Forbidden Magic: The Complete Collection

by Anya Merchant

  “No chance. I’ve heard of your tricks before,” said Captain Brookes. “I thought it was just an exaggeration, but after seeing what you did to my men…”

  Victor nodded.

  “I wanted to work things out with you directly,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t do the same to you.”

  “You…” Brookes shook her head. “You really are a monster, aren’t you?”

  “I’m innocent! I didn’t-“

  “Stay. Back.” Captain Brookes lined the barrel at his head. “It doesn’t matter to me if you did or not, Victor. If half of what they say about you is true, the people you’ve taken advantage of, the flippant regard you have for lives, then you really are despicable.”

  Victor took a deep breath and tried to keep his reaction internal, confined to his chest and heart, and not his face.

  I’ve thought the same thing many times before. But it doesn’t matter now, not anymore.

  Another loud siren tore down the street outside. Victor looked out his front window in time to see several more police cars pulling up. A few of his neighbors were watching from their porches, which made Victor feel like cringing at what he knew he had to do next.

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” he said. “I can’t let you take me in.”

  Binding his diamond aura, Victor exploded to the side. Captain Brookes’ gun went off again, missing again. Victor smashed through the living room window with his hands closed and the towel held in front of his body. Shards of glass cut clean scratches into his bare skin, but he paid the injuries no mind as he took off into the air.

  He watched his neighbors watching him as he began to gain altitude.

  “A naked man ran from the police and witnesses report that he jumped out of a window and flew through the air,” he muttered. “That’s a headline if I’ve ever seen one.”

  “Don’t forget the part where you propositioned the policewoman in charge of the bust.” Ella’s disembodied voice sang in his head. Victor chuckled to himself, though it was only for show.

  He was far from amused.

  CHAPTER 2

  “It’s a bad idea, Victor,” said Ella.

  “I don’t have any other choice,” he replied. “I’ll get in and get out. I won’t stay long enough for the police to hit her with a charge for helping me.”

  He was flying a slow circle over a familiar neighborhood, shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Victor still held the towel in one hand, though using it for cover in flight was made impossible by the strength of the wind.

  “Leave her out of this,” said Ella. “You need to get out of Undercliff City. You can start a new life somewhere.”

  “I still have responsibilities, Ella,” he said. “I can’t run away from them.”

  “There’s a difference between running away and being forced off.”

  Victor didn’t have anything to say back to that. Instead, he began spiraling down, toward the ground, and more specifically, a patch of soft grass in the front yard of Lucy Wilson.

  Luckily for him, there weren’t any gawkers out to see him make his landing. Victor managed to stay on his feet, though his feet scored the grass as he ran through it at top speed, leaving tiny indents of dirt behind him. He jogged up the stairs to Lucy’s second floor apartment, wrapping the towel around himself as he made his way to her front door. He rang the doorbell, and then waited.

  Lucy opened the door a few seconds later and gaped at him, as though she couldn’t believe her eyes. She was wearing a pair of black leggings and a loose gray sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail. It’d been weeks since Victor had last seen her, and she looked tired.

  After what happened to Kiara, I can’t imagine she’s getting enough sleep.

  She grabbed Victor by the shoulder and pulled him inside roughly.

  “Do you want to explain what you’re doing on my front porch in a towel?” There wasn’t any humor in Lucy’s voice, and from the way she looked at him, Victor could tell that she was still angry.

  A month earlier, Victor had taken a risk to save the life Lucy’s comatose younger sister, Kiara. He’d been working with Annette Lockwood, a woman that he’d thought he could trust. She’d double crossed him in the end, stealing Kiara’s body for herself, and taking the girl’s life as her own like a sinister, real life body snatcher.

  As an aura binder, both Victor and Kiara had access to powers beyond normal human capabilities. Annette had, apparently, coveted their powers for herself. And in trusting her to save Kiara, Victor had delivered into her hands the thing she wanted most. Lucy had blamed him for it, and rightfully so.

  “I’ve been framed,” said Victor. “The police showed up at my doorstep and accused me of murder.”

  “And?”

  Victor shrugged.

  “And I’m innocent,” he said. “I couldn’t let them railroad me with a false charge.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you came here,” said Lucy. “…Or the lack of clothes.”

  Victor smiled at her. Her face was expressionless and hard. He let his smile fade.

  “I was just getting out of the shower when they arrived,” he said. “And I came here because…”

  He trailed off.

  I came here because I thought she could help. Because she’s always the one that gives me help.

  Lucy just stared at him.

  “You’ve been a ghost for the past month,” she said.

  “I’ve been… busy.”

  Captain Brookes had been right about one thing. For the past few weeks, Victor’s life had been devoted to defending the city, and he’d developed a bit of a reputation for himself. Most of the authorities in Undercliff, skeptical as they were, attributed his supposed existence to a dedicated prankster, or drug induced hallucinations riffing off the original reports.

  I can fly, shoot fire and ice out of my hands, read and influence minds. It’s no wonder that they don’t want to believe it.

  “I’ve been busy too, Victor,” said Lucy. “And I’ve actually been focused on what matters.”

