The Thaumaturge [Chapter 20: Deals]

"Okay, so are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

Viv was sitting at Lauren's kitchen counter, eating one of the bagels we'd had delivered to fuel what I was increasingly thinking of as a Saturday-morning war council.

And she was eyeing Michelle -- who was still zip-tied to a chair -- with concern.

I gave Viv the full explanation, with Lauren chiming in here and there. She listened silently, without interrupting, as I ran through the whole tale, from after Viv had left the apartment until this morning.

Although I admittedly left out the succubus visiting me in my dream.

"...And that's it, I guess. We tied her to this chair and figured we should talk about what to do."

Viv stood up, moved to stand in front of Michelle. "Stef sent you?"

Michelle just glowered at her resentfully, but didn't respond.

Viv walked a small circle around her, peering at her closely. "Huh. You're right, Laur. It's subtle...whoever did this inverted the structure of the hexing to hide it really cleverly. I didn't notice it when I gave everyone in Matt's apartment the once over."

She looked up, sober enough that the verdict on her face was clear even before she spoke. "It probably is Stef. The style feels like hers, and her Affinity was mind magic, so it makes sense."

Lauren looked surprised, then paled. "I didn't know that was her Affinity."

"...What's an Affinity?" I could hear the capitalization in the way they said the word.

Viv shrugged. "It's what it sounds like; a type of magic that the witch in question has a special proficiency for. Every witch gets one eventually."

I had many questions about that, but Lauren spoke first.

"I think we should use the Mirror, and see what we can learn. What do you think, Viv?"

The Mirror of Misfortune.

It made some sense. But I couldn't help but shiver at the thought. It showed exclusively bad outcomes. The last time I'd used it, I'd gotten to experience Elana turning me to stone.

Viv considered Lauren's question for a moment before shrugging. "It's Matt's call."

Lauren looked surprised at that, but glanced my way.

I nodded, slowly. "What are you hoping we'll learn?"

"Well, whether Liam's alive, for one thing," Lauren said. "If he is, she's a lot more powerful, but she's probably also a lot less pissed off. If he's not-"

"He's not." The words were out of my mouth, matter-of-fact, before I could think about it further.

The two witches were silent for a moment, and then Viv's eyes narrowed. "You seem really sure."

Whoops. I didn't see any way around telling them now, though. "Um...I asked Calli. Last night. The succubus has been visiting me in my dreams."

"...And how many times has this happened?" Lauren was suddenly tense.

"Only twice!"

"Jeez, Matt, c'mon. How many more times was it going to happen before you decided to tell us?" She shook her head like I was an idiot.

"And I'm sorry, did you just say Calli?" Viv's voice was full of disbelief. "You've given the soul-stealing demon a nickname?"

I tried to keep the defensiveness out of my voice. "Look, I made a deal with her, and I owe her a lot of feedings. What's the big deal? Her name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, a-and she's been pretty forthcoming with information-"

"The big deal is that thirteen is a pretty fucking magically specific number of times to want to drain a thaumaturge," Viv said. "I don't know what it is, but she's got some ulterior motive beyond just drawing power from you. She's doing something."

Lauren just nodded emphatic agreement.

"Maybe, but I don't see what I can do about it. I agreed to the deal, and uh..." My face heated, recalling last night's dream. "Even if I wanted to stop her at this point..."

Viv rolled her eyes. "Okay, yeah, we get it, she's inescapably sexy. Well, maybe next time ask her why it's thirteen feedings. At least you've got a little time before whatever-it-is she's doing comes to fruition. We're getting distracted from our immediate problem. The succubus told you that she killed Liam?"

"Not only that; it sounds like Stephanie was...aware, while it was happening."

Lauren's mouth made a little O of horror.

"Fuck." Viv looked distraught, guilty, and angry all at once.

I gave them a sad look. "I know."

The two of them were silent for a while, after that. Eventually, Lauren spoke. "At least we know that she doesn't have a thaumaturge backing her up. That makes her a lot less dangerous. But we should use the Mirror later; find out what she's like, these days."

That made sense to me. "Okay. I, uh, owe the werelions. I'm due to pay up this afternoon. Can we do it this evening?"

