Rising Magic
Page 29
She smiled. “Who’d have thought that my potions could help defeat an adversary as powerful as that?”
Dash said, “I think it was the pure power of your good intentions.”
Pop-Pop said, “So, Dash, what are your plans now? It will be some time, I’m sure, before they get a reorganization done at your wizard school.”
Dash glanced at Lysandra, but Jazz, who sat tightly beside him, said, “I have an idea if you’d like to hear it.”
Dash grinned at him. “Oh?”
“Yes.” The dimples popped in his lean cheeks. “Pop-Pop, do you think you might have one more string to pull at NYU to get Dash in as a student? Then he can come live with us and we can all return to a normal student life.”
“Really?”
Carla said, “Of course. You don’t think we’d let you go anywhere else, do you?”
Jazz’s mom leaned down from the couch and put a hand on Dash’s arm. “We can’t forget that Dash is a powerful mage and his education is important.”
Dash shrugged. “No more important than Jazz’s.”
Jazz grinned and tightened his grip on Dash’s hand. “Well, I happen to know a great mage who just might be into a few private lessons for a couple of promising newcomers.”
Lysandra raised an arched brow but couldn’t maintain the look and started laughing. “I think I owe that to you both after getting you into the Arcantaria mess.”
Pop-Pop clasped his hands together. “And I’m sure Lindsey and I can pull in a marker or two to assure Dash’s enrollment at NYU.”
Carla laughed, “You may have to conjure him up some transcripts, Lysandra.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”
They finished the pizza, with Jazz’s brothers doing most of the cleanup work, and after the first happy hours they’d had in way too long, all the family and friends left. Even BeBop, Dij, and Fatima yawned, gave them hugs, and drifted off to their own apartment. It had been a tough bunch of weeks.
Carla gave Dash a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home.”
“You’re sure—”
“Shh.” She grinned and disappeared into her bedroom on the other side of the living room from the door Jazz and Dash walked through.
As Jazz closed the door behind them, he said, “We can get more of your things from Lysandra’s tomorrow.”
Dash nodded.
They looked at each other shyly.
Jazz said, “I don’t think anybody’s going to hammer on the door to see if you’ve got a girl in here.”
“Hey, don’t knock it. That’s how you learned to teleport.”
They both laughed, then got quiet again.
“Oh hell!” Dash reached out, grabbed Jazz, and pulled him in tightly against his chest. “All I wanted was for you not to die.”
“Thank the goddess the only way you could do that was stay alive yourself.” Jazz snuggled his head against Dash’s chest. “Thank you for saving me.”
“We saved each other.”
“We’re not done.”
Dash grinned as Jazz nibbled toward his ear. “Oh?”
“Right, because if I don’t finally get to have sex with you, I might still die.”
Dash chuckled. “I said I’d do anything to keep you alive.”
Jazz kicked off his Keds and leaped on the queen-size bed. “Save me.” He was being cute, but he looked a little nervous.
Slowly, Dash pulled the sweater over his head, toed off the shoes he wore with no socks, and then undid the fly of his jeans.
Jazz’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Dash slid onto the bed, grabbed Jazz by the legs and pulled him down until he was flat on his back. With both hands, he pulled off Jazz’s sweatshirt, leaving his beautifully muscled, very lean chest bare. Yum. He started nibbling somewhere around the collarbone. Jazz giggled and wriggled, but Dash pressed a hand against his shoulder and made his way to one flat brown nipple. A howdy from Dash’s tongue got a gasp from Jazz and a full writhe. Lovingly, Dash worked his way across Jazz’s chest, then down and down until his tongue met the pale hair of Jazz’s happy trail.
Dash chuckled. “Umm, follow the yellow brick road.” He grasped Jazz’s zipper and, being careful not to catch any werewolf, he slowly lowered it while his tongue followed the soft fur. Ooh. Only a fraction of an inch below the now-parted waistband, his lips met an interloper traveling up to meet him.
“Seems only fair to greet him with a kiss.” He let his lips purse around the softness—and the girth. “Oh my, alpha werewolf indeed.”
By now, Jazz had given up all pretense of playfulness and was gasping and begging. “Yes, please, Dash. Oh man, I’ve waited so long.”
He was happy to comply, taking all that love deep into his throat.
“Oh Dash, wait. I’m gonna—”
Dash pulled his mouth away, shed his jeans, and fused his body on top of Jazz, fitting their erections side by side so the slightest movement set off sparks and heat.
“Oh gods, oh yes.” Jazz gripped Dash around the back and became a straining, rutting part of their mutual incendiary device.
Engender that much heat and you’re sure to get a fire.
“Dasssssh!” Jazz’s head fell back, the column of his throat bared, as his body bucked and shuddered.
