Calla looked up as she saw a shadow of someone move over her, making her stop as she took notice. She blinked and looked up to see Raven standing before her with his normal innocent smile on his face. It almost made her frown, wondering what plot was going through his mind before he spoke.

“I think it’s about time we sat down and had a talk about your knowledge about magic,” he said simply, however, Calla couldn’t help but hear a small hint of annoyance in his voice. She frowned at that, remembering what he had said when they had left the shack about not looking the old woman in the eyes. Was he blaming her for her lack of knowledge? She saw him smile a bit more gently before he offered a hand to her.

“Follow me, dear,” he said calmly. She looked him over, hesitating before taking his hand. He smiled at that before turning and leading her into the house, ignoring the glare from Blaise as the two passed the others. Calla didn’t even have time to notice Marick wasn’t in the front room as she was led to Raven’s room, soon finding herself back in the familiar setting once again. He let go of her hand, turning and closing the door behind him.

“...You broke your promise,” she noted as he did, making Raven pause at the door. His eyes narrowed. “You said you wouldn’t use your power on me again…”

She heard him give a slow sigh, turning to look at him to see a serious look on his face. It honestly surprised her to see his expression so cold as he looked her over. “Calla, you are not seriously holding that against me, are you?” he asked, raising a brow and resting a hand on his hip. “I had to correct your emotions in front of Madam Coffer. The higher your level of fear was, the more control Madam Coffer had over your mind.”

This time, Calla frowned with a slight look of annoyance back. “Are you saying being afraid was not the ‘correct emotion’ in that situation? The woman was talking about how she could use me for potion ingredients! Marick even admitted he was tempted enough to have taken vials of my blood when I first arrived!” she exclaimed. Raven’s expression remained hard to read for a moment as he seemed to process what she was saying before he moved to rub his eyes with a sigh. Calla’s anger faded, her looking off. “You can’t expect me to know what’s going on or be able to take this information well. I wasn’t born into your world, Raven. All I know of magic is what you have explained to me and even then I don’t fully understand.”

He was silent for a moment before he hummed in thought, folding his arms as he stepped towards her. Looking up at the tall man with black as night hair, Calla was reminded just how intimidating the warlocks could be without really trying. His gray eyes scanned her face when he pulled his hand away from his face. She could tell how tired he looked, which might be why he was more snippy than he normally was. Had he been nervous about the situation? It had been his idea to bring her along.

“...You have a point,” he muttered as he stood before her. He sighed lightly, moving to run his hand through his dark hair. His gray eyes caught hers again before his expression softened more. “Remember when I told you about how my ability worked?”

She thought back before nodding. “...You said it worked based on touch and by eye contact…” she answered, to which Raven gave a nod.

“Exactly,” he stated calmly, moving his hands to his hips again. “Most magic works similarly. When encountering a magical, it is always in one’s best interest to stay away from them and to avoid looking them in the eye. Madam Coffer must have expected that one of us had some kind of hex on you that would have made it harder for her to get close to you. So as soon as you gave her eye contact, she used a counter hex that overruled Marick’s spell so that you would obey her commands as long as your attention was on her.”

He frowned, looking her over. “She used enough magic that if I hadn’t been carrying you until we were out of the twisted woods, she would have pulled you back to her and who knows what would have happened to you,” he said, trailing off. She watched his expression, her eyes blinking in surprise. So he had been worried.

“I thought… you guys said it went better than expected.” she pointed out with a slight frown. He nodded at that.

“It did, but it doesn’t mean the situation couldn’t have changed into an issue quickly.” he pointed out before grumbling and moving to sit on his bed.

Calla watched him, her mind in thought for a moment before she saw his mouth curl into a playful smirk, his eyes looking her over. She was once again worried about what he could be plotting. He tilted his head, moving to undo the buttons of his shirt. “You do owe me for what happened at the twisted shack. What will you give me for saving your life?” he asked with a coy tone. Between the look in his eyes and the tone he was using, it made her shiver. He was always doing this. Normally, it was when she had questions that he would ask for questions in return. It was always, ‘this for that’ when it came to him.

She hesitated as she turned to him, frowning. “...What would you want in return?” she countered, already knowing what he would say.

He gave her another look over before his smile became a bit more wicked. “Your body would be a nice exchange,” he said in a coy tone. She frowned at that and hugged her arms around herself as she tried to glare at him.

“You know, the others protected me as well,” she pointed out, her face turning red. Raven chuckled at that before winking.

“Well, you can have sex with me first and then offer everyone else a turn if you wish~!” he sang, making her scowl more at him.

“And here I remember you saying that I wasn’t to become the coven whore…” she stated bitterly. Raven chuckled at that, leaning back on his arms as he smiled at her.

“Calla, my dear, you really need to learn when I am teasing,” he pointed out before he hummed and held his hand out to motion her over.

She watched him a moment, thinking things over before walking over, standing before him. She seemed to think a moment before tugging his shirt, and pushing her lips against his. That seemed to catch him off guard, feeling his body tense slightly before she broke the kiss, looking into his eyes with a shy expression on her blushing face.

“Th….There…does that make it even?” she asked softly, her eyes searching his surprised ones. The surprise faded as he seemed to watch her with interest. To be fair, that had been rather forward for the normally shy girl.

She yelped in surprise as she felt his hands wrap around her, however, his hands had tugged her dress up, moving under them so his hands were against her skin. She shivered, eyes closing tightly as she instinctively tried to pull away from him.

He gave a long sigh as his hands rubbed her sides and back. He gave a breathy chuckle. “The kiss was nice, dear… but I do believe I deserve a little more,” he said calmly, making her look back at him. Her face was warm with a blush, her body shivering at the feeling of his hands against her bare flesh. She gripped his shirt.

“R-Raven, I-!” she started only to get cut off by Raven giving a soft smile to her.

“I will not ask for sex,” he reassured her calmly. He searched her unsure expression before hugging her close. “If you are willing to trust me. I promise I will stop when you request me to.”

Calla frowned, her body feeling as if covered in goosebumps, not sure what to expect. However, she did feel like she could trust his word. Still, that didn’t make her any less nervous. Raven seemed to notice this as he hummed in thought, pulling his hands away from her. Maintaining eye contact with the blushing girl, he undid the rest of his shirt, shrugging out of it.

There was a small part of Calla who wanted to look away from the bare-chested man seated on the bed before her. After all, it was immoral for a woman to gaze upon a man like this. Then again, she had also seen Marick walk around naked. She didn’t have a chance to turn away as Raven grabbed her hands to set them on his smooth chest.

“I explore… you explore…” he offered, smiling at the feeling of her hands on him. “I am nothing but fair when it comes to give and take. In exchange for what happened at the cabin…” he started, Calla shifting uncomfortably when she felt his hands undo the backing of her dress, having it begin to slip off her. “I wish for you to lay with me… in exchange for letting me explore your body, I will allow you to touch me anywhere you feel comfortable in doing so.”

Calla’s eyes were wide, her heart racing quickening as she kept her eyes locked with his. The feeling of his warm body against her fingers was a strange experience for her. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to do something like this with him yet, after all, it had only been a few weeks since she first really started to get to know him. He was testing the limits, that was clear. Raven was seeing how far he was able to go, which was odd as she expected this behavior from Gwydion, not from the older brother. Then again, it wasn’t as if Raven hadn’t admitted that he desired to have sex with her. He had made that pretty clear.

Her expression shrank to that of timidness, moving one of her hands from his chest to hold her dress up. “...Y...You promise you will stop when I say so…?” she asked, still hesitant. Raven nodded with a tender smile to her.

“I promise, Calla,” he reassured her, one of his hands moving to touch the hand on her dress, slowly coaxing her to let the dress fall, to trust him.