Viv frowned at that. "Laur, I don't have anything to do today. I'll hang out here with you and our...prisoner. Let's plan to meet at the library at 5."

"Fine." I hesitated. "I'm...going to invite Diana, too. We should all know about this."

Lauren looked pleased. "Good idea. We need allies, and Stephanie might be just as pissed off at her, too; she should know what's up."

Viv pursed her lips in distaste, but said nothing.

I glanced at Michelle as I gathered my things to go. "Be safe. Text me if she says anything useful."

Just before I opened the door, she spoke. Michelle's voice was small, tired. "You all should be running, not trying to learn more. Stephanie's going to kill you."

"Give it a rest, hunter." Viv said it confidently. I had to hand it to her: I was sure she was as worried as Lauren and I, but I was impressed at the brave face.

Michelle's words were certainly enough to send a chill down my spine.

---

I headed back to my place for a shower. I managed to avoid my roommates, and it seemed like they had largely cleaned up the aftermath of the party. I was grateful for both, and got out of the apartment as soon as I could -- I didn't want to get roped in to a conversation about how things had gone with Michelle right now.

I ran a few errands to pass the time, hoping to clear the decks so that after we learned...whatever we'd learn from the Mirror, I could focus on that.

By the early afternoon, when I took stock of my internal well of power, I was surprised. I'd been a little concerned that it'd be completely empty: Viv, Michelle, and Callistryllaxia, all in the space of twelve hours or so, felt like a lot of power to dole out, even if Michelle had just been using the amulet.

It was certainly nowhere near full, the way it had been after a few days without any action. But it had refilled substantially, and I could feel the now-familiar combined stirring of libido and magical power. I judged I could feasibly repay the werelions.

So I texted Brooke to ask where she lived; she gave me her address and I stared at my phone in surprise. It was on the university's Greek Row, with the fraternity and sorority houses.

I supposed the werelion pride did function a bit like a...social club, as it were.

I set off across campus.

---

The building that belonged to the werelions was fucking enormous. Given its location and prominence, it had to have originally been home to some large fraternity or sorority. A grassy lawn with a well-maintained driveway loop led up to large covered porch and main entrance.

I had to admit that I felt pretty intimidated. I started up the driveway, uncertainly. It was less a house and more a mansion; three stories across two massive wings stretched up and out to either side of the entrance. What did I do, just go knock on the front door?

I was half-considering just texting Brooke to tell her I was outside, when my train of thought was interrupted.

"Can I help you?"

The voice came from off to the side. I'd been so preoccupied with the giant house in front of me that I hadn't realized there was a woman out sunbathing on the lawn.

This wasn't all that unusual a sight on the university campus, especially during the summer, as students took advantage of the sunshine and warm weather.

This woman, however, was extremely unusual.

She would have been completely at home in a Sports Illustrated photo shoot.

Jet black hair was pulled to one side. She was wearing what seemed to be a red bikini; although face-down as she was, all I could see of it were the thin ties of the bikini back, and the skimpy bottoms. Neither of which were giving her much coverage, putting tanned-brown skin on full display.

Sunlight glistened off her; she was covered in some kind of tanning oil.

"U-uh, hi," I stammered. I did my best to pull my gaze off her ass, but my best was not nearly good enough.

Fuck me. I gawked at the way her butt wobbled slightly as she shifted up onto first one elbow, then the other, to look at me. I felt my cock stir.

She shaded her eyes to get a better look at me. "I said, can I help you? This is private property."

Maybe this was some kind of...sentry the werelions posted? Someone on lookout? I tried to pull my thoughts together. "I'm, uh, looking for Brooke. My name's Matt."

"Oh. You're the thaumaturge! Hi!" She twisted and sat up, now, giving me a much friendlier smile. She had pretty features; high cheekbones, a small, straight nose, full, soft lips, and dark almond eyes. "Brooke said you'd be by this afternoon."

"Uh, yeah." I was still gawking. Her body was incredible; the woman was a complete knockout. In her new position, I now had a great view of an extremely full set of tits -- shining with the same oil, cupped perfectly by that red bikini. "Hi. That's me, the thaumaturge."

