from conjuring magic, which was basically creating solid illusions.

“Illusions and conjurings are of the same nature,” Amylia told the class. “The spells are very similar and conjurings are only a little more complicated. The greatest difference is the amount of raw magical energy that it takes to create a conjuring…”

I glanced to where Teressa and Kaellie sat at the other end of the classroom. I’d caught both of them glaring at me several times during the class, though neither of them were doing so at the moment.

“Different types of magics have different levels of inherent complexity,” Amylia continued the lecture. “Elemental spells are among the most simple. Illusion falls about midrange on the scale of complexity with conjuring being a little more difficult. Then at the higher levels of complexity, you have transformation and then transmutation spells.”

“What’s the difference?” someone asked.

“Transformation is changing something like into like,” Amylia explained, having immediately caught my full attention the moment she’d first mentioned transformation magics. “Changing a cat into a dog is transformation magic. Changing that same cat into a stone statue is transmutation.” She continued explaining the difference between transformation and transmutation for the next two minutes.

“I wouldn’t mind learning how to transmute shit into gold,” Sylvie commented beside me. I snickered in response and nodded my agreement.

“The complexity of these spells increases the difficulty in casting them,” Amylia continued. “And not only for the obvious reasons. The more complex a spell is, the more magical energy must be spent just to maintain the pattern. This means that it takes far more magical energy to cast a complicated spell than it would to cast a simple spell with the same level of effect. For example, every sorcerer can cast the basic elemental spells. However, you must be able to draw enough magic before you can cast any transmutation spells. In fact, the easiest transmutation spell requires enough magic that you have to be class eight just to cast it.”

I suddenly froze at that, feeling a cold chill run down my spine. I was barely aware as Sylvie muttered, “Damn, I guess I won’t be turning lead to gold. I’m only a class six.”

“What about transformation spells?” I asked loud enough for Amylia to hear my question. I held my breath, apprehensively waiting for her answer.

Amylia paused and gave me a curious look. “Transformation spells are a little less complex than the transmutation ones. The simplest ones cause relatively minor changes and can be cast by a class six sorcerer. However, greater changes require even more magic.”

I stared at Amylia for a moment in horror and then collapsed back in my chair, feeling stunned as I considered her answer. Ever since I came to the Academy, I’ve been studying hard with the hopes of one day learning how to cast a powerful enough transformation spell to change me back to normal. Now, my hopes of ever being able to do so had just been dashed. As a class 4, I would never be powerful enough to cast even the easiest transformation spells.

When aunt June had first begun teaching me magic back home, she’d told me about transformation spells and had promised that one day she’d teach me what she knew. However, she’d hesitated and I’d known at the time that there was something she wasn’t saying. Now I knew exactly what that something was.

“Why?” I whispered, wondering why aunt June had lied to me. It was a lie of exclusion rather than a direct lie, but she’d intentionally deceived me nonetheless.

“Are you okay?” Sylvie asked me with a concerned look. “What’s wrong?”

“Later,” I responded, my voice shaking slightly. I didn’t feel like talking about it right there in class.

I had a difficult time paying attention for the rest of the class, in spite of the fact that it was on a subject I was interested in. When the class ended, I hurried out of there to get some fresh air.

I stopped outside the classroom and took several deep breaths as I tried to calm myself. Sylvie stood beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder and looking worried.

“Are you okay?” she asked me again.

“Yeah,” I told her with a weak smile. “I just got some…disappointing news.”

Teressa and Kaellie came out of the classroom at that point and looked at me just long enough for Teressa to sneer and spit out, “Animal.”

“Real original,” Sylvie responded, jumping to my defense. “Let me guess…next you’re going to call her a mudblood.”

Neither of the other girls responded to Sylvie’s comments and continued on their way. I was glad to see them go since I wasn’t in a mood to deal with those bitches right now.

“Well, that was interesting,” a new voice said. I looked over and saw Gayle coming towards me. “Hey Erin. How are you holding up?”

“All right,” I responded with a chuckle.

“I’ve heard some of the rumors going around,” Gayle told me, looking grim.

“So, you don’t like Weres either?” Sylvie half demanded of her.

“I don’t have any problems with Weres,” Gayle said, looking almost offended. She looked me in the eyes. “But I have to admit, you are the only one I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, I noticed that there aren’t a lot of us around here,” I told her with a chuckle.

“I heard about yesterday,” Gayle told me with a sigh. “Trust me, I know what it’s like dealing with false accusations and rumors.” She shook her head and snorted in disgust. “It sucks.”

“Oh, what kind of rumors?” Sylvie asked, looking more curious than hostile now.

“Well,” Gayle said, rolling her eyes. “There was the one that I was trying to take over the world…”

I stared at her, wondering if she was joking. However, she looked like she was being serious. “Wow.”

“You get used to it,” she told me with a shrug. “Eventually, most of them go away.”

“How long?” I asked with a grimace.

She hesitated a moment before admitting, “Longer than I’d like.”

Sylvie snorted at that. “That sounds so promising.”

“I try,” Gayle responded with a grin. Then she abruptly asked, “So, have you read any of that book I gave you?”

“I read through part of it last night,” I told her, remembering the book. It had been old and hand-written, seeming to mostly contain notes on different tricks and ideas about spells and magic in general.

“Take good care of it,” Gayle told me. “My sponsor gave it to me. And I do want it back when you’re done.”

“Thanks,” I told her. “I really appreciate it.”

Gayle just smiled at that. “No problem.” She hesitated a moment and then put a hand on my shoulder again. “Things will get better,” she promised me quietly. “You just have to hang on and keep your friends close.”

After Gayle left a few seconds later, I turned to Sylvie and said, “I guess we should get going to class before we’re late.”

“Okay,” she replied, giving me a suspicious look. “But you still have to tell me why you looked so shook up. Remember, Gayle just told you to keep your friends close.”

“At lunch,” I promised her with a sigh, not wanting to get into this just yet. “I’ll tell you at lunch.”

“You lied to me,” I accused aunt June, not even realizing that I was standing there with my hands on my hips the same way that mom did when she was angry.

“What are you talking about?” aunt June responded, sitting down at the desk in my study and giving me a curious look.

“You said that I’d learn how to cast transformation spells,” I reminded her with a glare. “You said you’d teach me how to cast that sex change spell someday.” Then I snorted and added, “You forgot to mention that a class four can’t do those spells.”

Aunt June stared at me for a moment before she said, “Oh, that…”

“Yeah, that,” I replied with a snort.

Aunt June rubbed her temples for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry if you feel I lied to you. You’d just suffered several large disappointments and I didn’t want to disappoint you further.” Then she paused and looked me right in the eyes. “And to be honest, I was afraid that if you were any more disappointed with magic at that point, you might change your mind about wanting to learn.”

“I didn’t have a lot of choice,” I told her, feeling almost like I was pouting.

“Of course you had a choice,” aunt June told me with a faint smile. “You always have a choice. Sometimes in life, you might only have bad options to pick from, but you do still have a choice.”

I snorted at that and then admitted, “I really wanted to learn that spell…” I let out a sigh, staring at the floor. “Transformation spells just sound so cool… I mean, being able to change things...”

“They are pretty cool,” aunt June admitted with a grin. “Unfortunately, I can’t really cast any of the best ones myself.”

“Really?” I asked.

“I’m sort of a borderline six seven,” aunt June told me with a shrug. “I register as a high class six or a low class seven, depending on which testing methods are used.”

“A lot higher than me,” I responded, trying to keep the jealousy from my voice.

“I do have a small collection of transformation spells,” she said proudly. “I copied most of them from our family talents. For example, I have a spell to mimic Helen’s talent to make her breasts larger…and I have one based off my mom’s talent of making people fat.” Then she shrugged. “Unfortunately, Dave’s talent of turning himself into a raccoon is too high level for me. In fact, if I was to make a spell off my own talent, I wouldn’t be able to cast that one either.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I pointed out.

“The pattern for my talent is permanently engraved in my being,” aunt June explained. “Because of that, I don’t need to expend magic to build the pattern or maintain it. Talents don’t follow quite the same rules or limitations that a spell based off them would.”

Then aunt June abruptly changed the subject and asked, “How have you been doing here?”

“Fine,” I responded, only to get a slightly skeptical look and a raised eyebrow in response. “Well, I guess everyone knows I’m a Were now.”

“It was only a matter of time,” aunt June responded slowly. She scowled. “I’m guessing that not everyone is okay with it.”

“No,” I told her with a weak smile. “Not everyone.”

Aunt June let out a sigh. “I’m sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to be assholes.” Then she chuckled and gave me a wink. “Though to be honest, I would have expected you to have more trouble for going into the girls locker room.”

“All my friends know I used to be a guy,” I told her with a shrug. “But it isn’t really general knowledge.”

“Well anyway,” aunt June told me, “I brought a few things for you…” She reached into her purse and pulled out a box for a complicated looking jigsaw puzzle. “Your dad thought you might like this.”

“Yeah,” responded with a grin, eager to start putting it together. I’d finished the puzzle in my room and could use a new one.

“This is from your mom,” aunt June told me, pulling a bag full of new girl clothes from her purse. Then she pulled a small box from the purse which was wrapped up with a red bow. “And this one is from me.”

“What’s in it?” I asked as she handed the present to me.

Aunt June just grinned and responded, “You’ll have to open it to find out.”

I snorted at that. “The last time you told me that, an illusion frog jumped out at me.” That had been the last thing I’d expected for my tenth birthday.

“That was pretty entertaining,” aunt June mused with a laugh. “The look on Helen’s face…”

I gave aunt June a skeptical look and then opened her present, being careful to aim it away from me when I removed the top. Fortunately, nothing jumped out or exploded. I looked inside and saw that it contained a silver bracelet. It looked very nice and even had a round pearlescent stone of some sort set into it so that it resembled a full moon.

“Every young lady should have some jewelry,” aunt June told me gently. “Whether she wants to be a lady or not.”

“Um…thank you,” I told her, not quite sure what to think of this present. I wasn’t sure that I liked the idea of aunt June thinking of me as a girl or of wearing something like this. But it was very nice looking.

“It is also a reusable token,” aunt June told me with a gleam in her eyes as she gestured to a similar bracelet on her own wrist. “It only holds a single spell, but it is a good idea to always keep at least one spell with you at all times for self-defense. I’ll show you how to synchronize it to your magic.”

“Thank you,” I told her, staring at the bracelet with a greater appreciation. I gave aunt June a hug and then slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, announcing, “I’m gonna call her Vera.” She gave me a blank look but didn’t say anything. She was used to my making references to movies and TV shows that she didn’t get.

“Now, about that homework I gave you,” aunt June said with an amused look.

I grinned and poured a pouch full of rocks onto the table and watched her expression. It took her several seconds to realize that these were the tokens she’d asked me to make. I’d been trying to come up with something I could use besides paper and decided try small rocks. There was an unlimited supply of rocks I could use on the beach. All I had to do was find some that were the right size and looked fairly nice. And after I’d stored spells in them, I was able to use model paint to mark what the spells were.

After I proved they worked, aunt June told me, “Nicely done. But you may want to use something other than rocks. Carrying these around could get rather heavy, not to mention, they’re not very stylish.”

Then we began discussing the rest of my homework, all the reading that aunt June had asked me to do. Now that I was aware that certain types of magic have similarities in their patterns, I was actually looking for them and had begun to see the patterns within the patterns. After all the studying I’d done last week, I was now seeing the magic patterns in a different light.

“Very impressive,” aunt June told me proudly. “You really are catching onto that quickly. Being able to see what the patterns do is the first step in being able to customize your spells…and eventually being able to create your own.”

“That sounds promising,” I commented, trying not to look smug.

Aunt June looked me over for a moment before saying, “There are a number of spells that are pretty complicated but don’t require a lot of raw magic. They deal more with subtle effects than really big ones. Since you’re a level four, it might be a good idea for you to focus on some of these.”

I spent the next two hours working with the spell aunt June had given me, finding that it was the most complicated spell I’d done so far, yet ironically, had one of the most basic effects. It was a challenge that nearly frustrated me until I began to think of the spell pattern as a puzzle that just needed to be assembled correctly. Once I did that, I was finally able to complete it. Then I performed the spell two more times to make sure that I really had it.

When I was finished, I had another spell that could light a candle. The effect seemed very straightforward at first glance, but it was much more complicated than the first spell I’d ever cast for a reason. The other spell would release the magic in one burst to light the candle. This spell actually enchanted the candle with a persistent effect. Whenever the flame went out, the magic would activate and relight it again. The magic could only relight the candle a limited number of times, but it was still an interesting effect.

I immediately thought of the practical joke applications…until I remembered my twelfth birthday and the fact that all of the candles on my cake kept relighting. I had a feeling that I’d seen this spell before.

“That should do it for tonight,” aunt June told me with a smile. “I do have some more homework for you though. I have a few more spells like this one that I want you to practice with. They may not be very powerful, but they should be good practice at working a complicated spell.”

“Okay,” I said, curious about what these other spells would do.

Aunt June reached into her purse and pulled out a small stack of papers. Then she paused. “Oh yes, I had something else I was asked to give you too.” And with that, she pulled an envelope from her purse and handed it to me.

“What’s this?” I asked

“I’m not sure,” she responded with a look of amusement. “Your dad asked me to give it to you. He said it came from Vivian.”

“Vivian?” I asked in surprise. I hadn’t heard anything from her since right after the last full moon.

There was a letter inside the envelope, and as I read it, my eyes went wide in amazement. When I was finished, I had to read through the whole thing again.

“Well?” aunt June prompted me. “What’s it say?”

“Vivian says,” I started, then paused to take a breath. I looked at aunt June and asked, “You remember how Vivian and her friends found out that a lot of the new mythics share a common ancestor?” When aunt June nodded, I continued, “Well, they confirmed who it is. She says here that he was a Were chimaera named Robert Dupree. He had three kids from two different women and died in eighteen twenty-three.”

“That’s interesting,” aunt June said, though she didn’t really sound all that interested.

“Yeah,” I grinned in response, holding up the invitation card that had also been in the envelope. “But what’s really interesting is that they’re setting up a meeting for all the mythics who are descended from this guy.”

“What?” aunt June asked in surprise.

I nearly jumped up and down from excitement as I exclaimed, “In two weeks…I get to meet some other mythics.”

I had just woken up, and in spite of having slept for only three hours, I was wide awake and bursting with energy. Of course, I’d spent half the night in succubus form, taking advantage of my nocturnal nature to stay up until the early hours of the morning studying.

“Kind of ironic,” I mused with a chuckle. “You’d hardly guess that one of the advantages of being a succubus is that it can help with studying.”

Of course, there were other benefits of being a succubus as well, though I was only recently starting to appreciate them. Being wide awake and full of energy at night was certainly one of them, but so was being able to do things like fly and see in the dark… And of course, there was the matter of just how good that body felt.

I was still smiling faintly as I tried deciding what clothes to wear today. I had my usual stuff, but aunt June had brought the new clothes from mom last night. There were things for my normal form as well as my enhanced form. As I looked at the new clothes, I realized that I’ve barely worn any of the clothes for my enhanced form. The only time I was ever really in that form was when I was working with aunt June.

I held up one of the new shirts mom had bought and mused, “Why not?”

On an impulse, I used my talent and felt myself beginning to change. I smiled as my form altered and my breasts grew. Though I would never admit it to aunt June or anyone else, this form had kind of grown on me. I felt good this way…stronger and more confident. I was sure that part of that had to do with the fact that I was four inches taller. And though I was hesitant to consider this, a part of it might also be because I knew that I looked much sexier.

Once I was dressed and ready to go, I looked myself over and said, “If I’m stuck being a girl, at least I can be a good looking one when I want.”

When I started for class a short time later, I began to feel a little self-conscious. I’d been out in public in my enhanced form before, every time I’d had to go to or from a meeting with aunt June. And of course, there was the wardrobe malfunction incident outside the cafeteria. However, this was the first time that I was actually going to class like this.

I sat down in my normal seat, letting out a sigh of relief. I’d become aware of just how many people were watching me, though very few of them realized who I was. With my current form, I was definitely a target for attention, though I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about that. I was used to being either overlooked and ignored or being the target of teasing because of my Were status. Having guys drool over me and girls giving me jealous glares was a little new.

“Hey,” Kimberly said as she went to her seat. She gave me a suspicious glare and said, “That seat is taken.”

“I know,” I told her with a wry smile. “It’s my seat.”

“No,” she protested, looking a little more hostile. “I mean my friend sits there.”

I stared at Kimberly for a moment, suddenly realizing that she didn’t recognize me. Of course, she hadn’t seen me like this before. I burst out laughing, then told her, “It’s me…Erin.”

Kimberly’s eyes went wide and she stared at me for a moment more before exclaiming, “Oh my God… You look so different…”

“I do, don’t I,” I responded, looking down at myself and giving her a wry smile.

“Sylvie told me about how you look when you use your talent, but…,” she paused to shake her head and give me a grin. “You look nice…”.

A minute later, Sylvie joined us and gave me a look of surprise when she saw me sitting there. “The rest of my clothes were dirty,” I lied, gesturing down at myself. “The only things I had to wear were for this form.”

I continued getting looks of curiosity and interest as the rest of the class filled in, and it didn’t take long before they realized who I was. Teressa and her friends glared at me with obvious hostility, though none of the guys seemed hostile at all, not even the ones who didn’t seem to like Weres. In fact, the guys in class usually kept looking at Teressa and admiring her looks, but today, they were looking at me instead. That seemed to piss her off even more, which in turn, amused me.

About halfway through class, Sylvie whispered to me, “I was wondering… What happens if you use your talent when you already look like this?”

“It doesn’t make me any hotter, if that was what you meant,” I answered quietly. I’d actually wondered the same thing myself and had tried it out on one of my sessions with aunt June. “All it does is extend how long I’m like this.”

“Too bad,” she responded with a chuckle. “I’m just imagining what Teressa would have done if you’d gotten bigger…” She cupped her hands in front of her chest to show what she meant. I just snickered, thinking about how much fun that would have been.

When class was over, one boy came up beside me and nervously said, “Hey, I was wondering if you’d be interested in going out some time…”

I was completely caught by surprise at that while Kimberly and Sylvie both snickered. This boy had never been one of the ones to make fun of me for being a Were so I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“Come on,” Sylvie exclaimed, taking pity on me and pulling me away before I had to answer. “We’ve got to get to the next class…”

“Don’t let that bitch fool you,” Teressa loudly told another student. “She’s still just an animal pretending to be human…”

“If she’s an animal,” the boy who’d asked me out responded from behind me. “Sign me up for bestiality.”

“Oh God,” I groaned as I hurried away even faster. My cheeks were blushing bright red.

“All part of being a hot girl,” Sylvie told me with a smirk, obviously amused by the situation.

Sylvie and I went to our next class which was being taught by Master Tonkas. He looked startled when he saw me but didn’t say anything. However, he kept glancing at me for the entire class and then quickly looking away. Teressa and Kaellie just silently glared at me the entire time.

Halfway through class, one of the girls beside me leaned over and demanded, “Where did you get the spell you used?”

“What spell?” I asked in confusion. Then I realized what she meant. “I didn’t use a spell.”

“Bullshit,” she snapped while several other girls who were close to us nodded agreement.

“There is no way in hell you changed that much without using a spell,” another girl added.

I rolled my eyes at that. “Looking like this is my talent,” I replied, smirking faintly at their gasps of surprise. “I could have looked like this at any time. I was just didn’t feel like doing it in class until now.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Sylvie added with a grin. “No spell…just pure natural talent.” Then she put her arm around my shoulder and said, “You will let me see the pattern though, won’t you?”

I just laughed at that. “I might,” I admitted to Sylvie while other girls gave me strange looks, as though trying to decide if they should be hostile with me or be friendly so that I’d let them see the pattern as well. “My aunt wanted the pattern too but says it would probably be a class eight spell.”

“Damn,” one of the girls behind me muttered in obvious disappointment.

By the time lunch arrived, I was just starting to get used to the idea that guys were all watching me with looks of interest, though I still wasn’t sure what to think of that. A lot of girls kept giving me jealous looks, but fortunately, almost no one commented on my Were status. It seemed that my enhanced form provided a good distraction.

Sylvie, Kimberly, and I sat at our regular lunch table and talked about the events of the day. Specifically, my friends joked about how everyone had been reacting to me.

“Did you see Master Tonkas’ face?” Sylvie asked with a laugh.

“No,” Kimberly responded with a grin. “But I did see Mister Estoban’s.”

“You need to go out like this more often,” Sylvie told me with a smirk. “It’s a lot more fun.”

I just laughed at that. “You’ve got a point.”

Just then, Eve approached our table with her lunch in hand. She took a seat and gave me a curious look before asking Sylvie, “Who’s your new friend?”

Kimberly snickered at that but it was Sylvie who answered, “It’s Erin.”

“I told you about my talent,” I said with a faint smirk.

“Erin?” Eve blurted out, staring at me in surprise. Then she looked me over again, appraising me much as she had the very first time we’d met. Then, I hadn’t met her standards for a more personal interest, but now I obviously did. She smiled with increased interest. “Very nice.”

“Thanks,” I responded, wondering what she’d say if she could see me as a succubus.

Todd arrived a minute later, pausing as he saw me sitting there. His eyes went wide and he gulped visibly before taking a seat.

“Hey Todd,” I greeted him.

“Erin,” he responded with a nervous smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you like this again…” Then he added, “But I’m glad I am.”

I blushed at that, though I wasn’t quite sure why. “Why?” I asked him impulsively in a mock innocent voice. “Don’t you like the other me?”

Todd gulped at that and looked a little nervous. “Well…I mean…you’ve sort of got this sexy librarian look going on now. I mean, with your glasses and all…”

Todd was obviously a little uncomfortable and I just giggled at that and found myself shifting over just a little closer to him. This was actually kind of fun.

“For someone who used to be a guy,” Sylvie teased me with a grin. “You sure are becoming a tease…”

I stuck my tongue out at her and joked, “Bite me…”

“Don’t tempt me,” Todd said with a grin.

Suddenly, Teressa’s voice exclaimed, “Todd…”

I looked over and saw Teressa coming towards us with Monica and Kaellie close behind. “Oh shit,” Todd muttered, looking nervous. “My stalker.”

“Why in the world are you sitting with HER?” Teressa demanded, giving me a jealous glare. “She’s a Were… An animal…”

“Just take a hint and go away,” Sylvie exclaimed. “Can’t you see my brother isn’t into you?”

“Shut up,” Monica ordered her. “She wasn’t talking to you.”

“Just leave me and my friends alone,” Todd snapped at Teressa. “I’m sick and tired of you messing with my friends. First Eve and now Erin…” He shook his head. “Just leave me alone. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Teressa gasped, looking hurt at that. Then she glared at him for a moment before spitting out, “If you’d prefer to be with an animal than a real woman…then fine.”

With that, Teressa turned and ran off, crying as she did so. Kaellie and Monica remained back just long enough to glare at us.

“You’re gonna regret that,” Monica exclaimed before she and Kaellie went after Teressa.

“Damn,” Todd muttered with a shake of his head. “I feel kind of bad for her, but at least she finally seemed to get the hint.”

“Yeah,” I responded sadly, putting my hand on Todd’s to comfort him. “Just remember, it’s not your fault she was a psycho stalker.”

“No,” Kimberly agreed. “It’s not your fault.”

Eve snorted and said, “I don’t think she’s given up just yet. Her kind never does.”

“I just wish she’d leave me out of it,” I muttered, still holding Todd’s hand. “But I have a feeling she won’t.”

I stepped outside the hall of doors, feeling satisfied over my session with aunt June. It had been nice to know that my skills with magic were improving, and especially that she was impressed by how quickly I was picking up the more complicated spells. Since I’d begun thinking of spell patterns as being like puzzles, it had become a lot easier to figure them out and put them together. However, it was a real shame that I didn’t have enough raw magic to actually make use of any of the even moderately powerful spells.

“It’s too bad,” I mused to myself with a sigh. The only kind of spells I could cast with any real power to them would be elemental spells, and I would be limited even there.

I stopped and took in a deep breath of the night air. The sun had set half an hour ago and the moon hung brightly overhead. The moon was nearly full and it was only a couple more days until the actual full moon. My succubus stirred inside, almost as though eager for the time when I would have no choice but to release her.

“Don’t be so impatient,” I told myself with a wry smile, knowing that it wasn’t as though I’d been keeping my succubus completely locked up. Over the last week, I’d spent several nights in succubus form and I fully intended to do the same thing once I got to the safety of my dorm room. “Then we’ll feed…”

With that thought, I licked my lips absently. There were so many horny teenage boys at this school and they each released enough sexual energy that it filled the air. I was able to take it in without even touching a single one of them directly. And ever since I started feeding at night, none of my classmates showed any signs of even noticing it. However, I suspected that this wouldn’t be the case if I ever lost control and fed on one of them directly. Of course, that was why I stayed locked up in my room with the exception of taking a quick flight each time to stretch my wings.

I felt oddly amused by the idea that I was actually looking forward to spending some time as a succubus, especially since I’d been so terrified of it before. Of course, I’d also just spent the entire day in my enhanced form. It had been the very first time I’d done that, yet I strongly suspected it wouldn’t be the last. Then I frowned, suddenly wondering if I was starting to become too comfortable with my situation. If I got too comfortable like this, wouldn’t that mean the old me was fading away?

“Damn,” I muttered, now feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable with wanting to stretch my wings. Maybe I shouldn’t change tonight. Maybe I should try fighting my new self even harder so that I didn’t lose the Aaron I used to be.

I took my time walking back to the dorms, noticing that there were still a few other students out. I knew from experience that nearly all of them would be inside for the night in one more hour. It would only be after that when it would be safe to go out flying without being seen.

“Thank Primus for lax curfews,” I mused with a chuckle.

A lot of the rules around the Academy were pretty relaxed compared to any other school, due in large part because of our unique nature. The Touched ignored a lot of the rules of nature and physics, so it was no surprise that a lot of us didn’t take man made rules quite as seriously. At least, we didn’t unless they served a good reason like keeping us hidden from normals. And of course, a lot of sponsors had odd schedules and couldn’t always come to work with their students in convenient daylight times.

When I was nearly to the dorm, I heard someone scream. I snapped around and looked towards the sound, seeing a faint blue glow a distance away. It took me a second to realize that this was the blue glow from Sylvie’s tattoos. A moment later, I was running towards her.

As I got closer, I saw that Sylvie and Kimberly were standing at the edge of the courtyard, surrounded by three other familiar looking girls. I grimaced at the sight of Teressa, Kaellie, and Monica. Teressa and Kaellie both had tokens in hand.

“This is what you get for hanging around with that animal,” Teressa spat out at them with a sneer.

“We’re doing you a favor,” Kaellie added.

“If I had my tokens on me,” Sylvie spat out angrily.

“But you don’t,” Monica responded with a laugh.

“Leave us alone,” Kimberly demanded, the fear clear in her voice. She held her hand up and formed a glowing ball of light in her palm, looking almost as though she was threatening the other girls with it. However, it was a complete bluff as I knew her light was nothing more than light.

I froze for a moment, feeling a surge of guilt at the realization that my friends were being jumped just because they were my friends. Then I grimaced and yelled, “What the frak do you think you’re doing?”

“Erin,” Sylvie exclaimed in relief.

“Get away from here,” I ordered Teressa and her goons, reaching into my pocket for one of my tokens.

The rock that served as my token was smooth and nearly round, as well as about the size of one of the large masher type marbles. It also had a purple mark painted on its surface to tell me what it did. I just hoped that Teressa and her friends didn’t call my bluff because none of my tokens would be much good for fighting, especially not the one in my hand. The one in my hand wouldn’t do anything except change the color of their clothes to purple. It was one of the spells that I’d just learned tonight.

“So the animal does have teeth,” Kaellie said with a smirk.

“Don’t make me use this on you,” I said, trying to bluff. “I don’t want to send anyone to the hospital.”

“Damn,” Kimberly muttered. “I wish my talent was more useful…”

“After this, I’m not going anywhere without my tokens,” Sylvie stated firmly, her eyes still locked on the other girls.

I nodded agreement with Sylvie’s statement, then told Teressa, “Back your ass up now…”

“Make me,” Teressa taunted me. “You took Todd away from me so I’m going to take everyone else away from you. We’re gonna make sure they know what happens if they hang out with an animal you…”

I glared at Teressa, suddenly wondering if I might have caused some of this escalation. If I’d just told her up front that I had no interest in Todd, that might have prevented any of this from happening. But then, I remembered that before me, she’d been locked on Eve as her rival, even though Eve had made it clear she only thought of Todd as a friend. I scowled more deeply, thinking I could still try. I could tell Teressa that there was absolutely nothing going on between Todd and I. But for some reason, I couldn’t quite bring myself to say that.

Suddenly, Sylvie threw herself at Kaellie, who was the closest to her, punching her in the face and causing her to drop her token. Kimberly responded by jumping at Monica, who was fairly helpless except for her talent to embarrass other people. That left me to deal with Teressa. Before my change, I never would have considered hitting a girl. Being able to actually knock that smug look off her bitchy face just might be the best thing about my new gender.

Before I could make the first move towards Teressa, she cried out, “Invoke…”

The knot of beads in Teressa’s hand suddenly crumbled away and there was a brilliant flash of light. An instant later, my body exploded into pain and I was flung back and hit the ground hard.

“Eat lightning,” Teressa exclaimed with a sadistic laugh.

“Erin,” Sylvie cried out, running to my side and helping me to my feet. “Are you all right…”

“A bit dazed,” I responded, taking inventory of my body and making sure I wasn’t injured.

“Activate,” Kaellie called out and suddenly the ground in front of us burst into flame. Sylvie and I both jumped back while Kaellie laughed.

Kimberly slapped at Monica frantically in a matter that would have had me laughing under any other circumstances. “You bitch,” Kimberly cried out, only to get punched in the face by her opponent.

I’d dropped my token on the ground when Teressa had hit me with that blast so reached into the pouch on my belt for another one. But just then, all my clothes suddenly dissolved, including the pouch on my belt. My tokens all hit the ground and scattered.

“Not again,” I yelled, looking down at my naked body and then glaring furiously at Monica. “I liked that shirt…”

Monica just smirked back and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a red ribbon and calmly said, “Invoke.” The ribbon crumbled away and large wolf appeared a few feet in front of her.

“What the hell?” Kimberly blurted out, staring at Monica in surprise. “But you’re not a sorceress…”

“No,” Monica responded with an even deeper smirk. “But my brother is. He gave me some of his tokens when I came here…just in case I needed them.” She snorted and added, “He wanted me to sick them on that Gayle girl, but I don’t have a problem with her. It’s you three I’ve got a problem with.”

“Keep that thing away from me,” Kaellie exclaimed, glaring at the wolf. “I can’t believe I let you have that thing bite me…” She glared at Teressa. “And it was all for nothing. You said it would get her kicked out…”

“Quit whining,” Teressa responded.

Sylvie stared at them in shock, exclaiming, “You bitches… You tried framing her…”

“Her kind doesn’t belong here,” Kaellie responded with a sneer.

“This isn’t about me being a Were,” I said, glaring at Teressa. “That’s just a rationalization because you’re a jealous loser.”

Teressa snarled but it was Monica who commanded, “Sic em…”

The wolf charged straight at me, but to my surprise, Sylvie rammed it in the side and knocked it on its side. Teressa pulled out another token but I knew I couldn’t let her use it. Unfortunately, my own tokens were scattered on the ground and I didn’t have time to search for one I could use.

Suddenly, I remembered that I did have one token left. I reached for Vera on my wrist and called out the word I’d chosen to release its magic. “Engage.”

The spell inside of my bracelet was merely the one to create a small whirlwind, but that was just what I needed. A whirlwind appeared right in front of Teressa and Kaellie and the strong wind was enough to distract them and even make Teressa drop her own token.

“Activate,” Kaellie cried out, unleashing the magic from her own token.

“I can’t move my feet!” Kimberly exclaimed in fear, looking as though she was struggling but her feet didn’t come up from the ground. “It’s like I’m glued…”

Teressa was picking up the token she’d dropped during my distraction and I really didn’t want to find out what it did. I clenched my fists angrily, knowing that I had to stop this.

I was out of useful tokens but I did still have one ace up my sleeve. I was so angry that I didn’t even think about it as reached for my last trick.

A moment later, my body began to ripple and change. I gasped as the now familiar feeling of transformation washed over me. I was growing bigger…stronger…sexier.

“What’s happening to her?” Kaellie cried out, staring at me in shock.

“Erin?” Kimberly squeaked out.

“Oh yes,” I purred as my breasts reached basketball size, sitting round and perfect on my chest. I stood to my full height of 6 foot 1 and stretched out my wings. “Now you’ve pissed me off…”

“Holy fuck in a hand bag,” Sylvie blurted out, her eyes going wide as she stared at me.

I knew that as a succubus, I was both sexy and scary at the same time. At the moment, I wanted to pump up the scary. I smiled, letting Teressa and her goons get a good look of my fangs. Then I stepped towards her, twitching my tail and holding out my clawed hands so they could see them.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?” Teressa demanded, backing away with a look of fear on her face.

“A DEMON,” Monica yelled.

The wolf launched itself right at me and dug its teeth into my forearm. It hurt so I snarled in pain and then flung the wolf, sending it flying about ten yard away. I’d suspected that I was stronger as a succubus than as a human, but this was the first time I’d really tested that. The wolf hit the ground hard and then vanished.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I snarled, suddenly grabbing Teressa and holding her firm. I ran one of my clawed nails over her cheek while she stared at me in terror. Then I stuck my tongue out to its full length and licked her cheek. “Delicious.”

I suddenly smelled urine and dropped Teressa, turning my attention to her friends. Kaellie was backing away and then turned to run. I looked to Monica and she was backing away as well with a wide eyed look of shock in her eyes.

“He was right,” Monica whispered. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it… My crazy brother was actually right. Marcus was actually right… This place is infested with evil…”

I stepped back, satisfied that I’d scared Teressa and her goons into leaving me and my friends alone. It was only then that I became aware of the fact that there were at least a dozen students, standing back and staring at me with shocked expressions.

“Oh frak,” I whispered, realizing that I’d just made a huge mistake. I turned to my friends and asked, “Are you guys okay?”

To my horror, Kimberly and Sylvie were backing away from me, staring at me with the same looks of terror that had been on the faces of Teressa and her goons.

I was very aware of the fact that I was surrounded and outnumbered. More than a dozen other students had had been drawn to the fight with Teressa and her friends, though none of them had made a move to get involved until now. It was the same thing that happened in my old school whenever a fight broke out, especially among girls. Everyone was more interested in watching the fight than in stopping it.

But now the fight had ended with Teressa curled up on the ground, staring at me in terror while her friends had run away. The crowd was now focused intently on me, staring at me with looks of disbelief and even fear. It was easy to see that at least some of them were likely to attack me in moments so I had to get away while I still could.

I quickly glanced to my friends but Kimberly fearfully cried out, “Keep away from me…” I winced at that, knowing that I’d made a HUGE mistake in letting my succubus out. The way Sylvie and Kimberly were staring at me hurt far more than anything Teressa had done to me.

“But I’m not going to hurt you,” I protested weakly.

I was about to fly away, both to get away from the small crowed and the accusing looks from my friends, when I noticed two teachers running towards us. Mrs. Khuto had a glowing ball of light floating above her as she ran, providing far more light for everyone else to see clearly by.

“No one move,” Mrs. Khuto commanded. Then as she stopped, she pointed to me and demanded, “Who created this conjuring?”

“Conjuring?” I blurted in surprise. “I’m no conjuring.”

Mrs. Khuto stared at me with her mouth open. “It speaks?”

“This is no conjuring,” Amylia told her as she joined us. She gave me a speculative look before turning to Mrs. Khuto. “This is a student.”

“A student?” Mrs. Khuto asked in surprise, giving me another look.

“Erin Morris,” Amylia stated.

“Yes ma’am,” I answered, suddenly extremely self-conscious. It only surprised me that I hadn’t felt quite this embarrassed before since I was not only in succubus form in front of a bunch of people, but also completely naked.

“The Were,” Mrs. Khuto said, giving me a curious look. “I hadn’t realized you were a mythic.” Then she looked around and demanded, “What is happening here?”

“She turned into a monster and attacked us,” Teressa exclaimed, pointing at me. “She attacked us for no reason…”

“You liar,” I snarled at her, only to see her pale and scramble back again.

“We will take this inside,” Mrs. Khuto stated, looking to the gathered audience. “We will all discuss this with Professor Roangard.”

Amylia nodded agreement and then turned her attention back to me with a scowl. “This certainly explains why you were so reluctant to reveal your Were form.” Then she pulled out a token which looked like a crystal and stated, “Invoke.”

The magic swirled around me and I suddenly found myself wearing a sleek black dress which fit my exaggerated body perfectly, hugging my breasts and hips to show it all off. I could feel the dress against my skin which indicated that it was a conjuring, a more advanced version of the same spell Gayle had once tested on me.

“Cover up,” Amylia told me with a scowl.

I felt almost as though I was going to my own execution as we walked into the building, escorted by two angry teachers. I was both sexy and scary when I was in this form, and though I’d really pushed the scary part earlier, I was now trying to push the sexy part. It was actually quite easy as my movements in this form tended to automatically be sexy without any effort. I probably would have changed back to my normal form so that people wouldn’t keep staring at me, but I feared that if I transformed, the conjured dress would get disrupted and vanish, leaving me completely naked again.

A short time later, we were all standing out in the hall by Professor Roangard’s office and were being brought in one at a time to explain what had happened. Kaellie and Monica had even been rounded up and brought in as well. It was extremely awkward as my friends and Teressa’s friends kept glaring at each other while everyone carefully avoided looking at me. It was extremely obvious that I made them all very nervous. I kind of enjoyed that reaction from Teressa, but not from Sylvie and Kimberly.

When it was my turn, I walked into Professor Roangard’s office, feeling extremely nervous but trying not to show it. They might be about to throw me out of the Academy, but at least I could try to keep as much dignity as I could.

Professor Roangard’s office wasn’t quite what I would have expected from the head of a school of magic. It looked an ordinary office with a nice wooden desk, beige carpet, and several book shelves. I didn’t see anything that would have looked out of place in the office of any normal school headmistress. Professor Roangard sat behind the desk, watching me with a grim expression. Amylia stood to the side, looking equally grim. I was just thankful that Mrs. Khuto was watching those in the hall to make sure they didn’t share details, otherwise I would have really felt outnumbered.

“Erin Morris,” Professor Roangard stated as she looked me over. “Your sponsor warned me of your alternate form before you came here, but it is still somewhat surprising.”

“What?” I asked in surprise. “Aunt June told you?”

“Of course,” Professor Roangard responded, not taking her eyes off me. “I needed to know what animal I might expect to hear sightings of during the full moon.”

“It would have been nice to have been warned that she was a Were demon,” Amylia commented, giving Professor Roangard a pointed look.

“Succubus,” I responded with a gulp, feeling more than a little self-conscious. “I’m a Were succubus.”

Amylia looked startled at that and gave me another scrutinizing look. “Yes,” she said after a few more seconds. “I can see that.”

“Tonight is NOT the full moon,” Professor Roangard said. “This form is distracting so please change back.”

I gulped at that and then gestured down at my dress. “Monica dissolved my clothes…” I glanced to Amylia who seemed to understand my fear.

“I have another one,” Amylia said, holding out another small crystal.

With a faint nod, I willed myself to start changing back. I didn’t like the idea of changing in front of them, but after changing in front of everyone else, I didn’t exactly have an excuse not to. My body quickly began to shrink and return to normal, and as I’d feared, the conjured dress vanished in the process. As soon as I was finished returning to my plain form, Amylia invoked the same spell as before and I found myself wearing another black dress. Unfortunately, this time I no longer had the curves to make it look good.

Now that I was back to normal, my vision had become a little blurry again. Unfortunately, I’d lost my glasses when I’d transformed. They were probably on the ground with all of my tokens.

“Now,” Professor Roangard said, giving me a steady look. “I have students reporting that you tried to eat them…”

“I’m a succubus,” I blurted out angrily. “If they were guys and I lost control, I might have tried to jump their bones, but other than that I’m not really dangerous.”

Amylia snickered at that and Professor Roangard almost looked as though she was about to crack a smile for a moment. However, they both covered it up quickly.

“Erin,” Amylia said. “Tell us what happened.”

I know that Amylia and Professor Roangard had both heard the story a few times already, and I got angry as I imagined what Teressa had told them. However, I tried to stay calm and then told them what really happened.

“I wasn’t trying to hurt them,” I explained when I was done, my voice shaking with emotion. My eyes were tearing up as I remembered the way Kimberly and Sylvie had looked at me. “I was just trying to scare them away so they’d leave me and my friends alone…” Then I lost it and began to cry. Tears ran down my cheeks as I blurted out, “Now they hate me…”

Amylia put a comforting hand on my shoulder and even Professor Roangard looked sympathetic. I wiped the tears from my face, feeling even more embarrassed.

After this, everyone was ushered into the office, including Mrs. Khuto. Professor Roangard looked over all of us with a hard look in her eyes. Mrs. Khuto and Amylia stood back but both looked pretty grim as well.

“This kind of behavior will not be tolerated,” Professor Roangard stated, looking at each of us in turn. “All of you have detention.”

“But they started it,” Kimberly blurted out. “They attacked us.”

“Which is why they will have detention for twice as long,” Professor Roangard said, looking at Monica, Teressa, and Kaellie. “Using magic to ambush other students in this fashion is inexcusable.”

“That’s not fair,” Monica exclaimed, glaring at me. “Aren’t you going to kick that THING out?”

“Monica Tamwright,” Amylia snapped. “I will not tolerate you speaking that way about another student. Nor have I forgotten that you used magic to attempt to frame Erin for an attack. Did you think we’d forget that your family crest is a wolf? Or that your brother attempted the same thing?”

“But she’s a monster,” Monica spat out angrily, turning to glare at me.

“Enough,” Professor Roangard said, her voice as hard as stone. “I do not want to see you follow your brother’s path. You are a talented young woman and can do better than that.”

“This is bullshit,” Monica screamed frantically. “Marcus was right about this place.” She glared at me and then at Professor Roangard. “I don’t need this… I’m not a sorceress so I don’t need to be here…”

“Monica,” Teressa started.

Monica spat on the floor then snarled, “I quit… I’m not staying in a place that lets things like that in…” She glared at me again before turning and leaving the room. Teressa looked like she was going to try stopping her, but no one else made a move.

“That was most unfortunate,” Mrs. Khuto said.

“Teressa. Erin,” Professor Roangard said, looking at each of us. “You two remain. The rest of you leave.”

Kaellie rushed out of the room as though grateful for the chance to get away. Kimberly hurried close behind her, not even looking back at me. Sylvie gave me a quick look with an unreadable expression before she too left.

“This squabbling between you girls has gotten completely out of hand,” Professor Roangard announced coldly. “I had hoped you would be mature enough to resolve your differences yourselves. Instead, I see this unacceptable escalation.”

I hung my head in shame. Teressa was the one who’d been spreading rumors and even attacked my friends, but I knew I wasn’t completely blameless. It hurt to admit that.

“From now on,” Professor Roangard stated, her voice calm but firm. “You will resolve your differences in a civilized manner. Any further fighting will be done in the duel circle.” She looked to Teressa and then me. “Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am,” I answered.

“Yes ma’am,” Teressa repeated. Then she turned to me and announced, “I challenge you to a duel.”

“Accepted,” I responded with a scowl.

The two of us just glared each other in silence. Now that I was back to my normal form, she was no longer afraid of me. I wished I could change again, but I had a feeling that this would be a VERY bad move right now.

“As neither of you has dueled before,” Mrs. Khuto said thoughtfully, “I recommend that the duel be scheduled no sooner than several days from now. This will give you both a chance to prepare.”

“Then it is settled,” Professor Roangard said. “Or it will be then.” She looked at Teressa and said, “Teressa, you may leave now.”

Once Teressa was gone, Mrs. Khuto said, “Now we need to discuss what to do about your Were form.”

I gulped at that, having a bad feeling about what was going to come. My Were form was a bit too extreme for most people to easily accept. I was too scary and too sexy, both at the same time.

“I recommend she be banned from changing while at the Academy,” Mrs. Khuto stated. She said this calmly, as though it was a perfectly reasonable solution. “This way there will be no threat to the other students.”

“Is she a threat?” Amylia asked with a raised eyebrow. “In her other form, she has claws and wings. How is that any more dangerous than the spells any student in the sorcerers course can cast?”

Mrs. Khuto nodded. “Point granted. But after this incident, the other students will fear her.”

Amylia smiled faintly. “So, you say we should punish a student merely for how she looks? How is her Were form any different than someone having the talent to transform their body?”

“No,” Professor Roangard said, cutting their argument short. “There will be no such restrictions on Erin’s Were form. The knowledge of her Were form is out and there is no longer any hiding it. She will be free to change at will, so long as there is no threat to the other students.” She looked me in the eyes and asked, “Is this understood.”

“Yes ma’am,” I answered, feeling relieved.

“No go,” Professor Roangard told me. Then as I started to leave the room, I heard her mutter, “Now maybe I won’t get any more reports of a giant bat flying around at night.”

“Oh frell,” I muttered as I walked away. “I don’t know the first thing about dueling.”

“Perhaps not,” Amylia said, catching me by surprise as she put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her and she gave me a faint smile and added, “You may not know much about dueling…but I believe you know someone who does.”

After the events of last night, it had been almost painful to go back to classes today. The first class wasn’t too bad as most of the students hadn’t heard the rumors yet, but by the second class nearly everyone in school seemed to have heard them.

I overheard the whispers about my turning into a demon and eating other students, but there were other stories spread about my being a succubus. The stories seemed to alternate between my being extremely violent or about my being a total slut…sometimes even both at once. Even the students who hadn’t seemed to care about my being a Were one way or another were now giving me nervous looks and avoiding me.

As uncomfortable as it was to deal with all of my classmates whispering behind my back…and sometimes to my face, the worst part was having to face Sylvie and Kimberly. I’d inadvertently scared both of them last night and now they were avoiding me. Neither of them would sit next to me in class or even talk to me. At most, I caught a quick glance my way before they pretended I didn’t exist.

The way my friends were treating me was almost like a dagger through the heart and it was all I could do not to just run back to my dorm room in tears. I even considered the idea of just quitting…leaving the Academy and going home. It was only the fact that this was exactly what Teressa wanted that kept me from doing so. Still, I wanted to at least cry on aunt June’s shoulders. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be coming back for a few more days.

Yesterday, I’d spent the entire day in my enhanced form and had enjoyed it. To my surprise, I’d loved the attention as well as how sexy it made me feel. But now, I was back in my plain form, just hoping that no one would notice me and wishing that I could turn invisible.

Teressa and Kaellie both spent half of each class glaring at me, seeming to have forgotten their fear now that I was no longer in succubus form. In addition to everything else, they now blamed me for Monica packing everything up and leaving the Academy in the middle of the night. Fortunately, neither of them said anything to me directly, though that didn’t stop them from spreading more rumors about me. Whenever I saw them glaring at me, I reminded myself that I’d get a chance at them in the duel circle.

When lunch came, I didn’t go to my usual table. I already knew from the way Sylvie and Kimberly had acted towards me that I wouldn’t be welcomed there anymore. I hadn’t seen Eve or Todd since yesterday, before everything happened, but I feared that I’d get the same reaction. I couldn’t bear to have them both looking at me like that too, especially not Todd.

I settled down for lunch on a bench outside the cafeteria and ate by myself. I missed my friends but tried not to think of that or the fact that they probably wouldn’t ever want to be friends with me again. All because of my other self.

“I never should have listened to dad,” I told myself bitterly. Why had I ever tried accepting my succubus side? Why hadn’t I gone with my first thought and just kept it hidden away forever?

While I was lost in my thoughts, a dark haired boy a little older than me sat down beside me on the bench. I was startled at that but he didn’t say anything at first nor even give me a hostile look.

“I heard about last night,” he finally said. “Are you okay?”

I stared at the boy suspiciously, wondering what he wanted. Then I demanded, “Who are you?”

“I’m Galen,” he responded with a chuckle. “I guess you’ve never seen me like this.” He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out what looked like a tarot card. I immediately recognized the card as being one of Gayle’s tokens.

“Gayle?” I asked hesitantly.

“Galen when I’m like this,” he told me with a grin. “I can change real quick if it will make you more comfortable.” Before I could tell him that he didn’t have to, he said, “Invoke,” and his token disappeared. There was a cloud of pink flower petals in the air and Galen’s body shimmered, becoming the more familiar form of Gayle. “Much better, I think.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” I told her.

“I really don’t mind being a girl,” she said with an amused look. Then she asked, “Are you really a Were demon?” She didn’t look frightened or disgusted, merely curious.

“I’m a Were succubus,” I admitted, staring at the ground.

Gayle nodded at that, not seeming bothered by the revelation. “So that rumor is partly true then.” She shrugged. “You want to talk about what happened?”

I hesitated a moment and then began to tell her about how I’d found Teressa and her friends messing with my Kimberly and Sylvie. I told her about how things had gotten out of hand and even how I’d lost my temper and changed to try scaring them away. She just listened without judging me, for which I was extremely grateful. It was nice having someone I could actually tell this to.

“That explains the rumors,” Gayle said with a sigh once I was finished. “I know first-hand not to believe everything you hear, but not everyone does. You’ll have to be careful not to scare people in the future if you want them to fade away.”

“I know,” I admitted with a grimace. “I screwed up big time.”

Neither of us said a word for half a minute, then Gayle broke the silence by saying, “I’m guessing the rumor about you and Teressa having a duel is true.”

