Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 14:46:29 -0800 From: Nathan Bradshaw Subject: The Angel's Shadow part 8 All the usual disclaimer's apply: don't read this if it is illegal for you to do so, don't steal or copy anything here without my permission. This story is inspired by the brilliant series American Horror Story: Coven. If you enjoy it or wish to read more, send me an email at nbradFshaw@yahoo.com. Like this website? Find a way to give back to it! Whether it be money, your own writing talents, or sharing it with a friend, give back to Nifty! "This room is my library," Julian told me as he lead me back into the hidden room. It looked different, mostly because I could still see us having sex on the table. And then again, in his bed, and this morning in the shower. "Pay attention, Noland. This stuff is really important." I was beginning to know Julian; I could at least tell when he was teasing me, despite how serious he may sound. "I was just thinking...nevermind. Go ahead Julian," I wanted to learn about all this stuff, but once you've had sex for the first time- it was hard not to want it more and more, all the time. Especially when he was standing so close to me, and he smelled so good. He was wearing a black leather jacket and a faded black t shirt, and black jeans. He didn't have on any underwear- I watched him get dressed- and when he wasn't paying attention I went into the bathroom and slipped mine off. I'd never done this, not wearing underwear, and even though it was stupid it made me really horny to know that I wasn't and neither was he. "I get it, Noland. We'll have sex again later, I promise," he slipped his hands into my pants and then smiled. "You took your underwear off." "Yeah. I thought..." "It is sexy, trust me. But you might not want to have a boner for the rest of the day," Julian told me, toying with my rapidly hardening dick. "We're going to meet some people." "Did you just read my mind?" I had a feeling he had, but I didn't really know what he could and couldn't do. So far, all I knew about witches were they were hot and had money. And magical libraries. "Yes. And yes, I've done it before. Does it make you uncomfortable?" now he was serious; his eyes weren't smiling at me. They were curious. Yes. "Not really," I told him. Everything about this makes me uncomfortable. And it feels like a dream. Or a nightmare. "You're lying," he said, leaning back against a bookshelf. "Why?" "This is all new to me Julian. I don't...I don't understand it. And I don't really believe it. But I don't think you're lying either," what was a witch anyway? He sighed. "I get that. And if you don't want me to read your mind anymore I won't. In fact I know that you don't so this will be the last time I read your mind," And how would I know the difference? "Thank you, Julian," there was so much going through my mind that I didn't really have a choice but to take his word. "So what else can you do?" He waved his hand in the air and then pulled it down, and the stars from the ceiling followed suit. The darkness that came with them made a screen, and the stars people. Or witches. "There are ten different powers a witch can have," he began. "First is telekinesis, moving things with your mind. It's probably the most common power." the screen showed a witch sitting in a bedroom, who then levitated everything around her. "Then you have, naturally, telepathy. That includes reading, communicating, controlling, and manipulating the mind and its contents. Not a lot of witches can control minds." "Can you?" "Why don't we talk about what I can do at the end of the presentation," It felt like he was trying to sidestep my question, which made me not trust him, but I let him continue. "Next is mediumship, contacting and conjuring the dead. You're probably familiar with this; plenty of fakes prey on humans. Very few witches actually do it for humans." "Why?" the witch on the screen was now seated around a table with a ouiji board in the center. "It's messy, bringing up spirits. It can be fun, but sometimes it doesn't go as planned. Especially if you aren't experienced. You could end up possessed by a rapist or Hitler," Julian explained. "In the same family, you have future sight and clairvoyance. That means seeing the future and being able to see the past or future of an item by touching it, respectively. I'm a clairvoyant. Next is elemental powers, like you see in the tv series Avatar. Fire, water, air and earth. Air is the most common, fire is the least. Most witches can only control and manifest one or two. Rare is the witch who can control all four." Now the witch made of stars was setting a table on fire and then putting it out with water. "Is that it?" I was looking at him differently, I could tell. He seemed more confident than ever, and I realized it was because he wasn't hiding anything from me anymore. "Now we're entering into the big leagues," He said, standing up. "I'll be demonstrating the last few