Elemental Faith

by L. M. Somerton

  “Hey, that’s colleague abuse! Fine…I’ll buy you both lunch to make up for lusting after your boyfriend. Let’s go to that place on the river Dominic likes, then we don’t have to drive. We can even sit outside, ’cause they have huge patio heaters.”

  “You may have just redeemed yourself with that idea.” Evrain grabbed his coat and followed Pete, who was already on his way to the elevator.

  When Evrain set eyes on Dominic in the lobby, his entire body temperature rose by a few degrees. Dominic was flushed, his cheeks and nose pink from the cold. His hair was wind-tousled, tucked into the turned-up collar of his overcoat, and his feet were surrounded by bags. Three paces and Evrain was able to draw Dominic into his arms for a welcoming kiss.

  “Holy shit, you two are hot. I should sell tickets.” Pete fanned himself. “Hey, Dominic.”

  “Hey, Pete.” Dominic waggled his fingers in greeting.

  “Do you have a death wish?” Evrain glared at his friend. “I swear I will…”

  “Take me for food. That’s what you’re going to do.” Dominic hooked his arm into Evrain’s.

  “Pete’s paying for lunch. We’re gonna walk over to Pier 13 on the waterfront.”

  “I love their burgers!”

  “And I want hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. It’s Pete’s buck so I’m going all out. You can leave your shopping behind the reception desk.” Evrain attempted to peek into a bag but Dominic whisked them away from under his nose to stash behind reception.

  With Pete grumbling alongside them, they made the short walk to the restaurant. Many of the outside tables were taken but Pete, moving with a speed Evrain had never witnessed before, snagged a great spot when a family got up to leave.

  “Check out the menu and I’ll go order at the bar,” Pete said. “I know what I’m having.”

  “Cheese and chili burger with all the fixings, curly fries on the side,” Evrain and Dominic chorused together.

  “So sue me for choosing the best thing on the menu.” Pete licked his lips.

  “Chicken fillet burger for me,” Dominic said. “With a side salad. Can we get some nachos to share while we’re waiting?”

  “Good plan. I’ll have the house special, Pete,” Evrain said. “Garlic wedges. And don’t forget my hot chocolate.”

  “I’ll have one of those too, thanks, Pete,” Dominic added to the order.

  “Did you just bat your lashes at him?” Evrain accused Dominic. “Do not encourage him.”

  “Pete’s fun. I like him and so do you.”

  “He wants you.”

  “You think that about every man I’ve ever met, and most of the women.”

  Evrain glanced around the surrounding tables. Several people were casting covetous looks at Dominic. “That’s because it’s true.”

  “Have you ever considered that it might be you they’re looking at?” Dominic grabbed for the napkins as a sudden gust of wind picked them up and shook the umbrellas providing some shelter from the elements. “Calm down!”

  “Hey, look!” a woman at the next table shouted. “There’s a tidal bore coming down the river.”

  Dominic watched, open mouthed, as a ridge of water swept along the river, lifting boats and creating a wash along the banks. “It’s not a bore,” he whispered. “It’s going the wrong way.”

  “Must be a flash flood,” Evrain said. “Heavy rain in the mountains, no doubt.” He affected innocence, not easy considering the knowing look Dominic sent his way. “I don’t like people eyeing you like you’re a juicy steak ready to be eaten.”

  “That doesn’t mean you should get excited. I don’t see them, I see you. Only you.”

  “Sorry?”

  “You don’t look sorry. You look far too pleased with yourself.”

  “Got them watching something else, didn’t I?”

  “Gregory will have your hide.”

  “What Gregory doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

  “He’ll have felt the surge, won’t he?”

  “He’ll just think I’m being good. Practicing like I’m supposed to.”

  “I’m not gonna win this, am I?”

  “Nope.” Evrain leaned back in his chair. “And I’ll be reminding you again who you belong to when we get home tonight.” Dominic’s blush made him smile.

  “What did I miss?” Pete asked, returning to the table with a tray of mugs. He dished out hot chocolate. “Someone came inside shouting about a wave on the river.”

  “It was a bit of a surge is all,” Evrain said. “Flash flood.”

