Page 17 of Overwhelmed By Magic

Clothes are quickly discarded and I find myself flat on my back, Harlow looming over me as he grabs the lube from the nightstand drawer. There is only love in those deep blue eyes as he preps me, fingering me with one, two, and then three fingers until I’m all but shaking for more. My cock is leaking between us but I ignore it, focusing on his touch instead. I crave it. I need more of it if I’m honest but being with a spirit in this way isn’t just unheard of. It’s taboo.

Spirits aren’t supposed to be able to touch but even if they could, mixing their essence with a human is dangerous. They are from beyond the veil. Only their soul is left on earth searching for relief. I’m essentially putting more of that death right up inside me.

And I can’t fucking care less.

“Fuck me, Harlow,” I breathe as he sinks into my ass, both of us holding a breath as everything settles around us. With him so close to me, it feels like I still have my best friend and lover at my side, that nothing has changed. “Fuck me until I see stars. Until I can’t feel anything other than you as I walk out of here tomorrow.”

Harlow brushes a stray curl from my face before kissing the bridge of my nose. “I promise.” Then he pulls out and surges forward, making my head fall back against the pillows and my back bow upward. Pleasure spreads through my limbs, darkness creeping at the edge of my vision, those spirits who tried to take me so long ago once again interrupting. “Focus on me, babe. There you go. Just me, us, and my cock sinking into your ass.”

I shudder as the cold wraps around me but it’s comforting and wholly Harlow. His lips descend on my neck as I hold onto him, my fingers digging into his shoulders hard enough to draw blood. He feels so fucking real.

Like he never died.

Like he never left.

He drags a strangled cry from my throat as I come suddenly, spraying my release over our stomachs before he fills me with his own. I nearly mutter the words ‘don’t leave me’ but they would be in vain and only hurt us both. So I whisper ‘one more night’ instead, Harlow turning us to the side and wrapping himself around me without even pulling out.

If I only get one more night with him, I want his everything.

12

RUMI

Hats off to Harlow for following through and actually leaving Grimrose Academy. Unfortunately, he’s the least of my worries as I hear muttered cries that evening after the new Magila are settled. It’s coming from the end of the hall, dinner long over and all of us supposed to have retired to our rooms. There are four wings, most of the veteran Magila stuffed down the North wing as we tend to enjoy our peace from Magila who still have hope of getting out of here. The West wing holds many of the newer Magila and despite the number of rooms set aside for us, hardly any of them are full. Mother Nature's gift has been appearing less and less over the years, producing fewer Magila until graduating classes consist of less than fifty. Even fewer are rejected and tossed into Grimrose.

I haven't counted recently but there might be less than twenty rejects still waltzing around in this forsaken place.

Ambrose is wandering as per usual, spouting some bullshit about picking up a new assignment as a hall monitor so that we don’t have any people with funny ideas trying to play tricks on other Magila. There have been enough near-death experiences in the past few years that the added watchdog is more than helpful despite his lies.

Unfortunately, Ambrose likes to take his annoyances out on unsuspecting Magila so he’s not going to be winning any ‘Hall Monitor of the Year’ awards any time soon.

I roll over, intent on dragging a pillow over my head to block out the cries. There’s always one or two criers, ones that finally understand there isn’t anywhere to go but they usually aren’t this loud. And they don’t usually sound like they’re in pain. They’re also usually somewhere down the West wing.

“Rumi.” Someone calls my name softly, almost tenderly. There’s only one person in this academy that does that. Jade. “Rumi,” he says again, a gentle hand placed on my bare back. “I have to go help him.”

I shoot up and glare at my Incubus, his purple eyes tortured as he stands at the edge of the mattress. He pulls his hands against his chest, wringing them together as his lips purse, his eyebrows furrowing as if he’s feeling the pain that the Magila is. “What are you talking about? You’ve never offered to help anyone.”

“I can feel it. It’s… he needs an outlet for his essence.”

It takes a moment to click, that somehow Jade’s constant need for essence gives him the ability to determine where excess is. “Do you know who it is? I don’t know how comfortable I am with-”

“The fire one.”

“How do you know? You didn’t even see them when they arrived.”

“He passed by the room.” The cry comes again and Jade winces, his jaw pulling tight. “He needs me, Rumi. I have to go.”

Jade isn’t telling me. He’s asking for my permission. We’ve been each other’s for so long that it’s hard to imagine him with someone else but if he can help another Magila, I’m all for it. I slide from the mattress and grab a shirt before pattering barefoot down the stone hallway with Jade a few feet ahead of me. Ambrose catches us halfway but I merely just shake my head. There’s no time to explain.

It isn’t until we hit the last door, one fitted with a few stairs and placed away from the main rooms that the cries become deafening. Jade fiddles with the metal door, growling at the contraption before grabbing Ambrose’s hand and flicking it at the lock. I have no idea how that works but the door bangs open, a terrified and naked Stellan in the middle of the floor staring back at us.

“You can’t be in here!” He screams. Is that smoke? His body must be literally on fire, wisps of gray rising from his skin, the temperature in here several times hotter than the hallway. His eyes flash a deep orange as he bows his head and screams again, his arms wrapped around his torso. He’s holding onto his fire but I have no idea why. “You… you have to go!”

I can’t, though. Not until Jade does.

My eyes trail over his skin, my anger thickening as I catch the bruises along his shoulders and his arms. There have been stories regarding his father’s iron fist but I didn’t think it extended to abuse. I will find a way to make that man pay for hurting this sweet soul.

I don’t expect Jade to settle in front of Stellan and pull him into his lap. Stellan fights him for a solid second before his entire body sags with relief, the fire elemental nearly disappearing in Jade’s hold. I’m not sure I ever really thought about how tall Jade was since he’s shorter than Ambrose and I but while Stellan is maybe a head shorter, he’s small. Like adorably small. “Sweet Jesus. Holy fuck, that’s amazing,” the fire elemental mumbles. The temperature drops a few degrees and we step inside, my gaze meeting Jade’s to make sure he’s alright. His arms are firmly around the fire elemental, his head resting on Stellan’s. Jade starts rocking him back and forth, comforting him while also stealing that excess essence for himself.

---