"Hmm." She gave me an extremely long, direct, once-over, gaze lingering on my groin for a moment. "I wasn't sure what to expect, based on what Brooke said about your last interaction with her."

"Wait, what?" I was completely off balance, now. "What did Brooke say?"

"She didn't say anything." The woman giggled. "Nothing at all. She had no complaints. For Brooke, that speaks volumes. I would've expected talk from her about how your dick's too small, or you didn't last long enough, or whatever. But she had nothing to say. It takes a lot to shut her up, believe me."

"That's...good, I guess?" I'd been mentally prepared to spar with Brooke, not a hot werelion in a bikini talking about my sexual performance. It left me at a loss for words.

"Mmm. It's not just good, it's great. Enough to make a girl a little jealous, really." She was eyeing me speculatively. "You know, Matt...Brooke can be a bit mean, sometimes. If you want to help the pack, you don't have to work through her."

"I, uh...I'll think about that." The implications were, I had to admit, appealing.

"You do that." She leaned forward earnestly. "I mean, I'd help, if you wanted. And I'd be really nice to you. So nice. A lot nicer than Brooke. So give it a long, hard think for me, okay?"

As if on cue, I got harder.

"Anyway..." Her gaze was locked on my increasingly obvious bulge. "You can just head in the front door. If she's not around, ask someone else for directions to her room; its kind of a maze in there."

"Um, thanks." With an immense effort of will, I tore my gaze off her, and turned to go.

"Oh, hey, wait a sec," she said, as if something else had just occurred to her.

I turned back.

She had a devilish little smile on her face. "Any chance you could do my back?" She held up a bottle of oil. "It's so hot out here."

My cock twitched at the idea. "I, uh, i-it is, but I should probably-"

"Matt? Is she giving you a hard time? C'mon, you can just come inside."

I whipped back around. It was Brooke, calling down to me from the porch; she was scowling with irritation at the other woman.

"It certainly looks like a hard time," the woman observed, softly; her voice was pitched so that it wouldn't carry to Brooke. She had a sly smile, and her eyes were back on my bulge. "See you later, Matt. Think about what I said. Nice to meet you."

She gave me a languid little wave, and settled down onto her stomach again, closing her eyes.

Speechless, I pulled my eyes off her and headed up the driveway towards Brooke.

---

I hadn't even gotten her name, I realized. But the sunbathing beauty -- whoever she was -- hadn't been kidding.

The interior was a maze; the entrance hall had a half-dozen different doors and a grand staircase.

I followed Brooke up the stairs, down a corridor, up another set of stairs, and down another corridor. Brooke was wearing the kind of athletic attire I'd never seen her out of -- sneakers, some green booty shorts, and a matching sports bra. As I watched her pert little butt shimmying up the stairs in front of me, my gaze caught on the exposed skin at her lower back, her tight waist.

I wondered if she even owned clothing that covered her midriff.

Not that I was complaining.

We crossed paths with other women as we went -- some of whom inclined their heads to Brooke in greeting, or looked at me curiously as we passed.

A few moments inside had me feeling less tongue-tied. "Do, uh, all the lions live here?"

She shook her head, blonde ponytail swishing as she glanced over her shoulder. "The university insisted on single-sex housing if we wanted a Greek Row house. Clint decided it wasn't a bureaucratic battle worth fighting. The guys took over another house down the street."

"Huh. That makes sense, I guess." A giant, mixed-gender werelion pack would stand out on a street that basically exclusively had homes for sororities and fraternities.

And then we were, apparently, at Brooke's room. "In here," she gestured, ushering me inside.

The room was girlier than I'd expected. Brooke's hostility and poor impulse control had me picturing a heavy bag in her room or something. Instead, pastels and floral colors dominated the decor.

Across the wall from the bed, was a small desk; above it, a motivational poster proclaimed, 'DO THE WORK' in large white letters on a black background.

I surveyed it all, a little bemused, realizing how little I knew about Brooke.

As I did, she pulled the door shut behind her and walked over to the desk, pulling one of those pendants out of it and draping it over her neck, turning to look at me expectantly.

"Uh, nice room," I said, suddenly feeling awkward.

