Green eyes watched as snow fell to the ground. It was a beautiful sight that Britt couldn't help but to enjoy. It was simple. This was one of the best parts of the winter season. The cold was unbearable, but those small flurries of white drifting to the ground was some of the most peaceful moments that he had. It was quiet, the end of the exams for the year were drawing close. Yule was just after that and Britt would be at the school while the students returned home to family. Britt sighed. He would be stuck here another year without seeing his family.

  A flash of black hair and giggling reached his ears. He leaned against the windowsill, the cool breeze sending a shiver across his warm skin. Down in the courtyard, a group of students laughed. A very particular figure had him leaning through the window. Her hair glinted in the afternoon light, even though it was slightly overcast. The silver strand, which he noticed had grown more prominent since the Qualifiers, was the very indicator that it was the woman who captured his attention.

  The group of teenagers surrounding her went into action, throwing snow at each other. Dyani stood to the side and watched them take off for the parts of the courtyard that had deeper piles of snow. Her laugh echoed with their, but he would recognized it anywhere. Britt knew that her eyes would crinkle at the corners and a glint would belay the happiness she felt.

  It was not a surprise that Jorge and Caleb were wrestling, one shoving the other's face down into the fluffy snow. Kavan hung out with Mari and Noemi, occasionally lobbing snowballs at each other. Dyani looked around at the snowflakes with a sense of awe. It was hard not to have that expression, as the school's white marble exterior was a sight to behold on the first snow. Even after these years, it still took his breath away.

  Lips quirked when the woman stuck out her tongue, chasing after the gently falling flakes. Her magic was light and danced around her, even though it wasn't visible to those around her. Growing close enough, the time spent with one another had attuned him to the feel of her magic. The hallway was long with windows showing the outside's weather clear as day. He easily followed the sight as he walked down the hall to where the doors to the courtyard where.

  Stepping out into the cold, hearing the crunch of snow underfoot, broke him from the trance-like longing her magic had created. The courtyard was full of students that had joined them in the time that he had moved from his perch. Even with the added commotion, Dyani remained the center of his attention. She had gone from chasing the snowflakes with her tongue to twirling around in the slightly heavier snowfall. Her jacket was covered in the small white flecks, building up the longer she danced. The others were too distracted with their horsing around that Dyani had been left in the courtyard alone.

  Britt's feet moved without thinking as she came to stop, her back facing him. Head tilted, he could see that her focus was on a large flake perched precariously on the tip of her nose that had yet to melt. Long locks swung under a light breeze and her child-like giggles carried along with it. Without realizing, Britt had stopped just behind her, almost close enough to reach out. His heart fluttered at the sight of her in front of him. A side that he had not seen before. A strong breeze whipped past them and Britt realized that he was unsure of what to do. The man had not intended to join her in the snow, and now that he was there, a sense of uncertainty crept up to grip his heart.

  Thoughts ran away from him while he stood there. He wondered if he should leave and not say anything. Would it be okay to talk to her or say something? What if she didn't want to see him at the moment? He couldn't help it though, he wanted to talk to her. This side of her was new, but it was something so gentle and carefree. A different aspect from her normal studious nature. Of course there were the times where she was heavily flirtatious, but this moment was more pure.

  "Britt?" Dyani's voice was soft in its confusion.

  It startled him and he looked down to see that she had turned around. Now, her body was closer to his and her face was tilted to meet his. With her head tilted back and to the side, she looked far more alluring than before. Snowflakes caught on her hair and eyelashes. Just as he imagined earlier, her eyes crinkled at the corners when she smiled. Another fluttering sensation had his breathing turn more shallow.

  "Are you okay?"

  The question was filled with concern but it had the opposite effect of causing him to breath rapidly. Dyani reached up and touched his cheek with slightly cold fingertips.

  "Britt? What's wrong?"