Jazz’s movements pushed Dash over the edge, and he let the sweetness of them finally together fill him as he let his weight sink down on Jazz, both of them shivering in unison.
Jazz whispered, “Oh my gods, how could we have waited so long?”
“It will be fun making up for lost time.” Dash kissed him gently. “But now, we’ve both had a very tough day. I’ll get a washcloth, and then we can sleep.”
When Dash came back in with the warm cloth, he dragged it across Jazz’s chest and groin, Jazz cuddled into the covers and murmured, “Why do you think Nardo took me?”
Dash hesitated but then said, “I think he was obsessed with the fact that you’re the only other werewolf mage.”
Jazz nodded. “That makes sense.”
Dash rinsed the cloth and stared in the bathroom mirror, hearing Nardo’s impassioned cry.
Should I tell Jazz? Nardo was in jail, but who knew what memories he’d have left? No. What good would it do?
He walked back to the bed and curled around the sleeping body of his real-life boyfriend.
THE NEXT morning, the whole Superordinary Society gathered in their apartment for lattes and bagels. BeBop had to teach that day, Carla and Jazz had classes, and they’d gotten a text from Pop-Pop saying Dash was expected for a preliminary interview at NYU later that afternoon.
Carla said, “Well, guys, we solved our problems. We said we didn’t like being weird in the world alone, and now we’re together, even Dash.”
Dash grinned. “Happy to be weird with you.”
Carla flashed her huge smile. “Another Superordinary Society adventure in the record books.”
BeBop said, “I’ll bet they changed all the passwords for the portals.”
They all laughed, but Dij spoke in her serious way. “I’d just like to know one thing.”
“What, Dij?” Carla bit into her bagel.
“How was BeBop able to see Arcantaria and the portals when he’s human?”
All of them stared at BeBop, who had cream cheese on the bottom of his glasses.
Dash nodded. “I’d like to know that too.” And he took one last bite of his bagel.
More from Tara Lain
Superordinary Society: Book One
Jazz Vanessen is weird—and not just because he’s a werewolf. For most of his life, he’s felt different from his alpha male brothers and friends. Since he’s adopted, he can’t even blame it on family.
Now eighteen, Jazz meets his idol, the social activist Lysandra Mason, and her breathtaking nephew, Dash Mercury. When Dash is around, even stranger things start to happen, including Jazz falling hopelessly in lust. Not only is Jazz having visions, making people disappear, and somehow turnin
g invisible, but somebody’s following him and threatening to reveal his pack’s secrets to the world.
Together with Dash and Jazz’s equally amazing friends—Carla, BeBop, Khadija, and Fatima—they discover the danger is even more lethal than they thought, and Jazz’s weirdness may save all their lives.
A Middlemark Mystery
Dr. Llewellyn Lewis leads a double life, as both an awkward but distinguished history professor and the more flamboyant Ramon Rondell, infamous writer of sensational historical theories. It’s Ramon who first sets eyes on a gorgeous young man dancing in a club, but Llewellyn who meets teaching assistant Blaise Arthur formally at an event held for wealthy socialite Anne de Vere, descendant of Edward de Vere, seventeenth Earl of Oxford—who some believe was the real Shakespeare. Anne wants Llewellyn to prove that claim, even though many have tried and failed. And she’s willing to offer a hefty donation to the university if he succeeds.
It also means a chance for Llewellyn to get to know Blaise much better.
Not everyone thinks Llewellyn should take the case—or the money. Between feuding siblings, rival patrons, jealous colleagues, and greedy administrators, almost anyone could be trying to thwart his work… and one of them is willing to kill to do it.
When Anne de Vere turns up dead, the police believe Blaise is the murderer. Only the shy, stuttering professor who has won his heart can prove otherwise….
A Middlemark Mystery
Where Bo Marchand comes from, gay men are just confirmed bachelors who never found the right girl. But now Bo’s a successful winemaker on the central coast of California, supporting his whole damned Georgia family, and all he really wants is the beautiful, slightly mysterious Jeremy Aames.
Jeremy’s vineyard is under threat from Ernest Ottersen, the voracious winemaker who seems to know all Jeremy’s blending secrets and manages to grab all his customers. Bo tries to help Jeremy and even provides a phony alibi for Jeremy when Ottersen turns up dead in Jeremy’s tasting room. But it’s clear Jeremy isn’t who he claims, and Bo must decide if it’s worth tossing over his established life for a man who doesn’t seem to trust anyone. When Jeremy gets kidnapped, some of the conservative winemakers turn out to be kinky sex fiends, and the list of murderers keeps dwindling down to Jeremy. Bo has to choose between hopping on his white horse or climbing back in his peach-pie-lined closet.
