Who: Reagan, Shayna Mae and Caius When: Early evening, Monday June 4 Where: The O’Reilly’s home Warning: turns NSFW Status: complete
While Reagan wasn’t exactly thrilled with Caius’s new “friendship” with Shayna Mae O’Reilly, she certainly wasn’t jealous. She had complete confidence in her marriage, and her husband and Reagan knew without a doubt that the earth witch was not Caius’s type whatsoever. Even so… Reagan couldn’t help but feel a bit prickly about it, mostly because she knew how intoxicating magic could be, especially when one was sharing it with another in any capacity.
Despite being well aware that Caius only had eyes for her, Reagan still felt insanely possessive of him. That wasn’t why she had agreed to go out into the woods with Caius to visit Shayna Mae, but maybe there was a tiny part of her that just wanted to be present. Besides, the last time she had been at the O’Reilly house Reagan had been focused on finding a solution for her lost magic and the issue of Abigail Baron. This time she could get a better look at the house and maybe quell some of her curiosity about the place.
She and Caius were in his car now, driving out into the woods. It was raining, but not too terribly so they were able to see where they were going without any real issue. “Do you find it in any way amusing that you’re helping Mila Moretti yet again?” she asked him with a quirk of her lips.
Caius respected the O’Reillys -- he respected Shayna Mae, anyway, Aidan didn’t seem to be making much of himself, and Caius barely knew of the non-magical brother -- and he was glad to think of them as allies. They were a powerful family, and if the witches in Point Pleasant were ever going to put a proper coven together, the O’Reillys would be sorely needed. Considering the nature of Adrian Moretti’s problem, Shayna Mae was the first person who had come to mind to ask for help. He’d already reached out to let her know he was bringing a problem to her, and to see when the best time would be. He’d invited Reagan along to keep her informed ... and maybe quell some of the possessiveness he knew she was probably feeling. Caius knew because he would’ve been feeling the same way. This visit was all business though, and he didn’t mind letting her see that for herself.
He glanced over at Reagan when she spoke, a smirk crossing his own face. “I need to start up a tab for her, don’t I?” he murmured. It definitely wasn’t by design, he could give a shit less about the Morettis overall, but they just kept popping up needing help with interesting problems. Plus now Mila knew a secret about Caius, and he wanted to preserve that secrecy. “A damsel in constant supernatural distress.”
"I'm surprised you haven't already," Reagan murmured, turning her gaze back to the windshield. "You rarely help people without wanting something in return." There was no bite in her tone, since she didn't judge him for it. Payment of some kind tended to keep people away. If word got out that witches were willing to help them solve their problems for free, everybody would want a piece. Reagan's lips twitched, because damsel in supernatural distress was an apt way of describing Mila Moretti. "I'm sure it doesn't hurt that she works for you and your father. Two powerful witches at her disposal is certainly a perk of the job."
Caius gave a soft hum. “We should put that in the orientation material,” he said, then huffed some air through his nose. “She works for us, she knows about our demonic blood ... but that’s not all I have in mind about this favor. Her brother could be very useful to us at some point down the line, if I play this right. Giving him more control means he can be controlled more.” Caius’s plans were still evolving, and he had some pointed questions to ask Shayna Mae if she had any helpful information to share today, but Caius wasn’t going to walk away from this empty-handed. He just generally didn’t need to take payment in cash.
Reagan didn't think Caius was interested in monetary payment. He had plenty of that. But the mention of Mila's brother helped her understand why Caius was helping out now, beyond the shared secret of his demonic blood. "I'm not too sure Mila Moretti would appreciate her brother being controlled in any capacity," she said simply, not looking to dissuade him at all, but just wanting to put it out there that there could be potential problems in the future.
“And I care about that, why?” Caius posed, arching a brow as he glanced over at her. He slowed down to take a turn onto an unpaved road, wincing a bit as the car started to jostle them. He hated driving down here, he really needed to invest in an SUV for situations like this. He just so rarely left town, but it would come in handy in the winter months too. Caius didn’t give a shit what Mila appreciated, and if he succeeded at the vague framework of what he had in mind, she would never know anyway. Caius had learned from the best about having aces in his back pocket, and he needed another good one. “I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate her brother being a step or two away from a cannibalistic monster either, so ... trade offs.”
"I never said you cared," Reagan pointed out with a small smirk. Her hand reached for the door just to hang on a bit as they drove onto the uneven road. "I'm just saying... there could be things about Mila Moretti that you don't know. Yes, she knew what you were, but how can you be sure that's all she can do? She was in that place for weeks, it's hard to believe she came back wholly unchanged." Reagan had no answers herself, but given their luck over the past several months, it was instinct now to be suspicious of everything and everyone, at least a little bit. And getting involved with a man who had been infected by a wendigo, or something similar to it, gave Reagan some pause. Not that she could deter Caius. She wouldn't even try, unless she felt like it was needed.
Reagan had a good point, of course, but it still made Caius roll his eyes. He wasn’t afraid of that girl, no matter what she might be now. She’d been the victim of a terrible experience, but she hadn’t become some superpowered magic user or something. At least not as far as Caius could sense, and he could sense a lot. Plus, she was an employee. “I’m sure we can handle anything she might have to throw at us,” he said, trying to sound more dismissive of Moretti than his wife. “Besides, I’m not going to advertise that I own her brother. There’s no reason she needs to know.” He was still working out exactly how he might accomplish that, and Reagan would likely be the only one who knew about it at all.
Magic wasn't the only frightening thing in the world and Reagan didn't want Caius getting so wrapped up in his own motivations that he failed to see the ground before he hit it. He might roll his eyes and blow it off, but Reagan wouldn't. She would keep an eye on Mila and her brother. It wasn't that she didn't think Caius couldn't take care of himself, but sometimes his arrogance made him vulnerable, whether he wanted to admit it or not. She hummed an acknowledgement in her throat, though she didn't sound overly convinced. Now wasn't the time to get into a deep conversation about what owning a wendigo could mean. They were getting closer to the O'Reillys’ and Reagan noted that there were already blossoms blooming on the grounds near the trees. It wasn't unusual since a lot of flowers were blooming in Point Pleasant, but there was an abundance of them here, no doubt created by an earth witch. "Do you think her familiar will be lurking?" Reagan asked, keeping her eyes on the road, though her lips quirked slightly.
