by Abigail Kade
Arthur put his hand into my hair, and his fingers played with the strands while we talked.
“Was he ever violent with you like he was today? That’s not cool to just barge in here and physically pull you from bed.”
I snorted, because that’s exactly what he had always done. I told the truth, even though I knew it might cause problems. I wouldn’t lie to him, though.
“Oh yeah. He was always that brother who thrived on torturing me in one way or another. That’s why I moved out on my own. I work and pay my way the best I can, but I never want to be dependent on this family again for anything. Dad was never an issue. He loved that I wanted to follow my own path. Even though we were different, he wanted us to have as normal a life as we could.”
“Ah, you mean because of the witch thing?”
I was getting the feeling that Arthur didn’t believe me about being a witch, but I’d been honest about that too. I might have to show him something just in case. He needed to be on board before we saw Mother.
“Yeah, because of the ‘witch thing.’ Why don’t I show you something I can do, and you can see it for yourself?”
“Nah, I don’t need to see anything. I’ll just take your word for it.”
“Yeah, but Mother might ask you about it and you’ll have to...”
Arthur’s fingers, which had been combing through my hair, closed around the strands now. Then Arthur gently, but forcefully, gripped and tipped my head up to meet his. Our lips met in a crushing kiss that at once surprised me and turned me on in an instant. It was our first, but I never wanted there to be a last. Our tongues met over and over, licking softly, flavors mingling. I loved the way he felt against me, the way he tasted, and the way he smelled. In just under a minute, my senses were overwhelmed with everything that was Arthur.
Then it was over.
“Don't worry about me and your Mother, Toby. I’ll be fine, and everything will be alright. I promise. You brought the most perfect person you could have chosen to be your fake boyfriend.”
All of a sudden, it felt like ice water had been poured over me. Of course, this was all fake. He was playing a part. It was a part I had asked him to play, and he was making sure it was all as convincing as possible. I was humiliated to have even considered he was serious in his affection since his actions seemed to fall in line with someone playing along to make everything believable.
Where a few minutes ago I had been on cloud nine, thinking he really liked me, now I needed some distance to get myself under control. I dropped my gaze from his, then scooted across the bed to get away. He tried to pull me back again, but this time, I resisted and got out of bed to go to the bathroom.
“If you want to use the other bathroom, it’s on the other side of the house. I’m going to jump in the shower and then get dressed. Todd and Mother can wait. I need a few minutes.”
The puzzled look on Arthur’s face nearly had me going back over to snuggle him and the family be damned. Then I remembered my place in this charade. I wasn’t special to him, and he hadn’t come here to meet the family for real.
As I stood under the cool water waiting for it to get warm, I might have let a tear or two escape my eyes for the lost feelings of contentment I’d had earlier. I wasn’t destined to have that it seemed.
6
Arthur
Toby’s mom was a bitch.
I had never seen a more self-absorbed woman in my life. She wasn’t interested in Toby—or me for that matter. She had been more interested in how much money I had and who my family was instead of if I was a decent human being.
After his asshole brother had barged into the room uninvited, Toby had been acting much more withdrawn, even sad. Also, he wouldn’t let me show him much affection at all even though we’d been having such a wonderful time up until then. I wanted to find out what the problem was, but we couldn’t seem to get away from the two evil ones.
All afternoon and evening, his mother, Suzanne, had been barking orders. Everything had to be perfect tonight because she knew for sure her late husband would come through and speak to her. If I’d been married to her and passed, there's no way in heaven or hell I’d be coming back to hear her shrill voice.
Now it was finally midnight. The bonfire was lit, and it was almost midnight. This was the sacred time of remembrance and reflection over the past year, then as the hour turned to the next day, it was time for thinking about the future. But the meditative fell to the ritual was being ruined by Toby’s shrew of a mother.
“Tobias, you can never do anything right. I told you this has to be perfect this year. I want to speak to your father and ask him a question. Now, do what I told you to do. Put that last log on the fire to even out the stack.”
The bonfire was burning high and bright in the dark cool night. There were stars everywhere since there were no clouds. The night was perfect. Toby went across the yard to the woods behind the house to get the last log, waving away my offer of help.
“I’m not so sure you should even be here, Arthur. This is a family tradition, and you’re not family. Maybe you should go back to the house and wait for Tobias. You’re not one of us, and you could throw this whole thing off with your mediocre energy and your mundane presence. I can tell you don’t even really like Tobias anyway, so I’m not sure why you’re even here. I can tell these things with my powers. You may not believe me, but I’m very powerful in my own right.”
I was trying so hard not to zap the bitch with lightning. I had to keep silent, though, for Toby’s sake at least. The less I engaged her, the less chance she would turn from me to Toby. So, I just ignored her and kept looking at the fire.
“Did you not hear me young man? I’m a very powerful witch. We’re real, you know. Very real. And we’re the only family of real witches in the world. I’m so ashamed that one of the heirs to this great power is a klutz like Tobias. What do you see in him anyway? You’re very handsome. I’m sure you can have anyone you want to play around with.”
