by Serena Yates
Kaythan's warm arms came around him, lifted him up and cradled him against the other man's muscled chest. Listening to his mate's strong heartbeat calmed him down a little. He took steadying breaths until he felt more like himself again. He opened his eyes and saw smiling deep blue ones gazing back.
"Are you okay?” Kaythan lifted a hand and caressed his cheek, then he slid it into Elryk's hair and massaged his scalp.
"I am now.” He almost closed his eyes again so he could enjoy the caring movements of his mate's hands. They helped him settle his stomach and calm his nerves in equal measure. Just what he needed. “That was the scariest thing I've ever done in my life."
"You did well.” Kaythan looked across to the circling birds. “Thank you for your help."
"You are welcome.” Both birds replied in unison, then turned and flew away, wings heaving.
Thank Tah’ they took their stench with them.
"Okay, time to add some air magic to my repertoire.” He kissed his mate on the cheek, reluctantly turning his attention to finding the exact location of the next piece of the Magic Key.
At the very edge of the flat-toped stone pillar they'd been deposited onto, a white cloud floated at about shoulder height. Nestled into the top of the cloud sat a small golden cage with a glowing, multi-coloured feather inside.
He walked over to the cloud and reached for the cage. The cloud moved farther away from the pillar, and was now suspended high above the ground, almost out of his range. He swallowed. If the blasted thing moved again when he reached for the cage, he wouldn't be able to get to it unless he jumped.
Not a good idea.
How in Tah's name was he going to stop the stupid cloud from moving without having any air magic?
All he had was earth and water—hold on! Clouds were partly made of water. He grinned. Problem solved.
Elryk carefully wove a spell that would push the water globules in the cloud back towards a position directly above the rock pillar. Then he released the spell, and the cloud began to move back towards him at the slowest pace imaginable. But at least it was moving in the right direction this time. He kept up his focus and, thankfully, the cloud kept moving. Finally, it was back where it had been before. He grabbed the little cage and watched the cloud dissolve into a few drops of water that fell onto the rock, making a tiny puddle.
He turned around and walked back towards his mate.
"I'm very proud of you.” Kaythan opened his arms for him and he sat down in his mate's lap, his back leaning against the other man's strong chest. He wiggled a little until he was comfortable.
Kaythan groaned, and he grinned. He couldn't wait for all this magic stuff to be sorted so he could finally make love to his mate like he wanted to. Long and slow. Or fast and intense. He didn't mind which, as long as they didn't have to hurry or fear an interruption for once.
"Only two more types of magic to go after this.” Kaythan grumbled and held onto his hips, stopping him from moving. “And then your sweet ass is mine."
"Oh Tah'. That's supposed to help me focus?” Elryk's stomach fluttered and his groin was suddenly tight.
"No, dearling, it's supposed to make you stop wiggling.” Kaythan slid his arms around Elryk's middle, making him shiver with anticipation. “If you don't stop moving, I may not be able to wait."
"Oh, shit, you make me want.” Elryk turned his head for a kiss. At least he could have one of those, right?
He only pulled back when he ran out of air. He was also about to come in his pants, and needed to calm down before it was too late. Kaythan's erection pushed against his ass from below and that didn't help, either.
"Soon.” He smiled at his mate whose pupils were dilated with lust. “Soon your ass is going to be mine, just as much as mine's going to be yours."
Kaythan's eyes widened but he didn't say anything. Then a slow grin spread across his face and he nodded. That looked like a promise that could keep him going for a while.
Elryk opened the little cage and pulled out the feather. It started to vibrate as if stroked by a strong wind and dissolved into a fine mist that hovered in front of his face. The air magic wafted into his nose and made its way into his lungs like a breath of pristine air. It was as quiet and soft as the earth magic had been strong and the water magic had been overwhelming.
He absorbed all it had to give, first feeling a soft breeze against his cheek then a strong storm against his back. After a short while, the imagined sensations faded and he returned to reality. His hands were empty and the mist was gone.