  “I miss all the good stuff.” Pete took his seat. “That kind of shit can make you a YouTube gazillionaire if you catch it on film. Food will be about fifteen minutes. The kitchen’s rammed.” He took a huge slurp of his chocolate. “Wow, that’s good.”

  Evrain shrugged out of his coat. The patio heaters were blasting warm air and his recent exertions had already warmed him up.

  “So when are the three of us gonna have a night on the town?” Pete asked. “I need to get laid and you two are a honeypot for all the buzzy gay bees. One or two might want to pollenate me when they realize you two are off limits. We can even go to a den of kink if you want to.”

  “Den of kink?” Evrain spluttered into his chocolate. “You want to find yourself a nice, strict Dom to make you behave, Pete? Or perhaps a sweet sub to worship your comic collection?”

  “Funny. Hey, what’s that?” The wail of sirens broke through the chatter, heading their way. They all turned so that they could see the nearest road, which led to a bridge across the river.

  “Police,” Evrain guessed.

  A black sedan with tinted windows came into view, weaving erratically through the traffic, closely followed by a Portland PD patrol car. Brakes squealed as vehicles attempted to get out of the way.

  “Crap, he’s going way too fast. There’s a work crew on the road before the bridge…” Pete stood to get a better look along with most of the rest of the restaurant’s clientele. “Shit…the safety barriers along the bank are down where they’re working.”

  There were gasps and screams as, just before it reached the bridge, the sedan hit a ramp, clipped the road crew’s barricade then somersaulted into the river. The patrol car swerved violently, avoided the road workers by inches but caught a curb then rolled over and over before following the sedan off the edge.

  “Fuck!” Pete craned his neck for a better view. “We should go help.” Four more police cars arrived on the scene and a crowd gathered on the riverbank.

  “We’d just get in the way,” Dominic said.

  “Stay between me and everyone else,” Evrain said, grabbing Dominic’s hand. He focused, gathering air and dragging it beneath the surface of the river. The Columbus was huge and powerful—the water didn’t want to cooperate, churning, flowing fast, dragging at the invading machinery. Evrain sought the metal, surrounding what he hoped was both vehicles with pockets of air, forcing the water out. He gripped Dominic’s hand, the direct connection between them helping him channel. Holding the shape of the air below the water took immense effort but he could think of no other way to help. One metal mass began to rise. Evrain drew more air into the bubble, encouraging it to move, and the cop car popped to the surface. He slowed the current, fighting the river’s will. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the chill.

  “The cops are out, swimming against the current,” Dominic said. “There’s a rescue boat heading their way.”

  Twisting his free hand into a new shape, Evrain let go of one air bubble and focused on bringing the other car to the surface. He was exhausted and had to reduce the amount of air around the vehicle. Bubbles exploded on the surface of the water.

  “I can’t hold it much longer.” In desperation, he channeled harder. Next to him, Dominic tensed.

  “River police have arrived. There are divers getting into the water, Ev. Not much longer.” Dominic kept his voice low. His calm soothed Evrain’s panic. Then he lost it. His hold on the elements
slipped and the air pocket fragmented into thousands of tiny bubbles. The water flow increased. He sagged into the nearest chair, his vision gone.

  “They got them,” Dominic cried. “Two men. They’re both in the boat. So are the cops.”

  Evrain took long, deep breaths. He felt like he’d run a marathon or three and every muscle he possessed ached. Something wet dribbled from his nose.

  “You’re bleeding!” Dominic pressed a wad of paper napkins to Evrain’s face.

  “Can’t see,” Evrain mumbled. A glass touched his lips and he took a long swallow of water. Slowly his vision changed from black to red to white then cleared. He wiped his nose, hiding the bloody paper in his fist. Dominic came to sit next to him. “It’s over. Everyone got out of the water. I don’t know what you did, but it worked.”

  “Good. That’s good. Did anyone notice?”

  “No. Too busy rubbernecking the action. You’re very pale.”

  “Has my nose stopped bleeding?”

  “Looks like it.” At that moment, a server showed up with their food, which brought Pete back to the table.

  “That was some excitement, huh?” He shoved his sandwich into his mouth. “If they’d gone off the bridge the drop would have killed them. They were lucky air pockets formed when they went in as well or they’d all be fish food.”

