by Alexa Land
“Okay, but warn us next time,” I said.
Ari pulled an envelope from his pocket and held it out to me. “Since we’re doing presents first thing, here’s mine.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything.”
He took my hand and put the envelope in it. “I wanted to, and really, this is a gift for both of us.”
The envelope contained a gorgeous card with a hand-painted scene of a desert at night, beneath an indigo sky full of stars. Inside, Ari had written: Happy Birthday, Griffin! I wanted to do something special for your big day, so I rented a vacation home for you, me and Fig. It’s by Joshua Tree National Park, and it’s ours Thursday through Monday. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to celebrate your birthday with you. “I hope it’s okay,” he said, as he watched me with a hopeful expression.
“This is the most perfect gift I could ever imagine,” I said, as I pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”
“Do you really like it?”
“I love it.” I forgot we had an audience for a few moments, until I kissed him and a bunch of flashes went off again. I turned to my aunts and asked, “What happened to warning us?”
Glyn told me, “We never signed off on that.”
“Will you be acting like the paparazzi all evening?”
“Oh, you betcha,” Nancy said with a big smile, as she showed Lilian the photo she’d taken.
“Since everyone’s doing presents already, here’s the one from Nancy and me,” Lilian said, as she put her phone away and produced a wrapped gift from beneath her chair.
The box contained a thick, elaborate scrapbook with a cover that read: Our Griffin, The First 25 Years. When I opened it to a random page and saw a photo of Aunt Roz and me when I was about four years old, I was overcome with emotion.
Nancy said, “There are blank pages at the back so you can include photos from this party, and of you and Ari, of course.”
“This is wonderful,” I said, as I turned the pages. “Thank you so much.”
I didn’t quite succeed in keeping my voice steady, and that got me squashed in a hug between Lilian and Nancy. Then Nancy lifted the mood by saying, “Pull up a straw, boys. This volcano isn’t going to drink itself!”
A few hours later, after lots of drinks, a big meal, and cake, I leaned back on the outdoor sofa and grinned as I watched Ari. He’d joined the band, and they were teaching him to play the ukulele. His sleeves were rolled up, he was barefoot on the grass, and he’d tucked a pink hibiscus flower behind his ear. He was just the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
Aunt Glyn handed me a cup of coffee, then sat beside me and watched him too as she said, “That’s a very special young man you have there. I’d suggest holding on to him.”
“Oh believe me, that’s definitely the plan.” The band members moved on to choreography, and Ari followed their moves awkwardly, then burst out laughing and looked around for me. When our eyes met, he gave me the sweetest smile, and I whispered, “I know it’s only been a week, but I’m falling hard for him, Aunt Glyn.”
“It’s mutual,” she said, as she put her feet up. “That boy’s crazy about you.”
“Do you think so?”
“Definitely. That birthday present says a lot, too. That’s not something he’d give to just anyone.”
August would probably be furious when he found out I’d be taking a break from our training for that trip, but there was no way on earth I was going to miss out on that. Plus, it was actually the perfect place to be as my birthday approached. Ari had mentioned the rental house was on ten acres of land and very private. If my powers surged all of a sudden, I was already in the desert and could just go off on my own and vent the excess energy into the ground.
There hadn’t been the need to do that for the last week. All the time spent practicing with August had burned a lot of energy and left me feeling more stable and in control than I had in a long time. But I knew that could change abruptly, and I loved the idea of being someplace where I could deal with it right away, as opposed to getting in the car and driving for several hours when the need arose.
After a few minutes, Ari returned the ukulele to the band, then jogged over to me and took my hand as he said, “Dance with me, Griffin.”
The band was playing an up-tempo number, but I’d learned Ari always wanted to slow-dance, regardless of the music. We went out onto the lawn, and I took his hand in mine and slipped an arm around his waist. He looked up at me and said, “Thank you for bringing me to meet your family. I’m so happy you have these wonderful women and so much love in your life.”
“They’re all crazy about you, which comes as absolutely no surprise.” He reached up and caressed my cheek, and a moment later I chuckled and said, “I just recognized the song.” It was the all-ukulele rendition of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift.
“I’ve decided ukuleles are the best instrument ever.”
Lil and Nancy joined us a few moments later, and after they snapped a photo of Ari and me, they started dancing with us. Then Nancy yelled across the lawn, “Get off your keester and dance, Glynnis! You know you want to!” Surprisingly, she actually kicked off her heels and joined in.
Ari and I both danced with abandon with my aunts through two more Taylor Swift songs, and then Fig wandered out into the yard and stared at us. I ran over to him and scooped him into my arms, and then I announced, “Group photo! Now’s the perfect time.”
We all clustered together in front of the band, and Glyn held her phone out and snapped a selfie. Then she took a look at the screen and said, “That’s a keeper.”
When we returned to my house a couple of hours later, Ari was bubbling over with happiness. “What a wonderful night,” he gushed, as he took his shoes off and dropped onto my mattress. “I never knew what it felt like to be a part of a loving, accepting family, until today.”
