Page 62 of Reforging Onyx

A promise he never wanted to see fulfilled.

“I’m aware,” Dominic said, the amusement lingering in his voice making Onyx scowl. “It won’t feel so strange when you’ve gotten more used to it.”

Onyx grumbled, but he didn’t bother to respond.

There was a light knock on the door, then Dominic’s assistant cracked open the door. “Sir, your guest has arrived. She’s waiting for you in the blue room.”

“Good.” Dominic rose to his feet.

Onyx followed suit, anxiety and excitement warring inside of him as he trailed behind Dominic out of his office and through the house to the sitting room Cecile Thorne was waiting in.

She was younger than Onyx had expected, maybe a few years older than he was, with dark red hair that had been neatly secured into a bun at the nape of her neck. She looked professional, and she was probably as uptight as someone twice her age.

Still, she was willing to teach a captive Rayne witch magic, and that had to count for something, didn’t it? Onyx couldn’t clock how powerful she might be, not with his own magic banked, but her family name indicated that she probably wasn’t weak.

Cecile smiled and popped up from the chair she’d been seated in. “Mr. Bancroft,” she said. “Thank you for having me.”

Dominic nodded slightly. “Miss Thorne. This is Onyx Rayne.” He squeezed Onyx’s shoulder lightly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Cecile smiled at Onyx.

She was either brave or stupid, and Onyx didn’t know which he preferred. It wasn’t like he thought he’d be able to escape. The fantasy played in his mind of being able to seduce her, to convince her to take him away from here, but what the fuck did he know of seduction?

Besides, no one would be able to withstand the wrath of Dominic Bancroft if he felt spurned by the target of his obsession.

No, there was no escape for him that way.

“Yeah,” Onyx told Cecile. “Same. Thanks for agreeing to teach me and all.” He didn’t know what to say to her beyond that. How long had it been since he’d tried to carry on an actual conversation — besides the disastrous attempt at talking to other pets?

Too long, and even those conversations hadn’t gone anywhere.

Dominic nodded, releasing Onyx’s shoulder. “I’ll observe from here.” He took a seat across from where Cecile had been sitting.

She nodded, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Okay.” She turned to Onyx. “Come sit.” She gestured at the chair near where she’d been sitting before returning to her own seat. “Mr. Bancroft said you had only the very basics because of the Takeover. Why don’t we start with what you know, and then I can help build from there.”

Onyx was so used to sitting on the floor by then that he almost went to do that, only to scowl when he realized what he was doing. How had he become so conditioned that that had become a habit? He needed to… stop. Somehow.

He was keenly aware of the plug shifting in his ass as he joined her and sat gingerly in the chair. His eyes flitted to Dominic, as he debated giving away what he did know. But what was the point in hiding it, especially when this whole exercise was for him to learn more?

“Fire,” Onyx said, like that wasn’t already a given. “Wards, some illusion magic to hide areas from easy detection.”

He wasn’t going to admit that he actually had training in any of it; he didn’t want to out the sympathizer who had taught him what he did know of the basics of magic over one short visit after another.

Cecile nodded. “Okay, good. That’s a solid base to work from. Gifts, especially elemental gifts, can feel very different to the witch who’s using them. My element is air,” she said with an air of confidentiality, though she didn’t lower her voice at all. “It’s much weaker than yours, though. What do you know about magic flows? When you were using your fire, what does it feel like when the magic moves through you? Do you feel like it’s flowing like water? Like you’re throwing it like a ball or projectile? Like you’re summoning it?”

Onyx frowned at the questions. Part of him wanted to get defensive and refuse to answer, but he’d wanted these lessons. He didn’t need to be especially rude to her, especially when she was willing to do this.

Maybe more than this, too. She might be willing to go into a warehouse with him with all of his magic available to him and teach him more.

He needed to be nice.

“It appears,” Onyx said after a pause. “I just imagine it, and it’s there.” Archie had told him that because he hadn’t been trained to think in absolutes, because he hadn’t been told what magic couldn’t do, it meant he could do more. He eyed Dominic. “I would show you if I could.”

Dominic smiled faintly but didn’t respond, even as Onyx’s eyes lingered on him.

Cecile followed the gaze. “You’re… That is, you are sometimes allowed to use your magic, right?” she asked Onyx, the words careful.

“Sometimes,” Onyx said just as cautiously, wondering what he was allowed to say. “But not out here. Only where I can’t burn anything down around me.” He looked back at the Thorne witch. “Since I can’t promise not to burn him to a crisp, he’ll never let me have my magic anywhere he doesn’t control. He’s kinda a control freak.”