“Yeah,” I responded with a snort. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m only a level four so can’t even pull out any of the best spells.”

Gayle just chuckled at that. “My sponsor is fond of saying that a sorceress’ power is not measured in the amount of magic she can summon or even the number of spells she knows, but mostly in how well she can use the resources the has.”

“I don’t really know much about the sorcerer’s duels,” I told Gayle. “I’ve watched one of them last week, but that was about it.”

“The rules are simple,” Gayle explained. “You use whatever tokens and talents you have to defeat your opponent. However, you can only use spells that you cast yourself. You win by forcing your opponent out of the circle, forcing them to submit, or just making it so they can’t do anything and the ref declares you the winner.”

I nodded at that, remembering the duel I’d watched before. Both of the people involved had been throwing spells at each other that normally would have been lethal. However, I’d been told that there were safety precautions set up for the duels which actually kept anyone involved from being hurt, regardless of what spells were used.

“Can…can you give me some advice?” I asked hopefully. Gayle was the top duelist in the Academy, so if anyone could help me it would be her.

“Sure,” she answered with a grin, looking happy that I’d asked her. “I knew a few tricks that might help you.”

“I can’t wait until they start teaching me that dueling stuff,” I told her with a weak chuckle.

Gayle grinned at that. “They only teach you the basics here. Since everyone fights differently, you’re expected to figure a lot out yourself…and get help from your sponsor.” She shrugged at that. “Mor…my sponsor says that there are a lot of tricks that most people don’t even remember anymore. Ever since they opened the Academy and standardized how sorcerers are taught, some things have gotten lost. But that’s why we’re required to have sponsors. They can pass down their tricks and fill in some of the holes of what they don’t teach here. Like fighting.”

“I don’t think my aunt knows many fighting tricks,” I said with a sigh. “Dueling was ever her thing. She’s got some really cool tricks for entertaining people though.”

After this, Gayle looked over the stones that I used as tokens. I’d recovered most of them from where they’d been dropped last night, though I was determined to make more of them that would be useful for self-defense.

“Stones aren’t a bad idea,” Gayle told me thoughtfully. “They’re pretty sturdy so your opponent can’t destroy them in the duel to keep you from using them. They are a little bulky though.”

“I have this too,” I said, pointing to Vera which was still firmly wrapped around my wrist.

“Jewelry can be pretty good for tokens,” Gayle said with a grin. “My girlfriend uses a charm bracelet for her tokens. Each charm on it is a different token.”

We discussed my upcoming duel for the rest of lunch, talking about what I could do with my tokens and what kinds of spells I should choose. Gayle assured me that some of the most effective spells in a duel were simple elemental ones.

“And even something like being able to boil water can be surprisingly useful,” she assured me with a faint smirk.

I just nodded at that, knowing that lunch was about over and so was our conversation. “You know,” I joked. “When I’m a su…in my other form, I can sense some kind of magic in that big pond…” I pointed in the direction of the pond and mused, “I wonder if that might be something I can figure out a use for.”

Gayle stared at me with a strange expression for a moment before asking, “You can really sense something in the pond?”

“When I’m a succubus,” I agreed.

“Have you told anyone else about it?” she nearly demanded.

“No,” I responded in surprise. Then I saw the look on her face and exclaimed, “You know what it is, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Gayle answered with a sigh and a shake of her head. “I’m the one who put it there for safekeeping.”

“What?” I gasped in surprise. “So what is it?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she responded with another shake of her head. “To be honest, I’d move it somewhere else, but if you could sense it there you’d be able to sense anywhere else I hid it. Please, just do me a favor and leave it alone. And don’t tell anyone else about this.”

“Okay,” I told her, still a bit uncertain and confused. However, Gayle had been nothing but helpful to me so I was willing to trust her. “I promise I won’t tell anyone else about it.”

“Thank you,” she told me with a smile. “I guess we’d better get going to class. Come see me tonight and I’ll see if I can help you prepare some more.”

As we got up and began to leave, I asked, “But really…what is in the pond?”

Gayle just gave me an amused look and joked, “Excalibur,” as she turned and walked away.

The full moon called to me. I could feel its power flowing through my body, making my blood surge and my succubus fully awaken. Tonight, there was no putting my succubus back into the box, not until the sunrise broke the power of the moon.

The full moon was a very special time for the Were. It was the time when our Were selves were strongest and could not be denied. Most of the time, Were could hide what we were, keeping our other selves locked up and pretending to live as normal humans. However, the full moon was the clear reminder that we weren’t normal…that we were something else. The full moon was the one night when we were fully faced with what we truly were. Were.

I had changed into my succubus form an hour ago and had stayed in my room since. I would have loved to have gone out and stretched my wings in the moonlight, but I didn’t dare do that tonight. Everyone in the Academy now knew what I was but I didn’t dare let any of them see me like this…not again. Not after what had happened the last time.

I grimaced as I thought of my friends, or at least, of my former friends. Sylvie and Kimberly had both been avoiding me for the last couple days, and admittedly, I’d been avoiding Eve and Todd. I’ve been staying away from them so that I didn’t have to face the pain of their rejection as well.

With a shake of my head, I took a deep breath and drew in more of the ambient sexual energy which I fed on. After what had happened, I had been tempted to fight the cravings and refuse to feed at all. However, I feared that if I did that, I might lose control to my instincts again. A well fed and satisfied succubus was less problematic than a hungry one. And since I didn’t seem to be hurting anyone by feeding this way, I didn’t feel guilty for doing so.

After a moment, I looked around my small room again, knowing that I’d spend the rest of my night hiding out here. I’d kill the time studying, watching a marathon of downloaded Firefly episodes, and satisfying the other urges that came with my current body. I absently licked my lips as I thought about the last. Every time I changed, there was always a temptation to immediately start playing w myself. I usually had to hold off on that thought, because if I gave into that temptation, I wouldn’t do anything else for the rest of the night.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on my door. I froze and stared at the door in surprise, wondering who it could be. Then I realized that I could sense a male presence on the other side. That definitely narrowed down the possibilities a bit more.

“Erin,” Todd’s voice came through the door. “Come on, open up.” When I didn’t answer, he called out, “I know you’re in there. It’s the full moon.”

“Go away,” I called back.

There was a long pause before Todd said, “Come on… I want to talk to you.”

I snorted at that and then bitterly spat out, “You’ll think I’m a monster.”

“I know you’re not a monster,” Todd argued. “Please, at least give me a chance to see you before you accuse me of calling you a monster.”

For a moment, I just stared at the door and then let out a sigh. I quickly put on a skirt and top, then opened the door. Todd stood in the hall, staring at me with his mouth open. His eyes locked on my massive breasts.

“Welcome,” I said with a wry smile. “Enter freely and of your own will.”

Todd continued to stare at me for a few more seconds before he closed his mouth and gulped visibly. Then he came into my room, his eyes still locked on me.

“Sylvie told me about how you looked,” Todd said carefully. “It’s something else to see it myself.” He tore his eyes away from me with some obvious effort and looked around. “So this is your room…”

“My own personal hive of scum and villainy,” I told him, earning a faint chuckle.

I watched Todd for a moment, relieved to see that he didn’t seem at all scared, just a bit stunned. It was about the same reaction I got from my mom and aunt June the first time they saw me like this. However, there was one major difference. Todd had a rather noticeable bulge in his pants and I could feel the sexual attraction radiating from him.

“Thanks for letting me in,” Todd said, looking at me again and making a very obvious attempt to look me in the eyes rather than at my breasts. “I could feel you in the hall…but it’s a lot stronger in here with you.”

“You can?” I asked in surprise.

He nodded at that, turning bright red. “Um…yeah. I started getting hard as soon as I stood outside your door.”

At any other time, I might have found that embarrassing, but right now I actually found it quite amusing. I stared at Todd, fully aware of just how turned on he was at the moment. I could feel the sexual energy that was directed at me. And to my surprise, I found that I felt attracted to him too. As a succubus, I was always a little horny, but now it was stirring even more and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

“Um…this is a little more awkward than I’d expected,” Todd admitted.

I found myself moving even more seductively than usual, knowing that I wanted hm. I simultaneously wanted him for sex and for feeding. My succubus instincts didn’t really see a difference, and though a large part of me knew that I should be horrified to feel this way, the rest of my emotions nearly drowned that part out. Only the fact that I’d already fed allowed me enough self-control to keep from jumping on hm.

“Yes,” I purred seductively, sitting down on my bed and crossing my legs in a feminine manner. “Very awkward.”

Todd stared at the floor, making an obvious effort to avoid looking at me. “Sylvie said that you scared the shit out of her the other day. You don’t seem that scary to me.”

“Thanks,” I responded with a faint smile. “I was trying to help Sylvie and Kimberly, not scare them. Now they think I’m a monster and don’t want anything to do with me.” I let out a sigh, staring at Todd and trying to ignore what I was feeling. Then I admitted, “I thought you would to.”

“That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?” he asked in surprise. At my nod, he came to me and hesitantly put a hand on my shoulder. “I never thought that…even when I heard the rumors. I already knew you were a Were and a mythic, but I kind of thought you’d be a unicorn or something.” He looked me in the eyes and chuckled. “This isn’t quite what I expected, but I still don’t think you’d hurt anyone.”

“I just wish your sister thought that,” I responded bitterly.

Todd snorted. “Sylvie feels bad about how she’s been acting. Now that she’s calmed down, she realizes that you were just trying to help. I think she’s just too embarrassed to apologize.”

I nodded, a little skeptical of that. However, I was more focused on the fact that Todd was touching me. I was fully aware of his presence and the energy coming from him. I licked my lips hungrily, wanting him even more with every second.

“I appreciate you coming here to see me,” I purred seductively, savoring the energy he was directing at me. I took a deep breath and absorbed more of it. It was directed straight at me and was somehow much stronger and tastier than the ambient energy that I had been feeding on.

Todd’s eyes widened and I could feel him getting even more turned on. I knew that part of it was just how outrageously sexy I looked, but from what he’d said about getting turned on outside my bedroom door, it looked like being a succubus may have given me an extra boost as well.

“Erin,” he said, his voice shaking a little. “I only came here to talk…to convince you that I’m still your friend.”

I pressed myself close to him, enjoying his reaction. God, I was so horny I couldn’t believe it. Then I kissed him, feeling incredibly daring and sexy as I did so. He kissed back, obviously getting into this just as much as I was.

“God, you taste so good,” he whispered when I pulled back.

“You too,” I purred, licking my lips.

While kissing him, I’d actually tasted the energy within him, far more than he’d been radiating outward. It had been absolutely delicious and I wanted to eat it. However, I forced myself to hold back, to keep from doing so. I didn’t hurt him at all by absorbing the energy he radiated, but I had a feeling things would be different if I actually took the energy directly from his body.

“I want you so bad,” Todd whispered, giving me another kiss. I reached down and felt his crotch while he held one of my breasts. Then he pulled himself away, looking almost as though it pained him to do so. “No… I can’t.”

“But you can,” I responded, a little confused by his reluctance. “I’m more than willing…”

I licked my lips, eager to go further, to really try out my sexy body in ways that I’d only fantasized about while masturbating before. Of course, I’d previously been fantasizing about women but right now I only wanted a guy. I only wanted Todd.

“It’s your Were form,” Todd gasped.

“You think I’m ugly?” I exclaimed, feeling hurt.

“NO,” he protested quickly. “Anything but… But this isn’t you… I mean, you’re a succubus now… Doesn’t that change how you think and feel?”

“Yes,” I admitted, licking my lips. “And I feel very VERY good right now…”

Todd gulped visibly and backed away. “But you’re not in your right mind… I mean, isn’t this like being drunk or something? I don’t want to take advantage of you…”

“Take advantage of me?” I asked in surprise. Then I burst out laughing at the irony. I was a succubus and he was afraid of taking advantage of ME. “Oh, please do…” I stuck my tongue out and licked his lips from six inches away. “Oh yes, please do….”

“I can’t,” Todd responded with a grimace, backing further away. He looked almost pained. “You’re a guy...”

“Do I LOOK like a guy?” I demanded, cupping my breasts. “Do I? Because I sure as hell don’t feel like one right now.”

“I mean, this isn’t what you really want,” Todd argued, looking uncomfortable. “You might want it now, but tomorrow you’ll just be mad at me and think I took advantage of you. I won’t…I can’t do that.”

“Todd,” I said, but he was already rushing out my door. “Frak.”

I was left alone in my room, simultaneously thankful that Todd had left when he had and wishing that he hadn’t. I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to calm my raging hormones. I took several deep breaths, taking in some of the ambient sexual energy and thinking that it just didn’t compare to what Todd had offered.

“Frell,” I muttered, closing my eyes and trying to control myself. I’d just about lost it completely...and I’d loved every moment of it.

After a minute, I got up and tried to distract myself by working on my puzzle. The pieces were all spread out on the table and about a third of the way assembled. I looked over all the pieces that were still loose, taking in the colors and shapes. I was already seeing where several of them would fit into the already assembled pieces as well as into each other. This was a 5000 piece puzzle and I could finish it within half an hour or so if I really wanted to. However, I preferred to take my time and slowly put each piece into its place.

I had been working at my puzzle for nearly twenty minutes when I suddenly felt something. I looked towards my window and saw something glowing outside of it, just a second before it bumped into the window. It didn’t hit my window hard, just enough so that it would have gotten my attention.

When I looked out the window, there was a ball of glowing silvery light about the size of a basketball. It just hovered there, but when I opened the window to get a better look, it backed away a few feet. I leaned out the window and the sphere backed up further.

“A conjuring,” I mused, staring at the thing curiously and wondering why it was here and who sent it. “Did Todd send you?” However, there was no answer and the sphere remained where it was. “Do you want me to follow you?” Again, there was no answer.

I looked around and didn’t see anyone watching me, though that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Then I glanced up at the full moon above. If I went out flying, I would be far too visible to anyone who looked up. I hated the idea of being seen like this again, but I was growing more curious, as well as frustrated at being cooped up.

“Professor Roangard did say I was free to go out like this,” I reminded myself, but I still felt nervous as I jumped out the window and spread my wings.

As I expected, the glowing sphere flew away from me. I followed after it and it continued flying, leading me away from the Academy grounds and towards the large pond or small lake which occupied the center of the island. I could sense the magic from beneath the water but the sphere continued leading me past that and towards the other side of the island that was mostly wooded.

The sphere led me all the way to the far side of the island, almost to the furthest point from the Academy. Even before it started to descend towards the ground, I knew exactly where it was leading me. I could feel something magical on the ground below, much as I’d sensed the sphere or the magic beneath the pond. I landed on the ground a short distance away from the presence and the sphere faded away.

I walked around some trees and then saw the presence that I’d felt from the air. It was a woman in a white dress, standing there in the open and glowing with a silvery aura. She was tall and slender with a very willowy build, only being several inches shorter than my own height. Her hair was long and silvery white, nearly pearlescent as other colors seemed to shift through the strands.

The glowing woman turned to look at me, giving me a good look at her face. It was thin and a little angular, looking beautiful but slightly off. That was due largely to her eyes, which were larger than those of an ordinary human. Her ears were pointed, but they were longer and more exaggerated than those of a Vulcan, making them even more noticeable.

“Hello Erin,” the woman said in a strangely melodic voice. “I am pleased that you chose to accept my invitation.”

“Who are you?” I asked curiously. But then she shifted position and I saw her eyes more clearly. They were a brilliant violet color that nearly seemed to glow from within. There was something in those eyes that I recognized. My own eyes widened at that and I gasped, “Amylia?”

“Yes,” she responded with a faint smile. “And I think it is past time that the two of us had a talk.”

I stared at the glowing and somewhat inhuman looking woman who stood in front of me, trying to absorb the fact that this was Amylia, one of my instructors. She resembled the Amylia I knew a little, though only a little. Both had violet eyes and white hair, but this glowing version had much more intense eyes and hair that was pearlescent rather than plain white. However, there was something in her eyes and presence that assured me that this was indeed my instructor.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, though I already had a good idea.

“You are not the only hybrid at the Academy,” Amylia admitted with a faint smile. “Nor even the only mythic.”

I continued staring at Amylia, suddenly feeling betrayed. I’d been a student here for nearly a month and had felt like no one understood. I’d been mocked and bullied because I was a Were and she still hadn’t said anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded, feeling hurt and a little angry.

“Perhaps I should have,” Amylia agreed with a sad smile. She gestured to some large rocks that were just the right size to sit on. “Please sit and we can discuss this.”

I nodded and sat down, stretching my wings a little before folding them up behind me. Amylia sat as well and just stared up at the moon for a moment with a strange expression.

“What are you?” I asked curiously. “An elf?”

“I believe so,” she answered, looking at me again and giving me a wry smile. “That or some sort of faerie, though I have never met the real thing to verify this.” Then she gestured around us and mused, “I usually come here during the full moon. When I am like this, I feel claustrophobic in my quarters and cannot comfortably remain there for the entire night.”

“But why?” I asked quietly. “Why did you make me think I was the only one here?”

Amylia was silent for a moment before she answered. “It has been a very long time since I revealed myself to anyone. Not even the staff here know that I am a hybrid.” She paused for a moment before admitting, “Arita may know.” She gave an amused smile as she added, “I’ve never told her, but Professor Roangard has a tendency to know more than you might suspect.”

“you’re ashamed of being a Were,” I said in sudden realization.

“Perhaps once,” Amylia admitted with a sigh. “Now, being a Were is simply not part of my life. I have never been part of the Were community and have never thought of myself as such. I change during the full moon when I have no choice, but very rarely apart from that.” Then she stared up at the moon again and mused, “I usually consider my monthly transformations as merely being part of my sorcerers mark.”

I watched Amylia, feeling a little confused. “But you are a Were…”

Amylia merely nodded at that. “You have seen a little of how some Touched behave towards the Were,” she said carefully. “My own family held similar convictions.”

I gulped at that, knowing that it would have to be hard having your own family treating you the way I had been since I’d arrived. I couldn’t even imagine mom or aunt June treating me like that.

“My father was from a respectable Touched family,” Amylia said. From the wry smile and tone of her melodic voice, I could almost see her giving air quotes when she’d said the word ‘respectable.’ “He fell in love with and married my mother, a Were cow, in spite of his family’s protests. She died when I was merely an infant and I never even met another Were until I was already an adult and accomplished sorceress.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling sorry for her. If she’d only grown up with other Touched and never even knew her mother’s side of the family, it was no wonder she didn’t really think of herself as Were.

“My father was tolerant of my being a Were,” Amylia told me with an amused look. “The fact that I was also a sorceress made it easier for him to accept. He could just think of it as nothing more than a sorcerers mark. Unfortunately, my older half-sister was anything but tolerant. She’d never forgiven our father for marrying a Were and was jealous that I was a sorceress while she was not. That only made her more hateful.”

I didn’t know what to say to that so I didn’t say anything. It seemed that Amylia was trying to make up for not telling me about her being a hybrid by giving me her life story now. I had a feeling that she hadn’t talked to anyone about this stuff for a very long time, if ever.

“I envy you,” Amylia told me with a gentle smile. “Your family seems to accept and encourage both your natures. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like, growing up with my mother’s people and living as a Were instead of as Touched.”

“I guess, I can see why you didn’t say anything,” I said quietly.

Amylia nodded at that and gave me a gentle smile as she responded, “But I still should have.”

“Are there more like us?” I asked her hopefully. My sense of betrayal had changed to one of relief that I wasn’t alone, that there was someone else like me that I could talk to.

“Do you mean other hybrids?” Amylia asked with a faint smile. “Or hybrids who are also sorcerers? Or maybe hybrids who are both sorcerers and mythics.”

I blinked at that. “Um…”

“As you know, even a normal hybrid is not common,” she told me with an amused look. “Most of those don’t come to the Academy, and those who do tend to keep their Were status to themselves. We get a sorcerer hybrid at the Academy every few decades.”

“But what about ones like us?” I asked. “Mythics.”

Amylia was silent for a moment before she finally responded, “You are the only one I have ever met besides myself who is both sorceress and mythic.” She paused and gave me a wry smile. “I heard of another one once, one who could become a hydra. Unfortunately, he was murdered by a monster hunter before I ever had the chance to meet him.”

We were both quiet for a minute before I abruptly asked, “What’s it like being an elf?”

“What’s it like being a succubus?” she responded with an amused look. “I would imagine it would be difficult to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it.” At my nod, she explained, “My senses are different…more developed. I am more aware of my surroundings and of magic. I also have an instinctive dislike of enclosed spaces and an aversion to consuming meat.”

“It’s…embarrassing,” I admitted to her, not being able to look her in the face as I explained. “I feel things I shouldn’t. I mean…with guys.”

“I see,” she responded without judgment. “That shouldn’t be surprising for a succubus.”

“But it also feels good,” I added self-consciously. “It makes me feel so alive.”

“I can imagine how difficult it must be,” Amylia said carefully. “Especially for someone who was male such a short time ago.”

“It’s a bit to get used to,” I admitted, twitching my tail back and forth nervously.

Amylia watched me for a minute without saying anything, looking thoughtful and a little curious. “You know,” she finally said, “you are the first person I’ve told of my Were nature in a very long time. Most of those who know about it have long since died.” She paused at that to stare at the moon again, musing, “In fact, other than you and possibly Arita…Professor Roangard, the only other person to know would be my ex-husband.” Amylia gave me a wry look and said, “He was less than pleased about my being a Were.”

I blinked at that. “Then why did you get married?”

“It was an arranged marriage,” Amylia answered with a sigh. “And accepting it was perhaps the greatest mistake I ever made. I kept my hybrid nature a secret from him for years, pretending to be a normal Touched. When he eventually discovered that I was also a Were, he was furious.” She scowled deeply. “His reaction made your feud with Teressa seem like gentle teasing in comparison.”

“Damn,” I muttered, not sure what else I could say.

“That was long ago,” Amylia told me with a faint smile. “I am glad that I chose to tell you about my being a hybrid. It wasn’t until now that I realized how much I needed to talk to someone else as well.”

I just smiled at that. “I appreciate you trusting me.”

“Which reminds me,” she began.

“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised her, already guessing what she wanted. She’d been keeping her secret from everyone at the Academy for who knows how long, so I certainly wasn’t about to out her.

Amylia smiled appreciatively and nodded. “Thank you.”

We continued talking for two more hours with Amylia asking me questions about the Were community and what it had been like growing up with a Were parent. She was obviously curious about what she’d missed growing up but returned the favor by telling me about some of the other hybrid students who’d come through the Academy and how they’d dealt with things. Eventually, we said goodbye and I flew back to my dorm room, intending to use my own hands and the remaining hours until sunrise to try satisfying the itch that Todd had left unscratched.

I slowly looked myself over, feeling slightly depressed by what I saw. I was back in my plain form, having changed back with the rising of the sun a short time ago. And though I was relieved to be back to normal, I couldn’t help but feeling small, flat-chested and plain as well…especially in comparison to how I’d been built last night.

My thoughts kept going back to the events of last night, to the way I’d actually kissed Todd. Even now, my body still became excited. I’d wanted him so badly and he’d just walked out the door, leaving me high and dry. The only consolation was that he’d probably gotten a pretty bad case of blue balls as a result.

I still had mixed emotions over what had happened with Todd…and what nearly had. I’d thought that my emotions would have become more clear once I changed back to human form, but that wasn’t really the case. I was thankful that Todd had kept me from giving into my succubus instincts and desires, but I also felt…hurt. Wasn’t I good enough? I shook my head, trying not to think of that.

My thoughts also turned to Amylia and her revelation that she was a hybrid as well. I was excited to discover that I wasn’t alone, that there was someone else who’d gone through much the same things I had. Or at least, much the same things when it came to being both Touched and Were…sorceress and mythic. Gayle might understand something of what it was like going through a gender change, but since she could change back to a guy, she couldn’t understand completely. And as for my being a succubus… Well, no one else could understand that one.

A few minutes later, I was ready to go grab breakfast and then head to my first class. I was just about to leave my room when I was surprised by someone knocking on my door. My first thought was that it had to be Todd coming back, but when I opened the door, I was surprised to Sylvie standing there instead.

“Hey,” Sylvie greeted me, looking extremely self-conscious. “I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast together.”

“What?” I asked, a little startled by that. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I’m sorry,” Sylvie blurted out, looking guilty. “I totally freaked out when you changed the other night…” She grimaced and admitted, “I really thought you’d lost control and were going to eat me…”

I snorted at that. “I prefer bacon.”

Sylvie shook her head and sighed. “I know…now. I’m sorry. I just freaked out and lost my head. I mean, you were just trying to help us and have never been anything but friendly.” She paused, looking as though she couldn’t decide how to say what she wanted to say. “I REALLY don’t like that I’ve been acting like Teressa. Can we still be friends?”

I hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Okay.” Then I admitted, “Maybe I should have told you that I turn into a succubus. It’s just…really embarrassing.”

Sylvie nodded at that, then said, “Just do me a favor…” She paused for a moment before asking, “Can you let me see you like that again some night? I mean, I’d like to see what you look like changed under better circumstances.”

“I…I can do that,” I responded with a faint smile.

After this, Sylvie and I went to the cafeteria to grab some quick breakfast before class. I didn’t see any sign of Kimberly meeting us there, and from the look on Sylvie’s face, I realized that she wasn’t going to. Sylvie might have decided that she still wanted to be my friend but Kimberly was still keeping her distance.

While Sylvie and I were eating, a blonde girl who couldn’t have been any older than 7 years old came in and sat down at the table. I immediately recognized Eve and her own sorcerers mark, having seen her like this several times before. She didn’t say a word at first, not until she’d taken a bite of her breakfast.

“So, a Were succubus,” Eve commented, giving me a grin. She looked cute and adorable, and if I didn’t know better, I might have bought into the idea of her being a sweet and innocent kid. “That’s a lot cooler than turning into a kid.”

“I hadn’t really thought of it that way,” I told her with a weak chuckle.

“It gets pretty weird changing like this,” Eve told me, gesturing down at herself. “I mean, I look different. I feel different. And even people who know who I am still tend to treat me like I’m a kid.” She gave me a thoughtful look and said, “I kind of figure that this is sort of what it’s like being a Were.”

I was a little startled at that but nodded. “Something like that.”

“So, you’re not mad at me anymore?” Eve asked.

“What?” I asked in response, feeling confused.

“You were avoiding me for the last couple days,” Eve said, “so I thought I must have done something to make you mad.”

“No,” I told her quietly, staring down at my food and not quite being able to meet her eyes. “I thought you’d be mad at me too…” I quickly glanced to Sylvie.

“Well, you made me feel like I must have done something wrong,” Eve said calmly.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

Eve just grinned at that. “No problem. But next time, don’t treat me like you’re mad at me just because you’re afraid of something I might do.”

“I won’t,” I promised her, wondering how this had gone from Sylvie apologizing for her behavior to me being the one to feel guilty.

“So everything is hunky dory?” Sylvie asked with a grin. “Good. Then you won’t mind if I help myself to some of your breakfast…” She leaned over to snatch some food off Eve’s plate.

“Hey, I’m a growing girl,” Eve protested. “Don’t make me throw a temper tantrum…”

We all laughed at that and the rest of breakfast was much lighter. Other than Kimberly being absent, it was just like before I’d revealed my succubus side. That only made me think that maybe I really should have told my friends about it before then. It might have made things a little easier

A few hours later, I was in a class being taught by Master Tonkas. Today, the class was being treated more like a study hall where we all gathered in the gym and practiced spells while the instructor checked up on us and offered advice. Sylvie and I were taking turns working out of the same spell circle and had been double checking each other’s work.

“My sponsor gave me this spell,” Sylvie told me after she’d just demonstrated a spell to create a conjuring of a glowing wall of energy. It was a form of force field, though I understood that there were several other spells that could give similar effects.

“Pretty cool,” I agreed. I pulled out the stack of different spells aunt June had given me and held up the one I wanted. “I think I’m going to try this one next. It’s an itching spell.”

Sylvie laughed at that. “I think I know who you intend to cast that on.”

“Well, our duel is tomorrow,” I responded with a grin. “And I’m sure it will be difficult for Teressa to focus if she’s too itchy to even think straight.”

“Yeah right,” exclaimed one boy who’d been standing nearby and had apparently overheard our exchange. Jonah hadn’t seemed to care one way or another about my being a Were, at least not until what kind had been revealed. “You’ll never beat Teressa… Maybe after she kicks your ass, you’ll get the hint and leave the Academy.”

“Shut your mouth,” Sylvie blurted out, glaring at him.

Jonah spat out, “The Academy is for touched…not monsters.”

Sylvie snarled and looked as though she was about to attack Jonah. Suddenly, Master Tonkas stepped in front of her and exclaimed, “Enough of this.” Master Tonkas stood there for a moment with a grim expression, looking at all three of us one at a time. Then his attention settled on Sylvie and he stated, “If you wish to fight Jonah, you will do it in the dueling circle…not my classroom. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir,” Sylvie responded with a grimace.

“And you,” Master Tonkas snarled in annoyance, making me gulp and brace myself. But to my surprise, he didn’t look at me but at Jonah. “There will be no more rumormongering or slandering of other students in this class.” He raised his voice to make sure that he was heard by everyone nearby and stated, “These insults are ignorant and disrespectful, not only to those you insult but to me as well. Anyone who continues to disrupt my class in this fashion WILL be given detention.”

With that, Master Tonkas gave Jonah a steady look and then looked around the room to see how many other people had heard him. I could only stare at Master Tonkas in stunned silence. Sure, he’d jumped to conclusions about me several times in the past, but he’d always been fair to me in class. I just hadn’t expected him to put his foot down so firmly in my defense.

“Wow,” I said, suddenly having a new respect for the pompous instructor.

Once Master Tonkas walked away, I tried to remember what I was doing. I’d gotten a little distracted during the brief confrontation and had dropped several of the spell notes. I quickly grabbed my notes and then went to work drawing the lines and symbols I’d need to guide me through this spell. The itchiness spell was one that I hadn’t cast before but it was fairly complicated so I was eager to try it out.

I focused on the magic and began drawing it out and forming it into the pattern. It was like assembling a puzzle and I only needed to make sure all the pieces were in the proper place. It took me half an hour to complete the pattern and as soon as I did, I bound the magic into the rock that I was making into a token.

“Nice pattern weaving,” Sylvie said from beside me, looking impressed. “I don’t think I can do one that complicated yet. You’re really picking this up.”

“Indeed you are,” another voice said. I turned to see Master Tonkas standing there, watching me with a thoughtful look.

“Um…thank you,” I told him.

Master Tonkas stared at me and then the spell circle I’d just finished using. Then he said, “I thought you were only a class four.”

“I am,” I responded in confusion.

Master Tonkas gave me a skeptical look and pointed to the spell circle. “This is a class six spell.”

“A class six?” I asked in surprise.

I picked up my notes and looked more closely, suddenly realizing that I’d gotten distracted and cast the wrong spell. This wasn’t the itchiness spell. This was another one of the spells I’d asked aunt June to give me, even though I knew I’d never be able to cast it.

“By Grabthar’s hammer…” I blurted out, staring at the token in my hand that contained the spell based off my mom’s talent.

“Obviously, whoever measured your magic level didn’t do so correctly,” Master Tonkas stated in his usual pompous tone. “I recommend that you find someone more competent to measure you. I’d do it myself but I don’t have time at the moment. Come see me after class is over today and I’ll find what level you really are.”

“No way,” I whispered once Master Tonkas walked away. I couldn’t believe that I’d just cast a level six spell…and a transformation spell at that. I turned my attention to Sylvie and grinned mischieviously. “So…you wanna test out my new spell?”

It was lunch time and I sat at my usual table in the cafeteria with all of my friends, all save Kimberly who was a noticeable absence. I felt sad for her absence and wondered if maybe I could talk to her and apologize for scaring her. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be easy to do if she kept avoiding me like this.

While I talked to my friends and ate, my thoughts kept going back to the events of this morning. I was still excited by the fact that I’d actually cast a class six spell, drawing more magic than aunt June’s tests said I’d be able to. And what was more, I’d cast the same spell again just to prove that I really could do it. Unfortunately, when I’d attempted to cast it a third time, I hadn’t been able to draw enough magic and the pattern collapsed before I was finished.

I let out a loud yawn, feeling a bit tired. After I’d cast those spells, all the energy that I’d felt since changing back had vanished. I didn’t feel the full impact of staying up all night long, but I was feeling more tired than I did after getting a full nights sleep.

My attention was drawn back to the conversation between my friends. “When our dad gets mad,” Sylvie was saying, gesturing to Todd who nodded agreement. “He can really yell.”

“His talent is increasing his volume,” Todd commented with a faint wince.

“It’s like he yells at you with a bullhorn or something,” Sylvie added. “You REALLY don’t want to get yelled at by our dad.”

I just snorted at that, getting everyone else to look at me. “You haven’t seen anything,” I commented wryly, “until you’ve been chewed out by an angry bear.” I mimicked a few of the growls that my dad sometimes made in his Were form, earning a few laughs.

“Okay,” Sylvie admitted. “You win.”

“I guess I can’t really complain about my dad being a hard-ass anymore,” Eve agreed with a grin. “You guys make it sound like I’ve got it easy.”

“Oh yeah,” Sylvie abruptly said. “Today, Erin cast a couple class six spells…”

That earned me curious looks from Todd and Eve. “I thought you were only a class four,” Eve said.

“I am,” I responded with a shrug. “Or at least, that’s what my aunt said I was. Besides, I was only able to cast the spell twice before I couldn’t do it again…”

“Yeah,” Sylvie added with a smirk. “But you should see the results.” She held her hands in front of her breasts to indicate how much they’d grown after I’d tested the spell on her. “And Erin still has a token with another copy of it.”

“It’s based off my mom’s talent,” I explained. “I kind of cast that spell by accident, thinking I was casting another one. I never thought I’d be able to cast that one at all…”

Eve gave me a thoughtful look before musing, “That is pretty weird. I wonder if it has something to do with you being a hybrid.”

“Probably,” I admitted.

I’d been thinking about it myself and had a few ideas as to why I’d been able to cast that spell. Whenever I fed as a succubus, I always felt more awake and full of energy after I changed back. It was as though the extra energy I’d taken was still there but just converted to something I could use as a human. Since that same extra energy had vanished after casting those class six spells, it appeared that I could also convert it to extra magical energy.

“I need to test a few things before I know for sure,” I mused. “I also want to bounce it off my aunt…”

And though I didn’t say anything to my friends, I also wanted to bounce the idea off Amylia. If anyone knew about how Were and Touched abilities might interact with each other, she would be the one. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of new questions I wanted to ask her.

“You gonna do that tonight?” Todd asked curiously.

I hesitated a moment before shaking my head. “No. Probably not. I’m going to be too busy.”

“The big duel is tomorrow,” Sylvie reminded her brother.

I nodded at that. “Gayle is going to help me get ready after classes and then my aunt is going to be here later on. I’ve still got to make a few more tokens.”

Eve looked like she was about to say something but then stopped and looked to the side with a cautious expression. I turned to see what she was looking at and saw a girl walking straight towards our table. I recognized the girl as being in the class ahead of me with Eve and Todd, and I even remembered that her name was Melyssa. But other than that, I didn’t know much about her.

Melyssa stopped by the table and looked right at me. “You’re Erin, right?”

“Yeah,” I responded cautiously.

“I’m Melyssa,” she introduced herself, looking a little self-conscious. “Everyone says you’re a Were. Is that true?”

I nodded at that, feeling a little suspicious. “Yeah. I’m a hybrid…both Were and Touched.”

Melyssa glanced to my friends, seeming a little nervous to be outnumbered. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask you some things about the Were…”

“Okay,” I encouraged her, growing more curious since she didn’t seem to be hostile.

“Well, there’s a guy down the street from where I live…where my family lives,” Melyssa said carefully. “His family are all Were…but I don’t really know anything about the Were.“

“So, you like guy who happens to be a Were,” Sylvie commented.

“How do I know if he likes me?” Melyssa asked, obviously embarrassed to be talking about this to a complete stranger. It said something about how interested she was in this guy if she was willing to come to me for advice. “I mean, do I give him treats or something to get him interested?”

I chuckled at that and shook my head faintly. “Look,” I told her. “Were are just like the Touched.” I closed my eyes for a moment, then explained. “My mom is Touched and my dad is Were, so I grew up knowing a lot of each. The truth is, there isn’t really all that much difference. You can think of Were as being Touched who have the talent of turning into animals. When we change, we still have our human minds and can think perfectly fine. If you like this guy, just treat him the same way you would if he was Touched.”

Everyone at the table was paying close attention to me now, not just Melyssa. She nodded thoughtfully, then asked, “But what if he accidentally bites me or something? Would I turn into a Were too?” There was something in her expression that made me suddenly suspect that she was half hoping that might be the case.

“Could you turn a human into a Touched by kissing him?” I asked her with a grin.

“No,” Melyssa answered with a chuckle of her own. “I guess that is kind of stupid.”

“Imagine what it would be like if we could turn other people into Touched just by kissing them,” Sylvie said with a grin. “That would be awesome. I mean, we Touched never would have had to go into hiding from the normals. Being Touched would be normal.”

“Or being Were,” I pointed out innocently.

“Or both,” Todd added with a grin.

“Well, thanks for answering my questions,” Melyssa told me happily. “If I have any more, I’ll come back…”

Once Melyssa had gone, Sylvie told me. “Good job. Improving Were relations one romance at a time.”

I just grinned at that and responded, “Well, we have to start somewhere.”

When we’d finished eating and were all getting up to leave, Todd put a hand on my shoulder and said, “About last night…”

“It was nothing,” I lied. This was the first time Todd had mentioned that so I’d thought he was trying to pretend it had never happened. The fact that he brought it up now caught me by surprise.

My heart raced as I stared at Todd, fully aware of the fact that he was touching me. I gulped, suddenly realizing that more than just my heart was responding to his presence. I’d thought that these feelings would go away once I was no longer a succubus, but that was obviously not the case.

“I knew you’d be mad today,” he told me awkwardly. “I mean, I know you’re really a guy inside…”

I suddenly felt annoyed and even a little hurt at that. I’d seen the way Todd had looked at me before and knew that he certainly hadn’t thought of me as a guy then, especially not last night. I grimaced in frustration and then acted on impulse, grabbing Todd and kissing him as hard as I could. Todd was obviously surprised by my move but quickly began to kiss back. When I pulled away, I was vaguely aware that I’d triggered my talent in the middle of the kiss and was now in my enhanced form.

“Do I look like a guy to you?” I demanded of Todd, gesturing down at myself, my insides a mass of mixed emotions.

“Um…no,” Todd responded with a visible gulp.

“I’m not a boy,” I said, though I wasn’t quite sure if I was telling him of myself. “Not anymore…”

“Wait,” Sylvie blurted out, staring at me and Todd with a look of surprise. “You two…?”

“I guess we’re not on the same team after all,” Even commented with a wry smile and a look of vague disappointment.

“Erin,” Todd gasped, staring at me with an expression of mixed surprise and desire.

I turned bright red, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious and confused. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done or that I’d even felt that way in the first place. It suddenly dawned on me that this had been building for awhile without my even being aware of it. And I still wanted to kiss Todd again.

“I need to change my clothes,” I blurted out as I turned and hurried out of the cafeteria and away from Todd…but not my own emotions.

Nearly every school has some release for the students, something beyond school work that they can get involved in or cheer on the participants. In most schools, this release comes in the form of sports teams such as football or basketball, but in the Academy, we had sorcerers duels.

A sorcerers duel is a throwback to the days when sorcerers would settle their differences in magical combat, fighting until one surrendered or only one remained standing. It was an ancient tradition that could be brutal and deadly, with rules that most sorcerers held as nearly sacred, though the modern version was far less dangerous than in times past. The modern sorcerers duel was not a life and death battle but was considered to be more like a boxing match, a safe way to release aggression with the competitors using the magical equivalent of gloves and safety pads.

I stood in the school gymnasium which had a large dueling circle permanently etched into the floor. There were two other such circles around campus, but this one was indoors, and on an island with that rained frequently, that made it the best choice. A crowd of several dozen students had already gathered to watch the duel and I saw a few teachers present as well.

Classes had ended for the day which meant that this was the usual time for duels such as the one I was about to fight with Teressa. I felt extremely nervous as I looked around at the crowd and the dueling circle. I’d never fought a duel before and my only consolation was that neither had Teressa.

My friends gathered close to me, giving me what encouragement they could. Sylvie and Eve were both excited while Todd looked just a little nervous. Neither of us had spoken about the kiss from yesterday, but I knew it was on his mind as much as mine. He’d been looking at me even more than before.

“You’ll do fine,” Gayle told me.

“Kick her ass,” Sylvie said with a grin while Eve nodded agreement.

Then I felt someone touch my shoulder. I quickly turned around and was surprised to see Kimberly standing there. She had an awkward look on her face that made her look uncomfortable.

“I…,” Kimberly started. “I just wanted to say good luck.”

“Thanks,” I responded cautiously.

Kimberly hesitated a moment before adding, “And I’m sorry. I’m a crappy friend.”

“It’s okay,” I told her. “I didn’t mean to freak you out.” Then I took a breath and asked, “Can we talk about it at dinner?”

Kimberly hesitated again before she smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“I’d like to talk to you after this is over too,” Todd said, giving me a nervous smile of his own. Then before I realized it, he quickly leaned forward and caught me with a surprise kiss. “Good luck,” he told me as he blushed brightly. “And may the force be with you.”

“I…,” I started, not sure what to say or do.

“Come on,” Sylvie exclaimed with a laugh, slapping me on my back. “You have a duel to go win.”

“Remember what I told you and you’ll do fine,” Gayle said.

I nodded at that and made my way to the circle. I glanced to Amylia who stood near the front as a spectator. As a teacher, she had to remain neutral and couldn’t appear to favor either side, but she’d told me in private that she’d be cheering for me. Mrs. Khuto stood there as well, though she was the designated referee for the match.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one who’d brought friends. Teressa stood a short distance away, glaring at me with a smirk. Kaellie stood beside her as well as a few of her other friends and supporters. I wasn’t really sure how much of the crowd was on her side, how much was on mine, or how many of them were here just to watch a good fight.

Mrs. Khuto held two silver bracelets in hand and was carefully looking them over. When someone asked what she was doing, she calmly answered, “I am verifying that all safety measures are intact. School policy requires this before all duels to ensure there are no…accidents.” When she was finished, she gave one bracelet to me and one to Teressa, making sure that we each put ours on.

“These talismans and circle will ensure that neither of you are injured by magic during this contest,” Mrs. Khuto stated simply, looking to me and then Teressa. Her voice was loud enough so that most of the audience could hear as she added. “The circle will not allow any magic to pass through, preventing outside interference and protecting the audience from accidental harm.”

I nodded at that, having expected all of this. Gayle had explained the rules and traditions in great detail. Still, Mrs. Khuto was required to go over all of them as a reminder, and to inform those in the audience that they would be safe.

“You may win the match in three ways,” Mrs. Khuto continued the explanation. “If you force your opponent out of the circle, they automatically lose. You may force your opponent to submit. And if one of you is rendered incapacitated and unable to continue, I will declare the winner.”

I turned my attention to Teressa, glaring at her and looking forward to finally having a chance to cut loose. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to hurt her any more than she could hurt me. A spell that might otherwise be lethal would only be a distraction. There were types of duels where you’d be assigned points for how much damage a spell might do, and the duel would only end when one of the two reached the point limit that had been agreed upon. However, this was not that kind of a duel so it didn’t matter if a spell would normally cause harm or not.

I quickly glanced down at myself, taking one last opportunity to make sure I was ready. Of course, it was too late to do anything about it now even if I wasn’t. I had three small pouches on my belt which contained tokens, and I was in my enhanced form. In this form, I had extra size and strength, felt more confident, and best of all…I pissed Teressa off more. I was ready.

Teressa and I both stepped into the dueling circle and then Mrs. Khuto announced that the duel was officially started. We each grabbed our tokens but hesitated, waiting to see what the other would do. I had a rock in each hand, ready with two different spells depending on what she did. She seemed to be using a similar strategy.

“Come on,” one of the boys in the crowd yelled. “Someone attack…”

Then Teressa and I both decided to attack at the same time, with her calling out, “Invoke,” while I simultaneously exclaimed, “Engage.”

A ball of fire burst out of Teressa’s knotted beadwork token and came right at me. I might have frozen in terror if Gayle hadn’t warned me that this kind of attack was common in a duel. She’d told me that a lot of duelists loved throwing the most powerful and destructive spells at you, even though they wouldn’t do any harm. According to Gayle, this usually caused inexperienced duelists to freak out or worry about being injured. I braced myself and remained where I was, feeling the warmth pass me by though it didn’t actually seem to touch me.

At the same time, Teressa gasped in pain as her bra became painfully tight and then snapped open. Her shirt tore open as her breasts expanded to stripper sized dimensions. She frantically scrambled to cover her now naked breasts while I grinned evilly.

“Payback is a bitch,” I exclaimed. I hated wasting that spell on Teressa, but I figured that this would keep her distracted and off balance…in more ways than one.

“This isn’t fair,” Teressa cried out while half the crowd laughed and the other half just stared in stunned silence.

“This tactic is within the rules,” Mrs. Khuto said, watching us both with a calm expression. “However, I believe transformation magics are beyond Erin’s level so I must question if she cast the spell herself.”

“She did,” Master Tonkas said as he came up and joined Mrs. Khuto. “I watched her cast the spell myself.”

“Very good then,” Mrs. Khuto said with a nod. “Continue.”

“You bitch,” Teressa yelled at me, trying to cover her breasts while holding up her other token.

I just smirked. “You seemed to think it was pretty funny when you had Monica do that to me.”

Teressa snarled and activated her other token. A blast of something green came flying at me and this time I jumped out of the way. It hit the boundary of the circle and stopped as abruptly as if it had hit an invisible wall. Green slime dripped all over the floor where it had hit.

“Gross,” I muttered, then exclaimed, “Engage…”

A column of fire exploded from the ground right in front of Teressa, causing her to gasp and jump back. My goal was to try pushing her back to the edge of the circle and somehow force her across. I followed this up with another spell, the whirlwind spell that started hitting both of us with a heavy wind. I’d been expecting it though and braced myself.

Teressa lost her balance like I’d intended, but instead of falling backwards and staggering towards the circle, she fell forward instead and hit the ground chest first. I silently cursed the fact that my own spell had made her so top heavy that she’d fallen the opposite direction of what I’d wanted.

As soon as Teressa hit the ground, she reached into her own pouches for more tokens, activating two of them one after the other. There was an explosion in the air and I was knocked to the ground as well. And as I tried getting up, purple tendrils of light began to appear from the ground and wrap around me.

“Oh frak,” I muttered frantically grabbing for my own tokens. “Is this the best you’ve got smeg head?”

I activated one of my tokens and it released a burst of pressure that pushed away from my body in all directions at once. The tendrils vanished under the pressure and I quickly got back to my feet. I used another one of my tokens and a sent a blast of water at Teressa, knocking her back off her feet again.

I grinned, knowing that I had her now. Teressa was slowly getting back to her feet but was unbalanced. All I had to do was hit her and shove her outside the circle. It was going to feel good winning with my own hands.

Before I’d even finished the thought, I started running at Teressa. She activated a token and suddenly the ground started shaking. A moment later, she fell back to her knees while I staggered and stepped into a splatter of green slime. My foot slit out from beneath me and I went flying, hitting the ground hard.

Suddenly, the sound of a whistle filled the air and Mrs. Khuto called out, “The duel is over. Teressa wins.”

“WHAT?” I exclaimed in confusion, sitting up and suddenly realizing that when I hit the ground, my foot had gone outside the circle.

“Take that you monster bitch,” Teressa yelled at me with a gleeful laugh, trying to cover her breasts.

Kaellie rushed into the circle and gave Teressa her jacket so she could try covering her breasts. I just sat there, stunned that I’d been about to win and had lost in the blink of an eye.

“What happened?” I asked in confusion.

“You got cocky,” Gayle said as she came over and helped me to my feet. “You got overconfident and weren’t paying enough attention.” She put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. “It happens. You just have to learn from it and do better next time.”

“Damn, you almost had that bitch,” Sylvie told me. “You’ll get her next time.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking in the direction Teressa had left in. I was pretty sure that with Teressa, there was definitely going to be a next time. And next time, I wasn’t going to lose.

I was sitting on the couch in one of the dorm day rooms with Sylvie, Eve, and Kimberly. The four of us had decided to have a girls night in, or at least that was what Sylvie called it. I just called it sitting around and watching a movie together. It was their way of trying to cheer me up after the way I’d lost the duel to Teressa yesterday.

I had wanted to watch Serenity so I could introduce my friends to one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies, or at least Kimberly since she hadn’t seen it yet, but I was outvoted. Instead, I was stuck watching that movie about sparkling vampires, a whiney girl, and Native American werewolves.

“Weres aren’t anything like that,” I complained in annoyance.

“I’m pretty sure that vampires aren’t like that either,” Sylvie pointed out with a grin.

“They aren’t,” Eve said. “According to my sponsor, real vampires are…monsters.”

I snorted at that. “Yeah, but some Touched think that Weres are just animals.” I was careful not to look at Kimberly. After all, she was trying hard to understand. “I’m not gonna call anyone a monster without meeting them first.”

“Vampires are real?” Kimberly asked in surprise. “I thought they were make believe.”

“They’re real,” Eve told her with a scowl. “At least according to my sponsor. I don’t know much about them, other than that they’re bloodthirsty killers, but I think they’re somehow tied to the Sier.”

We all nodded at that as if that explained everything. The Sier were extremely mysterious so there were lots of different rumors and stories about them, many of which seemed to contradict each other. It seemed to be a general acceptance that anything related to the Sier would be mysterious and confusing.