powers." The screen rejoined the ceiling, and a puppy came bounding up. "I didn't know you had a dog," I'd always wanted a dog, but my dad was allergic. Why didn't he tell me? "You didn't know I was a witch either," he pointed put. "What's one more thing?" "You're right. Continue," I felt the need to hide my excitement about the puppy. Something told me it wasn't really the time. "I think we'll start with the power to heal others," he bent down and picked up the puppy and placed it on the table. It was a black lab, cute as ever. I then realized one of its eyes was clouded. "He's a handsome pup, isn't he? He was born blind in one eye." Julian then placed his hand on its eye for a second, then moved it away; the puppies eye was clear. The puppy started to lick his hand and I felt my heart smile. But when I looked at Julian, he wasn't smiling. "That's amazing-" "Next is the touch of death," he kept going as if he hadn't heard me. "This power- is the rarest, and the hardest to control." he stroked the puppy's back once. By the time his hand reached its tail- it collapsed. Its tongue hung out of its mouth. It didn't move. A chill washed over me. "Why would you-" "Noland, just watch." Something in his voice said he knew what he was doing, and I hoped this was going somewhere. I wasn't a fan of animal abuse. "It took me three years to learn how to suppress it. When I was two, I got a puppy for Christmas. Coincidentally, that was also the day I demonstrated my first power as a witch, the touch of death. I was two and I hugged the puppy and it died. No one was allowed to touch me after that. And then no one wanted to, even when I could suppress it. It's sister power, a little more common, is resurrection." He picked up the dead puppy and held it in his arms; in moments I saw its head perk up before he put it down. Something seemed off about him; he looked...weak. There was sweat on his forehead and his hand trembled. "Are you okay?" I asked, moving to his side. "Fine. Bringing something back to life isn't as easy as killing it," he explained. "Especially when you do both in succession." He wasn't fine. He looked paler and tired. "I know I don't look so hot right now, but it'll pass in a moment. When you use the touch of death, you absorb all the life energy the object has. When you resurrect something, you give it a part of your life energy." I guess he was right because he already looked more like himself. "Seems like a small price to pay when you could bring back the dead," I told him, looking at the puppy who too seemed to be concerned for Julian. He gave me a look that said I had no idea what I was talking about. "There are two more powers left. The first is radiant, glowing health," he looked at the dog and held out his arm. It pounced and sunk its teeth in. He winced and it let go. "Watch." I did; his arm was streaked with blood but not as much as there should have been. I looked closer; there wasn't a mark on him. "Glowing, radiant health Noland. It's why I didn't use a condom with you. And by the way, that's something you should have asked me about. Not every guy who fucks you raw is a Supreme." "A Supreme?" I thought he was a witch? "That's why I told you to wait for your questions about me," he said. "I am the Supreme, leader of my Coven. A Coven is a network of witches, and the Supreme is a witch who posses all the powers of a witch. So yes, I can control minds." "So what's the second power?" I asked. He smiled. "Teleportation," he waved his hands in the air and he was surrounded by a swirl of darkness and stars. When it cleared, he was gone. I felt something tap me on the back and a leaped out of my skin. He was behind me, smiling. "This is a really hard one to master. I'm not so good at it, not like Rockelle is." "Rockelle's a witch?" I was surprised but it only made sense that his bestfriend would be just like him. And you're not. You're nothing like him. You don't belong. Where did that come from? "Yes. She belongs to my Coven," he said. "There are about 7 million witches in the world. Now that concludes our presentation. Any questions?" I had like a million, but only one seemed to be worth asking. "Have you ever...controlled me?" I had a feeling I already knew the answer. "Yes. When we first met. I led you into the bathroom," I was surprised; not that he admitted it but that he seemed so relaxed about it. "In case you're wondering, I can't make you have sex with me. That was all you. Something like being able to lead a horse to water but not making it drink. You can't control a mind while you're having sex. Mind control requires concentration, and is entirely mental; sex is physical and all consuming." "Is that the only time?" "Yes. I never needed to control you after that," I wasn't sure how to take that. "Have you ever killed anyone?" I remember him saying he was a killer. "Too many to count," the way he looked at me...was he joking? Was he testing me? His confidence hadn't wavered, and looking at