  A snowflake fell down and landed on her cheek. Britt's hand was cupping her cheek, thumb brushing it away before he could stop himself. Dyani flushed bright but leaned her head just enough so that it rested in his palm. Eyes fluttered shut and her breath came out in small clouds from the cold. Britt could not have told anyone how long they stood there under the snowfall. But when a snowball struck him in the side of the head, the moment was broken. Dyani had not gotten away from the onslaught either as a barrage of snowballs rained down upon them.

  Britt snarled and gathered snow into his hands, using his magic to duplicate them. They were tossed into the air as he guided his magic to bombard the group with the frigid ammunition. Cries of shock echoed as they tumbled into the courtyard. Dyani had laughed and started piling small snowballs beside Britt.

  "Cheater!" One of the boys shouted.

  "It's not cheating, it's an alliance." He smirked and waved his hand at the ground in front of him. There was a moment where the students watched with gaping mouths as a wall of snow packed down, brick by brick. Within moments there was a blockade with gaps in the wall that allowed for him to launch the assault.

  "Goddess, it's just a snowball!"

  "No, it's war!" Britt cried out from behind the fort.

  Dyani cackled and added her own magic, "You think we could get away with an ice cannon?"

  Britt lit up and rubbed his hands together, 'I'm not sure. But might as well give it a shot. At least it'll be a spectacular failure."

  "Then what are we waiting for?" Dyani cheered. She watched as he tapped his chin in thought. There was a bit of snow left on the ground, which he melted with a light flame spell. From there, moulding it into a cannon was the easy part. Same with turning it to ice.

  "How is it going to light?"

  Britt grinned, "With magic."

  "Seriously?" She deadpanned. "You could have tried to come up with something better than that, Britt."

  He shrugged and stuff more snowballs into the ice cannon. Pushing the cannon with a low grunt, he lined it up with the hole in the barricade. Dyani climbed up a ladder that she transfigured and peeked over the edge.

  "Bombs away!" She yelled, throwing her hand up into the air. The group that had laid the initial assault had tried their best to combine their magic to make a fort, but it was more lopsided than an actual fort. A boom rocked through the grounds of the school as the ice cannon launched it's frozen cannon fodder. Snowballs pelted the already precarious structure, causing a total collapse onto the group. Cries of shock and horror at the mound of snow that piled atop them.

  Dyani climbed down and gave Britt a high five before jeering at the now defenseless group.

  "Do you surrender or do you want more? I got more of where that came from! Right, Britt?"

  "You have a teacher on your side, Dyani. That's cheating!"

  "No," she threw them a rude gesture. "That's called being smart."

  Before they could retaliate, a wave of magic dissipated the snow. All of the structures melted and Britt pouted as his ice cannon returned back to the ground in a puddle. There was a clearing of a throat and the warfare stopped when the Headmistress stepped into the courtyard.

  "Dyani. I need to speak with you. Come with me," the woman stood primly and gave them a stern look. Dyani huffed and turned to the group with an apologetic expression. The Headmistress turned on her heel and snapped over her shoulder, "You as well, Britt."

  When they were inside, clothing dripping wet, the Headmistress turned to them. Britt was the first one she turned her gaze to.

  "Teachers should have more decorum than that, Britt. I expect you to hold yourself to a higher standard. And you," she turned her attention to Dyani. "I know that we are approaching the time where students are to return home. You must know that you will be remaining here for the duration of the winter break."

  Dyani scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, "You have no right to hold me here. You've done so enough as it is. At least let me have time away from the school."

  "No," Etara snapped. "You are to remain at this school until I say so or you graduate. End of story."

  Dyani snarled and stomped away from them, deciding that she had enough for the day. Britt watched her go before raising an eyebrow at Etara.

  "Is that truly necessary? You know how she feels about being here."

  Etara frowned, "I understand that, but she has no place to return to. It would not be fair to her to leave the school when there is no one for her out there? Her family believes her dead and her magic is too wild to be let out on her own."

