Familiar with the Warlock (Stand Alone Tales Book 14) Read online

  Dressed in what she had available, she went in search of a cup of coffee.

  The floors were cool under her feet, but it wasn’t too bad. Sounds of activity got her attention, and she picked up the pace. It sounded like kitchen sounds.

  She poked her head around the corner and smiled at Argo at the stove. He was wearing a t-shirt that was having trouble containing him and a set of jeans that hugged his hips. The coffeemaker was on the other side of the kitchen, and she was sure she wasn’t going to make it.

  “Maven, I thought you would be sleeping for another half hour. Your clothes are in the wash.”

  She chuckled. “Sorry to disappoint you, but when I am up, I am up.”

  He glanced at her and then quickly jerked the pan off the heat. “What are you wearing?”

  “I commandeered a shirt.”

  Argo’s eyes glowed. “Why didn’t you borrow one of mine?”

  “Yours are white. You could see right through them with enough effort.”

  He grinned. “Or with a bit of water.”

  “Right. Coffee?”

  He slid what he had been working on onto a plate, and he nodded. “Right away. I am just bringing Olmin his lunch. Follow me.”

  She followed him to Olmin’s office, where the warlock was sitting behind his desk with a laptop in front of him wearing the same casual style as the big cat. “Thanks, Argo.”

  Argo set the tray down, and he winked at her as he passed.

  Maven put her hands behind her back. “Busy morning?”

  He kept his attention on the screen for a moment as he nodded before he flicked his gaze to her. The laptop closed with a click.

  She plucked at the shirt. “Argo stole my clothes, so this was the least salacious option.”

  Olmin held his hand out, and she walked over to him and extended her own hand. He spun her, and she ended up seated across his lap.

  She didn’t yelp, but she was thinking about it.

  He tilted her head and kissed her. “Good morning, by ten minutes.”

  She smiled. “A lot can happen in ten minutes, so I will take it.”

  He ran his hand up her thigh. “This is a very good look for you.”

  “Thanks. I plan on using your wardrobe for all my sudden nudity needs.” She smiled and snaked her hand around his neck, pulling him back to her.

  She used her tongue, and his hand slid between her thighs as she teased him into an increasingly ferocious kiss.

  She pulled back and whispered. “Best if you eat your lunch. You wouldn’t want it getting cold.”

  He stroked her sex with his fingertips. “I am more worried about you getting cold.”

  She chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. I will just sit over there, and you can come out and play when you are done.”

  She gestured to the couch.

  Argo came in with her coffee and grinned. “So, as you said, when you are up, you are up.”

  She shrugged. “Pretty much. Have sex or run errands, doesn’t really matter to me. Whichever way I direct myself, that is where I am headed.”

  Olmin slipped a finger inside her. “Stay here. I can eat one-handed.”

  She laughed and then gasped as he started to move his finger inside her with his thumb, pressing her clit.

  True to his word, he ate his omelette while his other hand was tormenting her. Argo sat on the couch, and he watched.

  She shivered and tried not to make any sounds, but by the time he finished his food, she was shaking with tension.

  “Don’t you want your coffee?”

  She gasped when he slid another finger in. She gritted her teeth and tried not to moan.

  Argo came over. “Let me help.”

  He sipped at the cup he had brought and tilted her head back, pressing his lips to hers as he passed on the coffee. A few drops escaped, and he licked her cheek and jaw.

  She moaned as Olmin’s fingers proved how slick she was getting.

  Argo stroked her neck. “That’s the sound.”

  “Jerk.”

  He grinned and slid the shirt open. He cupped her breasts in his hands and knelt to use the rough pad of his tongue on her. A few minutes of the sucking and scraping and she gripped his head with one hand and Olmin’s thigh with the other. “Sonofabitch!”

  She felt Argo’s smile, and she tugged his hair a moment before fire rippled through her, and she shuddered and twitched against them.

  She was gasping for air when Olmin set her ass down on the desk at the edge. He leaned over her, and she stroked the erection that had been made accessible. She used a light touch until Olmin closed her fingers around it and moved her hand on the hard and soft surface.