“These werewolves still make the Were look bad,” I grumbled.

Sylvie snickered at that and pointed out, “You’re the one who threatened to eat Teressa.”

I winced at that and muttered, “Don’t remind me.” My own actions had probably set Were relations at the Academy back a couple decades at least.

“Well, they may not be realistic,” Kimberly commented as she gestured to the TV, “but they are cute.”

I found myself absently nodding agreement with Sylvie while Eve snorted, “Not really.”

“Speaking of which,” Sylvie commented, giving me a curious look. “What’s up with you and Todd?”

“I…” I paused, knowing that I was blushing badly. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Sylvie asked. “I mean, I’ve seen the way you keep looking at him. Hell, I’ve seen the way you kissed him…”

“I don’t know,” I blurted out in frustration, shaking a little as I did so. “I…I like him,” I admitted, feeling horribly embarrassed and confused. “But I don’t know why. I’m a guy… I mean, I was a guy… I like girls…or at least I did. I’ve never felt this way about a guy before…” I could feel tears beginning to run down my cheeks at this point.

“Oh Erin,” Sylvie whispered with a look of pity before coming over and hugging me. “I didn’t realize…”

“But you’re a girl now,” Kimberly said with a shrug. “And girls like boys.”

“Not necessarily,” Eve responded with a loud snort. “Just because you’re a girl, that doesn’t mean you have to like boys.”

“Oh,” Kimberly said, blushing a little. “Sorry. I forgot.”

“I think…I think I have an idea of how you feel,” Eve told me with a sigh. “I grew up thinking that I’d fall in love with a guy, get married, and have kids. But when I got older, I realized that I was more interested in girls than guys. At first, I was really confused. I mean, why wasn’t I like other girls? Was something wrong with me?” Then she shrugged. “Then I started to realize that I couldn’t compare myself to others. I was who I was, not who they were.”

“I appreciate the talk,” I told Eve with a wry smile. “But I don’t think our situations are quite the same.”

“Perhaps not,” Eve responded with a shrug. “But I do know what it’s like to be confused about your sexual orientation…for it to be something other than what you think it should be.”

“Maybe,” I admitted with a sigh, wiping the tears and feeling embarrassed about breaking down like this in front of my friends.

Eve got up and said, “I want to try something…” She gestured for me to get out of my seat. Once I did so, she said, “Now kiss me.”

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“Kiss me,” Eve repeated.

I hesitated but Eve grabbed me and pulled me in for a kiss. I kissed back, noticing how soft her lips were and how nice this was. However, there was something missing. My heart didn’t race and my body didn’t respond anywhere near what it did with Todd.

When we pulled apart, Sylvie exclaimed, “Damn… If any of the boys had come through here, they would have really had a show.”

“If you would have warned us, we could have sold tickets,” Kimberly added with a giggle.

“Well?” Eve asked me hopefully.

I stared at Eve for a moment and then slowly shook my head. “It was nice but…” I shrugged, feeling extremely self-conscious. Then in a quiet voice that was nearly a whisper, I admitted, “It didn’t do anything for me.”

Eve gave me a slightly disappointed look before smiling. “I guess now you know. You really are into guys now instead of girls.”

“Or maybe she’s just not into you,” Kimberly teased.

“Are you going to talk to Todd about this?” Sylvie asked me. “I mean, you like him and I know he likes you too.”

“But why?” I asked with a grimace. “I used to be a guy and I’m a part time succubus. Who in their right mind would want to be involved with ME?”

“Don’t make me smack you upside the head,” Sylvie said firmly, giving me a steady look. “Todd does like you and doesn’t deserve to have you sending mixed signals. At least talk with him before writing him off.”

I nodded at that and gave her a weak smile. “Okay.”

“You’re one of my best friends,” Sylvie told me with a serious look. “But if you hurt my brother, I will smack you upside the head.”

“What is it with you and smacking people upside the head?” Kimberly asked her with a grin.

“Don’t make me smack you,” Sylvie replied with a broad grin of her own.

“I wonder,” Eve mused, giving me a curious look. “I mean, being female shouldn’t mean you automatically start liking guys. I wonder if it might have something to do with you being a succubus too.”

I thought about it for a moment before responding, “Probably. I mean, everything else is because of that.” I gestured down at myself and gave a wry smile.

Sylvie gave me a curious look and asked, “What do you mean?”

I smiled faintly, thankful for the change of topic. I thought about some of the other hybrids that Amylia had told me about and carefully responded, “I think it has to do with the nature of hybrids and how our Were and Touched sides interact. When a Were and a Touched have kids together, the kids are usually either one or the other. It’s pretty rare that you get one that’s a hybrid of both.”

“We know that much,” Eve said.

“Well, if your Touched side awakens before the first full moon,” I commented thoughtfully, remembering my night long conversation with Amylia as well as several that we’d had since. “Then you never manifest a Were side. All hybrids have one thing in common. Our Were and Touched sides awaken at the same time.”

“Really?” Kimberly asked curiously. “How does that work.”

“On our Changing Day, the first full moon after we turn sixteen,” I explained. “Weres change for the first time. Apparently with hybrids, that triggers our Touched sides as well so our talents are often influenced by our Were forms.” Then I paused for a moment before adding, “I heard that there was once a hybrid sorceress here at the Academy. She was a Were skunk. Her sorcerers mark was that she had a white stripe through her hair and her talent was that she could create a nasty stench.” And though I didn’t say so aloud, I thought about how Amylia’s sorcerers mark was that her hair and eyes retained some of the color from her Were form.

“So, you’re a succubus,” Even mused as she watched me. “So it gives you a sorcerers mark of turning you female and a talent of becoming sexier.”

I nodded at that. “Exactly.” Then I let out a sigh and said, “My starting to like boys may the same kind of carryover from my succubus form. Or it may be something else about my new body. I mean, why do normal girls like guys? I don’t really know. I only know that it’s confusing as hell to feel like this…”

Before I realized it, I was suddenly caught up in a group hug as my three friends all tried to comfort me at once. Normally, I would have thought that this would be an uncomfortable invasion of my personal space, but it actually did feel comforting.

“Everything will work out,” Sylvie assured me. Then she grinned mischieviously and said, “Trust me, in no time at all, you’ll be drooling over the boy bands too.”

“I don’t know,” Kimberly added with a giggle. “Todd might not like that.”

I just chuckled at that, feeling a little better for having friends who were willing to understand. “I was wondering,” I said after a moment, blushing again as I looked at my friends. “I was wondering if you guys would help me with something. You see, I have a practical joke I want to play on someone…”

I was in the hall of sorcerers, standing in front of one of the ceramic door frames and nervously waiting for aunt June to show up. I was excited about her coming today and was definitely looking forward to it, but I was also more self-conscious than usual as well.

At the moment, I was in my enhanced form which was nothing unusual. I’d gotten used to this form, and though I was reluctant to admit it to anyone else, I’d come to prefer it over my shorter and less attractive normal form. Being in this form wasn’t what made me so nervous at the moment, it was the fact that this was the very first time I’d actively tried to play it up and show it off.

Instead of my usual jeans and t-shirt, I was actually wearing some of the more feminine and sexy clothes that aunt June had bought me on our shopping excursion a month ago. I was wearing a blouse that revealed a little cleavage as well as a skirt. On my feet, I was even wearing the shoes she bought me with a short heel. However, I hadn’t stopped with just the clothes.

My friends had helped me put makeup on as well, giving me a lesson in how to do so in the process. I was wearing lipstick, mascara, eye-shadow, blush, and even nail polish. And to add to the image, Kimberly had even pierced my ears and lent me a pair of her earrings.

Normally, my enhanced form already looked hot, but I’d gone from girl next door hottie to total babe. Even though I’d watched my transformation in the mirror, I could still hardly believe the final results. And though I felt very self-conscious like this, I found that I rather liked it as well. It made me feel…sexy.

My reason for dressing up like this wasn’t just to look sexy for the sake of looking sexy. Instead, I had another reason entirely. I knew that aunt June planned on eventually having me dress more feminine and even wearing makeup for our lessons, and I expected her to drop that on me soon. I just thought it would be funny to get the drop on her and beat her to the punch.

When aunt June stepped out of the magical doorway, I stood off to the side and watched as she looked around. Her eyes glided past me at first without any recognition, then they suddenly snapped back and she gave a slight gasp of surprise.

“Erin?” aunt June asked.

“Hi,” I responded self-consciously. “What are we going to be doing tonight?”

Aunt June just stared at me for a moment before smiling and saying, “You look…very nice.”

“I was just trying something new,” I replied, trying to keep my tone calm and even as if this was perfectly normal.

“Well, I like it,” aunt June told me pleasantly. “You should do this more often.”

“Maybe,” I agreed, a little startled to realize that I had already been considering that myself. “But I’ll go at my own pace.” I gave her a flat look so she’d get the idea that I didn’t need to be pushed into accepting my feminine side.

Aunt June nodded faintly, still giving me an appraising look and appearing to be satisfied. “I brought what you asked for,” she said, holding up a bag of groceries. “Planning on cooking a feast?’

“I’m cooking dinner for my friends tomorrow,” I told her, happily accepting the groceries. I bit my lip, hoping that Todd would like what I cooked. I wanted to impress all of my friends, but especially him.

We began walking towards the dorms so I could put the groceries away before we began our lessons. As we walked, I was well aware of the way that the guys were looking at me. I’d noticed it when I left the dorms a little while ago to go meet up with aunt June. And though the attention made me feel self-conscious, I kind of liked it as well. It was certainly a lot better than being teased and insulted.

“I approve of your makeover,” aunt June said carefully. “But I am a little startled by how sudden it was…” She gave me a curious look and teased, “This wouldn’t have something to do with a boy, would it?”

I blushed brightly at that and then quietly admitted, “Kind of.”

A large part of my motivation for dressing up like this had been to play a joke on aunt June, to beat her to the punch and see the look on her face when I showed up like this after I’d been so resistant to do anything girlie. But admittedly, another part had been to impress Todd, not that he’d seen me like this yet.

Aunt June stopped walking and just stared at me for a moment. “I see,” she responded carefully, obviously surprised by my answer to her teasing question. “Do you…like him?”

I hesitated for a moment and took a breath before answering, “Yeah. I do.” I could barely bring myself to even look at aunt June.

“Did you…like boys before?” she asked me quietly.

“No,” I told her with a shake of my head, still unable to look at her as I added. “That’s new.” Then I forced myself to look her in the eyes. “Please don’t tell mom and dad. I mean, at least not yet. I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself.”

“I’ll let you break the news to them,” aunt June told me with a wry smile. “Though this is the first time I ever heard of someone being afraid to come out of the closet and admit they’re straight.”

We continued walking again and then aunt June pointed out, “There’s a girl over there glaring at you rather hard.” She gave me a curious look.

I glanced over and saw Teressa standing a distance away, glaring at me just as she did nearly every time I saw her. Ever since she’d won our duel a couple days ago, she’d been gloating about it and annoying me even worse. However, she wasn’t satisfied with having won the duel and seemed to hate me even more. Not that I was too surprised by that since a lot of students had been teasing her about being a topless stripper since then.

“She was the one I dueled against,” I told aunt June with a smirk. “She won, but I embarrassed her pretty good.”

“Oh?” aunt June gave me a curious look.

“I used the spell based off mom’s talent,” I said with grin. “I kind of exposed her in front of everyone.”

“That would definitely do it,” aunt June agreed, giving me another curious look. “But how in the world did you cast that spell?”

“I cast it twice,” I said proudly. Then I deflated a little as I admitted, “But I wasn’t able to do it again since. Master Tonkas tested me again and said I measure as a high level four or low level five.” I shrugged at that. “I’ve got some ideas about how I managed it but haven’t had a chance to test them yet. I figure I’ll do that later tonight.”

Aunt June nodded at that, looking thoughtful. “Let me know what you figure out.”

“Okay,” I told her, then giggled. At her curious look, I admitted, “Ever since then, kids have been asking me for a copy of that spell.”

“And did you give it to them?” she asked me.

“No,” I shook my head. Then I admitted, “If any of the guys get hold of that one, every girl on campus would be at risk…including me.”

“Good decision,” aunt June told me with a chuckle. Then she added, “I just wish I’d had that one while I was attending here. Unfortunately, Helen’s talent didn’t appear until after I’d already graduated.”

After I’d put the food away in the dorms, aunt June and I started for the hall of sorcerers where we could begin our session. However, as we were leaving the dorms, I saw Todd standing just outside. He stopped and stared at me, his eyes going wide.

“Erin?” Todd asked in surprise. “Is that you?”

“Do you like?” I asked him, feeling self-conscious but trying not to show it.

Todd nodded emphatically and for a moment I almost feared his eyes would pop out of his head. “You look…great,” he finally said.

His eyes remained locked on me and I could see the clear look of interest. I might not be a succubus at the moment, but I could still feel the sexual energy he was directing at me. I smiled faintly at that, feeling a little more confident in having chosen to dress this way.

“And who is your friend?” aunt June asked, giving me a knowing look that made me blush.

“Um…this is Todd,” I said, gesturing to him. Then I nodded to aunt June and told him, “This is my aunt. She’s my sponsor.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Todd said, looking nervous.

“And you too,” aunt June told him. “I’m afraid we can’t remain here and socialize though. Erin and I have some work to do.”

Todd nodded at that. “Okay then…” He looked back at me and gave me a nervous smile. “Then I’ll see you later.”

“You too,” I responded before aunt June and I continued on our way. I felt a little more confident as I glanced back at Todd…a little more…sexy.

Once we were far enough away, aunt June said, “So, I assume this was the boy you mentioned…” She looked quite amused at that.

“Um…yeah,” I admitted, blushing brightly.

“Not bad,” aunt June told me with a smile. “In fact, when I was your age, I would have been all over that…”

“Aunt June,” I gasped in surprise.

Aunt June just laughed and said, “Now come on. I have some things I want to go over with you and I only have two hours…”

I sat at the desk in my dorm room, playing on my laptop while my tail absently swung back and forth behind me. It was an hour since the sun had set and I’d already turned into a succubus and had begun feeding on the ambient sexual energy. I took a deep breath and absorbed more of the delicious energy that filled the air. I absently licked my lips, wishing I could take some directly from the source rather than just feeding on the overflow.

“It’s a good thing you can’t see me now,” I mused, thinking of my parents whom I was currently writing an e-mail to.

I didn’t think that either of them could really understand what I was going through now, especially not as a succubus. Because of that, I had to make sure I limited how much I told them in the e-mails, giving them enough to let them know I was all right but not giving them too much.

After I sent the e-mail off to my parents, I absently considered sending another one to some of my old friends to let them know I was doing all right. However, I realized that I’d barely even thought of them since coming to the Academy. I hadn’t even communicated with any of them since I’d sent the e-mail a month ago saying that a family emergency had forced me to move on short notice.

“No,” I told myself with a sigh, closing my laptop and getting up. “Better to just let them go…”

I’d never been particularly close to any of those friends anyway and I certainly couldn’t tell them about what was happening to me. They didn’t know about the Were or Touched so there was absolutely no way they could possibly understand what I’d become.

I let out a sigh and looked at my clawed nails to admire them. There were still tiny flakes of polish on them from earlier, though not much. Before changing into my succubus form, I’d washed all the makeup from my face, but I hadn’t thought about removing my nail polish. So when I’d changed, my nails had grown into their clawed versions and all the polish had flaked off in the process.

With that, I glanced over to the box sitting on the edge of my dresser. It was a makeup kit that aunt June had given me earlier, right before she left. When she’d handed it to me, she told me that she’d been waiting for the right opportunity to do so and decided that now was that time. She’d been a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to ambush me with the idea of wearing makeup, but she did seem pleased that I’d taken that step on my own.

“Now I just need to learn how to use this crap,” I muttered, tapping one of my clawed nails on top of the box. Fortunately, I had several friends who’d already begun the process of teaching me and would be more than happy to finish it. “I just hope they don’t get too carried away.”

Seconds later, I heard a knocking from my bedroom door. I wasn’t surprised though since I’d been expecting this, just not for another ten minutes or so. I quickly looked down at myself, making sure that I was dressed and moderately presentable. I had a black skirt on as well as a black top w a pair of red lips across the front. As a succubus, this was about as decent as I was going to get.

I opened the door and saw my friends standing in the hall. Sylvie, Kimberly, Eve, and Todd all stared at me. I stepped back so as not to intimidate them.

“Damn,” Eve exclaimed as she came into my room, reminding me that this was actually the first time she’d seen me in this form. “You look…” She licked her lips, staring at me with an expression that was very similar to the one Todd had. “I mean… Damn…”

“Do you like?” I teased her, slowly turning around so she could get a better look.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Sylvie said to Eve. She looked nervous for a moment but was trying to hide it. This was the first time she’d seen me as a succubus since the first night she’d done so.

Kimberly hesitated a moment before coming inside. She was obviously a little more nervous than the others, but she was obviously doing her best not to freak out. Since I was pushing out the sexy vibe rather than the scary, she quickly seemed to calm down.

“You look…incredible,” Todd said awkwardly.

I could feel the sexual energy radiating from him, all directed at me. I licked my lips and stared at him as though he was a tasty morsel…one I wanted to throw down and have my way with right then and there.

“You looked awesome earlier too,” Todd added.

Sylvie elbowed me and said, “I told you so.”

Kimberly stared at me in silence before finally saying, “You’re not as scary as I remember.”

“Thankfully,” Sylvie muttered.

I gave them a seductive smile and then looked to Eve, who was still staring at me with obvious attraction. Unfortunately, she wasn’t male and I didn’t feel the same kind of sexual energy from her. I vaguely felt what she was emitting, but it wasn’t anything that appealed to me or that I could feed on.

“I was afraid I’d never get you back in my room,” I told Todd, feeling much more daring in my succubus form than I did as a human. As a succubus, most of my inhibitions seemed to hold less influence.

“Damn you’re hot,” he whispered.

I moved closer to Todd and then kissed him, pleased that he kissed me back. I absorbed the sexual energy he released but had to fight back the urge to take more from him. I could accept what he gave but I didn’t dare allow myself to take more than that. I didn’t know what it would do, only that it wouldn’t be good for Todd.

“Can I get one of those too?” Eve asked once I pulled away from Todd.

“Sorry,” I purred seductively. “But you know I’m only into guys.” I leaned towards her and stuck out my tongue, touching her lips ever so slightly with the tip of it.

“Don’t tease me,” Eve said, obviously turned on by me.

“Sorry,” I told her with a smirk. Then I looked around the others and said, “It’s kind of crowded in here. Since you guys wanted to watch while I experimented, why don’t we all go to my study. It has a bit more room.”

Everyone agreed but then I paused, hesitating to leave my room like this. Sylvie gave me a curious look and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Things didn’t go very well the last time I walked out in public like this,” I responded with a wry smile.

“Well, everyone knows about you know,” Sylvie responded. “And they can’t get used to seeing you like this if you don’t give them a chance.”

“Don’t worry,” Todd told me with a grin. “We’ll protect you.”

I laughed at that but stepped out of my room. We started to walk through the dorm hallway and every student who saw me froze and stared. A couple of the stares looked almost fearful, though all the ones from guys were filled with lust. I smiled at that, happily feeding on the sexual energy they directed towards me.

“The demon,” one girl exclaimed, only to get a glare from Sylvie and exclamation of, “Shut the fuck up.”

We reached the hall of sorcerers without any real trouble, much to my relief. Once we were inside my work room with the door locked behind us, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Damn, I still can’t believe how hot you look like that,” Eve commented with a shake of her head. “I’ve been watching your ass wiggle all the way from the dorm.”

“So has Todd,” Sylvie pointed out with a grin while her brother blushed.

Eve gave me a curious look and then asked, “Would you mind if I copied the pattern to turn into a succubus?”

I stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. “You’re welcome to try,” I told her with a smirk. “It won’t do any good though. Were forms may be similar to talents, but they aren’t the same. If there’s a pattern, it’s nothing a Touched can see and copy.”

I’d actually been curious about that myself and had asked Amylia if someone could make a spell based off a Were form the way they could off off a talent. She’d told me that it didn’t work that way, explaining it much as I’d just done to Eve.

“If that worked,” Sylvie mused thoughtfully, “I’d imagine all the really powerful sorcerers would try tracking down every mythic to copy their form.”

“But I might be able to copy your sexiness talent,” Eve mused, giving me a speculative look.

“That would probably work,” I admitted. “If you can draw enough magic to use it.”

“I was wondering,” Todd mused, giving me a curious look. “What happens when you use your talent while you’re like this?”

I blinked at that and then admitted, “I’ve got no idea. I’ve never tried it.”

I was already so ridiculously busty and outrageously curved that I couldn’t imagine getting even bustier and sexier. However, now that I was thinking about it, I couldn’t resist finding out.

A second later, I activated my talent, but I immediately felt that something was different. Instead of changing, I felt as though the magic was pushing away from me instead.

Suddenly, Kimberly exclaimed, “I feel funny.”

Kimberly moaned as her body began to change. Her hair began growing longer while her breasts grew larger. As I watched, she became sexier and curvier, much as I did whenever I used my talent.

“My bra is killing me,” Kimberly gasped, her voice already sounding sexier. Her shirt began to tear at the same time.

When Kimberly finished transforming, she was a taller and much sexier version of herself. She cupped her now large breasts and stared down at herself in amazement.

“Holy shit,” Sylvie exclaimed, staring at Kimberly and then looking at me. “I didn’t know you could do it to other people…”

“I can’t,” I protested. “I mean…I normally can’t. It’s never changed anyone else…”

“Try it again,” Sylvie told me with an eager grin. “Me next.”

I nodded and tried my talent again, though just like the last time, the magic seemed to automatically push away from me. This time though, I sensed it and was able to redirect it towards Sylvie rather than just letting it go out at random.

“I feel it,” Sylvie exclaimed in delight. She gave me a broad grin and cupped her breasts. “Oh yeah, I definitely feel this…”

While Sylvie continued growing and improving, I considered why my magic was behaving like this. “Maybe my talent doesn’t work on me now because I’m not human…so it bounces off to someone else instead.”

“Or maybe you’re already maxed out on sexiness,” Eve added, “so it has to go somewhere else instead.” Then she grinned and said, “Now me.”

“Okay,” I agreed with a grin, unleashing my talent again and laughing as Sylvie began to change.

A minute later, all three of the girls had become gorgeous and busty, with clothes that were torn and too small. Todd was staring at Eve and Kimberly, as well as making a very obvious attempt to avoid looking at Sylvie at all. I just grinned, deciding that this new twist on my talent was rather interesting.

“I wonder what would happen if I used it on you,” I told Todd, already reaching for my talent while he stared at me with a wide eyed look of horror.

Todd began to grow a moment later, though it was almost immediately obvious that he wasn’t growing in quite the same way as the others. He grew taller, but instead of growing breasts, his muscles swelled larger and stretched his clothes until they burst at the seams.

Todd had already been quite a teenage heartthrob, but now he was tall and muscular as well. The sexual energy which came from him seemed to have increased in strength, and I noticed that the bulge in his too tight pants had grown as well.

“Oh, very nice,” I purred seductively, licking my lips as I stared at Todd. It was all I could do not to just tear off his clothes right then and there. “I definitely like this…”

The dormitory kitchen was quite nice, being twice the size of the one we had at home and filled with good quality appliances. Unfortunately, most of the students didn’t appreciate it and only used the kitchen for warming soup or making grilled cheese sandwiches.

There were three tables sitting at the edge of the kitchen in order to form a dining room for students to use, though like the kitchen, it was under appreciated and was mostly used as a place for students to play board games.

At the moment, I stood at the kitchen counter, hard at work preparing dinner for my friends. Eve, Sylvie, Kimberly, and Todd were all there, joking around and watching me curiously. I’d asked Gayle to come as well, but she couldn’t make it and had to go to her sister’s bridal shower instead.

“How the hell can you move the knife so fast without cutting off your fingers?” Sylvie asked me curiously.

I just grinned and looked down at the cutting board where I was julienning some carrots for the salad. “It just takes some practice with the knife,” I answered. “My mom is a chef and had me helping out in the kitchen since I was old enough to walk. She was teaching me knife skills by the time I was eight and frequently has me working as her sous chef while she’s making dinner.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Todd asked.

“Naw, I’ve got it,” I told him. “Though if you would have asked earlier, I would have given you some potatoes to peel.”

“That’s why he didn’t ask earlier,” Eve said with a grin.

“So, what all are we having?” Sylvie asked.

I just grinned at that and answered, “Fish fingers and custard.” Todd chuckled at the Dr. Who reference while the three girls all gave me blank looks. “Salad, scalloped potatoes with gruyere and pancetta, and herb roasted chicken.”

“And what’s for dessert?” Kimberly asked with a grin.

“Chocolate mousse,” I told them with a smug grin. “I made it myself.”

“Damn,” Eve exclaimed, looking impressed. “You really are taking this dinner thing seriously.”

I just shrugged at that. “Like I said, my mom is a chef. She used to work late a lot and wanted to make sure that someone would be able to make a decent dinner when she wasn’t around.”

“First last night and now this,” Sylvie mused. “You really are trying to spoil us.”

I just laughed at that, grinning as I thought about last night. It had been quite fun to discover a whole new use for my talent, one that I could only use in succubus form. Instead of being able to make myself sexier, I could make other people sexier…and not just girls. I smiled even more as I remembered how hot Todd had looked.

Last night had been quite educational as I’d experimented and discovered some new things about how my Were and Touched sides interacted. Even after my friends had gotten tired and went to bed, I remained in my study experimenting.

One of the things I’d confirmed was that I could use the extra sexual energy I fed on in order to increase the amount of magic available to me and cast higher level spells. Unfortunately, that quickly drained me of what I’d absorbed and left me very hungry. And since there wasn’t nearly as much ambient sexual energy around the hall of sorcerers as there was in the dorms, it was fortunate that I’d only gotten to this point after Todd had already left.

The other important thing that I’d discovered, after I was out of sexual energy and feeling very hungry, was the fact that I was still able to cast the breast enlarging spell. As a succubus, I could actually draw more magical energy than I could as a human. After some trial and error with different spells, I estimated that as a succubus, I was probably a class seven or eight.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my tokens, one that I’d cast last night but hadn’t dared to actually test out. This was the spell that I’d been wanting to cast since I first came to the Academy. This was the spell that first made me interested in magic. This was the spell that could reverse a person’s gender.

“What have you got there?” Todd asked as he saw me staring at the token.

“Nothing,” I lied, quickly putting it back in my pocket. I blushed, wondering why I was hesitating to test that spell. After all, it would only change me back for about ten minutes.

I shook my head and turned my attention back to finishing up. I quickly got the rest of the salad put together and served it to my friends while we waited for the rest of the dinner to finish cooking.

“last night was really…interesting,” Kimberly said with a chuckle. “But you ruined my clothes.”

“Ours too,” Sylvie added with a broad grin. “But it was so worth it.”

“It is pretty fun,” I agreed, though I was only in my normal form at the moment. Still, the temptation to activate my talent and transform was definitely there.

Then I looked to Todd, blushing as I remembered last night. If it wasn’t for my other friends being present, I don’t think I would have been able to ignore my desire for him. I know that I certainly hadn’t wanted to ignore it either.

“I’m just glad you let us see you like that again,” Kimberly said, giving me a curious look. “It’s kind of interesting to see you as a succubus.”

I just nodded at that, thankful that Kimberly wasn’t scared of me anymore. After the way she and Sylvie had relaxed around me last night, I knew that I was going to have to go out in public as a succubus more often. Maybe then the other students would get used to me and wouldn’t be quite as shocked.

A short time later, the rest of the food was ready so I served that to my friends as well. They all began to immediately gulp it down, making appreciative noises.

“This is great,” Todd exclaimed, giving me a look of approval. “You cook better than my mom.”

“I’ll tell her you said that,” Sylvie told him with a smirk. Then she added. “Or at least, I would if you weren’t right.”

“Can you teach me to cook like this?” Kimberly asked me, looking a little embarrassed as she admitted, “I can barely boil water.”

“We ought to make a thing of this,” Eve said with a grin. “We should take turns making dinner, maybe once every week or two.”

We talked about her idea for awhile with most of us agreeing that it sounded like a good idea, though no one really wanted to commit to being the next one to cook. Still, I had the feeling that I’d be gently pressured into cooking for them again sometime.

“So, what was that you were telling me about a Were convention,” Sylvie asked.

“Not a Were convention,” I corrected. “It’s just a meeting for some mythics.” Then I grinned and added, “In a couple days, I’m gonna be able to meet up with a bunch of other mythics…some of them around my own age. I’m kind of excited about it.”

“I’d imagine,” Eve commented thoughtfully. “I mean, mythics are pretty uncommon among the Were and a lot more rare than sorcerers are.”

I nodded at that. “I’ve only ever met two other mythics.” One of those two had been a Were jackalope that I’d met at a convention when I was a kid, and of course, the other one was Amylia.

“You’ll have to tell us all about it when you get back,” Todd said. “I mean, I’m curious about what kind of mythics there are.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, definitely being curious myself.

At the same time, I suddenly realized something that I hadn’t before. However, that would have to wait until dinner was over with. I forced my attention back to my friends.

“This was fantastic,” Sylvie said once we were finished with dinner. “Especially that chocolate mousse…”

“I can’t believe you were able to make that yourself,” Kimberly said.

I just laughed. “It’s not really that difficult. You should try my mom’s version when she mixes in amaretto.” I licked my lips in an exaggerated manner.

As I got up to go work on dishes, Todd came and put a hand on my shoulder. “You know,” he told me with a gleam in his eyes. “You’re pretty cute like this too.” And with that, he gave me a kiss.

“Get a motel room,” Sylvie teased us.

When we pulled apart, I stared at Todd and gulped. I felt just a little weak in the knees after that, though I definitely wanted to do it again.

“We should do dinner again,” Todd told me, looking just a little nervous. “Just you and me. My treat…”

I blinked at that. “You’re asking me out on a date?”

“Um…yeah,” Todd responded self-consciously.

“I’d love to,” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around Todd in a hug and giving him another kiss. I triggered my talent and grew sexier, then gave him another one. Then I forced myself to calm down and nervously reminded him, “You remember that I’m still a bit confused…” I tapped my forehead with a finger.

“It’s okay,” Todd told me with a gentle smile. “I understand.” Then he stared me straight in the eyes and added, “And I’m not confused.”

I blushed at that, feeling just a little more of my confusion fading away just as it did every time Todd did something like this. I gave him another hug and didn’t say anything. I was just glad to be holding him.

Once my friends and I had finished up, I excused myself and told them that I’d meet up with them in a bit so we could all watch a movie together. For the moment though, there was something I wanted to do while I was still thinking about it.

A short time later, I was at the building that housed the quarters for all of the school staff. Students weren’t actually banned from entering this building but we were somewhat discouraged. Because of that, I was a bit nervous as I went to knock on Amylia’s door.

When Amylia opened the door, she gave me a startled look and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“Not really,” I told her, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening in. “I just wanted to talk to you about…”

“Come in,” Amylia told me with a faint sigh.

I went inside Amylia’s quarters and was surprised at how large it was compared to my own. My dorm room was a fairly small room with a closet, while hers was more like a nice sized apartment with separate rooms, including her own bathroom and kitchen.

“I’m going to a meeting with some other mythics in a couple days,” I started off, holding up the letter from Vivian and the invitation.

Amylia gave me a wry look and said, “You know I won’t attend any such gathering.”

“No,” I quickly responded, trying to think about how to phrase this. “I’ve been told that over the last ten years, there have been a LOT more new mythics than ever before. I guess, there are three times the amount of new mythics and a LOT of them are humanoid mythics.”

“A population surge in mythics?” Amylia mused, looking vaguely curious. “I can’t say that I’ve heard of that.”

“My dad has a friend,” I started carefully. “Sort of a distant cousin who is part of a group that have been tracking mythics and trying to find out why some Were become mythics and see if there is some kind of pattern. She said that before this, humanoid Weres were almost completely unheard of.”

Amylia gave me a curious look before responding, “You are the only one besides myself that I have ever met.”

I nodded at that. “Well, Vivian and her friends found out that a lot of these new mythics are related. Apparently, a lot of us new mythics…and all of us who are humanoid ones, are all descended from the same guy.”

“Interesting,” Amylia replied. “And you think that because I am a humanoid mythic, that I might somehow be related too?” Her tone suggested that she was more than a little skeptical about that idea.

“I don’t know,” I told her, holding out Vivian’s letter. “But since Vivian said that every humanoid Were she knows of is descended from this guy, I figured I should ask you if you are too…” Then I quickly told her, “He was a Were Chimaera named Robert Dupree.”

Amylia suddenly froze at that. She let out a gasp and snatched the letter out of my hands. As she read it, her entire body actually seemed to shake.

“I haven’t heard that name in a VERY long time,” Amylia said quietly, suddenly looking very tired.

“Then you know who he is?” I gasped, almost in surprise.

“I should,” Amylia responded after a moment, her voice shaking even more as tears began to form in her eyes. Then in a near whisper, she admitted, “Robert was my son.”

Math was one of the few subjects that was almost exactly the same at the Academy as it was at any other school. In history, we often learned things that normals never heard, such as how the Touched had secretly helped the allies win during the second world war. But in math, one plus one was still two…even for sorcerers.

Mr. Estoban demonstrated some math problems in front of the class while I struggled to stay even halfway focused. My thoughts kept wandering back to last night and my talk with Amylia. I kept running it over and over again in my head, especially the part where she sort of claimed to be my great great grandma…with a few more greats thrown in, and then she’d practically shoved me out the door without a word of explanation.

Amylia had been distracted in class this morning, very distracted. She’d ended up turning class into a free study period and let us all practice with our spells while she stood back and watched over us with only half her attention. It was obvious to me that I wasn’t the only one who kept thinking about last night.

When class was over, Kaellie bumped into me and snapped, “Watch it freak.”

“Frak off, bimbo,” I responded in annoyance.

Ever since my duel with Teressa, the two of them had continued with their passive-aggressive harassment but had stopped the more obvious attacks. Once the teachers had finally made it clear that straight out attacks and even ‘practical jokes’ would no longer be tolerated, they’d focused their attention on making me miserable in other ways. It was actually a relief to me since this kind of annoyance was easier to deal with than having my clothes dissolved in public.

“You want a piece of me?” Kaellie demanded, making me suddenly realize what she was really up to. “I challenge you to a duel.”

“I accept,” I responded coldly. I’d been itching for a rematch with Teressa, but Kaellie had been one I wanted a chance at as well. Not only would this give me an opportunity to fight her straight on but it would also be good practice for my rematch.

Kaellie smirked as she said, “Then prepare to lose again…freak.”

With that, Kaellie turned and walked away while Sylvie came up beside me and said, “She’s up to something.”

“Of course,” I responded with a sigh. “She and Teressa probably found some kind of spell they plan on using to humiliate me in the duel.” I thought about the spell I’d used to get Teressa and couldn’t resist smirking. “They’ve probably figured out a way to protect themselves from that breast enlargement spell too.”

“So what are you going to do?” Sylvie asked me curiously.

“I shrugged at that. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll have to bounce a few ideas off Gayle and see what she thinks.”

Sylvie nodded at that and then abruptly asked, “Are you okay? You’ve been kind of odd all day…”

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

“It’s that date with Todd, isn’t it?” she asked me. “You’re worried about it, aren’t you?”

“No,” I responded with a smile. “I’m looking forward to that. It’s just that I got some really weird news last night and I don’t know what to do about it.” At Sylvie’s curious look, I quickly added, “I wish I could tell you about it but I kind of promised to keep it to myself.”

Sylvie nodded, looking a little annoyed that there was a secret that I wasn’t sharing with her. However, she seemed to understand and didn’t push it. Instead she told me, “Well, if you need any help preparing to cream Kaellie, just let me know.”

I just laughed at that and promised, “I sure will.”

Once classes were done for the day, I went back to my dorm room and was surprised to find a letter sitting on the top of my desk. I picked it up and read it aloud. ‘Erin, please come see me at 7:00 for tea and talk. We have much to discuss.’ It was signed simply with the letter A.

I was extremely apprehensive as I walked to Amylia’s quarters. After she’d told me that she was my great plus grandma, I had absolutely no idea what to think about that or her. I wanted to talk to Vivian to double check the family tree she’d charted out, and even more, I wanted to talk do my dad. However, I couldn’t possibly say a thing to either of them without breaking my promise to Amylia.

When I knocked on Amylia’s door, she quickly ushered me inside and had me sit in the living room. She watched me with a strange expression as she poured two cups of tea and handed one to me. Only then did she sit down as well.

“Erin,” she said gently. “I would like you to do something for me. I would like you to hold onto this for a minute.” She held up a red crystal and said, “Invoke,” before handing it to me. I hesitantly accepted the crystal and it began to glow in my hand. Amylia’s eyes widened slightly and she said, “I see…” She took the crystal back and then set it on the coffee table before looking at me thoughtfully.

“What was that?” I asked curiously.

Amylia gave me a gentle smile and said, “You must understand that what you told me last night is impossible. Yet the test I just gave you confirms that you are indeed of my blood. You are indeed descended from me.”

I gulped at that, staring at the crystal that had glowed in my hand and then at Amylia. She looked nearly as shaken as I was and was staring at me with a sad and thoughtful look.

“My son was named Robert Erland Dupree,” Amylia said quietly.

I startled at that. “My middle name is Erland.” Then I quickly amended that. “Or at least it was.”

After my change, my name had been changed from Aaron Erland Morris to Erin Elayne Morris. The Erin part was easy to adjust to since it still sounded the same as it used to, but I couldn’t think of myself as Elayne yet and it still startled me when I saw it written down.

“Interesting,” Amylia commented with a wry smile. “An old family name I take it.”

I nodded at that. “Dad said I was named after his dad.”

Amylia smiled faintly at that and closed her eyes. After several very long seconds, she whispered, “The last time I saw Robert…he was your age.” Then she opened her eyes but I could see she wasn’t really looking at me or anything in this room. “I was ashamed of my hybrid status…of being Were as well as Touched. My husband held nothing but contempt for the Were so I never told him, nor did I tell our son.”

“How…?” I started to ask but then bit my tongue.

I couldn’t understand how she could possibly hide something that important from her husband and son. If her husband didn’t like the Were, how could she even have married him? She’d said it was an arranged marriage but it still didn’t make any sense to me.

“I kept my secret shame for many years,” Amylia continued, her voice filled with sadness and even guilt. “I had assumed that since Gregor was Touched on both sides of his heritage, that Robert would be Touched as well. I never even considered that he might inherit my Were side…” She paused at that, looking almost as though she was in physical pain. “After Robert turned sixteen, his father and I waited to see what form his talent would take, but on the first full moon, he transformed into a monster instead…into a chimaera.”

“Frell,” I whispered, realizing just how confusing it would be to become a Were when you had no idea it could happen.

“I hadn’t thought to warn Robert,” Amylia continued in a quiet and pained voice. “He was frightened and confused and lashed out. His father thought him a monster attacking the house and tried to kill him. I tried to stop Gregor, telling him that I was a hybrid and that Robert had inherited my Were nature, but that only infuriated Gregor further and he attacked me as well.”

Amylia went silent for nearly a full minute and just sat there with tears coming down her cheeks. She sipped at her tea while she tried to calm herself. I just watched her uncomfortably, not sure what I could do or say to make things better. It was almost painful to see a teacher that I respected so much like this.

“When I came to,” Amylia said quietly, her voice steady again though I could tell it took a lot of will to keep it so. “Our home was burned to the ground and I was certain that Robert had been within when this happened. I’ve held his death that night as a fact until now.” She looked me in the eyes and added. “After that, I could never bring myself to have another child, yet you are definitely of my bloodline.” She took a deep breath and smiled faintly, “Now I know, he must have escaped the fire and survived.” There was a clear sense of relief in her voice as she said that last.

“And he never told you he was alive?” I gasped, realizing that it was a stupid question even as I asked it.

Amylia shook her head sadly. “Perhaps he mistook me as dead too,” she said quietly. “More likely, he wanted nothing to do with me after this. After all, it was my lies and secrets that destroyed our family…and which I had thought killed my son. He would probably have seen my betrayal as even greater than that of the father who’d tried to kill him.”

I stared at Amylia, whispering, “I’m sorry…” I couldn’t imagine what this would have been like for Amylia…or for her son. I was suddenly very thankful for having the family I did.

“After this,” Amyia told me with a sad look, “I was left with a husband who rightly blamed me for our son’s death. The only other family I had at that point were an aunt and uncle I barely knew and an older sister who despised me. I cast off all family ties and have been without any family since.” She gave me a wry look and told me, “The idea that Robert had children of his own…that I have…descendants…” She shook her head slightly. “It is more shocking than you can imagine.”

I nodded at that, still feeling stunned by these revelations and sure of what to think. Did this mean that I should start thinking of Amylia as my grandma? That would just be weird, especially since I’ve been calling her by her first name.

“I understand the irony of my situation,” Amylia said, seeming to speak to herself more than me. “I lost everything because I kept my Were side a secret, yet two centuries later, I am still doing the same thing. You would think I might have learned something from that.” She paused to sigh. “Now, I fear that should my hybrid nature become known, I will lose what I hold dear now. My position at the Academy.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised her again.

Amylia sipped at her tea and watched me with a thoughtful expression that made me a little uncomfortable. “I cannot risk losing the life I have built for myself,” she finally said, giving me a faint smile. “Yet I cannot ignore the family that Robert left behind.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her cautiously.

“What I mean,” Amylia responded slowly, giving me an almost amused look, “Is that I intent to accompany you to this gathering of mythics so that I may see these distant grand-children for myself.”

I had planned on going to the gathering of mythics with aunt June acting as my escort through the gates, though Amylia’s decision to go with me had changed the plan. Now Amylia would be acting as my escort instead, meaning that there was no need for aunt June to come. Aunt June was surprised by this change of plan, but also relieved since she had other things that needed her attention back home.

When Amylia and I had talked to aunt June last night and informed her of this change, she’d been not only surprised but also confused. After all, instructors at the Academy didn’t normally get involved with student activities off campus, especially not when they were of such a personal nature. However, I didn’t dare tell aunt June the real reason that Amylia was coming.

“Erin guessed my real name,” Amylia told aunt June with a wry smile when she explained her reasons. “So I’m escorting her as a favor.” The look on aunt June’s face made me chuckle every time I thought of it.

Amylia and I went through the hall of doors and then traveled through three different gate hub locations in order to get close to where we were going. Then we had to get a rental car and drive the rest of the way. As this meeting had been set up by the Were, who didn’t use the gates to travel, holding the meeting close to one of the gate locations hadn’t even been a consideration as it would have been for the Touched.

It was strange to travel with Amylia this way, not only because she was my great plus grandma, but also because she was one of my teachers. I could tell that she was a little nervous as well, though she didn’t admit it and tried to keep it hidden. She tried covering up her nervousness by switching into teacher mode and giving me lessons for half the trip.

When we reached the destination on the invitation, it was a large farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. That wasn’t surprising though since nearly all Were gatherings happen as far away from outsiders as possible. When Were got together, they liked to show off their Were forms, and this was certainly to be even more of a concern when the gathering was mostly mythics.

There were two dozen people already present, only about half of which were actually the mythics who’d been invited. The rest of the people present consisted mostly of parents or significant others. Amylia and I barely arrived when I found myself met by Vivian.

“Erin,” she said happily, giving me a hug. “Are you doing all right?” She looked concerned. “I know things haven’t been easy for you over the last month…”

“I’ve been adjusting,” I told her self-consciously. Then I introduced her to Amylia. “This is Amylia, one of my instructors at the Academy.”

Vivian gave Amylia a suspicious look. “You’re Touched?”

“A sorceress,” Amylia agreed pleasantly. “I’m here to escort Erin and make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.” Then she gave a wry smile and added, “After all, that would reflect badly on the Academy and myself.”

“We don’t exactly see many Touched in gatherings like this,” Vivian said carefully.

“There seems to be little real contact between most Touched and Were,” Amylia agreed. Then she abruptly said, “I was told that this was a…distant family gathering of sorts. Are you part of this family?”

Vivian blinked at that and then chuckled. “No, I’m not from this bloodline. And this is a little more complicated than a family gathering, I assure you.”

Amylia nodded. “Continue.”

I stood there in silence as Vivian explained how an attempt to track possible patterns in who became mythics revealed that many of the newer ones shared a common ancestor. Amylia nodded politely but I didn’t miss the look of sharp interest in her eyes or the way she froze when Vivian revealed that the common ancestor was Robert Dupree.

“We charted the family trees,” Vivian said, leading us to a wall which was decorated with the chart that showed Robert Dupree at the top but branched down to his three kids and their descendants. Every Were on the chart who was a mythic had a red star by their name and many of the youngest at the bottom had green stars, indicating that their Were forms were unknown or had yet to be revealed.

“Robert had three children,” Amylia whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

“And three family branches were born,” Vivian agreed, not noticing Amylia’s reactions. “We’ve invited all of those who are mythics here so that they can meet each other and we can interview them.” She gave Amylia a smile and continued, “I don’t know how familiar you are with the Were, but until now there was never any indication that being a mythic was inherited… This is a huge discovery.”

“More than you know,” Amylia said quietly, staring at the family tree with strange look in her eyes.

“Here I am,” I said, pointing to my own name with the red star beside it. My dad’s name was right above my own. I frowned, suddenly missing my parents and wishing that they were here. Dad certainly would have appreciated it, especially if he knew about Amylia.

“The strange surge of new mythics started about ten years ago,” Vivian told Amylia, seeming to be very happy to have someone so interested in the topic. “It was tracing the genealogies of these new mythics that led us to this discovery. We still haven’t found out what changed to cause this sudden surge…”

When Vivian stepped away a minute later, Amylia leaned over and quietly told me, “About ten years ago, the spell that retards my aging process was damaged in an accident and I had to rebuild it. I suspect that the powerful magics I used may have caused a blood resonance effect with those in my bloodline.”

I blinked in surprise at that. “You mean, I’m a mythic because you cast a spell?” The idea seemed ludicrous that someone else could cast a spell on themselves and somehow cause me to become a succubus.

Amylia hesitated a moment before answering, “I don’t know. But it was a very powerful spell and if there was a blood resonance, then the magical influence may have triggered a higher chance for my descendants to become mythics.” She paused for a second and then added, “Or at least those who were alive at that time and had yet to awaken.”

“Holy hand grenade,” I muttered, feeling a little shaken by that. “I didn’t know that kind of thing was possible…”

Before I could ask Amylia more about this, Vivian returned with a middle-aged man. He had reddish-brown hair and a beard that was sprinkled with a little gray. “This is Doctor Merchant,” Vivian introduced him to us. “He’s the one who started the mythic genome mapping project.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Dr. Merchant said, looking at Amylia curiously. “Vivian says that you’re a…sorceress.”

“Yes,” she responded with a smile. “I’m an instructor at the Academy…the school for Touched. I’m here escorting Erin.”

Dr. Merchant turned his attention to me and said, “And you must be Erin. Vivian told me about you. She said that you’re not only a mythic but Touched as well.”

“I’m learning to be a sorceress,” I responded proudly.

“Impressive,” Dr. Merchant said, looking sincere. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about that type of magic though.”

Amylia gave Dr. Merchant a curious look. “If I may ask,” she said carefully, “what type of Were are you?”

“I’m a sabertooth,” Dr. Merchant replied with a proud smile. “Technically, being a sabertooth tiger doesn’t make me a mythic, but it is fun to show off.” He chuckled lightly at that. “It also made me interested in unusual Were forms…and lead to my research into mythic genealogies.”

While Amylia continued talking with Vivian and Dr. Merchant, both of whom seemed interested in her being a sorceress, I wandered off to look around on my own. One thing that I quickly noticed was that I was the youngest mythic present, which wasn’t a surprise since I’d only awoken a little over a month ago. However, since it was only in the last ten years that our bloodline was producing so many mythics, most of the others weren’t too much older than myself.

“Hey, I’m Traci,” one girl introduced herself to me. She had dark blond hair and appeared to be my age, much to my relief. I didn’t like the idea of being the youngest person here.

“Erin,” I responded with a grin. “Nice to meet you…”

“So, who are you descended from?” Traci asked me with a grin. At my blank look, she pointed to the family tree.

“I’m here,” I pointed out my own name.

Traci nodded, “Cool. This one is me.” She pointed to a spot on the chart that showed she was descended from a different one of Robert’s children than I was. Then she asked, “So, what do you turn into?”

I hesitated a moment before answering, “Well, it’s pretty embarrassing…”

“Trust me,” Traci told me with a wry grin. “Whatever it is, it isn’t nearly as embarrassing as mine. I mean, I turn into a satyr.”

“That’s you?” I blurted out, remembering Vivian mentioning a girl my age who’d recently become a Were satyr.

“Um…yeah,” Traci said, blushing a bit. “I turn into a guy and everything… You have no idea how weird that is.”

I stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. “I’ve still got you beat.”

Traci snorted. “I seriously doubt that.”

“I’m a succubus,” I told her with a shrug.

“Really?” Traci asked, staring at me in surprise. “At least you don’t get a sex change when you change.”

I burst out laughing again. “I’ve got you beat there too.” Then I leaned forward and quietly told her, “Before my Changing Day…I was a guy.”

Traci gave me a look of clear disbelief. “Yeah,right.”

“I’m a hybrid,” I explained with a sigh, feeling self-conscious. “I’m both Were and Touched. So after my first full moon, I didn’t change all the way back to normal. I remained…female.” I gestured down at myself. “I guess I’ve kind of gotten used to it.”