  “Is that what happened?” Dominic asked, pushing Evrain’s plate toward him.

  “Must have been. One car floated up and then you could see the air from the other one coming up in bubbles. Water was churning. Wow, it was like something out of an action movie. All we need now is for Bruce Willis to show up.”

  Evrain mustered a brief laugh. He chewed his food, savoring every mouthful as his energy returned enough that he felt less like an extra from The Walking Dead. He got through lunch on a combination of willpower, bluff and Dominic’s unstinting support as he kept Pete engaged in conversation.

  Evrain’s burger could have been compressed sawdust, but the hot chocolate nudged his taste buds back to life. By the time they were done eating, it was almost three-thirty and Evrain had no intention of going back to work, even though he felt a lot better. He and Pete agreed to call it a day so after retrieving Dominic’s shopping from the office, they all scuttled down the back stairs to the underground parking lot.

  “I feel like a naughty schoolboy playing hooky,” Pete said.

  “We’ve done enough overtime to merit an early afternoon every now and again,” Evrain said. “I feel no guilt.”

  “Promise me we’ll get together for a smexy night out soon.”

  “Smexy? No. Just for using that word we aren’t going anywhere with your sorry ass.”

  “Aw, come on, Evrain. You know you want to.”

  “We’ll sort something out,” Dominic placated him, brushing off Evrain’s protests. “He’ll plague you until you agree anyway.”

  “I will.” Pete grinned. “You should always listen to Dominic. He’s cleverer than you and far sweeter.” He ran to his car.

  “You best run… Shit, I’m too tired to chase him.” Evrain leaned against his car. “You’ll have to drive, love.”

  “No, really? You’re dead on your feet.” Dominic waved to Pete as he drove toward the exit. “Get in the car. Home, bath and bed is what your future holds.”

  “Has potential,” Evrain murmured. The car journey would be long enough for him to recover. Once they got going he slipped into a doze, his head filled with the ways in which Dominic would make him feel all better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Dominic lay on his front, chin propped in his hands. He tangled his feet with Evrain’s, who was propped against his pillows reading one of Agatha’s old books.

  “My handprints look good on your ass,” Evrain observed, leering.

  Dominic twisted to look but, other than some pink edges, couldn’t see. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

  “Aren’t you cold? Get back under the covers.”

  “No. You warmed me up. The cold air on my skin is nice.” Evrain had held him down, fucked him then spanked him. He’d enjoyed every minute and was relaxed enough to accept that he didn’t need to understand why. Languor weighted his limbs and he had no desire to move. “It’s allowed to be lazy on Christmas Eve, isn’t it? I don’t want to move.” He was answered not by Evrain but by the bedroom door being nudged open. A dark, furry head poked around it. Shadow gave an annoyed meow before leaping onto the bed. Dominic scrambled beneath the covers before Shadow’s claws could make contact with his bare skin. She stomped up and down the bed, rubbing her cheek on the corner of Evrain’s book, patting his hand and nosing at Dominic’s chest.

  “Someone wants her breakfast,” Evrain observed.

  “And I suppose you think I should be the one to get it?” Dominic wriggled deeper beneath the comforter. “She’s huge. She’ll last till New Year’s on her fat reserves.”

  “No, I will. I intend to pamper you over the holiday so breakfast in bed can be your first treat.” Evrain stretched before giving Shadow a good scratch under the chin.

  “I’m so glad we decided to stay here and have Christmas with just the two of us,” Dominic said. Shadow gave an indignant yowl. “Okay, three of us. I love our friends but it’s such a luxury to have three whole days to ourselves. I got everything up to date in the garden and the greenhouses so I’m all yours for the whole holiday.”

  “You’re all mine regardless.” Evrain slipped out of bed then pulled on some jeans. “Don’t move.”

  “Don’t intend to.” Dominic winced as Shadow used his stomach as a launch pad for a flying leap toward the door. He admired the lines of Evrain’s back and the little divots above his ass. Evrain seemed to achieve his toned muscles with little effort whereas Dominic’s came from hard labor in the garden. Not that he minded. The thought of being trapped in a gym gave him the shakes. He guessed that using his elemental powers gave Evrain quite a workout. He was always exhausted when he’d been channeling and ate like a horse afterward but never gained a pound. He smiled. Thinking about Evrain made him happy. He loved every inch of his weird, possessive, dominant boyfriend.