Caius had been with Reagan long enough to read plenty into that soft sound, and he knew they would be discussing this again later. Which was fine. Better than trying to do it right then. There was business to attend to. Caius didn’t exactly bristle at Reagan’s mention of the familiar, but he did twist his lips a bit. “Isn’t he always?” he muttered. “He’s so big all he can do is hover.” Caius wouldn’t have minded the familiar much -- though he was a tad jealous that his family didn’t have one to inherit, they seemed so useful -- if Reagan didn’t keep making pointed comments about how attractive he was. She knew what she was doing, too. Caius drove into the clearing that contained the O’Reilly house and parked the car near the rest of the vehicles, then reached for the door to climb out.
She absolutely knew what she was doing. Just because they were married didn't mean Reagan couldn't poke at Caius's more possessive personality traits. She still enjoyed making him jealous, even if he knew better. Satisfied with his response, Reagan tried to suppress her smile even as they pulled up to the house. Climbing out of the car, she smoothed down her shirt and walked around the car to walk up the porch with Caius. There were plants all over the porch and Reagan recognized some of them as herbs used in magic. The smell of lavender filled her sense and Reagan breathed it in as Caius knocked on the front door.
Since Shayna Mae was expecting company, she made some tea, though she wasn't entirely sure Caius or his wife would drink any. It was still nice to offer. She had just braided her hair and twisted it up and away from her face when she heard the knock. Knox was around somewhere and she had a feeling he would be close by, just in case. Padding across the room to the door, she pulled it open and smiled immediately at Caius and Reagan. If it had been anyone else, she would have kissed his cheek, but Shayna Mae knew well enough to keep her hands to herself. "Come inside," she said, stepping back so they could enter. “I hope the roads weren’t too bad for you.”
When it came to Reagan, Caius wasn’t truly threatened by anyone, magical being or not, but he still didn’t like the idea of being compared to some hulking romance novel cover reject. If Caius understood his nature well enough, Knox had gotten to choose his human form anyway, it wasn’t like he put real hours at the gym into that physique. He wondered vaguely how the familiar didn’t destroy all of the flower pots everywhere, bull in a china shop style. Jealousy was unbecoming though, and he smiled warmly at Shayna Mae when she opened the door, tiny and cute by contrast. “Not at all,” he said as he gestured for Reagan to enter first, then stepped in behind her. “It’s a beautiful drive in the summertime. Thank you for making time for us, hope you and the family are well.”
Reagan found Knox to be attractive in an exotic way. He was a magical being... a large one. It was mostly the presence that she found attractive, but she had no sexual desires toward the familiar. It was just in her nature to exploit a sore spot of Caius's when she discovered it. He certainly knew how to push her buttons and what fun would it be if they didn't provoke one another from time to time? Reagan knew Caius well enough to know he wasn't truly threatened by Shayna Mae's familiar. Speaking of Shayna Mae... Reagan smiled and stepped inside, immediately thankful for her cozy home in Black Cove. The O'Reilly home was... rustic...to say the least.
Shutting the door behind them, Shayna Mae gestured for them to follow her into the living area. "Everyone is doing fine. Max is adjusting pretty well with being home. Aidan is... somewhere." She waved her hand and then motioned to the couch if they wanted to sit. "I've got tea if you want any. There's some moonshine too, but I didn't know if it might be too early for that." Shayna Mae clasped her hands together, smiling with one brow raised. "Maybe a combination of both?"
Caius had been to the O’Reilly house before -- even though it was sizable and had two stories, he always thought of it as a ‘cabin’ -- but he couldn’t exactly say he was completely comfortable there. It was just such a different environment than what he was used to. Still, he followed Shayna Mae and then went to sit on the couch alongside his wife, giving a low chuckle at her offer. “Just tea for me, thanks, I’m driving,” he said. He had no idea how strong her magical moonshine might be, and he had a high tolerance for being actually too drunk to drive, but he wanted to keep a clear head. Caius considered himself allied with Shayna Mae, but he knew alliances could turn on a dime.
Moonshine, even magical moonshine, was not something Reagan was interested in. She didn't distrust Shayna Mae or her family, but she could only imagine how strong it would be and she didn't want to get tipsy in any sense in this place. "Tea is fine," Reagan told Shayna Mae with a smile that lasted as long as it took Shayna Mae to turn around and head for the kitchen. She examined the couch briefly before taking a seat and releasing a breath. The place smelled of wood and incense and flowers. It wasn't off putting in the least but Reagan kept expecting woodland creatures to start popping up from behind the bookshelves, or crawling out of the ceiling. The last time she had been to this house she had been magic-less and consumed by her desperate need to retrieve it, so she hadn't paid much attention to the place.
When Shayna Mae returned, it was with a coffee mug in each hand. She handed them to Reagan and Caius before taking a seat in the nearby chair. "What can I help you with?" It was Caius she was really speaking to, but she looked at both of them, not wanting to offend by assuming Reagan was simply along for the ride.
Caius noticed the change in Reagan’s expression when Shayna Mae turned her back, and it amused him a bit for some reason. His own lips quirked up and then smoothed out when the other witch returned. He leaned forward to accept the mug with a murmured thanks, breathing in the fragrant steam as he sat back again. It definitely smelled better than any of those teas that came out of the grocery store, that was for damn sure. Shayna Mae probably grew her own. He wondered vaguely if she provided any for the Castells to sell in their shop. Caius took a sip before he rested the mug on his knee and focused on their purpose there. “It’s not directly for me, but I’ve been approached with a problem that seems like it would be more your purview than mine,” he answered with a faint smile. “Do you remember the mess in Blackwater Woods several years back ... a bachelor party gone wrong? They believed that one of the men murdered all the others, I believe he served time for it ...”