I heard a small wounded sound and saw Toby coming close to the circle with the requested log for the fire. He had to have heard what his mother said, and it hurt. I could tell from his face. He was jerking the long log behind him, but a limb got stuck on something, so he turned his head back to see what it was, then yanked it hard to get it unstuck. The momentum of his actions caused him to overcompensate and the force of his pulling motion sent him stumbling toward the massive fire raging in front of him.
“You see? He’s completely useless. Can’t even carry a log right without screwing it up too.”
She was closer to Toby and could have reached out to stop her son from falling into the fire, but she chose to stand there and continue to berate him instead. I tried to get her to see reason.
“He’s gonna fall into the fire. Stop him!”
She finally did realize at the last minute what was about to happen, but it was too late. His brother Todd was no help either. He was almost pass-out drunk in one of the lounge chairs by the pool about twenty feet away. He did perk up a little when I screamed at his mother, but only to look over and raise his drink to his mouth. Toby was about to fall face down into the blazing fire, and there was only one thing left I could do.
I raised my hands, and everything stopped.
The air solidified in the entire backyard. Toby was frozen midair with his pretty brown hair almost touching the outside flames. Todd’s drink was frozen halfway to his mouth, and Suzanne’s ugly robe of black silk stopped swishing in the breeze and was frozen around her. As much as they were motionless, they could still hear and see. It was nearly midnight, so I walked over and removed Toby from danger by allowing the air around him to soften enough for me to pick him up and carry him back away from the flames. Then I waved a hand and let the fire start burning again. I thought about releasing the other two, but I wanted to have a talk with Toby first.
“Are you alright? Nothing hurt?”
I had walked over to the opposite side of the fire from Suzanne a
nd Todd so we could have a little privacy. I had been so nervous when I’d let my secret out, I hadn’t thought about what Toby would think learning I hadn’t told him everything yet. I set him on his feet and pulled him down to sit with me on a stone bench decorating the garden.
“I’m alright, but what just happened?”
It seemed Toby was a little in shock, so I leaned back on the bench and got him to sit sideways so I could hold him in my lap. It was as much to comfort me as it was to comfort him. He didn’t resist at all and sat on my lap, putting his arms around my neck so we were hugging chest to chest.
I wanted to hold him tight while I told him the truth. “I’m a witch, too, Toby. My talent is with the air and weather. So when I saw you were falling into the flames and no one was helping, I had to use my powers to freeze the air and keep you safe.”
I wasn’t going to plead with him to not be mad. If he was, it was his right. I’d just have to fight to get him to forgive me.
“You’re a witch too? But I thought we were the only ones?”
“No, there are many more. I know of five families right now, but there could be countless more. We used to all be united by a High Council, but something happened when I was young, and we all scattered. My grandfather won’t tell me what, but he insisted I change my name and move around a lot to keep safe.”
Toby moved back in my embrace so he could see me. “Safe from what?”
I shook my head and couldn’t resist giving him a little kiss on the cheek. “That I don’t know. I’ve never found anyone who could tell me what happened.”
“I can tell you what happened.”
The voice in my head boomed so loud, I almost dropped Toby to cover my ears with my hands. The next time the voice spoke, it was in a much more conversational tone.
“I’m sorry. I forget that I can be too loud for human ears when I speak directly into their minds. Is this better?”
I saw a glow in front of us that slowly materialized into the shape of a handsome older man who looked remarkably like Toby. It had to be the spirit of his dad coming through the veil tonight. The bonfire had worked.
“Yes, sir, that’s much better.”
Toby let me go and spun around to face the specter. When he saw who it was, he surged forward to hug him, but passed right through.
“Dad, I’ve missed you so much!” Tears were running down Toby’s cheeks, and I wanted to go comfort him.
“If you want to hug him, then just do it, Atherton. I won’t bite.” Toby’s dad may have been a spirit, but he was a powerful one. I felt myself being lifted onto my feet and pulled toward Toby who was standing in front of his dad’s floating image. I did what he said and wrapped my arms around Toby from behind, resting my chin on his shoulder to hear what else this apparition had to tell us.
“That’s better. No, don’t resist, Tobias. He really is starting to care for you. Don’t doubt that for a second. And I know you’re growing a little fond of him too. As it should be with married couples.”
Wait, what did he just say?!
“Yes, I can hear you. You both don’t have to yell your thoughts at me. After you were born, your two families wanted to heal a breach between us. The Wyverns thought the Blackwoods were involved in a plot to overthrow the High Council, and the Blackwoods were convinced the Wyverns were trying to do the same thing and pin it on them. The Council decided a marriage, a link between the families, would heal the bad blood and they could come together afterwards. So, when you were four, Atherton, and Tobias was three, you two were ceremonially married. That’s why you were drawn to Tobias’s little town on your last move, Atherton. It’s time to fulfill your destiny.”
