Now and Forever

by Casper Graham

  Connor laughed. “I will. Just don’t expect too much of it. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of what it feels like to make love to you, I hope you’re ready to be fucked to within an inch of your life every single day and night.”

  Harley rolled his eyes. “How can you be this horny after two orgasms?”

  “I place all the blame on you for being so addictive and sexy.”

  Harley snorted. “As if.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Whatever. Quiet, please. I need to sleep for a while.”

  “Okay.”

  Harley might have complained, but deep down, he was thoroughly delighted. Connor really was an incredible lover, but Harley wasn’t going to tell him. He didn’t want Connor to become even more smug because he’d likely not hear the end of it.

  He scooted backward to get impossibly closer to Connor and shut his eyes. He would sleep soundly that night. Well, what little sleep he would get anyway. There wouldn’t be much of it. He had no doubt Connor would make good on his promise to make love to him over and over again, and he would look forward to it. With pleasure.

  Chapter 10

  Connor noticed the woman’s sneering face at the edge of the forest. He couldn’t recall who she was, but she seemed to recognize him. He glanced downward at his dead, bloody lover. A blade pierced his lover’s chest, and anger overwhelmed Connor. He rushed toward the multiple assailants. He would kill them all, and that woman, too. His boyfriend was dead. He didn’t care for anything anymore.

  All of a sudden, a bright light materialized in front of him. He covered his eyes in surprise. Then his eyes widened in shock.

  “Haziel.”

  Haziel had a compassionate expression on her face. Her wings flapped gently over her back. “Your memories will be returned to you soon, but this is not the right time. Wake up. Now!”

  * * * *

  Connor gasped as he opened his eyes. His cock was still hard and buried inside Harley’s ass. He had sated his desire for Harley a total of seven times, and when they fell into a deep sleep in the early morning hours, they were both sweaty and sticky with perspiration and cum. The musky stench of their sex surrounded them. He could actually continue to make love to Harley several more times, but he took pity on his mortal lover.

  He held Harley tighter as he thought about his dream. His heart ached at the thought that he might lose Harley in such a brutal way. He clenched his fists. He would never allow that to happen to Harley. Heaven, earth, and hell couldn’t stand in his way. He would fight everyone in it and get Harley back. He couldn’t exist without the man. Not ever. He would go insane with grief and rage without Harley by his side.

  He stared at Harley in silence. He also ran his fingers gently up and down his arm. He had no idea how much time passed as he lay there, but he was startled out of his reverie when his boyfriend groaned and stirred awake.

  Harley turned his head to glance up at him. “Is your cock ever going to go down anytime soon? How can you come seven times and still be able to get it up?”

  Connor snickered. “I’m not an ordinary mortal, baby. Remember?”

  Harley yawned and snorted at the same time. He looked adorable doing that, and Connor didn’t think he would ever get bored of this man.

  “Do you need another round?”

  Connor shook his head. “I’ll save my cum for later tonight.”

  Harley scoffed while pointing at his belly. “As if you need to. Do you always shoot so much every single time? Look at my tummy. It’s practically bloated with your cock and cum.”

  Connor shrugged. “Perks of being an angel.”

  “Maybe it’s just you,” Harley mumbled before stretching his arms and legs in different directions. Then he whimpered. “Damn it! Why must you have such a huge dick? And talking about that, can you pull out of my ass, please? Haven’t you had enough of it?”

  Connor obliged, slowly removing his cock, but he continued to cling onto Harley. “It’s all your fault for being so irresistible and sexy. I stand no chance in resisting you.”

  Harley rolled his eyes, but had a pleased and delighted expression. “Liar.”

  “It’s the truth. You’re also very sweet, attentive, loving, and kind. You make it really easy to love you, and I’ve fallen madly in love with you because of your charm. I can’t ever escape you. You have to take responsibility for that.”

  Harley seemed amused. “Fine.”

  “Good. Anyway, what are the plans for today?”

  “The auction house.”

  Connor knew what an auction house was, but he was curious about what Harley wanted to do there. After all, Harley wasn’t the type to bid on things. At least Connor didn’t think so. “Is there any item you’re searching for in particular?”

  Harley nodded, grinning widely. “It’s an old blade.”

  “What’s so interesting about it?”

  “It’s not just any old blade. Remember Gina?”

  Connor snorted. He didn’t think he could ever forget that particular customer of Harley’s. She was the one who had wanted that cursed blade that had been used as a weapon to murder Gary and Cynthia. In Connor’s opinion, she was one insane woman. He didn’t believe anyone in his or her right mind would ever buy such a morbid item. “What about her?”

  “She’s still trying to get her hands on that small, antique blade, but obviously, Lance can’t give it to her. It’s a murder weapon after all.”

  “She’s off her rockers, that one,” Connor spat in disgust. “Why does she want something like that anyway? I’m a soul collector, but even I think collecting that damn blade is fucking morbid and creepy.”

  Harley snickered. “Anyway, she’s after yet another blade. It used to belong to this witch who lived more than six thousand years ago.”

  “A witch?”

  Harley beamed at Connor. “Well, nobody knows for sure if she truly was a witch.”

