Page 53 of The Naga

"Stupid troll," Khush growled against my mouth, then reluctantly pulled back.

"I heard that!"

"I don't care!"

Silas started laughing, and I smiled softly as I gave Khush one last peck before pulling back. "Come on, we can continue later."

Stepping back, I leaned down to give Scrappy a few pets as she walked over to the couch, then straightened up and took Khush's hand in mine.

Together, we walked outside, where Touya and Silas were waiting for us. Silas was in his human form, his mask firmly in place. He looked like a lumberjack with his flannel shirt and jeans combo, but he was the cutest lumberjack I'd ever seen.

Touya had dressed simply too, with a dark jacket thrown over a pale blue shirt and dark pants. His brown hair was styled to perfection, and I made a mental note to ask him later what product he used.

"You look great, Dustin," Touya said with a smile, and I grinned.

"Thanks! So do you!"

As we made our way out of the Forest, I wondered what it would take to organize a party for all the Sanctuary residents here inside the Sanctuary. I knew not all the supes felt comfortable going out into the human world, but I wanted to introduce them to some of the fun things humans had created, like booze. And music.

At the door, Khush slid into the wheelchair, and I found it fascinating now as I had the first time I'd watched him get out of it. It was physically impossible for his tail to fit in there, and yet, it did. Magic was awesome.

We all loaded up into a dark blue, old-looking van that was parked outside the building we'd come out of, one of the many places with a door to the Sanctuary. (Khush had told me those doors only opened for people whose magical signature was already registered by the headmaster. Everyone else just went in and out of the actual building when they opened the door.)

The van was courtesy to Touya. Apparently, he'd bought it after Draven successfully built the wheelchair so they could travel around when they didn't want to bother the headmaster with a portal request. It was an ingenious solution, since the van had a ramp, and an open back area where we could strap in Khush's wheelchair since he couldn't exactly get out of it in the human world without freaking people out.

I sat in the back with Khush—on his very comfy lap, since he didn't want me to get my clothes dirty—while Silas and Touya sat up front. I figured out soon enough that whoever was driving had recently learned it, or maybe hadn't learned it at all, and I decided I'd be the designated driver tonight.

When we got to the bar, it was as crowded as I'd expected, but Touya and Silas acted like our bodyguards, clearing a way for Khush and shutting down anyone who tried to start shit.

Quest had texted me where he'd be sitting—the bar was a regular hangout spot for us since it was LGBTQ+ friendly—and I waved at him as soon as I spotted him.

Secretly, I crossed my fingers as I pushed Khush's wheelchair toward Quest—I didn't want Khush to have to touch the wheels with how sticky the floors were—and prayed that the two would get along. They were both very important to me, and I needed them to become friends.

"Dustin! It feels like we haven't seen each other in years!" Quest exclaimed as he shot to his feet and pulled me into a hug. Unlike me, the jerk had copious amounts of facial hair—I still couldn't grow a beard, even though we'd started HRT at about the same time—and his beard tickled my cheek as he hugged me tight.

"Hey, Quest," I murmured, hugging him back.

Built like a big teddy bear, he had brown, frizzy hair that he cropped short, and a beard that he practically doted on. Hisgreen eyes sparkled as he leaned back to give me a look, and then his eyes slid to my mate.

"You must be Khush. I'm Quest. Nice to meet you," Quest held out a hand, and Khush shook it, looking a little starstruck. Oh, right. I'd forgotten he was a fan.

"Nice to meet you too. I like your videos," he said, and I smiled when the tips of his ears went pink. Damn. Why did he have to be so cute?

"Wait," Quest said, then narrowed his eyes at Khush. "Are you on the chat forum? You know, the one for my, uh, fans?"

Khush's eyes widened, and I wondered where Quest was going with this. What was he fishing for?

"Um, yeah. My username's NotActually—"

"AGamer, yeah," Quest said, cutting him off, and I blinked. Wait. Had Quest and Khush talked before? "Dude, you had a crush on me!"

Wait.What?!

Twenty-Three

Khush

Okay, this wasn't good.How the hell did Quest know that?

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