Is It Magic?

 From an older story of mine. Do you want more?

 

“Talasar! What have I told you about scamming the citizens of LockShire?”

Relath Talasar startled and turned to see the large beautiful form of Khat Warmark, sheriff and major thorn in his side. “Sheriff Warmark, sir! I assure you, I’m not scamming anyone.” He smirked at the lawman. “Simply passing a few companionable moments with these good folks, is all.”

“Yeah, Sheriff! Leave this boy alone!” An old man stepped forward, waving his cane at Khat. “He cured my chillshade right up. No medicine’s been able to even make me feel better, and this boy healed me!”

“Chillshade?” Khat turned to the old man. “Ben, who the fuck told you that you had chillshade?”

“This young man right here and he got rid of it just as quick!”

Khat roll his eyes. “Come on now, Ben. You of all people shouldn’t be encouraging this kind of thing. As good as it is to see you up and around, we all know that chillshade is a…a…” Khat sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Damn it, Ben. That’s crazy talk and you know it. This”—he waved a hand at Relath—“this child hasn’t cured you of anything. He’s scamming you. How much did he want for this miraculous cure from a disease that doesn’t even exist?”

“He never asked for a thing, Sheriff, not a thing. And you say chillshade don’t exist? Look at me!” Ben held his ever-present cane up in the air and did a little two step, first dancing a couple paces toward the sheriff, then a few back. “I was near to being bedridden, as you well know. Now look at me! Fit as a damn fiddle.”

“But chillshade, Ben?”

“That’s what Relath said. Then he cured me good and proper. Why would I question it? Damn alchemists couldn’t even come close to it, not like this young man. Now off with you, and leave a wizard to his work!”

Relath cringed at Ben’s last words. He wasn’t afraid the lawman would believe he was actually a wizard or anything. He had proven that many times over. Good, old-fashioned, down to earth, big feet flat on the ground, Khat Warmark, did not believe in magic. But mentioning the word “wizard” was bound to set the man off. It would be a wonder if the handcuffs didn’t come flying out this time.

Not that Relath minded handcuffs…or the thought of the big guy manhandling him enough to cuff him. In fact, he just might have to resist.

But what he was imagining, even in this volatile moment, would never come to be. Khat Warmark had given no indication he was interested in men. And even if he was, Relath Talasar was not high on his “I want to get to know you better” list.

However, Sheriff Warmark was actually one of the main reasons Relath did not move on. Normally, once the law noticed he was selling his talents in the form of miracle cures for, in their opinion, “nonexistent” diseases, Relath couldn’t get out of town fast enough. There was always the next settlement, the next village, maladies of all kinds, real, imagined and magical, all waiting for the Talasar Elixir.

Okay, yeah, so what if he put his name on the pond water he would bubble into bottles and sell off to the God-fearing public who thought a little extra insurance against “that which went bump in the night” was a good investment. It wasn’t the bottle they were buying. It was the spells Relath wove around each bottle that gave the dirty brown water its healing properties. Have the sniffles? Colds were no match for Relath. Stiffness in the joints? Not a problem. Stomach ailment? Relath had it covered. It wasn’t some alchemist concoction either that ultimately took more lives than it saved. His magic cured people. Faster, better and for good. And he never lost a customer. Not one. But alchemy was still the trusted method endorsed emphatically by the king. Wizardry and magic were myths, and belief in them could cost you your house, your land, and your family. Using them, could cost you your life. Even though the crown said it didn’t believe in such things, they still made the practice of it against the law. So it was always in Relath’s best interest to keep moving.

However, when he arrived in LockShire he ended up falling hard for Sheriff Khat. The big man oozed masculinity and authority. Today he was clean-shaven. He wore his beautiful black hair tied back, a simple leather vest over a dusty white shirt that was, oh my, halfway unbuttoned down that glorious chest. Relath especially liked how the man’s thick thighs filled out his tight black pants, and the nearly knee-high leather boots he wore certainly did not disguise his strong calves. Perfect white teeth, stunning blue eyes, dark lashes. The man was impossibly beautiful. But he was also kind, gentle and had an amazingly infectious laugh. His voice was low and hypnotic, almost as if the man carried a bit of magic himself.

When he first arrived in town, Sheriff Khat caught Relath sleeping in an alley, huddled behind some trash bins. The wind had been especially fierce that night and it was the only place he could find to stay relatively sheltered. Khat took him back to his office, gave him food and allowed him to sleep in an open cell. They chatted over coffee the next early morning and Relath couldn’t help but be strongly attracted to the man’s scent, his voice, his protective nature, his very presence. Even his smile was amazing. He wanted to weave a spell around the big man and have his way with him. The lawman would never be the wiser.

