Chapter 66.2

Gravel crunched and scattered across the roof of Amara’s apartment building as she landed, with Vee following suit only seconds later. There was no victory to be claimed this time; shortly after declaring a second race, both girls had decided they weren’t in the mood for such competition. Instead, they spent most of the flight home lazily soaring through the skies, happily taking in the sights as they enjoyed their day off.Amara’s demonic features vanished with a flurry of embers before she turned her attention to her outfit. To embrace the spirit of their first flight together, she’d manifested a black and red military flight jacket, but such a look didn’t feel right for strolling around campus. Picturing what she wanted in her head, she quickly altered her clothes to something more appropriate. The flight jacket became a fashionable long coat with black fur lining, and her baggy cargo pants shifted into form-fitting blue jeans. Once she finished changing, she turned her attention towards the bubble of illusory magic surrounding the roof.

“Can you leave your flight mirage up for a second?” Vee asked, stretching her wings out. “I’m still not used to switching these on and off yet.”

“Is that what it feels like?” Amara asked.

“Uh, not exactly. If I had to put it into words, I would say it’s more like finding different ways to manifest the light of my soul. Like I’m putting different filters over my true self to accentuate different parts of who I am.” Vee paused for a moment, walking over to the edge of the roof and lightly pushing her fingers against the edge of Amara’s illusory bubble. “You’ve always described your shapeshifting as ‘hiding your true self’ and this doesn’t feel like that at all. That thought almost feels… I don’t know. Tricky?”

“I guess that makes sense, doesn’t it? That my abilities feel more like deception than yours?” Amara stepped next to Vee and grabbed her hand. After sharing another kiss, she noticed just how accurately Vee was tracing the flight mirage. “Wait, you can see my magic?”

Vee nodded. “I can, actually. It’s pretty faint, but there are small hints of demonic aura that cling to everything you create. Fittingly enough, it’s like seeing a series of tiny wildfires.”

“Well, at least I’ll be easy to pick out in a crowd should I ever disguise myself,” Amara said, chuckling to herself. “Although, does that mean other angels could see my illusions? Is this a side effect of how close we are? Or a direct result of you discovering the full extent of your strength?”

With a quiet, calm breath, Vee closed her eyes and clasped her hands across her heart. The feathers of her wings glowed bright, then vanished from existing, returning Vee to a more human appearance. “I have no idea, but I know I don’t want to find out. The only way to test that would be to find another angel, and that’s something I desperately want to avoid for as long as we can.”

“Hm, I dunno, the last angel I met ended up being the love of my life. From my point of view, meeting angels works out in the end.” In anticipation of Vee’s response, Amara dropped her flight mirage and started walking towards the staircase.

“That’s a flawed sample size and you know it!” Vee said, chasing after Amara. “This is why you’re not doing better in our Chem Lab!”

Disappearing into the stairwell, Amara raced Vee towards the bottom of the stairs to avoid her wrath. After reuniting, Vee rolled her eyes at Amara’s immaturity as they approached Amara’s apartment. Inside, Vee grabbed a small snack from the fridge before opening up her backpack. “What’s your plan for today? Weren’t you meeting up with Tessa or something?”

“Nick, actually. He needs to start training, and I’m done listening to his excuses. You want to come with?”

Tension crept into Vee’s shoulders, and she stopped flipping through her notebooks. “That’s… No, not today. You’re better suited for the job, and let’s be honest; there’s a good chance you end up feeding afterwards.”

Noticing the tiny shift in her tone, Amara walked behind Vee and wrapped her arms around the angel’s waist. She nuzzled her face against Vee, then whispered, “Hey, none of that. You saved my life, and possibly Nick’s that night. Sure, it didn’t end up exactly how we wanted, but that doesn’t diminish what you did. You’re incredible, Vee.”

Vee sighed, leaning against Amara for support. “I just… I can’t help but wonder, y’know? Is there something I could have done differently? I could have asked Saoirse more detailed questions, or tried to connect with Tadghán more, or—”

Cradling Vee’s face, Amara leaned forward and kissed her to interrupt her nervous ramblings. “He’s alive and healthy. This new life will be a bit of an adjustment, but the important thing is that we’re facing it together.”

“You’re right, I know you are,” Vee muttered. “It’s just going to take some getting used to.”

After one last cuddle, Amara let Vee return to her things. “Now, what about you? Please don’t tell me you’re planning on doing homework all day.”

“I was planning on hanging out with Chloé, thank you very much. If we happen to get some homework done in the process, all the better. Besides, I’m still not happy with where my grades are at after all the school we missed while we were traipsing through The Wilds.”

