She watched the direction that Raven had gone, noticing his room was towards the back of the cottage, closest to the training area. She hesitated at first, Blaise’s warning about the brothers in her head before she shook the thoughts out of it. Sure, she had to be cautious but she couldn’t just ignore them.

Getting to her feet, she moved down the darkened hall towards the closed door to Raven’s room. She stopped before it, staring at the dark wooden door for a while as she worked up the courage to lift her hand as if to knock on it. However, before she even touched the door she heard him speak.

“You don’t need to knock, you are welcome to come in,” Raven called. Calla found herself hesitating again, wondering if it was a good idea to be alone with him. She sighed softly, knowing it was a little late to change her mind now that he was expecting her to enter. She took hold of the handle, turning it before entering the room.

Raven’s room was not what she expected it to be. He always came off as someone who tended to be rather laid back but his room looked like a giant library with a bed in the corner and a table where the black-haired man was currently working, writing down something in a blank book. What surprised her was the fact that everything was neat and tidy. Not a single paper or book was out of place. It was in stark contrast to what she had seen from the rest of the house. For being a relaxed individual, he was very organized, to the point of being OCD.

Raven leaned back in his chair with his iconic warm smile, his gray eyes beckoning to her to join him. Then again, no matter how friendly he looked, there was always something mischievous about his gaze. It was as if a fox was watching and planning behind his eyes. “What can I do for you?” he asked, tilting his head curiously. Calla frowned at the question. What was she doing? It’s not as if she could really do much to help any of them.

“I… um… wanted to know if I can help with anything…” she finally answered, feeling her cheeks growing red as she looked to the ground. His chuckle made her look back at him, seeing him resting his head on the hand that he had propped up on the table.

“Does this have something to do with what Blaise said about you being useful?” he asked light-heartedly. She frowned at that but nodded. He slowly stopped his chuckle before sighing, keeping his smile. “You shouldn’t take his words to heart. Like it’s been said, he's just a grumpy child.”

She sighed at his words. It wasn’t as simple as ignoring what he said after all. “I know I shouldn’t… but still, I want to be able to do something around here… since I live with you guys now.” she pointed out. Raven hummed in thought, thinking it over before shrugging.

“I’m afraid I don’t know how you can assist me unless you know the intricate workings of spells.” he started, tapping his chin before he smiled and waved his hand to summon a chair that appeared next to him at the table. “But… I wouldn’t mind the company. I’m sure you have questions about our world after all and talking to you is a much better way to pass time.”

That caused her to blush again, hesitating again before moving to take a seat next to him. His expression was much happier when she did, clearly in a much better mood with her company.

He returned to what he was working on, dipping the feathered quill into a jar of ink before continuing to write in the blank book. Calla watched him curiously, unable to read the words he was writing, however, a bit mesmerized by his beautiful handwriting. It was almost like he was writing calligraphy, his lettering a form of art in itself. Turning her attention to his face, Calla’s eyes softened. He was focused on his work, letting her explore his face which was lightly shaded with the bangs of his dark hair.

Raven, like his brother, was a gorgeous man. His face was clean-shaven, which allowed for his strong chin to be easily seen. His face didn’t have any markings on it outside of a small cut he had below his right eye which looked to have happened a long time ago. As she explored his face, she saw his mouth twitch into a playful smirk.

“See something you like?” he asked, making her jolt in surprise at being caught before growing flustered.

“...U-um… I just… never noticed that cut on your face before. How did you get it?” she asked, hoping that he would buy the fact that she wasn’t just staring at his face. He gave a low chuckle at that, his gray eyes catching her blue ones. He lifted the hand that was resting on the table to touch the spot where his scar was.

“You mean this?” he asked, though not waiting for an answer before he put his hand back down and was once again looking at the book before him. “I got it when I was a boy. I had just begun to play with my powers, started to mess around with it, and nearly took out my eye when I was moving a knife around, getting it to float, and accidentally sending it towards my face. Luckily it wasn’t a very large knife and my mother was a practiced healer. However, I still got a scar from it.”

Calla couldn’t help but get lost in her thoughts while she listened to him speak. “So, warlocks are born with magic then?” she asked. It made sense but she had never heard stories of families with magical powers before.