She seemed to hesitate a moment longer before allowing him to pull her hand away. As he did, her dress fell down her body smoothly, leaving the girl bare. Her whole body was red with a blush, her hands moving away from Raven’s chest to try and cover herself. She missed his expression, his eyes wide as he scanned her body with his eyes, hints of desire filling his thoughts. He bit his lip, almost as if he was hesitating this choice, the temptation much higher than he had expected. Calla was breathtaking, her body soft to the look and touch, sweet and pure to the ways of men. No wonder Gwydion has such a hard time keeping his hands off her.

She heard him give a breathy chuckle, pulling her to him as he moved onto the bed with her. For the moment, his hands rested on her back as he pulled her onto the bed with him.

“So shy…” he said tenderly as he looked down into her sweet face. “...You are beautiful, Calla…”

Her breath was staggered, hiding her face in his chest as her body was laying on top of his. She couldn’t help but let a whimper escape her lips as she felt his hands trail over her back and side, goosebumps perking over her skin where his hands went. She heard him chuckle, running his fingers into her hair and kissing the top of her head. She looked up when she felt him pull the blanket up around them, seeing him smiling down at her warmly.

“For my eyes only~” he teased, making her face grow hot before guiding her to sit up onto his lap, the blanket covering her backside. She shyly looked up at him as his hand moved a strand of her hair from her face. Calla’s heart raced, shivering as she felt his hand move from her face to trail his fingers to her bare chest. She closed her eyes tightly, clinging to his shoulders.

Raven wasn’t what she called muscularly, his body was lean for the most part. He was strong, but not to the level of what she had seen of farmhands or those who did manual labor. Then again, given that he was a magical born, she wondered if he had ever needed to do hard labor in his life. He was keeping one hand on her side while the other teased her breasts, making her gasp with light moans at the new sensation. He leaned in at least once, trailing kisses over her neck as he held her closer to him, loving the sounds she made.

Raven’s eyes danced with a mix of desire and curiosity as he leaned back again to watch how Calla reacted to him playing with her. A part of him felt bad about teasing her in such a way, the girl was new to this after all and he was taking advantage of the situation. He found non-magicals to be easy to mess with, even without his powers. They were simple creatures, unlike magicals. Girls like Calla could become putty in his hands by the slightest touch. He smiled, eyes following his hands on the young woman’s body. Perhaps he was being a bit cruel, playing with Calla for his amusement at the current moment. He smiled, moving one of her tender nipples in between his fingers as he watched her reaction. The sounds she made were music to his ears, making him want to hear her moans of arousal become sounds of pleasure. He shifted a bit uncomfortably, his eyes trailing down to where her lower body met his. At this moment, he debated how easy it would be to claim her, wanting to be selfish and not give anyone else the chance to steal her away. His pants were tight, his arousal very clear. It made him wonder if she could feel it, feel how badly he wanted to make her his. However, her words echoed in his head, being the only thing that prevented him from taking full advantage of her vulnerability.

She called him a good person, her words so naive and sweet. It made him hate himself more for the selfish thoughts in his head. No, he wasn’t a good person. He was just good at pretending to be one. If anything, Blaise calling him an ass was more accurate. How many girls had he played this game with before? How many girls had he lied to and manipulated into sleeping with him? It wasn’t difficult to do. Hell, Gwydion did it more than he did. He wondered how much he could get away with. With a gentle pushing of the line she had drawn, he could convince her to go all the way, to let him have his way with her.

His eyes grew slightly dark in desire as his hand moved from her breasts and trailed down her body, however, as they hovered above the girl’s lower body, he felt her fingernails dig into his skin, hearing her whimper and shift uncomfortably as his fingers teased her folds.

“R-Raven… y-you promised…” she whimpered, her eyes opening to look at her own. His expression softened, looking into the teary-eyed girl on his lap. She was so sweet, so trusting of him. He felt his heartache for the thoughts that had been in his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to do anything he knew Calla would hate him for. It wasn’t something he was used to feeling, regret for his actions. In reality, Calla wasn’t any different from the girls he had used before. However, there was something about her being around them like this that made him see her differently than other non-magicals. He shouldn’t be toying with her like this.

“Do you want me to stop?” he asked softly, not moving for now as he gave a warm smile towards her. He had promised to do so and no matter how much of an ass he was, he always kept his promises. She closed her eyes, seemingly upset with herself as she gave a nod to his question.

He smiled lightly at her, sighing as he moved his hands away from her lower body, wrapping them around her figure and pulling her into a comforting hug. She wrapped her arms around him as he did, hugging herself close to him, their chests pressed against each other.

“Forgive me. I got caught up in the moment,” he told her gently, smiling more at the feeling of her cuddling close to him. He traced the center of her back with his fingers, giving a small sigh as he looked off in thought. A smirk grew on his lips as he looked down at her.

“Do you want to explore my lower body in exchange for me to do the same?” he purred into her ear. All at once, Calla jolted up, her face bright red as she glared at him. An amusing sight.

“N-No!” Calla exclaimed, pouting. He was messing with her. She could tell by the smirk on his face. Why did he have to be so mean? He chuckled.

“Teasing,” he sang, making her give a huff. Her eyes softened as she looked down at his chest, her mind in thought. Her hand reached out and traced the line of his shoulder before trailing down to the gentle lines of his lean body.

“You always tease me… can’t you ever be nice?” she muttered with a sigh. She felt his chest move with a small chuckle.

“That would imply that you think I’m mean,” he countered before humming in bliss at her touch, catching her attention again. He pouted playfully. “Are you telling me that you only want to see Marick naked? Are you disinterested in my body?”

Her face was hot again. “W-What? N-No! I mean…” she said, growing flustered before she huffed at him again. “It wasn’t by choice that I saw Marick walking around naked!”

He laughed at that. “Fair enough,” he pointed out before leaning back on the bed, arms behind his head, He scanned her, mentally enjoying the look of her in this position. He smiled playfully again. “You can’t tell me you are not the least bit curious about the male body. I understand you were raised with some kind of morals and virtue, but you are still a curious young lady.”

Calla couldn’t help but blush. Of course, she was curious. She wondered what it was like, to be with a man. She had heard stories from girls around her village and that of her sister, some claiming the experience was painful, others that it was wonderful. She wondered what it felt like to have a man inside of her. Looking off, her mind wandered more. The feeling of Raven touching and exploring her body had felt good, it had been due to her nerves that she had asked him to stop. She knew he wanted to be intimate and somewhere in her desires, she wanted it to as well. Raven and Gwy had been with women before, surely they were good in bed. What would sex with Raven feel like? Her mind snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Raven chuckle.

“That look in your eye tells me you are,” he teased, making her face turn a bright red with embarrassment. He just laughed again. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about, Calla. It’s natural to be curious.” He scanned her, his lustful stare returning. “...I'm letting you give in to those curiosities. Ask me anything, touch me wherever you wish. You may do with my body whatever rests in your desires and daydreams.”

Calla bit her lip at that. The offer was testing her virtue. She looked him over again, debating if she should. She swallowed hard, her eyes meeting him as she thought about what she wanted to know. “I...I saw statues of naked men and women in the house of the lord I was sold to. Some… Some had… you know…” she said awkwardly, tugging on the blanket around her as she looked at him shyly. “Do they...Do they all look like that…?”

Raven was trying so hard not to laugh or make any noise that would embarrass her. He did blush lightly at the awkwardness of her question. She was just too cute. Calla looked back at him when he reached out and took one of her hands, guiding it to the button of his pants, his eyes locked with hers as he gave a coy grin.

“Go ahead and take a look, then you can tell me,” he said calmly, making Calla give a small squeak, pulling her hand away, closing her eyes tightly as she hid her red face with the blanket.

“R-Raven, I was being serious!” she squealed, her heart racing. She heard him chuckle and move to prop himself up on the bed.

“So was I,” he stated calmly, watching the girl’s reaction with amusement. She peaked out from the blanket. He seemed to be expecting to hear what she wanted to do, but would he accept it if she said she wasn’t comfortable with it? She frowned as she thought. Did she want to turn down the offer? She barely knew Raven and already she was in his bed with nothing on while he offered to let her explore him, to see if the statues of marble athletes were what a man’s body really looked like.