Curiosity bubbled up in Shayna Mae as she listened to Caius, her brows furrowing together as those particular memories resurfaced. "Yeah, I remember that. The cops searched the woods for weeks, even came here, to our house, like we might know something. Dad let them look around, obviously, but..." She trailed off, glancing between Caius and Reagan, who was sniffing the tea in her mug before sipping it gingerly. Shayna Mae's gaze shifted back to Caius. "Why?" She had a feeling she knew what he might ask about, but in this case she didn't feel open to just giving him information. Blackwater Woods harbored a lot of darkness, but she still felt a kinship with it. Probably because she and her family lived in the woods herself and she was bonded with nature, just like the creature was. That wasn't to say she felt a kinship with it, but it always made her a little suspicious, when people came out to try and control things that they had no business controlling.
Caius gave a brief nod before he went on. “One of the victims is the brother of one of my employees -- and I say is, because he actually survived. He was presumed dead, but he managed to escape the attack, with some injuries. It wasn’t Cruz Acosta who did the killing, it was a creature,” he explained, sure that wouldn’t surprise Shayna Mae. Caius was passingly familiar with the potential dangers of the forest, but she lived in it every day. “It hurt him, and he physically changed as a result. He has some very ... wendigo-like features now, that was the closest legend I could find to what he described. A constant hunger, if he doesn’t eat he turns more feral and monstrous, loses control of himself, craves blood and flesh. He was involved with an organization that was able to help him retain some humanity, but he’s looking for more help. A higher level of control. Some sort of magic to keep the beast inside at bay, if you will. I thought maybe you might have some insight.” He sipped from his cup, eyes on the blonde witch.
No, she definitely wasn't surprised to hear it had been the wendigo. They had known it then, but it wasn't Shayna Mae's place to say anything and she knew no one with any importance would have believed her anyway. The O'Reilly family rarely got involved in matters of Point Pleasant, at least when their dad was running things. She hadn't known about the survivor though, and how he had changed. Shayna Mae considered what Caius said, wishing she had poured herself a cup of tea too. It would have at least given her something to do with her hands. But she clasped them together now, silent and passively watching the two dark haired witches in front of her. For a moment, while she studied Caius, she wondered why he had come to her instead of sending the man in question, or his sister. It was a curious thing, but Shayna Mae decided not to make any assumptions, or speculate on his motives. "He'll start the transition to become one of them, if he's ever starved to the point of cannibalism. The second he tastes human flesh, it’s going to be worse and harder to control. But, we could burn protective tattoos into his body, which would help dampen some of those wendigo-features you mentioned and slow down his metabolism to give him more time in between meals. It's not a great fix, but it's something. The other option..." Shayna Mae took a breath. "It's complicated blood magic. A binding ritual to essentially put the creature inside of him to sleep. He would still need to eat more than the normal person would, but he wouldn't feel ravenous all the time and the rest of those wendigo side effects would be dormant as long as the binding magic holds. It would probably need to be repeated every few months just to make sure it stays sleeping. And I'm sure you both know that kind of magic would require a sacrifice."
Caius listened intently, some deep part of him twisting happily at the mention of blood magic. That was his forte, the kind of magic he excelled at that most witches didn’t want to touch. He wasn’t quite sure how skilled at it Shayna Mae was, if she would want to be involved in all of this herself, if she would be disapproving of what he offered to Adrian Moretti ... or rather what he folded into the ritual himself. The prospect that it might have to be a repeated event did offer an interesting leverage, however. If Caius was holding the reins on the man’s humanity, there was potential that Caius could use that to his own advantage. “Do you have direct experience with that?” he asked Shayna Mae, his expression smooth but for a slightly quirked eyebrow. “Do you know how big of a sacrifice would be required? He already has some protective tattoos, he let me take a couple of pictures. So I’m not sure if more would help or only prolong the inevitable ... he said they bleed if he gets too hungry, like the defensive nature of them is wearing off.”
Reagan continued to sip her tea, occasionally glancing between Caius and Shayna Mae. She knew her husband well enough to know where his interest lay and she could have sworn she felt his magic prickle through her when Shayna Mae mentioned blood magic. It was still intriguing to hear Shayna Mae talk, especially because she seemed so confident in what they were discussing. She had always pictured Shayna Mae as a hippy witch, walking around the woods naked with birds flying around her. But it seemed like she knew a bit about dark magic too, which Reagan supposed shouldn't be surprising, considering it was Shayna Mae's bloodline that had led the coven so many centuries ago.
"Direct experience?" Shayna Mae's lips twitched and she shook her head. "No, not me. At least not in terms of a binding ritual. I've never had to do one before, but I've read about it in my family grimoire. If his tattoos are bleeding, then they had an incomptent witch ink him... if it was a witch at all. Burning the tattoos will be more permanent and I can guarantee the protection won't wear off with fire magic." Her eyes ticked to Reagan briefly. "As for a sacrifice, considering how ancient the wendigo is, it has to be of a living thing. But it doesn't have to be human." She didn't want to point out that a human provides stronger magic because she knew Caius already knew that himself. It just wasn't something she wanted to even imply was an option.
Caius absolutely knew that human sacrifice was the ultimate power source for blood magic. He’d never done one personally, and he likely wouldn’t for Adrian Moretti alone, but to forge a bond of control over a quasi-wendigo? He would definitely think about it. It wasn’t like people didn’t go missing in Point Pleasant all the time, and he felt more than untouchable by the authorities. Even the vague prospect excited the Obscurities within him, so he tried to divert his thoughts to keep them quiet and under wraps. “I suppose it will ultimately be up to him, whichever path he wants to choose. He’s naturally concerned with keeping his family safe, living as normal of a life as possible again.” Caius took a swallow of tea and glanced over at his silent wife, positive that she could sense how darkly intrigued he was by all of this. “I certainly don’t want to impose on you and assume your help, but if you’re not interested, would you be willing to share the binding ritual with me to perform for him? Before I even offer it as an option. I’d be willing to negotiate some payment or a trade, of course.”
