"Fucking hell!"
Fire erupted in a bright burst, and Everett flew backwards. His left shoulder slammed into the wall, and he landed haphazardly in a heap. Grunting, he sat up and popped his shoulder back into place.
Mordecai Black flourished his hands then settled them behind his back. His permanent scowl found its way back into place on his face. Everett hated him, and he rarely hated anyone. The man was the epitome of a pompous ass, and the student couldn't wait to surpass the teacher. He just had to find a way to do so, and that was taking too much time.
He crossed his legs and tried to figure out how to get past the rat bastard's defenses. He watched the way he stood, feet shoulder width apart and hands behind his back. His furious eyes watched him curiously, obviously trying to figure out what Everett was planning.
Everett wasn't sure what he was going to do. Mordecai was old and he'd been proficient in magic a lot longer than the new man. A hell of a lot longer. He could summon it at will. Everett was lucky to produce a flame. He was easily defeated at any time.
The only moments when the young man showed how strong he was was when Mordecai had him focusing. He was able to produce a flame with a lot of thought, but once he had it he could hold on to it for a very long time. He was even able to play around with how big or small, wide or narrow, and any other shape he could produce. He could even balance on one while in a handstand if he needed to. He didn't like that particular event, but he did it when Mordecai asked.
He was great at defensive maneuvers. All he had to do was summon a wall of fire and wrap it around him. Mordecai was able to breach them but at great cost. Much like a dragon, Everett's fire burned hotter than the fire mage's. Mordecai didn't waste time going through them, and to this day, he really hadn't breached Everett's defenses.
Annoyed, Everett closed his eyes with his head against the wall. He felt the throbbing pain in his shoulder, his knee and his chest. He'd been tossed around, beaten up, and fired upon with white flames that weren't as hot as his own. His heart thundered in his chest and his blood rang in his ears.
There was a familiar heat in his veins. Everett had come to realize it was his body's way of telling him how powerful it was. It reminded himof the thing he'd been born as, and the thing he didn't want to become. He didn't want to be a danger to anyone, but this training wasn't helping.
'Look past him.' A familiar voice rang in his head. Everett opened his eyes a fraction. 'Every mage has one weak spot. Find it.'
Slowly, Everett allowed his senses to weaken as his eyes roved over his teacher. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he looked nonetheless. He saw the mouth of his teacher move slowly but he didn't hear anything he said. He was focused on finding something that would help him stop this training so he could eat and get some sleep.
A deep seated fire started burning low in his stomach. It felt nearly the same as when Mal was teaching him, latched on tightly to his body with his tongue swirling everywhere. He felt it in his legs, in his heart, and in his cock. The piece of flesh was slowly starting to raise its head at the familiar pleasure. If only he could find some reprieve…
He shifted, and the pressure in stomach settled between his legs. As he was trying to find a comfortable position, something flashed in his eyes. He looked on, trying to find that one moment where he'd seen it. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was enough to make him take a second glance.
Several moments later, he still hadn't seen it.
He remembered what Bastian said. Magic was like sex. Once you knew what you liked, it was easy to find again. Everett thought hard on what Mal used to do, used to touch to make every nerve in his body go haywire.
He closed his eyes again and sank into the memory of the last time he was with Mal. They were in the kitchen and the werewolf had shoved him agains the wall, his mouth finding every inch of skin it could. Everett had been the one who had started it, but Mal had taken it further. He had licked and nipped and sucked everything he wanted. He hadn't touched the erection but he hadn't needed to. If he had, Everett would have come right then and there.
But the thought of Mal's warm hand on his inflamed muscle sent new waves of desire and magic through him. His feather light touch that turned teasing at a moment's notice. The gentleness in which he used his hand. All of it added to the fire already coursing through Everett's veins, so he reached out and grabbed it.
Everett stood, slowly and steadily. He closed his eyes again and let his mind travel over his body. He took inventory of every plan, remembering the feeling of each section as Mal would play with him.
Breathing in deeply, he flinched. His shirt rubbed against his chest. A twitch sent shivers down his spine. His skin prickled as he moved again. The fabric against his nipples was very intoxicating, so heady it sent heat skittering down to his groin. The pressure there was immense, but he was able to look past it and find what he was looking for.
"That's it," he said.
"What are you muttering, boy?" Mordecai demanded. He scowled when Everett scratched his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Learning how to beat you."
Everett felt the fire start at his feet as he focused on the feeling pooling in his groin. He grasped the tendrils of flame that started licking at his belly. Pulling at them, he took what he could then pulled up quickly.
Fire erupted at his feet, rising higher and higher. He stared at Mordecai, watching as the mage's eyes widened marginally. He hadn't been expecting that little move. Everett wasn't either. He's just followed his instincts.