“That is one way,” he explained, still focused on his writing. “A man can become a warlock by blood or bond. My brother and I were born into a magical family in the other realm. I didn’t walk among non-magicals until I was in my early twenties.” He gave another smile, his eyes meeting hers again. “Though, I do find them to be fascinating beings. The young ladies especially are quite easy to make flustered.”

Calla felt he was teasing her with that line in some way so she just huffed at him and folded her arms. That only seemed to make him chuckle again so to make sure he didn’t make her become flush again, she tried to change the subject. “You said the other way was through a bond? A bond with what?” she asked. He gave her a slight inquisitive look as if it were an obvious answer.

“Why, with another warlock of course,” he answered, moving his hand so that the quill he was holding was writing by itself as he turned to face her. “Someone who is sensitive to the magical auras of the other realm can make a bond with a warlock or witch, allowing them to become the apprentice of that person and awakening the magic they have inside of them.”

She seemed to go into deep thought again, curious about the idea. “I guess that makes sense…” she said before meeting his eyes again. “Sorry, in the area I grew up in, we were always told that witches and warlocks got their powers from the devil… so it’s not as if I had any idea.”

He raised a brow at that but seemed to understand and nodded. “Ah, that explains the question then,” he said with a smile. “You’re actually acquainted with someone who wasn’t born into magic already.”

She paused to think for a second but seemed to already know who he was talking about. “It’s Blaise. He made a bond with someone, right?” she asked and Raven nodded at that.

“He’s actually Gwydion’s apprentice, which is why the two always train together. Unlike many who seek a magical, Blaise had a choice between the three of us as we had already started the coven before he joined. He picked Gwydion because of the type of magic he masters in.” he explained. Calla couldn’t help but give him a blank stare, thinking of all the times Gwydion had messed with her.

“The power to be a lecher?” she stated bitterly with a scowl. Raven just gave a huge cat-like grin at that, resting his head on his fist again.

“I’m going to tell him you called him that.” he nearly sang before giving a laugh, shaking his head. “Gwydion is a talented spell caster who gained our mother’s ability for healing and nature spells. Blaise is a bit more of a firebug unsurprisingly but he sought us out because he wanted spells for healing. He says it’s so he can return to the non-magical world to tend to the sick.”

“That’s... surprisingly rather sweet of him,” Calla said, impressed. Raven shrugged.

“He’s going to have to work on his people skills if he wants to be a well-liked healer.” Raven pointed out before leaning back in his chair. The quill finished the paragraph it was writing and had returned to the inkwell. Calla watched as it did, once again wishing she could understand what was written.

“So what are you working o-!” She started to ask before getting cut off by Raven gripping her hand and pulling her onto his lap. Her face lit up redder than Gwydion’s hair as Raven hummed, wrapping his arms around her. She stared wide-eyed up at him as he just smiled playfully down at her.

“It’s not fair if you only get to ask questions.” He pointed out. Calla felt her heart racing. Once again, his hold gave her the warmth and comforting feeling it had when he held her outside. However, this time she was slightly tense in his arms, Blaise’s words echoing through her head. He called the brothers manipulators and Raven especially was someone who wasn’t nice unless there was something he was after.

“What are you doing?!” She exclaimed, frozen as she looked up into his coy grin.

“I want to ask you some questions now. After all, I would like to discover your secrets as well.” He said with a playful tone. He did give a playful wink to her though. “Plus, I’m bored and a bit starved for attention so I figured I would enjoy more of your time.”

She tried her best to glare at him, trying to push away. “I don’t need to be on your lap to answer questions!” She exclaimed. Raven gave a slight pout at that before he sighed.

“Fair enough.” He replied, however, instead of letting her go, in a swift motion, Calla was being carried bridal styled as Raven got to his feet. He casually walked over to his bed and laid down with her. Calla let out a small yelp at that, pushing out of his arms, and moved to sit up, glaring down at him.

“I don’t need to be in your bed either!” She exclaimed to which Raven flashed a sunny smile up at her. He rested his head on his arm, turning his body towards her while his head was turned to look up slightly at her through his dark bangs. The sight made her heart skip a beat. Now she knew he was toying with her, using his good looks to act all charming.

