Spellbound (1)

Demian entered the cafeteria with a smile on his face. The hunting field trip was officially over and it was one day closer to his date with Remi.

Remi and Dane were already there. There was an empty spot beside Remi which was unusual since everyone, especially the girls, would vie for his attention. Remi's eyes lit up when he saw Demian and waved him over to their table.

The smile he wore unconsciously grew larger and his heart felt warm. Remi was finally talking to him and not shunning his presence.

Demian practically skipped over, in a princely manner, to where Remi was. Flowers were practically blooming behind him.

When Demian sat down in the empty seat, he found Remi staring at him owlishly. "What is it?"

"Why do I see flowers behind you?" He mumbled low enough that Demian couldn't make it out.

"What?"

Remi's owl eyes regained their focus. "Nothing," he smiled impishly.

Demian narrowed his eyes playfully and impulsively pinched Remi's cheeks, drawing shocked eyes onto him. And not to mention, Dane was staring at him like he was moments away from pulling out a dagger.

Demian removed his hand before it was forcibly removed from his body. He turned away and acted as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary. 

He missed the goofy smile that Remi wore. But he didn't miss the disgruntled snort that Dane had given. Nor the disappointed sighs from the girls surrounding them.

Breakfast continued on comfortably. The easygoing chatter of their classmates filled the air.

The doors to the cafeteria opened just then. The familiar tall and slightly bulky Laxel walked in, holding the door open for a petite girl with a heart-shaped face framed with long wavy blonde hair.

Demian felt sick to his stomach at seeing Ophelia though he couldn't understand why. He knew that he had mistakenly thought he was interested in her but that couldn't explain why he was feeling the way he was.

After Laxel held the door open for Ophelia, he made his way to an empty table without looking around. Ophelia, on the other hand, stopped and locked eyes with Demian. 

Just then, a hand brushed against his hair. Demian looked over to see Remi wearing a smirk though his eyes were hard as he stared at Ophelia.

Demian reached for Remi's retreating hand and held it in his. It filled him with warmth in knowing that he wasn't the only one who felt jealousy. But it also hurt him greatly knowing that he was entirely at fault for his actions and for the way he never made himself clear to Remi.

They finished breakfast without incident. Demian was secretly glad that Ophelia did not approach them. He was even happier that he survived even with all the glares aimed at him. It was unusual for him to be on the other end of a person's glare since it was usually the person Demian was with that would be receiving them.

Classes passed by quickly. Most of the first-year teachers allowed for a relaxed day, and some even let class out early. They were probably afraid that some of the students would suffer from a mental breakdown since most had seen the wyvern flying over the forest just the day prior. One wouldn't think that would cause concern for teachers since the students were supposed to be hunting magical beasts. . .but wyverns and dragons were extremely rare. No, not rare, just hard to find.

Demian made his way to the library after the last class. He found Remi and Dane in their usual spot.

"Hey."

Remi looked up and smiled. "Hey yourself."

Demian strolled up to him and took his hand. Remi allowed himself to be pulled up into a standing position.

"It's such a nice day out, why don't you come outside and study with me?" Demian plastered on the confident yet slightly cocky smile that he practiced trying to perfect for days on end when he was younger.

"Sure." 

Demian started to guide him out of the library, his hand still wrapped over the top of Remi's. Dane got up to follow them as the unfailing tagalong he always seemed to be.

"Why don't you stay here?" Remi suggested to Dane, clearly wanting to be alone with Demian, just as Demian wanted to be with him.

The two of them made their way out of the library and down the grand, winding staircase, and out of the building. Demian led them to the East Garden. It was quite a ways walk and pretty much always devoid of students.

The East Garden was just a small square enclosure. Perfectly cut hedges fenced in the area. In the center was a three-tiered fountain with small dragons carved into the base.

"Wow," Remi breathed. "I didn't know this place existed."

"This was where my mother always sneaked out to meet my father after they first started courting each other."

"I didn't know that."

Demian looked down at Remi and smiled fondly. "There's a lot you don't know about me. I think it's time we change that."

Remi smiled up at him, his eyes curving up into crescents and a small dimple appeared on his left cheek. "I agree. That definitely needs to change."

They sat down on the grass underneath the fountain. Remi pulled his knees up to his chest and propped the book he had been reading onto them. Demian pulled out his study materials from his bag and tried to focus.

Emphasis on the try.

Demian pulled his knees up and draped his arms over the open Economics books and leaned down until the side of his face rested on his arms. He watched as Remi read, soaking up every detail. The way Remi's hair, reminiscent of chocolate, shone with golden hues in the light. The way his dark lashes curled up, framing his eyes beautifully. Or the way his tongue would flick out and lick his lower lip before pulling said lip into his teeth for the briefest of moments.

A sigh escaped from him and Demian mentally scolded himself. He really had been stupid during the previous weeks. Why did he chase Ophelia? Because her scent pleased him, though not as much as Remi's did? Because she was an omega? Because Remi had shown some sort of weird interest in her?

"Why did you use to follow Ophelia Rosewood?" The question slipped while he was distracted by his own thoughts.

Remi hummed but never looked up from his book. "Something about her stuck out. She was also always in strange confrontations with you, Laxel, and Ebony."

Ebony? Ebony Lestrow? The third prince of the Harlow Kingdom?

"I didn't know she knew him," Demian admitted. Not only was Ophelia acquainted with a prince and the son of a Duke from the Grove Kingdom, but was also acquainted with a prince from the Harlow Kingdom. He had to admit that was impressive if not a bit concerning.

"Mhmm," Remi hummed once again, still not taking his eyes off his book.

Curiosity got the better of him. Demian unfolded himself and reached out and grabbed Remi's book right out from under him. Remi let out an indignant cry and tried to grab the book back from him.

Demian held one hand against Remi's chest and leaned back so that he was out of the beta's desperately reaching grasp. He peered down at the words written on the page and instantly felt himself locked up and his face turned red. Remi actually read this kind of stuff?!

"Give that back!" Remi pushed Demian's frozen arm away from him and grabbed the stolen book. "Serves you right," he huffed, when Demian continued to stay locked up.

"You actually read that-that-"

Remi blinked at him before an 'oh' escaped from him. "So that was the real reason behind you wanting to take me to Lorella's. You know, you're surprisingly innocent."

Demian, who had finally been able to move, froze up again. "So what if I am. What about you?"

A smile spread across Remi's face. "I am. That's why I was studying."

And he choked. Demian choked on non-existent saliva and heat swarmed through his veins. Was he the reason for Remi's 'study'?

Suddenly filled with confidence, his body pressed into Remi, caging him against the fountain. "Am I the reason you're studying?" He whispered huskily against Remi's ear.

A shiver ran through Remi, not going unnoticed by Demian. A smirk spread onto his lips and his confidence doubled. He took Remi's earlobe in between his teeth and gave it a nibble, sliding his tongue against the rim. "I'm suddenly looking forward to our date," he breathed into Remi's ear as he pulled away.

Remi shivered at the closeness. He wrapped an arm around Demian's neck. "So am I," his voice was low and breathy.

Demian was pleased with himself. Who knew he could draw out this kind of reaction from this endearing person? He was looking forward to putting this 'studying' into practice.

A throat being cleared startled the two. They jumped with a start and parted from each other. Dane's eyes were as cold as ice as he looked at Demian as if he were a fly.

"I thought I told you to stay in the library," Remi glared, clearly agitated at being interrupted.

Dane gave him a pointed look before training his gaze back onto Demian. "I couldn't see you from the library windows."

This answer drew a loud groan out of Remi and a silent one out of Demian.

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