But Relath didn’t do things like that.

However, it didn’t stop him from imagining all the things that would happen if he did. Quite a few dark nights after that, suddenly feeling lonely and somewhat depressed about his situation, he would bring out those thoughts, along with his stiff member, and rub himself to utter completion and at least calm the fever.

But those imaginings only made it more difficult to leave, and, unfortunately, as the days and weeks wore on and Relath tried valiantly to hide what he did for a living, he fell deeper and deeper for the beautiful man. Even the man’s stern protectiveness of the citizens of LockShire was strangely alluring. Relath found himself wishing he could stay and be one of those sheltered people under Khat’s wing. He wondered what it would be like to be the recipient of those amazing smiles given along with a slight tip of his hat, simply meeting him on the street as he walked by on his way to wherever. He dreamed about being able to relax for the first time in what felt like eons, and be what the king deemed normal. But of course that couldn’t happen. He had already stayed far too long. He might be helping to cure illness and disease, might have even broken a few curses, too, but word got around. Not everyone was going to be as supportive as Ben was. And Khat had not arrested him as of yet, on purpose he said, giving him ample time and opportunity to find greener pastures. Mainly because an arrest would turn into a transfer to the castle and a sure hanging. If he continued to stick around and do what he did, Khat was bound to be forced to take action.

Like now, since Khat had caught him pretty much dead to rights—in the act, so to speak.

“Wizard, Ben? Surly you jest. Because pretending to be a wizard would be against the law!”

Those perfectly gorgeous blue eyes landed on Relath and smoldered. Relath wasn’t sure if what he saw was exactly anger, but it had to be at least partly what it was. There was some sort of heat there.

“So, Relath, you tell them dragon shifters are real, too?”

Relath heard a couple of gasps in his very attentive audience. No, he hadn’t told them that. He had only mentioned it that one time to Khat. Which, obviously, had been a mistake.

“How many times have I told you that you need to stop this shit? I’ve told you time and time again, if you kept this up you would leave me no choice!” He watched as Khat dejectedly reached behind him and pulled out a clinking set of metal cuffs. “Relath?” his gruff voice ground out, sending shivers up Relath’s back. “Come here.”

Damn. Relath’s arousal hit so fast and hard he actually felt dizzy. He didn’t move. Couldn’t. His own pants weren’t exactly loose fitting and the long tunic did little to hide what those words did to him. Not that the lawman would notice or understand.

Relath heard a growl. An angry growl. “Relath!”

“Um…yeah…coming.” Or at least he probably could. But since he was standing in the middle of a small crowd, that made it that rather impossible. Well, not impossible, and that was the real problem. Probable was a better term for the state he was in. “What…what do you plan on doing?” He was buying time. That’s all. He needed to calm down and actually be able to walk without embarrassing himself even further.

“We’ve talked about this, Relath. If you didn’t leave, if you kept doing your little magic act, I would arrest your ass.”

Relath smirked. “Just my ass?” Probably shouldn’t be flirting with the man but, damn, he couldn’t help it. Teasing the sheriff was a favorite pastime. He knew he would get no further than that with him, but it was just so much fun. “What are you planning to do with just my ass, Sheriff?” That elicited a giggle from Ben and a few of the others still standing, watching the show, although, Relath noticed, from a few steps back and in a continual retreat.

Khat turned red. Oh. That’s just too damn adorable. “Relath Talasar! Get you and your ass over here!”

“Yes, sir.” The little banter had the effect Relath needed. He was able to at least take the few steps to stand nose to aromatic chest hair sticking out from that unbuttoned part of Khat’s shirt. Relath decided to throw any caution he had ever had to the wind, ignore the warning bells that were clanging around inside his brain, and took a step even closer. He breathed deep. Musky, manly, deeply sexual. Well, so much for ever being able to move again.

Khat sighed heavily and took a step back. “Turn around,” he growled.

“And bend over?”

“Damn it, Relath, just do as your fucking told!”

“Yes, sir,” he whispered, his heart actually cringing.

He had gone too far. Always did. He truly didn’t mean to upset the man and make him hate him any more than he already had to. It was the exact wrong direction he wanted the sheriff’s feelings to go. Not to mention, being arrested this publicly meant the king’s men would have to be called, and that meant leaving town. He wasn’t concerned about being captured. There was no jail that could hold him. But the unfortunate thing was, he was going to have to allow for the king’s men to pick him up. Escaping Khat would land the lawman behind bars. Escaping a couple of the king’s lackeys would keep the big man safe. Miserably, he turned around and put his hands behind him, unexpectedly feeling despondent over the fact this was an opportunity totally lost. He should have used his magic on the big man. As much as he knew Khat would have hated being controlled in that manner, he still should have woven a love spell over one of the two bottles of water he still had stuffed inside his coat and made Khat drink it. But now it was too late.