  “You’ve been working for Annette,” said Victor, the sharpness of his tone suddenly matching hers. “It’s almost as though you don’t want to admit that anything has changed.”

  “I’m staying close to my sister!” snapped Lucy. “She’s still in there, Victor! And I can save her.”

  Victor closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his hand. He wanted to believe Lucy on this, more than anything, but having hope hurt too much.

  “Maybe you can,” said Victor. “But in the meantime, I-“

  “The murders have stopped,” said Lucy. “All of the mysterious murders in the city vanished almost overnight after Annette dethroned Eli. The only killings happening now are from fights, gunshot wounds, and accidents.”

  “So what?” Victor shook his head. “That doesn’t mean that I can’t help people!”

  Lucy let her eyes run over him, and then met him with hard, serious eye contact.

  “What are you doing Victor?” she asked. “What are you running away from?”

  The mistakes I’ve made.

  He couldn’t tell her that, even if it was written all over his face, even if he knew that she understood it without having to be told.

  “Will you help me, or not?” he asked. “Lucy, Annette has set me up. She’s trying to wrap up the last of the loose ends from what happened at the Maxworthy facility.”

  “I don’t know how to help you, Victor,” said Lucy.

  Victor took a step closer to her. Lucy didn’t move back. Her eyes roamed over the bare flesh of his broad shoulders, his abdomen, and the scars on his chest.

  “Victor…” Lucy shook her head slightly, but made no move to stop him as he leaned in and kissed her.

  CHAPTER 3

  Lucy was supposed to be off limits. That was something that Victor knew and understood, something that had been true since he’d first returned to Undercliff City as a fully grown man.

  S
he’s always been there for me.

  Victor tried not to think about it as he pressed his lips against hers. The two of them were pressed tight against each other, like two matching magnets. There was always something in the air when they talked to each other, a tension that patiently simmered underneath the surface until it reached a boil.

  He pulled her over to the couch, and the two of them fell onto it in an uncoordinated jumble. There was no humor in the moment, only passion. Victor pulled her sweater up and over her head. His towel had come loose and he tossed it aside, revealing the hard erection underneath that had only barely been hidden to begin with.

  “Victor…” Lucy’s eyes were filled with an uncharacteristic amount of lust, and that, more than anything, pushed Victor to take it further.

  He’d used his scarlet aura on her once by accident, flaring her arousal in the middle of an encounter and arousing her to an almost sadistic degree. It was something that a person could get addicted to, a drug in its own right. And he could see that a part of Lucy, whether she’d willingly admit it or not, was craving it.

  Lucy ran her hands across his hard shaft as Victor pulled her blouse off. She was wearing a white bra underneath that only barely contained her large, supple breasts. He rubbed his cheek across one of them gently, feeling Lucy’s soft hands stroking his cock between his legs.

  They made eye contact. There was more than just horniness mixed into Lucy’s expression. She was mad at him and frustrated. She was a forgiving woman, but it didn’t change the fact that most of the trouble in her life could be attributed to Victor’s mistakes.

  He kissed her, as though in apology, and then pulled her leggings off with quick movements. Lucy unclasped her bra and then held the cups of it over her breasts for a moment. She pulled the undergarment down slowly, revealing her nipples as though performing a strip tease.

  She is incredible.

  Victor pushed himself back on top of her with more strength than what was probably necessary. He kissed her deep, sliding his fingers into the waist band of her panties as he did. The silk fabric slid down easily, as though they wanted to come off.

  Lucy was taking fast, deep breaths. Her breasts bounced slightly with each one. Victor took a moment to softly grope at them. And then, he pulled her thighs open, and positioned himself in between them.

  That last preemptive moment seemed to go on for an eternity. The two of them made eye contact as his cock gently probed at her entrance. They were both wondering and thinking about the same things.

  Is this right? How did we get here? What about Kiara? What about the future?

  Victor pushed forward and let out a heavenly moan as the head of his cock buried itself inside Lucy’s wet, inviting pussy. She was hot in between the legs, hot enough to make the rest of the world feel cold and bleak.

  Lucy ran her hands through Victor’s hair and moaned along with him. Her feet slid along the back of Victor’s legs, intertwining with them like vines around a post. Victor cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her deep as he pushed forward, sheathing even more of his shaft in her sweet, soft cunt.

  “Victor…” Lucy made eye contact with him. He knew what she wanted, without even needing to be asked.

  “I can’t,” he said.

  He felt her hands running across his buttocks, pulling him deeper into her.

  “Victor, it’s okay,” she whispered. “It feels so good.”

  Victor was thrusting faster now, each movement chaining with the one in front of and behind it. Lucy’s cunt was sucking him in, deeper and deeper.

  “I can’t,” he said, a little more forcefully.

  “Do it.” Lucy’s fingernails dug into his back slightly. “Please.”

  Victor gritted his teeth. He buried his face in Lucy’s neck, and then carefully, gently, flared his scarlet aura. A shudder went through Lucy’s body comparable to an intense orgasm.

  “Oh god!” she cried. “Oh my god!”

