An Incubus Life - 172 - Paige's Magic

Chapter 172 Paige’s Magic POV

“Paige, what the fuck are you thinking!  Your timing is so off at every catch!  You are still fucking up the entire boat!” her coach’s face was red as she yelled at her from the wakeless launch.  Paige shook her head and looked at her feet, unable to respond.

Caleb had left two weeks ago, and she couldn’t focus on anything.  Classes, rowing practice, or even studying magic.  “OUT!  You are going into the JV boat for the rest of practice!”  Her coach had given her a long leash, but she snapped when they came in second at the season’s first race.  Coach thought that this year was her chance to win a national championship, and Paige was screwing it up.

The boats came together, and Paige switched seats with Heidi.  Heidi apologized, “Sorry, Paige.”

“It is my fault,” Paige muttered.  It was hard as she had never failed at anything in her life.  But she was having trouble dealing with the idea that she would never see her brother again, or worse, he was dead.

The rest of practice passed, but Paige was detached and going through the motions.  After practice, Maya comforted her, “Paige, what can I do to help?  Do you want to study magic tonight?” She whispered so their teammates would not overhear.

“No, I have to catch up on my readings.  I also have an exam on Thursday,” Paige responded softly, just really wanting to be alone.  All the reading and studying would only take her three hours if she could focus.

Later that night, between fifteen-minute sessions of focus, her phone rang, and seeing it was Artica, she picked up.  Caleb’s voice came across the phone, “Paige, I just wanted to let you know Caleb is okay.  Iris and Vida came back from Mercanious.”  Hearing Caleb’s voice was always nerve-wracking, but she knew it was just Artica wearing a morphing charm.

“What?  Why didn’t Caleb come back with them?” Paige questioned more harshly than she intended.

“They were not strong enough to travel to a higher layer.  Also, Vida was becoming a burden,” Caleb’s voice said with some amusement. Paige guessed there was a story there.  “Do you need anything?”  Artica asked in Caleb’s voice.

“Yeah, I need to become stronger,” Paige retorted with a snort.

Caleb’s voice laughing on the other end was disconcerting.  He didn’t laugh that way, “The only way to become stronger is to work.  Or have your brother juice you.  But he already did that.”

Paige grimaced at the memory that aroused her uncomfortably.  Caleb had raised her core while in his succubus form.  Also, hard work was one thing that she didn’t mind.  “Thanks for the reminder.  How are you doing with impersonating Caleb?”

Artica groaned, “It is not as easy as I thought it would be.  Some funny stories to tell.  There is a girl at school that Caleb was tutoring.  Hazel Reed.”

Paige recognized the name, “The basketball player?  I saw her college selection announcement on the high school feed.  She is supposedly ranked number fortieth in the country,” Paige recalled.  Paige still followed her old high school’s social media feeds and always liked looking at where athletes decided to go to college. Abigail was going to run track at Tennessee. She had been offered a full scholarship, but instead, Caleb had set up an escrow account to pay for it.

“Yeah, that is her.  Caleb had a little thing going with her, and he promised to go on a date,” Artica laughed in Caleb’s voice.  “The date went well, and we were kissing in the Escalade, and her hand wandered into my jeans.  Not sure if you know much about morphing charms, but even though I have Caleb’s cock, it can not come to attention.  So, Hazel is working hard to get me hard and not getting anywhere.”

Paige couldn’t help but imagine the scene and laugh herself, “What happened?”

“She started crying that she didn’t turn me on.  I drove her home, and she spread a rumor that we had sex the next day anyway and how good of a fuck I was.  I had to fight her ex at school, and Caleb got suspended,” Artica chuckled.

“That is actually not funny, Artica,” Paige said, concerned about her brother’s record.

“It is not a big deal.   Nothing on Caleb’s record.  They love Caleb at the school.  You will be happy to know that Caleb is going to graduate with honors.  Abigail had to borrow the morph charm and take the tests, but she was able to pass them.  Everyone keeps trying to get Caleb to go to select a college.  I had seven recruiters visit me when Caleb’s status was changed to senior.”  Artica said, exhausted.

With some mirth in her voice, Paige said, “Sounds like you have things under control.  Thank you for keeping our parents ignorant and maintaining Caleb’s life.”  Paige finished the call.  Even though it was not Caleb, it still felt good to hear his voice.  Artica was right, too.  She needed to break her depression and pull her life together.  Caleb would be fine and was probably having a grand adventure.  She needed to get stronger and impress him when he came back.

The next day at practice, the JV boat posted impressive times in the 2500-meter interval training.  The coach was happy, “Times look good, ladies.  Paige, much better catches and timing today.  Keep it up, and I will allow you to seat race back into the varsity eight.”

Paige nodded, wiping the sweat from her eyes.  She had a few more months of practice and would give it her all because that is who she was.  But this was going to be her last season rowing.  Last night, she decided she would put one hundred percent effort into everything she did.  She wanted to focus on magic but would not quit on her teammates.

