Forbidden Magic: The Complete Collection

by Anya Merchant

“Hey, you smoke up with me every now and then, too,” he said. “And yes.”

  “I can’t say I’m all that surprised,” said Victor. “The guy is a total sketch ball. What happened?”

  “He… he said I wasn’t paying him enough.” Ricky’s voice took on an annoyed, almost childish tone. “He told me that I needed to double the normal rate because he wasn’t sure he could trust me.”

  “And you said…?”

  “I told him okay.” Ricky let out a defeated sigh. “But then I went to take the money out. He grabbed my wallet and said he’d count it for me.”

  “Let me guess. He gave himself a tip on top of the already inflated fee.”

  Ricky shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “He took a picture from my wallet. The one of Sam… I’ve shown it to you before.”

  Victor felt a flash of hot anger. Sam was Ricky’s eldest brother. He’d died in a car crash when Ricky was still in grade school, and it had messed him up. The family didn’t have many good photos of him, and the tiny school photo that Ricky always kept in his wallet had meant more to him than almost anything.

  “Come on,” said Victor. “Let’s go talk to Mark, shall we?”

  Mark was the neighborhood’s resident lowlife drug dealer. Victor wasn’t sure what his story was, but every conversation he’d had with him had left him feeling uncomfortable and grateful for what little advantage he’d been given in life.

  Mark’s residence was an abandoned building in one of the less enviable sections of town. It was junkie central, and contained a rotating cast of heroin addicts and meth heads. Victor only ever went inside when he was with Ricky, and the two of them always made a point to get away as soon as possible, which clearly irritated and offended Mark.

  This should be interesting.

  “Alright,” said Victor. “Let’s start by just asking for it back.”

  “I’ve tried that before,” said Ricky. “He said no.”

  “Yeah, well, obviously.” Victor ran a contemplative hand through his hair. “Mark tends to be an easy going guy when he’s had his fix. It’s pretty late in the afternoon. I’m assuming there’s at least a chance that’ll be the case.”

  He pushed through the metal gate at the front of the property and walked up to the door. Ricky trailed behind by a few feet, and Victor nodded to him before knocking.

  “Who is it?” Mark’s voice was gruff, and he practically coughed the words.

  “It’s Victor and Ricky,” said Victor. “We’re here to talk to you about something.”

  There were a few mutters from behind the door. It opened after a couple of seconds, and a tall, gaunt figure stood behind it, who motioned for the two of them to come in.

  Mark sat on a disgusting couch in a disgusting living room. Several men of a variety of ages and backgrounds sat around or slept on the floor. A topless woman, attractive, but a bit too thin, and with vacant eyes, leaned against Mark on the couch.

  “Yeah?” He stared at Victor, not aggressively, but clearly somewhat annoyed. Victor looked at Ricky, and tried not to let his friend’s nervous body language spread to him.

  “You took something from Ricky the last time he was here,” said Victor.

  “My photo,” said Ricky. “I want it back.”

  Mark stared at the two of them and said nothing. The room smelled of cat piss and a couple of other unidentifiable chemicals.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t take shit from you, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get fuck out of here.”

  “Look man, we’re not here for any trouble,” said Victor. “It was a photo of Ricky’s brother. He’s-“

  Without warning, a shaggy-haired, lanky man stormed through the door to the side of the room. His eyes darted around the room with jittery, unstable glances, and he held a baseball bat in one hand. Mark pulled a bag of white powder out of his pocket and nodded to him.

  “Get them the fuck out of here and I’ll cut you in on the next gram for free.”

  The shaggy-haired man moved forward, but so did Victor.

  “Hey, we aren’t looking for trouble,” he said. “Just give us the photo.”

  The girl on the couch licked her lips. Her skin was paler than it should have been, and a couple of her ribs were showing. Mark waved a hand at the man wielding a bat.

  “Do it.”

  “No!” Victor took a step back, but not quickly enough. The first swing of the man’s bat glanced off his shoulder, hurting enough to promise a nasty bruise.

  The shaggy-haired man let out a crazed snarl, and pulled the bat over his head for another swing. Victor was fast, faster than most people expected, and even without any martial arts training, he could throw a punch. He managed to get a swing in, hitting the man in the nose with a punch that knocked him off balance.

  “Hey!” shouted Mark. “You little fucker!”

  He started to get up from the couch. Victor knew it was a fight that he had no hope of winning. He pushed Ricky out the door behind him and the two of them stumbled off the porch with hurried, clumsy steps. Two more men stood just outside the fence, and from the way they looked, Victor could tell that they were regulars.

  “Hey Mark,” called one of them. “Are these guys giving you trouble?”

  Mark’s laugh was callous and clearly amused.

  “Rough them up a bit and I’ll make sure you guys get extra on your next bag.”

  “We didn’t do anything!” shouted Ricky. “I just wanted-“

  A fist slammed into his stomach, and even the extra padding he had around his waist wasn’t enough to stop the wind from being knocked out of him. Ricky went down, and both men turned their attention to Victor. The shaggy man with the bat stood a few feet away, as though ready to tag in if need be.

  Three on one. That’s totally fair.