“Do you not like it when I hold you close?” He asked in a slow tone while a smile rested on his face. She held up her glare towards him, her face hot with a blush.

“No,” she tried to say sternly to which Raven smirked, turning to lay on his back while closing his eyes.

“Liar.” he returned as he did. Calla just remained where she was seated, looking down at the beautiful man who was messing with her. She knew she was lying about that. Being in Raven’s arms was safe and warm. She couldn’t help but want to be held by him. The thought alone made her frown, worried those were feelings he was making her feel.

“You’re using some kind of magic to make me,” she muttered, her eyes softening as they looked away from him. Oddly enough, the thought that he was playing with her like a toy did more than bother her, it made her heart hurt slightly. Did the warlocks only see her as a game?

He gave a hum. “Most likely,” he said calmly, making her look back at him with a frown.

“Are you admitting to it?” she asked. Raven opened his eyes with a blank stare at her before sighing, moving his hand to motion for her to at least lay down.

“And here I thought I was asking the questions now,” he stated, clearly dodging the question she had asked. Calla watched for a moment before giving in, crawling back over to him and laying down. Raven smiled, turning to lay on his side again as his body turned to face her. She stared into his face for a moment, letting him move his free arm to rest on her side for the time being.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the man named for a bird has down blankets.” she pointed out, taking in how much softer his cot was compared to the one she had been laying in. He seemed to smile at that.

“See? And the others thought it was a childish idea. At least you appreciate it.” he teased with a wink, making her return his comment with a huff.

“So, what kind of questions did you want to know,” she asked, not really as a question, her eyes narrowing as she looked into his. He hummed for a moment as if thinking but his mouth was already curled into a smirk.

“Have you ever been kissed before?” he asked innocently. Calla huffed again, her cheeks once again flushed with a blush.

“Is that really a question you care about?” she countered bitterly only to have him lift his hand to wag it before her face while he smirked.

“Ah, ah ah! I answered all your questions without issue.” he sang playfully before returning his arm to her waist. She pouted at that before sighing.

“...no, I have never been kissed before…” she answered begrudgingly. Raven’s smile became a bit more wicked as he leaned closer to her face. She could feel his warm breath on her face, making her eyes widen as her eyes locked with his.

“Do you want to be kissed?” he purred to her with a low voice. With him so close, her face felt on fire. Her heart was beating rapidly as she stared into his eyes, unsure of what exactly he was getting at.

“I...I mean, yes… e-eventual-!” she started before suddenly she felt her body being turned to lay on her back. She could only gasp before Raven moved over her, his lips locking with hers. His eyes were closed, while hers were wide open.

Her heart nearly jumped from her chest. His lips were soft, warm, but commanding as they took full control of the heated kiss. What bothered her most was the feeling deep within her that she wanted to give in, kiss him back, deepen it, and lose herself to him. She actually found herself clinging to him, her will wavering as she felt him pull up her skirt slightly to move her legs around him slightly. He hummed low into the kiss, a quiver running through her body. It was as if something was making her feel relaxed and okay with him running his hands over her, although it wasn’t the sparks that made her hot and bothered when Gwy would touch her. This was subtle, her mind and emotions holding a desire to be Raven’s. However, she soon snapped out of it and pushed him away from her, breaking the kiss and making him open his eyes with a playful smirk, licking his lips.

“That wasn’t an invitation!” she whined staring up at him as her hand moved to touch her lips, the feeling of his kiss still residing. She felt tears in her eyes that fell down her cheek as she did. But why? Inside, her body was a mess of emotions. Her heart was willing to let him do whatever he wanted to her, while a small part of her mind was screaming with the words that he was using his powers on her, just as Blaise had said. Raven seemed to see the conflict behind her eyes and frowned, his eyes softening again. It hadn’t been his intention to make her cry after all.

“Please don’t be upset, dear…” he said, a small smile returning. “You looked so sweet, I just couldn’t help myself,” he said gently, moving to lay next to her, pulling her into his arms, and lightly kissing her forehead.