“I…” she started, seeing his attention perk as she started to talk. She frowned. “I don’t think I’m… ready…”

She noticed the look of disappointment in his eyes but he soon sighed and nodded. “Alright, next time then,” he said with a smile at her. “I just figured you would want to be on level ground with me. After all, you are unclothed before me.”

Calla looked saddened as she looked at him. “I’m sorry…” she said softly only to see him shake his head.

“There is no need to apologize,” he said calmly. “When you are ready to go farther with me, you only need to ask.”

She watched him a moment before she sighed, looking off. Raven’s eyes scanned her a moment before smiling. “To answer your question, no. They do not all look like that. But as I said, you will understand once you are more comfortable exploring my body.” he pointed out, making her glance his way. She thought it over before staring at him, thinking. Her heart raced, wondering if she was brave enough to ever go that far. Her hesitation at the moment made Raven raise his brow before smiling, seeing her thinking it over. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“You, my dear, have a contradictory head and heart,” he said calmly, gently moving her off him. He sat up. “What causes you to hesitate? I can tell your curiosity is getting the best of you.”

Calla bit her lip at that, not sure how to answer before sighing, looking at his face. “...I just… I feel like I don’t know you well enough to… to go so far. I only just started to get to know you…” she admitted, frowning lightly. “I just… I just don’t want to feel like you're toying with me…”

She watched Raven eyed her before he sighed. “So what you are saying is that you do not trust me yet…” he noted calmly. Calla looked off again. She was worried that she had upset him; however, she felt his fingertips touch her face, guiding it to look at him. He smiled warmly at her. “What can I do to win your trust?” Calla looked at him with an expression of surprise as she saw him thinking it over.

She wondered about that as well, moving off in thought. If she were someone of a higher social class, she would be courted by a guy like Raven, and taken on dates. Girls from her social class were lucky if a guy offered to marry them before taking them to bed. She had always dreamed of being treated like a high-class lady, someone whose affection had to be won. She looked to Raven again, wondering how the different classes were treated in his world.

“W-What… what would you do if you wanted to win the heart of a magical born?” she asked curiously. That seemed to click something in his thoughts as his eyes met hers before smiling.

“I would try to sweep you off your feet,” he answered before giving a nod. He moved to pull Calla to him again, wrapping the blanket around both of them as he held her close. “Then that is what I will do. Tomorrow, I will take you on a date and if I cannot win your heart after that, then I do not deserve it.” He smirked but winked at her. “But, you have to dress in that cute frilly thing I know Gwydion bought you.”

Calla’s eyes went from looking at him in wonder at what he could have planned for tomorrow before she gave him a blank stare and whined. “But why?” she whined before huffing. “You’re so mean…”

Raven couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I never said I was nice,” he pointed out, hugging her close. He yawned. The adventure that morning tired him out slightly, plus, he didn’t want to lose the moment of laying with Calla by getting up. He hummed sleepily. “I think we deserve a nap. Mind staying here with me for a while longer?”

Calla blushed, cuddling close to him. Even without him using his powers, she did feel warm and comfortable in his arms. She nodded. “Sure,” she said softly. It wouldn’t take long before the two had dozed off.

“I hate you,” Calla muttered, tugging on the frilly dress before looking up at Raven. He just smiled back at her, overly happy with the choice. Calla blushed at that, looking him over.

Raven was wearing a rather nice suit, making him look noble. His hair was brushed back away from his eyes, his handsome face no longer hidden by his black as night hair. He was handsome beyond words, which made Calla all the more unsure about the outfit she wore, feeling like a doll.

“Well, I think you are breathtaking,” he replied happily as he walked over to her, fixing his cufflets. He smirked and turned on his heels to sweep his hand behind him. “And they think so too!”

Calla blushed, turning to look at the other three. Gwydion looked like a proud father as he squealed in delight, while Blaise looked away blushing. Even Marick had his eyes closed with a stone face as if trying not to show himself being flustered. The others were also dressed like noble non-magicals, which was an odd sight to her.

When Raven had brought up the fact that he was taking Calla to the town of Rowien, Marick brought up the fact that they needed to restock supplies anyway and figured it would be a good idea for everyone to go. As soon as Raven told Gwydion what dress he was forcing her to wear, Gwydion cheered loud enough that Calla was sure Madam Coffer could hear them.

Marick didn’t seem to like the idea that his more competent member of the coven was going to be busy today but he hadn’t said anything about it. Raven chuckled as the group moved to walk into the city.

The place was a sight to behold. The city was born from the wealthy trade of the sea, drawing those in high society to make this place their home. In the center of town were an opera house and a dance hall, while just to the south, closer to the port was a large open marketplace. Calla wasn’t used to seeing such a large city. Even the town she had been brought to was just a large manor owned by the lord of the land and those who were loyal to him. It was a lot to take in as she shielded her eyes from the sunlight.

“Anyway,” Marick’s voice rang out, making all of them look his way. He sighed, glancing at Raven. “You two, go.” He waved them off. Raven just laughed at that, ignoring the glare he was getting from Blaise.

“You guys have fun~” Raven sang with a wave to the others before taking Calla’s hand. She blushed as he began to lead her away, her listening to Marick giving orders to the two remaining coven members.

She hummed after a moment, turning to look up at Raven. “You haven’t told me what we are doing today…” she pointed out, making him smirk with a coy smile down at her.

“If you want me to tell you all my secret plans I have for today, I better get something in return.” he teased playfully, making her face light up and pout at him. He chuckled, giving her a wink. “I am sweeping you off your feet today. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

She just stared at him for a moment. Raven was a tough one to read. He was both an open book and very secretive. She gave a light sigh, looking forward. “It sounds like you have no idea what you are doing and plan to make it up on the spot,” she muttered. She felt him give her hand a bit of a squeeze before he laughed, scratching his head.

“That could be a possibility,” he said with a smile in her direction. He hummed, looking around as they walked down the path. “It’s a lovely day out today, don’t you agree? I think we picked the perfect kind of day to spend together.”

Calla blinked at that and looked around before giving a smile. “Yeah… it really is,” she said, taking notice that they were headed towards the dance hall. Her awareness seemed to be right on queue as Raven glanced at her.

“Do you know how to dance?” he asked, tilting his head. She blushed at the question.

“Um… n-no…” she admitted to which he chuckled.

“Neither do I.” He admitted with a shrug. “Which is why I thought it would be fun for us to take a class on how to waltz.”

She blinked in surprise at that, curious if he was telling the truth. To be honest, she was more surprised to hear that Raven didn’t know how to do something, having given in to the idea that all warlocks knew everything at this point. Raven wasn’t nearly as romantic as she assumed Gwydion was, but as he held the door open for her with a little bow, she couldn’t help but notice he had a charm to him. The man had gotten glances from women as they walked here, and Calla had been a bit wary. However, he wasn’t as distracted as she thought he would be. He never so much as glanced in the direction of any of the women who smiled his way. She expected the attention he would get. Gwydion and Raven were beautiful men. Gwydion was the charming seductive beauty whereas Raven was tall, dark, and mysterious.

Inside was no different, with couples of all ages waiting for the lesson to start. He caught eyes as soon as he walked in, however, his eyes never left Calla as he took her hand and led her over.

“I can’t believe you don’t know how to dance…” Calla said after a while, giving him a look over. “I assumed you knew everything.”

He chuckled lightly at that, shrugging. “I am a man of many talents, dancing just isn’t one of them,” he said before humming in thought and looking around the room. “I’ve never seen the appeal in it.” It didn’t surprise her to hear him say that. Raven was as Blaise said, he was a man that didn’t do something unless it benefited him in some way.

“Then why plan for it to be part of our day?” she asked, confused. Raven flashed her a smile.

“Because I might enjoy it if you danced with me,” he said simply, making her blush a little and look off. He chuckled. “You are so cute when you get all flustered.”

“N-No I’m not” she whined softly, making him smile more. He gave a hum at that, an amused look on his face before he patted her head.