  Lucy’s body writhed underneath him. Even though she was on bottom, her hips began to thrust up, as though she was intent on fucking him, on getting her pleasure. Victor let out a long, shameful breath.

  This isn’t right. I shouldn’t have done that.

  “Fuck me Victor!” shouted Lucy. “Take me!”

  He felt his lust lead him forward. Victor grabbed one of her shoulders and pushed it against the couch hard. He slammed his hips into her with hard determination. Lucy had asked, practically begged for it. She was getting what she wanted. And that was fine.

  She wrapped her legs tightly around him, but Victor was thrusting wildly now, and her hold broke after a second or two. He grabbed her big breasts, practically using them as handles as he continued to slam into her. Lucy moaned and cried out, her body shaking with constant pleasure.

  “I’m yours, Victor,” she whispered. “I’m your slut. I’m your whore.”

  He shook his head.

  No. You’re so much more than that.

  He fucked her hard enough to leave a bruises on her hips, using the pleasure to placate his guilt. She was a perfect woman, and it felt incredible to be inside her, and she was at the mercy of his cock. Victor pushed into her hard one last time, and released, blasting his cum deep into his guardian, his mentor, his former boss. Deep into Lucy.

  CHAPTER 4

  Victor sat naked on the couch for a few minutes afterward. Lucy came back to her senses once the deed was done. She apologized profusely, and then disappeared into her room to find him some clothes.

  “These will have to do,” she said, coming back into the living room with a robe on, and clothes in hand. “I think your father left them here, many many years ago.”

  Victor winced visibly at the mention of his father, and then leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. Lucy was at his side in an instant.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. Victor shook his head slowly.

  This might be my last chance to tell her.

  “Lucy.” He turned and locked eyes with her. “I killed him.”

  She blinked and raised an eyebrow.

  “What?”

  “I killed him, Lucy,” he said. “Before I came to Undercliff City. He had begun-“

  Lucy stood up and practically ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Victor sighed. He started getting dressed, knowing that it was just the beginning.

  The police were waiting for him outside. They’d apparently learned their lesson from what’d happened at his house, and were waiting for him instead of rushing in and confronting him in the apartment.

  “Give it up, Victor!” Captain Brooke’s voice was amplified by a megaphone, but otherwise, sounded the same. “We have a dozen sharpshooters aiming for your head.”

  Victor bound his onyx aura and carefully scanned the perimeter and tops of nearby buildings.

  “Really?” he called out. “I’m only counting nine.”

  A hole exploded into the concrete of the second floor of Lucy’s apartment building. Victor felt a flash of fear pass over him. There was only so much he could do against bullets when they were coming from more than one direction.

  He made eye contact with Captain Brookes, who was standing behind a police car in the parking lot. Very slowly, he raised his hands into the air, as if preparing to place them on his head. He could see several of the sharpshooters relaxing visibly, which was exactly what he wanted.

  In a burst of movement, Victor exploded into flight over the railing of the apartment walkway. He used his scarlet aura to surround himself in a sphere of white hot flame. It wouldn’t stop bullets, but it wasn’t meant to. His biggest advantage was the way his abilities were perceived, and he hoped that his display would be enough to leave the shooters stunned, or at least obfuscate their aim.

  Several bullets did tear through the air, whizzing by Victor as he rose up into the sky. He heard Captain Brookes screaming something unintelligible through the microphone, and half wished that he could see what they were seeing from the ground.


  This… is probably going to end up on the news.

  He dimmed the flames once he’d reached an altitude of a few hundred feet, and slowly circled away from Lucy’s apartment. In the air, it was almost impossible to track him. He wondered if his best strategy for avoiding capture might be to spend as much time flying as his nanites would allow, sticking to the air.

  The thought immediately left his head as he passed through a low hanging cloud of fog, which nearly soaked his newly acquired clothes with cold moisture. Victor coughed into the crook of his elbow and then steered himself toward one of the high cliffs in the distance.

  He landed on a flat stretch of plateau, a spot that would be virtually unreachable without climbing equipment and serious effort. And then, he sat down, took a moment to catch his breath, and tried to think things through.

  “You know what my vote is for,” said Ella, materializing next to him in sweat pants and a thick sweater. “You’ve done enough for this city already, Victor.”

  “I’ve failed.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t save Kiara.”

  “The mysterious murders have stopped,” said Ella. “That’s a small win, isn’t it?”

  Victor sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He could see down into the park below. They weren’t all that far away from his house, though given the current circumstances, it didn’t mean much.

  “Do you think I should turn myself in?” asked Victor.

  Ella’s hand cuffed the back of his head with hard, albeit imaginary, force.

  “That’s the last thing that you should do,” said Ella. “Look, if you’re dead set on staying in Undercliff City, then your only option is to figure out who killed those people and find the evidence tying them to the crime.”

  “It was probably Annette,” he said. “And I sincerely doubt that she left even a trace of her handiwork on the crime scene.”

  Victor leaned forward, resting his forehead against his palm. It was only then that he heard the voice, faint, distant, and familiar.

  “…pick up already? I’m getting sick of this shit!”