Calla wiped her eyes, curling up into his hold, clinging to his shirt. She felt like a child, helpless and weak, yet, the thought that she actually liked his kiss bothered her more. This was just a game, right? That had to be the only reason why he kissed her. If she hadn’t stopped him, how far would he have gone? They were silent for a moment, Raven soothing her by rubbing her back.

“Raven?” she finally said softly, burying her head into his chest.

“Hm?” he replied just as softly. Calla bit her lip, Blaise’s warning in her head.

“Please… whatever game you are playing….don’t manipulate me…” she finally said, feeling her heartache at the thought. The motion of Raven’s hand on her back paused when she said that. Unseen by her, his eyes were hard to read, staring forward as he was deep in thought before he sighed softly, returning to soothing her.

“...I won’t…” he finally answered gently, his words sincere. After a moment, he pulled away, getting up off the bed. He smiled tenderly as he looked down at her. “How about I make us some tea? I did have actual questions I wanted to ask you after all and tea will calm nerves.”

Calla nodded at that, moving to sit up at the edge of the bed as she watched Raven leave. She sighed, looking to her lap as she lost herself in her thoughts.

Raven closed the door behind him, pausing to rest on the door, running his fingers through his hair. He looked off in thought. He couldn’t deny that he was playing a game with Calla. It was a game to get her attention that he was playing with the rest of the house. She was a pretty little doll for the coven to dress up and have their way with. Especially given that none of them had gotten any attention from a young woman since before their last trip to the other realm. If he hadn’t held back, overly confident that he had pulled enough strings of her desire to make her give in, he would be enjoying her body, filling her with his desire, and making her his plaything. Though, that thought made a twinge of pain fill his chest again, making the man move his hand from his hair to grip his shirt. Was that, guilt? How would he feel guilt for having those thoughts?

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That look in her eyes. The conflict between her emotions and the tears. It wasn’t as if the girl hadn’t already been through a lot. The poor girl was lucky to be alive let alone having already escaped a life of being a sex slave to an old man. It made him feel terrible, almost disgusted in himself. Letting out a sigh, he shook his mind out of it.

“Get ahold of yourself, Raven. She’s just a non-magical…” he muttered before moving to the front of the cottage where Marick was messing with the vials on his table, looking annoyed. Raven looked amused at the sight, his mood improving as he walked over to him.

“You really should organize these.” he mocked, only to get a glare from the older man. Raven just chuckled and moved to take up a vial. “I’m taking a vial of honey. Hope you don’t mind.”

Marick grumbled towards him. “Can’t you just get your own?” he asked but soon waved him off. “Just return it when you are done.”

Raven nodded with a salute before moving off towards the kitchen. Once there he waved his hand, lighting the stove before filling the kettle and placing it above the fire. He sighed, his own mind deep in thought before he felt eyes on him.

“You’re an ass,” Blaise growled in anger as he leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, arms folded. Given the annoyance in his voice, Raven wondered if the younger man had been out on the training grounds and knew something would happen with Calla being alone with the black-haired man if the other felt that she had decided to join him. Then again, it wasn’t as if Blaise couldn’t feel when the others were using magic.

Raven glanced back at him, his expression looking bored as he looked over the younger man. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you were the one who said I was manipulating her,” he muttered. The comment seemed to piss Blaise off more as he pushed off the doorframe and stood with his hand balled into fists.

“Of course, I did! She needed to know what you are really like.” he spat in his anger. Raven’s expression didn’t change but he turned to look back at the kettle.

“What proof do you have that I am doing such a thing?” he asked after a moment.

“Don’t play dumb, Raven! You KNOW what you are doing is wrong!” Blaise growled at him, his fists shaking and glowing red with sparks. “Did you happen to mention that people born of magic have special abilities? You have the ability to manipulate emotions to make them feel however you want! If you are not using your powers on her then you would have told her about your abilities. And if she knew the truth about how you feel about non-magicals, she would avoid you as if her life depended on it!”

The sound of the kettle whistling broke the tension in the room as Raven calmly moved to pour water into two cups and placed a metal ball with tea leaves into each before placing them on a tray and turning towards the door where Blaise still stood looking angry.