  "Only because you made it that way. Her family would have accepted her or they would have turned her away. You never know. The issue is that you never gave her the chance to learn that. Of course she would be upset that she cannot leave."

  Britt ran a hand through his hair and grimaced at the wet locks tangling. With just a thought, his clothes and hair dried out. Britt observed the Headmistress, watching to see how her expressions changed while the woman seemed caught in a thought.

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  "What are your plans, then? How are you going to keep her here when most of the students and staff return home for break."

  Etara scowled and tapped a long nail on her lip. There was a flash of a smirk and she gave him a sharp smile.

  "You stay here each winter, do you not?"

  Britt's expression dropped and he frowned. While he did not have plans to return home, being one of the few staff that chose to remain, he sensed that there was not going to be an option for him.

  "I think that it would be a wonderful idea for you to stay here like you usually do. That way, you both can continue her studies throughout the break."

  If it was anyone other than Dyani, Britt would have thrown a fit. As it was, he stamped down the flutter of excitement at being given a reason to have her around him more often than not. With a scowl, he crossed his arms.

  "Fine. But you will be paying me for this, as I had not planned on teaching at all during my time off."

  "Half pay."

  "No, you will pay me overtime and nothing less. This is on your orders, Etara. You will pay me accordingly just as you did this past summer."

  "Fine, but she had better pass her testing when they return from winter."

  Britt watched in triumph as the woman strolled away, her shoulders tense and posture rigid. When she turned the corner, Britt snorted. At least he had weaseled out money for this. Normally, he would have just waved off being paid. Now, there was a gift that he needed to get for a certain dark haired woman. It was close to Yule and one could not celebrate without gifts.

  A few days after the epic snow war, Dyani was preparing for the upcoming tests. The mid year exams were beginning to stress her out. There was more material to cover than she was able to go through in the short timeframe. Each night she could be found in the library, her nose deep in a book. Most of the time, one of the group had to drag her from the stacks and to bed. A few times that included waking her up from a nap. Dyani was harried and even Britt had commented about her looking on the pale side. It was a bit annoying to deal with and only made her delve deeper into her studies.

  This time, Dyani was face down in her American History notebook while attempting to research for an essay. Dyani jerked up from the mess on the library table when a noise startled her. The computer keys clacked as she accidentally slammed her hand onto the keyboard. Around her were snickers from other students. She turned her gaze to Mari, who was covering her mouth with a hand.

  "Sleeping on the job? You were meant to be writing your paper."

  "I was!"

  An eyebrow quirked at her and she grimaced, "I swear I was!"

  "Here, use this to help you keep awake or you'll fail the essay." A small bottle was placed down next to her elbow. "It'll help you wake up and focus."

  Dyani picked up the shimmering blue bottle. The liquid swirled around in the rounded glass jar as she eyed it, "It's like magic Adderall."

  The screw top was a surprise to her, half expecting it to be a cork. It had been quite some time since she tried the potions, most of them during the time she was unconscious. That was one of the areas that they had not covered as much. They figured that with her knowledge of chemistry, that it would be one of the later parts of her tutoring. They wanted to get her through the tougher material before addressing those that her previous studies in college would have given her an advantage.

  Shrugging her shoulders, Dyani swirled the liquid before shooting it back. Mari had disappeared and Dyani wrote it off as needing to finish her own studies. As it was, she needed to do the same. There was some time before her face felt a bit hot. The room was getting warmer. At least, she felt like she was getting overheated. Shrugging off the sweater, Dyani kept the long sleeve and vest on. Page after page was devoured in favor of finding the much needed information. Without there being any source in the Goddesses' library, she would have to rely upon the modern books. It was frustrating knowing that there had to be two different versions of history. Each time there was an essay she would struggle with this very problem.

  A small part of her mind reminded her that there would always be multiple versions, considering that the winner's always wrote the books. Dyani's head thunked against the table in defeat. This was beyond arduous.