"I've performed blood magic before, but not enough to feel confident in something as big as a binding ritual," Shayna Mae admitted. Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "And I think if he opts for some better tattoos, Reagan would be more adept at performing that. I'll give you a copy of the binding ritual, Caius, and you know I'm not going to charge you for it. Let's just call it help between friends. I know if I need guidance in the future, you'll be there for me." She moved to stand so she could get her grimoire. She wasn't going to lecture him on the consequences of blood magic and sacrifice because he wasn't some baby witch who needed hand holding. As soon as the ritual was out of her hands, so was her responsibility with whatever happened. "I have some things you'll need too, so I'll put them in a bag. Give me a few minutes."
Reagan watched Shayna Mae disappear from the room before she set the tea on the table. "I would be shocked to the core if you weren't mildly aroused right now," she said with an air of both amusement and exasperation. "If you're really going to perform a binding ritual for Moretti... it better be worth whatever backlash there might be."
It was unspeakably pleasing that Shayna Mae was just going to give him the information and let him run with it. As much as he knew they would be powerful collaborators, he didn’t want to do so on this particular issue. The Morettis had come to him for help, and he was going to give it to them with his own personal interest in mind, it was just easier and smarter to keep other witches out of it. He gave Shayna Mae a smile before she left, then turned his attention to Reagan and chuckled. “Mildly? Perhaps,” he murmured. It had nothing to do with Shayna Mae, of course, and everything to do with the prospect of digging his teeth into a new powerful magic. Part of his brain was already churning with how he could tweak the ritual, add his own purposes in, and he hadn’t even seen it yet. He finished off the tea and set his cup down next to Reagan’s, then caught her hand and brought it up to his lips for a couple of soft kisses. “You know I’ll make it worth our while.”
"Worth our while?" Reagan arched a dark brow, her fingers tightening around Caius's. She had no use for a wendigo-human hybrid, though she was sure Caius found some benefit in it. If he didn't, they wouldn't be there trying to help Mila Moretti to this extent. Drawing his hand to her lips, Reagan pressed a kiss to his fingers. "I know you know what you're doing, so I won't try to deter you. I just want you to be careful with this. We finally got our footing. I don't want another crisis to deal with."
Caius hummed an affirmative sound at her incredulous question, still smiling serenely as she kissed his hand in return. “Everything that benefits me benefits you as well, we’re a unit,” he reminded her. “And before you say so, I know it works the other way too, so don’t worry, my love. I’ll be very careful with it.” Caius would work hard to ensure it didn’t come back to bite them in the ass somehow, he wasn’t going to rush right into anything. Like most rituals, this one would require careful research and planning, even with instructions in his hand. Not to mention, he had to make a plan for either option that Adrian chose -- more tattoos or sacrifice for a greater control. And he did plan to give Adrian real relief from his affliction ... but perhaps he could build a magical on-off switch into said relief.
She knew he would research and prepare meticulously before attempting anything and Reagan wasn't really worried about the ritual itself, but what could come of it. She wasn't squeamish, nor did she take any moral high ground when it came to magic. But Reagan felt like it was her responsibility to keep Caius from delving too deep and turning into his father. Not that she would ever say so out loud. She knew he wasn't fond of the comparisons. "I know you will," Reagan murmured. She nipped at his finger before lowering their joined hands to the couch. "It just seems too easy. She's so open with what she's willing to hand over and give you. Are you sure you trust her?"
He could understand her concern, of course. Blood magic always came with a heavier price than other magic, especially the kind that involved an actual sacrifice. It was a lot to do for someone, and Caius definitely didn’t plan to do it for free. Attempting to control a monster like the wendigo wouldn’t be easy, but with the mind magic he’d been sharpening his skills with, Caius thought he could pull something off. Something that could benefit them in the future. “She’s an ally,” he said to Reagan, glancing in the direction Shayna Mae had disappeared in. “I’ll owe her a favor in the future, I’m sure, but we owed her that anyway, along with all the others who came together to help us. ... do you mistrust her?” He arched a thick brow, the question more curious than defensive. If Reagan had concerns about Shayna Mae herself, he wanted to hear them.
She understood that they would need to help the others if they ever came looking for it, but that didn't mean Reagan considered them allies. But perhaps she was reading into it too much. Shayna Mae had helped them before and she had helped Reagan when she was magic-less. It probably wasn't fair that Reagan was thinking she had her own ulterior motives for helping Caius. "I have a certain level of distrust for just about everyone," Reagan said. "If I have centuries-old magic for blood rituals, I'm not about to just hand them over to another witch, I don't care who they are. Then again, maybe she's more naive than I thought she was." She kept her voice down, just in case someone was nearby. "But if you trust her... well, I trust you, so that's all I need."
Caius wasn’t about to cozy up to anyone and give them all of his secrets. There was only one person he really considered that kind of ally, and it was Reagan. Even his father wasn’t going to know everything he did or planned. So he understood Reagan’s general level of mistrust. Caius didn’t think Shayna Mae was naive though, he just thought she saw the value in people owing her favors. Much like him. “I would think that sabotage was below her,” he said in a murmur, squeezing Regan’s fingers slightly. “I think she’ll just want something major down the line.But I’ll vet whatever she gives me, believe me.” This finally wasn’t a dire situation for them, so he could take his time with preparations. He smiled faintly. “Maybe she’s just more generous than us.”
