Chapter 5

Try as he might that night, Jake couldn't get Lily, and what he'd overheard at the wizard's cabin, out of his mind. He exerted every effort to push her cute face out of his thoughts and replace it with Miss Jenny's swaying walk and bouncy breasts, but it was useless. The wizard and Miss Jenny had both sounded so excited about the magical symbol, saying that it was tied directly to Submissia, but why would someone as…petite as Lily manifest that magic? Surely the goddess of creation would pick someone more voluptuous and well-stacked to represent her? 

Not that Lily didn't have her charms. He found her tears and softness kind of hot. He wished she'd stop saying she wanted to be an adventurer and just admit she was too feminine and weak for that type of work. She needed a strong man to protect her so she could focus on other things. Like…he wasn't quite sure. Having babies and looking good for her husband. Cooking, cleaning and breeding. That should be enough for her. It was the type of woman he'd prefer to have. Well, if he couldn't have Miss Jenny. For her he'd put up with a certain level of bossiness. As long as she did a striptease for him every night and used those huge breasts of hers to get him off, he'd put up with a lot. 

He grinned, thinking he'd finally get to satisfy himself and get some rest, but Miss Jenny kept berating him while she danced in his imagination. "You're nothing but a weak little boy who can't satisfy someone like me. You should be realistic about your appeal Jake. Now that Lily has magic you're not even worthy of her." He punched his pillow in fury and then pulled it over his head with a groan, wondering whether he would be able to suffocate himself and escape this misery. It was bad enough when the other boys teased him about not being manly enough, he didn't need to hear it from his dream woman too.

Lily hadn't slept very much either. She couldn't stop thinking about what she'd overheard from the boys' dormitory the night before. Ana had been great about pretending it was nothing, but Lily's feelings had been deeply hurt by Jake's contemptuous words. She knew she wasn't exactly an obvious choice to be the vessel of Submissia's power, but she had no say in that. The magic could at least have done something awesome like making her breasts bigger. Just three or four sizes would be fine. She still wouldn't be as chesty as Miss Jenny, but at least she wouldn't look like a little girl. Maybe then someone like Jake would want her, instead of believing she belonged in a brothel for sick old men to play with.

Lily was very aware of Jake's baleful glare resting on her all through breakfast. Boys and girls sat on opposite sides of the room during meals and her back was toward him, but she'd had a feeling that she was being watched. When she turned around to have a look, her eyes had met his chestnut gaze immediately. Instead of looking away when she caught him, he'd crossed his arms over his chest angrily, staring her down. Why was he acting like she was the one who'd done something wrong? He didn't know she'd heard his words and had been hurt by them, but still, she certainly hadn't done anything to make him glare at her so furiously. 

Lily was on her way back to her room when a hand clamped around her wrist like a vise. "I want to talk to you," Jake hissed at her, virtually dragging her out the front door and over to the practice arena. 

"You're hurting me," she whimpered and he turned his head so fast she gave a little scream and jumped back in fright. 

"Then make me stop," he taunted. "You have magic now don't you? Do something useful with it. Show me what you're capable of." Lily didn't appreciate his skepticism and she resolved to prove to him that a girly girl could be just as strong as a boy. Even stronger when she had magic on her side. He'd learn to eat his words and respect her!

Lily tried to pull free of his grip, but it was useless. He may as well have trapped her with a pair of steel cuffs. She was still too dainty to make him do anything he didn't want to. Lily could have sworn she felt a flicker of power at that thought and dug her heels in, focusing with all her might on connecting to the magic inside of her and knocking him on his behind for a change. She wouldn't give up until he admitted she wasn't too weak to be whatever she wanted to be. The magic chose her for a reason and if she just kept trying, eventually she'd come out on top. The harder she struggled, the more the ember of power seemed to dim, until it was completely gone. 

"I can't," she whispered, "I don't know how to use it yet. I need more time to learn about my power." Jake narrowed his eyes at her, 

"Maybe it's not there at all and the symbol is just some kind of trick," he accused. 

Lily blinked in confusion, "What? I-I can't fake something like that. I wouldn't lie to everyone. You know I'm not a liar Jake. Don't you?" Jake felt his anger growing brittle under the power of her stare and the genuine heartache he could hear in her voice. 

