STORY EXCERPT

“Um, excuse me, Mr. Robinson? Can I talk to you?” Brian asked, looking fidgety and nervous. Jack said goodbye to one of his co-workers and waited for her to leave before turning to the boy.

“Of course, Brian, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, afraid that he knew the answer.

“Um, you said if I ever needed someone to talk to, that you would listen? That you might believe me when others won’t?” The boy’s statements sounded more like questions.

“Yes, have you got something you want to discuss?”

“Yes, but not here. Can we go somewhere more private?” Brian looked extremely nervous. Jack felt for the boy. If what he suspected was true and the side effects were kicking in, it must have been a hard decision on the kid’s part to come and talk to Jack about it.

“There’s this little coffee shop just around the corner. We can talk there if that’s all right?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, that would be fine.” Brian sighed but didn’t relax. Jack led the kid to the coffee shop, and they chose a quiet table in the corner. After ordering some tea and cake and waiting for them to be served, Jack sat back in his chair, observing Brian discreetly. The kid was tall for his age and rather skinny. He had mocha-coloured skin and big brown eyes. He wore his hair in long dreadlocks, and Jack thought he saw a hint of black eyeliner on him. Brian also painted his nails black, Jack noticed. Always seeing him in school uniform, Jack couldn’t be sure, but he suspected Brian might be a fan of heavy metal or similar kind of music. Brian took a sip of his tea and fidgeted in his seat.

“My mother was a witch,” he suddenly blurted out.

“Yes, I suspected that much. Well, not your mother specifically, but one of your parents anyway. That’s how most witches are born, with at least one witch parent,” Jack said calmly and sipped his tea.

“So, you believe me.” Brian sighed. “You’re a witch, too.”

“Yes, I believe you, and no, I’m not a witch. I’m a cuberow shifter.”

“A what?” Brian’s face scrunched in thought, and Jack had a sudden feeling that this conversation was going to be even more challenging than he had thought.

“A cuberow shifter. Cuberow is an Abyssinian wolf. You know what a shifter is, right?”

“Um, no. Do you mean like in Harry Potter? A witch who can turn into an animal?” Oh, wow, the situation was even worse than he suspected.

“No, Brian. A shifter is a person with the ability to change into an animal at will. Just like you were born a witch, I was born a shifter. It is not something one can learn, even if they have magic,” Jack explained.

“I don’t understand. And I’m not a witch. My mother was. My sister, Ruby, is one as well, but I’m not.” Jack frowned at the boy’s answer. Brian’s scent very strongly indicated that the boy was a witch, but Jack wasn’t going to argue with him on that. They had more important things to discuss.

“I guess your father isn’t a witch, either?” Jack asked.

“No.” Brian grimaced, and Jack detected a hint of anger in the boy’s scent. “My dad is entirely human and doesn’t believe in witches and magic.”

“I see.” That complicated their situation considerably. “And your mother didn’t teach you about different kinds of paranormals?”

“No, she didn’t teach me anything. She said I was a disgrace and disappointment because I wasn’t a witch. She taught my sister about magic, though. Ruby Rose told me all that she’d learned from Mother. There was nothing about paranormals in there.”

“Parents these days, I swear,” Jack muttered to himself with disgust. He looked up and saw Brian’s jaw drop. Yeah, he bet the kid was surprised at his outburst. Jack was fed up, though. It was every paranormal parent’s duty to teach their children about their world. Lately, however, Jack had met way too many paranormals who knew not nearly enough about what should have been common knowledge to them. Jack sighed quietly, then went to explain. “Look, witches are not the only paranormals out there. You’ve got shifters, people who can turn into animals at will.”

“Like werewolves?” Brian nearly squeaked then cleared his throat to hide it.

“Yes, but they don’t like to be called that. It is considered rude. The proper term is a wolf-shifter. There are different kinds, though, I’m a cuberow like I said, an Abyssinian wolf. There are tigers, seals, and many, many others. Then you’ve got vampires. They’re not all bloodsucking monsters, and they’re not sparkly. They do drink blood, but they can come out in sunlight as well. There are also fey, demons, and others.” Jack finished and took a bite of his cake, giving Brian time to process what he said.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Brian asked quietly.

“Yes, Brian, I am deadly serious. That’s how I knew you were a witch. Shifters generally have better senses even when in human form. You smell like a witch.”