Reagan was silent for a moment as she remembered Shayna Mae's willingness to help her when she had lost her magic. And Shayna Mae hadn't come around asking for a favor in return since. She probably shouldn't be so distrustful of the other woman. It wasn't like Caius and Shayna Mae had a past together, like he did with Zania. Reagan needed to trust that Caius knew what he was doing. "I would say she's definitely more generous than we are," Reagan said with a slow smile working at her lips. "Absolutely more generous than you, anyway." She gave his hand a playful squeeze and was about to say more when Shayna Mae returned with an envelope and a brown paper bag.
"The ritual," she said, handing the envelope to Caius and then setting the brown bag down on the coffee table. "And some things you'll need. I'm sure you have the rest in your own stores. If you need help, just reach out... but I think you'll be able to handle this just fine on your own." Shayna Mae paused and then smiled at Caius. "I trust you won't give this to anyone else. I would like to keep it between our families."
Caius gave a deep chuckle before Shayna Mae returned, unable to argue with that. It was likely that every member of the other families were more generous than he was, and he was okay with that. His and his father’s magic was above all of theirs for a reason. He turned his attention to Shayna Mae’s arrival, accepting the folder and sitting forward to reach for the bag with a smile to take a quick peek inside. He stood up a moment later, since their business there was drawing to a close, smiling back at the other witch. “Absolutely, it’s safe with me,” he promised, offering her his hand to shake on it. “I very much appreciate your help, Shayna Mae. If there’s anything you need as well, please do give me a call.”
Reagan stood when Caius did, offering another polite smile to Shayna Mae as Caius and the other witch shook hands. It was really a shame that the familiar didn't pop up. That would have made for a fun few moments. Maybe next time. Caius seemed to be in a good mood now and she didn't want to ruin that, even to poke at him for a bit.
"I'll do that," Shayna Mae said. As isolated as her family was, she was never opposed to reaching out to the other families in town if she needed them. And having Caius D'Onofrio in her debt in any shape or form was a major benefit to her. She was still of the mind that they were all stronger together. Eventually the other families would see it too. Shayna Mae walked them back to the front door to see them out. "Be safe driving back to town."
Shayna Mae didn’t get a chance to open the door, because it opened from the other side just as they got close to it. Knox stopped short, blinking at the trio of witches standing just inside the house. A trio wasn’t too unusual for this house, but two of them weren’t his family, and that was unusual. Knox recognized them and the way their power hummed, bright fire and dark dark air, and he gave them all a bright smile. “Well, hey there,” he muttered with a faint chuckle. “‘Scuse me, don’t mean to interrupt.” He had to sidle his way inside closest to Reagan, and she didn’t make any room for him. Knox laid a light hand on her arm as he passed so as not to accidentally jostle her even more.
Caius had been about to reassure Shayna Mae that they would, when her familiar made an annoyingly ‘oh shucks’ kind of entrance. His jaw tightened as he saw Knox’s big hand make contact with Reagan, but he bit his tongue. She was going to give him shit about it on the way home, he was completely certain. Caius ignored Knox as much as he could, giving the O’Reilly matriarch another small smile again. “We will. Thanks again. I’ll let you know how it goes,” he said.
The polite thing to do would have been to move out of the way, but Reagan purposely stood her ground, trying not to smirk when Knox had to slip by her, his hand touching her arm. It just gave her more fuel to tease Caius with later. Caius said nothing, but she could feel his displeasure radiate from him. Reagan had always admired his control. If Shayna Mae had done the same thing, or even Zania, Reagan would have probably started pulling some hair. She watched Knox walk away and then turned back to Shayna Mae and Caius to murmur a goodbye to Shayna Mae as she stepped outside onto the porch.
As soon as she saw Knox, Shayna Mae broke out into a bright smile, and she had stepped back to give him room, although Reagan was still in the way. Obviously she didn't know Caius and Reagan all that well as a couple, but there was a look that passed between them and it left Shayna Mae feeling both amused and exasperated. Knox definitely had a presence about him, and yes, he was gorgeous to boot. But he was also hers. They were intelligent witches and seemed devoted enough to each other, so it wasn't anything truly worrisome. "You're welcome," she told Caius. "Take care and good luck."
Caius’s confidence in his marriage wasn’t truly threatened by anyone, but that hot jealousy was still quick to spark up in his chest. It was one of the very few emotions that ever felt hot to him, and there was no question that was because it was tied to Reagan. He knew she hadn’t moved on purpose, just to get under his skin, and she was the best at doing that. He walked out of the house with his wife, shooting another ‘thanks’ Shayna Mae’s way, then headed down the porch steps back toward their car. Now that the big familiar was out of sight, a bit of Caius’s own amusement snuck in, and as soon as he heard the door close behind them, he reached over to squeeze Reagan’s ass and pull her in closer. “You’re going to pay for that later,” he murmured to her, a playful edge to his tone.
As interesting as the O'Reilly house was to her, Reagan was thankful to be leaving now. She wanted to be back in town, in her own home where things were spotless and organized. Caius's hand on her ass prompted her to arch a dark brow and shoot him an innocent enough look. "Pay for what? It's not my fault the man takes up the entire doorway." Amused now, Reagan reached up to slide her fingers through his dark hair. "I forgot how adorable you are when you're jealous." She knew that Caius wasn't really threatened by Shayna Mae's familiar, or any man, but she liked that she could still trigger that possessive side in him. They were married and they were happy, but there was still a carnal need to lay claim on each other. Reagan felt it too.
Apart from the small irritation of Knox’s presence -- such a ridiculous name, to boot -- Caius saw it as a successful trip out into the woods. He’d gotten far more help from Shayna Mae than he’d thought he would, and he had some intriguing leads into how he could manipulate this good deed for the Morettis in his own favor. And now that they were leaving, he could appreciate that it had given him a fun way to flirt with his wife. He chuckled deeply and gave her ass a little smack before they parted to climb into the car. “You know what you did,” he said, shooting her a smirk. It was something only Reagan could get away with, she was much more volatile than he was in some ways, and he wouldn’t want to get some innocent woman hurt by flirting with her. But Caius could react to it in a much more pleasurable way, and now he was looking forward to doing just that once they got home. He pulled his keys out and climbed into the car.