  She spread her thighs, and he took the invitation.

  Maven wasn’t expecting him to thrust deep on his entry, but he surprised her. She convulsed around him and continued to spasm as he thrust and withdrew rapidly. She looked up at him, and he leaned in to kiss her, locking his lips to hers as she started another wave of shivers, and her body was clamping around his cock and squeezing him.

  He groaned and jerked into her hard, his body shaking before he slumped against her. She wrapped herself around him and stroked his hair. Her body clenched again, and he groaned and jerked against her.

  “Gods, you are tight.” Olmin raised his head.

  Maven chuckled. “I have no idea what to say to that. Sorry?”

  He kissed her. “It was simply a delightful observation. I am now learning that letting you sleep as long as you like is a good idea.”

  She chuckled and looked toward Argo. She was nearly dangling upside down. “So, what is the deal? I know he can feel through you, but can you do the same?”

  Olmin chuckled. “We share. We were bonded as children, so it has always been this way.”

  Argo got to his feet and came over to the desk. “I feel it, just as he does. I just can’t control his actions as he can with me.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “But thank you for thinking of me.”

  Olmin pulled out of her, and she shivered at the sudden cold. “We need to discuss serious matters.”

  She sighed and sat up, reaching for her coffee. She gulped it down. “There. Serious matters require coffee.”

  Argo leaned next to her on the desk.

  She pushed her knees together and smiled. “Shoot.”

  “We have not been taking precautions, so I would like to know your position on starting a family.”

  She blinked. “Um, I haven’t been guarding against STDs, but I am protected against pregnancy for the next two years.”

  Argo frowned. “You aren’t on pills, and there are no implants.”

  “You were looking in the wrong place for the implant. Olmin’s fingers were probably just missing the strings. I have an IUD.”

  Olmin blinked. “Huh. I wasn’t looking for anything.”

  “Just know that if you pull those things, I will castrate you. I nearly passed out getting it installed.”

  Argo asked, “Why did you?”

  “Ah. Bad cycles. Was that the serious talk?”

  Olmin was bemused. “Yes. Would you consider having children?”

  She shrugged. “I will consider a lot of things, but children require stability that I do not currently possess. I can only do one thing really well at any given time, and right now, it is in my department at work.”

  Argo took her hand and kissed the back of it. “So, it is financial?”

  “No, it is knowing what I need to do so that I can focus on the little person who will need my attention.”

  “What about your partners?”

  She scratched her hair. “I have never considered having partners before. So, I suppose we would consider the next two years as a trial run. If I am comfortable by then, I will let you know. If not, I will just get another one installed.”

  Olmin asked, “Why did it hurt? I have heard other women have no problem.�
��

  She smiled. “Then go and fuck them. Every woman is different. I have a lot of nerves in that area as do a lot of other women. Just because they are numb from the waist down doesn’t mean that I am.”

  He held up his hands. “I realized it was stupid the moment I opened my mouth. I just don’t like the thought of you in pain.”

  “You think labour and delivery would be better?” She met his icy grey gaze with her own. He blushed.

  Argo was snickering.

  Olmin leaned forward and kissed her. It seemed that he was taking his responsibility to keep his mouth shut seriously. So, he was trainable. It was good to know.

  Chapter Eleven

  Monday morning was rough. A few things had been settled. She would keep her place but move in with the guys. If she had to work overtime, she would let them know. The same for them. Argo did all the cooking because she had tried to make an omelette and the results were only edible for her.

  When Krys came by her desk after lunch, she tutted. “So, short on sleep?”

  Maven smiled. “Little bit. It turns out that dating can be rough on the sleep schedule. All they want to do is... not sleep.”

  Krys chuckled. “You will get used to it, or you will murder someone in your sleep.”

  “How do you manage?”

  Krys grinned. “Boundaries. No shenanigans after nine on worknights. Being a conduit takes a lot of energy. We can talk more this evening. Dinner?”