The cuffs went on, Khat’s big warm hands barely touching him. Relath’s heart sank even further. It had been the first time in a very long time he had allowed himself to think about sticking around any one place. Too damn bad it had to end this quickly and completely. He could never come back. Which was actually sadder than even his own pathetically lonely life. There was an Angel Walker here. He was pretty sure he had been following the evil thing all along anyway. Even though the curses he had found, like the chillshade, were not hard to break, nor were they complicated in the least. But they were consistent, and cast for the specific purpose of stealing energy. Classic Angel Walker.

But an Angel Walker was bad news in more than just its irritatingly gluttonous presence. It had to be sitting in this small town waiting for something. And Angel Walkers came in one of only two varieties: vicious, mindless, rogues, which were not good personality traits in something so incredibly deadly; or assassins. Probably not much better in the “get to know your neighbor” department either but at least they had specific targets and didn’t normally leave a ton of bodies in their wake. Unless that was what they were supposed to do. And Relath had no idea which one, if not both, this one was. In the meantime, it was feeding heavily off the people. Leaving the thing behind would be a death sentence to the town. If its mission did not take it from here soon, eventually the putrid thing would end up sucking more energy than the good citizens had and they would start to die, one by one, and never understand why. Curing Ben of his chillshade would mean nothing.

And, Relath realized, breaking that particular spell was most likely noticed by the Angel Walker.

Khat put a large hand on Relath’s shoulder and propelled him away from the now-dispersing small crowd. Funny. As long as a mob was being entertained, fed, or its hand being held, it was behind you one hundred percent. Even if the law stepped in. But it soon became apparent that even Ben was more apt to duck and cover when it came to the matters of defying the crown. There had been far too many gory stories being whispered around hearths at night, horrific stories of what happened to those who didn’t follow the king and his dictates.

“Where you taking me?” Relath didn’t even try to take the despair out of his voice. If the lawman felt at all guilty about what it was he was doing, it might make him think again.

“To jail. You know that. You have left me no choice.”

Ahhh. Is that gloominess I hear in the sheriff’s voice as well? Even if it was, it failed to make Relath feel any better.

They walked in silence until they arrived at the sheriff’s office entrance. He reached around Relath, pushing him slightly forward with his body, and unlocked the door. He then cleared his throat, straightened himself and pushed on Relath’s back to indicate he was supposed to go inside. Oh how Relath wished Khat was instead pushing him up against a wall, intent on doing something far more physical. But Relath obediently took a couple of steps through the doorway and into a spacious office area. He had, of course, been there before. He looked quickly over to the cell he had slept in. The last time the door had been left open. He would not have that luxury this time.

Khat dropped his hat on the desk off to their right and huffed as he stood too close behind Relath. A moment or two passed before Relath thought to turn around to see if there was a problem. But before he did, he heard the door to the office shut and lock.

What the hell?

Khat pushed Relath hard toward the open door to the cell and Relath nearly stumbled. But Khat was there to stop the fall. Breathing hot and heavy on the back of Relath’s neck, Khat righted Relath and this time pushed more gently. “Get in there,” he growled.

“Why…why did you lock—”

“Never mind what I did.”

It was obvious the man was battling something in his mind. Had the Angel Walker gotten to him? He had heard Angel Walkers could possess other beings, including humans, although it was incredibly rare. However, he hadn’t smelled anything and he felt pretty sure he would have if an Angel Walker had materialized.

“O…okay.” Relath walked slowly toward the cell. He took a step inside and stopped, assuming Khat would uncuff him and close him in the small space. Khat did take a hold of his cuffed hands, but instead of making a move to take the cuffs off, he simply held Relath’s wrists firmly away from his body. Next thing Relath knew, Khat’s other hand was caressing an ass cheek. Relath drew in a breath. “Am I…supposed to still never mind what… Oh! Fuck!”

One of the big man’s fingers slid into the cleft of his ass and pressed hard as it traveled up and down. Relath spread his legs to give the sheriff better access. If he didn’t come in the next sixty seconds it would be a miracle.

“You’ve been driving me crazy,” Khat whispered from behind him. “This amazing round ass has been driving me out of my mind. I want to see it, taste it, I want to feel your naked skin. But doing any of that will cause nothing but trouble. I tell you time and again to get out of town yet here you are, enticing me with this ass.”