He shrugged, "How would I know what you're capable of?" he asked sulkily. "It's not like we're friends or anything. You just keep hanging around us pretending you're going to be an adventurer." 

Fury made Lily's throat clog with emotion. She was tired of being seen as a weak little girl. Her magic was going to make her powerful, even if it took some time, and then she'd make all these boys eat their words. They'd be forced to apologize for being so mean, especially Jake. 

Lily was already on the verge of tears again and it made Jake feel powerful, knowing how easily he was able to reduce her to blubbering. "Obviously the magic hasn't made you stronger on the inside or the outside," he sneered. Lily took a few shuddering breaths and then all the will to fight and stand up for herself suddenly abandoned her.

Jake was bigger and stronger than she was. What if he was right about everything? Everyone kept telling her she didn't have what it took to be an adventurer. Even Miss Jenny who tried to be nice about it. Lily knew she wasn't desirable enough to find a husband with her small body and flat chest, and maybe she would end up as a pleasure slave somewhere. Why bother fighting when he would inevitably win? "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you Jake, I know I'm going to lose again if we spar right now. I don't understand my power yet, or how to use it. The way things are right now, I don't stand a chance." She didn't say it out loud, since she was trying to calm him down, but she wouldn't stop believing that soon all of that would change and her size and femininity wouldn't matter.

With every word she spoke, the ember she'd been sure had winked out was slowly returning, burning a little brighter with each passing second. She could feel the heat spreading inside of her. It started low in her belly and slowly crept through her veins. She couldn't see it, but she just knew it was a beautiful, shimmery pink. Her magic seemed to be as shy of confrontation as she was; it preferred to capitulate and then bloom into life. Hopefully she'd be able to train it not to act that way. Perhaps it was only like that for now, because that was what she was like herself. Lily wasn't sure what it was doing though. It didn't appear as though anything had changed. Jake still firmly gripped her wrist and she didn't feel any stronger than before.

Jake's eyes widened and he moved his body sideways so Lily couldn't see the front of his pants. What was happening? He was suddenly as horny as if Miss Jenny herself was kneeling in front of him, telling him to do whatever he wanted to her. He didn't want her though. He wanted Lily. Only Lily. A fog settled over his mind and he wanted to knock her down and spread his body over hers, kissing her while holding her down himself. Not with the help of any of the others. He didn't want them touching her. She wasn't meant for any of them and he'd fight anyone who came too close. He was feeling amorous and aggressive, far beyond anything he'd experienced in his short life. 

Lily gasped when Jake suddenly yanked her forward, forcing her to stumble into his chest. He was much taller than she was and he stared down at her almost possessively. "Jake?" she asked breathlessly, unsure what to make of this new development. She wasn't sure why she liked it, despite the way he treated her most of the time. The smoky darkened expression on his face.. she'd never seen anything like it. It was very different to anything she'd seen from him before and it made her spine tingle and her abdomen feel heavy. 

Jake didn't let go of her wrist. He used his free hand to cup the back of her head and pull her even closer to him. Their bodies were flush against each other and Lily tipped her head back, her lips slightly parted as she stared up at him. She could feel the bulge in his pants pressing against her and it frightened and excited her in equal measure. Jake watched her intently, mesmerized when the tip of her tongue flicked out nervously, wetting the center of her top lip so it was glistening invitingly. He knew she wanted him to kiss her and in that moment he felt like the mightiest warrior the world had ever seen. "I'm in control," he growled huskily.

Lily sighed, and the word came tumbling out of her without her meaning to - "Yes." 

Jake moved as though in a trance, his mouth slanting down to meet Lily's. He could practically already taste the sweetness of her lips. He knew she'd be sweeter than honey, obedient and compliant. This would be far better than a kiss on the cheek from-

"Jake, what are you doing?" Miss Jenny asked sharply, breaking the magic woven around him and Lily. He could have sworn Miss Jenny sounded jealous, but that was crazy. He jumped back, finally releasing Lily's wrist, wondering briefly whether she'd be bruised from his grip. He didn't hate the idea of leaving a mark on her to remind her of him. What the hell was wrong with him? He was mortified to have been caught in this position and didn't know what to say to either of the females. He couldn't even explain to himself what just happened. He turned tail and ran, leaving a highly distressed Lily staring at his retreating back, her hand reaching out toward empty air.