Reagan shrugged, but gave Caius a knowing grin before she tugged open the passenger side door to slip inside. She was definitely more volatile than Caius was when it came to competition, or perceived competition, and most of Caius's past attempts at relationships tended to end because of her... but she wasn't sorry for it. They belonged to each other. Sometimes it was necessary, or just plain fun, to remind the other of it. Once Caius was in the car, Reagan buckled up and pushed her hair back behind her shoulder. "Make sure you fuck me first when we get home, before you jump into blood rituals and wendigo bindings."
“Oh I planned on it,” Caius assured her as he started up the car. They were fully committed to each other, now in legal oath as well as fate and magical curse, but it was fun to poke at one another a bit sometimes. Caius had never been happier, now that everything was settled with his family. However long that lasted. A worry for another day. He glanced over at his bride and gave a lazy little grin. “I might just pull off somewhere and fuck you sooner than that,” he added casually. He backed out of the spot he’d parked in and started to turn them around to head back down the bumpy gravel path that led to the main road.
"That sounds promising," Reagan said, smirking as she glanced out her window. "When was the last time we had sex in the car?" Now that his mother was back, things felt less tense and sad at home, so their sex life had regained some energy, for which Reagan was thankful. And now that Caius had some new magic to delve into, she was thinking it might intensify his libido. As much as she wanted to keep him from diving into anything too dark, Reagan was thinking she might learn the binding spell with him, or at least watch. There was something insanely erotic about watching Caius perform magic. It was one of her favorite things to do, beyond performing magic herself.
As they started to drive away from the O’Reilly house and into the woods, Caius was kind of tempted to pull off and have sex outside the car. It wasn’t too chilly anymore, and both of them could take care of that anyway if they wanted to. Fucking in nature could be a delight, but he wasn’t sure if Reagan would really agree. Both of them enjoyed their creature comforts, but Caius liked to get a bit more wild than she did sometimes. “It’s been too long, I can’t remember,” he said with good humor. “Now the real question is, when was the last time we had sex on the car? If we stay close to the O’Reilly property, maybe your favorite familiar will come and watch.”
"We haven't had sex on the car since..." Reagan trailed off thoughtfully. "Oh, maybe the summer after I graduated from college? Or... wait, a couple of years ago after the Fourth of July fireworks when you were dating that horrible woman, whatever her name was." They had fought in the parking lot of the marina while everyone was gathered at the pier for the fireworks. Sex wasn't always romance and declarations of love, after all. Jealousy could be a powerful aphrodisiac for the both of them. Reaching over, Reagan slipped her fingers into his dark hair. "Let him watch if he wants. It would be a privilege for him."
Caius remembered that night with a fond grin -- and he recalled the name of the woman he’d been dating, but he knew better than to let it roll off his tongue to Reagan. He could barely picture her face though, that had been a short-lived fling, for obvious reasons. What was very clear in his memory was the fiery passion that had consumed him as he bent Reagan over the hood of his BMW and fucked all of that jealousy and anger away. It was making his pants feel tight just to think about. Reagan’s slim fingers in his hair just made him even more tingly. “It would be. An undeserved one,” he murmured, glancing in the rearview mirror to see just how much distance he’d already put between them and the O’Reilly house.
Their fights had always been passionate. They both knew how to push each other's buttons. Caius knew her sore spots as well as Reagan knew his. There were plenty of times that they lashed out with the intent to hurt, but more often than not the only way they had known how to communicate that anger was through sex. It had been a while since that had happened, but they hadn't lost the sharp emotion that came with their intimacy. They didn't need to invoke drama to experience that level of intensity. More often than not now, it was playful, like appreciating Shayna Mae's familiar. The only woman Reagan still felt lingering sparks of resentment for was Zania, but it wasn't even that she felt threatened by Zania anymore. It was just the inability to completely let go of the past and the knowledge that Zania hadn't just been another body to make Reagan jealous. "Oh, it would absolutely be undeserved," Reagan said. Shifting in her seat, Reagan slid her other hand over the inside of his thigh, her thumb grazing the erection she could already feel starting to fill out his pants. "But you know he would enjoy it. He would probably jerk off watching us." Her lips pressed to his ear before she nipped at his earlobe. "Or go home and bend Shayna Mae over. I'm sure we would be doing her a favor too."
He was intensely faithful to Reagan now, especially after everything they’d been through together in the past year or so, but Caius was still a man, and his imagination was more than happy to provide a fun visual of that, and his cock grew further under Reagan’s thumb. He wondered very vaguely how Shayna Mae and her familiar even comfortably fucked, she was so much smaller than him ... but most of Caius was distracted by the hot arousal spreading further in his gut. Reagan always knew just how to turn him on in any given moment, especially the inappropriate ones. Caius wet his lips, feeling his back break out in goosebumps from that little bite. “I do owe her a favor now,” he murmured. He smirked faintly and glanced over at her, his foot getting a bit heavier on the gas. “Would you rather he bend you over, my darling? Do you want me to get you a familiar pet?”
As a woman, Reagan was positive Shayna Mae was more than satisfied with her familiar. There was absolutely no way that a man who looked like that didn't know how to fuck a woman. But Reagan was more than focused on Caius right now, and it was always thrilling to turn him on. She had known how to do it since they were teenagers, still figuring out their sexuality together. Using her palm to massage his cock through his pants now, Reagan hummed deep in her throat while nuzzling just behind his ear. "I already have a pet," she said, squeezing him gently. "I prefer it when you bend me over, but we could probably persuade Shayna Mae to let me borrow him, if you want to watch him fuck me." He was way too possessive for that, but that was the whole point. It was about provoking him more than anything else.