Traci and I just stood there staring at each other and I could already feel a bond to this girl. Gayle might know what it’s like going through a sex change and Amylia might understand the challenges of being a hybrid, but Tina was the only one who had a Were form like my own…one that was not only the opposite gender of what she started as, but one that was a bit extreme and embarrassing as well.

Just then, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and when I turned around, I saw a guy standing there. He had to be about nineteen or twenty and he was giving me a curious look.

“Excuse me,” the boy said, looking apologetic, “but I thought I overheard you saying something about turning into a girl…”

“Yeah,” I responded a little defensively. “My Were form gave me a sex change and being Touched made it stick.”

I grimaced, hardly able to believe that I was telling this to complete strangers. Then again, it wasn’t the first time and everything had worked out when I’d told Sylvie and the others at the Academy.

“Then maybe we should talk,” the boy said, holding out his hand and grinning. “I’m Darek.”

“I’m Darek,” the newcomer told me as I shook his hand. “I’m a Were dryad…a wood nymph.”

My eyes widened at that. “And dryads are female…”

“Yeah,” Darek admitted, looking a little self-conscious. He shrugged. “I was pretty embarrassed about it at first, but then I kind of found out that I’m not the only one.”

“There’s another dryad?” I asked in surprise.

Darek just laughed at that. “No, but my cousin Trey is a mermaid.” Then he gestured to another guy who also appeared to be about nineteen or twenty and called out, “Hey Trey, I’ve got someone you want to meet…”

Trey came over, giving Traci and myself a curious look. “Hey,” he said, looking to Darek and asking, “What’s up?”

“He said you turn into a mermaid,” I blurted out, giving Trey a curious look. “Is that true?”

Trey gave Darek a look of annoyance before answering, “Yeah. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“As embarrassing as turning into a satyr?” Traci asked him with a smirk.

“Or a succubus?” I added.

Trey looked surprised at that. “Really? That must be pretty weird.”

“You have no idea,” I told him, then repeated what I’d already told Darek and Traci. “I used to be a guy before my changing day, but now I’m stuck as a girl and can’t change back.”

“That’s impossible,” Trey pointed out, looking more than a little skeptical. “Everyone knows that we change back to normal at sunrise…no exceptions.”

“I’m a hybrid,” I explained again. “I’m both Touched and Were…so it kind of changes the equation for me.”

“No offense, but that’s bullshit,” Trey said, giving me a suspicious look. “You can’t be both. You have to be either one or the other.”

“It is true,” I insisted out, getting annoyed.

I glared at Trey for a moment and decided that I’d better prove that I wasn’t just making stuff up in order to show off. I triggered my talent and felt my body begin to change. I was suddenly very thankful that I’d worn some loose clothes to this gathering.

“Holy shit,” Trey exclaimed while he and Darek both stared at me in surprise.

“Wow,” Traci said, giving me an appreciative look that held the same interest I saw from both Todd and Eve when I was like this.

“Like I said,” I told them in my somewhat sexier voice. “I’m Touched too.”

“Sorry,” Trey apologized. “I just didn’t think it was possible.”

“There aren’t very many of us,” I admitted.

Just then, a cute auburn haired girl who was about eighteen came up, exclaiming, “Hey, you’ll never believe what I just heard. Someone just told me that there’s an actual sorceress here…”

“Actually,” I responded wryly. “There are two of us.”

The girl paused, giving me a blank look. “What?”

“There are two of us here,” I repeated. “I’m a sorceress in training but I came with Amylia, one of my instructors.” I pointed to Amylia who was now talking to some middle-aged guy.

“Oh,” Darek said, looking a little surprised. “So that’s who my dad is talking to.”

“That’s your dad?” I asked, pointing to the man with Amylia.

“Yeah,” Darek answered with a proud look on his face. “He’s a Were unicorn.” Then he gestured to the girl who’d just joined us and said, “This is my cousin Kaylie… Or is that second cousin?” He paused for a moment before adding, “Well, her mom is my dad’s cousin.”

“You’re Touched?” Kaylie asked me in surprise. “Then what are you doing here? I mean, this was supposed to be a place for mythics to meet up…”

“Apparently, she’s both,” Trey told Kaylie with a faint shake of his head. “Both Were and Touched.”

“Is that even possible?” Kaylie asked.

“Hey,” Darek suddenly exclaimed, looking at Kaylie and asking, “Is your boyfriend here? He really should be in on this talk…”

Kaylie gave Darek a curious look before responding, “He went to the kitchen to look for something to eat.” Then she grinned and added, “There he is…”

A minute later, Kaylie’s boyfriend Jake came over. He was tall and slender with black hair and eyes that kept darting around, almost as though he was trying to take everything in.

After brief introductions, Darek told Jake, “It looks like Erin and Traci are part of our little group.” He grinned and added, “Traci is a Were satyr and Erin used to be a guy.”

At Jake’s confused look, I rolled my eyes and explained about being a hybrid, which seemed to confuse Jake even more. He gave me a blank look and asked, “Okay… What the fuck is a Touched?”

“They’re witches,” Kaylie answered, giving me a nervous glance. “They can do magic spells and all sorts of impossible things…”

“Any more impossible than turning into an animal?” I asked with a sigh, suddenly realizing that the Touched weren’t the only ones with misconceptions.

I spent the next ten minutes explaining about the Touched, our talents, and about sorcerers. The small crowd gathered around me all nodded in fascination, and even the ones who thought they knew all about the Touched seemed to be learning new things. It was a little strange, having to explain the Touched to Were when I was used to doing the opposite.

“I’d never heard of the Touched before this,” Jake admitted with a sigh. “Hell, I didn’t even know the Were existed before my fucking Changing Day.”

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“My folks died when I was a kid,” Jake told me with a shrug. “I grew up in a bunch of foster home and didn’t know shit about being a Were until one night I suddenly turn into fucking Tinkerbell.”

“If it wasn’t for my mom finding him that night,” Kaylie added with a grin, “Jake still wouldn’t know what he was.”

Jake shrugged at that, then admitted, “I didn’t really know anything about my own family tree until Doctor Merchant contacted me.”

“That would have to be rough,” I said carefully, thinking about Amylia’s son and how he hadn’t been expecting it either. Fortunately, things seemed to have gone much better for Jake.

I looked at Jake and then his girlfriend, realizing that they were both descendants of Amylia. I looked back at the family tree on the wall and saw that they were both on completely different branches, with the last ancestor they had in common being Robert himself. Kaylie, Darek, Trey, and of course Darek’s dad were all on one branch. Traci was on another branch. And to my surprise, Jake was not only on my branch of the family tree, but he and I shared the same great grandpa.

After this, we continued talking about the one thing we all had in common, other than being Were. All of us, except for Kaylie, went through gender changes when we changed form. But unlike the others, I was the only one who remained permanently changed afterwards.

“You know,” Kaylie joked, “For once in my life, I don’t mind being left out of something.” She gave an exaggerated shudder and added, “Turning into a guy would just be weird.”

“Yeah, but it’s not really bad,” Traci told her with a grin. “It kind of helps me understand guys a lot better too…not that it does a lot of good anymore.”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“Well,” Traci answered, blushing brightly. “I used to like guys, but ever since my Changing Day, I kind of…well…I kind of like girls instead.”

Darek, Trey and Jake all shuddered at that and I could see that they didn’t understand. Clearly, they didn’t have to deal with that issue and couldn’t possibly know what it was like. However, I most certainly did.

“Yeah,” I told Traci quietly, knowing that I was probably blushing too. “Ever since I changed, I kind of like guys now.”

“Damn,” Darek exclaimed, giving me a sympathetic look. “You’ve really got it rough.”

All I could do was shrug at that and tell them, “Yeah, but I’m getting used to it.”

Traci just nodded and gave me a look of disappointment. “Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I kind of scared my best friend off. I mean, we’ve been besties since we were kids, and then after…well, I kind of kissed her and freaked her out.” Traci let out a sigh and continued, “She doesn’t know about my being Were and just thinks I’m gay. I can just imagine how much worse it would have been if she’d seen me change.”

At that, all of us nodded in understanding. One thing that Were and Touched had in common was that we had to hide our very existence from normals. That meant we had to lie to our friends and neighbors, doing anything we could to keep them from suspecting that there was something odd about us. There were only the occasional exceptions, such as when you found a normal who you could trust absolutely…and wanted to marry.

A few minutes later, our little group split up, though Traci remained with me. The two of us went around and met some of our other distant relatives, though I couldn’t help but feeling that this wasn’t a proper family reunion since only the mythics had been invited. Still, it was interesting to meet some of them. There were a pair of twin girls, one of whom could turn into a centaur while the other could turn into a naga. And there was a guy in his mid-twenties who claimed to turn into a sea serpent. However, I didn’t really connect to any of them the way I had to the ones I’d already met.

While I was doing this, Amylia was mingling and making sure to meet each of her descendants, though of course, she neglected to mention that she was either a Were or their ancestor. I couldn’t help but feeling a little disappointed at that or thinking that it wasn’t really fair to everyone else, but it was her decision and I didn’t interfere.

Most of those Amylia talked to seemed surprised by her presence, though some were quite suspicious as to why a Touched would be here at this gathering. She could have eased that suspicion with the revelation of her relationship, but she continued to keep that to herself. Instead, Amylia remained polite and courteous, and of course, no one was foolish enough to directly insult a powerful sorceress.

“What do you think?” I asked Amylia once I’d excused myself from Traci and returned to my teacher.

“This is very…interesting,” Amylia responded with a faint smile. She looked around and admitted, “I have never been around so many Were in my entire life. I find myself feeling apprehensive, yet I am also glad I came.”

I nodded at that, knowing that this had to be extremely strange for her, being surrounded by her own descendants whom she didn’t even know existed a mere three days ago. She had a strange look in her eyes as she looked around the room, one filled with regret. I could only imagine what she felt right now.

“If you think this is interesting now,” I told Amylia with a grin. “Just wait a little longer.” At her curious look, I explained, “Once the sun goes down, then things will really get interesting.”

The sun had set a short time ago and much of the party had moved outside. The thick cloud cover prevented the moon from giving too much light but there were several large yard lights which provided more than enough for everyone to see by.

Several people had already taken advantage of the night and had transformed into their Were forms while many others were getting ready to do the same. As it was, an ostrich and a unicorn were both clearly visible in the back yard, with the unicorn rearing up on his hind legs and showing off. Beside me, Darek rolled his eyes at his dad’s antics.

“Your dad is such a show off,” Trey commented with a laugh.

“Don’t remind me,” Darek responded with a grin of his own. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries sniffing out a few vir…maidens just to play it up.”

“Well, I think it’s kind of cute,” Kaylie said. “He is such a beautiful unicorn…”

“I won’t tell him you said that,” Darek told her. “It might go to his head.”

“I just think it’s cool to see a unicorn,” I said, staring at Darek’s dad. “I mean, it’s not every day that most of us can see something like that.”

Darek nodded at that. Then he turned to Trey and asked, “Hey, you remember the first time the two of us saw each other?”

Trey laughed. “How could I forget?”

Darek looked at me and Traci, then explained. “After Trey and I first changed, we were both too embarrassed to let anyone know about our Were forms…especially each other. But our parents got talking and decided to have some fun with it. They held a full moon party.”

I nodded at that, remembering that my dad had gone to a couple full moon parties and had even hosted one himself. A full moon party was nothing more than a party that was held among Were on the night of the full moon. It usually consisted of dinner, conversation, and then everyone changing and showing off their other forms. It was not just an excuse to party but was also something of a celebration of being Were.

“Well anyway,” Darek continued, “they invited aunt Anita…Kaylie’s mom…” He gestured to Kaylie and Jake. “So of course, Kaylie came and brought Jake with her. My folks didn’t have any idea that he was a mythic too…”

“I was kind of freaked out,” Trey admitted. “I mean, what the hell were my parents thinking, making me go to a full moon party when they knew I didn’t want anyone to know I turned into a mermaid?”

“Then the sun set and all three of us turned into girls,” Darek said with a laugh. “Needless to say, all of us were pretty shocked. I remember the look on Trey’s face…”

“Yeah, it was fucking hilarious,” Jake agreed with a smirk. “To be honest, before then, Kaylie’s mom was the only other Were I’d ever met. This was before Kaylie’s Changing Day. It was pretty weird for me to meet other Were…especially mythics. But it was cool to find out that I wasn’t the only one who turned into a chick.” Darek and Trey both nodded agreement at that.

I stared at Darek, Trey, and Jake, having noted earlier that they seemed to be pretty good friends already. Then again, they had a lot in common and would have been able to understand what each other was going through with their Were forms. I know that I was happy to meet others who knew what it was like.

Darek looked out over the fields behind us and mused, “My fiance Carrie would love it here. This would be a great place for a wolf to run loose.” Then he sighed. “Too bad she was caught up in finals and couldn’t come with.” Then he mused, “But there aren’t many trees… Maybe I should plant some before I leave…”

“He’s a tree hugger,” Jake commented with a roll of his eyes, though he grinned as he said it.

“Literally,” Trey added with a chuckle.

Darek just shrugged and responded, “You wouldn’t understand unless you can talk to the trees…” Then he grinned and said, “I think it’s about time to commune with nature.”

With that, everyone nodded and began to either go back into the house or find some other place where they could change in private. I went to the bathroom and got undressed, then activated my own change. As always, it felt incredible to transform into a succubus, almost as though a part of me had been tied up but was now released.

Once I’d put on my top and skirt, I looked myself over in the mirror and purred, “Very nice…”

I hesitated a moment before leaving the bathroom, but unlike at the Academy, these people would understand. Half the people here were mythics themselves, and all but one or two were Were. These people wouldn’t jump to conclusions about my being a monster.

When I left the bathroom, I got some curious looks and a few of appreciation, but the only hostile look I got was from woman who was obviously jealous at the way her husband was looking at me. I smiled politely and quickly got out of her view, fighting the temptation to wiggle my ass for her husband’s benefit.

The moment I stepped outside, I stretched my wings and let out a sigh. Then I slowly looked around, seeing that a few more Were had now changed. A short distance away, I saw a short green skinned girl coming out from behind the barn. I assumed that was Darek. There was also six inch tall pixie with golden skin flying past, one who had to be Jake since he’d kept joking about turning into Tinkerbell.

Suddenly, a ball of fire shot through the sky, then abruptly changed direction and came towards me. I gasped in surprise, then realized that this wasn’t a ball of fire…but a bird. The bird had golden feathers and was on fire, leaving a trail of flames behind it as it flew.

“A phoenix,” I exclaimed in realization. Then as the bird landed in front of me, I stared at it for a few more seconds before figuring out who it was. “Kaylie, right?” Kaylie hadn’t told me what her Were form was, though I knew she was a mythic. The bird nodded her head in confirmation. “Very interesting.”

“Wow,” Traci exclaimed as she came running up to me, still in her normal form, “Is that you Erin?”

I gave her a wry look and asked, “Just how many succubi are at this party?”

Traci chuckled at that, then told me, “You look totally hot…”

I smiled at that, then gestured to the flaming bird and pointed out, “Not as hot as Kaylie.”

Traci just grinned and slowly looked me over, her eyes locking on my breasts. “Damn, you’re enormous…”

I just held up one hand and blew my clawed nails before buffing them on my top with a smug look. “I am, aren’t I. One of the benefits of being a succubus.”

“Sexy and a touch of scary, all in one,” Traci added.

“She’s right,” Trey said as he came up and joined us, still in his human form as well. “You do look impressive.”

“Why aren’t you two changing?” I asked curiously.

Trey shrugged and then gestured around us. “Not exactly a good environment for a mermaid. I have to stay wet when I’m like that and I don’t see any ponds or lakes around here.”

“I will in a little bit,” Traci told me, giving me an appreciative look.

When Trey and Traci wandered off, I went to go talk to Amylia. She was standing near the back door, talking with Dr. Merchant and looking fascinated as she watched the various mythics.

“You know,” Amylia told Dr. Merchant with a smile. “I’ve never actually seen a sabertooth tiger before…”

“Then I’ll just have to rectify that,” he responded with a grin. He bowed his head and told her, “I’ll be back in a few minutes…”

“So, what do you think?” I asked Amylia once Dr. Merchant had gone.

Amylia gave me a strange look and then looked at some of the other mythics before answering. “This is very…impressive.” There was something in her expression that I took for longing. “I never imagined that Were could be so free and open about their other forms…”

“Were gatherings tend to be like this,” I told her with a grin. “At least when there aren’t any normals around. Most Weres like to show off their other forms to each other the same way that Touched like to show off their talents.”

I looked over the yard, seeing that nearly everyone at the party had changed to their other forms. A fox quickly ran across the yard and vanished from view. A centaur walked out from the barn, looking like she did before from the waist up, though from the waist down she had the body of a brown horse. Her twin sister followed close behind, also looking nearly the same as before from the waist up…except for her hair which was now green and thick looking, but from the waist down she had the body of a dark green snake.

A flaming bird flew through the air, looping around and generally just showing off. A golden glowing pixie flew around behind her and they engaged in what seemed to be some form of aerial tag.

As I looked around, I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see a sea serpent, but as Trey had pointed out, this wasn’t the kind of environment for someone with an aquatic form. Still, it would have been pretty awesome to see.

“You know,” I told Amylia carefully. “You could join us.”

There was a long since and I could see that she was actually considering it. Then she shook her head, responding, “No, I can’t.”

Before I could think of what I could say to that, I noticed a VERY large cat coming towards us with huge fangs coming from his mouth. I gulped, and even though I knew this was Dr. Merchant, a part of me still felt a little nervous at the sight. Amylia brightened up at the sight of him so I turned and walked away.

I hadn’t gone very far when I suddenly felt an enormous source of sexual energy nearby. I immediately froze and turned in the direction I could sense it from, only to see Traci coming out of the house. Or at least, I assumed it was Traci since the source of this energy was an athletic looking guy with horns on his head, hairy goat legs with hooves similar to my own, and of course, an enormous penis that had to be a foot long and which was fully erect. With the size of that thing, it was obvious why Traci wasn’t wearing any pants.

The male sexual energy radiating from Traci was far stronger than what I’d ever felt from another guy, ten times stronger. It was incredibly powerful and oh so delicious. All of my succubus instincts roared to life and locked on Traci as the ultimate feast.

Traci seemed to sense me in the same way that I had her. She…he looked directly at me with an expression of undisguised lust. All of that sexual energy was suddenly focused straight at me.

The next thing I knew, Traci and I had our lips locked and we were kissing hungrily. My body was responding to Traci’s energy and I was hornier than I’d ever been before in my life. I wanted him. I wanted his energy. I wanted everything he could give me. My succubus instincts had taken over completely and overwhelmed any resistance I would have had.

“Erin,” I vaguely heard someone calling out to me.

“MINE,” I hissed, grabbing Traci tightly and then leaping into the air with him.

I landed behind the barn with Traci and we continued from where we’d left off as though there hadn’t been any interruption. My clothes were already gone, though I hadn’t noticed when it happened. The only thing I was concerned with was this feast before me, this feast which could satisfy ALL of my needs.

The sunrise was near and I could see the first hints of its rays on the distant horizon. However, it was not here quite yet.

I sat up and stretched my body, especially my wings. I felt sultry. I felt sexy. And I felt oh so very VERY satisfied.

I’d spent nearly the entire night having sex with Traci, feeding until I’d eventually reached my fill and then continuing to just have sex just for the sheer pleasure of it. Now, my entire body felt unbelievably good, and for the first time, I actually felt fully satiated.

Traci slept on the ground beside me, still in satyr form. I’d left him completely worn out, though it had taken me most of the night to do so. I gave him a kiss and then stood up, smirking as I did so.

My entire body surged with energy and pleasure, and after my activities, I felt even more awake than before. I savored how good this all felt and stretched some more. At the moment, I felt unbelievably sexy…and completely feminine.

“Something has changed,” I purred in a sultry voice.

After succumbing to my succubus nature so completely and having sex with a man all night long, something deep inside of me had shifted irrevocably. Anything left of my old male identity had been washed away and I now knew without a doubt that I was female. I not only knew this as a fact, I also reveled in it.

At this point, the sun finally rose enough to exert its power. My body began to shift and change, shrinking back down as my succubus side receded. When I finished returning to my normal form, I felt a sense of disappointment over what I’d just lost.

I looked down at Traci, who’d just finished transforming back as well and had woken up in the process. She let out a loud yawn and sat up, then looked down at herself and then me.

“Oh shit,” she whispered, blushing and trying to cover herself.

I looked down at myself and sighed, realizing that I’d lost my clothes and had absolutely no idea where they’d gone. Since Traci and I were behind the barn, we had to make our way back to the house to get new clothes.

“If I’m going to be walking around naked,” I mused, activating my talent and transforming again. If other people were going to see me naked, I wanted it to be in my enhanced form.

“Damn you look hot,” Traci said, then blushing.

“I feel hot,” I answered with a satisfied smile, still thinking about last night.

“I need to get to bed and get some more sleep,” Traci told me self-consciously. “You really wore me out. I was so caught up in everything that I couldn’t even think straight.” She paused and then admitted, “I used to tease boys about thinking with their little heads. Now I’m doing it…”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a little head,” I told her with a giggle. “If I remember right, it was pretty big.”

Last night, I hadn’t even hesitated before letting Traci put that monster inside me, and somehow, it had actually gone in without a problem. Now that I was in my right mind, I couldn’t imagine how it even fit…though I certainly remember enjoying it.

Then I let out a sigh, realizing that I’d finally lost my virginity. It hadn’t been as a guy…or even as a normal girl. It had been as a sex crazed succubus who’d been completely overwhelmed by her instincts. I wasn’t sure what to think about that.

“A satyr and a succubus,” Traci mused with a shake of her head. “That was really something. I couldn’t control myself at all…”

“Me either,” I admitted with a bright blush.

“So what now?” Traci asked me after a moment, giving me an appreciative look. “Do we start dating?”

I stared at Traci for a moment before awkwardly reminding her. “I’m only into guys.” After last night, I was more certain of that fact than ever.

Traci gave me a look of disappointment and sighed. “Is this where you give me the I just want to be friends speech?” Then before I could answer, she asked hopefully, “How about friends with benefits. I mean, last night we went together really well.”

I nodded faintly at that, feeling just a little scared over how much Traci and I had been drawn to each other. As a satyr, she produced unbelievable amounts of sexual energy which made her completely irresistible to a succubus. And as a very sexy female creature who exuded an aura to attract men, I was irresistible to her.

There was no doubt in my mind that Traci and I wouldn’t be able to have any kind of romantic relationship. After all, in our human forms, she might be attracted to me but I wasn’t interested in her that way. And in our Were forms, we would be so interested in sex that we wouldn’t be able to think of anything else.

“Well, maybe we could try that again sometime,” Traci suggested hopefully. “Friends with occasional benefits and all.”

“Maybe,” I responded with a self-conscious smile. “But I have a guy at school that I’m into and…” I paused, not sure what to say.

“Yeah,” Traci admitted. “This is pretty weird.”

After taking another minute to brace myself emotionally, I started back for the house in order to find where I’d left my glasses…not to mention my clothes. As I walked past the barn, I heard some faint voices from within, proving that Traci and I weren’t the only ones who hadn’t spent the night in the house.

When I went into the house, I found people sleeping on the couch, the floor, and in the several bedrooms that were available. There were more people than places to sleep comfortably so people had made do with what they had available. Those who had slept in Were form had been woken with the rising of the sun and changing back, though most of those in the house had changed back to normal first.

Those few who were up and awake now were groggy and tired, which almost made me feel guilty for being so wide awake and full of energy. I was pretty sure that I held enough residual energy from last night that I could have cast a few class ten spells if I wanted.

I quickly found the bag with the spare clothes I’d brought with and got dressed, even putting on one of my favorite shirts. It was a black T-shirt with a picture of the firefly class spaceship Serenity on the front. Unfortunately, Monica had destroyed my previous favorite shirt. I think I was even more upset with her about that than I was about her making me naked in public.

I found some food in the kitchen and settled down at the table to eat. Kaylie, who was one of the few other people who was fully up and about came and joined me. She kept giving me odd looks, making me feel extremely self-conscious.

“You and Traci were certainly busy last night,” Kaylie said with a smirk, making me nearly choke.

“You know about that?” I asked, knowing that I had to be blushing bright red.

“Everyone knows about that dear,” Amylia said as she came into the room. She gave me a pointed look with a raised eyebrow. “The two of you were hardly subtle.”

“Or quiet,” Kaylie added with a grin. “I’m pretty sure everyone heard you.”

“Oh frell,” I muttered, feeling absolutely mortified and banging my head onto the table in front of me. I was suddenly VERY thankful that dad hadn’t come to the party.

“I think someone would have thrown a bucket of water on you two,” Kaylie said with a chuckle, “but no one wanted to risk getting between a satyr and a succubus.”

I stared at her in horror and then banged my head on the table again. I weakly tried explaining, “I couldn’t control myself…”

“Erin,” Amylia told me, putting a hand on my shoulder and giving me an odd look. “I strongly recommend that you and this satyr girl avoid changing near each other at the same time.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, still blushing brightly and being unable to meet her eyes. “Probably a good idea.”

It was less than a minute later when Traci came in to join us for breakfast, letting out a loud yawn and then looking at Amylia and Kaylie’s faces. “You told them,” Traci blurted out with an embarrassed look. That led to a renewal of jokes from Kaylie.

Once we were finished eating, we went back to the living room where everyone else was starting to get up and move around, though admittedly, without much energy. Suddenly, the front door opened and a man rushed into the house. He had a white plastic mask over his face, the cheap kind that had holes for eyes but nothing else.

“INVOKE,” the man yelled, holding up something in his hand.

Suddenly, I was thrown to the floor as was every other person standing. I hit the ground hard and let out a gasp of pain.

“Idiot,” yelled a woman who came through the door behind the sorcerer who’d just attacked us. “You were supposed to hit them with a sleep spell…”

“I grabbed the wrong token,” he snarled in response.

More people rushed through the door, four men and one woman. All of them except for one of the men wore identical white masks. The man whose face I could see was somewhere in his early to mid-twenties and had a very nervous look on his face, almost one of fear.

“Don’t move,” the woman yelled, holding up a small blown glass figurine and exclaiming, “Invoke.”

Suddenly, I couldn’t move at all. From the gasps, exclamations, and lack of movement from the others who’d been knocked to the floor, I wasn’t the only one.

“See, I told you,” the man without the mask exclaimed. “Get them first thing in the morning and they’re all tired and off balance from being up all night…”

“Shut up,” the first man snapped at him. “We don’t need advice from a monster.”

Just then, Dr. Merchant ran into the room, probably to see what the cause of the noise was. He froze, staring at the man without a mask and exclaimed, “Conrad? You said you weren’t coming to the gathering…”

The name Conrad triggered a memory. I’d seen that name on the family tree that still hung from the wall. It was the name of one of the mythics from Traci’s branch of the family, but one who hadn’t shown up. Or at least, he hadn’t shown up until now.

“If you move, we’ll kill you,” one of the masked men announced, one with a black diamond painted on the forehead of his mask. I assumed that meant he was the leader. Then he gestured to his people and commanded, “Get the mythics as planned.”

“And him?” the woman asked, gesturing to Dr. Merchant.

“He’s neither mythic nor part of this bloodline,” the leader said. “But he might still be useful. Bring him too.”

Just then, Amylia began to yell, “Invo…”

Amylia was suddenly cut off as the woman kicked her in the face, then yelled out, “This one’s a sorceress…”

“I know her,” blurted out the masked man who’d been quiet until now. He rushed over and exclaimed, “This is Amylia…one of the instructors from the Academy.”

“What the hell is a sorceress doing with these animals?” the woman asked.

The kick to her face appeared to have freed Amylia from being frozen because she sat up and glared at the man. Then without warning, she reached out and yanked off his mask, revealing a handsome young man with blond hair. Her eyes went wide in obvious recognition.

“Marcus Tamwright,” Amylia blurted out.

The blonde man…Marcus glared at her and then turned to look at their leader. “Sir?”

“”We’re taking her with us,” the leader commanded in a cold voice. “Bind her well.” Then he reached for a medallion around his neck and stated, “Invoke.” Suddenly, everything went dark.

I awoke in a large basement, or at least I assumed it was a basement. The floor was a concrete slab, the walls were cinder block, and there wasn’t a single window in sight. Even the light bulbs hanging from the unadorned fixtures on the rather high ceiling served to give the impression that this was a large unfinished basement. Of course, everything else gave the impression that it was a dungeon instead.

There was a shackle around my ankle with the other end of the two foot long chain being embedded into the concrete floor. There was a circle etched around me in the concrete, one with symbols painted around it with another circle on the outside of those. This wasn’t an ordinary spell circle but was something closer to a dueling circle. I imagined that it was meant to form some kind of magical cage around me.

I wasn’t the only one who was chained and encircled. Traci, Darek, Trey, Jake, Kaylie, and Dr. Merchant were all trapped in exactly the same way. Then I saw Amylia, who was similarly trapped though the circle around her had a third ring and more symbols that were all added afterwards with paint. I assumed that was to take into account that she was a sorceress. Since they hadn’t done any of that to my circle, it appeared that they didn’t know that I was too.

I tugged on my chain but it seemed pretty solid. There was a surge of fear and confusion though I tried to stay calm. “At least they left me my glasses,” I muttered, touching them and then looking around the room. Everyone else was beginning to stir and sit up as well.

“Where the fuck am I?” Jake demanded as he woke up and looked around. Then he looked to his girlfriend and called out, “Kaylie… Wake up.” He tried pulling at his chain to no effect.

“I was in the bedroom and someone came bursting in,” Darek said as he looked around with a dark expression. “The next thing I know, I’m here.”

“It was a sleep spell,” Amylia stated grimly.

“Sorcerers,” Trey spat out. Then he paused to look at me. “Sorry, nothing personal.”

“Who are those people?” Darek demanded, looking around the same way I already had. “And why did they kidnap us?”

“You seemed to know one of them,” Dr. Merchant said, looking at Amylia.

“Indeed,” she responded with a grim look. “As did you.”

Dr. Merchant nodded, looking worried and confused. He stared at the closed door to the room we were in and then let out a sigh. “His name is Conrad Banks,” Dr. Merchant said slowly. “He’s a Were troll that we invited to this gathering. He told me that he wouldn’t be able to attend…” Then he stopped, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“If he’s one of us,” Jake asked angrily, “then why the fuck is he helping those guys?”

No one seemed to have an answer to that but several pairs of eyes turned to Amylia. “They said something about wanting mythics,” Trey said, giving her a curious look. “So why in the world did they take you?”

“I don’t qualify as a mythic either,” Dr. Merchant reminded him. “I think they took me because I’ve been researching the bloodlines.”

“Marcus,” Amylia abruptly said. “The one I recognized is named Marcus Tamwright. He used to be a student at the school where I teach.”

Kaylie nodded, “So that’s why you recognized him…” Then she gave Amylia a suspicious look. “They were all Touched…”

“I don’t know about the others or what they are after,” Amylia said with a look of cold anger in her eyes. “But I know Marcus.” She paused, looking at me and continuing. “Erin, you remember Monica…”

“How could I forget?” I responded bitterly. Then I realized what Amylia was saying. Monica’s last name was Tamwright too, and Monica had said something about her brother. “He’s her brother.”

“Indeed,” Amylia nodded agreement. “Several years ago, he was a top student at the Academy. He was a skilled young sorcerer, popular with the other students, and he had a prominent and well respected sponsor.” She paused at that and then let out a sigh. “He had a misunderstanding with Gayle which led to an escalation of hostilities. Eventually, Marcus attempted to kill her and was expelled from the Academy.”

I gasped at that, remembering some of the things Gayle had told me about the rumors and attacks that she’d had to deal with. She’d never told me that someone had actually tried killing her because of them.

“Wait a minute,” Traci exclaimed, giving Amylia a look of disbelief. “This Marcus guy tried killing someone and all you did was expel him?”

Amylia was silent for a few seconds before carefully saying, “These are Academy matters which are not to be spoken of outside of the Touched community.” Then she paused before adding, “But considering the circumstances, I believe an exception should be made.”

“Yeah, like the Touched had any business with our mythic bloodlines,” Trey responded, earning nods from several of the others.

“The Academy was founded by a collection of sorcerers who saw the benefits of creating a standardized training for young sorcerers,” Amylia explained. “However, none wished to surrender too much influence over their own students…and future students. Certain rules were established within the charter, such as each sorcery student was required to have a sponsor in order to attend. Other such rules limit our disciplinary authority. It was thought that the sponsors would each be responsible for providing any discipline that their students required.” She paused to give a bitter smile, adding, “That works better in theory than practice, especially when it involves politics among the sponsors.”

“Damn,” Trey said. “But don’t you guys have some kind of sorcerer cops or something?”

“The Academy has no criminal authority,” Amylia admitted. “Expulsion and banishment are the most we are allowed. Anything further would have violated the charter and could have resulted in the very collapse of the school. There are some Touched who take it upon themselves to keep the peace and protect our kind from discovery, but unfortunately, their sympathies in this case lie more with Marcus than his would be victim.”

“So, this guy turned to the dark side and walked away,” I commented in disgust.

Amylia gave me a blank look and then sighed. “The Marcus I knew thought of himself as a hero and always tried doing what he thought was right. Unfortunately, he saw the world in black and white and wasn’t flexible enough to see past his preconceived notions or accept that he was not always right. Marcus believed Gayle to be an evil force and honestly thought that he was protecting the other students from her.” She shook her head sadly at that.

“If this guy thinks he’s such a hero,” Traci demanded, “then why is he kidnapping us?”

“I know his sister,” I answered bitterly. “She thinks Weres are just animals and it probably runs in the family.’

“Just fucking great,” Jake spat out, tugging at his chain. “We get kidnapped by some asshole who thinks he’s the good guy.”

“What the hell do they want with us?” Trey demanded, looking at Amylia as though she’d have the answer. “And where is everyone else?”

“They said they only wanted the mythics,” Dr. Merchant said thoughtfully, looking around the room. “All of you were in the house when they arrived so I don’t think that our kidnappers thought to look in the barn.”

“Then why did they take you and her?” Traci asked, gesturing to Amylia. “She isn’t even Were.”

Amylia stood there in silence with a grim look on her face and something strange in her eyes. She looked as though she was about to say something when the door opened up and three people came into the basement.

The first to enter the basement was a woman with shoulder length dark hair who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. From her build and hair, I recognized her as the masked woman who’d attacked us. Behind her came the blond haired guy that Amylia had identified as Marcus.

“Amylia,” Marcus said to her in a surprisingly respectful tone. “I am sorry for this but you didn’t give us much choice.”

“There is always a choice,” Amylia told him in a calm tone, though her eyes were like iron. “It is unfortunate that you keep making the wrong ones. You had such potential.”

Marcus scowled at that, looking angry but staying calm. “I’m surprised a respectable sorceress would be socializing with these animals.” He didn’t seem to notice that the look in her eyes became very cold and very hard. “I think it is you who is making the wrong choices.”

As interesting as the exchange between Amylia and Marcus was, my attention turned to the blonde girl who’d come into the room behind Marcus. I glared at her, knowing that she hadn’t been with the group who’d attacked us at the farm. For one, there had only been one female among them, and for another, I would have recognized Monica…mask or no mask.

“That’s her,” Monica blurted out, pointing to me. “That’s the freak who threatened to eat me and chased me out of the Academy.”

“You threatened to eat her?” Kaylie asked in surprise.

“Sounds good to me,” Traci responded with a smirk.

Marcus turned to glare at me with a cold expression. “Yet more proof that the Academy has been corrupted,” he stated simply. “Now they allow monsters to roam free, threating the innocent students and spreading the infection. I should have ended that corruption when I had the chance.”

“This isn’t about your squabble with the Academy,” the woman said. “This is about studying these mythics…learning how animals can gain this magic. If we can find the patterns for this magic…to turn into such powerful creatures, then it will give us an advantage and we’ll be powerful enough to protect the Touched from any threat, be it normal, Were, or misguided Touched.” She stared straight at Amylia as she said the last.

“You’re right,” Marcus admitted. “We have other priorities first. I just fear that by the time we can help the Academy, it will be too late. It may already be too late.”

“Just be patient,” the woman told Marcus, looking at all of us prisoners. “Once we have what we need from these animals, we’ll be able to rescue your Academy.”

“At least this one won’t ever be a threat to anyone again,” Marcus mused, glaring at me.

“You are so gonna get it,” Monica gloated at me.

“You don’t have to do this Monica,” Amylia said. “You know this is insane.”

Suddenly, a new voice commanded, “Leave.”

A man stepped into the room and stood there looking us over. He looked like he was in his late thirties or early forties, with dark hair that was combed back. He was kind of handsome, though his nose was a little too hawkish for my tastes.

“Sir,” Marcus greeted the man whom I recognized as being the leader of the group who’d attacked us. “Amylia is a sorceress…a teacher at the Academy. She shouldn’t be here with these animals.”

“Nevermind her,” the man said, giving Amylia a cold and very dark look. “Amylia isn’t your concern.”

“You,” Amylia hissed, glaring this man with a dark expression of her own. Whoever this man was, he was very lucky that looks couldn’t kill.

Amylia and this man stared at each other for several long second before he abruptly turned away. “Marcus,” the man said. “After you were expelled from the Academy, your parents were so embarrassed that they kicked you out. I was the one who took you in and completed your training. Don’t forget that.”

“No sir,” Marcus responded, almost snapping to attention.

“Forget the Academy,” Marcus told him firmly. “Forget Amylia. I will deal with her.” Then he looked to Monica and the dark haired woman. “Now all of you out. We have a lot of spells to cast and preparations to make. We’ll begin studying the animals tomorrow.”

A moment later, all four of them left the room, though not before Monica gave me one more dark look. Amylia continued glaring at the man the entire time. And once the door slammed shut, she just stood there, looking angry and shaken.

“Do you know that guy?” I asked, stunned by her reaction.

“Yes,” Amylia responded, her voice shaking. She looked me in the eyes from across the room and quietly added, “That was my ex-husband.”

Everyone stared at Amylia after she’d announced that our chief kidnapper was her ex-husband, but no one was stupid enough to accuse her of being involved, not when she was locked up with the rest of us. However, it was obvious that they had a lot of questions, though she didn’t seem like she was going to answer them. Instead, Amylia collapsed to the floor and sat there in silence with a stunned expression on her face.

“I know that man,” Dr. Merchant finally said, drawing all eyes to him, all save Amylia’s.

“There seems to be a lot of that going around,” Traci pointed out with a wry smile. “I mean, you know him and that Conrad guy.” She pointed to Amylia. “She knows him and that blonde guy too.” Then she pointed to me. “And Erin knows the blonde girl.”

“So, who here knows the other woman who was with them?” Trey asked with a faint chuckle. “Anyone?”

“I certainly don’t know him well,” Dr. Merchant protested. “I met him several weeks ago when I was investigating your bloodlines… I was trying to find out more about Robert Dupree when I somehow got his attention.” He gestured to the door.

“Of course,” Amylia muttered. “Of course that would draw his attention.”

“He approached me,” Dr. Merchant said. “He said his name was Gregor and that he was a sorcerer. Then he told me that he knew Robert Dupree. Of course, I asked him every question I could think of, though until now, I didn’t realize… He was very unclear on many of his answers, and only now do I realize that I gave him far more information than he gave me. I was so eager to talk of what I’d discovered that I told him nearly everything I’d discovered about your bloodlines.”

“But why?” Kaylie asked with a worried look. “Why is he after us?”

I gulped, looking to Amylia but not saying anything. If that truly was her ex-husband Gregor, then that meant he was my ancestor as much as she was. I felt a little shaken at that, and though I wanted to tell the others, I couldn’t do that without breaking my promise to Amylia.

Since Amylia didn’t look like she was about to say anything, I said, “They said they wanted to find the patterns for our Were forms.” I got blank looks from everyone except for Amylia, who didn’t look at me though she did not faintly. I let out a sigh and then explained, “Every Touched has a special talent…like a single spell that they can cast automatically. Sorcerers can copy these talents and make spells out of them.”

“And you think they’re trying to copy our Were forms?” Darek asked.

“That’s what it sounded like to me,” I admitted. “But as far as I know, Touched can’t copy Were forms. They’re completely different.”

“Then why the fuck are these assholes even trying?” Jake demanded angrily, yanking on his chain again.

“Because,” I answered thoughtfully. “As mythics, we all have special abilities… I can fly, see in the dark, and I can absorb…extra energy. Darek can talk to trees and Kaylie can create all that fire without being hurt.” I paused at that to shrug. “It’s sort of like our Were forms also have Touched talents. These guys must think that if they can create spells based off our Were forms…and perhaps merge and combine them like we can spells, then they’d have some pretty powerful other forms that they can use. Now, imagine having all that built in and then being able to use magic spells on top if it…”

“It could make them very powerful,” Dr. Merchant said with a look of realization. “And this Gregor used me to find the rest of you…”

“But why us?” Traci demanded. “There are other mythics out there.”

“But so many gathered at one time?” Amylia asked, slowly getting to her feet again. “A large group of mythics gathered together in one place would make for an easier capture. And everyone here but Doctor Merchant shares a blood link…”

“And you,” Trey pointed out. “You aren’t even a Were.”

Amylia paused at that with a dark expression as well as one of guilt. “Gregor also has a very personal interest in this bloodline,” she said carefully.

“There is also the mystery of why there are so many mythics in one bloodline,” Dr. Merchant said thoughtfully. “And why there was such a recent surge… Gregor must think that if he can discover the secret of this…”

“Then he can discover why some Weres become mythics,” Darek agreed, giving Dr. Merchant a curious look. This was also why Dr. Merchant had been studying our bloodlines, to discover why mythics are different from other Weres.

“We need to escape,” Amylia said, looking around with a deep scowl. “Unfortunately, not only are we chained but we are also trapped in ward circles…magical cages.”

“So that’s what these are,” Traci mused as she looked at the circle around her.

“Yours are all formed to keep you physically contained,” Amylia mused. “Mine is formed to seal off my magic as well.” Then she looked to me and smiled. “Erin…you do not have the magic seals on yours. It appears that they didn’t know you were a sorceress as well when they took you.”

“A fat lot of good it will do,” I pointed out bitterly. “I didn’t have any of my tokens on me when they burst in…”

“Erin,” Amylia said with a look of disappointment. “I would have thought you would have learned to always keep tokens at hand.”

“It was first thing in the morning,” I protested weakly. “The only token I’ve got is Vera.” I held up the bracelet which was still bound around my wrist.

Amylia smiled faintly. “They took all of mine from me while I was unconscious, so you have more than I.”

I shrugged at that. “Yeah, but this spell won’t do much good. Besides, Monica will probably remind them that I’m a sorceress too…”

“If she thinks about it,” Amylia mused. “She isn’t a sorceress and probably doesn’t know the difference in our ward circles. But you are correct in that we must find a way to escape soon.”

We were all trying to consider what we could possibly do to escape when the door opened again. This time, it was Conrad and Monica who came in. Both of them were hesitant, almost a little scared.

“I’m sorry,” Conrad said. “I didn’t have any choice.”

“Why?” Dr. Merchant demanded. “Why are you helping them?”

Conrad grimaced, looking as though he really did feel guilty for this. Then he looked up with an expression of defiance.

“My mom was hurt bad in an accident,” Conrad explained. “Gregor found me and told me that if I helped them…they’d help me. He used magic to heal my mom and even paid her doctors bills.”

“Please, help us escape,” Dr. Merchant pleaded.

Conrad shook his head. “If I did that, they’d go after my mom. Besides…” He glared at Dr. Merchant and added, “They kept their part of the deal so I’m keeping mine. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

Monica looked around the room, taking in each of us being chained up. There was an odd expression in her eyes, almost one of guilt. Then her eyes settled on me and there was nothing but fear and anger.

“You’re gonna get yours,” she said. “You’re gonna get what you deserve…monster.”

“Funny that you’re calling me a monster,” I spat out bitterly. “You and your friends here are the kidnappers.”

“You threatened to EAT me,” Monica yelled.

I just met her glare and responded, “No, I threatened to eat Teressa…after you all jumped my friends for no reason.”

“We were trying to get you out of the Academy,” Monica hissed back. “Your kind doesn’t belong there.”

“Bullshit,” I exclaimed. “You and your friends were after me before you even knew I was a Were. The only reason you all came after me was because Teressa was jealous.” I glared at Monica and added, “The only reason any of this started was because Teressa wanted Todd and she wouldn’t accept that he wasn’t interested in her.”

“You…you,” Monica sputtered, glaring at me furiously. “You FREAK.” Then she backed away from the door, muttering, “I don’t even know why I came down here…” Then she paused at the door, looking at Amylia with a guilty expression and saying, “Sorry,” before leaving with Conrad.

“You have got to tell me what you did to piss her off,” Traci said once Monica was gone.

“I existed,” I pointed out grimly.

A few minutes later, the door opened and this time Gregor came into the room by himself. He paused long enough to look us all over with a grim expression but it was obvious that his attention was mostly aimed at Amylia. He slowly walked to her circle.

“Amylia,” he said, pronouncing her name as though it was some sort of profanity.

“Gregor,” she greeted him with nearly as much venom. “This is madness. Let us go.”

“I think not,” Gregor responded grimly. “I went through a great deal of trouble to find and capture these monsters. I certainly wasn’t expecting you to be at that gathering, but I’m pleased you were. It saves me the trouble of having to look for you.”

“Then let them go,” Amylia ordered him. “It’s me you want.”

Gregor just laughed at that, though it wasn’t a pleasant laugh. “You’ll get no favors from me. You turned my son into a monster and corrupted my entire bloodline.”

“What the hell did you do to this guy?” Jake demanded.

“They don’t know,” Gregor said in surprise, giving Amylia another dark look. “Even after all this time, you still continue your deceptions.”

Amylia met Gregor’s eyes and carefully responded, “My mistakes do not excuse your actions…then or now. You tried to murder our son, and now this…” She gestured around the room, her eyes flashing with cold fury. “You know who they are. How could you DARE harm them…?”

“You stole my heir from me,” Gregor spat at her. “You contaminated a once great Touched line. It only seems right that I use this to help restore the Touched to greatness.”

“Gregor,” Amylia hissed.

Gregor ignored her and turned to walk back to the door. “Make no mistake,” he said with a cold anger. “Your lies and deceptions took something of great importance from me. It is only fair that you help make amends.” And with that, he left.

“What was that about?” Traci demanded.

Amylia didn’t answer. Instead, she sat down again and sat there with a dark look on her face, and one of immense guilt. It hurt just to watch her and I wished I could do something to make things better.

A few hours later, the sun set, and though there were no windows to see this, I could feel it in my very bones. As a Were, I was very sensitive of this, as was every other person locked up down here.

“I have an idea,” Darek suddenly announced.

“What?” I asked, pausing when I saw that he was starting to change.

As I watched, Darek was shrinking, his skin was turning green, and he was turning female. In less than a minute, he had become a dryad, 4 foot 6 girl with green skin and long pointed ears.

“There aren’t any trees to talk to here,” Trey pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

“No,” Darek agreed pulling his now smaller foot out of the shackle. “But I can do this.” He…now she climbed out of her oversized clothes and tried walking out of the circle only to stop at the edge. “It’s like trying to walk through an invisible wall.”

“At least you got out of that fucking chain,” Jake said, already beginning to change as well.

Jake pulled his foot out of the chain before he’d even finished changing. By the time he’d finished and had become a six inch tall pixie with golden skin, the he could have easily crawled through the entire shackle. Instead, he flew around inside the circle but was unable to pass through any more than Darek was. He tried flying over the invisible wall, but it seemed to stretch all the way to the ceiling.

“I guess that’s out,” I mused in annoyance.

At this point, nearly everyone else was starting to change as well. Dr. Merchant had turned into a sabertooth tiger and got his foot freed from the chain. Kaylie had become a phoenix and slipped her foot out just as easily.

I stared at Trey who had transformed as well and looked beautiful as a mermaid. He, she had long dark blue hair and a shimmering blue scaled tail. Of course, the shackle had fallen away as Trey no longer even had feet.

Traci had transformed as well and she…he was pulling his hooves through the shackles which were not designed for his current body. I would have begun changing as well but there was no way I was going to risk doing that at the same time Traci was a satyr.

“Come on and change,” Traci said, giving me a smirk while pointing his large erection straight at me.

I blushed brightly and said, “Not until you change back.”

Everyone tried getting out of their circles, but when they found that they couldn’t, they began changing back to their human forms. Once Traci had changed back, I let out a sigh and willed my own transformation.

“Oh yes,” I purred when I’d finished my transformation. I stretched my wings as much as I could and then got to work slipping my own hooved feet from the shackle as well.

“Hot damn,” Jake said, staring straight at me.

“Don’t make me hit you,” Kaylie told him from her own circle.

Just then, Dr. Merchant exclaimed, “Amylia?”

I stared at Amylia, who was standing up and in the middle of transforming. Her hair was growing longer and more pearlescent, just as her eyes were growing larger and more vibrant. Her entire figure changed, becoming taller and more willowy. When she finished, she was once again the elf that I’d only seen once before.

“Holy shit,” Trey blurted out. “You’re a Were…”

“I thought you were Touched,” Dr. Merchant accused with a look of clear suspicion.

“I am Touched,” Amylia responded in her melodic voice. She stood up straight and responded, “But I am also a Were.”

“Amylia,” I whispered, stunned that Amylia would transform in from of these people after she’d gone through so much trouble to keep her secret.

“Like Erin,” Amylia said, gesturing to me and giving a faint smile, “I am a hybrid. I am both sorceress and mythic.” Then she paused for a moment, giving me a look as though hoping for support. I nodded my head faintly. “As you can see, my reasons for attending the party were far more than merely escorting my student. My reasons were far more personal.”