Raven’s eyes held a dark expression as he watched him for a moment before he hummed and calmly moved towards him. He stopped, the two standing next to each other. “Are you sure that the real reason you are thinking that is due to the fact that she decided to come to see me and not you?” he asked, his tone much darker than it had been before. He kept his eyes forward, his expression was hard to read. “Do me a favor, Blaise. If you like her, tell her. Stop acting like you don’t want her around. If that’s not the case, then don’t concern yourself with what I may or may not be planning to do with her. Stay out of my business…”

With that he walked back to his room, pausing at the door before giving a sigh to calm himself. A smile appeared on his face again as he opened the door and walked in. “Hope I didn’t keep you too long. I swear the kettle takes forever,” he said as his eyes fell on Calla, still sitting on his bed.

Calla looked up again when Raven returned. She was taken aback at the sight of him. He was smiling like normal but there seemed to be something wrong. She frowned at that. Did her bringing up the manipulation part bother him that much? She just watched him as he set the tray down on the nightstand next to his bed and moved to sit down next to her draping one arm around her back and offering her a cup with the other.

“Careful with this. It might be a bit hot still,” he said as he did. Calla nodded at that and took the cup carefully. It seemed that the ball of tea leaves hadn’t yet fully seeped into the water yet anyway so it would give it time to cool.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she did. She watched as Raven calmly took up his own cup, taking the vial he had stolen from Marick from his pocket and pouring a little in.

“Do you like honey in your tea?” he asked, glancing at her. Calla frowned.

“To be honest, I’ve never had it in tea before,” she admitted. He gave a small chuckle at that and turned to pour some into her cup.

“Well then, this will be a treat for you then,” he said with a playful wink to her. When he did, Calla kept her eyes on his, searching for any sign that he was upset with her. However, his gray eyes were just as gentle as they had been before. Still, the thought lingered. She would have asked but Raven spoke first.

“I’m assuming your family never had enough for things like honey,” he said calmly before a thought hit him, making him hum in thought. “Then again, you also were rather surprised when Gwy got you so many outfits. What was your family like?”

Calla frowned at the comment and question, looking into her cup. “I thought Gwydion and Blaise found out everything about me when they poked around.” she pointed out, still a bit annoyed that they did that.

“Not everything.” Raven countered with a smile to her. “Just the reason behind why you ended up in our forest is all. The rest of it was speculation that you confirmed when you got upset.”

She huffed, giving him an annoyed look, which only made him look amused before she sighed. “I guess it’s not too difficult to figure out that I came from a poor family…” she muttered, a sad look on her face. “My family were pig farmers across the river from here. I had two older brothers and a sister, so no, we never had the money for things like sweets. My clothes tended to be whatever my sister passed down, given that she is a good few years older than I am.” She thought back a bit, memories flooding her head. “My brothers were encouraged to leave home to find work while my sister was originally going to be sent to the lord of the village I ended up in to be married off to him but it was discovered she had gotten pregnant by another and ran off to marry him.”

Raven listened without a word as she spoke, thinking to himself as he did. Calla continued, “The lord was furious when he found out, and to make sure he got something from the deal he gave my father a lot of money to buy me. I don’t know if my parents knew what the lord planned on using me for or if the money was too good to care but they took the money and watched as his men grabbed me and took me away. You guys know the rest.” she explained, moving to take a sip of her tea. She was surprised by the sweetness of the honey. She sighed, looking into the cup. “My parents didn’t even look sad to see them taking me away. I begged and cried out for them, but they just stood there. I thought… I thought I had been a good daughter, always doing what was asked. I woke up early, I fed the pigs, I bundled sticks for the fire… but still, they let me go as if I were nothing…”

Raven hummed in thought once she was done speaking, thinking about what she had said. He couldn’t help but take pity on her. Obviously, her life had been rough from the beginning, not that he fully understood everything. “Well, at least that explains why you came to ask if you can help out. I’m guessing you are not used to not having something to do.” he pointed out before sipping his tea. “Though I’m not going to lie, as I am not from your world, I can’t say I know much about non-magical jobs.”