him, next to that puppy, he didn't look like a killer. But he'd killed the puppy in front of me. "Why?" "Why did I kill them?" now he sounded surprised. "Yes." "I've killed a lot of people, Noland. There are a lot of reasons. Revenge, love, power. Hate, pain. Money. Safety. Justice. I'm the Supreme of a Coven of witches. It's not a rainbow convention," I guess I looked terrified because he reached out to touch me. The hands of a killer- those blood stained hands have held you in ways no one else has. "Why didn't you lie?" because now, I really wish he had. "You would have found out eventually. Everything comes to light," he sounded like he was trying to soothe me but it wasn't working. I felt the need to leave, but I was afraid. "Are you...are you a good witch, Julian?" he laughed. "There is no such thing. Darkness and light exist in all of us, Noland. I'm not a good witch, no, but I'm not a bad one either. It's two sides of the same coin." "If I wanted to leave, would you stop me?" I looked over at the door; it wasn't shut, but I'm sure he could stop me. "Noland, no matter what you want, I won't stop you," he stepped aside and his puppy joined him. it was loyal because it didn't know, or maybe it did. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you." "I need to go, Julian. I have a test on Monday." I made a beeline for the door and didn't look back. "I hate it when you do that," I looked down at the little black puppy at my feet, whose blue eyes were staring back up at me. "You don't really have much of a choice. You wanted to be my dog, remember?" "No, I wanted you to hide me," he said. "Details, Mr. Snuffles," I bent down and scratched between his ears. I knew he hated it fundamentally, but the dog in him loved it. "Don't call me that," he snarled. "My name is Cal. Besides, you should be more focused on Noland, you're little boyfriend." "Don't worry about that. I know what I'm doing. Now come on Cal. We've got a Coven meeting to get to." I'd met Cal four years ago. He was on the run, had pissed off the wrong witch hunters. So I agreed to hide him. He wasn't always a puppy, but for now that was the form I preferred. "Are we waiting for Rockelle?" Cal asked. "No, she's already there," I walked over to the table and grabbed the planet Pluto. It was always my favorite, regardless of who declared it a non planet. I walked over to the door and set it down in the doorway. It began to spin, releasing burst of millions of tiny stars. It looked like clouds of shiny, glittering dust. This door could be used to take you to nine different places, one for each planet. "Lets go Cal. This is a very important meeting." I wasn't sure what I was going to say or why I was going to talk to him- but something made me. I watched Noland leave Julian's place and I raced around the building. Me, Dylan Masters, the witch hunter. I didn't know exactly why Julian was so interested in him; most of the guys he entertained didn't stay long. But I'd been watching Julian and he hadn't been sleeping around like he normally did; he was invested in Noland. Which meant I had to get to know him better, and that's all. What to say? I was getting closer to him. He was walking somewhere- I guess he didn't have a car. Why didn't I drive? Then maybe he'd trust me more. "Hey!" Crap! he heard me and he turned around. He was really handsome. And cute. Was there really a difference? Now he's looking at me like I'm weird. "Were you coming out of Julian's place?" "Umm....yeah. Why?" He had nice eyes. But he looked like his mind was a thousand miles away. "Oh I know him. I work around here," which wasn't exactly a lie but I couldn't tell if he believed me because he'd already looked past me, back at Julian's condo. Did he think Julian would be the one to come after him? "That's nice I guess," wow I really suck at this. How does Julian do it? Magic. "I have to go..." "Wait don't. It's just weird. Guys come and go so much out of that place. But you don't look like you've been used and tossed out," and I instantly regretted that, because he looked like he wanted to punch me before he shook his head and muttered something close to 'ass hole' and turned away from me. Before he could walk away I ran up to him and grabbed his arm. He spun around and looked at me, more like glared at me before he shook me off. "What are you....nevermind," he stormed off again. "A witch?" that made him stop. Maybe honesty works better than pretty words. "What did you say?" he didn't turn around right away. I guess he didn't want to look at me. "I said a witch. I know Julian. He's a witch. I'm surprised he told you about all that," then he did turn around, because I'd managed to offend him twice now. "I'm sorry. Do you want to go get a cup of coffee? We could talk. You look like you could use someone to talk to." "Why not?" "This meeting has been called because in a few days, I will be leaving for the Witch Summit. As you know, we will vote on the fate of witches around the