My last encounter with Brooke had just sort of happened in the heat of the moment. What was I supposed to do now? Just...push her down on to the bed? It hardly felt...appropriate.

"Thanks, I guess." She looked equally uncomfortable. "So, uh, about your payment...do we just..."

I gave her a helpless shrug. "Uh, I guess, yeah. I haven't made a deal with the werelions before; how do you want to-"

Brooke scowled. "I don't know, Matt. You're the thaumaturge. I figured you'd have some sort of approach, or whatever. I mean, you've the one who's been fucking your way through the campus's witches."

My confusion vanished in an instant, replaced with anger that I was surprised came so quickly. "What the fuck is your problem?" I asked, matter-of-factly.

She reddened. "W-what do you m-"

"You heard me. What're you mad about? That I'm having sex with other people?" Whether it was the much-warmer reception I'd gotten from the werelion outside, or the danger posed by Stephanie lurking in the back of my mind, I just didn't have the patience for this. Not today. "You're not my girlfriend. You tried to kidnap me."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it, taken aback. "N-no, I don't c-"

I pressed forward. "I am having a bad day, Brooke. But I still made time for this, because I honor my commitments. Now, look, if you don't want to do this, I can go."

"No. I'm...sorry," she gritted out, quickly. "I've...never done this before, okay? Collected payment from a thaumaturge on behalf of the pride. It's weird. Just...sit down."

I was a little surprised she'd actually apologized. I sat on the edge of her bed. "I haven't done this either," I noted. "I've been a thaumaturge for like a week."

She made a little murmur of understanding, and sat next to me. It emphasized just how short she was; sitting, her head barely came up to my shoulders, and her feet dangled just off the floor.

I remembered how her petite little body had felt to throw around when we'd been in the gym a few days ago. How good she'd felt pinned underneath me. The way her taut little abs had felt under my hands.

How hot it had been to hear her cumming uncontrollably.

She looked up at me, reddened, and looked away.

I swallowed. I suspected -- hoped? -- she was thinking about the same thing.

But I decided I probably needed to warn her that this repeat performance wasn't going to last nearly as long as our encounter in the gym the other day.

I just wasn't sure how to tell her. Hey, so, I know I fucked the daylights out of you last time, but that was because a gorgon had done something to me. I'm probably going to blow my load super fast today.

Well, that wasn't it, but I should say something. "Um, Brooke, I-"

"I was, um, actually wondering if I could try something." She spoke quickly over me.

That made me curious. "Like what?"

"I...wanted to know if I could go down on you. We didn't...do that...last time." Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment, and she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"O-oh. Sure, but..." Again, I tried to figure out how to tell her that I wasn't likely to last long.

But Brooke just kept talking, stammering out, "A-and then I want you to do what you did the other night, when you...got on top of me, and...yeah..."

Well, she'd clearly had a good time. My cock was rock-hard again, now.

Brooke’s eyes flicked down, landing on the bulge in my jeans. She licked her lips, hesitated, and then dropped to her knees in front of me. There was a nervous energy in her as she looked back up at me.

Reflexively, I reached down to touch her. I ran my palm down one side of her neck, cupping the taut muscle. She pushed into my hand, arching her neck. "Mmm."

Her hands trembled as she reached for my fly, fumbling the button open. “I, um…” She looked up at me, the pride in her voice warring with a soft vulnerability. “You’re a lot bigger than anyone I’ve ever, y'know...”

I bit my lip, giving up on warning her. I'd just try to last as long as I could. I didn't want to dispel...this. Brooke, looking cowed and intoxicated with my cock.

But she was already tugging my jeans and briefs down, freeing my cock; I lapsed into silence as her hands found me, the warmth of her palms and the cool rush of air in the room a delicious contrast.

She wrapped one hand around the base of my shaft. Stacked her other hand on top of it. Her eyes widened.

"Oh," she breathed.

I didn't blame her. Her hands were small, and by contrast, my cock wasn't just big, it was fucking enormous. I felt myself throb in her grip. She stared as a bead of precum welled out from the slit at the tip.

She leaned forward, and, almost experimentally, positioned my cock so that she was underneath it, face pressed up against it.