  "Are you alright, Dyani?"

  Dyani groaned at the sound of Britt's voice, "Yeah. Peachy."

  Her head remained on the table while she fanned herself. It was getting much hotter in the room. It had never been this warm before, though she was always the type to be cold all the time. The man chuckled and set something onto the table. Dyani glanced up and felt the heat rush through her the moment their eyes connected. It was unbearable. It coiled in her stomach and released a wave of pleasure that would have sent her to her knees. Tearing her eyes away from the handsome man, she squinted at the book he dropped to the table.

  A slim hand patted the leather cover, "A book for you. To help."

  "Bless the Goddess, thank you Britt." Dyani pulled the book close and flipped through the pages. There. What she was looking for. At least, it was a more detailed version that the History teacher had referenced. Dyani glanced up at him with a bright smile. "Thank you."

  His blonde hair draped over his shoulder and green eyes shined with mirth. The smile was slow but it sent a wave of heat to her core. Dyani shuddered and sucked in a sharp breath. Britt frowned for a moment before shaking his head. Dyani watched the golden locks with rapture as the man leaned over to point out something in the book. The woman glanced around. There were a fair few students nearby, their eyes not subtle in watching the interaction between her and Britt.

  "Dyani?"

  "Hm?" She turned to him and was nose to nose with the man who had been her source of entertainment since the summer.

  "Are you sure that you are well? You're acting a bit strange." Britt's expression hardened and he leaned back with his arms crossed, "Have you been staying up late again? How many times must I lecture you on proper care?"

  Dyani flushed under the scolding, feeling the start of arousal at the authoritative tone. She bit her lip and watched him with things on her mind that would rival any hormonal teenager. Britt sat on the table next to her and she leaned back so that she could look him in the face. When she did, Dyani stripped off the vest and unbuttoned the top few buttons of the blouse. In doing so, he would have direct view down her blouse to the ample cleavage she felt the need to display.

  "I promise that I am taking care. I have been going to sleep at a regular and not staying up too late. As well as eating each meal."

  "Good. I would hate to have you in the Healing Ward again for magical exhaustion."

  Dyani shrugged and placed a hand on his thigh, giving him a smirk. The man's eyebrows shot up as he looked down at her bold touch.

  "Dyani..." He warned. That was the last thing that she wanted to hear and it made her pout.

  "Britt," she responded.

  His face displayed shock for a brief moment before green eyes narrowed, "Are you drunk?"

  There were some mutters and his dark glare had them turning back to their tables. Britt turned in time to find Dyani wedging herself between his legs and one hand beside his thigh. Her shirt was half off and she was trailing her fingers up his chest.

  "I would never be drunk during school hours. Although, I would not mind getting a drink with you. I'm sure that we could go to the Marketplace this coming weekend."

  Dyani trailed her fingers down his jawline, her other hand caressing his thigh and working its way higher. Britt's breathing hitched and he felt the pull to succumb to her magic that flared around her. It was seductive and strong, something that would easily draw anyone in, much like the Sirens that lured their victims to their death. Instead, this non-siren was caressing his thigh and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The magic within the girl flared when their lips connected, sending papers and books flying. Students cried out in shock at the missiles as Dyani attempted to crawl into his lap. Shirt on the floor, Dyani's bra was the only thing keeping her relatively modest. Shelves rattled and swayed under the onslaught of chaotic magic. Some of the students fled while others observed the scene before them. This would feed the rumor mill for weeks.

  Britt shoved the woman off and watched as she lay on the floor in a daze. There was no reaction except for her to begin caressing her body. Moans and echoes of pleasure ricocheted through the library. Students were staring at her in horrified fascination. Britt knelt down as a wave of magic rolled over him. It was worse than the thrall of a Siren. Sweat broke out over her body and Dyani arched up from the floor with a moan of pained pleasure.