“Speaking of Chloé, is Tessa’s secret project done yet?” Amara grabbed her water bottle and a collection of snacks.

“I don’t think so? Although, last time I checked, she said it would be ready any day now. Either way, I’ll make sure we’re all there for the grand unveiling.”

“You’re the best, love!” After packing her bag, Amara snuck in one last kiss before the two said goodbye.

Leaving her apartment, Amara took a deep breath and started towards the Athletic Campus. The cold March air was delightfully crisp, though she wished the wind would pick up. She much preferred the powerful gales present miles above the Earth.

Other than small handfuls of students traveling from place to place, Aurelius University was relatively quiet today. Few students trusted the weather this time of year, and opted to stay inside more often than not. Two days ago, the temperature had dipped below freezing, and the forecast predicted a burst of early spring warmth within the next week. Thankfully, Amara’s inner hellfire kept her perpetually warm, so the chaotic Midwest temperature no longer bothered her in the slightest.

Sliding her phone from her pocket, Amara pulled up Nick’s contact and started typing.

Amara: I’m heading over now!

Nick: Cut flying short? I’d hate to cut into your time with Vee

Amara: If you’re not there in the next 15 minutes I’m kicking the door off its hinges

Nick: Please don’t

Nick: I’m on way

Nick: Seriously though please don’t

Chuckling to herself, Amara slowed her pace. She had no desire to vandalize her campus, but nothing motivated Nick better than the threat of property damage. Off in the distance, the resonant chimes of the D’Ambray Chapel began to toll. They proudly announced the time with two powerful tolls, each delivered by the freshly restored bell hanging in the building’s tallest spire.

The sound was beautiful, and far superior to the chimes that had previously tolled every hour. Then again, Amara suspected she was biased. A week earlier, with a magnificent burst of angelic magic, Vee had reaffirmed her faith in herself while also accidentally restoring the original bell to pristine condition. She’d manifested her wings for the first time in her life, and the sudden burst of magical potential had allowed her to remove the heart of Nick’s lycanthropic curse. They still didn’t fully understand the wild magic that remained in his system, which is why they were meeting up today.

Amara timed her arrival perfectly, making it to the Gymnastics Building just minutes before Nick. He had a bulky gym back hanging by his side, and he walked with the posture of a child dreading going to school. To motivate him, Amara placed a boot next to the door handle and pretended to wind up a powerful kick.

“I swear to God, Amara!” Nick protested, sprinting closer at the last minute just in case Amara was bluffing. “I’d have to get a new key and I’m not really supposed to have this one, and I—”

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Amara tried to calm him down. “I was joking, you know that, right?”

Nick sighed, slipping the key into the door and unlocked it. “I know, I know, I just… Being here, it’s… ugh.” He gave up on his sentence as they walked inside, the door clicking shut behind them.

Friendly prodding aside, it was difficult to see Nick like this. He’d always dreamt of living a quiet life, even before they learned magic and monsters were real, and now he’d been pulled into the middle of a magical crisis of his own. Eager to comfort him, Amara decided that a regular hug wasn’t good enough; he was several inches taller than her, and his musculature made him appear even larger. Knowing him, it would be helpful to pair a comforting hug with a bit of playful distraction.

Connecting with her inner fire, Amara reshaped herself to be almost a foot taller while also manifesting her horns and tail. She pulled Nick into a hug and squeezed him tight, making sure his face ended up conveniently near her cleavage. “You have friends who care about you, Nick. The important thing is that you’re alive.”

He returned the hug instinctually. “I know, I just need to—Wait, what the heck?” Flinching in surprise, he craned his neck to look up at her.

“What do you think? I’m trying out a new look,” Amara said, flexing a bicep.

Her stunt worked, and Nick couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Well, for one thing, I’m sure Tessa would love it. That being said, I think people might start to suspect something if you start walking around campus like that.”

“Aw, c’mon, we’ll just say that I’ve been eating a lot of protein! And that I got that weird height surgery or whatever!” Amara protested. As they talked, they both wandered around the facility to set everything up. Nick flicked on the lights, and Amara changed her clothes to something more befitting their anticipated workout.

“That process takes years, and people never get more than a few inches!”

Massive fluorescent lights blared to life, slowing warming to their full radiance over several seconds. As they gathered their full strength, they gradually illuminated the large space around Nick and Amara. Roughly half the space was dedicated to a massive spring floor marked with various white lines she didn’t understand. The other half held a collection of gymnastics equipment: balance beams, uneven bars, pommel horses, pits filled with foam cubes, and the like. Almost six months earlier, Nick had brought Amara here in an attempt to explore her changing body, and now it was time to return the favor.