“Besides, this way I can hold you in public without you calling me a lecher~” he teased, just loud enough for her to hear him. She huffed up at him, her face still very red.

She would have commented back at him but soon enough the instructors walked in, greeting everyone. It seemed the lessons would begin shortly.

One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three.

Calla tried her best to keep the count in her head as she followed Raven’s lead. For the guy who claimed to not know how to dance, he was a surprisingly fast learner, elegantly moving about the room. Why did he have to be perfect at everything?! She felt bad every time she stepped on his foot.

As they turned, Calla looked up at him. She knew Raven was tall, but being so close to him like this only reminded her of how much the nearly 6-foot man towered over her. He seemed to catch her stare as he gave a warm smile down to her.

“Something wrong?” he asked, making another turn. She just pouted up at him.

“You picked up on this way too fast…” she muttered with a slight huff, making the man give a small chuckle in amusement at her face. He shrugged.

“I think you’re doing just fine-!” he said, only to be cut off as she once again stepped on his foot. She jolted at that, especially at the dark and wicked grin on his face as he stared down at her. “...I’m starting to think you are stepping on me on purpose.”

“I-I’m not!” Calla exclaimed, shaking her head frantically at his accusation. “I’m sorry!”

Raven just sighed, shaking his head at her before humming. He was smiling sweetly but Calla felt intimidated by it, his smile felt threatening. “Do it again and you will be punished,” he said calmly. She shivered at that, completely believing his words. She feared what he would do to punish her.

“Y-Yes, sir!” she squeaked, looking down to watch her feet as they started to dance again, making sure she didn’t do it again.

Raven chuckled lightly, looking down at her before sighing. “Calla, it’s rude to not look at your partner~” he purred into her ear. She shivered at that, blushing as she looked up at him, pouting.

“I don’t trust that look in your eyes about punishing me…” she muttered with a huff. He just laughed, moving to spin her before pulling her into his arms once again and leaning in to whisper into her ear.

“I’m sure you’d enjoy it,” he teased, making her blush deeply, her body shivering at the warmth of his breath on her ear. He smirked, raising tall again with a playful grin at how red her face was, finding amusement in her attempt to glare at him.

“You are worse than Gwy…” she muttered. He chuckled at that, giving her a wink.

“I am the older brother, after all.” he pointed out as he did. “Where do you think he got it from?”

She gave a blank stare up at him. “You did tell me about your family situation,” she pointed out. Raven rose a brow in surprise by that before he hummed and nodded.

“Fair point,” he said, leading her into another turn. Calla sighed at that, her eyes glancing at the other couples. A few were looking at each other with such love in their eyes, she blushed as she caught one young couple stealing a kiss. Raven took note of Calla looking around and curiously followed her eyes. When he saw what she was looking at he smiled and shifted his arms, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Calla blushed and turned her attention back to him. “Do you want one too?” he asked softly to her. Calla frowned at that, locking her eyes with his, her heart fluttering. Still, she smirked, trying to look playful as she smiled up at him.

“It sounds like maybe you are the one that wants one,” she tried to tease, making him raise a brow with interest. “What would you give me to get a kiss?”

Raven curled his mouth into a playful smirk, finding her attempt to turn his game onto him to be amusing. He hummed, pretending to think it over before running his hand down her back slightly before returning it, making her shiver.

“Now, now, dear. We are in a polite society. I can’t just say things like that here~” he teased back, making her face hot with her blush. She pouted at that, not liking how easily he turned it back to her like that. She huffed, figuring she should have known better. She sighed, once again being led into a turn as the music began to end. She only looked back up at him when she felt him jolt. Her eyes widened as she noticed she stepped on his foot once more but played it off, ending the dance by bowing to her. He kissed her hand before his wicked expression met her worried one.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The two thanked the instructors, leaving with the others. It seemed the lesson had lasted about an hour, but by that time the nice day had become rather cloudy. Calla frowned as she looked up at the sky.

“It looks like it might rain…” she said as she did. Raven glanced her way before looking to the sky as well. He hummed at that.

“It could, but it might pass.” he pointed out, smiling as he looked down at her. He did look slightly disappointed in the nice day going cloudy. He hummed, however, offering her his arm to take. “Anyway, shall we head to our next location?”

Calla hesitated, still concerned about whatever punishment he would have for her as she took his arm. He just smiled innocently at her, her concern turning to fear. She was in danger.

“H-Hey, Raven, you were not serious about that punishment, r-right?” she asked, shivering at the grin he was giving. He hummed at that, not answering as he began to lead her off. She lowered her head. Yep, she was doomed.

“Where are we going?” Calla asked as the two continued to walk. They seemed to be more towards the docks by this point, the less glamorous section of the city where sailors and workers would stay. It seemed that Raven was headed to a specific location, one that passed this section and more than likely led more out of the city. She looked around as they walked, slightly nervous about the stares they got from sailors. They were not the only people who looked of the higher class in the area, but the looks Calla got from some of the men made her nervous and cling to Raven more. Looking up, Raven didn’t seem at all fazed. He wasn’t giving anyone they passed the time of day, he focused on where he planned to go. He also didn’t answer her question, making her frown.

She tugged on his arm. “Raven,” she said, finally seeming to get his attention as he glanced down at her. “Where are we going?”

He gave her a smile and a wink. “Don’t you trust me?” he countered before looking forward again. She just scowled at that, blushing. Why did he have to be so secretive all the time? He just chuckled lightly. “I know of a nice location just outside the city. Trust me, you will love the place once we get there.”

Calla hummed at that but nodded. After all, Raven knew where he was going. Though a part of her wondered if this location he spoke of was found because of his time with another woman. After all, the brothers tended to seek attention from women when they were around here. She didn’t dwell on the thought for too long, not wanting to sound like she was jealous.

Her attention was grabbed when they started to pass a flower shop, though a bit more to what Calla was used to than the markets in the center of the city. There was an old man out front, tending to the flowers. He glanced up as they got closer and smiled.

“Ah! Might I interest such a nice couple in some flowers?” He called. The man smiled at Calla. “A lovely lady deserves flowers.”

Calla was about to speak but Raven cut in. “I’m not interested in whatever pathetic plants you have,” he said in a surprisingly sharp tone, making Calla look up at him surprised. Raven was normally at least kind towards others as he spoke, this was a strange side to see from him. The old man blinked at that as well, frowning.

“I assure you that my flowers are of good quality. My wife is sick, you see, even if you bought one flower it would be enough.” The man said calmly, reaching to grab Raven’s shoulder. Raven turned swiftly on his heels and slapped the man’s hand away, the look in his eyes seemed to be one of warning. His hands lightly danced with a mix of light and dark energy that only someone who knew magic would take notice of. Her eyes widened more at that, looking up at Raven in shock. He had a dark look in his eyes almost as if he felt threatened or at least was defensive about the situation, or at least from being grabbed by the other.

“I could care less of your troubles. Peddle your weeds to someone else.” Raven said sharply. It was enough that Calla’s look of surprise went to slight anger. She glared up at Raven before moving to his coat, catching him by surprise as he looked down at her. “Calla, what are you doing?”

She didn’t answer him, just grabbed his coin pouch and turned to the old man. “I’m sorry about him. He’s in a bad mood it seems,” she said as she handed the man some coins. She smiled up at the man as she did. “Here, I don’t need the flowers so give them to your wife. I hope she gets better.”

The old man blinked before he smiled warmly at Calla. “You have a beautiful heart… I thank you,” he said. Calla just nodded before moving to grab Raven by the hand and start to pull him down the path. He followed but the two were quiet for a long time before Raven gave a sigh and moved to walk next to her.

He scanned her angry expression, his own hard to read. “I don’t understand why you are angry,” he said oddly and calmly. Calla just glared at him as they walked.

“You didn’t have to get so aggressive. I might not understand much about magic but I could tell the guy wasn’t magical. He wasn’t threatening anyone. That and you can see this is a poorer area of the city. The guy was just doing his job. You had no reason to insult him like that.” she stated sharply, making Raven give her a slightly bored expression.