She looked back up at him when he said that before frowning. They really were different from her. She wondered what his childhood was like. If his mother was a healer, they more than likely lived better lives than she had. What was the class system like in the other realm? Her eyes turned to look at the table he had been sitting at earlier. The quill was once again writing on its own.

“Are you really not going to tell me what you were working on?” she asked, looking back up at him. He paused mid-sip before smirking, putting the cup away from his mouth, and glanced at the table.

“I’m restoring spell books, adding spells to them, and mending some that were given to me from other magic users during our last trip to the other realm,” he explained, moving his hand to return the quill to the inkwell. “I can enchant the quill to finish a thought for me but once that thought is done it stops, which allows me to take breaks when my hand is tired.”

Calla watched as the quill was returned before looking back at Raven. “You have beautiful handwriting…It’s… It’s almost like watching an artist.” she said softly with a bashful smile on her face. Raven paused at that before he smiled softly at her.

“Thank you…” he responded before giving a nod. “I have wondered if that is why so many people come to me to add to their spell list, but no one has ever said they like my handwriting.”

“Well, they should. Anyone would be lucky to have something with your handwriting in it,” she said, watching the quill return to the ink again. Calla thought things over a moment, her attention returning to Raven. “So, Marick does potions and you mend spellbooks. Does everyone here have a selected job?” Raven chuckled at that, once again making her think it was an obvious question.

“Of course, we are a well-known coven after all.” He pointed out before running his free hand through his dark hair. “Powerful beings who control magic are highly respected in the other realm, more so than other beings. Warlocks have the power to do things that can defy logic and with the right powers, can live very long lives.” Calla couldn’t help but notice that Raven’s eyes looked distant as he spoke, clearly thinking about something but not saying it. He glanced down at her and the distant look went away, his smile returning. “Granted, born magicals tend to have it a bit easier than those who make a bond.”

Calla looked curious about that, tilting her head. “How so?” she asked only to see Raven flash a wicked smirk again.

“I get a question now.” he teased, once again making her huff. To Calla, he was kind of acting like a spoiled child. How was she ever going to learn about their world if he was going to keep holding off answering her questions? She eyed him but returned to her drink.

“Fine…” she muttered. To her surprise, Raven moved to place his cup on the nightstand before leaning back, propping himself up with his arms as he seemed to look as if he was thinking something over. He gave a small hum before sighing.

“What did Blaise tell you about everyone?” he finally asked. Calla was taken aback by that, frowning as she looked back at him. Was that what was bothering him?

“He told me that all of you are a good few years older than me, but that he doesn’t really know how old Marick actually is.” she started, thinking back to their conversations. “He said I have the right to tell all of you if you are making me uncomfortable… and that… well... That you and Gwydion are manipulative.” She frowned, Raven’s expression was rather hard to read. Like he was in deep thought but not a happy one. “He said that you especially tend not to do something unless you gain from it…”

Raven gave a breathy snort at that, giving a small smirk as he looked over at her. He tilted his head. “Do you believe him?” he asked. Calla couldn’t help but become confused at the question. It had never crossed her mind that Blaise might be exaggerating or outright lying to her. He didn’t seem like he had a reason to do that, though. Her pause made Raven frown before he sighed, sitting up again. “Because he’s right.”

That last comment made her eyes widen as she stared at him. Raven sighed again, pausing as he seemed to be contemplating what he wanted to say. “Magicals who are born into magic all have a power that is unique to them. That’s what I meant by those born into magic have it easier,” he explained, staring off in thought. “Since Gwydion and I are brothers, our powers are similar but not the same, however, they can be classified as manipulative in nature. Gwydion’s ability is to send good feelings into another at his slightest touch. Because he is a healer, it’s a useful skill to make a person feel good while tending to them. However, he mentioned to me a while ago that on non-magicals, his ability reacts… differently. His touch sends good feelings but the body’s reaction to it is pleasurable, his touch becomes a kind of like a drug, a craving for more.” He smirked a bit before continuing, “Not to add any more fire to your thoughts of Gwy being a lecher, but he’s had more than enough experience to know what his power does to the female body. He knows exactly what he’s doing when he touches you.”