As I put my scrapbook on the table in front of the fireplace and lined up Ari’s card and Glyn’s brochure on the mantel, I said, “I’m very lucky. I just wish you could have met my Aunt Roz. She would have adored you.”
I kicked off my shoes and joined him on the bed, and he pulled me close and kissed me before saying, “Is my birthday gift really okay? It was presumptuous to schedule several days away without asking you first, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“It’s so much better than okay. Will you let me chip in, though? That must have been expensive.”
“It’s a small house in the middle of nowhere, so it really wasn’t all that much,” he said. “You’ll already be driving us there, but if you want to do more than that, you can also be in charge of the groceries for our getaway.”
“Done. Any special requests?”
“Nope. Just leave the birthday cake to me.” He shifted around and put his head on my chest. “I’d like to bring a few canvases to work on while we’re there. Maybe you can bring your book, and we can partially turn it into an artist’s and writer’s retreat.”
“I love that idea.”
“We can’t spend all our time writing and painting, though.” He climbed on top of me and kissed me before saying, “We’ll need plenty of time for this.” He kissed me again, and I ran my hands down his back and smiled against his lips.
Most of the next day was spent in bed, alternately kissing, cuddling, or reading while tangled up in each other. We also messed around a bit, but we hadn’t had sex yet. Both of us were just so inexperienced, and I loved the way we were working up to it gradually. There were so many ways two people could be intimate, and every day brought new discoveries as we explored each other and learned to give and receive pleasure.
That afternoon, Ari glanced at the clock on my nightstand and said, “I wish I didn’t have to go to work. I really don’t want to get out of this bed.”
“I don’t want you to go either, but I’ll pick you up when you finish your shift and we can come right back here.”
“Good plan.”
There was an urgency to his kiss. Whe
n I started to get hard, he massaged me through my briefs before pulling them off me and climbing between my legs. It was surprising when he took my cock between his lips, just because we hadn’t gone there before. He wrapped his hand around my shaft as he sucked the tip, then tried taking a little more of my length.
I slid my fingers into his hair and moaned softly as he sucked me. It felt incredible, and when our eyes met, it became the most intimate thing I’d ever experienced. Soon I was reduced to pure sensation as his warm, wet, insistent mouth took me over the edge. I cried out as I came, and he continued sucking me through wave after wave of that overwhelming orgasm, until I finally slumped against the pillows.
He climbed into my arms, and I whispered, “Thank you,” as I held him tight. “Can I return the favor?”
A shy smile curled his full lips. “Yes. After work, though. I’m going to be late.”
I tilted his chin up and kissed him for a long, wonderful moment. Then he leaned back and searched my eyes. It seemed like he wanted to say something, so I asked, “What is it?”
“It’s nothing. I should get ready.” He rolled out of bed and pulled a clean outfit from the canvas bag he kept at my house, since he often spent the night here.
After we both got dressed, we walked downstairs hand-in-hand. I went to check on Fig and said, “I’m driving Ari to work. Want to come?” He glanced at me, then returned his gaze to his recorded telenovela, so I said, “Fine. I’ll be back in half an hour.” On the way out the door, Ari pressed a button on the control panel to give the gate a head start, and in the distance, it began to squeal open.
We drove to the coffee house with the convertible’s top down. That consistently made Ari happy. I’d jokingly told him he reminded me of a sunflower, because he was always turning his face toward the light. He did that again on the short drive, closing his eyes and tilting his chin up as he let the sun warm his skin. At the same time, he stuck his right arm over the car door, and his slender, graceful hand wove up and down over the slipstream. I thought it was absolutely remarkable that he managed to turn something as mundane as a fifteen-minute commute into a joyful experience.
When we reached our destination, he leaned over and kissed me. Then he looked into my eyes as he ran a fingertip over my lower lip. It still seemed like he wanted to say something, but after a moment he smiled and said, “See you at ten.”
“I’ll be here.” I watched him as he went inside before I pulled away from the curb.
By the time I returned home, the gate was stuck in an open position and August’s silver sports car was parked in the driveway. I pulled in behind him, and when I went inside, I found him in the living room. Fig sat right in front of him, glaring at the vampire. For some reason, it didn’t really bother me that August always let himself in, but I was pretty sure that was on the list of things my dog hated about him.
As I sat down in the floral club chair beside his, I asked, “How’s Tyler today?”
“He’s the same as when you saw him—restless, wild, and nonverbal. God, how I miss talking to him.”
“Well, hopefully we’re on the road to bringing him back. Do you want to go outside, so I can practice?”
August shook his head. “You showed me you could control your energy yesterday, so let’s stay right here for today’s lesson. If something goes wrong, aim for the fireplace, or that other hideous, lavender sofa. This room could do with an extreme makeover.” He waved his hand in a hurry-up motion and told me, “We have a lot to get to while your boyfriend is at work, so show me you can still do what you learned yesterday, and then we can move on.”
I brought up a ball of energy, extinguished it with no effort whatsoever, and said, “Ta da!”