“For all you know, he could have been lying.” he returned, looking forward again. “Even if he was telling the truth, so what? He’s just a non-magical. Unless they have something of use, they are not worth the energy to waste time on. He should have understood his place enough to back off when I first told him that we were not interested.”

Calla stopped walking as he said that, the two nearly out of the city at that point, looking up at him wide-eyed. Her stopping made him stop, looking back at her as if confused as to why she had done so, and pulled her hand away from him. Raven’s words had been like a dagger. She had never heard him speak in such a harsh and cold tone like that before. And then there was what he said. ‘Just a non-magical’

She looked off, her eyes holding hurt. “Is that… Is that really what you think?” she asked as she did. She wasn’t looking at him but felt his eyes on her.

Raven was confused by her look and tone. Why was she upset with him? He sighed, fully turning to her. “Calla, I don’t understand why you are getting upset by this. I just didn’t see the point in buying flowers from some non-magical. We have much nicer ones at the cottage that I would much rather give you if you want some.” he said calmly. Calla couldn’t believe he didn’t understand why she was upset.

“It’s not about the flowers,” She stated to which Raven sighed.

“Then why are you upset with me all of a sudden?” he asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

“I-I’ve never heard you sound so cruel like that,” she said, trailing off. Raven gave a huff at that, folding his arms.

“Cruel? Calla, come now, he was just a-!” Raven started before Calla shot her teary-eyed glare up at him. She patted her chest as she did.

“I'm non-magical!” she yelled, making Raven stop. His eyes were wide as he soon closed his mouth, watching as she looked down again, her hands balling into fists. “... How could you say what you said when I am also non-magical? Are you saying that you only wanted to spend the day with me because I am ‘something of use’? That I would be a waste of your time if you had nothing to gain? Am I not ‘just a non-magical’ as well? I…I never took you for someone who would have such cruel opinions on my kind like that. You are always so kind towards me…I… I didn’t like seeing that side of you. The way you spoke, is that how you treat non-magicals?”

They were quiet for a moment before Raven let out a sigh and moved toward her. He looked her over, frowning as he scratched his head, messing his hair up a little. “No, Calla, I…” he started before he trailed off. He was silent for a moment before sighing. “I’m sorry. I...I wasn’t thinking.” Looking up at him, she could see the look of guilt in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I shouldn’t have behaved the way I did and said what I did. I’m sorry for being so rude...”

Calla frowned, pain in her eyes as she shook her head. “That… That was more than you being rude, Raven. You… the look in your eyes. The hatred you had. I saw your magic spike. You could have remained calm but you grew hostile towards someone that wasn’t a threat, insulted him, and when I asked you why you brushed it off saying he was just a non-magical as if that meant he was beneath you.” Raven was silent at that, watching her a moment before he looked off.

As if staring deep in thought, his eyes seem to dance with a memory hidden behind his eyes but one that he wasn’t planning to say. Finally, he returned his gaze to her. “There are a lot of prejudices in our world, especially towards your people, Calla,” he said, making her return his gaze with a surprised look. He sighed. “I try not to give into them but sometimes I mess up.” She could tell there was more to what he was trying to say but that he didn’t want to go into it. Still, what he did say was surprising to hear.

“Magicals, hate non-magicals?” she asked to clarify only feeling her heart sink when she saw him frown at her words.

He shook his head. “Not all of them, but I would be lying if I said that there are not a handful of magicals who see non-magicals as inferior or to be things that can be used. Hell, you heard what Coffer said to you back at the cabin. That and we have all told you of the dangers that would come from bringing you to the other realm. It… It doesn’t all have to do with your purity, although that is one of the biggest draws. Persecution of witches hasn’t helped the situation, nor have non-magicals who have been spirited away. Either way, you are correct. I had no reason to be as hostile as I was, especially in front of you.” he said, hoping she would know he meant what he said. In a sense, he had forgotten that Calla was non-magical. In the short time, she had been with them, he had grown used to her presence. He was comfortable around her. With a sigh, he reached out to touch her face gently. “Will you forgive me?”

She knew he could easily use his power to force her to forgive him and the fact that he wasn’t was the only reason why she hesitated as she looked up at him. Calla knew he was being honest with her. He wasn’t telling her anything about why he personally had such disdain in his voice when he called the old man ‘just a non-magical’ but it seemed he was trying his best to apologize. Calla sighed, leaning into his touch as she looked up into his pleading gray eyes. It made her heart flutter. It did look as if he wanted her forgiveness and that it bothered him that he had upset her.

“I forgive you… but when we walk back through, I want you to apologize to the old man… okay?” she said, making his eyes catch hers again. He gave a tender smile before kissing her softly.

“Fine, I will,” he said, sighing relief before he shook his head. He took his hand off her face to scratch his own, giving a saddened chuckle. “I’m not too good at this, am I?” She blinked, confused by his words before he stood tall again. “Here I was trying to give you a romantic evening where we could get to know each other better, and all I’ve managed to do is upset you. I hope I haven’t soured your thoughts on me.” He gave a long sigh, looking off. “You’ve grown on me since you’ve arrived. I’m not sure what I would do if you hated me.”

Calla felt her face warm at his words, still slightly unsure but deep down, she didn’t want to be angry at him. She shook her head, moving to touch his hand, threading her fingers with his. It seemed enough to surprise him, his eyes locking with hers again. “I don’t hate you, Raven. But, I worry about your thoughts on my kind,” she said honestly. His face fell again.

“In all honesty, Calla, it slipped my mind that you are non-magical,” he admitted with a slightly bashful look on his face. It was strange to see, given how mature of a man he was. “Non-magical or not, you are part of this coven. A part of our family. I would lay down my life defending you.”

Her eyes widened at that, shocked by what he said. Swiftly, she shook her head, feeling tears in her eyes. “B-But I’m not… I’m nothing special for anyone to…-!” she started, stuttering to find the right words. However, she was cut off when she felt his lips against hers. It wasn’t a particularly long kiss but it had been enough to make her stop, eyes looking up at him. He smiled warmly down at her, thumbing away a tear from her eyes.

“You are special to me, and there is nothing you can say that will change that,” he whispered to her. She felt her heart beating fast, her face a darker shade of red by this point. “And I mean it, a coven is a family and as our fifth member, we would protect you from anything, understand?”

No, she didn’t understand, but her heart wanted what he said to be true. After a moment, she nodded, which seemed to satisfy him as he stood tall again. “Now,” he started, clapping his hand. “How about I make sure our date ends on a high note? I am trying to win your heart after all and I can’t have my momentary lapse of judgment be the biggest highlight of our time together. That would make the end goal more difficult.”

That seemed to snap her out of it, narrowing her eyes towards him. “What end goal?” she asked, already regretting her question as he gave a wicked grin.

“You sleeping with me, of course, ~!” he said in a teasing manner. Of all the times to pick on her. She huffed and folded her arms with her blush deepening again.

“I-I’m not sleeping with you, Raven,” she said, seeing him sigh with a disappointed smile. He shook his head.

“Damn, and here I was trying so hard. Would you have slept with me if I had ended our date after we danced?” he asked, his smirk growing. She groaned at that.

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping with you at all! I-Isn’t it a rule to not sleep with someone on the first date? I thought proper people courted women more before even trying.” she muttered to which he let out a laugh, mostly glad to see things were in high spirits again.

“I never heard of such a rule, but, according to you my brother and I are lechers,” he said playfully, moving to walk past her and towards the direction they had been walking again. She huffed after him.

“You are a lecher!” she whined. As she heard him laugh, she sighed, smiling again. Hopefully, he would tell her more about why he had reacted the way he did earlier, but for now, she was happy to have the Raven she knew back. Quickly, she ran after him so she was walking by his side, taking his hand. He seemed happy for that as she felt him squeeze her hand slightly as they walked together, a blissful smile on his face.

