It wasn’t long until Castor returned with his black locks tousled and damp from his shower. His pinstripe pajama bottoms hugged his toned legs and hips, accentuating his muscular physique and his broad shoulders filled out the snug black tank top. As Castor moved closer to the bed, his pectoral muscles became more defined.

Familiar scents of vetiver and sandalwood drifted around him as Castor climbed on the mattress beside him, leaving only a small gap of space between them.  Castor gave him a lazy grin.  It was enough to make Lucien feel like he’d suddenly combust into flames at any moment, as if ogling him like a perv wasn’t bad enough.  

“Castor.” Lucien moved closer toward him and his knuckles brushed against his arm. 

“Yeah?”

“I want you to teach me about black magic.” Lucien delicately trailed his fingers up to his shoulder, following the fiery contours of Castor’s phoenix tattoo.

“Of course.  We can start any time you’d like.”

“Death curses too?” Lucien asked as he dropped his hand back at his side.  

“Anything you want to know.” Castor reached down and tangled his fingers together with Lucien’s, squeezing his hand tightly.  “I’ve never wielded a death curse before, but I know how to.  I hope you’ll never need to cast one either.”

“Me neither, but I want to be prepared.  Just in case,” Lucien said.

“I understand.” Castor used his free hand to pull a blanket over them.  “I’ve got a few spellbooks here in my room if you’d like to read tonight.”

“Sure, if you’re not tired.”

“Nope, I’m wide awake.” Castor grinned as he pulled his wand from his pajama bottoms pocket. 

With the flick of his wrist, embers of fiery red swept across the room to his bookshelf in the corner. A thick black spine shifted out and floated over to them, landing right in Castor’s lap. Another wave of his wand had his unlit candles glowing amid his darkened room.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Castor said. “We’ll start with reading basic black magic spells first, and if you’re up to it, maybe practice a few.”

Lucien nestled his head against one of the many pillows propped up behind them and Castor slid an arm around his shoulders to let him lay his head against Castor’s shoulder. 

With a few taps of his wand, Castor unlocked the enchantment over the grimoire and revealed a family tree connected by silver glowing strands. Castor’s name was at the very bottom, connected from both his parents. 

His mother, Austa Vale, was the blood tie to fire magic. Much like Lucien, Edwin Vale’s magic derived from Earth. Men took their spouse’s surname when married, and Lucien’s heart fluttered at the thought of his own name written down beside Castor’s. 

When they were kids, Lucien joked all the time about taking on the Vale family name. It was very untraditional for men to marry each other, but Lucien had heard of cases among the Fae Folk who did. As Castor flipped the page, he shook such absurd thoughts away.  Castor was his best friend.  His straight best friend.  Nothing romantic would ever bloom between them.

“Many of our spells focus on hellfire when it comes to black magic,” Castor explained.  “So I’m going to try to focus on those that you could wield yourself.  Like with blood magic.  I want to try some blood manipulation spells, if that’s cool with you.”

“Yeah, okay.  Should we stand up to try this?” Lucien asked.

“No.  Stay here.” Castor placed his spellbook down then reached over for Lucien’s hand.  “You trust me, right?”

“Of course.” Lucien nodded.  

With the wave of his wand, Castor drew a few droplets of blood from his index finger.  Ripples of his magic brought goosebumps to Lucien’s arms as Castor’s blood swirled in the air and slowly transformed into a giant crimson spider weaving its web.  

Lucien trembled as the spider snapped its pinchers at him, slowly descending from its silken web on the ceiling.  Had Castor not gently squeezed his hand, he probably would’ve scurried under the bed.  

“My magic will never hurt you, Lucien.”

The spider dangled in Lucien’s face, as if seizing him up.  It raised one spindly leg and almost mimicked a human wave before crawling back up the web to extend it further across Castor’s ceiling.

“Its web is similar to an actual spider’s, but it can trap a person on it and limit their mobility,” Castor explained.  

“Why spiders?” Lucien asked softly.

Castor laughed.  “Because people find them creepy as hell.  I think they’re a lot like me as well.  Judged harshly for appearances.  I don’t know, I just found them fitting.”  A few waves of his wand and the ginormous spider and web vanished like they’d never been there.  “Alright, now it’s your turn.”

“How do I do that?” Lucien asked.  

“Use your wand to draw a bit of your blood,” Castor instructed.  “Don’t cut it too sharply either.  More blood is harder to control.”

Lucien did just as he told him and made a small cut in his finger.  “Okay, now what?”

“Cast the spell while channeling whatever kind of insect you believe is most fitting to your soul.” Castor gently held Lucien’s wrist and tilted his palm outward.  

Lucien frowned. “What?”

“My mom always told me our magic is connected to our souls.  With black magic, you manipulate it with your own and create something that’s entirely yours.  This spell looks different for everyone.  I imagine yours will be really badass with your strong connection to nature as it is.”

Lucien inhaled a sharp breath then focused his mind on the spell as ripples of magic tingled in the palm of his hand.  A crystalized green snake shot up into the air and plopped down on their laps.  It reeled its head to release a hiss in their direction.  Panic seized Lucien by the throat and he lost the ability to scream when the creature neared him.  

“That’s so freaking cool.” Castor marveled at the snake slithering near them.  “Can I hold it?  Please?”

“Sure.” Lucien barely mustered the word out through his chattering teeth.  

With gentle hands, Castor scooped the crystalized snake up in both hands and brought it far too close for Lucien’s comfort.  “Let it get a feel for you, okay?  This is your magic.  It will never hurt you.  There’s a far greater chance of it gnawing my face off before it ever attacks you, but I trust you wouldn’t murder me so brutally.”

Despite how Lucien wanted to hide beneath the covers, he tried to calm his frantic heart as he let the snake wrap around his arm.  Its eyes glowed bright green as if it acknowledged him somehow.  

“I’m curious what made you connect your soul with a snake,” Castor said.  “I almost expected a bunch of butterflies to flutter around my room.”

“I-I don’t know.” Lucien shook his head.  “I wasn’t even thinking about snakes.  It just appeared.”

“How strange,” Castor murmured.  

Only when Castor helped him dispel the snake away did tension release from his shoulders.  Lucien would never reach Charlotte’s potential or master the dark arts if mere beginner’s blood magic unsettled him so badly.  There had to be another way to control his fear. If not, how would he ever have the guts to face her killer?