world." We were in the Hall of Shadows, the place where my Coven met since it formed. Don't think of movies, where witches cling to abandoned warehouses and burned down churches. Picture the inside of a castle from the 1500's. Rockelle appeared next to me in a could of smoke and leaned against the throne I sat on. The Council sat beneath me at a table, three witches who I would leave the care of my Coven to. Behind them were 300 or so witches. "You all know how I do things. If the vote is unanimous, when I arrive at the summit I will vote for the exposure of witches. If it isn't, I will vote against. Every witch gets one vote; I, Rockelle and the council aren't allowed a vote. Lets begin." Even though I didn't vote, I knew what I wanted. So did Rockelle, and the council. The life we lead is best left in the shadows- we have more fun that way. We have more power. We are free to be who we are and live by our rules because of it. "Let every witch who wants to expose witches to the world, move to the left of the statue. Those who are against, to the right," that was Glenda, one of the witches on the council. She was a little older than Rockelle, and more of a pain in my neck than she was. Glenda was different; she was completely moral and pure headed. She was opposed to almost everything I did which is why I routinely left her out of the decisions I made, including the statue I had placed in the hall. It was a statue of a witch being burned at the stake, which she found, in her words, "Vulgar and barbaric and distasteful and a reminder of everything that is wrong with our world and the way we live." Rockelle liked to call her Glenda the good bitch. No one moved at first; this voting process was another thing Glenda objected to. She felt it put too much pressure on the individual. It did, but I believed that a person should stand by what they believe in. "Once again Julian, no one wants to be the first to vote," Glenda started, looking up at me yet somehow still finding a way to look down on me from her brown eyes. "If you'd stop ignoring me, we could-" "Glenda, this isn't the time or place," I interrupted. "We can talk later though." Rockelle laughed, and so did the other two Council members, while Glenda sat there boring holes into my head. And then the first witch stepped forward. I remembered him well; he'd aged horribly and had shriveled up in his time away from my energy. We went to school together, back when I was actually in school for the first time. Back then, he went by Harry. The seventies was a different time for witches and for blacks and for gays. In fact, that entire era was. It was the first time we came close to exposing witches. It'd be nice to say that witches didn't succumb to the small minded backwards thinking of the people who were racists and proud, or those who were quiet racists. But witches aren't perfect. I was in college then. I'd only been the Supreme for a few years, but I wasn't exactly waving a rainbow flag or walking down the street holding hands with my boyfriend. I knew fear then; I had a soul. Harry was a frat boy, a senior and an all and all American dream. I had never been interested in white boys before him; I was a part of the Black Panthers. I fought for equal rights. I was an activist, a true patriot- because being a Patriot in America meant fighting for equality, standing against oppression. Harry was the type of man who didn't. I could see right through him and all his smiles. Or, at least, I thought I could. The way he looked at me, I thought it was because I was black. I called him a racist several times. But then I figured it out- because back then, I didn't have a "gay-dar". I was too in denial. We had one class together, physics. And blonde haired blue eyed Harry was about as smart as a bag of wet hair. Back then, I hadn't known he was a witch. The witch world was in tatters. We were divided and at war within ourselves as we fought for control and our own rights and freedoms. We didn't associate with witches outside of our own Covens at all. So when our then progressive professor decided to pair the two of us together, I was less then pleased but determined to show him that I was above any petty hatred he may have. Turns out he didn't have any. He was nervous around me; kept looking around the library where we sat and studied, tapping his pencil and constantly asking me to repeat what I'd said. I know now why. I made him uncomfortable. I had a reputation for being intense; I was confident and aggressive, I was smart and very cut throat. He felt intimidated. I got up and left, but not before telling him that I wouldn't work with someone who was a closet racists and that he could at least have the balls to own up to his bigotry. I saw him again three days later, in class. He didn't speak to me, but he did follow me into the bathroom. He apologized, and then he looked at me. Shook my hand- held it too tight, too long. He asked me to come to his dorm later so we could