Chapter Nine
"Took you long enough." Jaguar said with mock annoyance. "You can go, Eric." Eric nodded and left the courtyard, leaving the picnic basket by the door. "Come here, Dani. I want you to meet Shayla."
"Shayla?"
"Yes. She's the most beautiful creature living in these walls, after you, of course."
"I hope you aren't implying that I'm a wild beast." Danica answered, dropping to her knees next to Shayla, who lay sprawled in the moss. "Hello, Shayla." Dani reached over and rubbed the jaguar's belly. "She is beautiful." Shayla yawns and ambled to her feet before jumping on Jaguar.
Danica bit back laughter as she watched her lover play. After a while, Shayla disentangled herself from Jaguar and slinked off into the shadows.
Danica sat down with her books and opened the first one to where she had left off yesterday.
"What are you working on, anyway?" Jaguar finally asked after watching her for nearly an hour as she muttered to herself.
"Huh?" She glanced up from her book for the first time since opening it.
"What are you working on?" He repeated.
"Spells." She answered, looking over the page again. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Utayu fai." She said. Jaguar watched her for any sign of change. "Fuck!" She cursed in frustration.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"It's not working. What else would be wrong? I've read all the text on this spell. It should have been the first spell I learned as a child, but my mum never bothered to even tell me I was a witch. How am I supposed to do this? Most people have someone teaching them." Danica slammed her book shut.
"Maybe you need a break."
"No, I need to learn the spell. I can't even float a bloody pencil! And to top it off, my little cousin could float anything she wanted and she was only six. And she never had to say the spell out loud." Danica threw the pencil she had been trying to flow across the yard. "Utayu fai!" She screamed.
Suddenly, the pencil came up a few inches from the ground.
"Oh!" Dani exclaimed, causing herself to lose concentration and drop the pencil. "I did it!" she stared, wide-eyed. "Did you see that?"
"Yes." Jaguar smiled at his lover. "I'm so proud of you." He gave her a kiss. "Now may I ask why you're working on spells?"
"I'm a witch, duh." Dani smiled. "And I'm gonna kill Kestral."
"Really?" Jaguar raised his brows.
"Do you mind?" She asked, looking at him.
"Not at all."
"Good. I'm gonna float a dagger, jam it hard into him and learn how to twist." Dani's face was twisted in fury. This was something she'd dreamt about for years. Revenge for her mother, Helen.
"How long do you think that'll take you? Because I think I can arrange to have him around on a certain date, should you like."
"I'm not sure. I'm shooting for a month." Jaguar reached over and kissed her.
"Then I have faith in you. In one month, I'll have Kestral for a meeting."
"Took you long enough." Jaguar said with mock annoyance. "You can go, Eric." Eric nodded and left the courtyard, leaving the picnic basket by the door. "Come here, Dani. I want you to meet Shayla."
"Shayla?"
"Yes. She's the most beautiful creature living in these walls, after you, of course."
"I hope you aren't implying that I'm a wild beast." Danica answered, dropping to her knees next to Shayla, who lay sprawled in the moss. "Hello, Shayla." Dani reached over and rubbed the jaguar's belly. "She is beautiful." Shayla yawns and ambled to her feet before jumping on Jaguar.
Danica bit back laughter as she watched her lover play. After a while, Shayla disentangled herself from Jaguar and slinked off into the shadows.
Danica sat down with her books and opened the first one to where she had left off yesterday.
"What are you working on, anyway?" Jaguar finally asked after watching her for nearly an hour as she muttered to herself.
"Huh?" She glanced up from her book for the first time since opening it.
"What are you working on?" He repeated.
"Spells." She answered, looking over the page again. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Utayu fai." She said. Jaguar watched her for any sign of change. "Fuck!" She cursed in frustration.
"What's wrong, honey?"
"It's not working. What else would be wrong? I've read all the text on this spell. It should have been the first spell I learned as a child, but my mum never bothered to even tell me I was a witch. How am I supposed to do this? Most people have someone teaching them." Danica slammed her book shut.
"Maybe you need a break."
"No, I need to learn the spell. I can't even float a bloody pencil! And to top it off, my little cousin could float anything she wanted and she was only six. And she never had to say the spell out loud." Danica threw the pencil she had been trying to flow across the yard. "Utayu fai!" She screamed.
Suddenly, the pencil came up a few inches from the ground.
"Oh!" Dani exclaimed, causing herself to lose concentration and drop the pencil. "I did it!" she stared, wide-eyed. "Did you see that?"
"Yes." Jaguar smiled at his lover. "I'm so proud of you." He gave her a kiss. "Now may I ask why you're working on spells?"
"I'm a witch, duh." Dani smiled. "And I'm gonna kill Kestral."
"Really?" Jaguar raised his brows.
"Do you mind?" She asked, looking at him.
"Not at all."
"Good. I'm gonna float a dagger, jam it hard into him and learn how to twist." Dani's face was twisted in fury. This was something she'd dreamt about for years. Revenge for her mother, Helen.
"How long do you think that'll take you? Because I think I can arrange to have him around on a certain date, should you like."
"I'm not sure. I'm shooting for a month." Jaguar reached over and kissed her.
"Then I have faith in you. In one month, I'll have Kestral for a meeting."