A feeling of lightness and hope flooded him. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought he'd grown wings and was now able to fly. Whether it was because they'd been successful so far, or whether it was an additional effect of having absorbed the air magic, he wasn't sure.
He turned around so his legs straddled Kaythan's thighs. All the magic in the world wouldn't have been able to distract him from wanting to kiss the other man, rub himself all over his skin and lick every inch of his body until he knew the taste of his mate as well as he was beginning to know his look and the sound of his voice. He dipped his head to bury his nose in Kaythan's neck. The male scent of him, lightly tinged with sweat after their exertions, went straight from his nose to his balls.
"I want you.” Kaythan's arms tightened around his middle.
"Tah', but I want you, too.” He lifted his head to look into Kaythan's eyes.
His mate's pupils were dilated with lust.
A quick look around indicated no further danger for the moment. Maybe there was a little time for them to strengthen their bond before they needed to tackle the next task? They'd surely need that if they wanted to keep going. And what better way than to try and see what air magic could do for them?
"Will you close your eyes for me?” He put his hands on Kaythan's shoulders with the lightest possible touch.
Kaythan's eyes widened and he nodded. With a small smile, he obeyed.
Closing his own eyes so he could focus on the spell, he conjured up a soft breeze. When it was as tame as it was going to get, he let it touch Kaythan's forehead, then his eyes, his cheeks, his jaw. It had become an extension of his hand, and he was able to feel Kaythan's skin under his fingertips almost as if he were actually touching the other man.
"Nice.” Kaythan's voice sounded a little rough.
Elryk grinned and let the breeze caress Kaythan's collarbones and shoulders underneath his tunic, then his chest and nipples. He strengthened the breeze to wind level when he let it touch Kaythan's nipples, and the other man sucked in a sharp breath. Elryk let the breeze wander farther down Kaythan's stomach, circling the flat abdominal muscles, then let it travel along the crease between his groin and thigh. Down the right leg, across the perineum, and back up the other side. During the second round, he centred the wind on Kaythan's balls, circling them in slow movements as he strengthened the wind to storm level.
"Fuck, that feels good.” Kaythan's head fell back between his shoulders, and his breathing deepened and sped up.
When Elryk let the little storm travel from the base to the tip of Kaythan's cock, the other man's hips jerked. Letting the agitated air circle Kaythan's glans a few times, dipping into the little slit on occasion, made his mate pant.
"Please!” Kaythan's grip on his hips tightened and the other man's thighs trembled with the effort of holding back.
Elryk changed the airflow so that it was circling like a tornado. He kept the strength the same, not wanting to injure his lover, and slid it downwards, making him gasp as it enveloped his whole cock from base to tip.
"Fuck.” Kaythan's hips started bucking and Elryk held on for the ride.
He slowly strengthened the air hose further and stated moving it up and down along Kaythan's length to give his man the friction he needed.
"Elryk!"
With a final thrust, Kaythan came. His cock pulsed ropes of semen straight into the air hose, his face a mask of pleasure. Elryk made the air absorb the liquid
and gradually lessened the strength of the wind until it vanished back into thin air where it had come from.
"Wow.” Kaythan opened his eyes and kissed Elryk on the mouth with his hot lips. “That was amazing!"
Elryk was so hard he almost came from the kiss.
Kaythan slid a hand between them, opened Elryk's pants and gripped his cock in a tight fist. All he could do was arch his back and thrust a few times. He screamed as his balls tightened and sprayed his own release all over Kaythan's hand. He trembled as the aftershocks kept coming with Kaythan holding onto his cock as he loosened his grip. Tah’ that felt good!
He looked at his grinning mate and kissed him back.
"Thank you.” Using more air magic, the mess was quickly cleaned up. Using magic like this was definitely fun.