Calla suddenly felt very uncomfortable at that thought. To think she just thought Gwydion was just handsy. Now she knew the feeling of the sparks she felt when he touched her were part of his power. Creep. However, she said nothing, letting Raven continue. Raven looked her in the eyes, his smile seemed sad. “I control emotions, not just make people feel good or pleasurable. I can make you feel however I want you to feel, either through touch or eye contact,” he explained, which Calla frowned. So it was true, the feelings she experienced when he held her were something he was doing. That thought bothered her. She wasn’t angry, more just upset that the feeling of feeling safe was fake. He seemed to search her eyes for a second before sighing. “I’m guessing you know how I have been using my abilities around you. When you first got here, I had to keep you calm. Your recovery would have been longer if you were panicked or stressed. After that, I’ve been using my ability to help you get used to being here. I know this is a strange new experience for you… I didn’t want you to fear us.” His eyes became serious. “But I’m not going to lie and say that manipulating your emotions to feel safe was all that I was doing. This coven, we just returned from a rather intense mission in the other realm and normally we take some time to unwind in the beds of young women from the neighboring villages. I’m sure even Marick is starved for more… intimate attention. I won’t pretend I haven’t been selfish to try and make you feel safe enough to want to be around me for my own desires. But, as I said, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to forcibly take you.”

Raven leaned closer to her, touching her face gently. Calla felt her heart race as she looked up into his gray eyes. His warm breath hit her face again, making her body quiver. “...No matter how badly I want you...” he whispered to her, his voice low but calm. She didn’t have the sensation of energy flowing through her this time so she knew he wasn’t using his power, meaning this test of her willpower was on her. She felt a rational person would be mad at him for what he had told her. He had admitted that Gwydion and he had been manipulating her feelings, testing how much they could get away with. But it was just that, he admitted to it, to everything. He had no reason to do so. Raven had the chance to let her go on being ignorant of what he was doing.

“...You’re a good guy, Raven… For telling me the truth.” Calla said back, her eyes looking into his. The comment seemed to catch him by surprise, his eyes widening before they closed. Raven pulled away from her as he lay back on his bed laughing at that. He rubbed his temple as Calla looked on.

“A good guy… I have to say, I prefer being called that rather than an ass… no matter if the latter is more accurate,” he said after a moment. Calla frowned at that, not sure what to say for a while. She turned to set her cup down before slowly moving to lay down next to him.

“I don’t know any of you that well, but I haven’t thought any of you would go out of your way to hurt me. I know, I probably should be more upset at what you said, but… I guess I’ve kind of expected this was going on.” she explained gently, her eyes focused on the ceiling. “I’ve been treated poorly my whole life. I grew up as one more mouth to feed in my family, a girl at that. Girls are normally seen as weak and good for nothing outside of marrying into a richer family to support my parents. I was sold to someone to be used and then chased out of the only world I knew by my own kind.” She sighed, thinking over everything. “Since entering the forest, this coven has treated my wounds, given me a place to stay, treated me kinder than anyone I have met before, and has gotten me clothes. If you are going to tell me that all of it is being done just to get me to sleep with one of you… that would be a bit desperate, don’t you think?”

Raven watched her but the two remained quiet for a while. Finally, Calla sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, everything has been… insane. Anyone in their right mind would be at least intimidated by everything that I have witnessed. If you would have told me a month ago I was going to stumble into a group of warlocks, magic is real, and folktales I thought were used to keep children from misbehaving were true, I would have thought you had lost your mind. Now that I am in this world, I want to get to know it, to not be afraid and learn…” She turned her head to look at Raven, whose expression was soft but slightly surprised. She just smiled gently at him. “...And I want to get to know all of you better, especially since I live with you guys now. I want to know who you really are, get to know the real you… if you let me.”

Raven just held his stare for a while before his eyes softened and he smiled, looking up at the ceiling with slight amusement. “...I think you might be a bit too sweet and innocent…” he teased. Calla blinked in surprise before giving a huff.

“I mean it!” she exclaimed to which Raven chuckled, looking back at her.