Soon enough, they got to a nice waterfall and deep river just outside the city. It was hidden from view by large rocks. Around the water’s edge were flowering bushes, framing the area like a painting. It was a breathtaking sight, making Calla look wide-eyed as Raven led her over to a rock closest to the water's edge and took a seat. She followed him, sitting next to him as her eyes looked around.

“This place is beautiful… how on earth did you find it?” she asked, turning her attention to him. He gave a smile, tilting his head.

“Well, when one wants a nice quiet place for activities, you tend to find quiet places like this,” he pointed out. Though he wasn’t saying it outright, Calla gave him a blank stare, seemingly understanding what kind of activities he was talking about. She blushed and looked off.

“...Great,” she muttered to which Raven just laughed, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

“Oh come now, who cares how I found it? All that matters is I wanted to share this place with you,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. That made her grow even more flustered before she noticed the wicked look in his eyes. It made her swallow hard with fear on her own.

“Besides, this is where I plan to punish you... And I don’t need witnesses~” he purred as he kept her from pulling away.

Calla jolted at that, pushing away from him as she looked up at him, heart pounding fast. “I-I didn’t step on you on purpose!!” she whined as she did, only to suddenly be pulled to lay on the ground with him over her.

He hummed, tilting his head at that with his innocent smile. “You stepped on my feet ten times. I forgave you the first three, after that, it was a bit much,” he noted as his hand trailed over her body. She shivered at that, blushing as she looked up at him.

“W-What are you going to do?” she asked, her lips trembling. He hummed at that before Calla let out a squeal when she felt him pull her dress up. “R-Raven don’t!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go all the way with you. But I am going to have some fun.” he purred, waving his hand. She felt the buttons behind her undo, making her gasp. In a swift motion, she soon found herself naked under him, him tossing her dress aside.

“R-Raven!” she tried to yell, reaching for her dress as if to want to cover herself. However, she was pinned to the ground as he leaned down to kiss her deeply, making her moan and shiver. As he did, he started to remove his clothing, leaving his pants on for now as he moved between her legs. She let out a squeal into his passionate kiss as his hips began to grind against her sensitive womanhood, making her body grow hot.

She shivered, and moaned, breaking the kiss to cover her face with her hands as waves of pleasure rushed over her. He chuckled at that, moving his hips rhythmically. Even with his pants on, the motion of pushing the bump in his pants against her was stimulating enough to arouse him.

“Does that feel good?” he purred into her ear, making her whimper. He chuckled at that, pulling a hand from her face and pinning it down before leaning in to suckle one of her breasts. Calla shifted beneath him, her moans of pleasure tempting him to go further with this.

“R-Raven!” she cried with a moan, panting as he kept up his motions.

He chuckled at that, pulling his mouth away from her breast to look down at her, picking up speed as he rubbed his hips against her womanhood, making her bite her lip. The look of lust in her eyes made him shiver. If only she knew how badly he wanted to undo his pants and take her.

“Hey, now… this is meant to be your punishment. Stop looking as if you are enjoying it~” he teased with a small groan in his voice, moving to lift one of her legs so he could grind harder against her. She moaned louder at that, clinging to him as he did. Her body was filled with waves of pleasure, him rubbing her like this was a strange experience and drawing a new sensation to the surface, making her whimper.

He seemed to be getting there himself as he groaned, pushing himself against her more as he heard her cry, her body quivering and her fingers digging into his arms. It was just what he needed to finish as well, not caring if he made a mess of his good pants. It’s not as if he did the laundry so it would be someone else’s problem once they got back.

Calla moved to cover her bright red face again, embarrassed. The sight made Raven laugh as he pulled away from her to sit down against the rocks again. She waited before he was off of her before sitting up, moving to cover herself with her dress. She looked over at Raven who just gave his sunny grin her way.

“Enjoy your orgasm?” he asked, making her whine and hide her face in her dress.

“You said you wouldn’t go so far with me!” she whimpered, wanting to shrink away as she heard him chuckle.

“That wasn’t going far. If anything, all we just did was masturbate together,” he said, getting to his feet. He sighed, touching the crotch of his jeans. “And a mess I made doing it…”

Calla peaked out from behind her dress to look at him. He caught her look and smiled at her. “You were not the only one who enjoyed what we did together after all.” he teased, making her blush deeply and huff at him being so lewd around her.

“You’re the devil!” she whined as she did, making him laugh.

“First I’m a lecher and now I’m the devil, I sure am ranking up fast.” he teased with a wink her way. He sighed and started to undo his jeans. “Think of it this way, if this felt good, how do you think you will enjoy it when we have sex?”

Calla didn’t have a chance to comment on what he said as she watched as the man soon became naked as the day he was born, making her cover her eyes again. “W-What are you doing?” she exclaimed.

“I’m going for a swim to clean myself up. You are more than welcome to join me,” he said, farther away from her. She looked to see where he was, seeing him walking towards the water. He turned to look back at her with a wink before turning back and walking into the deep river. It had been just enough time for Calla to catch a glimpse of a certain part of him, making her heart beat fast, and her eyes widened. She sat there a moment before slowly getting to her feet. She sighed, dropping the dress, and moved to pull off her socks and shoes before soon joining him in the water. She squeaked, rushing into his arms at the sudden shock of the cold water. He chuckled at that, wrapping his arms around her. The water was deep enough that they could stand in it and be covered. After a moment, he led her over to a slightly shallow side, sat down, and pulled her into his arms.

“Sorry, I should have warned you that the water was cold,” he said softly, running his fingers through her hair. She blushed as she did, her body relaxing against him as he soothed her. She didn’t know how to feel about what they had just done. It had been nothing like anything she had ever experienced before. If it had been anyone else, she would have felt violated, but with him, she couldn’t deny that the feeling of him rubbing against her felt wonderful. She remembered catching sight of his member and she blushed a little. Even now she didn’t want to think about them both being naked in the water together.

“It… um… you were right about them not all looking the same…” she said, feeling him give a soundless chuckle as he petted her head.

“I wondered if you caught a look at it,” he said softly to her. He hummed a little. “How do I compare?”

“J-Just because you like speaking lewdly around me, doesn’t mean I do..!” she exclaimed, her face red as she hid her expression in his chest. She felt him kiss her head.

“Come now, there is no one here but us. You can say whatever you want. I wouldn’t tell.” he purred playfully, moving to run his hand down her back. She shivered at that, pouting as she was quiet for a moment. She thought back to the statues she had seen, blushing softly.

“...I-If you must know… y-you are… much bigger than what I saw…” she said shyly, not wanting to look up at him. She could already tell he was smiling. She shifted a little. “... I-I have been told it hurts… the first time…”

He seemed to hum at that, leaning back against the rock. “It can, but there are ways to avoid it. If I am the one to take you, I will do everything in my power to make sure the experience is pleasurable, not painful or uncomfortable,” he said calmly, running his fingers over her back slowly, making her shiver. She blushed at the thought of being intimate with Raven, oddly comforted by what he said. Raven was the type of guy who could get anyone he wanted. She didn’t know why he seemed so determined to be the one to take her first time.

She thought back to what he had said the first time they had spent time together. Raven had admitted that he eventually wanted to settle down, and start a family. “Hey, Raven? Can I ask you something personal?” she asked, finally looking up at him. Given his rule of giving and take, he was up three questions so she didn’t worry about him turning it down. He seemed a bit curious at that before his eyes softened.

“Of course,” he said with a nod. Calla sighed and moved to sit up more, the best she could in this position.

“You told me once that you wanted to settle down and have a family someday. With you being 28, I would have thought a guy like you would already be married by this point. I guess what I wanted to ask is, why haven’t you settled down with a family of your own if you want it so badly?” she asked, her tone gentle. She saw his expression turn to a look of surprise before they softened. He hummed at that, moving to run his hand through his hair.

Finally, he gave her a playful grin. “Well apparently I’m the devil,” he teased, making her huff at him before he chuckled. “Then again, according to you, if I were the devil, I would be the one who gives all magicals their powers. So I guess that’s not too far from the truth given that I create spells and add them to books to be used.”