  A hand slapped across Victor’s face hard. He took a step back and was solidly tripped by the man behind him, falling to the concrete and skinning his hands as he landed. A few kicks slammed into his ribs. He didn’t let himself cry out. It was clear that the men were toying with him, barely putting any energy into the beat down.

  One of them threw a slow, telegraphed punch. Victor held out his hand, palm extended, and focused his energy out of pure instinct. Nothing happened, and a fist slammed into his jaw.

  What was I trying to do, just then?

  The question faded as more blows rained down on him and Ricky. Victor covered his head as best as he could and stifled his shame and frustration. After a minute, the fight went out of the men, and they laughed and walked into the house while Mark told a couple of loud jokes at their expense.

  “Well,” said Ricky. “That went well.”

  CHAPTER 21

  “I’m sorry, man,” said Victor. “I really am.”

  Ricky had taken a blow to the nose at some point, and dried blood caked his upper lip.

  “What are you apologizing for?” he asked. “It was my fault. I should have known better.”

  The sun was setting over the horizon, and the humid summer air was quickly cooling off. Victor slowed down as they approached Ricky’s house.

  “What do you think your parents will say?” he asked.

  Ricky shrugged.

  “I’m honest with them with stuff like this,” he said. “I think they’ll understand. What about your dad?”

  Victor let out a sad chuckle.

  “Oh, I know for sure that he won’t care much,” he said. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow, Vic.”

  Victor didn’t bother stopping by his own house, and instead headed straight to Ella’s. He paused in front of her porch steps, a strange sense of surreal familiarity washing over him.

  This goes beyond déjà vu. I know this has happened before… am I having a stroke, or something?

  He shook it off, walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell three times in quick succession. Ella opened it a few seconds later. She was smiling, but i
t faded into a concerned expression as her eyes scanned over him.

  “What the hell happened to you?” She took his hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them.

  “Oh, you know.” He shrugged, the tiny motion exaggerating the pain of his injuries. “The lawn got out of control.”

  Ella led him over to the couch and sat him down on it. She disappeared into another room and came back a minute later, holding a first aid kit.

  “You are an idiot,” she said. “You know that, right?”

  “Yes, I’m well aware.”

  “Tell me the truth,” she said.

  Victor let out a long exhale. Ella started dabbing at his face with an antiseptic pad, though it was more for show than anything. He was bruised and battered, but unlike Ricky, had mostly avoided any cuts.

  “I was trying to help somebody,” he said. “And I guess I did go about it in a stupid way. I just thought…”

  I thought I could help him, that it was within my power.

  Ella frowned at him for a second, and then smiled. She skipped into the kitchen and returned carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  “I know what will make you feel better,” she said. “Though it does feel a bit like rewarding you for being stupid.”

  She poured some wine into a glass and passed it to him. Victor took a small sip and then upended the glass, finishing it off.

  “Well, that’s one way to forget about a problem,” said Ella. “How is it?”

  She poured him another, along with one for herself, and this time Victor sipped at it with more restraint.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Tonight has been sucky.”

  “I know.” Ella set her glass down and watched him carefully. The two of them had been neighbors for nine years, but whenever she looked at him like that, with those intense and knowing eyes, the air practically exploded with tension.

  “You aren’t powerless, you know, Victor,” she said softly.

  “I know.”

  “If you want to do something, most of the time, you can do it.”

  Victor nodded. Ella slid closer to him on the couch, though there already wasn’t much space between them.

  “I didn’t come here to feel sorry for myself, Ella,” he said.

  “Then why did you come here tonight?”

  “To talk to you.”

  “Well, feel free to say anything that’s on your mind,” said Ella.

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Then hit me with it.”

  Victor met Ella’s gaze and felt the air ripple from the heat. They’d never been alone like this before. He sometimes wondered if was fate conspiring against them, or some internal resistance that both of them carried and expressed through innocuous actions. But now, here they were.

  Slowly, but without hesitance, Victor reached his hand out, first stroking the edges of Ella’s hair, and then cupping her cheek. It was something he’d wanted for so long, long enough to convince himself that he didn’t really want it, long enough to grow up imagining different versions of it.

  Her eyes fluttered in surprise, and she leaned into his touch. She moved closer to him, and he to her, and like two magnets coming into range, they fell against each other, kissing and groping in the way that only two horny teenagers can manage.

  Victor felt Ella’s breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and they were supple under his fingers. He was a virgin, and every movement was exciting and shockingly raw. Ella let out a tiny gasp as his fingers found her nipple and gave it a soft pinch.

  “Victor…” she whispered. He pulled off his shirt, fumbling through simple movements in his haste to undress. Ella kissed his chest and ran her fingers across his new bruises. Her touch may as well have had healing powers, and it sent waves of hot pleasure and physical forgiveness through his bones.

  He kissed her again and pressed her down against the couch, a shiver running through his body as he realized how close they were. Ella realized it too, and as he pulled back, her cheeks flushed red.

  “I… I’m going to take my dress off,” she said. “Is that… okay?”