“Damn,” Darek exclaimed, staring at Amylia. “You really are a mythic…”

“A humanoid mythic,” Dr. Merchant gasped.

Amylia bowed her head for a moment and took a breath. “Gregor is a fanatic, but he is correct in one thing. I have been keeping my secrets for too long.”

“What are you talking about?” Dr. Merchant asked. “What secrets?”

Amylia stood up straight and slowly looked around the room, looking at each of us mythics. She gave me a faint smile before she announced, “A long time ago, I was known as Amylia Dupree.” Then she took a deep breath before saying what I knew was coming next. “Robert was my son.”

Everyone stared at her with their mouths open, being just as shocked as I had been when she’d told me this. I just gave Amylia a reassuring smile, knowing that this must have been extremely difficult for her. But I was very grateful that she had.

Amylia stood tall in her elven form, glowing with a faint silvery aura. Her Were form was less extreme than that of anyone else here and the differences more subtle. Still, she was clearly no longer quite human. Everyone stared at her in shock, everyone but me.

Amylia made no real effort to get out of her shackle since she knew that her changes hadn’t been great enough to allow her to slip free the way the rest of us had. However, that hadn’t been the reason she’d changed and finally revealed her secret. She’d done that merely because she was tired of hiding the truth of who she was from her own descendants.

“You’re…you’re,” Darek stammered, staring at Amylia with a look of disbelief.

“Your great grandmother,” she responded with a faint smile. “Many times removed.”

“You knew,” Traci exclaimed, looking at me.

“I asked her not to tell anyone,” Amylia said. Then she explained, “I had no idea that any of you existed until Erin showed me the invitation to the meeting. As far as I knew, my son was murdered when he was a teenager…before he’d ever had any children. I wanted to meet you all before I said anything.”

“But…Robert Dupree lived two hundred years ago,” Dr. Merchant exclaimed.

“As a sorceress,” Amylia reminded him with a sad smile. “I can live a very long time.” Of course, Dr. Merchant already knew that which was why he’d been so eager to talk to Gregor about Robert.

Trey gulped. “Then that means this Gregor guy…”

“Was Robert’s father,” Amylia confirmed sadly.

“Fuck,” Jake exclaimed with a look of horror.

Amylia briefly told them of how she’d kept her hybrid status from Gregor and of how Robert had supposedly died. While she was repeating the story, I slowly looked around, trying to think of something else we could use to escape. The one opening that I could see was that my ward circle had been built to contain me physically but not to contain my magic. Unfortunately, I only had a single token with me and it wouldn’t do much good at the moment.

“Gregor’s contempt of the Were seems to have only grown with time,” Amylia said. “I never would have expected him to go this far.” She shook her head sadly, looking guilty and pained. “To intentionally use his own descendants like this…”

“If he hates the Were,” Traci asked. “Then why is he trying to learn how to become one?”

“I don’t think he intends to become a Were,” Amylia responded thoughtfully. “At least, he would not consider it as such. More likely, he intends to create spell that would mimic our power. You see, among the Touched, a spell to transform into a different species is among the most difficult to cast, yet even the least powerful Were can do this instinctively. And as mythics, we have access to other inherent powers. I am more sensitive to magic in this form…and I can draw more of it. I believe Erin is correct about Gregor’s plans. He intends to discover how we do this and create a spell which would allow them to temporarily take new forms with vast power.”

“No fucking way,” Trey blurted out.

“Gregor may believe that your blood ties to him would make it easier for him to draw this knowledge from you,” Amylia continued, appearing to be thinking aloud as much as she was explaining. “A blood resonance effect might make it much more likely for him to succeed.”

“But wouldn’t they have to be class ten to cast that kind of spell?” I asked.

“Normally,” Amylia agreed. “But they could use rituals to make things easier.” At my blank look, she explained, “A ritual is a way of drawing extra magic and storing it so that you can cast spells that are normally beyond your class level.”

I stared at Amylia in surprise. “Great. NOW someone tells me about that.” I shook my head, wishing that someone would have told me about rituals before. Now, my succubus abilities let me cast higher level spells anyway.

“Rituals are an old technique that has fallen out of favor,” Amylia explained. “We don’t even teach them at the Academy anymore. They’re complicated and inefficient. You can spend three hours casting a ritual in order to gather enough energy for a spell that only takes fifteen minutes to cast. They do have their uses though which is why some sponsors still teach them to their students.

“So aunt June probably never even heard of them,” I muttered to myself.

I just stared at the ward circle that bound me in this spot, poking at the invisible wall. I’d gotten free from my shackle and had been testing this wall without a lot of success. However, I had something that none of the others had at their disposal. Magic spells. With that, I stretched my succubus wings as much as I could and then went to work trying something.

After a minute, Kaylie asked, “Erin, what are you doing?”

“She’s casting a spell,” Amylia answered, watching intently as I drew magic and formed it into the pattern.

“What kind of spell?” Darek asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Amylia responded, not taking her eyes off me. “She’s not using a spell circle and is doing this entirely from memory. That’s extremely difficult for someone so young and inexperienced.”

The spell collapsed before I was even halfway finished making it. “Frak,” I muttered in annoyance. Then I asked, “Can everyone please be quiet so I can concentrate.”

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the spell pattern I’d learned in class and had practiced a few times. I had to relax and let the pattern form again in my mind. Once I had it, I once again went to work trying to cast the spell. It was extremely difficult without the spell circle, diagrams, and notes, similar to assembling a large and complicated puzzle when I’d only seem the picture on the front of the box once before and didn’t have it in front of me.

When I was about halfway through with the spell, Amylia mused, “Oh yes, I see which spell this is. Very good choice.”

As soon as I completed the spell, I released it and an instant later, the concrete floor around me suddenly shattered. The ward circle that held me prisoner was destroyed, as were the circles of Trey and Kaylie who were close enough to get caught in the effect.

“I’m free,” Trey exclaimed as he stepped out of the wreckage of his circle.

“Oh my God,” Kaylie said, staring at me with a look of amazement. “That was awesome…”

“Very good,” Amylia told me with a look of pride. “Very good.”

“Now get the rest of us out,” Jake said.

“We’ll get you out in a minute honey,” Kaylie told him then looked back at me for confirmation.

“It’ll take a bit,” I said with a grimace, glancing to the door and hoping that no one came to check on us. “I’ll probably have to cast the spell a couple more times to get everyone…”

Jake was already moving to stand by the door. “I’ll keep watch while you do.”

“Does it always take so long to cast a spell?” Traci asked curiously.

“It often takes longer,” Amylia answered. “The rock cracking spell is a fairly simple one.”

“Fortunately,” I muttered. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to remember the pattern.”

I moved to a new position and then began casting the spell again. This time, I’d placed myself so that when I shattered the concrete floor around me, I’d be disrupting the circles of Amylia, Dr. Merchant, and Jake. Once Amylia was free, she’d be able to cast some spells of her own and we’d really be ready to get out of here.

I was about halfway through casting the spell again when the door opened and Trey yelled out a warning. I snapped around to look, losing my concentration and the spell pattern collapsed, ruining all the work I’d just done. An instant later, I saw that Trey had grabbed hold of the single person who’d come through. Monica.

“Let me go,” Monica cried out in terror. Then she saw me on the other side of the room, still in my succubus form and her eyes widened.

“I thought we were just saying that,” Kaylie said.

Monica looked to Amylia and then froze as she saw her, still in elven form. She gasped in shock and squeaked out, “Amylia?”

“Don’t hurt the girl,” Amylia told Trey.

Trey released his hold on Monica but stayed between her and the door so that she couldn’t get away from us. “Is...that you?” Monica asked nervously. “What did they do to you?”

“They did nothing to me,” Amylia told her gently. “This is the form I’ve worn every full moon for a very long time.”

“You’re…you’re one of them,” Monica gasped. “You’re a Were.”

Amylia hesitated a moment before responding, “Yes. Like Erin, I am a hybrid. Now Monica, why did you come in here by yourself. I don’t think it was to tease Erin or gloat.”

At the mention of my name, Monica looked to me nervously. I was tired of scaring people and seeing how it kept coming back to me so I remained where I was, trying to look as nonthreatening as I could.

“I…I…,” Monica started. Then she stared at the ground with an expression of guilt. “This isn’t right…” She held up her hands, revealing a metal key in the palm of one and a yellow stone that looked something like amber in the other.

“A key for the shackles,” Amylia said in surprise. “And a keystone for the ward circle.” Monica just nodded at that. “You came down here to let me go.” Monica nodded again.

Trey let Monica go and stared at her in surprise, as did just about everyone else. “What do we do with those?” Trey asked, gesturing to the key and keystone that Monica still held.

“Holding the keystone will allow you to pass through the ward circle as though it was not there,” Amylia explained. “Anyone you are in physical contact with will also be able to pass through.”

Monica held out the key and keystone and Trey accepted them. She made no move to turn and run, though I could see that she was tempted to do so. Kaylie went next to Monica while Trey walked over to Darek’s circle. He held his hand through it as though the ward wasn’t there at all, and then Darek grabbed his hand and walked out of it without difficulty. After this, Trey went to Amylia’s circle, unlocking her shackles and letting her out. A minute later, all of us were free from our cages.

After Amylia was out of her circle, she began changing back to her normal form. She’d already made her point to those of us here and apparently no longer saw a reason to remain in that form. However, I stayed as a succubus for now. Being stronger, able to see in the dark, and able to fly could be pretty useful in an escape. I wasn’t the only one to think along those lines as Dr. Merchant transformed as well. I just grinned at the sight of having a sabertooth tiger on our side.

“Thank you,” Amylia told Monica. “But it might not be safe for you if they learn you helped us escape. Come with us. You can return with Erin and I to the Academy.”

“No,” Monica said, giving me a nervous look. “Kidnapping people isn’t right, but I can’t leave Marcus.” Then she smiled faintly and said, “I’ll just tell them Erin used mind control to make me help.”

Amylia nodded and we began leaving through the door, though Monica remained behind. I glanced back as we left her, surprised that I actually felt worried for her.

A large sabertooth tiger led the way down the hallway while the rest of us followed behind. As the only other one who was in Were form, I was right behind Dr. Merchant. If nothing else, my appearance would be enough to shock anyone we encountered enough to make them hesitate…especially if that someone else was male.

So far, we didn’t see anyone inside the large house but Amylia looked to Jake and Kaylie, saying, “You two should probably change again. It will be easier to escape in your flying forms.”

“We couldn’t just fly off and leave you guys,” Kaylie protested.

“No fucking way,” Jake agreed emphatically.

“If things go wrong,” Amylia told them grimly. “You two may be our best chance of getting help.”

Jake and Kaylie reluctantly agreed and transformed again. We found a side door ran out of the very large house with a glowing pixie and a flaming phoenix flying above us. I thought that maybe it might have been a bad idea having them transform again since the two of them created too much light and would draw too much attention. However, it was too late now.

“We’re almost free,” Darek said with a grin, pointing to the trees that surrounded the large yard. “If we can make it there, I can help cover us more…” He was already beginning to change back to his dryad form.

“Don’t you dare change,” I warned Traci with a grin. “I really don’t need the distraction right now.”

“Good point,” she agreed with a chuckle. “Being stronger and great at jumping might be useful, but not if I can’t focus on escaping.”

Suddenly, a loud rumbling voice called out, “Stop right there…”

“What the…?” I gasped, looking to the sound of the voice.

A monster was coming towards us, or at least that was my first impression. He was enormous, about eight feet tall with knotted and warty dark green skin that looked sickly in the yard lights. He had long black hair that appeared greasy, and I couldn’t help but comparing him to the Hulk’s ugly brother…or maybe Shrek.

“Conrad,” Amylia stated as she stared at the Were troll. “Don’t try and stop us. You know what they’re doing is wrong.”

“I know,” the massive troll responded in a deep voice. “But I don’t care. I’m not gonna let my mom down…”

Conrad charged towards Amylia, obviously intending to grab at her. Suddenly, Dr. Merchant leapt at him, digging at him with claws and fangs. At the same time, Kaylie and Jake began flying around his head, trying to distract him.

“Bad kitty,” Conrad exclaimed with a laugh, throwing Dr. Merchant away from him with incredible ease. It didn’t appear that the cat claws or fangs had even pierced this thick troll skin. Then Conrad yelled out “HELP, they’re trying to escape!”

Kaylie flew right into Conrad’s face, scratching at him with her clawed feet and burning him with her flames. He screamed and swatted at her but she flew back and out of his way. The scratching didn’t appear to have done any good, but the fire had. He was burned and looked hurt and angry.

“I’m gonna smash you,” Conrad snarled furiously, swatting at Kaylie and Jake frantically.

“If we wait till sunrise, he’ll turn back to puny Banner,” Trey joked as he kept his distance.

“But so will I,” I reminded him.

“We have to get out of here quickly,” Amylia exclaimed. “We’ll be helpless before fully armed sorcerers.”

“But you’re a sorceress,” Traci protested. “Can’t you and Erin throw some spells at them?”

“You saw how long it takes to cast a spell,” I reminded everyone. “We don’t really have any prepared ahead of time…

Amylia glared at Conrad and snapped, “Stop that right this instant. Don’t make me hurt you. Please don’t force me to hurt you.”

Conrad just laughed, demanding, “You and what army?”

“I may not have any tokens at hand,” Amylia stated grimly. “But I still have my talent.”

When Conrad charged at her again, she jumped back and gestured towards him. Suddenly, Conrad’s hair burst into flame and he began swatting at it, screaming in a panic. Amylia stared at him with a pained look on her face as well as one of guilt.

Suddenly, a woman yelled out, “Invoke!”

I turned and saw two of our kidnappers running towards us, the man and woman whose names I didn’t know. The ground rumbled around us after she’d activated her token and suddenly a giant hand reached out of the ground, appearing to be made of dirt, stone, and grass. It grabbed for Dr. Merchant who leaped away.

Conrad had put out the fire in his hair and charged at Amylia again, suddenly lashing out with his hand and hitting Kaylie. There was a crunching sound and the bird went flying, hitting the ground and remaining there. Jakes screamed and flew to Kaylie’s side. I snarled and jumped at the troll, trying to slash at him with my claws though they had little effect against his thick hide.

“Damn you have big hooters,” Conrad exclaimed, grabbing one of my breasts and squeezing painfully. I dropped to my knees in pain and he grabbed hold of one of my wings, picking me up by my wing and swinging me around. There was a loud cracking sound while I simultaneously felt agony shooting down my entire wing and shoulder. “Bye bye birdy…” And with that, Conrad threw me.

“Erin,” Amylia cried out, running to my side.

“We need to get to the trees,” Darek yelled, pointing away from the yard.

“Damn,” Trey snarled, looking around in helpless frustration. “Why couldn’t I be a dragon instead of a mermaid?”

“Don’t try to fight them,” Amylia yelled to us. “Just run… Get away…”

“Just give up,” Conrad said. “Please don’t make me hurt you anymore. I don’t want to but I will if you make me.”

I staggered to my feet, grimacing from the burning agony of my shattered wing. I quickly looked to Conrad and then the other two sorcerers joining him. Amylia had reminded me of a resource that I’d forgotten all about. I still had my own talent. With that, I activated it, pushing the effect to the woman. She froze and dropped to her knees as her body transformed and her clothes became painfully tight on her.

“Damn,” Traci exclaimed, staring at the now very busty woman. “How in the world did you do that? And can you do it to me?”

“My talent,” I said with a grimace, noticing that Amylia was giving me a look of surprise. Of course, she knew what my talent was but not that it mutated a little when I was in succubus form.

“Rebecca,” the male sorcerer exclaimed to his companion. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine Tyler,” she responded with a grimace of pain as she struggled with her now far too tight bra. “Just get that monster…”

The man…Tyler turned his attention to me and screamed, “Invoke!”

A moment later, there was a red mist around me and within a second I began to feel a burning pain all along my skin. It started strong but only grew stronger, feeling as though my very skin was on fire. I screamed in agony but then my throat began to burn and only a gurgling sound came out.

“ERIN,” Amylia yelled with a look of horror on her face as I collapsed to my knees.

I saw my arm which was covered with large blistered and bleeding sores. As I watched, the blisters popped and revealed new sores while the other sores grew larger and deeper, revealing muscle and even a little bone. My entire body was overwhelmed with an indescribable agony. In desperation, I tried getting up and moving, but it was no good. I could barely move at all. And when I caught a brief glimpse of my wings, I saw that the membranes had large holes through them which were growing even larger.

There were screams of shock, horror and rage from all around me but I was in such a daze that I could barely absorb them. Then something tickled my mind and drew my attention, someone crying out my name in horror that I never would have expected. It was Monica’s voice.

I managed to force my attention to the source of Monica’s voice and I saw her standing a distance away, staring at me with a look of horror. “What are you doing?” Monica demanded of Tyler and Rebecca, looking frantic. “You can’t do that to someone… What kind of monster are you?”

“Get away,” Tyler snapped at her. “You’re only here because of Marcus. Don’t get in the way…”

“Gregor will want them alive if possible,” Rebecca said. “But it looks like we’ll have to lose a couple…”

“Oh my God,” Monica cried out, tears running down my eyes. “I didn’t want that…”

“Shut up,” Tyler exclaimed, suddenly hitting Monica and knocking her down. “What are you…some kind of monster sympathizer?”

I was vaguely aware of Amylia trying to look me over but afraid of touching me. Dr. Merchant stood in front of me, crouched down and snarling as he tried acting as my bodyguard.

Suddenly, I felt something else…something different. A strange cooling sensation bubbled up from inside and spread over my body, soothing the pain and leaving me almost numb instead. This was followed by a surge of extra energy and renewed strength which flooded through me all at once.

“No,” I whispered, finding that I could move again, though not very well.

I struggled to get back to my feet, finding that it was getting easier with every passing moment. My eyes went to my arm and I gasped, realizing that my wounds were healing up and closing right before my eyes. I stretched my wings, noticing that the holes in the membrane were gone and the bones were once again unbroken.

A second later, I realized that the massive reservoir of sexual energy that I’d gained from Traci was what was fueling this healing surge. The energy was almost all gone but I was nearly back to normal. However, I was growing very hungry.

Monica was back on her feet and glaring furiously at Tyler, whose clothes all began to dissolve and vanish. The pouch on his belt vanished as well, dropping all of his tokens to the ground. He snarled in anger and grabbed Monica by the throat, looking as though he was going to choke her.

“Let her go,” I commanded, going straight to Tyler.

“What the…?” Tyler exclaimed, dropping Monica as he turned to look at me with a look of shock on his face. “You were dead…”

Without another word, I grabbed hold of Tyler, holding him too tight to get away. Then I gave him a long and passionate kiss, sticking my tongue down his throat so far that he was gagging and unable to breath. Only then did I begin to feed.

Until now, I’d avoided feeding on the sexual energy inside of a person, only taking the excess energy that they were radiating. The only exception had been Traci, who generated so much sexual energy that it had been like a bottomless well. I fed on Tyler’s energy greedily, finding that it was strong, sweet, and oh so delicious, though still not in the same range as what I’d gained from Traci.

“What are you doing?” Trey demanded. “You’re supposed to hit him…not kiss him.”

“I think this is probably worse,” Amylia said grimly.

“TYLER,” Rebecca screamed furiously. “Kill that thing…”

A moment later, I finished every last bit of Tyler’s sexual energy and dropped him motionless to the ground, completely drained but still alive. As I did this, my succubus instincts told me what this would mean for him. Tyler would be exhausted for some time, but more than that, I’d absorbed every ounce of sexual energy he had. There was no longer any left to regenerate or replenish itself. From now on, he would never be able to get it up again. He would never be able to father children. He would never have a sexual fantasy or any interest in sex again. For all practical purposes, I’d just neutered him.

“Delicious,” I whispered, turning my attention to Rebecca who stared at me with a look of horror.

“Invo…,” Rebecca started, only to get hit on the side of her head by a furious pixie. Jake had interrupted her before she could activate her token so now it was my turn.

I held up Vera and said, “Engage.”

Rebecca gasped, then suddenly began scratching her arms frantically. I just grinned at finally being able to see my itching spell in action, though admittedly, I rather would have had something a little more dangerous.

“From now on,” I promised myself, suddenly realizing the advantage of using jewelry as tokens, “I am NOT gonna go anywhere without more tokens.”

Rebecca held her token up again and tried to focus but she was suddenly hit from behind by Traci. Amylia joined her, yanking the token out of her hand and then taking the tokens from her belt.

“You won’t need these,” Amylia said.

Conrad snarled and came towards me, ignoring the sabertooth tiger that had leapt on his back. Thanks to Tyler’s unwilling donation, I was feeling a lot better, but I was still tired and feeling achy after what I’d just gone through.

“Come and get me, big boy,” I taunted him in my most seductive tone.

Conrad gave me a lust filled look, responding to the lust aura that I was pushing out. I just hoped it would keep him distracted. When he reached for me, I lashed out and kicked him between the legs with all of my enhanced strength. He collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.

“Holy shit,” the tiny Jake exclaimed. “You took him out with one kick…”

“A well aimed kick,” Amylia said. Then she said, “Kaylie…”

We all turned to where Kaylie had been knocked to the ground, seeing that there was small bonfire around her body. Suddenly, a golden phoenix flew out of the fire, seeming to be in perfect health.

“Glad to see you’re all right,” I said with a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Amylia said, giving me an odd look. “I thought you were dead…”

“I didn’t know I could either,” I admitted, knowing that my surprise healing ability had saved my life. Then I turned to Monica, who was watching me with a slightly nervous look. I sighed, wincing slightly as I stretched my newly healed wings and told her, “I’m not as scary as I look.”

Monica stared at me for a moment before saying, “You don’t really look all that scary.” Then she paused for several long seconds before saying, “Actually, right now you look kind of pathetic…”

“I just can’t win,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

“I suggest we leave,” Amylia said grimly. “You all should have run off when I told you to. You would have been able to escape…” Then she paused and looked us all over before adding, “But it was very brave of you all.” Then she looked at Monica and told her, “I suggest again that you come with us. After this, I don’t think you will be welcome here any longer.”

Monica hesitated a moment, quickly glancing at each of us before she reluctantly nodded agreement. “Okay.”

“This way,” Darek called out, waving for us to follow as she ran to the trees.

As we entered the cluster of trees, the branches and roots began to move, closing the path behind us and making it more difficult for anyone to follow. Darek might not have done much during the fight, but the little dryad was definitely showing her use now.

The sun had risen a short time ago, stripping me of my succubus form and abilities. I was disappointed to lose that when we still had grandpa Gregor and his people after us. At the moment, we needed every advantage we could get.

We were all gathered together in an abandoned building that looked to be a grocery store that had gone out of business and closed up some time ago. I squinted as I looked around, wishing that I had my glasses with me. Unfortunately, I’d lost those during the escape, along with my clothes. Of course, I wasn’t the only one of us to have lost their clothes after transforming. Darek was the only one who’d been smart enough to gather up his clothes and bring them with. As a result, Dr. Merchant, Jake, Kaylie, and myself were completely naked, which made leaving our temporary sanctuary rather difficult.

While the rest of us were all worrying about what we would do next, Amylia was busy at work casting spells and creating new tokens. She seemed faintly amused at the idea of using some small rocks she’d found since that was all she had at hand and I tended to use those anyway.

“These do seem to be your preferred form of token,” Amylia told me with a wry look. “I know that your vision is not at its best right now, but you should attempt to create some new tokens. I have a feeling that we’ll need them.”

“I only remember a couple spell patterns,” I admitted. “I guess those are better than nothing.”

I joined Amylia in casting spells, creating two rock cracking tokens and three to set things on fire. Then Amylia had me watch her cast a spell and mimic the pattern. It was very difficult doing it this way but after several attempts, I was able to successfully cast it.

Once Amylia and I each had some tokens to work with, she said, “I think we need supplies…and new clothes.” She gave me a wry look while I nodded emphatic agreement. “Traci, if you would come with me. I’ll get what we need and return.”

“Why do I have to stay here?” Monica asked, almost looking offended.

“No specific reason,” Amylia responded pleasantly. “I just wanted my grand-daughter to accompany me so I could get to know her better.”

“Grand-daughter?” Monica gasped in shock.

“I see,” Amylia said, giving Monica a careful look. “Gregor didn’t tell you. Not surprising since he considers this a matter of family shame.” Then she sighed and gestured around the room, “These are all my grand-children…all except for Doctor Merchant.”

“Please,” Dr. Merchant told her with a chuckle. “Call me Edward. I think we are beyond needing titles at the moment.”

Monica stared at Amylia in disbelief, then she gave me a suspicious look. “We only found out we were related a week ago,” I told Monica self-consciously.

“It’s complicated,” Amylia said, not elaborating any more. “Now Traci, let’s go take care of some errands.”

“I can’t believe she’s really our ancestor,” Trey said. “I mean…the idea that she can be that old…”

“Sorcerers can live a very long time,” I told him with a shrug. “The more powerful you are, the longer you can extend your life.”

“The most powerful ones can live over a thousand years,” Monica agreed quietly.

Dr. Merchant looked excited at that. “Yes,” he agreed. “And the opportunities to learn about history from people who were actually there…”

“It’s pretty weird,” Darek agreed.

“I think it’s awesome,” Kaylie exclaimed with a grin. “There are so many things I want to talk to her about…”

Jake sat there with a thoughtful look on his face, being unusually quiet. “I’ve never had any family,” he finally said. “At least not since I was a kid…” He shook his head and mused, “The idea of having some kind of great grandma I’ve never even met… I just don’t know what to think.”

“You know her better than any of us,” Darek said, looking at me. “Is she telling the truth.”

“Yeah,” I responded after a few seconds. “I’m pretty sure she is. You should have seen the look on her face when she found out I was descended from Robert Dupree…” I shook my head and then admitted, “I don’t think anyone is that good an actor.”

“You know her too,” Trey pointed out, looking to Monica.

Monica hesitated and admitted, “Not real well. I mean, she’s a teacher at the Academy, but I wasn’t in the sorcerers course so didn’t have many of her classes.”

We all spent the next two hours talking, with Monica and I describing what it was like being Touched, and in my case, a sorceress as well. The others were all fascinated by the idea that we had talents that we could use any time without having to wait on the sun setting. At the same time, Monica began to ask questions about the Were, hesitantly at first and then becoming more confident. By the time Amylia returned, her nervousness in our presence had vanished.

“I was able to buy some supplies,” Amylia announced, handing over bags of clothing from a thrift store while Traci began distributing food.

“How?” Trey asked in surprise. “I didn’t think you had any money…”

“I didn’t steal any of this if that is what you are suggesting,” Amylia said, giving him a flat look. “I simply went to the bank and withdrew money from my own account.”

“But, couldn’t they track any bank transactions and find out where we are?” Kaylie asked in surprise.

Amylia gave her a faintly annoyed look before responding, “They’re sorcerers…not government agents or hackers.”

I got dressed as quickly as I could, thankful to have clothes again. The ones Amylia found for me were a little loose for my normal form but not loose enough for me to change to my enhanced one. Still, at least I was no longer naked.

“The fastest way to get to safety would be to find the nearest set of portals,” Amylia told us all. “However, Gregor is likely to be having that hub station watched. They don’t seem to have very many members so we should be able to get away through ordinary means. Once we’re far enough, we can use another set of gates.”

“I have an uncle who lives only a few hours from here,” Trey mused. “He’ll be able to help us out and get us home.”

Traci grinned and said, “We bought a prepaid cell phone…” She held out the phone and added, “We can call home and get help.”

Everyone immediately began arguing over who got to use the phone first, but once it was settled, we took turns calling home and assuring everyone that we were all right. Dr. Merchant called Vivian, telling her, “I have some big news about the Dupree bloodline…” He glanced to Amylia who let out a sigh.

When it was my turn, I called Dad and filled him in what had happened, though I left out a few important details for the moment. I didn’t want to tell him about Amylia and our bloodline over the phone. However, I did say, “There’s something we need to talk about… We may need to invite a new family member to Thanksgiving dinner…” A moment later, I had to protest, “NO, I am NOT pregnant… Jeez dad, what kind of girl do you think I am?”

“Maybe he thinks you’re a succubus,” Traci pointed out with a smirk, earning my glare of wrath.

“It looks like aunt June couldn’t keep her mouth shut,” I muttered, wondering how long she’d waited before telling my parents that I was now into guys.

Once everyone had made their calls, we sat down and discussed our plans. Eventually, we decided that it was safe to split up and go our separate ways. Darek, Trey, Jake, and Kaylie would all catch a bus and go to Trey’s uncle’s house. Trey was certain that they’d be safe there and that his uncle would be able to help get them home. Dr. Merchant would escort Traci back home to her family since that was on the way back to his own home. Amylia, Monica, and myself would continue heading back to the Academy.

A couple hours later, we said goodbye. “I promise that I will be in contact,” Amylia told the people who were leaving. “I think I have much to discuss with your families.”

“You’d better call,” Traci told me as she gave me her phone number and e-mail address. Then she blushed brightly and suggested, “Maybe we can meet up again on some full moon…”

“Maybe,” I responded with a bright blush of my own.

Though I knew I could have no romantic relationship with Traci and that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to spend much time together in our Were forms, it was still pretty tempting. I got wet and excited when I thought about what we’d done, and a large part of me was eager to do it again. I wish I could say that it was entirely my succubus side meeting an equally insatiable male counterpart and being able to feed to her fill, but I knew that it was more than that. My human side might not have been in control, but it had enjoyed it nearly as much.

“What is Todd going to say?” I muttered to myself before giving Traci a hug and saying goodbye.

A short time later, nearly everyone had gone leaving only Amylia, Monica, and myself behind. Since we were the ones who had to use the gates to get back to the Academy, we were the only ones who were still in any real danger. Gregor and his people only had to watch the gate hubs and wait for us to arrive.

“We’ll go to the next hub over,” Amylia told us the plan. “But first, I want to make a few more preparations.”

When Amylia said that she wanted to make preparations, she meant that she wanted a few more tokens available in case we ran into trouble. We went to a nearby store and bought some materials and then we found an out of the way place where we could work for a few hours. Amylia even drew me a few spell diagrams so that I could cast a few spells that I didn’t have memorized.

Monica watched as we cast the spells, obviously a little jealous that we could do this and she couldn’t. However, she didn’t say anything about it. I remembered that her older brother was a sorcerer and wondered what it had been like to grow up with someone like that, knowing that you could never match their magical abilities. At the Academy, she’d always hung around with sorcerers and had seemed to be a bit of a wannabe. I couldn’t help but feeling just a little sorry for her.

I had just finished one of my spells and was about to start another when I noticed the spell that Aylia was casting. I shifted my vision a little and watched the pattern as she formed it, finding it rather familiar.

“That’s a transformation spell,” I said, earning a look of surprise from Amylia, though she still managed to remain focused on her task.

“How did you know that?” Amylia asked me curiously.

I just smiled, remembering that aunt June had reacted much the same way when she’d found that I could read the patterns already. “I can read the patterns a bit,” I told her, watching the spell build even further. Then I exclaimed, “I know this spell. This is the sex change spell that aunt June taught me.”

“You can read it that much?” Amylia asked, turning to give me a look that indicated she was impressed. “Very good.” Then as she finished the spell and locked it into a token, she said, “This could be useful should we need to disguise ourselves.”

I nodded at that and then let out a sigh. “It won’t do me much good.”

“Why not?” Monica asked with a snort. “Are you afraid of being a boy?”

“Hardly,” I responded wryly. “I’ve got a token with that same spell in my room.” Then I looked to Amylia and said. “It only works on me for about ten minutes.”

Of course, I’d only cast the spell once and had yet to actually test it out. I wanted to try it on myself, but I kept hesitating. Maybe it was because of how disappointed I was when it had worn off so quickly after aunt June had cast it.

“Of course,” Amylia responded, giving me a sympathetic look. “Your sorcerers mark. I’d almost forgotten about it.”

Monica gave me a look of surprise. “What sorcerers mark?”

I hesitated, not sure that I wanted her to know. Then I sighed, realizing that she already had more than enough reasons to make fun of me. One more wouldn’t hurt. “Two months ago, I was a guy,” I answered, refusing to look at Monica as I said it. “My sorcerers mark turned me into a girl.”

Monica let out a loud gasp and stared at me in disbelief. “No way… I mean, you and Todd…” Then she paused, giving me a suspicious look and asking, “Were you gay?”

“No,” I responded defensively. “I used to like girls.” I turned bright red as I continued, “I wasn’t interested in Todd at first. That kind of came later…”

For a moment, Monica just stared at me, then she burst out laughing. “You mean, Teressa was jealous and you weren’t even interested in him?”

“Not at first,” I agreed self-consciously. “Like I said, that came later.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Monica asked.

“I told Teressa I wasn’t interested in him,” I pointed out. “But she didn’t believe me.” Then I shrugged and I turned a little sarcastic as I added, “And as for the rest… After everyone was so accepting of my being a Were, it’s not like I wanted to tell everyone I used to be a guy and give another to treat me like crap.”

Monica was silent for a moment, suddenly looking guilty. Then she quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s time to go,” Amylia told us, putting her new tokens into a pouch she’d bought earlier. “It should take us a couple hours to get to the next gate hub.”

A short time later, the three of us were riding a bus. None of us spoke much during the trip though I kept looking out my window, half afraid that I’d see Gregor or one of his sorcerers coming after us. Vera was filled with a new spell and I kept my other new tokens close at hand too…just in case. Fortunately, we reached our destination without any problems.

We stood in front of a public library and Amylia looked at a piece of paper where she’d written down the address and directions. Then she stated, “This is it.”

A moment later, we started for the front entrance but then Amylia abruptly stopped us and gestured ahead. It took me a moment to see what she meant. When someone else had opened the door, I got a look inside and saw Rebecca standing there near the entrance.

“They’re waiting for us,” Amylia said with a faint smile, not seeming worried at all.

“I saw Marcus there too,” Monica said, looking worried. She gave Amylia a pleading look. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s my brother.”

“I won’t dear,” Amylia assured her.

“Maybe a little public nudity would distract them,” I said with a chuckle, looking to Monica. I’d been declothed so many times that it only seem fair that someone else suffer that fate.

Amylia gave a faint smile of amusement before responding, “That won’t be necessary. We have the element of surprise and I was expecting something of this nature.”

With that, Amylia pulled out one of her tokens and continued walking straight to the entrance. When she was close enough, she opened the door and activated her token, before either Marcus or Rebecca realized that she was there. Both of them collapsed to the ground before being able to do a single thing. I would have feared them dead except for the snore that came from Marcus.

“Now,” Amylia stated calmly. “My instructions note that the gate hub is hidden in the back room. Let’s be off before anyone wonders why two people are sleeping on the floor and attempt to wake them.”

“Yes ma’am,” I responded stepping over Marcus and wondering if I could get a copy of that sleeping spell from Amylia. After all, that could be pretty useful in my duel with Kaellie.

“Um…Amylia,” Monica asked hesitantly. “You know that sex change spell?” When Amylia nodded, Monica asked, “Do you think we can use it on my brother?”

I stared at Monica in surprise and then burst out laughing. “I like the way you think.”

“As do I,” Amylia agreed pulling out the token and invoking it.

The three of us stood and watched as Marcus changed, his male features becoming female ones. In half a minute, he looked a great deal more like Monica. The three of us chuckled at the thought of his reaction when he woke like that, then we continued on our way.

I sat at the lunch table with my friends, squirming uncomfortably in my seat but trying not to let any of them see this. Unfortunately, my period had started again this morning and I was feeling just a little bitchy because of it. It took a force of effort to control this and not go snapping at my friends. Instead, I just kept looking forward to tonight when I could turn into my succubus form and get some relief.

It had been two days since I returned to the Academy and it amazed me that after everything I went through, everything was still the same here. I’d told my friends all about the kidnapping and escape, though I had left out a few important details, such as Amylia’s role in our bloodline and her hybrid status. Amylia might have shared that with Monica and everyone who’d been captured, but I didn’t think I had the right to spread it any further without her permission.

As I sat there, I couldn’t help but wondering what my friends here would have said if they’d been able to meet my new mythic friends. I had a feeling that Eve and Traci would have gotten along pretty well and absently considered introducing them to each other sometime. And of course, I wondered what Todd would say when he found out that I’d had sex with Traci in her satyr form. I still hadn’t been able to bring myself to tell him or any of the others.

“A vampire,” Kimberly abruptly announced. “I’m going as a vampire for the costume party.”

We had spent the last ten minutes talking about the costume party that was going to be held in the dorms next week. It wasn’t Halloween and there was no particular reason for the party, only that everyone thought it would be fun. The teachers all thought it would be good for morale so were actually encouraging it.

“I hope to God you’re not going to use sparkles,” Eve told her.

Kimberly gave her a blank look. “Of course I’m going to use sparkles. How could I be a vampire without sparkles?” Todd, Eve, and I all groaned simultaneously at that while Sylvie just snickered.

“I’m thinking of going as Kim Possible from the old cartoon,” Sylvie said. “I’ve got a spell that can change my hair color so I won’t even need to dye it or anything.” Then she grinned at Todd and said, “You can be my sidekick Ron.”

“I don’t think so,” Todd responded with a roll of his eyes.

“What about you?” Eve asked me. “What are you going as?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted with a shrug. “I haven’t really thought about it much. Maybe a steampunk princess Leia or Aeryn Sun from Farscape.”

“Why not slave girl Leia?” Todd suggested with a look that made me blush, especially since I was currently in my plain form at the moment. It was nice to be appreciated even when I was like this.

Eve gave me a speculative look before musing, “You know, the party is going to be after it gets dark. Why don’t you go as a succubus?”

“That would be awesome,” Todd agreed with a broad grin.

“Maybe,” I responded thoughtfully, finding the idea rather appealing.

“And besides,” Sylvie pointed out with a smirk. “Then you can use your talent on us so we can really show off…” She cupped her hands in front of her chest to show what she meant. The other girls both giggled at that while Todd just grinned.

Suddenly, Eve exclaimed, “Bitch alert.”

I looked over and saw Teressa, Kaellie, and Monica sitting at another table with Teressa and Kaellie glaring at us. Monica was making an effort not to look in our direction at all. Though Teressa and Kaellie seemed to have been happy about having Monica back, neither of them seemed willing to let go of their grudge. Of course, I still had that duel with Kaellie after school today so that undoubtedly contributed to the glare.

Strangely enough, after Monica had returned to the Academy, there had been no mention of Amylia being a hybrid, of my being her descendant, or even of my former status as a guy. Any of those should have resulted in taunting from Teressa, or at the very least, some heavy rumors. But I hadn’t heard a whisper about any of it, which convinced me that Monica was keeping all of that to herself.

Monica was hanging out with her old friends again but she hadn’t rejoined them in making fun of me. Instead, I’ve actually seen her turn and walk away when they start. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Monica’s new attitude or whether or not I could consider her as a possible friend.

When lunch was ending, everyone began to leave. I grabbed Sylvie and nervously asked, “Can I talk to you?”

She gave me a look of surprise. “Of course.”

I hesitated a moment, making sure everyone else was out of hearing range before telling her, “Something happened when I was away…” Then I paused and added, “Well, a lot of things happened but what I wanted to talk about was that I kind of…”

“Kind of what?” Sylvie asked, giving me a curious look.

“I kind of lost my virginity,” I admitted with a bright blush.

“What?” Sylvie asked in surprise. Then she gave me a suspicious look and said, “But I thought you and Todd…”

“I couldn’t help it,” I blurted out. “I was in my succubus form and she was…”

“She?” Sylvie asked, staring at me with a confused look. “I thought you were only into guys now?”

I let out an exasperated sigh and then continued, “I mean, she’s a Were satyr… Our instincts took over and we both completely lost control. It was like pon farr or something.”

“Pon farr?” Sylvie asked with a blank look, apparently not catching the Star Trek reference. “Nevermind… You mean that you really couldn’t control yourself?” At my nod, she muttered, “Shit. I guess it’s a Were thing…” I nodded again. Then she hesitantly asked, “So…for how long?”

“All night,” I admitted with a bright blush, though I couldn’t resist smiling at the memory. “Literally.” Then I held my hands a foot apart and quietly added with a faint smirk, “And this big.”

Sylvie’s eyes went wide in shock. “How the fuck could you fit something that big inside of you?”

“Succubus,” I reminded her with a smirk. “Apparently, I can handle just about any size.”

After staring at me with a look of stunned disbelief, Sylvie shook her head. “Okay. I think you really need to talk with Todd about this. I mean, at least if you want to be serious with him.” At my skeptical look, she reminded me, “We’re Touched. We’re used to weird shit. I mean, he was fine with you being a guy before…and with you being a soul sucking succubus.” Then she paused to grin and added, “But he might count this as giving him a free pass.”

I chuckled weakly at that and told her, “Okay. Thanks. I’ll talk to him…”

I excused myself from Sylvie and then went to find Amylia. I found her in her office, looking over spell diagrams that were scattered over her desk and even spread out on the floor. There were several books on her desk as well with the titles being written in the old language. The only one with a title in English was an old looking book called ‘Theories of Blood Resonance’.

“What’s this?” I asked Amylia, looking at some of the diagrams that were hand drawn and looked to be new. They looked complicated, far more complicated than anything I’d ever seen.

“A new spell I’m designing,” Amylia answered, looking up from where she was in the middle of drawing a spell diagram.

For a moment, I just stood there, looking over the clutter of her work space before asking, “What’s it going to do?”

Amylia paused from her work and let out a sigh. “You know that Gregor isn’t going to just give up. He might very well try something like that again.”

I nodded faintly at that. I’d actually been worried about that very thing, wondering if he would start tracking us mythics down one at a time. Our escape had only happened because they’d underestimated us and I knew that wouldn’t happen again.

“This is a failsafe in case he does attempt it,” Amylia stated, gesturing to the pile of papers. There was a look of fierce determination on her face. “I intend this as a way to rescue any mythics in my bloodline should he take them again.”

I gasped at that and looked over the papers again, saying, “It looks so complicated… This has got to be a class ten spell.”

“Ten plus,” Amylia responded with a faint smile. “This spell’s power requirements would be too much for even the most powerful sorcerer to cast directly. It will require a very long and exhausting ritual and some of the chain spell techniques that Gregor is so fond of.”

“Chain spell?” I asked blankly. I think that I’d heard the term before but I had no idea what it meant.

“It’s an advanced technique that we usually teach our senior students,” Amylia explained. “It’s a way of creating a series of spells and then chaining them together so that you only have to invoke one and it begins setting each of them off in turn…like pushing the first domino of a series. This is a way to create large and complicated effects, or simply to keep reinforcing the same spell to make it much more powerful. Chain spells are one of Gregor’s favorite tactics.”

“Wow,” I said, feeling impressed. “Those sound pretty nasty.”

“They certainly can be,” Amylia agreed. “However, they are extremely time consuming to cast, require enormous amounts of power, and much can go wrong. It can take up to a month to cast all the component spells and weave them together correctly. If you make a mistake in any part of this, it may cause the component spells to activate in the wrong order, fail to activate entirely, or backfire in horrific ways. And of course, as with any chain, all an opponent has to do is remove a single link to render much of it useless.”

“If they have that many problems, then why are you using one?” I asked.

“Because they can be very powerful and useful if done correctly,” Amylia responded. “I am not creating a true chain spell, just using many of the techniques to bind the component spells.” Then she paused to look at me with a thoughtful expression. “I will need assistance for this spell once I’m ready. And I need someone I trust.” She looked me straight in the eyes and asked, “Will you help me?”

“Of course,” I answered without hesitation, feeling honored that she’d trust me with something like this.

Amylia smiled at that and then handed me one of the books from her desk. It was written in the old language and I was able to make out the title enough to see that it said ‘Performing Rituals’. “Then you will need to read and study this,” Amylia told me. “Especially chapters seven and eight.”

A minute later, I walked out of Amylia’s office with a book in hand, a book that I could barely read. I knew enough old language to make it out, but it wasn’t fluent so would take a bit of time and effort on my part. It struck me almost as funny that I’d just volunteered for a lot of extra homework and I was actually looking forward to doing it.

I was standing in the dueling circle with Kaellie, who currently had a smug look on her face. Master Tonkas was acting as the referee for our duel while our friends stood nearby to watch us. There weren’t quite as many other people here to watch as there had been when I’d dueled Teressa, but we definitely had a bit of an audience.

“Begin,” Master Tonkas announced.

Master Tonkas had barely uttered that word when Kaellie cried out, “Activate.”

Suddenly, the token I’d just grabbed cracked and crumbled in my hand. I gasped and reached into my pouch for another, but all I found was crushed rocks and sand. Kaellie’s opening move had been to use the same rock cracking spell that I’d used to escape the ward circle. I quickly glanced to the ground, seeing that the dueling circle was perfectly intact. Of course, it would have been designed with protections from that kind of thing since duels were held in here all the time.

“Frak,” I spat out in annoyance. I’d spent a lot of time and effort making those tokens and Kaellie had destroyed them all in one move. Of course, that was what she’d intended. Destroy my tokens and I wouldn’t be able to do anything else and she’d win the duel.

Unfortunately, the spell I had loaded into Vera right not wouldn’t do me any good. I’d gotten so tired of being forced to run around naked that I’d gotten the spell to conjure clothes from Amylia and had that ready instead. That would be useful if Monica came at me with her talent, but not for taking down Kaellie.

If Kaellie had tried this just a couple days ago, she would have had me dead to rights. However, I’d learned my lesson about going anywhere without tokens. I had another bracelet around my wrist right next to Vera, a bracelet made of plastic beads that were each about the size of marbles. I’d bought this while on the run with Amylia and Monica. It might be ugly, but each of these beads was a token that contained an emergency spell.

I reached for the bead I wanted and stated, “Engage.” The plastic bead crumbled away and a large blast of wind was unleashed, hitting a surprised Kaellie and throwing her back…and right out of the spell circle.

“Duel over,” Master Tonkas called out. “Erin wins.”

“What?” one of the boys in the audience cried out. “But they only used one spell apiece… That duel sucked…”

“Wait,” another girl yelled out in surprise. “That’s it?”

“That was among the shortest duels I’ve witnessed,” Master Tonkas agreed pleasantly. “Both spells were well chosen for maximum effect.”

“That’s not fair,” Kaellie exclaimed while Teressa nodded agreement and Monica just stood back shaking her head and looking embarrassed.

Sylvia nearly jumped in Kaellie’s face, snapping, “Oh, so it’s fair to destroy someone else’s tokens but it’s not fair to have more?”

“Congratulations,” Todd said, coming up and giving me a kiss.

When we pulled apart, I just grinned, feeling very happy at the moment. I’d beaten Kaellie and I had a totally cute boyfriend. “You know,” I teased Todd, “I’m starting to get the feeling that you like me.”

“I can’t resist you,” Todd told me.

I just grinned at that and responded, “Resistance is futile.”

“Hey, get a room,” Sylvie told us with a broad grin. “Oh, in case you missed it… I just challenged Kaellie to a duel.”

“That should be fun,” I commented. “Just watch out for her trying to sabotage your tokens.”

Sylvie snorted at that. “Yeah, I kind of caught that.” Then she gave an almost evil grin and added, “I do have this nice little curse that will make her smell like a skunk. I’m thinking of trying that one out on her…”

We all laughed at that, then I looked to Todd and sighed. I still had to talk to him about what had happened with Traci. But before I could say anything, he exclaimed, “Oh yeah, I believe that I promised you a good dinner…” He grinned at that and gave me a wink. “I’m not as good a cook as you, but I can order a mean pizza…”

“And they deliver all the way out here?” I asked with a wry smile.

“Of course not,” Todd responded. “But they will deliver to the house one of the gates goes to so I can pick it up from there.”

“That sounds great,” I told him. “But I won’t be able to stay too late. My aunt is coming tonight to go over a few things with me.” Then I hesitated before adding, “But there is something I want to talk to you about.”

A short time later, Todd and I were in his room, watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster that had just come out on blueray. The pizza was decent, though I couldn’t help but thinking that the pizza my mom liked to make was even better. Of course, her pizza had truffle oil and some other high end ingredients that a chain pizza place didn’t.

“Next time, I’m cooking again,” I told Todd when we were halfway through eating.

“But this is a great dinner,” Todd protested.

I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Boys,” under my breath. Then I looked to Todd and we both began laughing at that.

“It’s kind of cool having a girlfriend who really understands guys,” Todd told me with a broad grin. Then he admitted, “Of course, there could be a few problems with that too… I mean, how am I going to get away with anything when you know how I think?”

“Then you’ll just have to make sure you don’t try anything,” I pointed out smugly.

When we were nearly finished, I decided that it was finally time. I knew that I didn’t have to tell Todd about Traci, that I could have kept it completely to myself. However, I’d made a point of trying to be honest with my friends, and if I wanted this thing with Todd to continue, I had to trust him.

“You know that I’m a Were succubus,” I told Todd carefully. At his curious nod, I continued. “Well, as a succubus I have certain instincts and feelings that are a bit stronger than when I’m human.”

“You’ve mentioned that before,” Todd said.

“Well, when I was at the party, there was a girl there,” I explained. “A Were Satyr…”

Once I was finished, Todd stared at me with a look of surprise. “Damn,” he exclaimed. “That sounds like you were going through pon farr.” I giggled as he made the same Star Trek reference that I did, referring to when a Vulcan went into heat every seven years.

“Pretty much,” I admitted with a bright blush. “I couldn’t help myself at all.”

“Was this Traci girl cute?” Todd asked, seeming more curious than shocked.

“A bit,” I admitted. “I probably would have been into her before I changed, but now…” I shrugged at that. “I just think of her as a good friend…”

“With benefits at night,” Todd teased me. Then he abruptly asked, “So, which is better…?”

“What?” I asked him blankly.