  Looking up at the table, Britt snatched the empty bottle that had tipped over. Raising it up to his nose, he breathed in carefully.

  "Lust. Oh Dyani, what have you gotten yourself into?"

  Dyani felt the fire within her, the pleasure from the searing kiss with Britt. It coursed through her veins and she ran her hands across her body. Anything to satisfy this pain. Her need. Her desire. The lust for the man that stood over her. Hands tore at the clothes, trying to remove the constricting material. His hands. She wanted his touch. Dyani watched him through hooded eyes as he bent over to scoop her up.

  "You! Run ahead to the Healing Ward. Alert them that I have a student under the influence of a Lust potion of unknown origin and she's having a severe reaction."

  The boy nodded his head and ran off while the others moved out of the way. Dyani's hands were caressing his jaw and his neck, down to his chest. Arms wove around his neck and she played with his hair while staring at him with glazed eyes.

  "Dyani, I need you to listen to me."

  Britt whispered carefully, doing his best to calm her. His magic was reacting to hers, the desire bleeding through. The kiss had transferred some of the effects of the potion, or her magic had taken it and turned it into something else. The feel of her body against his was enough to have him fighting the urge to let her touch him more. The attraction was there and the tension between them had been real. It was all the potion needed for him to fall under its spell, especially with her magic enhancing the effects.

  Lips brushed against his neck and he shuddered, almost dropping the woman. It was the nipping of his skin and the moans of pleasure that had him stopping. Dyani was set on her feet for a brief moment before he bent down to toss her over his shoulder. Arms swung and Dyani giggled at being carried like a damsel being saved. It took her all of a minute of walking for her to spot the delicious sight in front of her. Hands trailed down his back, eliciting a shudder, before she gripped his tight ass with both hands. The swearing was loud enough to have the stray student turn in their direction.

  "Dyani," Britt's voice was strained as he tried to warn her.

  "Yes, handsome? Have I ever told you that you have a magnificent ass? I always love watching you walk away."

  "Goddess above, Dyani."

  The doors of the Healing Ward could not come soon enough for the man and when they appeared, one of the Healers was there to greet him. She had a stretcher floating in the air beside her and Britt was gentle in laying the girl down. When his hands left her body, not without another grope, she keened. It was a heartbreaking sound, one that followed with pleas.

  "Britt. Please. I need you."

  The woman was rushed in and Britt was gently guided through the large doors as well. There was a bed that was on the other side of the room from the thrashing Dyani. The waves of magic rolled off of her, damaging some of the beds in the process. The Healers were trying their best to calm the girl but the delirious state was beyond reasoning with. Britt watched as Dyani was tied down and the curtains pulled shut.

  "Come now, Master Briggens. Let's get you checked out as well. I want to make sure that her magic and the potion's effects did not transfer to you."

  Britt stood and stripped his clothes, knowing that they would be examined later for evidence. He had not thought to grab the potion bottle or the clothes, but his thoughts had been answered when a student came into the ward with a bundle of clothes and the very bottle floating in front of her. The Healers put them into containment fields before turning their attention to the two. Britt was not as bad, residual effects. Dyani, on the other hand, required an expert to be brought into from the nearest hospital. A potioned woman underneath a lust bewitchment was one thing, but adding in Dyani's special case was another matter.

  Britt recognized the expert that rushed through the doors, having been called when they first arrived. There was a commotion from behind the curtains, a pained moan coming from Dyani. The healer that was tending to him tapped him on the shoulder.

  "Everything seems to be in order, Master Briggens. I believe that you escaped with just magical influence. I've cleared that from your system and you should be good to go."

  "Thank you, Healer."

  Britt slid on the clothes that they had provided him when the healer reached out.

  "Although," she trailed off, staring at his neck. "You may want a bruise salve. That is an interesting mark you have on your neck. You don't want questions floating around."

  Britt grimaced and tossed up a glamor over it, deciding to deal with the mark later.