by Ts McKinney
Corbin smiled. “Yes, I’m quite fond of Alastair. If I recall correctly, he spent too much time chasing a man when he should have been focused on his training.” Nicholas watched as a smile crossed his face as he remembered a younger, rebellious Alastair Harlowe. “I’d like to think he’s finally moved on from his youthful indiscretions, but I suspect, knowing his stubbornness, that I’d be disappointed.”
I would have defended Alastair’s good name if the look on Corbin’s face had been anything other than affectionate when he talked about my new friend. Alastair had moved around to the back of the house, still yelling my name, and I could sense how nervous and upset he was becoming with each passing moment.
I scurried out of bed and started digging around the floor and under the bed for my clothes. When I hopped around the room on one foot for several seconds as I tried to get into my jeans, Corbin finally took pity on me and, with a wave of his hand, I was completely dressed. Giggling, I said, “Damn, but that witchcraft is useful.”
“Yes, it is. You should try it sometime, Nico,” he said with a sultry smile that made me want to remove each and every clothing article and climb back into bed with him. It wasn’t like I’d spent my life as a prude that didn’t enjoy sex, but, damn, I feel like what I’d just shared with Corbin was my first real taste of the joys of carnal lust. I couldn’t get enough of him.
“I told you, Corbin, I don’t think I have any real magic-nothing of significance.” Of course, I had blown Morgan’s fucking spell to smithereens when I’d been determined to get inside to Corbin. Fucking smithereens.
“Yes, love, you do,” Corbin corrected. “You just haven’t had the benefit of someone training you to properly and safely use your powers. That’s going to change.”
Thoughts of being sent to a witch school dampened my spirits. Leaving Corbin was one hundred percent out of the question. “Nope, no witch school for me. I’ll just stick with using magic when I get pissed off…or horny.” I shrugged and winked at him. “I think that’s the only time I need it anyway.”
“Ridiculous,” Corbin argued. “I’ll train you myself, love. Your powers are great and they will not be wasted. As soon as we speak to Alastair and I get an update on the status of the coven, we’ll begin your training immediately.”
Ah, Corbin would be training me. That was a different story entirely. That, I could live with! Maybe he’d have to punish me if I was a bad student. That could be fun.
Excited, I started out the door to fetch Alastair—he was going to shit when he saw Corbin was still alive. I made it two steps before I returned to the bedroom. “Uh…you aren’t going to be naked when I bring him up here by any chance, are you? There’s a pretty big chance that I’m possessive of what belongs to me.” A feline smile stretched across Corbin’s face at my possessive comment. “No nakedness around anybody but me,” I ordered. “Alastair is my only friend in Marblehead, and it would be awkward if I had to punch him in the face.”
“How about to avoid any awkwardness I just meet the two of you in my library?” He grinned and with a wave of his hand, he was dressed in different clothing. In jeans and a T-shirt. Identical to mine, except his shirt was black. With a shrug, he said, “I believe my clothing is somewhat outdated. I thought perhaps I would be more acceptable in something more modern.” His hand rubbed the denim of the jeans. “What is this fabric? It feels most…rugged.”
I whistled through my teeth. “Damn, but you fit a pair of jeans nicely, Corbin Hargreaves! Very nicely, indeed. I’ll explain the fabric later. Right now, I’ve got to grab Alastair before he tries to enter the house and hurts himself.”
“Oh, Morgan’s spell is no longer intact. Alastair should be fine to come inside.”
“Did I do that, or did you?”
“We did—when we touched through the mirror. Our connection dissolved all her spells regarding me and my home.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “Take that, Morgan, you bitch.”
****
It took nearly an hour of Alastair babbling hysterically, crying tears of joy, ranting about Morgan the bitch, and, finally, manning-up before we could have a conversation. As the three of us sat in Corbin’s library, Alastair’s left leg was still jiggling uncontrollably with excitement. Since I wasn’t raised in a coven, or even believing in witches, for that matter, I hadn’t fully understood the significance of Corbin’s return…until Alastair. The boy was beside himself with pure joy.