  “It’s an athame then. A ceremonial blade.”

  “That’s right. There’s actually a myth related to it.”

  “What myth?”

  Harley appeared really excited now. “Based on my research, Bridget Bishop—that was her name, by the way—was supposedly an extremely beautiful witch. She was also very, very powerful. Now, she fell in love with her familiar, a man named Hartwell. A familiar is intended to be both a power source and to balance the witch’s magic when it goes out of control. A familiar also helps to keep the witch grounded to the mortal realm, especially when the magic user is performing any summoning magic. Naturally, a familiar does a lot more than what I’ve just told you, but I digress. Anyway, Bridget’s love for Hartwell didn’t end well.”

  Something niggled in the back of Connor’s mind, but he pushed it aside for the time being. “Why not?”

  “Because Hartwell was in love with someone else.”

  Connor felt a strange dizzy sensation. He also thought he might choke. Something about the story rubbed him the wrong way. He felt a weird mixture of burning anger and sadness deep inside him, but had no idea what was going on, though. “What was the name of Hartwell’s girlfriend?”

  Harley chuckled. “Not a woman, a man. Believe it or not, that guy’s name was also Connor.”

  “What?”

  “It’s such an incredible coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Anyway, Bridget’s jealousy made her homicidal, and she ended up murdering Hartwell, which was supposedly an accident. She actually wanted to kill Connor, but Hartwell got in the way, and he died after being stabbed through his heart with the athame.”

  Connor had a pounding headache out of nowhere, and he attempted to shake it off. “What happened to Bridget and Connor?”

  “She went insane, but supposedly died of old age. No one knew anything about Connor’s fate.”

  “That’s a horrible story,” Connor concluded with a laugh, but he didn’t think it was funny. Something about it disturbed him. “Is the story real?”

/>   Harley shrugged. “Who knows? It had been passed down through word of mouth for thousands of years before someone actually took the time to record it in writing.” Harley patted Connor’s shoulder. “Don’t get too affected by it. For all we know, it’s probably just a horrid fairy tale or something.”

  “Maybe.”

  However, Connor wasn’t fully convinced. He couldn’t shake that story from his mind. It sounded too similar to one of his dreams, which had repeated itself twice now. He wondered if there was a connection between the story and his dream. All of a sudden, he remembered something else. Something about memories. Haziel had mentioned that particular thing to him a couple of times so far. Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to know about his dreams and the story related to the athame.

  “I’m going to shower. Care to join me?” Harley asked as he sat up and winked at Connor.

  In response, Connor gaped at him.

  “What?”

  Harley slowly made his way toward the bathroom. “Maybe we can have a bit of fun in the shower. I won’t mind getting on my knees and gulping some of your delicious cum. I love the taste.”

  That effectively derailed all of Connor’s other thoughts. His erection returned with a vengeance. He quickly got up and ran after Harley. He would never miss out on the chance to have sex with the man.

  As a result, they ended up spending nearly two hours having fun, and Connor had no doubt he would get hard every time he entered this bathroom. After all, he not only got to come inside Harley’s mouth, but even Harley’s ass with another load afterward. Naturally, he made sure his lover obtained just as much pleasure as he did. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most enjoyable shower he’d ever had.

  * * * *

  “Is it always this crowded?”

  Harley shook his head as they made their way toward two empty chairs in the back of the room. The auction had yet to commence, but most of the chairs were already occupied. “All of these people must be very interested in some of the items that will be up for grabs today.”

  Connor couldn’t understand the mortals’ fascination with some of the ugly pieces on display as the auction got underway. He had existed for more than six thousand years. All of these items were ordinary things back then, and in all honesty, most of them were hideous as fuck, including the paintings. He grew bored really fast, so he glanced around the room. Everyone looked so serious. “Pretentious, uptight motherfuckers,” he whispered under his breath.

  Harley snorted. “Babe, behave.”

  Connor rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He observed people raising their hands one after the other. He couldn’t believe the price tags on all of the items that had been purchased by the collectors so far. Somebody paid nearly three-quarter of a million dollars for a vase from the Ming dynasty. Connor remembered those vases back then as being damn shitty pieces of junk. In fact, most people from ancient times would have used those vases as poop pots.

  Then he viewed a grotesque, awful, and horrid painting from the eighteenth century by an artist with zero talent whatsoever. Yuck! Connor would rather utilize the painting as something to wipe the shit off his ass. Not that he could pass any motions, big or small. He wasn’t a mortal, after all. Nevertheless, all of the items were horrendous and worthless. He didn’t even want to think about the other items that had already been sold to some of these idiots.

  The next forty-five minutes passed by in the blink of an eye. Finally, it was time for the final item—the athame. Everyone sat upright almost simultaneously. Even Connor was intrigued by it, but for a different reason. The mortals wouldn’t be able to sense the dark and negative energy in and around it, but it was visible to him. However, he knew he wasn’t permitted to do anything about it unless a soul of the dead was attached to it. If he spent his time cleaning negative energies off all the cursed items in the world, he wouldn’t have any spare time at all. Besides, that particular duty belonged to other angels.

  “Are you going to bid?” Connor whispered into Harley’s ear.