“I know you do,” he stated calmly before giving a sigh. “But if you keep that up, we will need to fight vampires off with a lot stronger magic than I thought we would. A sweetness to that level would cause a frenzy.” She was about to mutter a protest but he just flashed a smile at her. “So what is it you want to know about me?”

Calla paused at that, her expression softening as she thought about everything she wanted to know. She hummed, turning her body towards him before giving a shrug. “You said your mother was a healer, what kind of magical was your father?” she finally asked. Raven hummed slightly at that, turning his body towards her as well.

He gave a playful smirk. “A lecher,” he said, making Calla frow her brows. Raven just chuckled in amusement. “I’m serious. As brilliant as my mother was as a witch, she… wasn’t the best at picking men. I’m sure you have noticed that my brother and I are quite different, maybe sharing some facial features and of course, gaining our mother’s eye color, but that is about it as far as similarities. That would be due to the fact that we have different fathers. Granted, we know of them, but neither man stayed in our lives too terribly long. I know my father is a great warlock with incredible power, but he wasn’t one to stay in one place for too long, nor was he someone that was faithful to one person. As for Gwydion’s father, I’m still convinced he was a french minstrel posing as a great warlock but with how powerful Gwydion can be when he’s serious, the man had to have come from magic.”

Calla frowned. “So your mother raised both of you by herself? Wasn’t that tough for her?” she asked, once again curious about the hierarchy within the other realm.

“Not so much. It’s not as if we were hellraisers as children. Outside of my little mishap with a knife, Gwydion and I rarely got into trouble.” Raven explained.

Calla’s expression sank to a blank stare. “I don’t believe you,” she muttered, to which Raven gave her a wink.

“Fine, we were never caught causing trouble.” he reiterated with a smirk. That sounded more truthful to Calla. He continued, “Magicals such as witches and warlocks are part of the highest social classes in the other realm. Unlike the rules of the non-magical, witches have just as much say in society if not more than their male counterparts. As a healer, our mother made good money. I have wonderful memories of living in a lovely home with a large garden in the front.” His smile softened. “I own the house, and the coven stays there if we have a need to stay in the other realm longer than expected. Once you are able to go, I would love to show you.”

Calla’s eyes couldn’t help but dance at the idea of seeing such a lovely garden as he claimed. However, her look faded to a small frown. “So, your mother is no longer around?” she asked softly. Raven just shook his head with a sad smile, his eyes giving the distant look he had earlier.

“No, I’m afraid she passed away long before the coven ever was created. As powerful as magicals are, we are not indestructible. We can still die.” he pointed out calmly before sighing and looking off in thought. “I bought the home a little while after she died. Someday, I plan to settle down and raise my own family there, so they can have as nice a life as I did growing up.” Calla’s expression softened at that, surprised to hear him have such a future plan. That, however, didn’t last long as his mouth curled into a playful grin. “So, if you are willing~”

Calla’s face lit up with a blush but she glared at him, making him laugh at that before pouting. “You might be even more of a lecher…” she muttered, making Raven laugh harder. She sighed, smiling as she listened to him laugh.

“Oh come now, are you saying you don’t want to have children someday?” he asked, still more or less teasing. Calla just took one of his pillows to cover his face as she blushed more at his words. He chuckled more at that, moving it off his face and grabbing her. She squealed as he moved over her again, him looking amused as she giggled up at him. “But seriously, are you interested in having a family of your own someday?”

Calla sighed to calm herself but blushed softly as she looked up at him. She seemed wary at his words, not wanting to give him an invitation to try anything. However, he seemed curious more than anything. “Y…Yes, I want to have a family someday. A big family of my own.” she answered with a shy smile up at him. He hummed in thought at that, a wicked grin on his face.

“Good to know.” he teased, making Calla pouted at his look. He just laughed at her expression again.

The two would continue talking until Calla dozed off, making Raven move to carry her from his room and to Marick’s currently empty bed. He could hear Blaise and Gwydion were training outback and as he tucked her in he noticed Marick had finished the potion he was making. Raven nodded to Marick before leaning down to kiss Calla’s head gently.

“Rest well, Calla,” he whispered to her before moving to head outside to watch the others train.

Calla’s relationship with Raven has increased.

Continue the story by going to Chapter 7