“What of the coven remains intact, Alastair?” Corbin asked quietly.
The pain of having to listen to what Morgan had done to his beloved family was etched all over his handsome face. I wanted to kill Morgan. Slowly and with extreme prejudice.
“My mother is still here. Genevieve and Brax remained behind. Ruby and Crimson live close-by and still do what they can to support us, but Morgan refused to allow them to live within the Marblehead borders--something about Violet’s ability of time traveling.” He snorted in disgust. “Yeah, I guess she wouldn’t want anybody to be able to go back in time and see how she fucked us all over.”
“Morgan will get what’s coming to her, Alastair. Leave her to me.” He glanced over and me and said, “Both of you need to leave Morgan to me. Nicholas, I don’t want you leaving the Marblehead territory. Do you understand me?”
I snorted at his bossy attitude but then quickly nodded in agreement when his frown deepened. My lover had enough to worry about without me piling on. Anyway, where would I go? Why would I leave? He was all I needed, and he was in Marblehead. End of story.
“Anyone else?” Corbin asked Alastair.
“Yes,” he answered. “We’ve still got Keller Spellman and the Carlisle family. Well, except for Esmerelda. She disappeared shortly after you died, er, I mean…uh, before you got fucked over by Morgan.”
Corbin frowned. “Esmerelda left but her family remained?”
“Yes, sir,” Alastair answered.
“Still puppy-loving over August, Alastair?” Corbin asked with a narrowing of his eyes. You realize you belong to another, don’t you?”
Completely fascinated, I moved to the edge of my seat and enjoyed watching Alastair squirm beneath Corbin’s fatherly frown. If he belonged to another, he sure the hell had never mentioned it to me. Then again, he hadn’t mentioned anybody by the name of August, either.
“I…I know that you think Riker is the man for me, Corbin, but I don’t agree. He’s an ass—a total ass. He’s the poster child of assholery.”
Alastair argued with a perfected pout that had probably helped him get his way through the majority of his life. One glance in Corbin’s direction and I knew it wasn’t going to work this time, not on the high witch of Marblehead.
“I see,” Corbin answered slowly. “When is the last time you spoke with this ‘poster child of assholery’?”
I could tell I would need to explain what poster child meant after Corbin was finished with Alastair.
Alastair blushed. “It’s…it’s been awhile, sir.”
Under his breath, I heard him mutter “not long enough”.
“So, Roman and Riker Keegan are no longer with us. I can understand why. The twins were very powerful.” His eyes locked with Alastair. “Although I’m certain Riker has weakened somewhat since he’s been separated from you.” Alastair opened his mouth, probably to argue, but Corbin silenced him with a glare. “Brodie Salvatore is gone. Royce and Chelsea Teague were forced away. Kingston and Teagan Godwin were, of course, forced to leave by Morgan. Do we know of their whereabouts or will we need to conduct tracking spells to locate them?”
I watched as Alastair gulped nervously. Something bad was about to follow.
“Brodie Salvatore was murdered by Morgan, sir. He refused to abandon his home, and he was destroyed. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect him…to protect all of you,” Corbin answered. He was furious, quivering with his need for revenge. I watched as the tips of his fingers s
parked in outrage. “It won’t happen again. Morgan is going to get what she has coming to her.” His eyes softened when he looked at me. “Morgan will pay for what she’s done to your ancestors, too, Nico.”
“For what she plans on doing to me,” I added. “I’m certain she plans on my death, as well.”
Alastair spoke up. “What are we going to do about that, Corbin? I know you must still be weakened from the spell she cast on you. How will you protect Nico when the time comes?”
“Nico will be perfectly safe in Marblehead and by my side. There are rules to her curse. First rule, she can’t set foot in Marblehead, and a projection won’t be strong enough to tangle with my magic, even in my weakened state. Second rule, the Bailey descendant is only susceptible to her magical influence for a small window of time. She must take your life the very second of your birth. After that, you are no longer powerless to fight her.”
“Sounds simple enough,” I muttered…knowing there was probably nothing simple about the curse.