He was barely done when a gigantic tornado appeared on the horizon. It was huge, dark, and looked threatening even from this distance. It approached their position faster than any of its kind should be able to move. Some of the smaller rocks, then increasingly larger ones, were lifted into the air as came closer and closer. It soon covered half the sky, obscuring the sunlight. The howling noise as it came closer made his eardrums hurt.
There was nowhere to go. He could only hope this was going to somehow transport them to the next chamber. If it wasn't, they would surely die.
He slid his arms around Kaythan and held on as his mate returned the favour. At least they were together. The wind buffeted them, pushing them towards the edge of the rock pillar. That didn't look good. He started to call up his air magic, to try to keep them from falling to the ground, at least. When they went over, tumbling down, Elryk was ready.
But they didn't fall far.
Instead, they were suddenly surrounded by immense heat. They were inside a cave. It was fairly large, with a few alcoves and a couple of boulders and smaller stones lying around, but otherwise empty. It was also dark, but orange and red flames danced on the surface of a lake of magma to their left. The heat was almost unbearable and sweat ran down his back in little rivulets within a minute.
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Chapter Seven
* * * *
Kaythan shivered despite the heat. He didn't like fire or anything even remotely connected to it. It was a destructive force he'd seen used by the Law Forces far more often than he cared to remember.
The heat and smoke coming towards them from the magma lake got to him on a subliminal level. Fear coiled tightly in his belly. Fire was dangerous and relentless, and fire magic was probably going to be the same. He fought his fear back as best he could, knowing that he needed to be there for Elryk and whatever trial was next. It made it a little easier to stare at the magma without panicking, but he'd never be comfortable here or anywhere linked to fire magic.
Elryk turned around but remained in Kaythan's lap. It made the heat's effects worse, sweat running from every pore of both their bodies, but Kaythan loved having his mate this close. A little more sweat was a small price to pay. He found that he liked Elryk all sweaty. He grinned. He was beginning to realise that he wasn't able to resist the other man, no matter what. Not that he really wanted to, but an elemental attraction like this took some getting used to. Elryk had just given him one of the most amazing orgasms ever, but he was ready to go again. Insatiable was what the other man made him.
He bent his head down for a kiss. No different from any other time their lips touched, the passion between them rose very quickly. The sweet taste of Elryk's mouth drove Kaythan's arousal higher with dizzying speed. He licked and nipped at his lover's lips before delving inside to stroke and caress his tongue. Elryk responded with a moan and melded his body against Kaythan's as if trying to become one with him.
Kaythan pulled him closer and slid his hand between their sweat-covered bodies, down along Elryk's flat abdomen. Touching his mate's skin with as much of his flattened hand as possible, he made large circular movements on the other man's belly that let his hand come ever closer to the other man's groin. The erection that was beginning to be visible through Elryk's pants was very tempting. Holding back for a little while longer would make them both appreciate the first touch more, so he restrained himself.
A loud hissing sound from the direction of the magma lake made them sit up straight. Fuck! They were here to accomplish a task, not make out like younglings at every opportunity.
He looked to his left, following Elryk's gaze towards the middle of the lake made of liquefied stone. Right in its centre, a small flame flickered into existence above the surface as they watched. It soon came closer. Changing colour through the entire range of smouldering purple via several reds to a bright orange that was almost yellow, it grew more massive as it approached. About the size of a large dog by the time it arrived at the rocky bank, it stopped as if it could see them.
"Wow, a fire imp.” Elryk's voice was low and respectful. “They're extremely rare. None have been seen for several years, and some wizards have come to believe they're extinct. They're also extremely temperamental, so it makes a perfect guardian for this place."
"This isn't a place.” The fire imp's voice hissed and crackled like a log fire inside a large oven. Maybe contained and under control for now, but always ready to escape its confines and cause havoc if you didn't watch it carefully. “This is the fourth chamber of the temple of Tah'Muyd and you will show the appropriate respect or suffer the consequences."