“Oh,” was Brian’s only answer. He seemed to mull it over in his head. “So, is that why you said what you did to me that day? Because you knew I was paranormal?

“Yes and no. But we came here because you said you had something to discuss with me. Let’s talk about it first, then I’ll tell you the reason behind what I said.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Lucas was still trim, without fat and with clearly defined shoulder and chest muscles as if he enjoyed some time spent in the gym. He was hairier than he’d been in college, the nice soft pelt covering his chest and abs. Jack ran his hands over the dips and ridges of his lover’s chest, enjoying the sudden intake of breath when he reached Lucas’s abdomen. He got to the top button of Lucas’s pants and looked up at his man. Luc watched him with intensity in his half-lidded gaze, but he just lay there, letting Jack do whatever he wanted. Jack felt empowered. He popped the button and pulled the zipper down.

“Now, let me see my prize,” he said as he scooted back, pulling Lucas’s jeans down over his hips. He got off the bed, to remove the pants completely along with his own and their shoes. In just his boxers he climbed back atop Lucas. “Mmm, someone’s glad to see me,” he joked, massaging Luc’s hard length through his boxers. Lucas gave a strangled laugh.

“Oh, yeah, he’s drooling at the opportunity.”

“Is he, now?” Jack’s grin grew wolfish. “Well, let’s not make him wait then.” With that said, Jack pulled Luc’s boxers down. “Oh…very nice.” He eyed the hard dick waving hello. “Very, very nice.” Taking the sizeable appendage in hand, he gave it a slow stroke. Lucas’s cock wasn’t very long, but it was thick and slightly curved. The shaved balls and closely trimmed pubes let Jack’s eyes feast on the sight. He stroked Lucas’s dick a few times, then played with his balls and let his fingers slide behind them. “Will you be okay with bottoming this time?” he asked seriously. Lucas watched him with a half-lidded gaze and lazy smile. His hands linked behind his head, he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Of course,” he said simply, “whatever you want.” Then he grinned and tipped his head towards the bedside table. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve done any of that, so you better get to work on preparing me.” Jack smirked and opened the drawer. Sitting right in front was a barely used bottle of lube. He didn’t ask, didn’t want to ruin the mood, but he suspected the last time Lucas bottomed had been with him, back before Ariana spelled him. Jack doubted the newly widowed man would have had the time and energy for hook-ups in between uprooting his life and taking care of his children. Instead Jack focused on the task at hand. Opening the cap, he poured some of the gel into his hand and worked it gently to warm it up. Then he dipped two fingers of his other hand in it and used them to smear the substance around Lucas’s opening. That’s when he realised something.

“Wait, that won’t work. Get on the bed properly,” he ordered. Luc grinned but followed the instructions. Once he situated himself in the middle with pillows high behind his head, Jack gave him further directions. “Good, now spread your legs.” Lucas did just that, revealing a lovely sight to Jack’s eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” He climbed on the bed and knee-walked to settle between Luc’s thighs. With focus, he went back to spreading the lube around Lucas’s hole, massaging the surrounding muscles gently. After a bit, when he felt them relaxing, he slipped one slicked-up finger inside, feeling how Luc’s hole clenched around it. He looked up and wasn’t surprised to see Lucas watching him with silent intensity. The man had been like that even in college, watching Jack as if he were performing some elaborate operation. Jack grinned at the memory. He withdrew his finger and added more lube to it. Then, just because he could, he bend forward and sucked Luc’s cock into his mouth at the same time as he inserted his finger back into his hole. He timed the bobbing of his head with the in and out movement of his finger, assuming a slow and steady rhythm.

“Stop,” Lucas said suddenly, his voice thick. “I’m too close.”

Jack obeyed, releasing Luc’s dick from his mouth, a line of drool running down its length. He pulled his fingers out, then leaned forward to kiss Lucas. His cock was hard and impatient, and it poked Luc’s abdomen as they kissed. Somehow Luc knew and his hand found its way to wrap itself around it. The long steady pulls lacked any uncertainty. Jack knew that no matter what happened between them in the past, Lucas still knew him, knew what Jack liked.

“Oh,” he breathed as he pulled away from Lucas. “God, now I’m too close.” Lucas laughed and took Jack’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Look at us. Like a pair of impatient teenagers,” he said. Jack snorted.

“Speak for yourself. I was never that impatient as a teenager.” Jack pretended offense.