She showered after practice with Maya on campus.  “Maya, I want to work on my magic,” she said softly before Ashley entered the shower.

Maya looked surprised, “You head back on straight?  Why wouldn’t you tell me what was going on?”   Maya and Paige had gotten close, but Paige had shut down the relationship after Caleb left.  “I know it has to do with Caleb. Is he okay?”

Paige motioned with her eyes at Ashley as she hung her towel and began to shower.  Maya nodded. “Hey, Paige,” Ashley said innocently. Paige knew what Paige was going to ask.  “Paige, is your brother going to visit you on campus?”  Paige rolled her eyes as Ashley asked every day.

Paige smirked, “No, but we have next weekend off. I was going to drive up and see him.” Ashley paused her pink body luffa on her chest, the gears working in her head on how to get invited.

“Yeah, I have no plans, Paige. A break from campus would be good. Mind if I tag along?” Ashley asked as she switched to her black facial luffa.

“I guess so,” Paige said mischievously. It would be fun to tease Artica, and also, if Artica shuts her down, maybe Ashley could get over Caleb.

“Can I come, too?” Maya asked from behind her.  Paige nodded, and she could already see Ashley on Cloud Nine.

The week proceeded, and Paige had recommitted herself. Maya came by and helped her with her aether control.  Each day, the improvements were tiny but noticeable. They had a race in Raleigh on Friday and Saturday. Paige had reclaimed her seat in the varsity eight. The varsity eight beat eleven other schools in the heats and finals to win the regatta. The JV eight came in third, and the varsity four placed second. There were a lot of fast teams at the event, so the team was pretty excited.

On the bus ride back to campus, Maya said, “I am coming over tonight, and we are going to get shit-faced.  You need to loosen up.”

“We can just go out.  There are a half-dozen parties,” Paige responded.  The football team had won a big game, and their plane would land, and the party would start immediately at one of their houses. She was pretty sure no one on campus was aware of the rowing team’s success today.

“If you got trashed there, you would just end up in a room under a player.  No, this will just be a girl’s night.  Just me and you,” Maya said.

That night, Maya arrived with a bag of ice, two liters of coke, and a bottle of Bacardi.  Paige smiled as they went to her room.  Maya made each of them a rum and coke, and they sat on the bed sipping the drinks.

“Caleb went to another planet,” Paige finally said after some silence.

“What? Why?” Maya said, shocked.

“Because he is an idiot,” Paige said, annoyed the alcohol was not affecting her with her improved constitution. “No, he is trying to do good. Save someone, but the thing is, he may never return. That is why I have been distracted.”

The air was suddenly heavy. Maya finally said, “It is Caleb. He is a hero. He will return.”

“Did you seriously just call my brother a hero? My dorky…well, maybe not so dorky anymore, brother,” Paige giggled.

Maya said seriously, “You haven’t heard? Apollyon is well known in the demi community. He is respected, feared, and envied.  And most do not even know what he truly is.”

“Huh,” was all Paige could say. She took a long pull and made her next drink 50/50 to get some kick from the alcohol, hopefully. She sat on the bed again, “How am I doing with my magic? Tell the truth.”

Maya scooted, got comfortable, and faced Paige.  “Your aether control has been pretty amazing for only a few months. You can probably start scripting your aether into spells. It is a lot harder than it sounds.”

“I have studied the spells.  I have tried the light spell a few times, but it is hard to connect everything while maintaining the structure.” Paige said, happy this time, as she could feel a little buzz emerging.

“Once you get it for the first time, it comes easier. If we had some aether sight glasses, you could watch me while I formed my spells. That is what helped me learn from my mother…” Maya’s voice trailed off.

“What happened, Maya?” Paige scooted closer. She knew Maya’s sister was in Spain, and they had escaped from the transit together.

“The elves. They wanted our land. The water dryads fought back. My mother was killed but gave time for me and my sister to escape,” she said heavily.

“What about your father?” Paige asked, putting her arm around her friend in comfort.

“There are no male dryads. We always have daughters and can breed with almost any species,” Maya leaned her head on Paige’s shoulder. Maya suddenly sapped up, “We don’t need aether sight glasses! I can show you my spell the way my mother showed me. It is similar to how I showed you how to find your aether.”

“Let’s do it!” Paige said, feeling the buzz already leaving her.

Maya stood and started stripping to a confused Paige. She explained, “It requires a lot of skin contact, and we should probably be in water, too, as my aether has a water affinity.” They were the only two in the apartment, and they made their way to the bathroom and filled the tub.

Maya slid in naked first. “Give me a moment while I get the water to the perfect temperature.”

Paige stepped in and immediately withdrew her foot, “That is freezing!”

Maya laughed, “Sorry, couldn’t help it. Any water temperature is fine for a water dryad. Try it again.” This time, the water was almost hot as Paige stepped in. “Sit in my lap,” Maya instructed.

