The Consumption of Magic (Tales From Verania 3)

The knights had loaded up a horse-drawn cart with our belongings. Pete climbed up in front, took the reins, and rested them in his lap. “You ready, kiddo?” he asked, looking down at me.

“The readiest ever,” I said as seriously as I could.

“You want to ride with me?”

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head. “Wizards don’t need to ride like that. We’ve got legs.”

He laughed. Then he flicked the reins and clicked his tongue, and the old horses began to move forward, the cart’s large wheels clacking along the cobblestones. The few knights marched in formation behind him, shields strapped to their backs, swords at their sides.

Mom and Dad followed, hands clasped.

I grabbed Morgan’s hand again, demanding he tell me all about the castle before we got there so I would know what to expect.

I only looked back once, head already filling with Morgan’s descriptions of the King and the Prince, the throne room and the gardens. Right before we turned the corner, leaving my old life behind, I felt a tug of something at the back of my head, like a whisper only I could hear. I glanced over my shoulder and saw someone I didn’t expect watching me.

Nox.

He stood in the middle of the street, brow furrowed, mouth in a thin line. He was breathing heavily, like he’d just run a great distance. I told myself that maybe he’d heard that something strange was happening at the Haversford home and came to snoop. I regretted leaving my rock collection, sure he was going to steal it. But I didn’t want to go back for it. That life was over.

I could have ignored him.

I could have stuck my tongue out at him.

But I didn’t.

I didn’t, because even though Nox was a bully, even though he was the poster boy of teenage douchebag, he was staying in the slums while I was leaving. And it almost looked like he was upset about something, but I didn’t know what.

So instead of being a jerk, I raised my hand in his direction and waved, just a little.

He surprised me by waving back, a forlorn shake of his hand from side to side.

And then I was around the corner and Nox disappeared from view.

Strangely, there was a little pang in my heart. But I pushed it away. I had exciting things ahead, after all.

“Okay?” Morgan asked me.

I grinned up at him. “Okay.”

And besides, I told myself, it wasn’t like I was ever going to see Nox again.

He was in the past.

I didn’t look back.

Chapter 1: That’s Not What Bestiality Means, Gary

“HEY,” RYAN Foxheart said, lips pressed against my ear. “You gonna get up anytime soon?”

I hummed low in my throat, not wanting to open my eyes yet. The bed was warm and soft, Ryan a hot line of naked muscle at my back, his legs tangled with mine, an arm thrown over my waist. I stretched slowly, letting my back pop as I arched against him. He grunted softly, breath tickling my cheek. I pushed back again, and his hand tightened on my waist. It’d been a long time since he’d fucked me. Knight Commander Foxheart looked good on his back, and looked even better with me above him. But sometimes I just wanted to get fucked, and I thought maybe now was one of those times.

I tried to think if we had anywhere to be, if I had a meeting or a task Morgan had set out for me. For some reason, though, I could barely think through the fog of sleeplust that cloaked my brain. I couldn’t even remember what day it was, but I figured that was okay, given that if anything important needed to happen, I’d remember it.

This was good. This was very, very good.

His hand moved from my waist to my chest, fingers spreading, anchoring me in place as his lips moved to my neck. There was tongue then, and the scrape of teeth. He rolled his hips, cock moving between my legs against the back of my balls.

“So good,” I groaned, unable to find the strength to open my eyes. “Keep doing that.”