“Well done.” He reached into the inside pocket of his dark gray suit jacket, then handed me a small, antique-looking book with a red leather cover as he told me, “This is for you.”
I thanked him and flipped through the pages. At first glance, it seemed to be a handwritten collection of poems for children, illustrated with cute drawings of a cat in a pointed witch’s hat. But when I started to read the verse, I realized it was something else entirely and asked, “Is this a book of spells for preschoolers?”
“It’s a spell book for young witches and warlocks, which was produced in the mid-nineteenth century. Since their first significant increase in power usually manifests around the age of ten, it was intended for that age group.”
“You once told me that I didn’t need to use spells, because they were for people with only a little magical ability.”
“That’s very true,” he said, “but until you learn what you’re doing, I thought this might be a good place to start. Also, I just wanted you to have it. You should have received a primer like that from your parents when you were a child, but they never had the chance to give it to you. This may be nearly fifteen years late, but happy birthday, Griffin.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it, and this book is extraordinary.” As I turned the pages, I asked, “Where did you get it?”
“It was in a collection of grimoires which I acquired from a dealer of magical antiquities about sixty years ago.”
“You must own some incredible books. I’d love to see your library sometime.”
“Certainly. But now, let’s get to work.” He gestured at a knickknack on the table between us. “Begin on page one of your primer and make that levitate.”
When I read the spell, nothing happened. August muttered, “That’s odd. Do it again,” so I tried twice more, but with the same result. “I don’t understand,” he said. “This should have been absolutely foolproof. Anyone with even a drop of magic in their veins should be able to utilize these rudimentary spells.”
I held the primer out to him and asked, “Will you show me?” When he read the spell, the figurine did exactly what he’d said it would. As it hovered in mid-air, I grinned and said, “That’s really cool.”
“The next spell cancels out the first one.” He read it out loud, and the figurine returned to its spot. August looked perplexed as he handed me the book. “Let’s try a different one.”
Over the next few hours, we tried every spell in the book and moved on to some that August insisted should have been a no-brainer for me. After that, he coached me in how to use my magic without the aid of a spell. Absolutely nothing worked, and we were both left tired and frustrated.
“There’s no reason for this to fail,” he murmured, as he slumped in his chair. “Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Well, unless some kind of powerful magic is overriding yours.”
I asked, “Do you mean someone put a spell on me?”
“That’s the only explanation I can think of at the moment.”
“You said you can see magic. So, what do you see when you look at me?”
He pivoted in his seat so he was facing me and muttered something in Latin. I watched in amazement as his pupils constricted and he squinted. After a few moments, he blinked and said, “It’s a bit like staring into the sun. Your innate magic is overwhelming, but I can just make out something even stronger layered on top of it.”
August got up and started pacing, and I asked, “So, how do we get rid of it?”
He paused in front of the bay window and stared out into the night. When he finally turned back to me, he seemed genuinely upset. “It’s the same as my problem with Tyler. I’m just not strong enough to help either of you. For someone to cast a spell that overrides your natural abilities, they would have to be unbelievably powerful. I’d have to be just as powerful in order to remove it.”
“But nobody’s that strong. You said I was the last of my kind.” A terrible thought occurred to me, and I said, “My parents must have been as strong as me, and if they worked together, they’d be even stronger. Do you think they might have been able to suppress my abilities?”
“They certainly could have if they wanted to, but it would be so cruel. It’s akin to cutting the wings off a hum
mingbird. It wouldn’t kill you, but it would deny you your true nature. Why would any parent want to keep their child from soaring?”
I raised my hand and brought up a ball of energy. “Maybe you’re mistaken, and maybe I’m just doing it wrong when I try to work a spell. If my magic really was suppressed, I wouldn’t be able to do this, right?”
“You’d have that no matter what,” he said. “It’s like the blood in your veins, it runs through you naturally. But that’s just the raw material, or the fuel for the actual magic, if you will. Think of it like a giant pool of gasoline. Without a single match to light it, it’s all just wasted potential.”
I blurted, “This can’t be happening. How can this be all I’ll ever be able to do?” I dissipated the ball of energy and got to my feet.
August crossed the room to me. “You’re really upset.” When I didn’t say anything, he pointed out, “Up until a few days ago, you didn’t even know you were a warlock.”
“But as soon as I found out, it felt like a huge piece of me that had always been missing fell into place. For the first time, I thought I knew who I was. I had a lot to learn, obviously, but I really started to take pride in my abilities. Now this all just feels like a cruel joke.”
“I’m sorry, Griffin.”
I met his gaze and asked, “Given this turn of events, what’s going to happen to me on my birthday?”
“I wish I knew. I thought you’d be able to use your magic to mitigate whatever’s about to happen, but that’s not an option now. Hopefully, you can still vent the excess energy.”
“Since I’ve been doing that for years, why do you think I might have problems on my birthday?”
He thought about it before saying, “I guess the easiest way to explain it is to picture an hourglass. There’s only so much that can pass through it at a time. So, if there’s a sudden influx of sand, if it increases ten times in volume—”