"Fuck, you're big," she murmured into my shaft. I groaned at the sensation of her warm breath, her lips moving on the underside of my shaft.

And then she ran her tongue along the underside, flicking it over the head. Her movements were tentative.

"Okay," she murmured, intimidated. "Just, um...gonna..."

She kissed the tip, then opened her lips and slid down, taking just the head between her lips.

The soft, surprised little moan she made as her jaw stretched open to accommodate my girth was one of the hottest things I'd ever heard.

And then she started to suck on me, just the tip.

The sight of this petite blonde, mouth bulging around my cock, green eyes watering a little as she looked up at me, warm hands gripping my shaft, pulled another groan out of me.

The idea that I'd fucked her so well, that she was so intimidated by my cock, that the aggressive woman who'd tried to kidnap me had become a submissive little cocksucker, sent a surge through my balls.

I was suddenly aware that -- while I wasn't quite ready to cum yet -- this was going to get me off in no time. Brooke being submissive like this was just so out of character for her.

"A-ah, slow down a sec," I managed.

She pulled herself off my cock. "Sorry," she said, chagrined. "Am I getting you with teeth? You're just so thick, i-it's hard..."

"No...no, no teeth. I-it's good, uh...you can keep going," I managed, after a moment.

Shit. I'd expected to finish fast here -- there was no way around that -- but I wanted to last at least a little while. Instead, the way Brooke was behaving had me right on the edge immediately.

"Okay," she said, softly.

Her hand worked the base as she bobbed her head, tongue swirling, eyes wide and locked on mine. She kept trying to push lower and lower, inch by inch.

Saliva dripped from her lips as she gagged, pulled back, then dove down on me again.

She was relentless. Each time Brooke forced herself a little farther down on my cock, her lips stretched impossibly wide, her cheeks hollowing with the effort. She was drooling now, spit stringing from the corners of her mouth and working its way down my shaft.

Every time she bottomed out and coughed, she glared up at me, green eyes shining with unshed tears, as if daring me to say a word about how much she was struggling.

It was so fucking hot that I was back on the edge in no time.

“Brooke, one sec,” I gasped. I grabbed a fistful of blonde ponytail, pulling her off me.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand; her makeup was smudged, now, as she gazed up at me, concerned again, maybe a little irritated, now. "What? What am I doing wrong?"

It gave her pretty face an uncharacteristic, appealingly disheveled look.

The last time I'd seen it had been when I'd fucked her through several screaming orgasms on the floor of the gym.

I put that out of my mind, trying to use the moment to let the arousal recede a little.

Thinking quickly, I said, earnestly, "Nothing, it's just, uh...you, uh, don't have to choke yourself, on me, Brooke. It's okay if you can't take all of it. I-I could just...fuck you now."

She froze, something new and prideful shifting in her eyes.

Uh oh. If I'd wanted her to give me a reprieve, that had been the wrong thing to say.

"You don't think I can handle this? Shut up, Matt." She was glaring up at me, and her voice was determined.

"I just meant-"

Her mouth descended back onto me, and my sentence ended in a gasp.

She redoubled her efforts to take my entire length, now, gag reflex battling with her pride. I heard her choke. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

And her mouth sucked.

And her hands stroked.

And I was going to cum. I was going to blow a huge load for this pretty little blonde.

"Brooke, j-just-ah-fuck, just wait a sec," I gritted out. I was hoping to last long enough to keep some of Brooke's respect.

Her only response was a low growl.

"Stop," I moaned, "Or you'll make me cum."

She did stop this time, pulling her mouth off me, astonishment on her face. "...Really?"

I didn't reply...but I could feel myself flush.

She blinked, and then, slowly, a sly little smile spread across her lips. "You’re already that close?" The tip of her tongue flicked out, catching a bead of precum that was trembling on the head of my cock.

"Yeah, you're really good," I said, lamely.

She gave a delighted little hum, then leaned forward, kissing the tip, tracing slow circles around my head with her tongue. “Mmm. And you had so much swagger last time. So confident you could last. Fucked me for such a long time. ” Her eyes sparkled, voice teasing. “But now you’re about to lose it just from my mouth?”