“What can I do to help, Corbin?” Alastair asked, once again on the edge of his seat, bouncing around like an energetic puppy.
“Gather the remaining members of the coven and tell them what’s happened. After that, I need you to bring my coven back to me, Alastair. Meet with each of them and let them know that I’ve returned and that I humbly request that they return home, where they belong. If they are happy where they are, I understand, but I would love to see our family together once again.”
Alastair was damned near preening with the responsibility Corbin had given him. I thought back to the words my lover had written all those years ago, this one is going to be important. Even then, Corbin had recognized Alastair’s significance to his coven.
“They are scattered, Corbin. This could take several days.”
“I understand,” he answered. “Go to Keller or Spellman first and have one of them cast a protective spell on you. You need to be invisible to everyone except members of our coven. Morgan will know I’ve been freed from her spell, so she’ll be desperate to do anything to weaken our coven. I won’t lose another loved one to her evilness.”
Alastair cringed at Corbin’s words. “You think she’ll know? How? Your own coven isn’t aware yet,” he declared.
Corbin’s eyes drifted lazily to me and he winked. My knees felt weak. “There’s no way she didn’t feel my lover’s magic when he incinerated the spell she’d cast on the house and then when our combined magic released me from my prison. Yes, she’s aware of what’s happened, and I’m certain she’s plotting her next move. Go see Keller first. I mean it, Alastair.”
“Of course, Corbin,” he answered submissively. “Keller and I are friends. He’ll take extra care of me.”
“Riker would take better care,” Corbin remarked under his breath.
Chapter Seven
Days later, I was lounging on a super soft blanket, completely naked, in Corbin’s front yard. I’d told Corbin that I was trying to work on my tan, but the bottom line was I was trying to get his attention. I needed his attention. I craved it. The sad part was that I had his full focus, body and soul, but all our physical time had been with me making love to him—which was good. Beyond good. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life. But, I knew he wasn’t fucking me to be patient due to my lack of experience, but I also knew I wouldn’t feel complete until he’d taken me.
I had an itch that only he could scratch, and the itch was inside my ass, and his cock was the only thing that was going to scratch it properly. So, I was lying stark naked in the sun, junk probably getting sunburned, in a feeble attempt to lure him into fucking my ass into the mattress. But so far, I was failing miserably.
I was propped up on my elbows, legs spread wide, and watching him work magic. Yes, that was magnificent—something I never in my life suspected could actually happen. Not only was it majestic, but it was sexier than fuck. It was also making me even hornier.
Alastair had been gone for three days and we hadn’t heard a word from him, but three coven members had returned—Ruby, Crimson, and Royce. Chelsea would be returning by the end of the week. That left Kingston and Teagan Godwin and Roman and Riker Keegan. Secretly, I couldn’t wait to meet Riker. I was dying to meet the man Alastair had called the “poster child of assholery”. One just didn’t get that opportunity every day. I had met August and could easily see how Alastair could be so smitten with him, but the guy was as straight as…well, as I used to be. He was also as dull as un-iced doughnuts. The only time I’d seen a spark enter his dark eyes was when the lesbian couple, Violet and Amethyst, had shown up while he and his parents were visiting Corbin. I suppose he was all into imagining watching those chicks get it on. Hell, I wouldn’t have looked away, so I couldn’t really blame him, could I? Although it was a pretty dick move, I have to admit.
Poor Alastair. I’d done some research on homosexuality since I’d embraced a gay relationship myself—four days and counting—and, apparently, Alastair was breaking the cardinal rule by falling for a straight guy. According to the internet, that shit never worked out, and we all knew the internet couldn’t lie, right?
Corbin had also shared some information regarding the Alastair/Riker feud. Apparently, Riker had done something that totally humiliated Alastair when they were away for their training. Something really humiliating. Corbin didn't believe it was Riker, actually. He thought it was probably Roman pretending to be Riker but never got the opportunity to investigate before Morgan’s diabolical plan kicked in. Whatever. I was siding with Alastair on this one. Either Riker did it, or he didn’t kick his twin’s ass if it was Roman. Either way, it was a lose-lose situation for Alastair.