“I was hoping for a serious answer…” she muttered at him, giving him a blank stare. He just chuckled before shrugging.

“To be honest with you, Calla. I guess it’s because I just haven’t met the person I wanted to settle down with,” he explained, wrapping his arms around her again. He scanned her surprised face before smiling softly again. “I’ve been told I am a difficult person to understand. I’m not as confident or flirty as my brother. Hell, I’m not even all that romantic of a person. I try not to be as secretive as Marick but I do enjoy my privacy. And then, of course, I don’t think Blaise and I share too much in common either.” He tilted his head as he looked her over. “I have been told I come off as a bit of an ass because of the way I think, and if not that, people say I tend to be rather cold, especially when I am serious. What do you think?”

She frowned at that, surprised to hear him open up so much to her like this. It was times like this when she felt she was seeing the real Raven. “I think you have a wicked side to you, and well, you can be intimidating without trying…” she started, making him raise a brow at that. She smiled softly. “But I stand by what I said before, you are a good person.”

Calla sighed, looking off. “I don’t know what game you are playing… sometimes I worry that all you are doing is toying with me, but I like spending time with you, Raven. You are easy to talk to and I feel the safest in your arms…” she said before blushing, looking back into his surprised eyes. “Is...Is that weird?”

His eyes softened as he gave a breathy laugh at that, pulling her into a deep but short kiss. “...If that is how you feel, then who cares?” he asked gently, holding her close.

Calla didn’t know but her words made Raven’s heart race. He had a yearning for her like nothing he had felt before. Calla was an angel in his eyes, someone who was sweet and caring towards everyone. He didn’t deserve someone like her, not with the things he had done in his life. Things he hoped she would never find out about.

“I still think you’re the devil though…” she muttered as she clung to him. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that.

“Fair enough,” he answered when he calmed his laughter. He hummed before kissing her head. “What about you, Calla? Would you marry a guy like me?”

She blushed deeply at that, hiding her face. “I...I don’t know! Y-You can’t just suddenly ask someone that!!” She said, to which Raven just patted her head.

“I do appreciate that you tend to be honest with me. Most people would tell me, yes to not upset me.” He said softly, ignoring her scolding for now. “Or at least, you are not one to lie. You tend not to tell me the whole truth though.” She frowned at that.

“You do the same to me.” She pointed out, looking up at him. He blinked in surprise at her words but soon his smile turned gentle and warm.

“Perhaps I am a bad influence on you then.” He teased, however, his tone wasn’t playful, more loving. It made Calla blush, moving to embrace him.

They were quiet for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company in the cool water before Raven gave a hum. “I believe I owe you three questions. Was there anything else you wanted to know?” He asked, rubbing her back.

Calla paused to think a moment before nodding. She pulled away from him to sit in the water next to him, still cuddling close. “What made you want to start a coven? Is it just common practice in your world to do so?” She asked, looking up at him. Raven looked to the sky as if to think over her question before nodding when he looked back down at her.

“It’s not uncommon for magicals to band together. Covens are in place for protection. Magicals are strong but together they can do incredible things.” He explained, thinking a little more. “Most covens tend to have some kind of a family unit to them, some if not all being related. Some covens tend to contain only one gender but I know many who are mixed. There is also not a limit to how many can make up a coven, but most try not to have that large of groups, splitting them into small branch covens if they get too large.”

“However, there are many of us who choose not to belong to covens or those who can be removed from them.” He added as his attention turned to her again. “When making a coven with strangers, it is always best to be careful who you form one with. Those with poor reputations are best to avoid.”

“Gwy and I chose to make a coven with Marick because of what we had heard of him,” Raven said calmly, looking off into the water. “He was a challenging man to locate but he was known for being a powerful magic user who wasn’t in a coven.” Raven chuckled. “We had a hell of a time talking him into joining. I still think he joined just to get us to stop asking. He’s a good mentor and I trust his leadership.”

Calla was quiet as she listened to him explain. It was a lot of information to take in but soon enough she nodded, getting the idea. He didn’t outright answer her question with why he personally started a coven, but if it was something to do with safety in numbers, it would make sense. She couldn’t help but smile at him softly.

“Marick seems to trust you as well. I’ve noticed he always consults you…” she pointed out, seeing him curl his mouth into a smile.

“Why do you sound surprised to hear that?” he asked, tilting his head with a playful smirk. He chuckled and shook his head. “I won’t say I know everything but I like to think I am far from clueless when it comes to the world we live in.” Raven seemed to scan her eyes with his smile softening. “I was actually planning on leading the coven, but when we found Marick, that was his only request. Though, in hindsight, I am much happier being second in command rather than the leader. Marick puts up with far too much.”

Calla just sighed at that, a small smile on her face. “Well, I’m sure if the rest of you didn’t act like children…” she teased. Raven just let out a laugh at that before pulling her into a hug.

“If you keep teasing like that, I might have to punish you again~” he teased back. Calla just giggled, happily cuddling close to him. They were quiet again, just cuddling close before Raven gave a hum in thought.

“Calla,” he started, making her look back up at him. She gave a blink in confusion at the distant look in his eyes as he looked down at her. “I know I owe you a few more questions, but… there has been something I have been meaning to ask you.”

She frowned at that but nodded, clinging to his arms. “Oh, um. Okay..” she said, curious about what he was going to ask.

“How do you feel about us being magicals?” he asked, making her pause at that. He frowned. “I’m… to be honest, dear… I’ve never really thought about the life and happiness of non-magicals, and I do not understand much of the world you are from… but I can’t imagine it has been easy with you getting used to all this. You… You accepted magic and the fact that we were warlocks rather easily, which has always made me curious.”

She frowned. “You did say you’ve been using your ability on me since I arrived…” she pointed out, seeing him give a small smile at that.

“Only to keep you calm and to make you feel safe around us as people. As much as I can manipulate the emotions of others, it’s not as if I have the power to make you accept the life you are in now, just to make you comfortable with the new environment. You were an injured young woman who ran into a cottage full of men who just also happened to be warlocks.” he pointed out calmly before thinking things over, moving one of his hands to run his fingers through his hair. “You told me last time that you found our world to be insane… but even with my ability keeping you from panicking… you never once showed as if you were fearful of our powers or that we were magic users. You never showed the fear you had towards Madam Coffer towards the rest of us. No amount of magic can force you to do that.”

She just watched him for a moment, not sure what to say at first before she just smiled softly, leaning against him. “Raven… I told you before, your world is insane... But that doesn’t mean you guys are monsters.” she said with a soft sigh. “Magicals… Non-magicals… we are both humans. Your life might be more exciting than mine, to be honest, I’m rather jealous that I will never have the kind of power you have…but it's not as if we are completely different beings.”

Her eyes glanced back up at him when she heard him give a small chuckle to see him shaking his head, his hand scratching his head. “You really are something, Calla..” he said calmly, making her blush softly at that.

Thinking back to what she wanted to know, she moved to hold his hand, catching his attention. “Be honest with me… what do you think of me?” she asked, her eyes searching his eyes. “And I want a serious answer, please.”

Raven scanned her eyes at that before he gave a soft smile. “I’m captivated by you,” he said honestly, making her face grow pink again with a blush. He gave a soft sigh, looking off towards the water. “I enjoy spending time with you and to be honest, I sometimes have trouble remembering what life was like before you arrived at the coven. Your curiosity is refreshing, we all think so.” He shook his head and caught her eyes again with a warm smile. “I want to get to know you better… and I feel oddly protective of you. I felt my blood boil when I saw Madam Coffer was using her magic on you. If Gwydion hadn’t been between the two of you, doing his best to pull away the old woman’s attention from you, I have a feeling I would have reacted poorly.”

Calla couldn’t help but give a small chuckle, making him blink at her confused. “You know, you said that you don’t think you and Blaise have a lot in common, but you saying that sounds like both of you tend to be aggressive in situations you deem dangerous. Like, your first instinct is to fight, the same with him,” she said with a warm smile in return. She did blush softly though, looking off. “Though, I don’t think I’m worth any of you being that protective of me.”