Paige relaxed in the tub and pressed back into Maya, with Maya’s thighs squeezing Paige’s hips. She started to get a little tingly from the contact, and her own nipples hardened as she felt Maya’s nubs on her back. The two women took a moment to get comfortable, “Did we have to get completely naked?”

“Probably not, but this was how my mother taught me when I was a child.” Maya’s hands rested on Paige’s knees, “Now, I am going to form some water spells through you and the water. I should only catch a wisp of aether from you, but it should be enough to outline the spells as I form it. You can see your own aether.”

Paige was suddenly excited, “So I can see and trace the spell myself?”

“Maybe not trace it, but you should be able to see how I do it,” Maya said, and Paige could see the aether sparkling between her fingers. She also felt a slight electric jolt through her body as Maya pressed her aether through Paige.

Paige’s jaw dropped as the weave of the spell formed in the air right in front of her. The water churned, and a sunflower formed from the water. It suddenly turned to ice, and she reached out and grabbed it. “That was amazing! I could see everything you did!”

Maya said, concerned, “It was harder than it should be for me, though. You should only have raw aether. My water affinity should allow me to use it without issue, but it was resisting me using your body as a conduit.”

“What does that mean?” Paige said, worried.

“Your aether is tainted with an affinity. It is not a bad thing. It just means you have trouble casting some spells and an easier time casting others. Humans typically do not have an affinity but can develop one over time,” Maya informed her. Maya’s body was heating up slightly behind Paige, and it turned her on. Maya had been there when Caleb had raised her core so they had been intimate on that occasion.

“How do I find out my taint?” Paige asked, looking over her shoulder.

Maya seemed to think for a moment, “You will know when you cast a spell that is an antithesis to your aether affinity. But my guess is your affinity has something to do with your brother. You can only have one affinity, and mine is water. Demons are known to use a lot of fire magic, so maybe your affinity is fire. It would make sense from the trouble I had pushing my aether through you as fire opposes water.”

Paige already knew the common affinities from her reading.

Magic   Affinities

Light

Dark

Life

Death

Fire

Water

Earth

Air

Space

Time

“So, should I be trying to learn a fire spell instead of a light spell?” Paige asked, twisting to look at Maya’s face. When Paige twisted, her knee moved sharply, and Maya’s hand had been resting on Paige’s knee and slid down her inner thigh before Maya caught it.  Maya didn’t retract it; it just rested on Pagie’s inner thigh.

“You can learn any spells. Some will just take more aether and not be as strong. Do you want to work on the shape water spell? After a few hours with my mother, I could create ripples in the water.” Maya said, sliding her hand slowly back up to Paige’s knee, caressing her thigh as she went. Already aroused, the action stimulated Paige further.

“Yes. Let’s focus on the shape of the water spell,” Paige said, committing to it.

“You’re your legs to press back into me. It will make it aether to mix my aether with yours as I cast the spell,” Maya advised. Paige straightened her legs and pushed on the tub, pushing her body into Maya’s. It was clear the act excited her as Paige’s butt pressed into Maya’s groin.

Maya proceeded for the next three hours to cast the shape water spell over and over again. She also kept the bath water warm as the two of them remained locked together. Paige followed the weave and tried to copy it with her own aether. She finally got the start of the spell, and the water rippled slightly.

Maya was just as excited as Paige, “You did it! You created the beginning of a spell!” Maya’s olive arms wrapped Paige in a hug, pressing her into her breasts.  One of Maya’s hands drifted down between Paige’s thighs. “Paige, can we?”

Paige had known Maya had ulterior motives for this lesson. She was not opposed to pleasureing her friend. She was not gay, but pleasure was pleasure. Paige’s hand covered Maya’s hand and guided it to her folds. Their fingers danced together as Paige showed Maya how she liked to stimulate herself.

Maya had her own ideas as well. It was a shock as an ice phallus was suddenly in her hand and teasing Paige’s opening. The cold sensation of the ice brought an intense feeling as it parted her hood and teased her clitoris with the cold. “Fuck, that is surprisingly good!” Paige’s hand joined Maya’s on the improvised dildo as she selfishly worked on herself.

The coldness inside he felt foreign but did not ebb her arousal. They worked hand-in-hand to bring Paige to a climax and then switched positions and did the same for Maya. They emptied the water and showered before heading back to Paige’s room.

Maya seemed reluctant to say something, “Was that a one-time thing?”

Paige considered, “Maybe.  It was fun, but I don’t think I....”

“Me either!” Maya blurted. “It is just when I see you you remind me of Caleb and when we worked together to enhance your core! My heart just races when I think about it, even though he was a succubus at the time. I still have the memories from Amsterdam and your house when we….”

“Can we not talk about Caleb?” Paige said. She was compartmentalizing Caleb’s absence and didn’t need reminders. She was slowly getting back to being her old self.

“I will just go,” Maya said, collecting her things.

After Maya left, Paige took out one of the spell books and found the spell she was looking for. She took everything she had learned tonight and started working on the spell formation. By the time the sun rose, Paige had a strong flame dancing between her fingers. She definitely had a strong affinity for fire.