  Victor answered her by firmly grabbing the garment and pulling it up and over her head. Ella slipped out of it, cupping her generous breasts against her body with one arm and blushing furiously. Victor smiled at her, almost wanting to chuckle, but sharing too much of what she was feeling to be able to muster the will.

  He undid the button and zipper on his jeans and pulled them off. His cock strained against the fabric of his boxers, making a bulge that he was sure would scare Ella off. She looked from his face, down to his crotch, and then slowly reached out a curious hand.

  “Does this…” She let her fingers touch his erection through his boxers. “Feel good?”

  Victor shuddered as he nodded. It wasn’t just a girl’s hand touching his cock. It was Ella’s hand. There was something lecherous and borderline incestuous about it, but more than anything it just felt good. It felt so good that he couldn’t think straight, and left room for a primal, animalistic part of his being to step into the driver’s seat and direct him forward.

  He slowly lowered himself back down, keeping his eyes locked on Ella’s as he did. She watched him steadily, her expression one that he recognized from when they were kids.

  She’s daring me to take it further.

  Victor kissed her on the lips and felt her entire body react to the contact. Her thighs opened slightly but immediately closed again, as though different emotions were waging a war of control.

  “Ella…” he whispered. Victor reached his hands down and slid them into her panties, slowly pulling them down. He expected her to object, to tell him that this was as far as they could go. Instead, she shyly wiggled out of them, squeezing her thighs together even more tightly after letting them slip off.

  He ran his hands across her shoulders. Ella slowly let her arm drop, revealing her large, nubile breasts. She was a goddess, and Victor found himself feeling shocked and a little intimidated. She’d grown up right next door to him, but he’d never understood what that meant until that very moment.

  Ella pulled his boxers down, her mouth curling into a tiny circle as she saw his cock come into view. She ran her fingers across it, and Victor had to use all of his willpower to keep from cumming right there and then.

  I should probably ask about using a condom…

  Victor’s body moved with a mind of its own. He slowly parted Ella’s smooth, soft thighs and slid in between them. Ella bit her lip and let out a gasp as his cock pressed in the warm, wet entrance of her cunt.

  There was a side of Ella that he’d always known about, the sensual, passionate side, but never previously explored. And now here she was underneath him, legs spread, tentatively willing. Victor pushed forward, burying his face in her breasts as his cock slid halfway in.

  “Oh…” he moaned. “Oh wow.”

  He was discovering sex for the first time, and it was like coming home. His body knew what it was and wanted it above all else. His body wanted him to take it even further, to ravage the eighteen-year-old girl underneath him, and Victor had no grounds on which to object.

  “Victor…” whispered Ella. “Oh god!”

  Her hips jerked up, as though trying to pull him deeper in. Victor thrust forward and felt a hot sensation pulse through his body. He did it again, and again, each movement eliciting a tiny moan from Ella’s lips.

  I don’t ever want to stop!

  The two of them became manifestations of desire and lust. Victor kissed Ella passionately and stroked her breasts with his fingers. His cock slid into her more roughly with every stroke, until he was slamming himself into her, taking every bit of what she had to offer.

  The couch shifted from their movements. Ella’s body felt hot underneath him. Victor ran his hands down to her waist, and then her buttocks. She was like a sister to him, but he couldn’t stop himself. She’d been asking for it, and he was now giving it to her.

  His cock pumped i
nto Ella’s tight, youthful cunt like a piston, deliberate and hard. Victor realized that he was being just as loud as she was, moaning and grunting as he probed into her with his erection.

  Ella’s legs wrapped around him. Victor kissed her again, feeling the sexual, physical connection between them and savoring its essence. His body began to move, pumping him into her faster, and faster.

  “Victor!” Ella grabbed his hand and squeezed it. The couch was making groaning noises underneath them. Victor could hear their bodies slapping together as he fucked her faster, and faster.

  “Ella!” He felt her shudder underneath him, and pushed forward one last time, letting his cock explode and spray his seed deep into her cunt.

  Both of their bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat. They collapsed on top of each other on the couch. Victor didn’t let his arms unwrap from her, and Ella slowly ran a hand through his hair.

  “You should have used a condom, dummy,” she whispered, flicking him on the ear.

  “Sorry.” Victor chuckled.

  She dies.

  Victor flinched back as the thought entered his mind. He suddenly felt like he was dreaming, or having another episode of déjà vu. He’d dreamt of Ella like this before, but she felt real to him. He squeezed her hand and tried to shake it off.

  She dies because of you, because of how long it takes you to notice.

  “Victor?” asked Ella. “Are you okay?”

  You let her die, in the end. It’s your fault.

  “My… my head.” Victor stood up from the couch. He felt sick to his stomach. Something was rebelling deep inside his very being.

  Wake up! Enough of this!

  “I…” He shook his head. “What am I doing here?”

  “Vic…tor…” The air around Ella’s face shimmered with static. Victor reached out a hand and felt reality itself begin to dissolve, fading to white all around him.

  CHAPTER 22

  Victor was back in the warehouse, surrounded by desks and computer servers. He was standing on his feet, though it felt as though he’d been shaken out of an intense dream. He blinked and spent a few seconds staring at his hands, trying to comprehend what had just happened.