Bad Moon:Book One in the "I Am Chaos" series.

Chapter 6: Homo Sapiens Magus

Chapter 6: Homo Sapiens Magus

After I consented to training, Sin left. But his associate, who introduced himself as Brandon Lamont, stayed on and helped me sweep up the glass from my grandmother's spells. We set an appointment to meet after work at the Ash and Crowley building downtown. Brandon then set out to "fortify" the apartment.

There was no chanting, no system of rituals like I'd read about in Diana for the New World. I watched from the doorway as Brandon muttered words beneath his breath. I didn't see the magic this time – there was no violent-blue lightning – but I could feel the energy that Brandon used. When he was done, the house almost hummed with it.

"These won't hold a demon out forever," he said. "Energy, once used up, dissipates. If you want to keep someone out for good, I'd have to be present. And I ain't about to bunk down here. Still these fortifications will hold long enough for you to call me."

He also warned me about magic hangovers. "The emotions were part of it," he said. "But there'll also be hell to pay: that headache you feel now – imagine that times ten, and joint aches too. You pulled that energy from your body. Think of it like running a race you're never really prepared for. The more you use, the bigger a toll it takes on your body. Were I you, I'd take a few Advil and try to sleep through the worst of it."

I slept for twenty-four hours and, this time, I didn't dream. I woke up at two AM on Monday, feeling like myself again: restless, energized. Not even the hint of the magic hangover Brandon had promised me.

At two in the morning, there was nothing I could do but try to make myself the world's largest breakfast. I'd woken up insatiable, and not only for food. I craved sex with a vengeance I only ever experienced during a rare dry spell. I wondered if the cravings, like the intense hunger and the intense emotions, had something to do with the magic I'd expended.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Wynn, stumbling blearily out of her room and into the kitchen.

"Making burgers," I explained.

"Burgers?" she stared at the cast iron pan on the stove and the two enormous hunks of ground sirloin I'd hastily flattened into patties. "What are you, pregnant? Ugh. I don't care. Keep it down. Some of us keep normal hours and need to sleep before work tomorrow." She disappeared back into her room.

As I sat down to a feast of two quarter-pound burgers, a bag of chips and salsa, and a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal, I picked up my phone to see what I'd missed on Sunday.

Two texts from Amelia, three texts from Cal, a message of confirmation from Brandon, and a text from Ralph, asking if I wanted to catch a blues show with him on Sunday night (whoops).

Not bothering to respond to Brandon or Ralph, I texted Amelia back, telling her that I'd come down with a fever and had been sleeping all day Sunday (pretty close to the truth). Then I read the texts from Cal:

I'm sorry about what happened this afternoon. I guess there are some things we need to talk about. When are you free?

Eva, really? You're going to ignore me?

Listen. I'm sorry I upset you. I don't know what I need to say right now, but we need to talk. I'll come to you. Just tell me when.

I sighed. As if learning I was a sorcerer wasn't complicated enough, I had also found out that my not-quite-boyfriend was a witch. And on top of that, he'd hurt my feelings. Reading his messages provoked a series of conflicting emotions: lust, anger, and hurt. It hadn't helped that his community had basically shunned me. And why was he dating me when the other witches wouldn't even give me the time of day...