He watched her a moment before pulling his hand away to pat her head. “You need to work on the way you see yourself, dear,” he said before leaning closer to her, cupping her face gently. His smile was tender. “But until you do, I’ll have to show you just how special and worth it you are, especially to me…”

Her heart caught in her throat at that, her face growing hot. Unlike his teasing earlier, those words felt honest and very real to her. She swallowed hard, looking into his beautiful gray eyes. “R….Raven…” she said, her heart beating softly. His expression was so gentle, a warmth behind them. He gave a soft soundless chuckle at that, resting his forehead on hers.

“Do you want me to prove I mean it?” he asked in a low tone that made her shiver. Calla opened her mouth but soon closed it again. She searched his eyes before she closed the distance between them, tenderly pushing her lips to his. He happily returned the kiss, his eyes closing as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

He wondered if she could feel his heart racing, not wanting to pull away. What was it about her that made him feel like this? It almost hurt when they finally broke the kiss, an aching in his heart for more but knowing they probably should begin getting back to the others.

“We...We should probably get back. By now, Marick’s probably tired of being in public and is wanting to go home…” he said with a sigh, Calla picking up on the sadness in his tone. She couldn’t deny she felt the same about having to pull away for now. He sighed and got to his feet, holding his hand out to help her up. With a smile, he led her towards where their clothes were left.

“Raven?” Calla called as they did, making him pause to look back at her.

“Yes?” he asked curiously. Calla blushed darker, looking off shyly.

“Can I… Can I start staying in your room?” she asked. Raven couldn’t help but feel his cheeks grow warm but he gave a smile at that with a nod, his heart beating fast.

“I’d like that,” he answered warmly.

“Hey! There you two are!” Gwydion called, the two looking up from their conversation to see the man waving his hand with a huge grin on his face as he ran up to them. He gave them both a look over, catching the fact that they both looked wet. His mouth curled into a smirk at that, locking eyes with his older brother. “Looks like you two had fun~”

Raven just chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m not telling you anything if that’s what you are getting at,” Raven said. Calla just looked between them, a blush but a smile on her face. She couldn’t help but give Gwydion a look over, catching some lipstick on his neck.

“Looks like you took off for your fun, Gwy…” she said, making the men glance her way. She just gave an awkward smile and motioned to the lipstick on his neck. Gwydion blinked at that before taking out a cloth to wipe where she pointed. When he saw the lipstick he just let out a laugh.

“Oops! I guess I missed a spot!” Gwydion chuckled with a wink toward Calla. “Thanks, love.”

Raven just smiled and shook his head. “Anyway, did you need something, Gwy?” he asked, catching his brother’s attention. Gwydion smiled and nodded.

“Marick asked me to come to get you two. We gathered everything and are ready to head home… but well, Blaise got into a fight at the docks, and Marick didn’t trust leaving both of us to find you both on his own.” Gwydion said before smiling playfully. “Besides, I tend to know your little hideaway areas so if anyone was going to find you, it would be me.”

Raven gave a bit more of a playful smirk, resting his hand on his waist. “Oh, my poor naive brother. Do you think I would share all my secrets with you?” he asked, making Gwydion pout with a huff towards him. The red-haired man was about to comment when someone caught Raven’s attention and he frowned.

“Give me a moment. I’ll be right back.” Raven said, making both blink in surprise as they watched him walk off. Only Calla understood what he was doing, making her smile warmly as she watched him approach the old man from earlier. Gwydion frowned, standing tall and folding his arms as he watched.

“What is he doing?” Gwydion asked, glancing toward Calla. Calla just smiled up at him.

“Raven was rather rude towards the flower shop owner earlier and I told him to apologize when he saw him next,” she answered. Gwydion looked incredibly shocked by that before looking back at his brother wide-eyed.

“Is that so…” Gwydion muttered, more to himself.

“Pardon me, sir,” Raven called, catching the attention of the old man from earlier.

The old man blinked with a small frown. “Can I help you?” he asked. Raven sighed, folding his arms as he stood before him.

“I just wanted to apologize for how I behaved earlier. There was no reason for me to be as defensive towards you or be as aggressive as I was.” Raven said calmly as he gave a small frown. The old man blinked before looking back, seeing Calla nearby before smiling and returning his eyes to the tall man before him. He shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it, my boy. I’m sure you were just looking out for the safety of the young miss you were with. “ the old man said with a warm, friendly tone. “It’s not a secret this area is dangerous and I didn’t help the tension you had by grabbing your shoulder. You don’t need to apologize for what you felt was right at the time.”

Raven’s eyes were wide in surprise at that, seemingly confused by the old man’s kindness and understanding. “I..” he started but soon trailed off. The old man just chuckled at that, turning his attention back to Calla as she was talking to Gwydion.

“She reminds me a lot of my wife when I first met her. A kind heart, sometimes too kind for her own good.” the old man said before looking back towards Raven. “Take it from an old fool. You’ll regret it forever if you lose her. A girl like that will be snatched up fast if you miss your chance.” Raven frowned before his eyes turned to look towards Calla, seeing her giggling at something Gwydion was telling her. His eyes softened at that, a smile running across his face.

“...I’ll keep that in mind,” Raven said calmly before he nodded a goodbye to the old man before returning to the others.

“Trying to steal my girl, Gwydion? And here I thought better of you.” Raven teased, his heart almost skipping a beat when Calla flashed a huge grin up at him.

“Raven, did you really almost destroy the kitchen the last time you cooked?” she asked. Raven blinked at that before he soon touched his face, laughing.

“Gwydion, how dare you tell such an embarrassing story about me!” he laughed. Gwydion chuckled at that, the three turning to walk towards where they had first entered town, Calla laughing at the story the brothers told her.

She would only look up again when she heard Blaise call to them. He was much more disheveled than he had been when they had first arrived, clearly looking to have gotten into a fight. Marick looked annoyed, if not tired as he glanced up. Calla just smiled at the both of them, waving before leaving the brothers to run over to them.

The brothers watched her walk off towards the others before Gwydion gave a small hum, folding his arms, the group starting to head back the way they came.

“She got you to apologize to a non-magical. I never thought I would see the day.” Gwy said with a small smile, glancing at his older brother. Raven returned the look before smiling softly, looking forward with a warm look towards Calla as the girl was talking to Blaise. “I think Marick should look her over again. If she got you of all people to be kind towards a non-magical, she had to be a saint at least.”

Raven let out a small chuckle at that, shaking his head. “You would have gone to apologize too if you had seen how mad she was at me. It’s been a while since I felt as if I was being scolded,” he said as he did. “It almost felt as if our mother was there with her, telling me to behave myself.”

Gwydion was quiet at that before frowning, looking towards Calla as well. “..You haven’t told her about our mother, have you?” he asked. Raven hummed at that.

“Only that she is no longer with us,” Raven answered as his eyes gave a distant look. “I’m not sure how she will react to what really happened to her. But… Calla means a lot to me and I don’t want to hide things from her.”

Gwydion looked surprised to hear that but soon his expression sank to one of warmth, looking towards Raven before letting out a small chuckle. “Not only being kind towards non-magicals but falling for one as well. Mother would be pleased,” he said only for Raven to give an amused look.

“Are you kidding? If she were around, mother would already be asking when the wedding was.” Raven pointed out with a warm smile. He sighed. “She would have loved Calla…”

The two were quiet a moment before Gwydion just patted Raven’s shoulder. “Fine, then in her place, I won’t ask when the wedding is, just make sure I’m the best man!” Gwydion said with a huge grin. Raven rolled his eyes at that and shook his head with a playful smile.

“If I catch you flirting with her again, Gwy, you’ll be lucky if I let you attend the ceremony.” he teased, making Gwydion whine and flail his arms a bit.

“You’re so cruel!”Gwydion returned just before the group would teleport back to the cottage once again.

Calla’s relationship with Raven has increased.

Continue the story in Chapter 12