work. I was obligated to comply- after I all, I was the moral one. I was the visionary. How could I refuse? Sometimes you can be so far in the closet that you can't recognize when a guy is coming onto you. That was one of those times. When I got to his room he offered me a beer- for personal reasons, I'd never felt compelled to try beer. He was wearing a tshirt and some running shorts and had already had three. When I didn't take the beer, he asked me to sit down, even pushed some of his clothes on the floor. As soon as I did, his lips were shoved against mine and his hands were pulling at my shirt. For a second I forgot that I was gay and I pushed him off of me and punched him in the face. He freaked out, after the booze that jostled his brain settled enough for him to realize what happened. I remember looking at his face- he had such smooth skin. And his eyes, they were so sad. The saddest shade of blue I'd ever seen. This time i grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the bed and kissed him, hard. I had no idea what he was saying, and I know he didn't, so I kissed him until he stopped trying to talk. He was strong and unsteady, his kisses sloppy and wet. He licked my face- ran his tongue from my chin to my temple and then bit my cheek. The warmth of his tongue was mixing with the smell of his aftershave- Brut- and I was beginning to forget where we were and who I was. I pulled back for a second and looked at him. He, after realizing I wasn't kissing him anymore, looked at me. His eyes weren't so sad anymore; they were hungry. I ran my hand over his cheek and he winced; I hadn't realized how hard i hit him. "I hit you," I had said, noticing how he was already bruising, and how noticeable it was. "You...yeah," he was actually kind of hot. His shirt had come off-not that it did much to hide his thick pecks, but it did hide his golden haired chest and his dark nipples. He had a line of hair running down his stomach and into his shorts, a road map to the growing beast hiding in there. I looked back up at him and he grinned. He had really nice lips. I didn't think; I bit him, on the cheek, right where I hit him. He let out a gasp that anyone outside of his room would of thought meant he'd just pumped a load into some broad. I healed him- it didn't take long, no more than a few seconds, but it was enough to enlighten the both of us. My magic exploded into him- if I'd have known he was a witch, I would have been more careful. He was draining power out of me, but I had way more to give than he could take. The feeling was ground shattering. My mind slammed in and out of consciousness and my body began to operate on the highest levels of euphoria. I felt his lips sucking on my armpit as he ground is body into mine, and mine into the floor. Our sex was a haze. I rocketed back into my body again and I was sucking on his belly button- I hadn't know I was that flexible- while I rode his dick. I hadn't even known how big he was, or if he used a condom but I knew that I could taste his balls on my tongue and he was stretching me out every time he thrust upwards. I started riding him harder as I screamed and slammed my fist into the wooden leg of the bed. It hurt, briefly but I didn't care. His hands found their way to my ass and I felt it- his finger sliding inside of me, right next to his dick. He pulled my ass open more than his dick did and really started to pound me, shoving himself deeper, harder, faster inside my ass. I wrapped my hands around his neck and squeezed. I could feel his throat tightening in my hands and watched his tanned skin redden as he struggled to breathe. He was gasping for air and fucking me harder. I leaned down and kissed him, shoved my tongue into his mouth before I let go of his throat. He was electrified- I breathed more of my power into him, like a shot of adrenaline. He burst to life. He moaned in my mouth and slammed his dick deeper than it'd been before; picked me up and slammed me against the door. The pain was intense; my head throbbed and my back screamed. But the pleasure was even greater. It washed over my body as he fucked me harder, stronger than he had before, pulling all the way out and driving himself home, destroying my ass in the process. I sucked on his neck; he grabbed my hands and stuck my fingers in his mouth. He sucked on me and I sucked on him; he fucked me and I begged for more. The roaming feeling I had felt back then- the need for a home vanished with each thrust as I felt myself grow closer and closer, heard myself moan louder and louder. I was so close, and then he stopped. He looked at me. I wanted to breathe. He said one word. "Cum." and I did. aren't strolls down memory lane just the best? Will this be the end of the HarryxJulian flashback? keep watch for the next chapter to find out! I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it. feel free to email me at nbradFshaw@yahoo.com for any questions, concerns, jokes, or just to show me love!!