I was still dying to meet him.
Deciding to up the ante on my own love life problem, I reached down between my legs and gave my cock a long, slow tug. Corbin’s eyes shot in my direction the second my hand made contact with the heat between my legs and a naughty smile spread across his face.
“Are you trying to distract me?” he asked.
“Maybe,” I answered. “Is it working?
His clothes vanished with a flick of his finger, and following another twirl of that same finger, I yelped in surprise when the blanket I was lounging on suddenly lifted into the air, and like a magic carpet, carried me over to where Corbin was standing. When I was in front of him, the blanket fluttered gently to the ground and my ass made contact with a hard surface again.
“Levitating objects. I like it,” I commented with a smirk. My hand went back to doing lazy strokes up and down my cock. I noticed his hand was busy mimicking the same movement.
“Nicodemus always liked it, as well. As a matter of fact, it was his favorite magic for me to perform.” He was smiling…stroking…
I was fucking panting. He’s thicker and longer than I am, which should probably bother me, but it didn’t. Not in the least. All I could think about was what that monster would feel like inside of me. When I hit that special spot inside of Corbin, he went insane. Would it be the same for me? I had to find out. Soon. No, now.
“That’s funny. I told Alastair that being able to fly would be the one magical gift that I’d want above all else. Think it will ever happen?” I felt my eyes growing dark and heavy with desire. My hand was doing the job, but it wasn’t what I wanted. “Actually, Corbin, I’d like to fly right now…if you know what I mean.”
“I believe I can make that happen for you,” he answered. Then, with a languid wave of his hand, the canopied king-sized bed from upstairs magically appeared in the grass next to him.
I watched as he studied the darkening sky and then used his magic to change the color of the bed linens. When he was finished, the bed looked like it could blend in with the sky. Excitement bubbled inside of me as I realized we were about to take his bed for a ride. I thought back to my vision of when Nicodemus and Corbin had fought the night Morgan had forced Nicodemus to commit suicide. This very bed had been sitting outside under
a canopy of trees, with candles lighting it. It broke my heart to realize that Corbin must have planned a romantic night for them, but Morgan’s bitchery had gotten in the way.
I stood up, went to Corbin, and wrapped my arms around his waist. My chest was to his back, and I stood up on my tip-toes just enough so I could rest my chin against his shoulder. The moment we touched, he melted against me and I knew he was imagining the exact scene that I was…and his heart was breaking.
“She took so much from us, Nico. So many years and so much love that we could have shared. She stole it from me, but knowing you now, this beautiful mixture of Nicodemus and Nicholas, I have to admit there is a peace in my soul and a love in my heart that I never thought could exist.” His head rested back against me when he added, “I can only hope you feel the same, Nico.”
“Head over heels, babe,” I answered with a soft kiss to the sensitive spot below his ear. “I’m crazy in love with you. I can’t explain it, and don’t even care that there isn’t an explanation for how quickly I’ve fallen for you. All I know is that there’s this…old part of me that has always loved you, even when I couldn’t put a face to my fantasies, and there’s the Nicholas part that’s going crazy wanting you to fuck me.”
He chuckled softly. “That’s another difference between Nicodemus and you—that nasty mouth. I love it when you talk dirty. I love the fact that when you want something, you aren’t afraid to ask for it.” He turned around and wrapped his arms around me. “And that you aren’t ashamed of the intimacy we share.”
“While I don’t remember anything of my time as Nicodemus, other than our argument and my death, I’m well aware of the differences between what I face now and what Nicodemus faced years ago, babe. I’m sure he was afraid. He didn’t have the power of witchcraft to protect him from the hostility, hate, and possible death he would have faced if people had learned of his love for you. Add his religious background into the mix, and Nicodemus must have felt terrified, Corbin. Please don’t ever doubt his love for you, though. When I experienced his death, his last thoughts were of you-not of his own death. He was worried about the pain his death would cause you.”