A Movie Magic Romance
Luca McGrath may be returning to Napa Valley, California, as a promising chef with dreams of starting his own restaurant and winery, but his heart still lives with the bad-boy son of a billionaire, James Armstrong. Luca spent his childhood playing games with the golden boy of California society, so blinded by James he barely noticed the dark, quiet lure of his conservative older brother, Dylan Armstrong.
But now Luca’s home, and his own powers of attraction are enough to make James question his dedicated heterosexuality and his promised marriage to a wealthy and powerful businesswoman. The obvious attraction between Luca and James spurs Dylan into action—but he’s fighting a huge secret. While Luca dreamed of James, Dylan dreamed of Luca. When Luca gets caught in the struggle between the brothers and gets accused of culinary espionage he’s ready to chuck the fairy tale—unable to even imagine Dylan’s power to make his dreams come true.
A Movie Magic Romance
In his neighborhood, El Martin stands out, and that can be life-threatening. Against the odds, he’s managed to graduate high school and then master IT. Now he’s desperate to get a good job to free his drunken dad and himself from the control of gang leader M2 and the drugs he sells. But with his piercings and his slang-ridden speech, El looks and sounds like a Bronx gangbanger, and potential employers won’t give him a second look. So when El hears about Henry Fairhaven, PhD, linguistics researcher and wealthy New York socialite, El takes his life in his hands to escape from M2 and ends up sleeping in the stairwell at Henry’s building, hoping to learn how to speak.
To Henry, who wants to prove himself as a scholar and not merely a rich dilettante, El isn’t only the most beautiful man he’s ever seen—he’s also the key to getting a paper published on Henry’s ground-breaking linguistics methods before a competitor beats him to the punch. But Henry doesn’t tell El the truth, and El thinks Henry’s helping him because he cares.
El’s dreams collide with Henry’s ambitions at the elegant Met Gala, where El captivates a prince of Silicon Valley. But the real collision comes when M2 tracks El down and Henry has to choose between the validation he craves and a future with the man he’s come to love.
Readers love Hidden Powers by Tara Lain
“Bravo, Tara, for a brave move to a new literary challenge. I can’t wait to read what the boys get up to in the next book.”
—Rainbow Book Reviews
“Take a deep breath, hold your Kindle tight and dive into this brilliant adventure. The best Tara Lain book I’ve read!”
—Bayou Book Junkie
“It was a fun read, full of fast-paced adventure, vivid characters, and lots of supernatural complications….”
—Paranormal Romance Guild
“Hidden Powers was a solid start to what could turn out to be a great young adult superhero series.”
—Diverse Reader
TARA LAIN believes in happy ever afters—and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn’t believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories, which star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara’s characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey, and her soulmate dog decided they wanted fewer cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon, where Tara’s creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Likely a Gryffindor but possessed of Parseltongue, Tara loves animals of all kinds, diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers. She also loves to hear from you.
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By Tara Lain
The Fairy Shop
Hearts and Flour
Home Improvement – A Love Story
Trex or Treat
ALOYSIUS TALES
Spell Cat • Brush with Catastrophe
Cataclysmic Shift
BALLS TO THE WALL
Volley Balls • Fire Balls
Beach Balls • FAST Balls
High Balls • Snow Balls • Bleu Balls
Balls to the Wall – Volley Balls and Fire Balls Anthology
Balls to the Wall – Beach Balls and FAST Balls Anthology
Balls to the Wall – High Balls and Snow Balls Anthology
COWBOYS DON’T
Cowboys Don’t Come Out • Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns
Cowboys Don’t Samba
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
Rome and Jules
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
Taylor Maid
LOVE IN LAGUNA
Knight of Ocean Avenue • Knave of Broken Hearts
Prince of the Playhouse • Lord of a Thousand Steps
Fool of Main Beach
LOVE YOU SO
Love You So Hard • Love You So Madly
Love You So Special • Love You So Sweetly
A Love You So Anthology – Love You So Hard and Love You So Madly
A Love Yo
u So Anthology – Love You So Special and Love You So Sweetly
MIDDLEMARK MYSTERIES
The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
The Case of the Voracious Vintner
MOVIE MAGIC ROMANCES
Return of the Chauffeur’s Son
Love and Linguistics
PENNYMAKER TALES
Sinders and Ash • Driven Snow
Beauty, Inc. • Never
Sinders and Ash and Beauty, Inc. Anthology
SUPERORDINARY SOCIETY
Hidden Powers • Rising Magic
TALES OF THE HARKER PACK
The Pack or the Panther
Wolf in Gucci Loafers • Winter’s Wolf
The Pack or the Panther &Wolf in Gucci Loafers Anthology
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Rising Magic
© 2020 Tara Lain
Cover Art
© 2020 Tiferet Design
http://www.tiferetdesign.com/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.