Taking advantage of her larger size, Amara set up a series of large tumbling mats on the floor. Off to the side, Nick opened his gym bag and quickly changed. Compared to his normal active wear, today’s outfit was incredibly cheap. The material seemed painfully thin, and neither the shorts nor the shirt fit him very well.

No doubt he’d bought them to be disposable.

“So how did everything go with Tadghán yesterday?” Amara asked as she began stretching.

After several days of back and forth, Tessa and Nick had finally made contact with Tadghán; a native resident of The Wilds, and a werewolf himself. He’d accidentally fallen onto campus over a month ago, which is how Nick had been bit and infected with lycanthropy. No one blamed Tadghán for this—except for Tadghán, of course. He’d volunteered to lead Amara and Vee through The Wilds in search of a cure, but they’d been forcefully separated by a dragon attack on their way home. His sudden disappearance had been cause for concern, but thankfully they’d managed to reconnect with him via several notes left near the magic circle connecting the two planes.

“Apart from the context, it was really nice,” Nick said, joining Amara on the tumbling mats. “He wasn’t actually hurt by the dragon; he just got flung really far away. He asked me to relay his apologies that he wasn’t able to guide you home.”

“That sounds like him,” Amara smiled, surprised at how much she missed Tadghán’s delightful Irish lilt. “But what about you?”

Nick hesitated. “In his words, my condition is unlike anything he’s ever seen before. He feels the same kinship with me that he does with all other werewolves, but it’s somewhat diminished. For himself and others like him, there’s an understanding that the curse is a being unto itself. A separate entity that must be respected and treated with reverence. With me, however, there’s no separation. I’m one with this magic, for better or for worse.”

“That sounds pretty accurate to what Vee described. Removing the heart of the curse and whatnot,” Amara said. She stepped closer to place a reassuring hand on Nick’s shoulder. “What about you? How do you feel?”

“I’m still piecing that together. I still feel that itch, that calling to surrender to instincts that aren’t my own, but it’s been toned down considerably. Before it was this all-consuming force, something I couldn’t hold back no matter how hard I tried. Now, it’s more like… I don’t know, it’s hard to describe. It’s like I’ve just downed an energy drink with horribly unethical amounts of caffeine, then chased it with ten shots of espresso. I have all this energy, and I can smell things I couldn’t before, and I’m so much stronger than I used to be, and I know that I could direct this energy into changing my body but I don’t want to! I just want to be me!”

Amara raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, but Nick cut her off. “You don’t have to say it, Amara. This is the real me now, whether I like it or not, and I need to accept that my life is different now.”

“Different is scary, Nick, but it doesn’t always have to be bad.”

“Easy for you to say. It barely took you a month to realize that being a demon was something you’d secretly wanted your whole life. I’m quite confident the same isn’t going to happen for me.” Nick looked up at Amara again. “Are you planning on staying that size? Is that really necessary?”

“For your information, it is,” Amara said, sticking her tongue out. She took several large steps backwards before entering a fighting stance. She hopped from side to side to hype herself up, then threw several quick jabs into the air. “And that’s because I’m done throwing you a pity party. This shit is a part of you, Nick, whether you like it or not. The more you know about this, the easier it’ll be to build up your new life.”

“So, what, we’re going to fight? Why can’t we just run some tests by lifting weights or something?”

“Raw strength is only part of the picture, Nick. You’re a werewolf, and the magic of the moon wants to turn you into a ravenous beast. The only way you learn to control that is by letting yourself get angry in a controlled environment.” Amara lunged closer, pretending to throw a punch at Nick.

He didn’t flinch in the slightest. He did, however, humor Amara by adopting a fighting stance of his own. “I don’t get angry, Amara. You know this more than anyone.”

“Correction, you to not get angry. How do you know if that’s still true? Now come on, try and hit me!”

Closing the distance, Nick threw his first punch. It was clean and controlled, but Amara had no trouble dodging out of the way. “What, is that all you’ve got?” she taunted. “I’ve seen your grandma throw better punches while fighting over the stuffing at Thanksgiving.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, Amara, and it’s not going to work.”

The two continued circling. Nick made several more attempts to hit her, and each time she avoided him with ease. “Bold words for someone who has yet to land a single punch.”

Nick ran closer and tried again, only this time Amara retaliated. She feinted to one side, dodged his attack, then shoved him with considerably more force than was necessary. He gasped and stumbled backwards, glaring at Amara before taking a deep breath to calm himself down.