Toby tried to speak, but I could feel his reluctance and shock at this news. He couldn’t form the words he wanted to say, so I did.
“What do you mean our ‘destiny?’”
Tobias’s dad smiled. “Atherton, you and my son are going to protect all of us from the one who wishes to destroy us. He destroyed the High Council not long after your marriage. He managed to surprise them at a council gathering and killed each and every one of them, including your father and mother. The children hadn’t been allowed to attend for the first time that night, so you stayed safe.”
Toby finally found his voice to ask, “What about you, dad? You were okay.”
“Yes, I was fine because I wasn’t on the council at the time. My twin brother and I took turns holding the family seat, and it was his turn. I hated myself after it happened, but knew I needed to stay alive and protect us all.”
“But why did you tell Toby you were the only ones left?”
“I did that so he wouldn’t go searching for others and find the one who could destroy him. I know it wasn’t the best idea, but it was all I could think of to keep him safe. My only son had to survive.”
Toby jerked a little in my arms, then fell back into my embrace letting me carry most of his weight. Seemed tonight was all about revelations.
“What do you mean your only son? What about Todd?”
His father lifted one side of his lip in a sneer. “Theodocious is no son of mine, and that woman is not your mother. Your mother was the sweetest woman that ever lived and loved you beyond reason. She died before you turned two and took my heart with her. Suzanne took advantage of my vulnerability and put up a good charade for a while, but near the end, I could tell she was the opposite of anything I could love or care for. She already had Todd when we married, so I adopted him. I thought we could be a family and another son would be a wonderful addition. I was so wrong.”
Toby started to reach out to comfort his father, but then realized it was useless to try. I squeezed him tighter and nuzzled his neck before I went back to my original question.
“But what do you mean by destiny?”
“Ah, yes. There’s a prophecy. There’s always a prophecy involved in magick, isn’t there?” He chuckled at his own joke, then went on. “Yes, this prophecy is in pieces. Each piece lies with a different family, five in all. Well, five that I know of, anyway. Each one is held behind a lock and can only be opened with a specific key. You two finding each other and reforming your bond will be vital to finding and releasing the first key. All I know is the first key will be from the Blackwoods family and the last will be from the Wyverns.”
“But how do we find these keys or even know where to look?”
“Atherton, all I’m allowed to tell you is that as soon as you two seal your bond, you’ll find the answer you seek.”
The apparition seemed to be fading in and out now, and I saw that the bonfire was burning low. Our time was almost up.
“One last thing before I go. Suzanne summoned me for her own purposes, so you can give her a message from me. There is no stash and there is no more money. The house is titled to you, Tobias, and your name is on there, too, Atherton. She can leave now and take her lush son with her. If she gives you trouble, call the authorities. This is your home Tobias. It’s time you came home and fulfilled your destiny.”
With those last words, Toby’s dad disappeared and the bonfire across the yard went out. Samhain was over and a new time had started.
“We should probably let those two go at some point,” I said, motioning toward the two frauds.
Toby nodded his head. He stepped away from me, then turned to look me right in the eye. “So, we’re married.”
I nodded but didn’t approach him even though I wanted to wrap him up and hug him tight. “Yep, seems so. Are you okay with that?”
Toby nodded slowly again, then smiled. “I’m okay with it if you are.”
This time I did step into his space, taking him into my arms. I kissed the shit out of him, losing track of time. When we broke away, we were both panting, hard cocks rubbing against each other through our jeans. I continued to rub my crotch over and over against his bulge and watched his eyes get lazier and lazier while his pupils blew wide with his desire.
“Atherton. I like that name, but I think I prefer
Arthur.”
I kissed him again because he was so fucking cute. When I ended the kiss, he asked the million-dollar question of the night.
“So how are we supposed to seal our bond?”
I let an evil grin spread across my face and waggled my eyebrows at him.
“Let’s get rid of the evil stepmother and her lush of a son, and I’ll tell you exactly how we’ll do it in vivid detail.”
I hugged Toby to me tight and gave him a kiss on the neck which caused him to shiver. Then I whispered in my sexiest voice. “I’ll tell you all about it and then I’ll show all day tomorrow.”
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That’s the end for now, but don’t be sad. Toby and Arthur’s journey is only just beginning! The first book in the Familiar Magick series can be preordered now My Book
About Abigail Kade
Abigail Kade lives on the Gulf Coast of Alabama with her husband, two children, two cats and one dog. She absolutely believes in true love because she married her high school sweetheart. She saw him at a party, picked him up and they were married five years later. They're still married, and he supports her writing about all things men and love, even if he doesn't understand half of the terms she uses, bless his heart.
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She was a full time mom and home CEO until she finally decided recently to become what she always wanted to be when she grew up...a writer. She believes everyone deserves their happily ever after, but sometimes it's a difficult path to get there. Now she spends her spare time dreaming and writing about these wonderful characters she has in her head, and telling anyone who will listen that instalove is a very real thing.
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