  The muted sounds of conversation drifted up the stairs. Dominic couldn’t make out the words but Evrain often held full-scale debates with Shadow, who seemed to understand every word. She articulated her responses through a series of noises and physical reactions and Dominic had no doubt that something of Agatha’s spirit resided in the cat. He chuckled. He lived with a warlock so a possessed cat was hardly a stretch.

  He dozed, enjoying the luxury of a rare lie-in, until Evrain returned with a laden tray, which he placed on the bed. “Get started while I go for the coffee. I couldn’t carry everything in one go.”

  By the time Evrain returned, Dominic had sat up with the tray of food balanced on his lap. He reached for the coffee Evrain offered to find himself presented with a gift-wrapped parcel.

  “What’s this? It’s not Christmas until tomorrow.” He shook the parcel but there was no rattle to give away the contents.

  “You can open it after breakfast. It’s something to keep us entertained today.”

  “Will it stop me doing some Christmas baking?”

  “Nope. Now eat your breakfast because I can’t wait to see your face when you open it.”

  Evrain had produced creditable French toast, a plate of sliced fruit and a dish of natural yogurt. “This is great.” Dominic ate slowly, guessing that the gift was more for Evrain than for him and this was the one chance he would get to torture him rather than the other way around. He took his time savoring a strawberry. “So sweet.”

  “Unlike you. I know what you’re doing.” Evrain took the tray away. “No more coffee until you open your gift.”

  “That’s unusually cruel, even for you.” Dominic grazed the back of Evrain’s hand with his fingers. “But I’ll bite. What did you get yourself?”

  “I have no idea what you mean.”

  “Riiight.” Dominic tore the pa
per from the present to reveal a flat, square box. He removed the lid then parted black tissue paper. Nestling inside was a leather collar, an inch deep, with a heavy buckle fastening. He lifted it from the box and a chain dropped from a metal loop attached to the leather. At its end was a smaller loop of leather. Dominic took it in, his cock hardening.

  “You’ll wear it for me.” It wasn’t a question. Evrain’s certainty was absolute.

  “Will I?”

  Evrain traced Dominic’s neck with a finger. “It’s going to look so good wrapped around your throat. You can wear jeans today, but no shirt. I want to see the chain disappearing below your waistband, knowing where it’s going. Every time you move the chain will tug the strap around your balls and you won’t be able to come. Not until I allow it.”

  Dominic gulped. He wanted to protest, to deny that Evrain’s description excited him. “No.” He didn’t mean it.

  “Oh yes, my love. Your entire body is screaming yes. Gonna plug you. Keep you ready for me.”

  “You’re dreaming.”

  “This is one dream that’s going to come true.”

  “I need to…” Dominic made to get out of bed but Evrain rolled over him, pinning him down.

  “You don’t need to do anything. You can’t run from your desires, sweetheart.”

  Dominic squirmed beneath him but rubbing against Evrain’s hard body did nothing to alleviate his arousal. Evrain went to his knees and unzipped his fly. His cock sprang free and Dominic was fixated. He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

  “Suck me.” Evrain crawled over him until he could press his cock to Dominic’s lips. He grabbed the headboard. “Open.”

  Dominic parted his lips, desperate to taste, but this wasn’t about his pleasure. This was Evrain taking what he wanted, but he didn’t, not straight away. Instead he leaned down to adjust the pillows under Dominic’s head, positioning his head at a better, more comfortable angle. The irony of his care wasn’t lost on Dominic.

  “Softy.”

  “Shut up.” Evrain’s dick proved to be an effective gag. “Just because I don’t want you to get a crick in the neck does not make me soft.” He punctuated his words with repeated thrusts into Dominic mouth. All Dominic could do was lie there and take it. “You’ll wear my collar because I want you to. You’ll keep my plug inside you because I demand it.” Evrain stiffened, the vein in the side of his neck throbbed and his eyes flashed. He came in a hot gush down Dominic’s throat, gripping Dominic’s hair with one hand and the headboard with the other. He thrust a final time before withdrawing with a hum of approval. “Do we understand each other?”