Todd just grinned. “Come on… You’re probably one of the only people who can tell me if sex is better as a guy or a girl…”

“Um…,” I gulped, feeling extremely self-conscious. Then I admitted, “I never did it as a guy.”

“Oh,” Todd responded, looking a little embarrassed.

I gave him a weak smile and added, “And the only time I’ve done it as a girl was as a succubus… I don’t know what it’s like for normal girls.”

Then I stared at Todd, suddenly even more aware of the fact that I was currently having my period. I blushed even more deeply as I realized that if it hadn’t been for that, I might have asked Todd to help me experience sex as a normal girl.

“I…I really should get going,” I told Todd awkwardly. “I’ve got to meet my aunt for some lessons.”

“Then I’ll see you later,” Todd said, looking vaguely disappointed.

I suddenly realized that if I didn’t have to leave, he might very well put the moves on me and try getting into my pants. I actually felt excited about that and disappointed as well. If only I didn’t have to go. And if only I didn’t have this horrible period.

After giving Todd a long kiss, I went to go meet aunt June at the hall of doors. When she arrived a few minutes later, she looked me over with a look of amusement.

“Your lipstick is smeared,” aunt June pointed out.

I blushed and reached for my mouth, feeling more than a little embarrassed. I’d tried looking nice for Todd on our little date and now wondered if I’d made a mistake.

Aunt June reached into her purse and pulled out a wet nap and began wiping at my lipstick. “If you’re going to wear makeup,” she told me gently, “you’ll need to keep checking it to make sure it doesn’t smear.”

I nodded at that, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Um, I was wondering,” I asked hesitantly, looking to one of the bracelets around aunt June’s wrist. “Can you teach me how to make jewelry into reusable tokens?”

Aunt June gave me a thoughtful look for a moment but didn’t tease me as I half expected. Instead, she nodded and said, “Of course. And after your ordeal, I think we need to work on some more self-defense spells. My strength is in flashy magics I can use on stage in front of normal, but I do have a few spells that will be great for distractions and misdirections…”

With that, aunt June and I started for the hall of sorcerers and the study where we would be working. I knew that between this, the homework she was bound to give me, and the homework Amylia already had, I would have to stay up the entire night working. Of course, it certainly wouldn’t be the first all-nighter that I did in succubus form and it wouldn’t be the last.

I sat in my dorm room, staring down at my tokens which were all spread out on desk in front of me. My laptop was currently playing an old episode of Battlestar Galactica in the background, but I barely paid attention to it as I was lost in my thoughts.

About half of my tokens were rocks, ones which I’d started polishing to make them look nicer. However, I had begun moving away from rocks as my preferred form of token and was instead focusing more on tokens I could carry with me more easily.

The bracelet with plastic beads that I’d used to beat Kaellie in the duel had been quite useful, even if it was ugly. I’d begun using that one as an ankle bracelet that no one would be able to see, but which would keep some useful tokens on me in case of an emergency. For the most part, I had each bead filled with spells that might help me escape if Gregor’s people should catch me again. I figured that if I was captured and they searched me for tokens, they wouldn’t think to check for a store of them hidden around my ankle.

I had a second bracelet made of bead tokens as well, one that I’d put together myself. Each bead was a cream colored ceramic piece that actually looked pretty nice. As a result, it looked like a pretty decent piece of jewelry but it contained a dozen spells.

Unfortunately, any time I activated one of the tokens in it, the bead would crumble and vanish, but that was why I’d bought a bunch of spare beads. I could replace the used ones with new tokens. Or as I was considering, I could even make a second one for my other wrist.

I felt rather proud as I ran my hands over the bead bracelet, but not nearly as proud as when I looked at the pendant necklace. I was a very nice looking pendant with silver wire wrapped around a green crystal. It was also a reusable token that I’d actually made last night.

Aunt June had a lot of experience with flashy magics, but as I’d recently learned, her real specialty was in making reusable tokens. Most sorcerers knew how to make reusable tokens but weren’t very good at it. The ones that they made had to be large and bulky in order to withstand the process. When I’d talked to Amylia about it, she’d reluctantly admitted that aunt June was even better at making reusable tokens than she was, and was able to make them smaller and more compact than most sorcerers.

Aunt June had spent the last few days teaching me how to make reusable tokens, something that they normally didn’t teach at the Academy until your second year. And with her help and guidance, I was able to make the pendant, the first reusable token I’ve ever made.

“I can’t believe I did it,” I said, grinning proudly as I picked up the necklace and put it on around my neck. It currently contained a copy of the clothing conjuring spell. I’d replaced the spell in Vera with one that would be a little more useful for actually fighting.

“Most sorcerers can’t make reusable tokens that are smaller than a bulky medallion,” aunt June had told me proudly. “The fact that you were able to make a pendant of this size…even with my help…is a VERY good sign.”

I was still grinning as I picked up my new ceramic bead bracelet and put it around my wrist. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to turn that into reusable tokens. Aunt June had said that I could turn the entire bracelet into a reusable token that could hold a single spell, much the way she did with Vera, but that I couldn’t do this with the individual beads because they were too small for even her skills.

“I guess I’ll just have to make do with having a small arsenal of normal tokens,” I mused to myself.

Once I had the bracelets around my wrist and ankle, as well as the pouch of stones at my waist, I stood up and looked myself over. I was currently in my enhanced form and was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a Dalek on the front…a villain from the Doctor Who series.

Then I hesitated a moment before sitting back down and putting on just a little makeup. Eve, Sylvie, and Kimberly had been teaching me how to use the stuff and I’d been practicing on my own. I was trying to get into the habit of using it a bit more often. After all, I was a girl now and I wanted to look my best.

“Maybe I should wear something nicer,” I mused uncertainly, glancing down at my shirt. Then I shook my head. “I’m only going to see aunt June…not Todd.”

When I was finished making sure that my makeup looked decent without being too heavy, I reached out and picked up one of the tokens that was still sitting on my desk. This polished stone contained a spell that nearly every sorceress at the Academy had a copy of. Some of them even made extra money by casting it on some of the girls who weren’t sorceresses. Technically, it was a curse, but it was so useful that no one thought of it as such.

I took a deep breath and said, “Engage.”

The stone crumbled in my hand and I felt a faint tingling for a few seconds, but that was it. All this spell did was make it so that I couldn’t get pregnant for the next month. Of course, I was still having my period, but not for much longer. And I’d been thinking more and more about losing my virginity as a human, especially since I’d enjoyed sex so much as a succubus. If I ever actually got up the nerve with Todd, I wanted to at least be ready.

A minute later, I left my room to go meet aunt June at the hall of doors. I had a bit of practice with her, and then afterwards, I’d be doing some more of the homework that Amylia had assigned.

I had been busy helping Amylia with her project, yet I still had no real idea of what it did. So far, all I’d been doing was helping form rituals to build up extra magic for her, which was a real pain. I’d spend several hours building the ritual and storing up energy, only to get a faction of that energy back when it was time to use it. It was like putting a dollar into a piggy bank and only getting a quarter out when you opened it. It was no wonder that most people didn’t bother too much with rituals.

Working with Amylia had been a bit frustrating, but it was very rewarding as well. It was nice that she trusted me to help with this and I was learning a lot of new things. Every day, Amylia gave me more homework and things to study, making it almost feel as though I now had a second sponsor.

I was just leaving the dorms when I heard Monica call out, “Hey Erin…” I paused and turned to see her coming towards me with a grim look on her face.

“Hey,” I greeted her, feeling just a little awkward. After all, she was still friends with Teressa and Kaellie.

“I just thought you should know,” Monica told me, looking a little self-conscious as well. “Teressa is planning something for the costume party tomorrow night. I’m not sure what, but I know she plans to try embarrassing you…”

I blinked in surprise at that. Then I nodded and said, “Thanks for the warning.”

“You didn’t hear it from me,” Monica said with a faint smile before leaving.

I stared after Monica for a moment and then shook my head. I still couldn’t figure out if she was on my side or Teressa’s. But then again, I was beginning to suspect that Monica wasn’t even sure of that herself anymore

A short time later, aunt June and I were in the study, going over one of the spells she wanted to teach me. Over the last few days, we’d been working on the reusable tokens so much that we hadn’t really been able to work on any of the other spells she’d wanted to teach me.

“This is a great one to escape with,” aunt June told me with a proud gleam in her eyes. With that, she held up one of her business card tokens and said, “Abra kadabra.”

There was a burst of smoke and aunt June was completely gone. I gasped in surprise, though I had seen her do that trick on stage during her performances before. A couple seconds later, she just reappeared on the other side of the room.

“Technically, this was two smaller spells that I combined together,” aunt June explained. “A smoke spell and an extremely short term invisibility spell. When you are able to combine the patterns of two spells and merge the effects, you can get some pretty interesting uses.”

I just nodded at that as I absently tugged on my bra strap. “Sorry, I’m having a hard time focusing right now,” I apologized to aunt June. “I’m just kind of uncomfortable.”

“I would have thought you’d have gotten used to wearing bras by now,” she said with a look of faint amusement.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I kind of have. I don’t really think about it much anymore but lately they’ve been feeling too tight. I think they’re getting shrunk in the wash.”

Aunt June gave me a look of greater amusement and asked, “Is that only in your current form or in your other one.”

“I don’t really wear a bra in succubus form,” I responded, knowing that she meant my normal form. Then I told her, “Yeah… They’re getting tight in my normal form too.”

“You’re a teenage girl,” aunt June pointed out with a chuckle. “You’re still developing…”

“Oh,” I responded in realization, feeling embarrassed at having missed the obvious on my own.

“You still have a few years of growing left to do,” aunt June reminded me with a grin.

“More growing?” I gasped, looking down at myself. I certainly wouldn’t mind developing a bit more in my normal form, but my enhanced form was already pretty well developed.

“You know that I did some magical examinations on you,” aunt June said carefully. I nodded at that, remembering that she’d put me through a lot of different tests to determine just how much I’d changed and how likely I was to turn back into a boy. “Well, she said carefully, “those examinations gave me a pretty good idea of how much you still had to develop. I just didn’t want to scare you any more than you already were…”

“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.

“Well,” aunt June said carefully. “It’s a good thing that your current form has grown on you so much, because within a couple years, your normal form will look like this one.”

I blinked that, actually feeling excited by the idea. “Really?”

Aunt June nodded at that. “And your current form,” she continued with a faint smirk. “Well, your current form should look a lot more like the human parts of your succubus form.” She held her hands out in front of her chest to show what she meant. I just stared at her with my mouth open.

“You mean I’m gonna look like some kind of stripper?” I blurted out.

“Only in your enhanced form,” aunt June agreed. “And your succubus form, of course. But you’ll have a few years to slowly get used to the idea.”

“Frak,” I muttered, closing my eyes and trying to imagine what it would be like having that kind of figure as a human woman. At least the guys would probably like it.

“Don’t worry,” aunt June assured me. “I’m sure everything will work out fine. After all, you won’t have to use your talent if you don’t want to.”

“I guess,” I said carefully, looking down at myself and sighing. “I guess I’ll need to buy some more clothes soon.”

“That’s the spirit,” aunt June exclaimed with a grin. “We’ll go on a shopping trip in a couple days and see if we can get you some bras that fit a little better.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “Just make sure you keep the ones for your enhanced form, because sooner or later you’ll be able to use them again.”

I nodded at that and responded, “Okay.”

“Good,” aunt June told me with a grin. “Now try to focus. We still have some work to do.”

My friends and I were all gathered together, each of dressed up and showing off our costumes to each other. We were going to go to the party together in just a few minutes, but first we wanted to get together and get some pictures while we were still thinking about it.

Sylvie was currently dressed up as Kim Possible, having used a spell to turn her hair red for the night. Somehow, she’d talked Todd out of the Captain Kirk costume that he’d planned on wearing and had him dressed up as Kim Possible’s sidekick Ron instead. I had a feeling that some sort of childhood blackmail material had been used, perhaps the threat of revealing a really embarrassing story. If there was an embarrassing childhood story behind this, I would have to wring it out of her anyway.

Kimberly was dressed up as a vampire, having even found some glitter lotion for her skin, much to the disgust of everyone else. Eve had settled on using a spell to turn her skin blue and then dressing up as a human sized Smurfette. Of course, this Smurfette was a little hotter looking than she’d ever been in the cartoons.

I had succumbed to the urgings of my friends and was currently in succubus form. I was wearing a red skirt and top, had a pair of cheap looking plastic horns on my forehead, and I had a cheap looking plastic pitchfork that I was holding. Of course, I could have gone with realistic looking devil horns and pitchfork, but I was intentionally trying to tone things down so as not to scare anyone.

“I wonder,” Eve mused, looking at Kimberly with a curious look. “Is there such a thing as a Were vampire?”

“Not that I’ve ever heard of,” I told her. Then I gestured at myself and admitted, “I’d never heard of a Were succubus either until this happened…”

“That would be smurfing hilarious,” Eve exclaimed, getting into her role for the evening.

“How about a Were zombie?” Todd asked with a grin. “I mean, if a Were zombie bites someone, do they turn into a real zombie or a Were zombie? Or maybe, they just turn into a zombie until sunlight and then it breaks the curse…”

“Zombies are just animated corpses,” Sylvie argued. “Not a real species. I mean, wouldn’t that be like someone becoming a Were flu victim or something?”

After this, the conversation dropped away from Were zombies and went to straight zombie apocalypse. I shook my head as we all discussed this while making our way to the party. It might have been a silly conversation, but I suppose it was no different than the discussion Todd and I recently had over whether Babylon 5 or Deep Space 9 was the best TV series about a space station.

When we arrived at the gym where the party was being held, I saw that most of the other students had already arrived. They were gathered around in a variety of different costumes, many of which seemed to have used real magic in some way or another. One girl who was dressed like an angel had a glowing halo floating over her head. I waved at her, causing her to stop and stare at me for a moment before she burst out laughing and waved back.

“Look at that costume,” Eve blurted out, pointing to a guy in some kind of Godzilla outfit. It was a cheap rubber suit, just like in the old movies, except that this Godzilla was also breathing fire. “That’s totally smurfy.”

“Are you going to keep saying smurf every other word?” Sylvie asked her with an annoyed look.

“Smurfing A,” Eve responded with a smirk. “If you’ve got a smurfing problem with that, then you can kiss my smurf.”

“Now I’m starting to wish I’d come as Gargamel,” Todd commented, earning a chuckle from the rest of us.

We started walking around, admiring other people’s costumes and getting our own looked at as well. I got more than a few looks, though once they saw my plastic horns and pitch fork, they all seemed to relax and chuckle. My friends had all been right. In this kind of environment, I could be out in my Were form and no one really seemed bothered by it.

“That’s an awesome devil costume,” one boy told me with a grin. “It looks so real.”

“It does, doesn’t it,” I responded spreading my wings a bit.

His eyes widened for just a moment and then he grinned. “Awesome.”

“See,” Sylvie told me with a smug look. “I told you this was the perfect time to go out as a succubus.”

By this point, Kimberly and Eve had both wandered off. I’d last seen Kimberly walking away with some guy in a Mario costume while Eve was flirting with a girl in a Glenda the Good Witch costume. I would have liked it if Sylvie had gone as well so that I could have Todd to myself, but since she and Todd had matching costumes, she was making sure to stay close to him.

“Nice costume,” one girl said, without a hint of sarcasm.

“Thank you,” I told her. “You too.”

Then I saw Gayle, wearing a fancy ball gown and an old school masquerade mask. She looked like she was having a blast, dancing with a hot looking redhead in a sexy nurse outfit. I smiled and waved but Gayle was too distracted to notice me. Good for her.

While we were walking around mingling, I saw Monica talking with a boy in a generic superhero costume. She saw me and nodded before continuing her conversation. Kaellie seemed to have found a boy to talk to as well, which wasn’t surprising. She might have been a bit of a bitch, but she was still pretty cute. And then I saw Teressa, standing off to the side in a sexy cat costume, watching us with a dark look. I wasn’t sure who she was glaring at more, me or Todd.

“Uh oh,” I muttered, reaching for one of the beads on my bracelet and whispering, “Engage.” I felt a faint tingle as the spell activated but noticed no other indications. I just hoped that this spell I got from Gayle worked.

“Is it just me,” Todd asked with a scowl. “Or is that guy over there dressed up as a My Little Pony…”

“Didn’t you hear?” I asked Todd with as innocent a look as I could manage while being a succubus. “Rainbows and sparkles are latest in men’s fashion.”

Todd shuddered visibly. “No. Thank. You.”

I just laughed, then gave Todd a kiss. I was very careful to keep my tongue to myself and not to feed on anything but the external energy he directed towards me. As a succubus, I had several types of hungers to keep under control, but I was getting used to doing so.

Suddenly, there was a faint glow around my body which lasted for only a second. Todd jumped back and gasped, “What was that?”

“A failsafe,” I responded grimly, glancing to Teressa who had a look of expectation on her face that quickly turned to one of confusion and frustration.

Since I knew that Teressa had planned on pulling something at this party, I’d made sure to take some precautions. Specifically, I learned how to cast a spell that would create a brief shield around me, one that would only last for ten minutes before fading away. The shield served one purpose, protecting me from a single spell that targeted me. The spell had served its purpose and had burned out, leaving me vulnerable if Teressa tried another spell.

“Engage,” I whispered, activating the next token on my bracelet. It was another copy of the same spell.

“What’s going on?” Todd asked me with a serious look.

“Teressa,” Sylvie answered with a look of annoyance. “I’m guessing she just tried something.”

“Yep,” I agreed pleasantly. “I don’t know what though since my spell blocked it.”

“What are you going to do?” Sylvie asked with an angry look.

I shrugged. “I’m going to ignore her for now. Why let her ruin the party?” And with that, I gave Todd another kiss, this time giving him just a little tongue.

Three minutes later, my shield activated again. I immediately activated my third and final shield token, hoping that Teressa didn’t keep trying this because I’d only been able to cast the spell three times last night. It was nearly five more minutes before my shield activated again.

“I’m out of defenses,” I said, getting extremely annoyed by this time. “I think it’s time to deal with her.”

“About time,” Sylvie muttered.

My first impulse was to go over to Teressa and threaten her, perhaps even scare the shit out of her again. However, I remembered what had happened with that the last time, and doing so here in front of half the school would be worse than counter-productive. Instead, I would have to deal with her without looking like I was, without anyone seeing me attack her. Since Teressa had just been throwing spells at me from a distance, it only seemed fair that I return the favor.

I reached into the pouch on my belt and pulled out one of the polished stones inside, though I tried to be subtle about this and to act casual. I put my arm around Todd and gave him a good hug, then I winked at him and said, “Engage.”

I focused the spell on Teressa while trying to appear that I wasn’t paying attention to her. Then I grinned as the spell hit her. It was all I could do not to give a maniacal mad-scientist laugh, though I couldn’t resist smirking at least a little.

“What did you do?” Todd asked me.

“Just wait and see,” I responded with a grin. “This is a spell that I’ve been wanting to try out.”

I was a little afraid that Teressa was going to hit me with another spell before my own became noticeable. However, within just a minute Teressa began tugging at her costume uncomfortably. Another minute later, her costume was starting to look too small on her. Her developing muffin top was starting to hang out, turning a sexy cat costume into something of a joke.

“She’s getting fat,” Sylvie blurted out.

“A weight gain spell,” I agreed pleasantly. “It’s based off my grandma’s talent…but sort of slowed down. My grandma makes people blow up almost immediately but my aunt was teaching me how to modify spells...” I grinned evilly as I added, “This one takes longer to get the effect but it should last longer too.”

Teressa stared down at herself with a look of horror, then she glared at me before turning and hurrying away before anyone noticed that she had just gained thirty pounds and was still continuing to plump up. As it was, her costume looked like it was starting to tear so she wasn’t about to hang around and get revenge.

“She’ll probably gain another hundred pounds,” I said with a chuckle. “And she’ll probably be hiding in her room for the rest of the night.”

“Now that’s just playing dirty,” Sylvie said, looking quite impressed.

“Remind me not to get you mad at me,” Todd said carefully.

“Oh, I will,” I responded with a smirk, giving him another kiss and deciding not to mention what happens when I drain too much sexual energy from a guy. He was pretty brave to date someone like me, but I didn’t want to push the limits of that. “Now come on, the costume contest is coming up soon and I think I’m a shoo-in for best costume…”

I sat in front of my laptop, reading over an email I’d just received from Traci telling me that she was back home with her family and that everything was going fine. I’d also received a similar email from Vivian, assuring me that all the kidnapped Were had made it home safely and were doing well. However, they were all keeping an eye out and watching their backs in case Gregor and his people tried anything like that again.

Amylia was certain that Gregor would try this again, telling me that he wasn’t the kind of person who would give up easily. She’d been busy at work, trying to get her failsafe spell finished as quickly as possible. In fact, I was supposed to help her assemble the final spell tomorrow night, though I still didn’t understand what it would do.

Once I was done replying to the emails, I leaned back in my chair, feeling a little nervous as I thought about what was going to happen in just a little bit. It was easier to think of the events that had already happened earlier in the day.

Teressa had nearly attacked me in class today, still being pissed off about the costume party last night and screaming profanities. I just played innocent, and since she was too embarrassed to actually reveal the details behind her small…large problem, there was nothing anyone could do. However, this did result in another duel challenge from her, one that was scheduled to take place tomorrow after school.

To my surprise, I’d received a second challenge for a duel today as well, this one from a boy in my class. His motivation for challenging me wasn’t nearly as personal as Teressa’s and was actually something of a compliment. He just wanted to get into dueling, and since I’ve already dueled several times, he thought that I would be a good person to practice against. I was actually looking forward to it, thinking that it might be fun going into a duel that wasn’t personal.

After a minute of being distracted, I turned my attention to the tokens that were carefully spread out on my desk, organized by what spells they contained. Some of them were silly spells that I’d cast for practice while others contained spells that would be useful in case I got into trouble again. However, there was one token that I had yet to actually test, one that I’d been both eager and hesitant to use. I picked the stone up in my hand and stared at it for a moment before whispering the word that would activate it.

My body immediately began to change and reform, something which I had become very used to. Then I realized that I’d forgotten to remove my clothes and scrambled to do so as quickly as I could. In less than a minute, my transformation was over and I was once again in my male form.

“I’m me again,” I whispered as I looked down at myself. But even as I said that, I remembered what aunt June had told me, that no matter which form I was in, I was still me.

I felt my now flat chest, finding the absence of my breasts oddly disturbing. Then I reached between my legs, feeling my newly returned manhood and gulped. Even though I’ve had a penis for most of my life, it felt strangely out of place. It suddenly struck me that I felt completely awkward and uncomfortable like this. My body just felt…wrong.

“I’m a guy again,” I said, though in spite of how long I’d been looking forward to this, I just didn’t feel very happy about it. In fact, I was just eager for the spell to wear off so I could change back to normal. “I just hope no one sees me like this…especially Todd.”

I sat down and laughed at the irony of the situation. I’ve spent most of my life as guy and less than two months as girl, yet I now felt far more comfortable as a girl than as a guy. And after all that work I’d done in order to spend at least a little time as a guy again, all I could do was hope it wore off quickly. I also chuckled at the realization that I was more embarrassed about being seeing as a boy than as a succubus.

When my spell wore off a few minutes later and I transformed back to my plain form, I let out a sigh of relief. I felt my newly returned breasts and muttered, “I don’t think I’m gonna use that spell again.” Then I paused before adding, “At least not on myself.”

A few minutes later, I decided that it was time to begin getting ready. I’d already accepted that I was now female, but this brief experience had driven it home even more, letting me know that I wouldn’t go back even if I could. Now, it was time to make some others accept that I was now a girl as well.

I changed into my enhanced form then put on a nice pair of slacks, followed by a blouse which showed off my assets nicely…but not too much. I wanted something a bit nicer than my usual t-shirts for this, but I wasn’t quite ready to go with a dress. Once I was done getting dressed, I went to work with the makeup, keeping it light but tasteful, just as I’d been taught.

Once I was fully ready, I left my room and started for the hall of doors. I didn’t have to wait long before aunt June arrived. However, this time she wasn’t alone. Two other people stepped out of the gate right behind her, two people who made me very nervous to see.

“Erin,” mom exclaimed, grabbing me in a hug the instant she saw me.

“Hi mom,” I greeted her awkwardly, then gave a nervous look at my dad and added, “Hi dad.”

“You look…lovely,” mom said, with a gentle smile.

I stood there while my parents looked me over, feeling extremely nervous and self-conscious. I’ve been talking to them by email and on the phone, but this was the first time I’d seen them in person since coming to the Academy. I’d changed a great deal since then and wasn’t sure what they’d think of that, or if they’d even accept it.

After a moment, dad said, “It’s nice to see you again.” He gave me a hug, looking just a little self-conscious and awkward as well. “You’ve changed.”

“Of course she has,” mom quickly added, giving dad a warning look as though afraid he’d offend me. “She’s growing up.”

“Before we all go out to dinner,” aunt June said. “Perhaps Erin can show you around.”

I glared at aunt June who just gave me a faint smile, then I looked to my parents who still seemed a little uncertain as to how they should relate to me. This was one of the reasons we’d all decided to go out to dinner together, so we could talk and they could see how much I’ve changed. Since we were all going out together, they’d decided that now would also be a good time to come visit the Academy before we left for the restaurant mom had picked out.

Normally, visitors weren’t allowed on campus, not even parents. This was both for security reasons and to keep the students from being distracted by a flow of strangers through the Academy. Sponsors were considered part of the education process and almost as auxiliary staff, so were given free access to most of the school. Of course, there were exceptions, such as the occasional parents day, or in this case. Aunt June had gotten permission from Professor Roangard for my mom and dad to come after classes had ended for the day.

I began giving my parents a quick tour, noticing that dad was looking around with an expression of fascination. That just reminded me that this was the first time he’d ever been to the Academy. I had to imagine it was just as impressive to him as it had been to me when I first came here. I kept the tour short, pointing out the various buildings but actually taking them to see my dorm room themselves. But while I did that, I just wished that I’d thought to clean it up a little more first.

Mom looked over my dorm room, paying special attention to the makeup on the dresser and my feminine clothes. Then she gave me a speculative look and said, “So… We hear there’s a boy…”

I glared at aunt June, who was doing her best innocent look. “Um…yeah,” I admitted, knowing that I was blushing bright red.

“Does he know about…?” dad started, giving me a concerned look.

I just nodded self-consciously. “Yeah. He knows all about my being a succubus.”

“But what about…?” dad asked, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.

“He knows about that too,” I responded with a nervous smile.

Dad gave me an odd look for a moment before shaking his head. Then he joked, “I suppose that now I’ll have to buy a shotgun to intimidate your boyfriends with.”

“I see we really do have a lot to talk about over dinner,” mom said, giving me a faint smile and an odd look.

After this, we all made our way back towards the hall of doors so we could head out for dinner. We were just entering the building when we nearly bumped into Amylia, who was on her way out.

“Erin,” Amylia greeted me, giving a curious look at my parents, especially my dad.

“Amylia,” aunt June responded pleasantly.

“You’re Amylia?” dad asked in surprise. “Doctor Merchant told me that you helped save Erin from the kidnappers…”

“Is that all he told you?” Amylia asked carefully.

“He said that you were a sorceress,” dad responded with a chuckle. “And that he thought you were very attractive.”

“He did?” Amylia responded, looking quite pleased at that.

Dad just grinned and said, “Thank you so much for taking care of Erin…”

“It was my pleasure,” Amylia told him, giving me a look of pride. “But it was Erin who played the largest role in our escape. She was the one who discovered how to break free of our cages.”

“Really?” dad asked, giving me a look of surprise and then pride.

“Doctor Merchant did say that we should have a talk with you,” mom said, giving Amylia a curious look. “In fact, he was rather insistent on that.”

Amylia nodded faintly, looking at my dad again with an expression that might have been disappointment that he didn’t already know who she was. “Edward was right about that,” she finally replied. “We do need to have a talk.”

Amylia looked a little uncertain as to where to go from there so I said, “We’re having a full moon party next week. Do you want to come?”

“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a full moon party,” aunt June quickly added with a chuckle. “It’s a Were thing where they celebrate the full moon.”

“Good food and good conversation,” dad agreed pleasantly, then gave a wink as he added, “And then we go out and howl at the moon.”

“You’re more than welcome to come,” mom assured her, probably wondering why I’d invite a teacher to a family party. “I know you’re not a Were, but neither am I. It might be nice having someone to talk to after everyone else turns furry.”

Amylia gave me an odd look, hesitating for several very long seconds before answering, “I think I’d like that.” She had an amused smile as she added, “The full moon should be the perfect time for our discussion.”

“Good,” mom responded with a broad smile. “You can tell me all about how Erin is doing in class.”

“Erin is doing quite well,” Amylia quickly assured them. She looked to aunt June and said, “She started out behind the other students but has worked hard and is now ahead of many of her classmates.” Then Amylia looked to my parents again, especially my dad. “I can assure you that what we have to discuss is important to me, but is not related to Erin’s grades.”

“Now you have me curious,” aunt June said, obviously wondering why Amylia wanted to bypass her and talk to my parents directly. After all, aunt June was my sponsor at the Academy so most concerns should have gone to her.

Amylia just smiled faintly, then looked at me. “Enjoy the time with your family, Erin. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” And with that, Amylia turned and walked away.

“What was that about?” aunt June asked me with a slightly suspicious look. “Do you know?”

I hesitated a moment before nodding. Then I quickly explained, “But it’s not my place to say. You’ll have to ask her yourself.”

“I think I will,” aunt June mused, looking to my dad and saying, “I hope you don’t mind one more at that party.”

“Not at all,” dad responded with a grin. “I have a feeling that this will be interesting.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered.

“Now,” mom abruptly said, looking at me with a gleam in her eyes. “Tell me about this boy you’re seeing…” I just gulped, suddenly having a feeling that it was going to be a long dinner.

I stood in my dorm room, staring down at the tokens that were spread out on my desk. Without a word, I slowly began to pick out the ones I wanted, slipping the stones into one of three pouches that were currently tied to my waist. The ones that were contained in jewelry went into place next. After I was finished, I was fully armed and ready for my upcoming duel with Teressa.

Once I was ready, I allowed my thoughts to wander back to last night and the dinner I’d had with my family. It had been filled with questions about Todd and just about everything else about my life at the Academy. My mom and dad had spent most of the meal probing me to see how much I’d changed and to get a feel for who I’d become. It seemed to surprise them a bit when they finally realized that I was no longer a guy in a girl’s body, but that I truly had become female.

When dinner was over and I’d returned to the Academy, I’d changed into my succubus form and spent the rest of the night working. I spent part of that time working on the homework Amylia had given me and the rest planning on how to deal with Teressa. I knew that if I wanted to get her off my back for good, I was going to have to go big…bigger than I ever have before. My goal was not just to beat her, but to convince her once and for all not to mess with me.

For a brief time, I’d actually considered delaying the duel until the sun set. Then, I could turn succubus on her, and maybe even turn her male and feed on her. That might have scared her away from me for good, but also would have undone all the work I’d been doing to try convincing everyone that I wasn’t a monster. Even Amylia wouldn’t tolerate me doing that. That idea had been thrown out quickly, but I did have others that appealed to me as well.

“Don’t get too attached to a single strategy,” I reminded myself of some advice Gayle had given me. “Be flexible and ready to adjust at a moment’s notice.” Then I repeated one more piece of advice that Gayle had given me, one that I’d also learned the hard way. “Don’t get cocky or underestimate your opponent.”

I looked myself over one more time and then started for the gym. I arrived a few minutes later, seeing that the audience was already starting to gather. Since everyone in school knew there was a feud between Teressa and me, our grudge match was getting a lot more attention than another duel might. There were even several teachers present to watch, including Amylia.

Mrs. Khuto was the referee again, which was appropriate since she’d been the referee the last time I’d dueled Teressa. She could be tough, but she was always by the book so I knew that she would enforce all the rules without bias to either side. She carefully looked over the bracelets and the duel circle to verify all the safety precautions were still intact while Teressa and I stood there glaring at each other.

“I’m gonna beat you even worse this time,” Teressa spat at me angrily while I just stood there, trying to give my best innocent look.

“Go and kick her ass,” Sylvie called out to me while Todd, Eve, and Kimberly cheered out encouragements.

“Good luck,” Gayle called out from where she was standing.

Kaellie wasn’t about to be outdone and yelled out to Teressa, “Send this freak home in a body bag…” Surprisingly, Monica gave her friend a quick glare.

Teressa and I put on the silver bracelets and stepped into the circle. As soon as Mrs. Khuto called out, “Begin,” we both sprang into action.

I grabbed two stone tokens at once and called out, “Engage,” activating them both simultaneously. One of them was a spell shield like what I’d used at the party while the other sent a blast of wind straight at Teressa to try blowing her out of the circle.

Teressa dropped to her knees to fight against the wind, but had already activated one of her own tokens at the same time I had. A ball of green light appeared in the air and shot towards me. I dove to the side but the ball changed directions in mid-air and hit me anyway. My shield glowed for a moment to let me know it had protected me, then it vanished along with the ball. Teressa looked annoyed, which made me wonder what that attack would have done if I hadn’t been protected.

“Invoke,” Teressa cried out and suddenly the stone in my hand crumbled away before I could activate it. I already knew the stones in my pouches would have been destroyed too since she’d probably been using the same stone shattering spell Kaellie had used against me in our last duel.

“Frak,” I muttered in annoyance, even though I’d been expecting that move. I decided that I was definitely going to have to learn a way to ward my pouches to protect the tokens inside from this kind of thing in the future. Fortunately, I had come prepared. I touched one of the beads on my wrist and said, “Engage.”

I was eager to see Teressa start plumping up again like she had last night, but to my surprise, there were three identical copies of her standing there. My spell hit one of the three Teressas and that one vanished. The other two Teressas laughed at that. Teressa had obviously improved a great deal since our last deal, but then again, so had I.

“Eat fire,” I yelled out, activating another one of my tokens while Teressa did the same.

A disk of light appeared in the air in front of the two Teressas, probably some sort of shield to protect against a fireball. However, in spite of what I’d yelled, it wasn’t fire that I’d summoned. That had just been a distraction. A large illusion snake appeared between the two of us. Both Teressas shrieked and jumped back, but stopped just before they went through the circle.

“At least I made them waste their shield,” I muttered, annoyed that this hadn’t worked.

The Teressas activated another token and a humanoid figure made out of fire appeared in front of them and started to stumble towards me. I had no idea if this was an illusion, a conjuring, or real fire that had been formed into that shape. Because of that, I had to assume the worst.

I activated one of the bead tokens on my bracelet and suddenly I disappeared in a puff of smoke, at least as far as everyone else was concerned. This stage trick I got from aunt June would make me invisible for a few seconds and I didn’t waste them. I ran around the fire monster and punched one of the Teressas, making that one vanish along with my invisibility. I grimaced in frustration and swung at the other Teressa, the real one, but she staggered backwards and hit the ground. She quickly got back up, activating one of her tokens in the process. There was no effect that I could see and that worried me a little.

The fire creature was coming towards me again so I had to back away from Teressa. Fortunately, it moved slow enough that I could avoid it. Unfortunately, avoiding this thing was a distraction that I really didn’t need. While I was backing away and trying to think of what to do next, Teressa activated another of her tokens, sending a blast of water at me, either trying to hit me and blast me out of the circle, or forcing me to avoid it and get closer to the fire creature.

“Why don’t you give up now,” Teressa taunted as I avoided both the water blast and the fire creature. I’d hoped I could somehow get them in contact with each other, but the water blast stopped before I could figure out how. “You know I’m going to kick your ass, you ugly monster…”

“Now that’s just being mean,” I spat out, activating a token and sending a wave of freezing cold towards her. Ice began to coat everything and she shivered and moved out of the way. I decided that it was time for my secret weapon, something that I’d spent half the night putting together. It was pretty risky to use, especially since I’ve never even tested it out. I reached for the token and stated, “Engage.”

There was a faint shimmer around my body for a second as my spell shield clicked into place. However, that wasn’t the only effect. This was my first attempt at creating a chain spell on my own, though it was a very simple one with three links in the chain. The second spell that triggered immediately afterwards was to create a brilliant flash of light that would blind an unsuspecting opponent, and then the last spell activated and I found myself being thrown across the duel circle, straight at Teressa.

Teressa was stunned from the flash and caught completely by surprise by my flying tackle. I hit her hard enough that we’d both probably get some bruises, but I sent her flying back to the edge of the circle. But as soon as Teressa hit the circle, she abruptly stopped, almost as though hitting an invisible wall.

“You’re not getting me out of this circle,” Teressa exclaimed with a smirk.

I grimaced, realizing that this had to be an effect from that one spell that hadn’t appeared to do anything. She’d somehow blocked herself from being able to be knocked out of the circle. That seemed unfair to me but Mrs. Khuto didn’t call out a foul so I assumed it was within the rules, just like destroying your opponents tokens were.

“It looks like I’ll have to take this bastich the hard way,” I muttered in frustration. If I couldn’t knock her out of the circle, I’d have to make her cry uncle.

I glanced to the fire creature but it was already starting to fade away. Teressa reached into her pouch and pulled out two more tokens, activating both of them at the same time. The ground started to shake as though in an earthquake and then there was a blast of raw force that might have thrown me out of the circle if my spell shield hadn’t countered it.

“Why won’t you just lose?” Teressa nearly screamed at me.

I just spat back, “I’ll be damned if I’ll lose again to a jealous little bitch like you…”

“You’re not even human,” Teressa snarled. “You’re a monster… You don’t belong here…”

I glared at Teressa furiously, then dodged to the side as she sent a ball of fire at me. Both of us were getting pretty low on tokens as well as options, but neither of us was about to give up. This fight had become too personal and each of us would fight to our very last token if necessary. And beyond.

“Not human,” I exclaimed with an almost evil grin. “Thanks for reminding me…”

With that, I reached for Vera and the spell contained within. I’d spent half the night working on that chain spell and the other half working on this one. It was the most powerful and complicated spell I’d ever tried, requiring me to not only be in succubus form but to also channel in every ounce of stored sexual energy I could absorb and pour into it. It had been a challenge for myself, just to see if I could possibly pull it off. I hadn’t tested it yet so had no idea if I’d even been successful. And though I hadn’t planned on trying it in this duel, I didn’t really have anything to lose.

“Engage,” I exclaimed, unleashing the spell on Teressa.

Teressa gasped and then dropped to her knees, suddenly not looking very good. In just a moment, I saw that she was shrinking, getting smaller as her body began to change and transform. Her hair pulled up and into her scalp while her skin took on a sickly green color. I watched in awe, hardly able to believe that it was actually working. Less than a minute later, there was a frog in the middle of a pile of Teressa’s clothes.

I slowly walked over to Teressa, who tried frantically to hop away, though I easily got her and held her up in my hand. “Who’s not human now?” I demanded of her. Then I exclaimed loud enough for most of the stunned audience to hear, “Oooh, you’re so slimy. I just hope you don’t give me any warts…”

“Teressa is incapable of continuing,” Mrs. Khuto announced. “The duel is over…” But instead of announcing my win, she added, “But I have concerns over the use of that last spell.”

“Hey, that was perfectly fair,” Sylvie yelled out angrily.

Mrs. Khuto gave me a suspicious look and said, “That transformation spell would be a class nine…well beyond the amount of magic you can draw.” She paused to stare at me with an intent look before adding, “I have serious questions as to whether you cast that spell yourself.”

“You cheated,” Kaellie screamed out.

“Cheater,” another student yelled.

“I did not cheat,” I protested angrily, seeing the squirming frog back down before I lost my temper and did something like throw her across the room. “I cast that spell myself…”

“Please explain how someone on record as a class four or five is capable of casting a class nine spell,” Mrs. Khuto said.

Just then, Amylia came up and said, “I believe I can explain that.”

Mrs. Khuto looked at her curiously. “Please do.”

Amylia gave her a faint nod before saying, “I have recently been giving Erin additional tutoring, at her own request, on how to perform rituals. She was interested in expanding her range of spells.” Then in a quieter tone so that the entire audience didn’t hear, she added, “Erin is also capable of drawing a greater amount of magic when in her alternate form. I believe she classifies as a class seven or eight. Using a ritual while in her other form would provide enough magic for her to cast a high end transformation spell of this nature.”

Mrs. Khuto stared at me for a moment and then looked back to Amylia. “Erin has demonstrated advanced pattern manipulation skills in class and I believe that constructing a pattern of this complexity is not beyond her skills. You have confirmed that she would be capable of acquiring enough magic to form the spell, and she is on record as exceeding known limits before. My objections are withdrawn.” And then in a louder voice, she called out, “Erin is the winner.”

There was some cheering at that as well as some yelling from people who weren’t happy about the outcome. But to my surprise, most of the reaction seemed positive. My friends immediately rushed to me, patting me on the back and congratulating me. Other classmates, a few of which were virtual strangers, came up and did the same thing as well.

Teressa had just finished changing back and was frantic, though Kaellie and Monica were covering her up and ushering her out of the gym as fast as possible. I might have gloated a bit more at the sight if Todd hadn’t given me a celebratory kiss.

“Congratulations,” Amylia told me once the crowd began to disperse a little. “That chain spell was quite impressive for one of your experience.” She gave me a look of pride at that and then added, “Very well done.”

I grinned proudly at that, then on a sudden impulse, I gave Amylia a hug. When I pulled away, she looked a little startled but not at all upset. She chuckled and wandered away while I went and gave the rest of my friends hugs as well. After beating Teressa like this, I was definitely in a good mood.

I sat at my usual table in the cafeteria, surrounded by my friends as we ate lunch. Every once in awhile, another student would come by and congratulate me on my victory against Teressa yesterday. It kept surprising me each time it happened and I couldn’t help but wondering if this was what it was like being popular.

“Man, the look on her face when she started turning into a frog,” Sylvie exclaimed with a loud laugh. “That was awesome…”

“I still think it should count as cheating if you make it so you can’t be knocked out of the circle,” Kimberly said.

“Or destroying tokens,” Eve agreed. “That should be against the rules too…”

I just nodded absently, though I wasn’t really paying much attention to my friends at the moment. Instead, my thoughts were on last night and the work I’d done with Amylia on her spell. Of course, she was the one who really did all the work. All I did was form a ritual and provide extra magic for her while she worked.

Amylia and I had gone to her study in the hall of sorcerers, a study that was three times the size of my own. We’d both changed into Were form since we could draw more magic, then we’d gone to work. We spent almost the entire night working on this before Amylia was able to finish the spell and store it in a token. And even after all that, I still wasn’t sure what the spell did.

“She does like her secrets,” I muttered to myself with a sigh.

“What’s that?” Todd asked me.

“Nothing,” I told him with a smile. “Just thinking about a project I was working on.”

“Like that frog spell?” Eve asked me with a curious look. “How in the world did you ever manage to make that one?”

“It’s based off my aunt’s talent,” I explained with a grin. “When she gave me the spell diagrams for it, she didn’t think I’d ever be able to cast it.” Then I hesitated and admitted, “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to cast it either.’

“So how’d you do it?” Eve asked eagerly.

“The pattern part was pretty challenging,” I admitted. “I mean, it was the most complicated spell I’ve ever worked and I wasn’t even sure I did it right until I used it on Teressa. And as for getting the raw magic for something like that…” I grinned at her and added, “I can draw a lot more magic when I’m in succubus form…and I have a few tricks for getting even more.”

Before I could really explain, I heard another student yell out, “Hey slimy… Ribbit ribbit.”

I looked over and saw the boy teasing Teressa, who was trying to eat lunch with her friends. Teressa looked pissed off, and I didn’t really blame her. Our classmates had been doing that to her all morning long, teasing her about having been turned into a frog. If she hadn’t been such a bitch, I probably would have felt sorry for her. As it was, after she’d tormented me so much, it was nice seeing her be targeted by it for a change.

“You have GOT to keep a copy of that spell on you,” Sylvie told me with a smug look. “The next time that bitch causes trouble, you can send her right back to the lily pad.”

“You know, she’s only going to come after you again,” Todd told me with a serious look.

Suddenly, I heard Monica yell, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

I snapped around only to see Monica and Teressa standing up at their table and arguing with each other. “What’s your problem?” Teressa demanded of her angrily.

“I can’t believe you’d ask me to do something like that,” Monica snapped at her, just as furious. “I’m not doing something like that again…not for you are anyone else.” Then Teressa said something that I couldn’t make out, but Monica responded, “I’m your friend…not your lackey. And I’m sick and tired of you dragging me into your drama.”

Nearly everyone in the cafeteria was staring at them while Kaellie kind of backed up, looking uncertain as to what to do now that her friends were fighting each other. Teressa and Monica just stood there glaring at each other, looking almost as though each was about to physically attack the other. I hope it didn’t come to that since Teressa was a sorceress while Monica didn’t have anything except her talent of making people naked. But if it came to a fight between those two, I was definitely rooting for Monica.

Sylvie leaned over and whispered, “What in the world is that about?”

“No clue,” I responded.

Teressa snarled, “I can’t believe you’re just going to let that monster walk around here…”

“God damn it,” Monica responded. “You’re starting to sound like my brother, and he got kicked out of here because of that.”

“They’re fighting about you,” Todd said unnecessarily.

“I can’t believe you’re on HER side,” Teressa spat out furiously. “You saw what she did to me…”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Monica snapped back. “And if you remember right, you were the one who started the fight with her. I can’t believe I came back here just to get this…” Then she glared at Teressa for a moment before exclaiming, “I am so sick of this shit…”

And with that, Monica turned and walked out of the cafeteria while Teressa glared at her the entire time. Once Monica was gone, Teressa turned her glare to me, as though the argument with her friend was entirely my fault. Maybe it really was in her mind since she seemed to blame everything else on me.

“Wow,” Sylvie told me a moment later. “That was…interesting.”

“To put it mildly,” Eve agreed.

As lunch ended and we got up to leave, I reminded everyone, “Don’t forget, I’m cooking dinner again tonight…” Then I gave each of them a grin and added, “But next time, it’s someone else’s turn.”

When I got to the next class and took my seat, Mrs. Khuto began her lecture. “There are certain techniques that we have yet to teach you,” she told the class. “Yet it has been brought to my attention that you should be aware that they exist. I will not teach you these techniques at this time, just provide you with brief descriptions of what they are.”

Mrs. Khuto started off by talking about chain spells and then mentioning scatter spells, which seems to actually be a little closer to what Amylia was working on. I listened curiously, though most of what she talked about wasn’t new. I’d already learned a lot more than that from working with Amylia and from reading the books she’d given me.

Then Mrs. Khuto announced, “Rituals are another useful technique you may choose to employ in the future.” She looked directly at me and said, “Erin. If you would tell the class what a ritual is.”

I slowly stood up, feeling self-conscious as the entire class was now staring at me. I looked at Mrs. Khuto, who was watching me with a calm expression, realizing that she was testing me. After what had happened at the duel, she wanted to confirm for herself that I knew enough about rituals to use one.

“A ritual is a way to gather raw magical energy and briefly store it,” I explained, trying to remember everything I’d learned about rituals from Amylia and the book she’d given me. “You can then use this extra energy when casting spells, allowing you to cast a spell of a higher class than you would normally…”

Mrs. Khuto nodded for me to continue so I did so, explaining the basic theory behind how a ritual worked as well as describing how inefficient they were and how little magic you got back compared to what you put in. When I finished a few minutes later, Mrs. Khuto nodded again, seeming to be pleased, though it was hard to tell for sure since she wasn’t a very expressive person.

Sylvie stared at me for a moment before saying, “So that’s how you cast that frog spell…” Then she grinned and told me, “You have GOT to show me how you do one of those rituals.”

“Sure,” I responded with a grin of my own. “But you’ll have to spend an extra three hours just to go up one class level.”

After Mrs. Khuto was finished putting me on the spot, she returned to her normal lecture, covering a few more types of techniques that I’d never even heard of. I listened intently, wondering when they would really start to cover some of that stuff in class. I decided that I’d have to ask aunt June about a few of those.

When classes were over for the day, I decided to take a walk to stretch my legs and clear my head. I’d begun doing this every few days, going to the beach or to the wooded side of the island. Today, I started for the small lake, and the bench that overlooked it. It was always peaceful to sit there and let the events of the day wash away before I focused on whatever work aunt June or Amylia had for me to do that evening.

I reached the lake and bench a short time later, only to see that I wasn’t the first person there. Someone else was already there, hunched over on the bench. When I got closer, I was startled to see that it was Monica. Her eyes were red and puffy and it looked like she’d been crying.

Monica noticed me and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Erin,” she greeted me awkwardly.

“Um…sorry,” I said uncomfortably. “I’ll go…”

“No,” Monica said with a wry smile that was obviously forced. “You can stay. I was just about to go anyway…”

Monica began getting up and I couldn’t resist asking, “Are you okay?”

She hesitated for a moment before responding, “I’ll be fine…” Then she stared at me for a moment before adding, “But you should watch out. Teressa is really after you now.”

“I figured she would be,” I responded with a sigh. “I’d hoped that after I beat her badly in the duel, that would end it… But instead, she’s even more pissed off.” I snorted. “She’s frakking nuts.”

“Frakking?” Monica asked, giving me a curious look. Then she chuckled. “Yeah, she kind of is. She didn’t used to be, but it’s just been getting worse and worse. To be honest, she reminds me a bit too much of my brother.”

“Marcus,” I said grimly, trying to keep the venom from my voice so I didn’t offend her too badly.

Monica nodded absently. “I know you think he’s probably some kind of fanatic,” she told me weakly. Then she paused before adding. “He didn’t used to be. He wasn’t always like that. When we were kids, I always looked up to him. He was smart, athletic, and always looked out for me. He used to love adventure stories about heroes and he used to say he was going to be just like them when he grew up. And when Merlin offered to be his sponsor…it really looked like he was on the road to it.”