  “Gina has already authorized me to do that on her behalf.”

  “What’s her limit?”

  “None. She’s worth nearly twenty-seven billion dollars. She has way too much wealth, and she doesn’t know what to do with it, so she’s been throwing money left and right over some of the most frivolous things.”

  “Her money will run out soon enough.”

  “Nah. She’s the only child in her family. Once her parents are dead and gone, their combined wealth of eighty-three billion will be hers.”

  Connor folded both arms over his chest as he leaned against the back of his chair. “Good karma from her previous lives, then.”

  “Very good karma. She was actually worth closer to ninety billion, thanks to the enormous inheritance she received from all four of her grandparents years ago, but she donated huge lumps to numerous charities. She claimed she was bored, so she wanted to throw away the money to many worthy causes. In reality, she’s one of the sweetest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. Granted, she has an eccentric temper, but underneath all that, she’s very kind and compassionate.”

  “If she continues to be that way, in her next life, she will be showered with even more riches. That’s how karma works. Well, unless she starts committing heinous acts prior to her death.”

  “I don’t think she will. Anyway, hush now. The bidding is about to begin.”

  Soon, people started raising their hands left and right. The athame was such a hot item, the price tag had already gone up to seven hundred and thirty-seven thousand dollars. Connor was puzzled. That athame was nothing special, and as ugly as sin.

  “One and a half million,” Harley said after lifting his right hand.

  Connor gaped at him. He noticed several other people also staring at Harley.

  “Two million,” another bidder countered, sneering at Harley.

  Harley’s expression remained flat. “Three.”

  Some people gasped while Harley’s competitor glared at him. “Five.”

  “Ten.”

  Connor almost choked on air as he darted his eyes between Harley and the athame. He wondered if his lover had lost his damn sanity. He couldn’t understand paying ten million dollars for it. That was fucking crazy. Apparently, Harley’s competitor thought the same thing because he looked furious. However, the man didn’t utter another word.

  The auctioneer raised his gavel after a moment of silence. “Ten million going once.” Everyone remained quiet. “Ten million going twice…”

  “Get it over with, idiot,” Connor muttered. “There’s nobody else who’s willing to fight with Harley over that piece of shit.”

  “All right. Sold to the gentleman at the back. Congratulations on your purchase of such a fine item, sir.”

  Harley simply smiled at the auctioneer. Connor was about to roll his eyes when he noticed something a few inches away from where the athame was being displayed. It was that fucking malevolent female spirit, the one who had escaped from him due to Harley’s interference the night they’d met. The one who Connor had feared might target Harley, which was the very reason he’d attached himself to Harley in the first place. Her eye sockets were two large, empty holes. Her skin was as deathly pale as ever. The amount of blue veins crisscrossing every exposed parts of her skin seemed to have increased, while her lips were darker than before and sharp, pointed teeth filled her mouth. Sudden rage burned deep in his guts. He was about to get up and kick her ass into the underworld when she abruptly disappeared.

  Evil spirits like her pissed him off. Judging by how much more terrifying she looked now, she must have done a lot of nasty things since her escape. She might even have caused the deaths of some innocent people. He clenched his fists on his lap. He would capture her sooner or later, and would enjoy stomping her with his boots before he dragged her into the underworld. She would be sorry she’d ever taunted him. He would even personally torture her in hell for all
the crimes she had committed while alive and dead. He had no doubt he would savor every second of her screaming in pain while being punished in hell for all the wrongs she had done. He would make sure that justice was served.

  Chapter 11

  “Hartwell, come on.”

  “No, Bridget. You’ve done enough magic for the day. You need to rest.”

  Bridget pouted. “Fine. What about you?”

  “I’ll be meeting with Connor.”

  Bridget’s expression turned ugly. “What’s so great about him?”

  “I like him. No! I love him.”

  Bridget’s expression became even more hideous.

  Then, all of a sudden, the scenery changed. Hartwell was standing somewhere in the forest, so close to Connor, but out of nowhere, a bunch of men dashed out from every direction, with one holding a familiar athame. The man rushed toward Connor from behind.

  Hartwell recognized the athame. It belonged to Bridget, his witch. He ran toward Connor and got there just in time. Then he felt the athame piercing him. Hartwell could sense powerful, dark magic within the blade. He slowly fell, but he didn’t land on the ground. Instead, Connor caught him, and gently placed him onto his lap. He felt his life slipping away, but he didn’t want to die. Not yet. Not when Connor was sobbing. He had to console his lover.

  “No. You can’t die. Not now. We’re so close.”

  Hartwell chuckled through his pain. “I’m sorry, my love. M-maybe we’re n-not meant to be. Not in t-this lifetime, but someday s-soon. I promise. I love you now and forever.”

  The next thing he knew, Hartwell saw a bright light in front of him, and an extremely beautiful angel stepped out of it. She smiled while raising both arms toward him.

  “I’m Haziel, the angel of death. Come with me, Hartwell. It’s time to leave. Luna, the moon goddess, is waiting for you to come home to her.”

  Hartwell shook his head. “I can’t. Connor will kill them all. Then he will be punished in the underworld.”

  “It’s his destiny.”