"I meant no disrespect.” Elryk bowed deeply, thankfully without moving out of Kaythan's lap. “We're new to this realm, and in dire need of your help."
"Why should I help you?” The fire imp flamed more brightly. “You are intruders here."
Kaythan almost grinned. It acted like a small animal trying to puff itself up so it looked more dangerous.
"We're trying to stop some truly unscrupulous people from stealing even more magic than they already have.” Elryk swallowed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “You may not feel the effects yet, because this chamber is isolated and somewhat protected, but if we don't find a way to prevent them from taking more, the magic balance on Tah'Nut will be damaged beyond repair. I have agreed to help restore it, but cannot do it without the magic I lost a few years ago. I now need to retrieve it and can only do this by finding and absorbing the pieces of the Muyd'Zel."
"All right, your cause is worthy. I will give you that.” The fire imp's colour changed from a bright orange to a duller red. “However, I do not yet see what's in it for me if I help you find and retrieve what you're looking for."
"Why you...” That was as far as Kaythan got before Elryk's elbow made contact with his stomach. “Ouch!"
"Please.” Elryk's eyes pleaded with him. “Don't make it angry."
"I didn't mean to.” Kaythan hung his head. He'd never been this impulsive. Maybe it was the new mate bond, or maybe he was just getting irritated from sweating buckets. He turned towards the fire imp and bowed from the waist like he'd seen Elryk do. “I'm sorry for insulting you."
"You are forgiven.” The fire imp turned a bright red. “This time. However, I'm still waiting to find out why I should consider helping you."
"What would you like us to do for you?” Kaythan needed to make up for his earlier gaffe.
Elryk looked at him with approval in his eyes, which was a great reward that made him feel a lot better.
"I'm bored. There's nothing to do around here.” The fire imp shrank and turned purple. “It gets very lonely, too."
"I can see how a cave filled with magma isn't very exciting. It must become boring over time.” Elryk looked around the rock cavern. “So, what would you say if I gave you something to play with?"
"You would do that?” The fire imp grew back to its earlier size and went from purple to red in a heartbeat.
"If you help us—sure.” Elryk smiled.
"Yes, yes, I'll help you. I'll do anything if you give me something to do around here.” The fire flickered wildly. “Please, let me see."
"Okay,
hold on. I haven't used magic for a long time and have only started again recently. This may take awhile.” Elryk made a move as if to get up.
"Don't leave.” Kaythan pulled him back, close against his body. He wasn't too happy about all the magma and heat around them. It was irrational since Elryk could probably take care of himself, but keeping his mate close to him made him feel better. At least it gave him the illusion of being able to protect the other man should it become necessary.
"You're not worried I'll hurt you if the magic goes wrong?” Elryk wiped more sweat from his face.
"You'd never hurt me.” Kaythan kissed Elryk's nose, loving the slightly salty taste from the other man's sweat that stuck to his lips. “And nothing will go wrong with your magic. It was fine when you repaired the raft, you used it perfectly for cleaning us up in the water chamber. And need I mention your expert usage in the air chamber? I'm still tingling from that one."
"You are, huh?” Elryk blushed, but he grinned.
"Yeah, that was truly inspired!” He grinned back and squeezed his mate. “After that much practice, it'll be fine, whatever it is you're planning to do."
"If you're sure...” Elryk smiled when Kaythan nodded. “Okay, here we go."
Elryk stared at one of the alcoves for long moments, then started to move his hands in slow, graceful gestures. He closed his eyes and a deep humming sound poured from his chest. Kaythan kept watching the alcove and blinked when the air seemed to shift, followed by a low shimmer, then a fog and finally what looked like a castle made from folded paper sheets.
Wow. This magic stuff would never get old.
Elryk sighed and opened his eyes.
"There you go, fire imp.” Elryk sagged back against Kaythan's chest. “You can play with this as much as you want. Singe it, char it, or burn it, it will always return with a new challenge after you're done."