The about-face in her attitude made me feel competitive. I clenched my jaw, doing my best to hold on. "Look, if you want me to fuck you again, I will. Just give me a minute, okay?"

She ignored me, mouth opening as she slid her lips back over my head, sucking slow and deep, her tongue working the underside. She pulled off with a wet pop, grinning wickedly. “But I'm not done sucking yet. I mean, it's not like you're a two-pump-chump who can’t handle a little head...are you?”

I desperately fought against both the sense of humiliation -- and the massive orgasm -- that threaten to drown me. "God, don't be such a-"

She ducked back down, taking me deep again, bobbing faster now, letting her lips and tongue do all the work.

I held off the inevitable for a few more seconds. But the sudden about-face in her attitude and confidence was kind of hot, too.

Her knowing I was about to cum did something, changed the dynamics. There was no way to resist what was happening, now. No way to resist her.

“B-Brooke, I’m -- fuck, I’m gonna-” My hands dug into the sheets, knuckles white.

She just made a satisfied humming sound around my cock.

And then my orgasm boiled up out of me, unstoppable. My hips bucked, involuntarily.

She coughed as the first rope of cum throbbed into her throat, pulling away slightly. The next spray of cum spurted partly across her face and neck.

She recovered quickly, letting out a triumphant laugh, and started using her hands to milk me. "God, I knew you were a quick cummer. I could just tell."

More and more sprayed out of me, covering her chest and the pendant she was wearing. It got everywhere.

I closed my eyes and just rode the bliss as long as I could, but eventually it faded. And when I opened them, there was just embarrassment, and Brooke looking up at me -- painted with my cum but looking smug and confident once more.

"Big dick, but you can't last, huh? God. I can't wait to tell everybody how fast I made you blow your load. So much for giving me a repeat...performance..." she suddenly slowed, her brow furrowing. "...Nngh-"

To my astonishment, she let out a small cry, grimaced, and doubled over a little.

Suddenly, I realized that I'd seen this before: with Diana. "Hey, you ok?"

Concern warred with satisfaction in me. I didn't want Brooke to get hurt, obviously.

But would it hurt her to get taken down a peg or two?

Again, though, she recovered quickly. "Y-yeah," she said after a moment. "That was a lot of power. Almost too much. Damn. I'm going to need a second pendant next time."

She was breathing hard, panting...and eyeing me with a little more respect, now.

"Good, I was worried that I was too much for you." I tried to keep from sounding too smug. "Want to get cleaned up?"

"I'm not some pushover, like one of your little witches," she growled. "And yes, I do. I'll be right back."

---

A thought occurred to me while she was in the bathroom. "Hey, question for you."

"Sure." She stretched, lazily. The movement was catlike enough to make me smile a little, even as I enjoyed the way her lean muscles shifted. "What's up?"

"Who was that woman outside on the lawn when you first came out to get me?"

Now she scowled. "Are you kidding me? That's your first question? Asking about some other girl? After what I just did for you?"

"It's not like that!" I held my hands up defensively. "Look, I'm asking because I know a limited number of werelions. I'd never seen her before, and she was, uh...pretty..." I trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"...She was pretty?" Brooke rolled her eyes. "God. Men are trash."

"No, that's not what I meant!" This was going badly.

Brooke just raised an eyebrow.

"...she was pretty aggressive," I finished, lamely.

"Of course she was." Brooke scoffed. "Ugh. She's always sniffing around what's mine."

"What do you mean?" I said, and then hastily added. "Wait, what's yours? I'm not-"

"Shut up for a second, Matt." Brooke huffed out a breath and waved me to silence. "Bringing resources into the pride is a big deal, okay?" she said, softly. "And magical resources matter a lot more than most. It helps my standing that you chose to cut this deal with me, to give me your magic as opposed to anyone else. Especially after my, uh...mistake before."

She meant when she'd tried to kidnap me. I considered that for a moment. "I see. So if someone else convinced me to let them, um, consummate the deal, it'd hurt your standing and help theirs."

"Yeah." She eyed me. "Think that's what you'll do?"

I considered that. "I don't know," I said, honestly.

Her chin went up, all pride. "Well, I'm not going to beg for you to pick me."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. She was just so melodramatic.