Even knowing it was a tease, Reagan’s words put extra fire in Caius’s chest. He pulled in a breath through his teeth, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. He felt a delightful mix of sharp jealousy and possessiveness right alongside the arousal. The way Reagan touched and nuzzled him, that combination of firm pressure on his cock and light tickling near his ear made him feel a little lightheaded. Being called a pet irked Caius’s pride a bit, and even that felt good right then. Reagan was asking for a good fucking, and more and more Caius wanted to give it to her before they even reached the paved part of the road. He took one hand off the steering wheel and reached over to touch her too, fingers dipping between her thighs to press in against her warmth. “In that case, why don’t we make the invitation for a double date? That way I can show the forest princess how a real flesh and blood man fucks,” he murmured. It was a bit of false bravado, since Reagan’s effect on him was obvious, but if Caius could rile her up a little too, he wanted to.
His fingers between her thighs sent fresh fire through her and she parted them to give him easier access. He would no doubt feel how wet she was for him, even though her panties. Teasing him had turned her on something fierce and Reagan ducked her head down to bite sharply at his neck, mostly in response to his mention of Shayna Mae as a forest princess. He was teasing her the same way she had been doing to him, but there was nothing that irritated her more than imagining Caius with another woman, even in jest. "She would go up in flames before you laid one finger on her." Her voice was hoarse and full of arousal as she continued to rub Caius through his pants. He was fully hard now and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to straddle his lap, even while he was driving. "Pull over," Reagan demanded breathlessly. She didn't care if they were still too close to the O'Reilly house. There was nothing but trees around and if someone saw them, oh well.
The bite gave him a jolt straight to his erection, and Reagan’s words made his stomach twist in the hottest way. It wasn’t so much what she said -- he honestly didn’t wish any harm on Shayna Mae -- it was that tone in her voice. The way she was stroking his hardon certainly wasn’t hurting, either. He had planned to pull over, but he hadn’t realized he’d been waiting for her to tell him to until she actually did so. Caius loved to drive Reagan crazy with desire just as much as she enjoyed doing it to him. His foot shifted to the brake and he started to ease the car off the road, his fingers rubbing at Reagan’s damp pussy at the same time. Once they were stopped, Caius threw the car into park, then twisted toward Reagan. His free hand slipped to the back of her neck to grip her hair, and he pulled her to his mouth, the kiss immediately deep and hungry. “And I would destroy him before he touched you,” he murmured against her lips. Caius nipped at Reagan’s bottom lip, then added, “Get out.”
Kissing Caius was like getting a drink of cold water after wandering the desert. Pure relief. She was hot and aching, desperate to feel more of him and Reagan was unable to stop the moan in her throat when she felt his teeth on her lip. Her pussy throbbed in response and Reagan was quick to pull away and get out of the car. She could hear the wildlife all around her, birds in the sky, squirrels rustling in the trees above them. Reagan had never been much of an "outdoorsy:" person, but right now, she didn't care. They were about to fuck in a patch of poison ivy, after all. Reagan walked swiftly around the front of the car to meet Caius, her arms immediately moving around his neck as she pulled him in for another deep kiss, her body pressed firmly against his. She could still feel his cock straining against his pants and Reagan couldn't help but reach down and start to tug his belt apart with impatient fingers.
He loved making her moan like that, and Caius couldn’t get his hands on her fast enough when they met on his side of the car. He nudged his door shut and hooked one arm around Reagan’s slim waist, but he left her room between them to get his belt undone. Caius pivoted them and pushed Reagan’s back against the side of the car. They were on the side that faced the woods instead of the road, and part of him did kind of hope that Shayna Mae’s forest spirit was lingering around somewhere, watching. While Reagan worked on the fly of his pants and their tongues danced together, Caius grabbed her flowy skirt to pull it up so he could get a hold of her panties and pull them down. He could fuck her right up agaisnt the car, no need to involve the ground.
The familiar probably wasn't watching, but it was still hot to think he could be. Reagan had never considered herself to be an exhibitionist in any shape or form, but maybe there was something to be said for it. It was certainly getting her blood pumping hot today. No, she could never stand for letting another woman touch her husband, but if someone wanted to watch? Why not. Let them all see what they were missing. Panting softly, Reagan managed to get his pants undone before she started to shove them down, along with his boxer briefs, to his thighs. His cock was so hard and gorgeous and if they'd had more time, she would have sunk to her knees, even in the dirt, to suck him off for a bit. "Gods, I want your cock so badly," she breathed, scraping her nails along his thighs. "I'm so wet for you, Caius."
Caius gave a low growl as his skin stung from Reagan’s nails, impatiently pushing her panties down toward her knees. He could’ve just turned her around and fucked her from behind, but he wanted her to keep touching, groping him. He wanted to see her face contort with pleasure and her eyes roll back. As soon as Reagan had gotten one foot out of her underwear, Caius hooked his forearm behind her knee to hike that leg up. He pushed her back against the car and reached down to grab hold of his cock, moving in closer to rub the head of it against her pussy. “Fuck,” he moaned, then covered her mouth with his again. Caius thrust into her with one hard stroke, bracing both hands against the car at her sides. The most possessive parts of him wanted to crowd her, pin her, crush her to him to prove how much she was his.
Reagan's arms wrapped immediately around Caius's shoulders and neck, her fingers clutching his shirt to hang onto him. The first thrust drew a gasp from her lips, but it quickly faded into a moan as her lips parted for his. The car was hard and solid against her back, but it gave her the perfect leverage and she tightened her leg around him, immediately thrusting her hips to his to get him moving. While she had never been much of an outdoorsy person, she did enjoy fucking outside. There was something about being surrounded by Caius's element, feeling the air on her skin, combined with the carnal ache that he always invoked inside of her. As much as she might tease him about other men, they both knew nobody could do this to her the way he could. "You're mine," she whispered against his mouth, fingers tightening in his shirt.