Shifting his feet, he stepped forward once. The mage lifted his hands to defend himself, but Everett saw it. He reacted, sidestepping once to the left. Mordecai shifted back to block whatever attack Everett was mounting, but when he planted his feet to move, the boy wasn't there.
Two sinewy hands wrapped around his neck. Mordecai stopped, head going up slightly. He felt the sizzle on his skin, smelled his flesh starting to burn. He knew once the boy figured out his trigger, he would be damn near unstoppable. Clearly, all it took was beating him senseless for him to realize he knew the answer all along.
"You've made your point," Mordecai said. He waited until Everett removed his hands to turn around. He seemed impressed. "I didn't expect you to come this far so quickly. The last person I trained took three years just to get that far. You only took four days."
Everett sat down and stretched his neck. "It wasn't easy."
"It's not meant to be. If you truly who they say you are, all you really needed was guidance. I was just to show you how to tap into and maintain your power so you didn't hurt anyone."
The trainee sighed and lay on the scorched ground. "Do I get to go home now?"
"Not quite. I have to show you how to maintain your temper. The more you lose it, the more volatile you'll be." Mordecai heard him sigh and looked at him. He lay spread eagle on the floor staring up at the ceiling. "But I can give you one night off."
Everett turned his head to look at him, excitement in his slowly returning violet eyes. "Really?"
The fire mage nodded. "It will only be until noon, so you must get whatever feelings you have out of the way. If you're torn anymore than you already are, it will kill you."
"I just need a few hours. I need to see him."
Mordecai produced a golden coin. He pressed it into Everett's palm. "Take this and Bastian with you. He knows the way back. Remember, Cinderella, you have to be back by noon."
He watched as the kid didn't even say thanks. He turned and ran from their training grounds. The fire mage shook his head. Love made people do very funny things.
~~~~~~~
Mal left the precinct after a long couple of days. He had refused to go home, catching naps here and there. He spent most of his time in the break room as Everett's computers ran through whatever numbers the owner put in.
No new murders came across the radios, but a slew of vandalisms had taken place at all of the crime scenes. Cameras and people had witnessed it all, and the same three people were the ones to do it. No matter how quickly they responded, they never caught them.
The fae woman's magic was all over the place. She had given up hiding her scent. That could only mean one thing. She didn't care if they got caught. They made her angry by spiriting Everett away. She couldn't find him so she was going to wreck everything until she drew him out.
The two werewolves had been caught on Ezra's property while his family had been home. He'd killed the man and had driven the woman straight to Donovan. She'd tried to run, but the Alpha had easily overpowered her. He'd locked her up in his panic room with Claudia playing nursemaid.
Astra had seen Almain Dupree scoping out her diner. She'd cornered him with a warning; leave Everett alone and he'd live. The fae man had laughed at her then asked her to deliver a message. Bring the phoenix by the next full moon, or the pack would be annihilated.
Donovan had started preparing. The pack had been put on alert, and everyone was to congregate at the farm before the full moon. The younger members and the mated members would protect them while Donovan, Ezra, and the more dominant ones would be the first line of defense.
The drive home was quiet. Mal's wolf was quiet, half-mourning and half-angry. He missed Everett but his pack was being targeted. He was torn and didn't know what to do. It made the human just as irritable. He was barely able to tolerate even the lightest jab from Carver.
Everett's scent lingered everywhere, making it hard to do anything. His clothes were still at the house so were some of his shoes. He was still there even though he physically wasn't. It hurt Mal to smell it, but he couldn't get rid of it. He didn't want to because the scent brought him comfort during his sleepless nights.
The house was dark as he pulled into the drive. It looked lonely, too big for the man who had bought it because of its size. He didn't want to go in, but he needed sleep and to gather some things before he went to the farm. He needed a shower.
He needed to smell Everett's scent.
Mal walked up the sidewalk and unlocked the door. The silence was deafening. He didn't like it, but it was the safest place for him right now. The noise of the precinct sometimes grated on his nerves, raising his hackles in a way that hadn't happened since he had first been changed. Right now he just needed a mental break.
Without turning on the lights, he walked into the kitchen and dropped his bags. He grabbed a sandwich then made his way to his room for a shower. He turned on the water and polished off the food as it warmed up.
He sighed as the heat washed away his fatigue but didn't really invigorate him. He just wanted to sleep. He needed it. He really did because if he was in tip top shapehe would have known he wasn't alone.
When he turned the water off and reached for a towel, he came face to face with the one person he wanted. Blinking stupidly, he just stared.
"Everett?" he asked.
The young man smiled and waved shyly. Behind him, Bastian moved. The fae raised a hand.
"You have until noon," he said.
Mal was confused. What he was just told didn't really register. "What?"
He didn't get to ask anything else as Everett crossed the room and sealed their mouths.