She responded by punching me in the shoulder. "Fuck you."

That just made me laugh again, although I had to admit, she could hit fucking hard, and I got my hands up before she could hit me again.

"Easy, easy. I'm not laughing at you. I'm just laughing at...the situation. Nobody would've given me the time of day two weeks go. Including you. Now I'm some hot commodity." I shrugged, helplessly. "It's just...a big change. That's all."

That actually seemed to register with her, for once. "I learned that I was a werelion three months ago," she said, glumly. "Before that, the most important things in my life were gymnastics meets and cheerleading tryouts. Now there's all this...other stuff. Grappling with my lion blood, and the social hierarchy of the pride, and magic and thaumaturges and..." she sighed.

There was a silence that stretched for a moment between us, but it was more companionable than I had expected in the wake of that revelation.

"How did you become a werelion?" I asked, cautiously. "Did one bite you, or...?"

She shook her head. "Getting bitten won't turn you into one; it's not some virus or disease. The lion blood chooses you." She bit her lip as if considering. "I'm not really supposed to talk about it."

"Okay. I get that." Then I thought of something else that I realized I didn't actually know the answer to. "Hey...can you turn into a lion?"

She hesitated, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it with a sigh. "Let's do Werelions 101 another time, Matt. Maybe if this becomes a regular thing."

I nodded, but filed this away. I needed to know more about what they could actually do. Actual lions might be handy if Stephanie was on a warpath.

"Speaking of which...like I said, I'm not going to beg. But I want you to keep giving power to the pack through me." Brooke got a canny look in her eye. "I won't tell anyone how this went, or talk shit about you...as long as you don't go fuck any other werelions. It's not a lot to ask; I mean, you had fun, right? We could have lots more fun." She gave me a very suggestive, lingering look.

I ran a hand through my hair at this odd proposed bargain. "Brooke, I'm not sure I can commit to that. Power is all I've got to make deals with." I didn't want to piss her off, but I wasn't about to lie to her.

She frowned. "...Well. Think about it and let me know, then."

I regarded her thoughtfully; her green eyes met mine, the challenge back in them, now.

And then she stood up, moved to open the door to her room. "Anyway, I know you wanted to talk to Clint; call him. I'll let him know that you're calling with something important to discuss."

I stood as well; I recognized that I was getting kicked out. "Okay. Thanks. See ya, Brooke."

"Bye." She watched me leave.

---

I wound my way back out of the werelion house.

I passed a few other werelions. Unaccompanied by Brooke, I got admiring looks from some very pretty women. It was easy to imagine that if I wanted someone else to give power to the pack through, there would be other volunteers.

By the time I got outside, I was half-hoping that the woman in the bikini sunbathing would still be out there.

But it was probably for the best that she wasn't. I needed the time to think.

I'd call Clint tonight; that was an easy decision. I needed to broker that deal so that I was the one empowering their totem moving forward, not Viv and Lauren.

Admittedly, I was lingering on something else more than I expected to.

I was sure Clint was going to want to settle how I'd give the pride the power we agreed to.

And I wasn't sure how to handle that; my relationship with Brooke felt complicated.

I didn't really want her running around campus talking trash about me. The idea that she'd keep whatever sexual shortcomings I had to herself was appealing.

Beyond that, there was certainly no denying that she was hot.

But I didn't like getting blackmailed. Brooke was basically a bully, a lot of the time. She seemed to like me, but between the attempted kidnapping, the obvious disdain, the threat of gossiping about me, how quick she was to get angry...

And the werelions were going to be really important allies if there was an angry witch out there gunning for me.

Maybe that meant I'd be well-served to develop some other werelion relationships. Brooke could be prickly and seemed like a loose cannon. The woman on the front lawn, in the bikini, had seemed far more...agreeable.

But maybe it meant that I should stick with Brooke, ensure she was solidified as an ally and my path into the werelion pride. I certainly didn't want her as an enemy.

I was half-tempted to just let Clint decide. But wasn't that just giving up an opportunity to solidify a really good relationship with one of the werelions in the pride, to make sure they owed me above and beyond what I was doing for the pack?

Turning the issue over in my mind, I headed towards the library.