Without much conscious thought from him, the air around them started to get warmer. It was June but still early, and it still got a bit chilly outside, and Caius knew even in his subconscious that his wife wanted to be warm. The rest of him was very preoccupied by what her body was doing to his. Reagan had never been one of those ‘lay there and take it’ kind of girls, and Caius fiercely loved that about her. Sometimes she made him want to come in under a minute, and that urge was already pulsing in his balls, but he’d learned a lot of control over the years to keep his woman satisfied. He obeyed her silent urging though, not hesitating to start thrusting hard and deep. Maybe a touch slower than she wanted at first, just to keep himself in control, but he would get there. He always did. Her words drew a moan out of him, and Caius nodded as he kissed her deeply again. He was hers, she was his, down to their very marrow. “I’m yours,” he breathed when he had to grab some air.
While they both knew they never needed to say the words out loud, Reagan still liked to hear them. And she loved it when he agreed with her, when he submitted to her in ways he would never submit to anyone else. Maybe other women over the years had gotten his body, but that had been it. They would never get to experience what Reagan shared with him. Panting now, Reagan leaned her head back against the car, one hand moving from where she was clutching his shirt to press it against his throat. There was no aggression in the gesture, but she could feel his pulse beneath her thumb. Her other hand slid up into his hair, gripping the strands at the back of his head. Reagan had already been so turned on when they left Shayna Mae's home that she knew it wasn't going to take her long to explode. Teasing Caius, being teased by Caius... being outside where she could hear nature around them, could feel Caius warming the air to keep them both comfortable. And the way he thrust against her, the way he was trying to ride that edge and not come too quickly. Moaning his name, she wished she could just draw him completely inside of her. Even with their bodies flush up against each other, it never felt close enough.
Sleeping with anyone else had never been as immersive and intense and satisfying as fucking Reagan was. It was always more than just rubbing their bodies together for a little pop of pleasure, there was something soul-deep about it, every single time. It involved so much more than their genitals, and Caius felt himself melting inside in that familiar way when Reagan put her hand around his throat. Their magic hummed between them, tangling together and merging as much as they were physically, only serving to enhance the experience. Reagan was everything to him, the only force in the world that kept him warm, kept him attached to the earth, injected the fire into him that parts of him fed on even as she consumed him -- and in turn he knew he fed her too. Fire needed air to survive, after all, to not burn itself out. He wanted to keep fueling his flaming goddess until they both were no more. Pumping his hips harder and faster, Caius leaned in closer, enjoying the way it pushed Reagan’s hand tighter against his throat. He bit into the pale skin of her long neck, breathing hard through his nose as he rutted against her, pleasure pulsing through him with every stroke.
Her body was overcome by a fierce shiver when she felt Caius's teeth at her neck. The subtle pain pushed her closer to the edge, her fingers pressing firmly into his throat as she gasped, pumping her hips to his as hard as she could given her position. Their magic intertwined and joined as intimately as their bodies and Reagan felt like she was floating, overcome by pure passion. It was so easy to lose herself in him, no matter where they were, or what was happening around them. Caius owned her, even if she had spent years trying to deny it. Now she didn't want to. He was the only person she would ever give herself to willingly, completely. And now, every thrust of his cock pushed her higher and harder until she was crying out, arching against his body, pulsing around him. Her orgasm was sharp and intense and she didn't really care if anyone, or anything, heard her.
Caius’s magical talent allowed him to hold his breath for a long period of time, and sometimes it came in handy when he really wanted to feel Reagan squeeze his throat. Today was obviously one of those days. She had the most erotic knack for making him feel submissive to her even when he was fucking her brains out. Their power plays were never planned or negotiated, they just were, and it was an incredibly powerful feeling to get swept up in. Reagan owned him just as much, and at the moment Caius felt like his only purpose was to please her. As her body started to tighten around him, her internal fire raging higher, it was exhilarating for him too. Caius fucked her hard and fast through her climax, groaning against her neck as he drank in those animal cries from his woman. He could only last a minute or so after she’d peaked, his movements getting shaky and less balanced until he followed her over the edge. Caius gave a few more sharp, deep thrusts, his body shuddering as he pushed Reagan harder against the car, grunting harshly with dizzy pleasure.
Reagan's orgasm was still pulsating through her when Caius followed her over the edge. Those forceful thrusts only made Reagan's pleasure intensify and she moaned, clutching Caius to her with both hands until both of their bodies grew still. Sated and still shivering with the delicious aftershocks of her orgasm, Reagan sought Caius's mouth with her own, kissing him hard and deep, wanting to convey every emotion she was feeling and couldn't verbalize. Everyone said a certain spark went out after marriage, but if anything, being bound to Caius in every imaginable way possible only made the fire she felt for him burn hotter. "I want to take you home and get you naked," she murmured against his lips. He would have plenty of time for looking over Shayna Mae's spell, but for today, Reagan wanted him all to herself.
He felt breathless and overheated as they kissed again, his embedded cock still twitching inside of Reagan as the last drops leaked out of the tip. It was such a caveman type of desire, but Caius loved nothing more than emptying himself into her, claiming his wife as his over and over again. He thought the prospect that he might fall out of love or stop desiring her at some point in their marriage was complete nonsense. He couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else like this, ever. The muscles in his arms and shoulders were starting to burn, so Caius gently let Reagan’s leg down and shook that hand out, and eased up on the pressure to give Reagan more room to breathe. “Yes ma’am,” he murmured back, his mouth twitching upward. Caius was more than happy to indulge in fucking Reagan as many times as she wanted. The work could wait. He kissed her again before he eased his cock out of her and backed up a bit.
Reagan released a sharp breath when he pulled away from her. That particular loss was always disappointing, even though she knew it was mostly impossible to just keep himself of her for the entire day. After taking another moment to get her breath back, Reagan reached down to slip her panties back on. Once she was able to smooth her dress back down over her thighs, Reagan pressed another kiss to his lips. "I love you," she murmured before pulling back to get back into the car. She could clean up when they got home, where she was already imagining grabbing a bottle of wine and getting Caius into a hot bath with her. Everything else could wait.