Page 45 of Soulmates

“Mmm, I think I’m already getting it.” Maddox said, rubbing his hard dick against Jake’s thigh.

“Shouldn’t you ask first? It’s polite.” Maddox shivered all over at that. Jake chuckled. “Not what I meant, but I can definitely work with that.”

Frissons rushed up and down Jake’s spine as Maddox’s barely there stubble scratched against his chest as Maddox rubbed him like a cat scent marking.

Beyond Jake’s senses, something lingered, a tiny warmth in his chest, and he briefly wondered if that was the Soul Exchange trying to slot into place. Maddox interrupted his thoughts with a whispered, “Touch me, please.”

“I am touching you,” Jake said, keeping his tone light.

“Jake…please. Make me come. Make me feel better.”

Jake gripped Maddox’s dick but didn’t move to jack him off. Maddox immediately tried to fuck into Jake’s fist, but Jake didn’t budge. “Patience. Hold still.”

“Mmmph” was Maddox’s only reply. It might have been a word, but Maddox had buried his face against Jake’s chest.

Jake brought Maddox to the brink slowly, then backed off. He tightened his grip, then loosened it before Maddox could come. The hot water beating down on his back, the cold tile brushing his arm each time he jacked Maddox, the sound of Maddox moaning in his arms—the sensations coalesced until his body felt like ones exposed nerve, each touch to one of his senses making him impossibly harder.

Maddox panted heavily, and when Jake finally gave Maddox a few firm strokes while whispering in his ear, “You going to come for me? Will you get on your knees after and let me come in your mouth again?” Maddox instantly exploded all over Jake’s legs, some even reaching Jake’s achingly hard cock. Maddox liked dirty talk. Good to know.

Sliding to his knees as soon as he’d mostly stopped shaking, Maddox looked debauched. Jake brushed back Maddox’s hair, his long strands flowing through Jake’s fingers now that they were wetted down. Maddox seemed intent on getting Jake’s cock in his mouth immediately, and the silky glide of Maddox’s tongue nearly had Jake losing control coming right them. He took some deep breaths to try to stave off the inevitable.

Maddox appeared to relish having Jake’s cock in his mouth if his blissed-out expression was anything to go by. Maddox’s breathy whimpers around Jake’s cock as he continued to come down from his own orgasm were nearly as satisfying as the feel of Maddox’s mouth. Gods he loved this man.

Jake softly gripped Maddox’s hair, and Maddox moaned, pulling off. “Fuck my face, I don’t wanna move.”

“That what you want, baby?” Jake chuckled at Maddox’s request. Trust Maddox to stay bossy while literally on his knees. “You want me to feed it to you?”

A sharp intake of breath and a quiet “Ah Gods,” and Maddox opened his mouth. Jake gently pushed his dick into Maddox’s mouth as Maddox ran his free hand up the back of Jake’s thigh to grab his ass. Jake did everything he could not to be too rough, but Maddox’s sweet sounds of pleasure and the grip he had on Jake’s ass gave Jake the permission he needed.

Jake increased his strokes until he was coming down Maddox’s throat. Maddox swallowed it all with pleasure, judging by the sounds he was making—soft moans and sweet sighs echoing off the tiles. As Jake’s spent cock fell from Maddox’s lips, he leaned his head against Jake’s thigh, wet curls tickling him. Jake reached to pull him up, but Maddox said, in a quiet, plaintive voice, “Not yet.” So Jake did something he had dreamed of doing. He ran his hand all over Maddox’s head and shoulders, caressing him. His skin was so soft and beautiful. It shined even without the benefit of the extra bend in the light. Maddox rested there on his knees with is eyes closed, and his breathing slowly returning to normal, matching Jake’s own deliberately paced breaths. Jake let Maddox take all the time he wanted. If he could give Maddox a moment of comfort, happiness, and contentment, he would.

Eventually, Maddox looked up with his gleaming, golden eyes and said, “I love you, you know?”

This time, Jake hauled Maddox to his feet and kissed him thoroughly before answering. “I love you so much, Maddox. Always have and always will.”

“Can we go to bed?” Maddox asked, yawning.

They got into bed after some maneuvering. They were getting pretty good at doing routine things while joined. Maddox scooted back against Jake so hard that Jake reached out to steady him. “You okay?”

“Yes. No. I just… Don’t let me go. I know you can’t, but you know what I mean. Please just don’t let me go.”

“Of course.” Jake pulled Maddox tight against him. He would always try to give Maddox what he needed. If only they could get through their current clusterfuck.

Maddox settled and the light blinked out of the room when Maddox closed his eyes. Fireflies swarmed in a single mass, hovering just outside the window.

Chapter 28

“It’s in the way you are taught to think about magic,” Cricket said the next morning. “You’re taught that magic is a tool to be used for various purposes. Magic benefits the user. Magic is used by the mage.”

Cricket had pulled them in for a discussion on magic theory after another failed mediation session, followed by another failed ceremony.

“But isn’t that true? We use magic to complete tasks, fight opponents, heal ourselves and each other, activate potions,” Santiago said.

“You do, yes. And I’m not saying that magic isn’t a tool. But as classically trained mages, you are limited to this way of thinking,” Cricket answered. “When a scratch witch is young and trying to get their spells to work, they’re working more off of ideas. They hope it works, they beg it to work, they’re thinking ‘please let this work’ because they haven’t been taught the precise spellwork you have. So they hope and beg. That’s the beauty of being a child and being untrained. You automatically reach out to the magic. You ask it to work.”

Maddox, Jake, and Santiago were all quiet at that. Each, Maddox assumed, thinking about the implications and what the difference might be.

“I know it’s hard to envision because precision is all you know. Your spells are exact, and you know what you’re doing without question or hesitation every time. But when you don’t have access to that kind of education, magic becomes much more give-and-take. As I’ve said, you might reach the same results, but you’d go about it in a different way.”

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