“Merlin?” I asked in surprise. “As in the King Arthur Merlin?”

“He’s not the original Merlin,” Monica told me with a weak chuckle. “I think he’s the heir of the original, or something like that. Anyway, he’s really powerful…and I guess he’d have to be to be that old. He’s one of the oldest sorcerers alive.”

“When nine hundred years old you are,” I started, quoting my favorite Muppet.

“Look so good you will not,” Monica finished for me before chuckling. “Anyway, Marcus wanted to be a hero and I guess having Merlin as his sponsor sort of convinced him he was. It sort of went to his head and all…” She shrugged at that. “Then he decided that another student was some kind of evil super villain or something and actually tried killing her. The whole ends justifies the means thing.”

“Damn,” I muttered, remembering what I’d been told about Gayle being the target of that attack. When I’d told her about Marcus being involved in my kidnapping, she’d gotten a look of cold anger on her face but hadn’t said anything. “Amylia told me that Marcus always thought he was doing the right thing.”

“But his head is so far up his ass that all he can see is shit,” Monica responded with a bitter snort. “He’s my brother, but even I have to admit he got off pretty light. They just kicked him out of the Academy. Mom and dad were furious at him…and disappointed. They used to be all Marcus this and Marcus that… Now they practically pretend he doesn’t exist.”

I just nodded at that, not sure what to say. Then I hesitantly pointed out, “But you went to him after you left the Academy.”

Monica winced at that, suddenly looking ashamed. “I was afraid my parents would kick me out too,” she admitted quietly. “I didn’t want to face them and…” She paused for a moment before quietly saying, “I just got so carried away with everything that was going on, and then I got scared.” She gave me an embarrassed look. “I guess I forgot what he was like and sort of assumed that he was the only one who understood…

“That sounds rough,” I said sympathetically.

Monica just stared at the ground in silence with an almost pained look on her face. “I’m really sorry,” she told me quietly. “I just got so caught up in all that drama…I was acting like a total bitch… I’d always told myself that I’d never do the kind of things he did…”

“It’s okay,” I told her, hesitating a moment before putting a reassuring hand on hers. “Everyone gets carried away sometimes. I know I did.” I winced slightly as I remembered the look of terror on Monica’s face when I’d turned succubus in front of everyone for the first time. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re square.” Then I grinned and added, “But admittedly, I wouldn’t mind a replacement for my favorite shirt.”

“You’ve got it,” Monica responded with a laugh. Then she smiled and told me, “Thank you.”

“So,” I asked, just a little awkwardly. “Do you want to eat dinner with me and my friends tonight?”

“I think I’ll avoid the cafeteria,” Monica answered apologetically. “I don’t want to run into Teressa or Kaellie. We kind of had an argument.”

I gave a wry smile and responded, “I think I heard something about that.”

“She wanted me to help ambush you again,” Monica admitted awkwardly.

I just nodded at that, not at all surprised after what I’d heard in the cafeteria. “Then it’s a good thing we’re not eating in the cafeteria,” I told her with a grin. Then I grabbed her by the hand and started leading her back towards the dorms. “Come on…”

“But…,” Monica protested weakly, looking a little startled. “Why would you invite me?”

I gave her an evil grin and answered, “Because someone has to peel potatoes…”

It was strange being back home for the first time in nearly two months, but also nice. Everything was almost exactly as I’d last seen it, especially my room, but it all felt subtly different now. My room, for example, was the same as it had been when I left, but it was definitely a boy’s room and no longer quite fit me.

Dad had wanted to keep the party fairly small so he hadn’t invited too many people. However, I think he’d intended this to be a sort of coming out for me. He wanted to show me off to some of the other family who hadn’t seen me since before my awakening…and before my change. As a result, the aunts, uncles, and cousins who were present kept staring at me, unsure of what to think.

“Aaron?” my cousin Ron exclaimed when she saw me. He was a couple years older than me and was the closest person here to my own age. He stared at me in surprise and asked, “Is that you?”

“No,” I responded sarcastically, trying to cover how self-conscious I felt. “Dad just started inviting a bunch of random school girls.”

Ron laughed at that. “Dude, it really is you.”

I gestured down at myself and said, “I’m not a dude anymore.”

“No shit,” Ron responded, still staring at me. “I mean, it’s hard to believe you could just turn into a girl like that…”

I talked with Ron for a minute, giving him vague answers to his questions about what it was like being a girl and going to the Academy. Then I excused myself from him and went to Amylia, who was standing by the wall, staring at a family photo that hung from it.

“Is this what you used to look like?” Amylia asked me, gesturing to the picture of me.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “Mom and dad don’t really have any pictures of the new me, but I think they plan on taking some tonight.”

“You looked a great deal like you do in your normal form,” Amylia commented with a faint smile. Then she turned and looked over the gathering party, having a strange look on her face.

Several of the people here were from Amylia’s bloodline, though not all of them. I’d already made sure to introduce her to each of the people who were from her bloodline while she made sure to mingle and meet the other Were present as well.

“I just wish I could have invited Traci and the others,” I said, thinking that it would have been cool having more people who were closer to my own age.

“Having Traci here would be…problematic,” Amylia commented with a look of amusement.

“I know,” I responded with a bright blush. “Especially with mom and dad…” I shuddered at the thought of what they’d think if they saw me and Traci both go Were at the same time. Or at least, at what they’d think about what would come next.

Amylia and I went to the kitchen where mom and aunt June were busy talking with each other while mom finished preparing dinner. As a few of the only non Were present, they felt a little left out, and the full moon hadn’t even risen.

The only other non Were at the party was my dad’s cousin Mike. He was of mixed parentage and had taken after his normal father rather than his Were mom. Unfortunately for him, being a normal in a family of Were, everyone felt sorry for him and looked on him almost as though he was crippled, though everyone was too polite to say so to his face. However, he never let it bother him and always joked that he was just a Were human and his alternate form just happened to look like his normal one.

“Amylia,” aunt June greeted her when she saw us.

“I imagine this might seem a little strange to you,” mom told Amylia with a smile.

“I’m not quite as unfamiliar with Were as that,” Amylia responded with a wry smile. “In fact, I was recently at another party full of mythics…”

“Oh yeah,” mom responded with a forced chuckle. “I almost forgot.”

It was just then that Vivian came over, giving Amylia an odd look. Of course, she was the only one besides myself who knew Amylia’s secret, having learned about it from Dr. Merchant and the others. So far, Vivian had kept it to herself, but I didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to contain a secret like that.

“It’s nice to see you again,” Vivian greeted Amylia, then smiled at me.

“Is Edward coming by any chance?” Amylia asked Vivian casually, though I could see the interest in her eyes.

“No,” Vivian responded with a pleasant thing. “This is more of a family thing.”

Amylia nodded and gave a faint smile, though she looked a little disappointed. “I do appreciate the invitation,” she told my mom. “I know it must seem inappropriate for one of Erin’s teachers to intrude in a family affair, but I assure you, my motivations are anything but.”

After this, I left Amylia’s side while she continued mingling with the guests, taking extra time to talk with my dad. I noticed that there was a lot less suspicion towards her than there’d been at the last party, though that was to be expected. Everyone here already knew my mom fairly well and most had previously met aunt June. The guests here were more familiar with the Touched, which seemed to make all the difference.

“I heard about your changes,” aunt Susan said as she came over to me and looked me over. “You look quite lovely.”

“Thank you,” I responded self-consciously. It was a little awkward to have people who knew me before my change seeing me like this for the first time.

“If I didn’t know better,” she said pleasantly. “I’d think you were a real girl.”

I froze at that, suddenly feeling hurt. “But I am a real girl,” I blurted out before turning and running to my room.

When I threw myself on my bed, I was startled to realize that I was crying. I wasn’t even sure why since I’d been insulted far worse than that by Teressa and others, and this time it hadn’t even been intentional. But for some reason, that simple comment seemed to have hit me harder than any of those other taunts.

Aunt June came into my room half a minute later, exclaiming, “Erin, are you all right?” Then she came over and put a hand on my shoulder, adding, “I saw what happened…”

“I know,” I protested, wiping the tears away in embarrassment. “I’m overreacting…”

“Maybe,” aunt June agreed, giving me a gentle hug. “But that’s pretty normal for a girl your age.” I smiled weakly at that while she continued, “Your mom is having a little talk with Susan right now, and for a moment, I almost thought Amylia was going to curse her.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

“Really,” aunt June answered with a smile. “I don’t know why she’s taken such a liking to you, but you’d almost think that Susan had just insulted her favorite grand-child or something…”

I stared at aunt June in surprise for a moment, then realized that she still didn’t know about Amylia yet. I giggled a little at that. “She has been really nice and understanding,” I told aunt June.

“Well come on,” aunt June told me with a smile. “Dinner’s ready and it looks fantastic.”

A few minutes later, I was sitting down at the dinner table, nearly drooling over the delicious smelling food. Aunt Susan had apologized as soon as I’d come out of my bedroom and actually looked bothered by the way she’d hurt my feelings. However, Ron was now giving me really odd looks across the table, perhaps realizing now that my changes were more than just skin deep.

“Is there something wrong?” mom asked Amylia in a concerned tone when she noticed that Amylia wasn’t touching her beef wellington.

“The food is delicious,” Amylia responded with a smile. “But I’m afraid I don’t eat beef.”

“I didn’t know you were a vegetarian,” aunt June responded with a faint look of surprise.

“I’m not,” Amylia told her, giving my mom a wry smile. “It’s only beef that I won’t eat. You see, my mother was a cow.” That earned a few week chuckles until Amylia added, “Or I should say, she was a cow during the full moon.”

Suddenly, the table went silent and everyone stared at Amylia in surprise. “Your mother was a Were?” aunt June asked, staring at Amylia as though she thought she might be joking.

“She died when I was extremely young,” Amylia explained, looking straight at my dad. “I never really knew her or any of the Were part of my family.”

“So, you’re a Halfling,” dad commented, suddenly looking much more interested in Amylia.

“Actually, no,” Amylia responded, casually taking a bite from some of the food on her plate. “I’m a hybrid, like Erin.”

There was a moment of silence before aunt June burst out laughing. “For a moment, you had me,” aunt June told her, obviously not believing Amylia’s claim.

I was about to protest that Amylia was telling the truth but then I noticed that Amylia was watching aunt June’s reaction with a look of amusement. Everyone else seemed to have taken their cue from aunt June and assumed that Amylia had been joking as well. Then I realized that whether everyone believed her or not wasn’t important. They’d get to see for themselves once the sun set in a little while.

After this, the conversation drifted until Amylia abruptly said, “I wasn’t aware if you knew this, but Erin just won a rather large duel against another student a few days ago. She won by turning her opponent into a frog.” Then she looked to aunt June and said, “If I remember right, that was a specialty of yours.”

“Congratulations,” mom and dad both exclaimed while other people at the table added similar sentiments.

Aunt June just stared at me with a look of surprise. “But that spell is way above your class level,” aunt June protested, obviously being confused.

“Your tutoring of Erin has been quite admirable,” Amylia told aunt June with a look of amusement. “She entered the Academy behind her classmates but is now ahead of most of them.”

Aunt June didn’t know what to say to that, though she obviously appreciated Amylia’s complimenting of her tutoring efforts. Mom and dad both just looked at me proudly. However, the subject of the frog spell resulted in Amylia telling a story about when aunt June had been a student at the Academy and accidentally turned the boy she was kissing into a frog.

“After that, young Calvin was stuck with the nickname of the Frog Prince for the rest of his time there,” Amylia continued her story, looking to a very embarrassed aunt June and adding, “And if I remember right, most of the other boys avoided you for the rest of the school year…”

“Thank you for reminding me of that,” aunt June said, looking less than pleased about it. Then she had a look of dark amusement in her eyes as she asked Amylia, “So, has anyone ever guessed your last name?”

At the blank looks from everyone else, Amylia explained, “I gave up my last name after a…messy divorce.”

“Define messy,” aunt Susan asked with a smirk.

“He tried to kill me and our son,” Amylia answered grimly, earning several gasps. “A few years back, someone…,” she paused to give aunt June a pointed look, “spread the story around the Academy that if anyone was able to guess my last name, I would grant any favor they requested.” Amylia gave a loud snort at that. “Now about once a month, a student comes up and starts guessing what my last name once was.”

“And has anyone ever guessed it?” dad asked curiously.

“Erin knows what it is,” Amylia responded with a look of amusement.

“And what is it?” aunt June asked with a curious look of her own. Vivian just sat there with a smirk, obviously already knowing the answer, thanks to Dr. Merchant.

“I think I will answer that one in a little while,” Amylia answered carefully.

After this, the rest of dinner continued without event and before long, everyone was starting to get ready for the sunset. Most of the guests went into one of the back rooms and changed into a bathrobe, though a few seemed perfectly content to undress in front of everyone. I could tell that nearly all of our guests were watching me with expectant looks, obviously looking forward to seeing what I looked like when I changed. All that attention just made me a bit nervous.

Everyone went out to the back porch to wait, including those who would not change. I could feel my succubus squirming inside, eager to come out and play. And then it happened and I began to change, along with nearly everyone else. I grinned at that, excited for the sense of freedom that came with being a succubus.

While I changed, some of the guests watched me, even though they were changing as well. I just looked over to Amylia, who was also transforming, though no one else seemed to have noticed it quite yet. Then mom glanced at her, only to freeze and gasp in disbelief.

“Amylia,” aunt June blurted out in shock.

“I told you that I was a hybrid,” Amylia responded pleasantly. “In fact, I am a mythic…”

“You KNEW?” aunt June demanded at me, looking confused and almost frantic from this revelation.

“She told me last full moon,” I admitted with a smirk.

I stretched my wings for a bit, savoring how good I felt, then I reached for the pendant around my neck and activated the spell within. A moment later, I was clothed in a conjured black dress that hugged my magnificent curves. This was so much easier than putting on real clothes.

Then I looked around at the gathering of animals who were all staring at me and Amylia. Ron was currently a moose, aunt Susan was an otter, and Vivian was in fox form. Of course, there were a couple other animals present as well, including the black bear that was my dad.

Aunt June looked completely stunned while Amylia gestured down at herself and calmly explained, “I am a hybrid, both sorceress and mythic. I have lived for over two centuries and Erin is the only other one like me that I have met.”

“That’s why you escorted Erin to that mythics gathering,” aunt June blurted out.

“Indeed,” Amylia agreed with a bow of her head. “And I believe I also promised to tell you the surname that I surrendered so long ago.” She stood up straight and said, “Dupree. I was once known as Amylia Dupree.”

This was the third time that I’d heard Amylia make that revelation but it still had a bit of an impact on me. Mom and aunt June stared at her as they both obviously recognized the last name.

“As in Robert Dupree?” mom asked her quietly.

Amylia hesitated only a moment before answering, “Robert was my son.”

This was the first time I’d ever seen a bear’s jaw drop open in shock. Mom and aunt June had similar looks on their faces as well.

“As Erin would say,” Amylia said, looking straight into dad’s eyes. “I am your great plus grandmother.” She paused with a wry smile and added, “I told you that we had much to discuss.”

I sat in front of my laptop, chuckling to myself as I read through the e-mail that dad had sent me. He was still in shock from the revelation a couple days ago that Amylia was our ancestor. He’d just mentioned in the e-mail that he was talking to a few other members of the family in that bloodline, trying to see what they had to say about it. Apparently, everyone had a hard time believing that a family of Were could be descended from a Touched, especially one who was still around.

“At least dad is interested in talking to her some more,” I mused. In fact, dad mentioned in the e-mail that he wanted to invite Amylia to another dinner, one without so many other people around.

Aunt June had been just as shocked, if not more so. After all, she knew Amylia from her own time here at the Academy and she’d never suspected that Amylia had been a Were as well.

I read through the e-mail one more time, taking special note of dad’s request to thank Professor Roangard again for not only letting him come to the Academy to visit me, but also for arranging for him to be able to use the gates at all. Normally, only Touched could use the gates and it had taken some special arrangements that I hadn’t even been aware of at the time for him to come. Apparently, aunt June had taken care of all of that, but now dad was hoping we could talk Professor Roangard into allowing it again.

Once I’d finished responding to the e-mail, I decided that it was about time for me to get ready for date with Todd. I was already in my enhanced form so didn’t need to change, but I did have to put on some makeup and polish my nails.

“The problem with turning into a succubus,” I mused as I looked over my nails with a sigh. “Every time I transform, all the polish cracks off so I have to redo it all over again.”

Once I was finished getting ready, I stood there and looked around my room in case there was something I was forgetting. My eyes settled on my puzzle, which I’d completed awhile ago and had yet to get a replacement for.

“I should have asked dad about sending me a new one,” I muttered. Then I shrugged, looked myself over again, and finally left the room.

Just as I was starting down the hallway, I ran into Monica who grinned when she saw me. “Hey Erin,” she greeted me. “I was thinking about that great dinner you made a few days ago…”

“Don’t expect it to often,” I reminded her with a grin of my own. “It takes a bit of work…”

“It was delicious,” Monica assured me. “But I was thinking, maybe next time I can cook for everyone…”

“That sounds great to me,” I responded. “I’m trying to make this into a regular thing with everyone taking turns, but everyone else has been kind of hesitant to do any cooking.”

“I’m not as good as you are,” Monica admitted. “But I do know my way around the kitchen.” Then she hesitated before asking, “Do you think your friends would want to eat my cooking?”

I hesitated for a moment, remembering their cool reactions to Monica being invited to that dinner. They’d still held it against her that she’d been part of Teressa’s crowd and had been causing trouble. However, I’d assured them that she’d made up for that and was more than welcome. By the time the dinner was over, they’d all warmed up to Monica quite a bit.

“I think they’d be more than happy,” I told her pleasantly. Then I grinned and added, “That crowd never says no to free food…”

Monica laughed at that. “Well, they’ll make up for it when it’s their turns to cook.” Then she abruptly asked, “Are heading down to the cafeteria?”

“No,” I told her, grinning proudly. “I’ve got a bit of a date with Todd.” Then I rolled my eyes and added, “I think he’s doing Chinese delivery, but it should still be fun.”

“Good luck,” Monica told me, giving me a wink before leaving.

When I reached Todd’s room a minute later, I was startled to find that he’d actually cleaned it up. He’d even set up a table for us to eat at with a couple candles sitting in the middle.

“You look so beautiful,” Todd told me, making me blush at that. Then he held out a single red rose to me.

“I…thank you,” I responded in surprise, not sure what to say to that. I threw my arms around him, feeling incredibly happy. “This is the first time anyone ever gave me flowers…”

“A flower,” Todd corrected with a grin. “But if I get this from a single rose, next time I’m gonna have to get you a full dozen.”

I grinned and told him, “Make sure you remember that.” Then I gave him a kiss, feeling almost giddy.

Todd stared at me for what seemed like forever, seeming to like what he saw. It made me feel…beautiful. It made me feel feminine. It made me realize just how much I’d come to like being a girl.

“For dinner,” he finally said, looking just a little awkward, which I thought was kind of cute. “I had some restaurant delivery…”

“Chinese?” I asked with a grin.

“Actually, no,” he told me. “French.”

Then he opened some boxes and revealed the food within. One look was enough to show that this wasn’t cheap delivery food but something that I might have expected to get from a decent restaurant.

“Sylvie suggested the restaurant,” Todd admitted after a moment. “It’s a place my mom and dad like going to for special events.”

“It looks fantastic,” I told him honestly.

After this, we sat down and ate while talking about a variety of subjects that covered everything from who we thought the best Star Trek captain was to who was the best companion for the Doctor, with a few non-geek related topics as well.

Even after the food was gone, we curled up next to each other and continued to talk. I held his hand in mine, smiling happily just at being there with him.

“So tell me,” I told Todd pleasantly. “Tell me something that you’ve never told anyone else…”

“I don’t really have any secrets,” Todd protested with a chuckle.

“Come on,” I urged him. “You know all of mine…” Then I hesitated a moment before adding, “Well, almost all…”

“Oh,” Todd teased me, giving me a light tickle. “You’re still keeping secrets?”

I giggled at that. “Well, I did recently learn that I have a relative I never knew about. It’s kind of cool and a little weird at the same time. I’m still not sure what our relationship really is.”

“So, do you have a long lost twin sister or something?” he asked me curiously.

“Nothing like that,” I assured him with a grin. “So, now it’s your turn. Spill the beans.”

Todd chuckled at little and admitted, “Well, it’s probably no secret, but I’ve never really admitted it aloud.” He hesitated a moment before admitting, “I’m kind of jealous of Sylvie.”

“Oh,” I gently urged him to continue.

“I’m the older one,” Todd explained with a self-conscious smile, “but she’s the one who can do sorcery. She can do all those spells and will probably live a LOT longer than me. It’s kind of weird to know that I’ll never be able to catch up to my little sister.”

I gave Todd’s hand a comforting squeeze while giving him a gentle smile. “Sure, Sylvie has more magic,” I told him gently. “But you’re kind, and funny, and you’ve got great taste in TV shows and movies.”

“Well, we do share that,” Todd reminded me with a smile.

“You totally kill at karaoke,” I continued with a faint smirk, staring him straight in the eyes. Then I paused to quietly add, “And I’m pretty sure she’s got nothing on you when it comes to kissing…”

With that, Todd and I moved in for a kiss. It was a long and passionate kiss that had my entire body tingling. I was really getting turned on, and on an impulse, I took his hand and placed it on one of my breasts.

“Erin,” Todd started quietly.

“Less talky,” I whispered, “and more kissy.” Then I silenced him with another long kiss.

As we made out, Todd rubbed my breasts through my shirt, which felt really good but wasn’t quite enough. I suddenly realized that I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to go all the way. I wanted to have sex for the first time as a human girl…and I really wanted it to be with Todd.

My mind was made up so Todd no longer had much choice in the matter, not that he realized this or would protest anyway. I removed my shirt and bra to give him free access to my breasts. The entire time, he was stunned at his good luck and oh so very excited.

“But Erin,” he protested half-heartedly as I began to unbutton his pants. “Are you sure…?”

“Shhh,” I told him, putting a finger on his lips. Then I grinned and added, “Don’t worry. I’m on the spell.”

A moment later, we were kissing again while simultaneously undoing each other’s clothes. Tonight, we were both going to be getting VERY lucky.

I sat beside Todd at our usual lunch table. The two of us held hands and kept giving each other silly grins, ignoring our lunches for the most part. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, and obviously, neither could he.

Sex as a human was quite a bit different than as a succubus. As a succubus, it had been very powerful and primal, an act of pure lust and hunger for both Traci and myself. It had been incredible and felt unbelievably good, but it all been about the sex and feeding…nothing more.

Having sex with Todd had been very different. It wasn’t nearly as long, powerful, or physically pleasurable, but it had still been extremely fulfilling in a completely different way. It had been a little awkward and clumsy, but it had also been slower and more gentle. It had been less about the physical needs and more about the emotional. It was the difference between fucking and making love.

“What is up with you two today?” Sylvie asked, giving Todd and I odd looks.

“Well,” Eve responded with a smirk. “Erin does kind of have that just got laid look…”

Kimberly and Monica both snickered at that while Sylvie stared at us with her eyes going wide. “Wait,” Sylvie blurted out in disbelief. “You two…”

Todd and I both blushed badly but couldn’t quite say anything before Kimberly grinned and announced, “About time.”

“None of our business,” Monica commented with a faint smirk.

“The hell with our business,” Eve teased. “I want all the details…” That only made Todd and I blush all the brighter.

Sylvie looked absolutely horrified and blurted out, “I don’t want to hear about my brother’s love life.” Then she put her hands over her hears and sang, “La la la la…” That just made everyone burst out laughing.

“So,” Kimberly asked me curiously. “Is it better as a boy or as a girl?” Then she froze and clapped her hands over her mouth, quickly glancing to Monica while Sylvie, Eve, and Todd gaped at her.

“Wait,” Monica gasped, looking at the others and then asking, “You guys know…?”

“That I used to be a guy?” I responded with a nod, feeling uncomfortable with the reminder. “Yeah. Then I quickly added, “I guess I forgot to clue everyone in on who knows and who doesn’t…”

Sylvie, Todd, Kimberly, and Eve all looked a little startled. Then Sylvie asked Monica, “How long have you known?”

“Since before I got back to school,” Monica admitted.

“And you didn’t tell Teressa?” Eve asked, looking pleased at that.

Monica shook her head. “No… I knew how she’d react.” She paused at that, staring down at her food and looking sad. Teressa might be a bitch, but she had been Monica’s friend. Then she brightened up a little and looked at me. “And they know about…?” She paused, leaving it hanging there.

“Um…no,” I responded uncomfortably, not sure whether she was referring to Amylia being a hybrid or my relationship to her. Probably both. The rest of my friends were all starting at me so I gulped. “There are some things I wish I could tell you guys…but I kind of promised I’d keep them quiet. They’re not really my secrets to share and someone else would have to pay the consequences if they got out.”

“But she knows?” Sylvie asked, looking at Monica with a look that seemed to be part suspicion and part jealousy.

Monica looked uncomfortable at that. “Erin wasn’t the one who told me... I…I didn’t make any promises, but I’m not gonna spread anyone else’s secrets.”

“Leave it alone,” Todd told Sylvie and Eve, both of whom looked as though they were about to start pressing for information. “If Erin isn’t telling us something, then she has a good reason. Remember, she was pretty up front with us about being a Were and about being a…well…about her sorcerers mark.”

“Still might have been nice to have gotten a heads up about being a succubus,” Kimberly teased me. Monica nodded faintly at that.

Sylvie gave Todd a flat look and then said, “You know Erin is out of your league…”

I nearly laughed at that while Todd responded, “What?”

“She’s too good for you,” Sylvie told him with a smirk, “so you’d better treat her right. If you don’t, I’ll smack you upside the head like you’ve never been smacked.”

“I plan on it,” Todd responded, giving me a quick kiss before adding, “Treating her right that is. Not the getting smacked thing.”

“Good,” Sylvie said with a grin.

A minute later, we all got up to leave the cafeteria. I caught sight of Teressa, glaring at me with a look of absolute hatred while Kaellie sat beside her with a similar expression. It was pretty clear that they were glaring at Monica too, probably thinking of her as some kind of traitor since she’d started hanging out with me.

“I should get going,” Kimberly said. “I need to stop and pick up some things from my room before the next class.”

Kimberly hurried off while the rest of us went off in a group, leaving the cafeteria and wandering across the courtyard. Todd and I walked side by side, hand in hand.

I grinned at Todd. It was strange to think that I actually had a boyfriend, but nice as well. I felt giddy and girlie. This was a feeling that I never would have thought that I’d come to enjoy.

Now that I’d had sex as a girl, I definitely wanted to do it again. Maybe Todd and I could do it in my normal form next, or if he was feeling daring enough, in my succubus form. Of course, I’d have to be really careful but he’d probably get a huge kick out of it.

Suddenly, Teressa’s voice cried out, “How could you?”

We all stopped and turned around to see Teressa coming towards us with Kaellie right beside her. She looked furious, but to my surprise, it wasn’t me that she went to but Monica.

“How could you?” Teressa demanded, pointing at Monica. “How could you choose that THING over us…your friends?”

“Hey,” I protested angrily.

Before I could say anything more Monica snapped, “Don’t call her a thing.” She stepped forward and got right into Teressa’s face. “Erin’s a friend…and I didn’t choose her over you. I can have more than one friend.”

“She’s a freak,” Kaellie added, looking as though she was reach to grab for a token at any moment. I saw that Sylvie and Eve were doing the same and realized that this could escalate really fast.

“Why don’t we all calm down,” Todd suggested, trying to be the voice of reason. I couldn’t help but feeling proud of him for that.

“She’s the reason you left,” Teressa exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Monica admitted. “I was scared shitless. But you want to know why I came back? Because I saw something that scared me even more. I saw what happens when you decide people aren’t human anymore. I saw real monsters.”

Kaellie demanded, “What does that even mean?”

“You haven’t been the same since you came back,” Teressa accused Monica. Then she glared at me and spat out, “This is your fault... You used mind control on her… What? To turn her into a spy for you?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Sylvie demanded.

Even glared at her and blurted out, “You’re crazy…”

“No,” Monica spat out angrily. “You’re the one who changed. When as the last time we had a movie night or did anything fun together? Now, all you do is how you’re going to get revenge…and she didn’t even do anything to you. This isn’t even about her being a Were. This is about you being jealous and refusing to let it go…”

“She really has gotten to you,” Kaellie insisted.

Just then, another voice yelled out, “What is going on here?”

I snapped around to see Amylia coming towards us with a grim look on her face. She didn’t look at all happy, and I knew that if she decided that we’d been out of line, I wouldn’t get any special treatment. In class, she treated me the same as every other student and I expected this would probably be the same.

“We were just having a little discussion,” Eve said.

“Yeah,” Teressa agreed with a forced smile. “Just a little talk.”

“I see,” Amylia responded with narrowed eyes. “And do talks normally occur with people holding tokens?” She gestured to Kaellie and Sylvie.

“We were just comparing our tokens,” Sylvie lied. “You know, showing them off…”

Amylia obviously wasn’t fooled, but since no attacks had actually occurred, I didn’t think there was anything she’d really be able to do. Still, she stood there for a moment, not looking happy. I knew her well enough to recognize the darker look she gave Teressa. But in spite of her knowing that Teressa was a bitch and a bigot, her professionalism as a teacher wouldn’t let her show any favoritism.

“As long as that was all you were doing,” Amylia said with the warning in her voice. “Remember, any altercations that take place outside a dueling circle will not be well looked upon.” She paused to look at each of us, me included. “Is this understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” we all said together.

Suddenly, Amylia froze and looked up into the sky. I looked up as well, gasping at the sight of a large green glow that filled part of the sky. It took me several seconds to realize that it wasn’t just a glow in the sky, it was something falling out of the sky.

“What the hell…? Sylvie demanded.

Seconds later, something hit the ground on the other side of the courtyard, creating a small explosion as stone and debris was flung from the impact. It suddenly struck me that a meteorite had just hit.

“No,” Amylia exclaimed with a look of horror. “Someone pierced the barrier…”

I took another look and realized that there was a glowing green bubble where the impact had occurred, and a moment later, the bubble popped, revealing eight people within. All of them were wearing the featureless white face masks that I recognized from the mythic gathering.

Amylia stood there with a look of horror on her face before she grimly announced, “Gregor is here.”

I stared in shock and fear at the eight people who had literally just fallen from the sky. All of them were wearing featureless white masks, exactly as the attackers at the mythic gathering had worn. And even through the masks, I could recognize several of the same attackers. I recognized Rebecca and two people who I thought might be Marcus and Tyler, though it was hard to tell from this distance. However, there was no way I could miss Gregor.

Gregor stood at the front with a large wooden staff in hand. From this distance, I could still see some sort of crystal embedded in the head. I knew that this was no mere decoration but actually a form of reusable token, one that could contain multiple spells. At one time, most sorcerers used staffs to hold their spells in this fashion, at least until the Touched decided to hide from normals and the staffs became too noticeable. However, Gregor seemed big on Touched pride so it made sense that he’d use something that was once a huge symbol of a sorcerers power.

“What the hell is going on?” Eve demanded.

“Those are the guys who kidnapped me,” I exclaimed, shaking a little as I stared at them.

Todd stared at me, his expression turning angry. “Those guys?”

“Marcus,” Monica blurted out, staring at her brother among the arrivals.

“Gregor,” Amylia spat out bitterly. “After we escaped from him, I had the protective barriers around the school strengthened in case he tried anything here. We always expected any hostile intruders to either come through the gate hub or the ocean. Of course, Gregor would come from the sky…where our barriers are weakest.”

The glowing green ball falling out of the sky and crashing into the school grounds had drawn a lot of attention and I suddenly realized that a lot of students were running towards the newcomers to see what was going on. Even some of the teachers were starting to arrive to check it out.

“No,” Amylia gasped with a look of realization. Then she shouted, “RUN!”

Then, as if this was exactly what Gregor had been waiting for, he held his staff up and there was a sudden spark of green light that shot from it. The spark hit Mrs. Khuto and then exploded outward in a wave of green light. A moment later, Mrs. Khuto collapsed to the ground, as did everyone within fifty feet of her in every direction, including Master Tonkas. Before Mrs. Khuto had even finished hitting the ground, the spark seemed to shoot from her and fly across the courtyard, hitting someone else and causing them and everyone near them to collapse as well before the process repeated again.

“What the hell is going on?” Teressa screamed with a look of terror.

“Stay close,” Amylia ordered us, holding up a crystal and exclaiming, “Invoke.” A large bubble appeared around our group, and when the green spark came towards us, it hit the bubble and was stopped.

“What is that?” Kaellie demanded.

“A chain spell,” I said in realization. “A very powerful one…”

“Correct,” Amylia responded grimly.

Teressa glared at me as though this was all my fault and demanded, “Who are these people…”

“My ex-husband,” Amylia answered grimly while Monica simultaneously responded, “My brother.”

“What?” Eve, Todd, and Kaellie all blurted out at once.

At this point, there was no longer anyone standing in sight except for us and Gregor’s people. The green spark had ceased as well, which was fortunate as the bubble surrounding us collapsed and faded away. A moment later, Gregor’s people seemed to notice us and half the group started coming in our direction.

Amylia glared at them then went to the nearest collapsed person, bending over and checking for a pulse. “Alive,” she stated grimly. “Asleep.”

“They’re coming towards us,” Todd pointed out unnecessarily while I drew a pair of my stone tokens, one for each hand. Everyone but Todd and Monica had similarly armed themselves.

“This is too large an attack for them to be just after you and I,” Amylia told me with a dark look. “This is something else.”

“So what do we do?” Kaellie asked nervously.

“We fight,” Eve responded firmly.

“No,” Amylia said, quickly looking around. “Only if you must. I want you to run and try finding other teachers and students who may have escaped their initial opening.” Then she looked to me. “Erin, I sincerely doubt that you and I are their primary targets, but I am certain they will take the opportunity to come after us. Stay close to me and be ready.”

“I’ll stay too,” Todd said firmly, looking as though he wanted to protect me. It was the sweetest thing ever…even if rather stupid. After all, I was a sorceress with a small arsenal of spells, and all he had was his talent…which was not well suited to fighting.

“I can’t see a damn thing in this stupid mask,“ one of the masked intruders exclaimed while another one of them nodded agreement. Then as they got close enough to be a threat, he exclaimed, “I’m better off without…” He tossed his mask aside, and a moment later, the other three followed his lead. Of the three, Rebecca and Tyler were the only two I recognized

“You,” Tyler blurted out when he saw me. He stared at me with an expression that seemed to be mixed fear and hatred. “What did you to do me you monster?”

“RUN,” Amylia screamed to the group before holding out a crystal and exclaiming, “Invoke.”

Amylia released a large wave of water which appeared from nowhere and hit all four of the intruders, sending them all flying back hard. Everyone besides Todd and myself used the opportunity to run. I immediately activated one of my own tokens, a chain spell that I’d been planning to use for my next duel. This one was much simpler than the chain spell I’d used against Teressa, just having three shield spells tied back to back so as soon as one of them was used up, it would trigger the next.

The four intruders recovered enough to activate their own tokens, sending a blast of blue flame right at me and an explosion of metal spikes at Amylia. The blue flame hit me and vanished while my spell triggered and activated a replacement shield. Amylia used a token to create a glowing disk of light in front of her, blocking the spikes and protecting both her and Todd.

“I’m gonna kill you for what you did to Tyler,” Rebecca yelled at me furiously. “You animal.”

“Engage,” I called out, sending out my itching spell which Rebecca somehow blocked, perhaps with a spell similar to my shield.

“We can’t stand and fight,” Amylia stated grimly. “Not like this…” Then she activated another token and suddenly a thick mist began to form and spread. “Now run…”

I did as Amylia said and began to run through the fog, only realizing a moment later that I’d lost track of her and Todd. I looked around, not seeing them or the invaders, though I did hear some cursing in the distance and noticed a few vague flashes of light. Probably spells. I wanted to call out but bit my tongue, afraid of giving myself away.

Then I tripped over something and fell flat on my face. I quickly scrambled back to my feet, realizing that I’d just tripped over another student. He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place him.

“Sorry about that,” I whispered, though he didn’t seem to have noticed anything. At least he wouldn’t be able to blame me for the bruise he’d undoubtedly have once he woke up.

Then I froze, suddenly hearing two voices talking a short distance away. I felt a cold chill go up my spine as I recognized one of them as Gregor’s and the other as Marcus.

“I can’t see a thing,” Marcus exclaimed in obvious annoyance. “How can I find where they’re hiding my sister if I can’t even see?”

“Patience,” Gregor responded, sounding calm and in control. “It will fade soon. Trust me, Amylia will pay for kidnapping your sister. But first, we have to focus on the business at hand. We can’t let ourselves get distracted by personal business and forget the mission.”

“Of course not,” Marcus agreed, sounding almost apologetic. “I will rescue Monica…but it has waited this long so I can be patient a little longer. Our mission comes first.”

“Once we have full control of the school,” Gregor explained, “we can begin educating and training the next generation of soldiers. Many of the Touched have grown soft while in hiding, becoming weak and cowardly. We have to make our kind strong again.”

“And having the students in our care will ensure they don’t act against us,” Marcus responded, sounding tense. “I don’t like this…but it is necessary to save our people.”

“Once our position is strengthened,” Gregor told him, his voice sounding hard. “We will continue locating more mythics and recovering those of my tainted bloodline. They are still the key to providing our most powerful weapon.” There was a long pause before he added almost thoughtfully, “Once our kind is united and strong, we can cease hiding and take our place on the world stage. It may yet take decades…perhaps even another century, but once we are ready we can create our own homeland and become our own nation. The Touched will have to hide no more but will finally be a respected power.”

I gulped, seeing what Gregor was really after. He wanted to brainwash all the students in the Academy to thinking the way he wanted, turning us into soldiers while simultaneously using us as hostages to keep the rest of the Touched off his back.

“Frell,” I muttered, feeling a little shaken by what I’d overheard.

What surprised me most was that Gregor’s ultimate goal didn’t really sound too bad. He didn’t seem to be after world conquest, just getting respect for the Touched. I could certainly understand that. Even the idea of creating a country of our own where the Touched could be open about who we really were sounded kind of nice. In theory. I had to remind myself that the land for this mythical country would have to come from somewhere, and I doubted that the current inhabitants would just give it up willingly. And of course, there was also the matter of the Were, who I assumed didn’t have a place in Gregor’s vision.

“Oh frell,” I muttered again. Then I tried to think of what I should do. Absolutely nothing came to mind. “What would the Doctor do?”

When I considered the show Doctor Who and just what the lead character would do in a situation like this, the answer was obvious. He’d come up with some brilliant but unconventional plan that would completely outwit and defeat the villains without having to even throw a single punch. Somehow, I didn’t see that working for me. Captain Kirk? He’d fire photon torpedoes and then chase after the lady of the week. Jayne Cobb from Firefly? He’d shoot the hell out of everything and then throw in a few grenades just to make sure…unless the bad guys offered him more money.

I shook my head in exasperation and muttered, “I have got to get some female role-models…”

For a moment, I considered jumping up and throwing every spell I had in the direction of Gregor and Marcus, but then I realized that the fog was quickly fading away and I could now see them. They’d been walking further away from me while I’d been sitting there thinking, but if they looked in my direction at all, they’d be able to see me. But as I looked around for cover, I saw Amylia a short distance away and immediately started towards her instead.

“Where’s Todd?” I asked her immediately, looking around but not seeing any sign of him.

“I think he went away from the campus,” Amylia responded. “That’s for the best. They’re less likely to find him so it will be safer for him.”

I nodded at that, then gestured to where I’d seen Gregor and Marcus heading. “I saw Gregor over there…”

Amylia’s expression turned even harder, if that was possible. “Don’t go near him,” she ordered me, her expression turning to one of worry. “Stay away from him if at all possible. I already lost one child to him and couldn’t bear to lose another.”

“What about,” I started, feeling a little uncertain with the concerned way that Amylia was looking at me. “What about your secret weapon?”

Amylia gave me a confused look for just a moment before responding, “The spell we cast isn’t a weapon… It was never meant to harm Gregor…only to protect my descendants if he ever tried that again. Using it now would be worse than useless. It would defeat the entire purpose.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling disappointed. I’d thought the entire point of all that work was to take out Gregor if he tried anything like this.

“Now let’s find a safe place to take cover and plan,” Amylia told me grimy. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she added, “There is no way I am going to allow Gregor and these fools to harm any more children. NONE.”

Amylia and I were in the cafeteria where several dozen students lay slumped over in their seats or scattered across the floor unconscious. We crouched down behind the serving counter, trying not to touch the lunch lady who was snoring beside us.

“What can we do against eight sorcerers?” I asked Amylia nervously.

“I recognize several of them as former students,” she answered grimly. “I know for certain that two of them have dangerous talents but aren’t actually sorcerers. Gregor and Marcus are the most dangerous so don’t confront either of them unless you have no choice. If we catch the others while they are separated and by surprise, we should be able to take them without much problem.”

“Okay,” responded with a weak smile, then joked, “So this should be a piece of cake then.”

“Your duel experience will help you with what we are facing,” Amylia told me with a grim expression. “But remember, this is not a dueling circle and you have none of the safeguards. If they hit you with a lethal spell, you will die.” She gave me a worried look. “Please be careful. I couldn’t live with myself if I allowed anything to happen to you.”

A few seconds later, we got up and began to make our way out of the cafeteria in hopes that we could ambush one or two of the invaders before they found us again. Then I froze, exclaiming, “It’s Gayle…” I rushed over to my friend’s body which was spread out on the floor.

Amylia stared at her for a moment before saying, “They don’t seem to want to hurt most of the students, but if Marcus finds Gayle unable to defend herself, he would likely kill her on the spot.” Then she reached into her pouch, pulling out a crystal. “I only have two copies of this spell cast so have to be careful on whom I use them on. I believe Gayle is a good choice.” And with that, she activated her token.

A moment later, Gayle began to stir and opened her eyes. She up and looked around with a confused and somewhat shocked expression.

“The Academy was attacked,” I explained quickly, before she could even ask. “They used some kind of powerful sleeping spell to knock everyone out…”

“Shit,” Gayle exclaimed, getting back to her feet. “That sounds bad…”

“They’re still on campus,” Amylia told her grimly. “Eight of them. Your power and fighting experience should be quite useful in stopping the invaders.”

Gayle nodded at that and said, “Just point me at them.”

Amylia hesitated a moment before putting a hand on Gayle’s shoulder. “You should know. Marcus is one of them.”

“What?” Gayle exclaimed with a look of anger. “That bastard is back? He made my life a living hell…” Then she gave Amylia a steady look and said, “I thought he was banned from the Academy.”

“He is,” Amylia agreed with a cold anger of her own. “Marcus is unable to pass through any of the gates that lead here. Unfortunately…they found another way to come.”

Gayle stood there for a moment before saying, “If I’m going to fight Marcus again, I need to get ready.” She started walking to the side entrance, calling back “I’ll catch up with you guys again soon.”

“Where’s she going?” I blurted out, confused at the fact that we’d just woken Gayle only to have her wander off on her own.

“She’s getting ready,” Amylia responded with a faint smile. “Forget about her for now. We need to focus on our own parts.”

We stepped out of the cafeteria and could see several of the invaders still wandering about, grabbing the teachers and dragging them away from the students. It was obvious that they were separating the teachers from the students, perhaps to deal with them more permanently.

Amylia glared at one of the attackers who was on his own and told me, “I’ve got this one. Watch my back in case any others arrive.” And with that, she went straight towards the man, activating one of her tokens before calling out, “Stuart Esppy... You make me ashamed to have given you a passing grade…”

A moment later, Amylia was locked in a duel with a man who appeared to be a former student, though there was no duel circle or safety features. I gulped as I watched, fascinated and worried at the same time. One slip could result in Amylia becoming a pile of burnt cinders. It was all I could do not to go charging in to help her. Unfortunately, if I did that, I’d probably distract her and get in the way which was the last thing she needed.

Then I heard a scream from a short distance away. “That’s Monica,” I exclaimed.

“Go,” Amylia yelled back at m. “I’ll be fine here…”

I nodded, then turned and ran towards the sound of the scream. I soon found Teressa and Monica trying to fight off one of the invaders…Tyler. Teressa was on the ground, most of her body below the neck wrapped up in bandages nearly like a mummy. This prevented her from being able to reach any of her tokens.

“You leave her alone,” Monica screamed, swinging her fists frantically at the naked Tyler.

Tyler punched Monica who was thrown back, then he started looking at the ground, probably for the tokens he’d dropped when Monica destroyed his clothes. He looked pissed, so there was no doubt that Monica and Teressa were both in serious danger.

“Why are you trying to help me?” Teressa yelled at Monica with a look of terror on her face.

“You’ve been acting like a total bitch lately,” Monica responded, getting to her feet and wiping at her bloody nose. “But you’re still my friend.” And with that, she launched herself at Tyler again.

“Invoke,” Tyler cried out, having managed to get one of his tokens. Monica was suddenly thrown back by what looked like a powerful blast of air. Tyler smirked and held up his token pouch and reached inside.

“My arm,” Monica cried out in pain, sitting up on the ground and holding her shoulder.

“Engage,” I yelled, releasing a spell on Tyler while I rushed in to help. My attempt to turn Tyler into a frog fizzled out with a flash of light as it hit him, revealing that he’d protected himself with some sort of shield spell.

“You,” Tyler and Teressa both exclaimed at once.

Tyler launched an attack on me and I dove to the side to avoid it, but unfortunately, it was a wide burst of energy that hit me anyway. The spell shield that I’d activated earlier was still active, but just barely. The second shield had worn off on its own when I went too long without using it and had triggered the third and final shield. If I’d waited just another minute, that would have worn off as well. Instead, it saved me from Tyler’s attack before winking out of existence.

“Frak,” I exclaimed, thankful to have survived but annoyed since I’d only made one of those shield spell chains and didn’t have another on me.

I launched another attack at Tyler but he blocked it with a glowing blue disk that appeared in front of him. He glared at me with a cold fury and demand, “What did you to do me? I’ve lost all interest in my fiancé Rebecca…and every other woman.”

“So that’s why she was so pissed at me,” I responded with a smirk. “Well, you’ll never be interested in a girl…or anyone else for the rest of your life.”

Tyler and I both launched simultaneous attacks on each other but the magics seemed to collide in mid-air and exploded, sending both of us back. I quickly scrambled back to my feet, desperately trying to think of something I could use to take him down fast. This wasn’t like in the dueling circle where the audience wanted us to carry on and put on a good show. This was life or death, and the faster I ended this the less likely I was to die.

Suddenly, the ground around me burst into flames but Tyler hadn’t activated a token. I quickly looked around, seeing that I was now in a ring of fire, with flames that went up over my head. But in spite of that, I could see through it enough to see that Tyler was no longer alone. Rebecca and one of the other invaders had joined him. It was one of those two who’d used this spell on me.

“Now you’ll die painfully for what you did,” Rebecca announced hatefully. “You’ll burn to death, monster.”

I looked around in fear, growing even more terrified when I realized that the ring of flames was slowly starting to shrink. Rebecca, Tyler, and their other friend just stood back and smirking.

In desperation, I pulled out one of my tokens, one with a spell to summon a large amount of water. I activated it and blasted the flaming wall in order to put the fire out, but absolutely nothing happened. The flaming ring continued to burn and shrink.

“What are you doing?” Monica screamed out. “You can’t murder someone like this…”

“She’s not a person,” Tyler pointed out quickly. “She’s a monster. You’d remember that if they hadn’t charmed your mind. Marcus will be disappointed that you sided with this THING, even if you are under their influence. Don’t worry though. Once we have everything under control, we’ll take care of that and you can rejoin us.”

“What the hell is going on?” Teressa demanded, obviously terrified.

“These guys hate Were,” I answered, trying to keep my voice steady in spite of the fear. “They kidnapped me and a bunch of distant relatives so they could kill for some experiment.” Then I added with more than a little bitterness, “I thought you’d be sympathetic to them.”

“These are the guys I ran away from,” Monica answered, looking just as scared. “They…they’re fanatics.”

Rebecca kicked Monica and spat out, “I don’t care if you are Marcus’ sister or if you are under their control. If you don’t shut up, I’m going to knock you into next week.”

For a moment, Rebecca looked like she was going to keep kicking Monica anyway, but then I heard Gregor’s voice yelling. “Get to the hall of doors. We need to guard the gates to ensure no reinforcements come.”

“Damn,” Tyler muttered. Then he told his companions, “I’ll stay here and watch these kids. You two go.”

Rebecca and the other man ran off to the hall of doors, leaving us with a naked and very angry Tyler. Teressa was still tied up, I was trapped in a shrinking ring of flames, and Monica was injured and nearly powerless against his spells. I clenched my fists in frustration and fear, not seeing anything that I could do at the moment.

Then I saw someone else coming towards us with one of those white featureless face masks. I gulped at the sight of him, until I noticed his clothes. When he got closer, Todd suddenly tore off the mask and tackled Tyler, knocking the sorcerer to the ground.

“What the hell are you doing to my girlfriend?” Todd screamed, knocking the bag of tokens out of Tyler’s hand before he could use any of them. Then he followed that up with a punch to Tyler’s face and a knee to his stomach.

I’d always thought of Todd as having the body of a movie star and the soul of a geek. I had never once thought of him as having even the potential to be a bad-ass. But as I watched Todd beating the crap out of Tyler with his bare hands, that definitely changed.

Todd knocked Tyler back into the flaming ring. Tyler screamed as his back, shoulder, and arm all started to blacken and blister. Then he collapsed to the ground, no longer moving.

“That was awesome,” I blurted out, forgetting my terror for a moment. Only a moment. “Now get me the frak out of here!”

“I don’t know how,” Todd blurted out with a look of fear on his face.

I grimaced, feeling growing physical discomfort as the heat was getting closer and closer. I felt hot already and knew that I wouldn’t last much longer at all. I’d never been this scared before in my life and tears ran down my cheeks.

“ERIN,” Amylia’s voice cried out.

I looked to see Amylia running towards me with Sylvie and Eve beside her. Before Amylia even got close, she unleashed a token that blasted the ring of fire with a powerful wave of water, but it had no more effect than when I’d tried it myself. She immediately followed that up with another spell which was similarly ineffective.

Sylvie tried a spell of her own against the fire wall, and when it didn’t work, she went to help Monica. Eve went to work trying to get Teressa out of the bandages that had her tied up, not seeming all that thrilled about it.

“It’s a barrier against magic as well,” Amylia said grimly, looking more than a little worried. Then she bent down and grabbed the unmoving Tyler and screamed at him, “How do I get my granddaughter out of there?”

“Granddaughter?” Sylvie blurted out while Todd, Eve, and Teressa all stared in surprise and confusion.

“She’s my great plus grandma,” I said, trying hard to distract myself from the terror I felt. “On my dad’s side.”

“But your dad’s a Were,” Sylvie responded, looking nearly as worried as I felt.

“As am I,” Amylia commented, earning more gasps as she reaching into her pouch and pulling out a large red crystal that was the size of a softball.

“The failsafe,” I blurted out in immediate recognition.

“I created this to rescue my descendants if Gregor ever took them again,” Amylia said, looking me in the eyes with an extremely worried look in her own. “I never expected to need it so soon…or that I would use it like this.” She paused for a moment before saying, “But it’s the only way I know to get you out of there in time. I just hope they forgive me…” And with that, she stated, “Invoke.”

The ring of flames was now so close that I could barely twitch without touching the fire. My skin already felt sunburned from the heat and I knew that I was dead in less than half a minute. But as soon as Amylia activated her token, there was a strange tingling through my body, followed by a red glow around me. Suddenly, I was no longer surrounded by fire but standing beside Amylia.

“Erin,” Amylia cried out in relief, grabbing me in a hug before I could collapse to the ground.

Todd rushed over and grabbed me the moment Amylia let go. “You’re all right…”

“You were such a stud,” I told him with a grin, giving him a kiss and adding, “A regular Captain Kirk.”

Then I noticed several glowing red bubbles floating in the air around us, something that the others hadn’t missed as Sylvie, Eve, Monica, and Teressa were all staring at them. One of the bubbles popped and suddenly Traci was standing there with a bewildered look on her face.

“Where the hell am I?” Traci demanded as she looked around with a near frantic expression. Then she saw Amylia and me and seemed to relax slightly. “What’s going on?”

Another bubble popped and Trey stood there with a similar expression to Traci’s. Darek, Jake, and Kaylie appeared as well. They all looked around in confusion and a little fear.

“The spell I cast uses a blood resonance to link to my decedents,” Amylia said almost apologetically. “It finds the ones with enough magic to be mythics…the ones I feel an emotional bond to…and it brings them to me.” She looked around at the confused Weres who had just appeared. “The spell was designed to rescue you from danger should it ever be necessary again, but instead, I brought you here to a dangerous place instead.” She bowed her head slightly and added, “I deeply regret putting any of you in this dangerous situation, but I fear that this was the only way to save Erin from certain death.”

“Who…who are these people?” Teressa demanded with a frantic look in her eyes. She was now free of the bandages and gestured to the new arrivals.

Amylia stood up straighter, and in a proud voice announced, “These are my grandchildren.”

Amylia quickly explained what was going on to the mythics that had been pulled here by her spell, as well as why she did it. None of them was very happy but they all seemed to understand.

“I’d rather be here than have Erin die,” Traci said, giving me a reassuring smile to show she didn’t blame me while the others nodded agreement with her.

“And look on the plus side,” Jake said with scowl. “We get a chance to get even with those fuckers who kidnapped us.”

“I hate to break up this reunion,” Eve pointed, out, gesturing to the invaders who were starting to come towards us. “But we don’t have time to chat…”

Almost as if on cue, there was a loud howling sound and I looked to see two huge wolves on the other side of the courtyard. Each of them appeared to be the size of an elephant. And as if that wasn’t enough, a whole pack of normal sized wolves had appeared as well, with all of them starting towards us.

“Marcus,” Monica commented with a pained grimace, still holding her arm which appeared to have been broken.

Trey gave her a worried look and cautiously asked, “Are you okay?” She just gave him a nervous smile and a nod.

“I don’t know why we’re involved,” Teressa muttered to Sylvie. “I mean, aren’t they only after the Were…?”

“Does it look like they’re only after the Were?” Sylvie snapped at her, gesturing around the campus and all the unconscious people.

“I overheard them talking,” I said bitterly. “They want to unite all Touched…under them.” Then I snorted and added, “This might be even more a Touched issue than it is a Were issue.”

Darek scowled at that and added, “But whether we like it or not, we are involved.”

“Damn,” Traci blurted out in frustration and a little fear. “If only the sun was down we’d at least be able to use our abilities…”

Amylia nodded and reached into her pouch, pulling out a green crystal and stating, “I’ve been holding onto this spell for a long time. It’s effects will only last an hour.” Then she held the crystal up and stated, “Invoke.”

I instantly felt the magic tingle through my body, calling to my succubus. It felt almost as though the sun had just set on the night of the full moon because I found myself starting to change without being able to control it. I gasped as my clothes became too tight and began to tear and shred. My fingernails stretched to claws, my breasts grew to massive size, and my wings began to spread out as well.

“What the hell?” Teressa screamed.

I looked up and saw that I wasn’t the only one changing. All of the Were present were changing, including Amylia. Sylvie, Eve, and Teressa all stared at Amylia with their mouths open, apparently not having fully believed her when she’d admitted to being a Were a few minutes ago. Then Teressa looked around at the others with a very nervous look in her eyes.

Darek stood up and stretched as a four and a half foot tall dryad. Jake had climbed out of his piled of clothes and now hovered in the air as a golden skinned pixie, and Kaylie was flapping her flaming wings and leaping into the air as a phoenix.

“Instant full moon,” Darek said with a look of awe.

“Great,” Trey complained, gesturing down to his shimmering mermaid tail. “Now I’m a fish out of water. How the hell am I supposed to fight like this…?”

“You’re a mermaid,” Monica gasped, staring at him with a look of amazement.

However, my attention was drawn almost completely to Traci. Traci had transformed back into a satyr and was radiating so much sexual energy that it flooded my succubus senses. She...he was staring at me with the same intensity that I was staring at him with. I licked my lips as I thought about how horny and hungry I was…and how the solution to fulfilling both desires was right in front of me.

“Erin,” Todd exclaimed, grabbing hold of my arm and trying to distract me.

“Erin,” Amylia snapped. “Traci. Control yourselves.” She gestured to Traci and ordered, “Go in that direction and keep your distance…”

Traci reluctantly nodded, and with a great force of will, turned and jumped a great distance with his powerful goat legs. Jake and Kaylie both immediately flew after him to watch his back. In just a few seconds, Traci had caught up to one of the invaders and punched him hard, sending the invader back before he could use any of his tokens.

“Damn he can jump far,” Sylvie smirked, though her attention was obviously on another part of Traci’s anatomy than his legs.

“Now I feel kind of insignificant,” Todd commented with a sigh.

That helped me draw my attention away from Traci, though it wasn’t easy. A large part of my instincts still wanted to chase after Traci and do nothing except feed and have sex. With a bit of effort, I was able to focus on the situation at hand.

“You are definitely not insignificant,” I assured Todd. “But maybe we can talk about that later…when we don’t have these smeg-heads breathing down our necks.”

Then I looked down at my naked body and activated the spell in my pendant, conjuring some clothing to wear. “What are you doing?” Sylvie asked me in surprise. “We don’t have time to do a fashion show.”

“Just making sure I’m not wearing a red shirt,” I responded with a forced grin.

With that, we charged towards the attackers while Monica and Trey were left back since they weren’t in any shape to fight. Teressa stayed back with them to protect Monica if any of the invaders got too close, which meant she was also guarding Trey at the same time. I wondered what she thought about guarding a Were, but only for a moment.

“Be careful and watch each other’s backs,” Amylia called out. Then in an angry tone, she added, “I’ll deal with Gregor.”

Another voice yelled out, “And I’ve got Marcus.”

I looked and saw Gayle running towards us with a sword in her hand. I could feel magical energy coming from the sword, the very same energy that I’d sensed from beneath the waters of the lake. I only had a moment to wonder at that before a ball of blue flames shot towards me, forcing me to deal with that instead.

“I don’t care if Gregor wants you alive,” Rebecca screamed at me. “You die for what you did to Tyler.”

The man beside Rebecca threw another ball of blue fire at me, which seemed to be all he was doing. It looked like he was one of the non-sorcerers that Amylia had noticed. However, he obviously had a very dangerous talent, especially since he didn’t have to worry about running out of tokens for it.

Rebecca held out a glass figurine token and activated it, causing a giant stone hand start to reach up from the ground to grab me. I spread my wings and jumped into the air, avoiding that and another ball of blue fire. I flew as quickly as I could, pulling my wings in to avoid one ball of fire and then swooping to avoid a glowing bird that flew towards me. I’d never had to be this maneuverable in the air before and it took all of my ability just to avoid being hit.

“I’m a leaf on the wind,” I muttered, trying hard to stay calm and not freak out. If I did that, then I was sure to get hit. Then there was a momentary pause, just long enough for me to grab Vera and activate the spell inside.

Rebecca activated a token which created a shield around herself and the man with her as a wave of blue energy settled over them, causing the ground around them to coat with ice. The ice spread over the bubble that formed her shield, leaving them trapped in a bubble of ice.

From my perspective in the air, I caught a glimpse of the entire battlefield. There were several craters scattered around the school courtyard and a few smoldering holes in the sides of the buildings. And of course, there was fighting going on all over the place.

Amylia and Gregor were throwing spells back and forth at each other, though he seemed to have some magic shields that were protecting him pretty well. He held up his staff and activated a single spell and a whole series of attacks launched out at Amylia. She was throwing up shields of her own and blasting away with her tokens, having a look of fierce determination that would have been enough on its own to deter most opponents.

Gayle was fighting Marcus, both whom looked pretty pissed off. She had the magic sword in her hand while he had a sword as well, one that seemed to be made of golden energy and was probably some sort of conjuring. The two of them were slashing back and forth with their blades even more than they were attacking with spells.

At the same time, Traci, Jake, and Kaylie were just finishing up with one of the sorcerers that they’d just defeated. Jake had flown around the man, keeping him distracted and off balance while Kaylie set his clothes and hair on fire. Traci finished him up with a punch that sent him flying. And as I watched, I felt my interest in Traci growing again and I had to fight the urge to fly over to him and help myself to some of his sexual energy.

I shook my head and quickly looked for Todd, letting out a sigh of relief when I saw that he was all right. He was standing beside Sylvie, kicking at a normal sized wolf while she was using her spells to attack one of the giant ones. A short distance away, Eve was occupied with the second giant wolf.

There were other conjured creatures present besides just the wolves that Marcus had summoned, and all of them appeared to have been created by the invaders. There was a stone man who was about twelve feet tall, slowing marching towards Trey, Monica, and Teressa. However, Teressa blasted the creature with a stone shattering spell that badly cracked its chest and caused one arm to crumble and fall off. She continued with a series of other spells that seemed to be slowly wearing the creature away.

“Bet you can’t get me,” Darek called out to one of the sorcerers, pausing to give him a sexy pose and a wink before sticking her tongue out. The sorcerer ran at her but she turned and ran towards a large cluster of trees. Darek might not be very large or physically strong as a dryad, but I had no doubt that if she could get the sorcerer into those trees, then she’d be the one with all the advantage.

I was so distracted by what was going on with everyone else, I didn’t notice that the glowing bird that Rebecca had summoned was still flying around, until it hit me from behind. My entire back exploded in pain and I dropped to the ground. I spread out my wings to stop my fall, but the membrane on one of my wings had been badly damaged. I managed to slow my fall enough so that when I hit, it hurt but I didn’t break every bone in my body.

“Erin,” Todd cried out, leaving his sister’s side and rushing to mine.

There was a cracking sound as the ice dome trapping Rebecca and the man with her shattered. Todd didn’t hesitate to change course slightly and tackle the man. Todd punched the man in the solar plexus and then the throat. A moment later, the man was on the ground while Todd kept kicking at him.

Rebecca turned to unleash a spell on Todd, but I snarled, “Engage… You aren’t touching my boyfriend, you fat pig…”

Rebecca gasped as her body began to swell and fatten, much more quickly than Teressa’s had at the costume party. This spell had been a direct copy of my grandma’s talent without any of the modification I’d done for Teressa. In a moment, all her clothes tore and burst loose as she gained two hundred pounds in mere seconds. She collapsed to the ground, unable to deal with her suddenly altered balance.

“Now if I only had another frog spell,” I muttered, wincing in pain from my injuries.

I staggered towards Todd, who stopped kicking his opponent and came to help me. He gave me a worried look and asked, “Are you all right?”

“I’m feeling better already,” I told him with a faint smile, feeling my injuries healing themselves even as my reservoir of energy dropped. I was feeling very hungry and asked Todd, “Please step away for a minute… I don’t want to accidentally hurt you…”

Todd stepped back, looking a little worried. I went straight to the man that Todd had just beaten up, then bent down beside him. I picked him up enough to grab him and give him a big kiss, feeding on the sexual energy inside of him much the way I had with Tyler, though this time I left a little bit behind. This guy wouldn’t be getting it up again for a long time, but he would eventually recover.

I stood back up, absorbing the sexual energy that Todd directed at me. Unfortunately, considering the circumstances, he had other things on his mind so the energy was minimal. Still, after feeding off that other guy, I was no longer really hungry.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I told Todd, suddenly feeling guilty and hoping that I didn’t scare him off.

“I understand,” Todd said, coming over and giving me a hug.

Then Todd suddenly pulled away from me and kicked the token out of Rebecca’s hand. He followed that up by bending over and taking the rest of her tokens so that she wouldn’t be able to try anything like that again.

“Naughty naughty,” I told her with a smirk.

Suddenly, there was the massive boom of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning shooting from the sky. The lightning struck right in the middle of the pack of wolves that had been moving around to attack Gayle from behind. In an instant, nearly a dozen wolves had been fried and vanished.

“Now this is unacceptable,” a woman’s voice boomed.

I looked at the source and saw Professor Roangard standing there with a large wooden staff in her hands. There were nearly a dozen students standing behind her, some sorcerers and some not. Kaellie was among them, showing that while we’d been fighting, she’d continued with the task that Amylia had given of finding more people who’d escaped the sleeping spell.

“Amylia,” Professor Roangard called out, looking straight at Amylia without appearing to be surprised to see her as an elf. “It’s about time you came out of the closet.” Then she called out loudly, “Now let’s throw these fools out of our school.”

Gregor took one look at the newly arrived Professor Roangard and immediately launched an attack on her, activating a spell and sending a green spark at her exactly like the one that had sent most of the school to sleep. However, Professor Roangard held up her own staff and responded with a spell of her own, blocking the green spark completely so that it didn’t even bounce to a new target after failing.

Amylia immediately launched another spell at Gregor, one that looked like a swarm of bees made out of burning embers, all of which swarmed around him but started to blink out without doing any harm. I watched for a moment longer and realized that Gregor wasn’t just using a shield, he was using spell armor. Amylia had told me about it once, describing it as being similar to the shield chain spell that I’d used earlier…but several levels more advanced. She’d described it as being multiple different types of shields layered on top of each other so that they could stop just about anything. According to her, creating a single use of spell armor could be extremely complicated and time consuming.

Gregor responded by using another chain spell on Amylia, sending a ball of fire right where she was standing. Amylia dove aside while three more attacks continued to hit exactly where she’d been standing. I realized that this was another of the downsides of a chain spell, that after activating it, it would continue to follow its path even though it was wasting all the spells in the chain.

By this point, Professor Roangard and the students who’d arrived with her had helped finish up with the invaders and their summoned creatures. The only invaders who were still fighting were Marcus and Gregor, both of whom were still involved in nasty looking duels.

Gayle and Marcus were still swinging their swords at each other, then Marcus jumped back and activated a spell. A large glowing wolf appeared and jumped at Gayle, but she slashed it with her sword and it vanished. Marcus fired a blast of fire at her, but she held up her sword which blocked the attack.

“I will defeat you this time,” Marcus exclaimed with a look of hatred in his eyes. “This school will be safe from your venom.”

“You’re insane,” Gayle screamed at him furiously. “You tried to murder me… Now you attack us without reason and you still think I’m the threat? If you want to see the real threat, try looking in the damn mirror…”

Gayle held out two of the tarot cards that acted as her tokens and activated them. A ball of glowing green energy shot out at Marcus, but he dodged to the side and avoided it. At the same time, a conjuring appeared in front of her, shaped like a human woman but made entirely out of water. The water woman charged straight at Marcus while he jumped back, avoiding her even more desperately than he had the ball of energy. Then he activated a token and the water woman suddenly froze into an ice statue that stood there motionless.

“You won’t get me wet this time,” Marcus exclaimed, forming a glowing disk in front of him to block a spray of water that Gayle had just released. “You can’t beat me the same way twice.”

“I know,” Gayle responded, jumping back as the ground beneath her started to reach up to grab her ankles. “This time I’m doing something else.”

Suddenly, the ball of green energy that Marcus had avoided earlier, came back and hit him from behind, sending him sprawling face first into the ground. His energy sword flew from his hand and vanished and he scrambled to his knees, only to find that Gayle had closed the distance and had her sword nearly to his throat.

Monica had been watching their fight with a worried look, and at the sight of her brother like this, she cried out, “Marcus…” She started running towards them, crying out, “He’s my brother. Please don’t kill him…”

Gayle stepped back, looking surprised as Monica threw herself between Marcus and the sword. “Monica,” Marcus said, looking surprised as well. He looked at her arm, which she was still holding, and demanded, “What did they do to you?”

“It was your friends who did this,” Monica snapped at him angrily.

Marcus looked a little surprised at that. “You must be mistaken,” Marcus said. “These people who kidnapped you must have made you believe…”

“I am NOT brainwashed or charmed,” Monica spat at him. “And I wasn’t kidnapped. I left you and your friends on my own…after I helped your prisoners escape.”

“What?” Marcus asked, looking confused. “Why would you have done something like that?”

“You actually have to ask?” Monica demanded. “You were kidnapping people so you could murder them for some kind of experiment. Who does things like that?” She paused, shaking and having tears running down her cheeks. “At first, I was angry and scared and it made me feel like I was stopping the monsters… But then, I realized that what you and your friends were doing was what was really monstrous. I couldn’t just let those people be murdered like that…”

“You don’t understand,” Marcus told her. “I don’t like the methods either, but they are necessary for saving our people…”

“BULLSHIT,” Monica nearly screamed in her brother’s face. “The ends justify the means? Your means are evil so how can your ends possibly be good?” Then she just stood there, glaring at him furiously. “You always wanted to be the hero, but now all you are is another bad guy.”

Marcus suddenly glared back at Monica in anger. “You’re obviously still under their control.”

“You tried to murder someone who never hurt you,” Monica told him grimly, gesturing to Gayle. “You kidnapped a bunch of innocent people so you could kill them in some kind of experiment. You attacked a school so you could take a bunch of kids hostage and brainwash them to do what you want. There is absolutely NOTHING good about anything of that. You’ve become the bad guy…pure and simple.”

“Monica,” he said awkwardly, almost pleading with you. “You don’t understand…”

“No, YOU don’t understand,” she exclaimed, slapping Marcus across the face as hard as she could. Then she tearfully blurted out, “I used to look up to look up to you. I wanted to be just like you. But now…now I’m ashamed to be your sister.” And with that, Monica turned and walked away.

Marcus stared after her with a look of stunned confusion. Then he almost seemed to deflate into himself, collapsing to his knees and looking completely and utterly defeated. He didn’t even look at Gayle, who stood back with the sword in hand, looking completely uncertain as to what to do next.

While this was occurring, Amylia continued fighting Gregor while everyone stood back and watched. Everyone seemed to realize that this was a personal battle and even Professor Roangard seemed hesitant to get between the two of them. But as I watched them, I felt that it was personal for me as well. After all, Gregor was one of my ancestors and I couldn’t help but feeling at least a tiny bit responsible for him.

It was obvious that Gregor had come well prepared to fight as he had a huge arsenal of chain spells that he was releasing. For every spell he activated, it was the equivalent of activating three or more. Amylia was doing quite well but was being overwhelmed with the sheer number of effects she was being hit with.

Then Gregor sent a massive wave of fire straight at Amylia. She conjured up a disk of light in front of her which blocked the flames, though they spread around the disk and began to form a ring of flames around her. A moment later, the ground around her shattered and exploded, sending her flying back, just as a burst of tiny red balls of energy shot out towards her like a shotgun blast.

“Amylia,” I cried out in horror, rushing to her and seeing that she’d been badly injured. Between the stone shard shrapnel from the exploding ground, being singed a little from the flames, and having one of the glowing red balls actually go through her shoulder, she looked in bad shape. I dropped down beside her and touched her body, tears running down my cheeks. “Amylia…?” She didn’t answer so I nearly screamed, “Grandma…”

Amylia opened her eyes and looked at me. “Erin,” she whispered, gasping in pain. “I... I never thought I’d be called that…” Then she gave me a weak smile before closing her eyes again.

I turned my attention to Gregor, glaring at him in a cold fury. “Surrender now,” Gregor stated coldly. “I’d rather not kill you just yet. You could still be too useful to me…just as Conrad was.”

I clenched my fists, suddenly wondering what he’d done to Conrad but having a bad idea already. When the rest of us had escaped from Gregor, he’d still been left with one mythic of his own bloodline. Somehow, I didn’t think the fact that Conrad had been working for him and had been loyal about it would make any difference.

“Go suck a dead gorn’s ass,” I spat out at him, immediately following that up with, “Engage.”

The spell I unleashed on Gregor was just a wind spell, meant to throw him back and off his feet. However, it had no effect whatsoever against his spell armor. He responded by sending a spell at me and I jumped to the side just as roots started to grow up from the ground and would have entangled my feet. I didn’t stop though and kept moving as the other effect of his chain spell kicked in, coating the ground with a sheet of ice and having chains appear in mid-air. However, I’d avoided the area where the magic hit so the effects had been wasted.

Professor Roangard stepped in at this point and began launching attacks at Gregor, having a look of cold fury on her face. “Well girl,” she snapped at Kaellie, who stood there looking as though she couldn’t decide whether or not she should help me. “Are you going to assist or not?” Kaellie gulped and launched a fireball at Gregor as well.

Now that this was no longer a personal duel between Gregor and Amylia, everyone started going after him, some with the obvious intention of avenging Amylia. Traci took a large jump and landed right beside Gregor, punching him as hard as he could. Gregor’s shield seemed to prevent him from being harmed. He swung his staff at Traci, who then jumped back and out of range. Jake and Kaylie began flying around his head, distracting him and then dodging away as Professor Roangard attacked.

Gregor held his staff up and activated a spell, but nothing seemed to happen other than that there was a momentary shimmer around his body. I grimaced, realizing that he must have just renewed his spell armor. I could only imagine how much time and effort it must have taken to create a spell of that type and power. Then he gestured with his staff and released another spell right at Professor Roangard.

A blast of purple energy shot out of Gregor’s staff but Professor Roangard held up her own staff and invoked a spell. A bubble of light appeared around herself and the students that were close to her. The blast didn’t get through the bubble, but the ground and building behind them cracked and melted. I stared in awe, realizing that this had to be another chain spell, one that used a series of spells to amplify the effects of the main one, much as he did with the sleeping spell.

I looked to Amylia and saw Gayle bent over her, the sword in her hand glowing. I didn’t think Gayle could do anything for Amylia, though I silently prayed that she could. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d come to care about Amylia until now.

“You will pay for harming my students,” Professor Roangard exclaimed, launching a spell at Gregor. He responded by using a spell of his own to teleport a short distance away, just as the spot where he’d been standing began to melt and dissolve into molten lava. “For harming my teaching staff…”

I glared at Gregor furiously, wanting to take him down but knowing that there was nothing I could do. Amylia hadn’t been able to defeat him and she was a lot more experienced than I was. And to top it off, I was nearly out of spells. I only had a few left and none of those would be very good at attacking.

Then I suddenly had an idea, remembering what Teressa and Kaellie had both tried to do to me during our duels. I took a deep breath and then started running straight towards Gregor. Once I was close enough, I activated one of the tokens on my bead bracelet and suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, using the trick aunt June had taught me. With my few seconds of invisibility, I rushed to my great plus grandpa, reappearing right in front of him. He gasped in surprise while I snatched the staff right out of his hands and threw it away as hard as I could.

“Try fighting without any spells,” I spat at him, jumping back as he swung his fist at me.

Of course, Gregor wasn’t completely unarmed. He had a few heavy looking medallions around his neck and tied to his belt, but most of his spells appeared to have been in his staff. Without that, his options were greatly reduced.

Gregor glared at me with a look of cold fury on his face. “I had not intended to use this yet,” Gregor announced, reaching for one of the medallions around his neck. “I had intended to wait until I’d drained the power from more of my vermin descendants…” Then he paused to sneer at me with contempt so thick that it nearly dripped from him. “You may thank Conrad’s…sacrifice for this. Invoke.”

Gregor suddenly began to change, growing larger so that his clothes stretched and tore. His skin turned a sickling greenish color and became thick and lumpy looking. It was almost like watching Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk.

I watched in horror as the sorcerer transformed into what was obviously a troll. He’d actually done it. He’d somehow stolen Conrad’s Were form. When he was finished, he stood eight feet tall and had a bulky body that seemed thick with muscle as well as a layer of fat. He was completely naked, except for several medallions which still hung around his neck.

“It worked,” Gregor exclaimed as he looked down at himself and then laughed. His voice was now deep and gravely, sounding nothing like he had before. Then he looked at me with an oddly hungry look in his eyes. “None of my associates can use this spell. It only works for me because of the blood resonance…” He took several steps towards me, adding, “I won’t kill you…yet. Any of you. I’ll break your wings to keep you from flying away until I can acquire your power as well…”

“You will not harm a hair on her head,” Professor Roangard exclaimed, sending what looked like a dragon made out of fire right at Gregor.

Gregor swung his fist at the flaming dragon and it shattered and faded away while Gregor laughed. “The strength… I’ve never felt so strong…so unstoppable.”

“Oh frell,” I gasped in horror, remembering just how strong and tough Conrad had been to fight. His thick skin had been nearly invulnerable, and now Gregor not only had that but his spell armor as well.

Nearly everyone began launching attacks at Gregor but he just laughed them all off. Teressa sent two creatures made of fire towards him but he backhanded them and they vanished, even as Professor Roangard had a bolt of lightning come from the sky and strike him. Without a word, Gregor turned and charged towards a group of students who all turned and fled screaming in terror from the massive monster. Now, he seemed to have lost any real plan and seemed to just be caught up in his physical power and how unstoppable he’d become.

Gregor paused, reaching for one of the amulets around his neck and activating it. Suddenly, a beam of red light shot out of it like a laser beam, burning into the ground beside one of the students who’d just barely managed to get out of the way. Gregor laughed and swung the laser around as it continued burning whatever it hit.

“Watch out,” Eve cried out, activating a spell that caused a brick wall to suddenly appear in front of her, just in time for the laser to burn the surface.

“We have to stop him,” Sylvie screamed, conjuring a similar wall in front of herself but made of ice. This protected her, Todd, and Darek from being hit.

Gregor swung the laser again, this time aiming it right to where Jake was on the ground with Monica standing beside him. “Run,” Jake ordered her, then cursed, “Damn fish tail… Now I know how useless Aquaman must feel.”

“No,” Monica screamed, putting herself in front of Jake to try protecting him from the laser.

Suddenly, a golden disk of light appeared in front of them and blocked the laser. The laser swept around and was about to hit one of the girl’s who’d come with Kaellie and Professor Roangard, but another golden disk appeared to protect her as well. A moment later, the laser cut out and finally stopped.

Then I looked around and saw the source of those two golden shield spells. Marcus stood there with a worn expression on his face. Gayle had left him to go help Amylia but now he was getting back into the fight.

“Enough,” Marcus called out to Gregor. “Our mission here is a complete failure. All you’re doing now is hurting innocent students…”

“I won’t be beaten by the likes of them,” Gregor responded. “Now assist me.”

“No,” Marcus told him grimly. “I was cast out of this Academy for trying to protect the students. I agreed to invade the Academy so I could protect the students from the same threat. I can NOT allow you to harm the innocent students.”

Gregor glared at Marcus, a very frightening expression on the face of the huge and ugly troll. “You betrayed me,” Gregor snarled angrily.

“No,” Marcus responded, looking tired but determined. “I betrayed myself. I betrayed my own ethics and lost everything because of it. But you took me in and taught me. You gave me a new purpose…restoring the Touched to glory and making our kind respected again. But now you’re betraying that goal. Our mission failed and this rampage does nothing to help our kind. It only harms them.”

“No one betrays me,” Gregor yelled, charging straight at Marcus, who activated a token and suddenly disappeared, only to reappear a short distance away. He activated a second token and a large glowing wolf appeared and ran straight at Gregor. “TRAITOR,” Gregor snarled furiously.

Suddenly, a flaming phoenix landed in Gregor’s hair while a golden pixie flew in front of his face to distract him. He snarled and swatted at the two mythics who quickly dodged out of his way.

Gregor grabbed the last medallion around his neck and invoked it. Suddenly a blast of green energy shot out straight at Monica. Marcus was clutching a red ribbon in his hand and screamed out, “Invoke.” He suddenly disappeared, reappearing next to Monica and shoving her out of the way as the blast hit him in the side instead.

“Marcus,” Monica cried out, dropping next to her brother who was now on the ground with most of his torso being blackened and burned.

“I’m…sorry,” Marcus whispered to her.

“No,” Monica exclaimed, grabbing her brother’s arm, “Please…” Tears were running down her cheeks as she quietly said, “I’m proud of you…”

Marcus smiled faintly before his entire body went limp. I stared at him, realizing that I could sense every last trace of sexual energy from within his body fading away. He was dead.

“Nobody betrays me,” Gregor announced, looking around as though trying to decide who he was going to kill next.

Gayle stepped away from Amylia, her sword firmly in hand. She looked a little shaken as she glanced back to Marcus and then at Gregor. “Marcus was an asshole,” she stated grimly. “But even he didn’t deserve that.”

With that, Gayle ran straight for Gregor, who almost seemed amused by her attack. She was about halfway to him when she activated a token, creating a thick cloud of mist between the two of them. Gregor paused, unable to see her until she emerged from the fog and slashed at him with her sword.

Gregor grabbed his side with a look of pain on his face, shocked that he’d actually been injured. There was a flickering glow around him as his spell armor faded away under the force of the sword’s power.

“You’ll pay for that,” Gregor snarled, swinging a massive fist at Gayle who dodged to the side.

With Gregor’s spell armor gone, he was now only as tough as a normal troll, which I knew from experience was still tough enough. Just not tough enough to shrug off the force of this many angry sorcerers and Were.

I was the first to recognize the opportunity and jumped into the air, only to dive bomb Gregor, landing on his shoulders and digging my claws into his face. He howled in rage and tried shaking me off, but I just spat at him and leapt into the air.

“Time to end this,” Gayle exclaimed, holding her sword with a look of determination.

“Yes…it is,” a weak voice said. Amylia stood up, though it obviously took a great deal of effort.

“Amylia,” I exclaimed, immediately landing beside her so that I could help support her. I felt an immense sense of relief at seeing her like this.

Amylia glared at Gregor and grimly said, “For Robert…” Then she held up a token and weakly said, “Invoke.”

The ground beneath Gregor suddenly seemed to turn into quicksand and he started to sink. He was going down fast and was struggling, though that only seemed to make him sink faster.

“And for my grandchildren,” Amylia added with a cold anger, activating another token and sending a ball of fire right at Gregor.

Gregor screamed in pain as his body became enveloped in flames. He tried flailing but he was trapped from the waist down in stone and was still sinking. I could see his flesh blistering and burning as I watched, making my stomach turn.

The flames stopped half a minute later, but by then Gregor’s head was the only part still above the ground. His head was now completely bald with the skin being all blistered and charred. He was no longer moving, but I could sense enough energy from within him to know that he wasn’t dead. Not yet.

“It’s done,” Amylia whispered as I supported nearly all of her weight. There were tears running down her cheeks as she added, “It’s finally done.”

The cafeteria was a huge mess with a large hole through one of the walls and trays with cold food scattered all over the place, due to the interruption during lunch. No one had really begun cleaning the cafeteria yet, but it certainly wasn’t the only part of the school that had been left a mess.

My friends and I had cleared off one of the tables so we had a placed where we could all sit and talk. And after everything that had just happened, we had a lot to talk about.

It had been six hours since the invaders had been defeated. Half an hour after that, the students and faculty who’d been taken out by Gregor’s sleeping spell all began waking up again. They’d all been shocked to see the wreckage around them and discover what they’d missed.

The one thing that had spread around the school even faster than the details of the invasion was news of Amylia’s hybrid status, though most people still didn’t know about her relationship to Gregor or me. I had no idea if that would change, or what I would do if it did.

“I still can’t believe Amylia is a Were,” Kimberly said with a shake of her head. “I mean, she’s been teaching here for like a century and no one knew…”

“I knew,” I pointed out with a faint smile. I’d already told my friends absolutely everything about both my relationship to Amylia and to Gregor. It had been nice to finally get that out in the open, at least with my friends.

“I can’t believe she’s your grandma,” Todd pointed out with a shake of his head. “I know you told me you found a new relative, but I never would have guessed it was a teacher here…”

“She’s our grandma too,” Darek commented with an amused look, gesturing to Traci, Kaylie, Jake, and Trey. “Of course, there’s about a half dozen greats in there…”

“It’s pretty fucking weird,” Jake commented, giving Kaylie’s hand a gentle squeeze. “But kind of cool too. I mean, how many people can actually talk to their own ancestors like that?”

“Anyone descended from a sorcerer,” Sylvie pointed out with a grin. She gestured to Todd and added, “Our great grandpa’s brother is a sorcerer so he’s still around. I mean, he doesn’t even look like he’s thirty yet.”

While we talked, I watched how Traci and Eve kept looking at each other. I had to hold back a smirk as it was obvious that they were both interested in each other, though neither seemed ready to admit it.

“What’s it like turning into a satyr?” Eve asked her curiously. Then she grinned almost evilly, and have you ever been able to use that THING?”

“Only once,” Traci admitted with a bright blush, glancing to me which made me blush as well.

Traci and Eve continued talking to each other, almost seeming to forget that anyone else was here. However, they weren’t my only friends who seemed to have become interested in each other.

Trey sat there with a worried look on his face before finally asking me, “Is Monica going to be all right?” He paused and added, “She looked pretty broken up.”

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, feeling bad for her. “I mean, her brother just died in her arms after saving her life…”

Jake snorted. “Her brother was a total asshole, but I do feel sorry for her.”

Then I noticed Amylia coming into the cafeteria, using a cane as she slowly made her way towards us. Gayle had saved her life with that magic sword…Excalibur…the real Excalibur from sword and legend. Afterwards, the school nurse Mrs. Reveine had used some healing spells on Amylia as well. However, Amylia still wasn’t fully recovered and it would take a few more days of natural rest and healing to finish that.

“How are you all holding up?” Amylia asked us all with a gentle smile.

“We’re doing all right,” I answered while the others nodded.

“I’m grateful for the tour and all,” Traci said awkwardly, “But when do you think we’ll be able to go home? I mean, my parents are probably freaking out that I disappeared again.”

Amylia sighed and told her, “I’m sorry for bringing you all here without warning…especially into such a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, it was the only way I could think to save Erin at the time…”

“I don’t mind that,” Darek said with a shrug. “But we do have to go back home.”

“It won’t be much longer,” Amylia explained with a sigh. “We’re just getting things organized enough to make it possible. Arita…Professor Roangard needs to arrange for you all to be able to pass through the gates. Normally, certain protections on the system only allow Touched to use them so we need to take care of that before we can take you through.”

“But how long?” Darek asked calmly.

“Probably another hour or two,” Amylia told him with a sigh. “Then we’ll get you all as close to your homes as we can.”

“We appreciate it,” Trey told her with a smile.

Sylvie gave Amylia a speculative look before asking the question that we were all thinking. “So, what’s going to happen with the assholes who attacked us?”

Amylia hesitated for a moment before answering, “I’m not supposed to tell the students this yet, but I think you all deserve to know.” She scowled and said, “As you know, the Touched have no organized government. We have no police force or prisons. Our only real option is to deal with this ourselves.”

“You’re gonna kill them,” Sylvie said with a look of anger.

“No,” Amylia quickly responded. “We are teachers, not executioners. And this is a school, not a prison, so we certainly can’t hold them here indefinitely. But we can’t just let them go either, not when they may attempt something like this again.” Her expression turned to one of cold anger as she stated, “We are going to make sure that not only do they never try something like this again, but we’re going to make an example so that no one else does either.”

“Shit,” Eve exclaimed, leaning forward with a look of intense interest. The rest of us shared her curiosity as well as we all watched Amylia curiously. “What are you going to do?”

“Some parents and sponsors came as soon as they heard what happened,” Amylia answered carefully, giving a faint smile that was not a nice one. “Gayle’s sponsor suggested the solution that we agreed on. We’re going to place a curse on them based off Gayle’s sorcerers mark, then let them go.”

“You’re going to give them sex changes?” I asked in surprise, wondering how that was going to stop them from doing something like this again. Instead, I imagine it would just piss them off even more.

“No,” Amylia responded. “We’re giving them allergies to magic, but instead of changing sex when it activates, it will trigger severe nausea and even pain, leaving them helpless to do any harm. If they become exposed to too much magic, it can even kill them. None of them will even be able to do so much as use their talents again without activating the effect. It will also activate if they ever get within ten miles of the Academy.” She had a dark expression on her face as she added, “None of them will ever be able to use magic again, and even attempting to break the curse will trigger it enough to kill them first.”

“Holy shit,” Eve exclaimed. “That’s nasty.”

“Yeah,” Sylvie agreed with an evil grin. “But I like it.”

Kimberly gave a visible wince. “Ouch.”

“It will take a few days to finish designing and casting the curse,” Amylia admitted. “Gayle’s sponsor is working with Professor Roangard on that.”

“But what about Gregor?” I asked quietly, knowing there was no way he was going to get off that easily.

“Gregor’s situation is different,” Amylia answered, chuckling faintly. I felt a faint chill up my spine as I saw that look of satisfaction on her face. “Gregor is nearly healed from all his injuries already, but that doesn’t matter. You see, he still hasn’t changed back to his human form…and it looks like he never will.”

“WHAT?” I gasped in surprise.

“Gregor isn’t a Were,” Amylia explained with a grim satisfaction. “He doesn’t have the ability to transform back and forth. When he used a blood link to copy Conrad’s Were form to himself, got the troll form…but not the Were nature to transform. It appears that what Gregor intended to be a temporary transformation has instead become permanent. He’ll be stuck as a troll for the rest of his life.”

“Holy shit,” Sylvie exclaimed.

“Fucking bastard deserves it” Jake added with a smug look. “He’ll never be able to show his face in public again.”

“Yeah,” Traci agreed with a smirk of her own. “And once you put that curse on him…”

“We won’t be putting that curse on Gregor,” Amylia responded. “There will be no need. You see…we’ve already tested Gregor and found that as a Troll, he can no longer draw enough magic to cast a single spell. “At most, he may be able to use his talent…but nothing more.”

“I’m still surprised that you’d even think of letting him go,” I pointed out. “I mean, after what he did…”

“Oh, we aren’t letting Gregor go,” Amylia told me. “He led this invasion, so we all agree that he deserves a special punishment. Professor Roangard knows of a small island that would be just large enough to permanently imprison a single troll. Gregor will spend the rest of his days there.”

“Damn,” Trey gasped. “I can’t say he doesn’t deserve it, but doesn’t that sound like cruel and unusual punishment?”

“The Touched don’t have a government or law enforcement,” Amylia reminded him. “It’s up to us to deal with our own problems. We try to encourage self-reliance at the Academy because of that.”

Kimberly nodded faintly and then abruptly asked Amylia, “Are you really Erin’s grandma?”

“Yes,” Amylia answered, actually sounding proud. “These are all my grandchildren…a few generations removed.” She gestured to the group of mythics that she’d summoned with her spell. “After going so long without family, it is strange but pleasant to suddenly have so many. I look forward to getting to know you and my other descendants better.”

“I can’t imagine what that would be like,” Todd commented with a shake of his head.

Amylia just smiled and then looked straight at me. “I am very proud of how you handled yourself.” Then she looked at her other descendants and added, “I’m proud of how all of you did.”

“Not like I did much,” Trey muttered in annoyance. Then he joked, “Just promise me that next time, we fight the bad guys around the water.”

A minute later, Amylia left us to go return to her responsibilities of helping restore the Academy to order, and to expedite the return of her descendants to their homes. It was strange though, that even being injured and exhausted, she somehow seemed to have an extra spring in her step.

“So,” Eve abruptly announced, looking straight at Traci. “We have a really nice little lake out behind the school with a nice view. You want to see it before you have to go?”

Traci blushed a little and then grinned, “Yeah…I think I’d like that.”

“I think I’m going to go look for Monica,” Trey said hesitantly. “She looked really rough and I feel for her…”

“I’ll show you where her dorm room is,” Kimberly volunteered.

Traci and Eve wandered off together as did Kimberly and Trey. Jake and Kaylie watched and then grinned at each other.

“We’re going to explore a little,” Kaylie said with a grin, grabbing Jakes arm and giggling. “We’ll probably never get to come here again so I won’t want to waste an opportunity to see the sights…”

“I’ll come too,” Darek said. “Since Erin says we’re on an island, I want to go see the beach…”

“I’ll play tour guide if you’d like,” Sylvie said with a shrug. “It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do until they get the school fixed up. Besides, you can tell me all about how you guys escaped from Gregor. I’m pretty sure Erin left out some details…”

Once Todd and I were alone, I gave him a kiss and then told him, “You were so brave out there…”

“So were you,” he protested. “And you did a lot more than I could…”

“Maybe,” I responded with a grin. “But you kicked Tyler’s ass to save me… I think you deserve a BIG reward…” Then I gave him another kiss and mused, “I always wondered what I’d look like in my enhanced form, using my mom’s talent…” I grinned at that and then whispered into his ear, “Want to come to my room and find out?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Todd asked with a grin as the two of us got up and started for the dorms. “I’ll tell you, this has really been one hell of a day…”

Amylia sat behind the wheel of the rental car, barely saying a word as the two of us drove. It had been a quiet drive for the last hour with the mood being somewhat somber.

I was in the passenger seat, absently playing with my latest piece of jewelry, a very nice bead bracelet that aunt June had given me as a present last night. Each bead was the size of a marble and made of titanium, as well as coated with old metal and symbols to make them look more interesting. Each bead was also a reusable token.

Aunt June had once told me that it was impossible to make reusable tokens that small, that they couldn’t be made sturdy enough to withstand the magics involved in creating them. However, aunt June was one of the world’s foremost experts on creating small reusable tokens, and she’d spent the last month working hard to make it possible. She’d done all that just to this for me, a reward to show how proud she was of how I’d handled myself during the attack on the Academy.

It had been just over a month since Gregor and his people had launched their attack against us. Most of those invaders had been cursed and released, knowing that they would now have to avoid magic and even other Touched. They would be forced to live nearly as normal unless they wished to risk nausea and pain.

Gregor of course, had been given a different punishment. He’d been dropped off on a small island that had been warded to keep him in and to keep other people away. It would be a prison he would not be able to escape from, especially since he no longer had magic to use.

However, Gregor’s true prison was his own skin. He’d experimented with Were transformation magic without truly understanding what he was doing, and as a result, he was now trapped as a troll for the rest of his life. I felt a dark amusement at the thought that the man who had nothing but contempt for Were should now be forced to permanently live in a hideous Were form.

It had been just over a month since the attack, and in that time, many things had changed. Dr. Merchant had been invited to the Academy twice times to give lectures on Were culture and history. But even more shocking, the Academy now had its first pure Were student.

Traci had been invited to the Academy as an exchange student and had accepted, much to the delight of Eve who had begun dating her. Darek, Trey, Jake, and Kaylie might have gotten similar invitations for what they’d done during the attack, if it wasn’t for the fact that they were all a little too old.

I was more than happy to have Traci join my group of friends at the Academy, though it had created a few awkward moments as well, such as during the last full moon. Fortunately, both Eve and Todd were pretty understanding of our friends with occasional benefits status.

Monica had begun dating Trey as well, though it was mostly a long-distance relationship with weekend visits. I liked Trey, but he was a few years older than Monica and I thought he might be just a little too old for her. However, they made each other happy and I certainly couldn’t argue with that.

After the events of the attack, Monica and Teressa had made up and became friends again, though Monica still spent quite a bit of time hanging out with us as well. Fortunately, Teressa had called our feud off, though there had been no apologies or official declaration of a ceasefire. Instead, she had just been leaving me alone and ignoring me, which suited me just fine.

I smiled as I thought of Todd and our now rather active sex life. After several weeks, we finally even did it with me in succubus form. I’d had to hold back a great deal, but Todd had really gotten a kick out of it, especially since I was able to use my talent to enhance his body and performance, which allowed him to keep up a little more.

Even Amylia was getting a touch of romance since I’d seen the way that she and Dr. Merchant looked at each other. I knew that they kept in frequent contact, and I suspected that this may even be why Dr. Merchant had been invited to the Academy as a guest lecturer.

Just then, Amylia distracted me from my thoughts by announcing, “We’re here…”

Amylia pulled the car into our destination and then parked it. We got out and looked around for a moment before she silently began leading the way, looking at the notes Dr. Merchant had given her.

A minute later, we found what we were looking for…a tombstone with the name ‘Robert Erland Dupree.’ Beneath that, it had the engraved words, ‘Beloved husband and father.’

Amylia just stood there for two minutes, staring at her son’s tombstone without a word. Tears were coming down her cheeks and I took her hand, holding it to give her comfort.

“Robert,” she whispered. “I missed over half your life. I missed your wife and children. I never got to see the man you became.” She just stood there with the tears flowing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t a better mother…that I didn’t have the courage to be honest with you. If I had, then things would have been different.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I assured her gently. “Gregor…”

“Gregor played his part,” Amylia agreed grimly. “But I played my own as well. If I’d told Robert that I was a hybrid and that there was even a chance he would be a Were…then he might not have panicked during his transformation. I should have stopped Gregor… I failed Robert.”

I gave Amylia a gentle hug to give what comfort I could. She’d been living with this guilt for two hundred years and now it was all coming out.

“But he lived,” I reminded Amylia, feeling awkward as I did so. “I mean, at least long enough to have a family who loved him.”

“There is that,” Amylia agreed, giving me a gentle smile. “And he left me a new family that I’ve enjoyed meeting and learning to know.”

I nodded at that and stared at the tombstone. “Hi,” I said quietly. “I’m Erin, and I guess, I’m your great great granddaughter…with a few more greats.” I stopped at that, not knowing what to say.

“I remember when Robert was little,” Amylia told me quietly. “He was so excited to watch me show him my spells… And though you wouldn’t believe it, Gregor was a proud and happy father…” Her expression saddened even more at that.

For the next twenty minutes, Amylia told me about Robert and what she remembered of him. She told me stories of his childhood and how she caught him kissing one of the neighbor girls. She smiled in fond remembrance as she described his reaction to being given his own horse for his fifteenth birthday. When she was done, she seemed to be in a much better mood, as though sharing her memories of Robert had helped to ease some of the pain.

Amylia stared at the tombstone again with a somber look in her eyes. “It’s time to do something that I should have done a very long time ago.”

“What’s that?” I asked her curiously.

“I have to make up for my mistakes” Amylia responded with a look of determination. “I have to do something to help prevent this kind of thing from happening again.”

I blinked at that, feeling a little confused. Then cautiously asked, “How do you do that?”

Amylia gave me a faint smile and answered, “I’ve been talking with Edward about an idea I had… He’s agreed to become my partner in this…” Then she looked at me with a slightly larger smile. “We are going to open a summer camp…a camp for both Were and Touched children. It will be a place where they can get to know each other, to learn that they are not really so different as they think. It will be a place where Were and Touched can learn to understand and accept each other.”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” I commented.

“Yes,” Amylia agreed. “But it will be well worth it. And perhaps, we can even find some Sier children to attend as well.”

“That does sound pretty cool,” I told her, giving her another hug.

“I’m glad you think so,” Amylia told me with a look of amusement. “Once the Robert Dupree summer camp is up and operational, we will need some good camp counselors…and I can think of no one I’d rather have than you.”

With that, we turned and walked back to the car. Amylia was smiling faintly and almost seemed to radiate a new sense of purpose. I just smiled as I went along, feeling proud to have her as my grandmother and feeling amazed that things had turned out this way.

After my Changing day, when I first woke up to discover that I’d become a girl, I hadn’t been able to imagine a future in that form. I hadn’t been able to imagine a day when I would actually come to prefer my new gender. But I had, just as I had found new friends and family I never would have expected. As I had learned though, you couldn’t truly predict what the future would hold. Trying to do so was like trying to touch the moon.

“Come on grandma,” I told Amylia, feeling proud to be her descendent. “Let’s go get started.”

The End