  Maven smiled. “Sure. I will just text it.”

  Krys chuckled and leaned forward. “It is also darling that you call it dating. Can you see your life before and after and not have them in it?”

  Maven waved that off. “I know that, but I am not telling them that.”

  Krys giggled, and it was a strange sound from such a statuesque woman. “Excellent strategy. Just watch out when they start courting you. Something tells me that they are going to hit the persuasion hard.”

  “I will. Thanks for the heads-up.” She grinned and then asked, “Oh, what time?”

  “We are leaving at four. Promptly.” Krys smiled. “See you then.”

  Maven took out her phone and sent Argo and Olmin a text. She received a Sigh from Argo and a Fucking busybodies from Olmin.

  Their irritation made her smile, and she continued with her troubleshooting of the client’s account for the rest of the afternoon. She was ready and met Krys in the hallway, walking down with her to Kelnen’s vehicle.

  He was waiting for them and held the door open for his partner before opening the door for Maven. She buckled up, and the couple in front of her kissed. It was sweet.

  Kelnen began the drive to their home, and Maven listened to them discussing work and accounts. Kelnen turned onto a street that was very familiar. Maven watched as they passed the manor and went two gates over.

  “You live on the same street as the guys?”

  Krys smiled. “We do. Our property and theirs own most of the green spaces abutting the lake.”

  Kelnen nodded. “Olmin made the arrangements for another warlock, not knowing that he was going to summon me in ten years.”

  They drove through the gate that opened as they approached, and he parked in front of the main door.

  Kelnen got out, and Maven was astonished as he split into two very different beings. There was a huge shadowy figure with white-blue eyes, black-feathered wings, a thick tail, and wide horns surrounded by dark silky locks. Nen was just a normal-looking warlock in comparison. He walked around to open her car door before he did the same for Krys.

  Maven smiled, and she looked at the huge dark figure. He offered her his hand, and she took it, letting him lead her inside. “So, you are Kel.”

  He inclined his head. “I am. Nen was the warlock who selected Krys, and he showed excellent judgement.”

  “So, how did you two... bond?” She waved her hand in a vague gesture.

  He grinned. “My form as you see it is rather startling to humans, and at first, I would have flashes out of my guise. So, Nen offered his body, and with a light ritual, we are now interchangeable.”

  They walked down the arched hallway and into a room that had a scattering of large furniture designed for Kel along with the more normal configuration for folks without wings and tails.

  Nen led Krys out onto a rear patio and settled her in a chair. He kissed her softly, and when Maven arrived, he said, “I will get a snack.”

  Maven sat near Krys, Kel kissed his partner and then went to stretch his wings.

  His wings unfolded to nearly twenty-five feet wide, and he took off.

  Maven watched him fly and looked to meet Krys’s smile. “So, he does that every night?”

  “He does. Nen is generous to let him crowd in there, but he doesn’t really fit in a people suit. We are working on making him a new shape to fit into, but containment is an issue.”

  Maven nodded and looked for the dark speck that was so high in the sky. “Yeah, I can see that.”

  Krys smiled. “He is going to ask Olmin for help with the design.”

  “Olmin, why?”

  “He is the best of this generation. Strongest warlock on earth. This is the reason that Kel is here to begin with. Earth needed a dedicated defender, so he sent the first signals, which got Nen’s attention. Nen found me, I went there, and after it was time to return me home, he put me right back where I had come from. Then, Olmin launched the full beacon, and it turned out that Kelnen had been the boss for ten years. Time travel still gives me a headache.”

  Maven blinked. “So, they were waiting for you to know it was them?”

  “They were waiting for me to meet them. Then added a week for good measure, and after that, I got a call to go to the executive offices. I never got called to the offices.” Krys smiled. “I hadn’t even figured out I was carrying cargo yet.” She drummed her fingers on her belly.

  “So, it was Nen that spurred that on?”

  Krys smiled. “We will find out when it arrives. It could have also been Kel in Nen’s body. That was happening a lot at the time.”

  “So, what happens to the one happens to the other?”

  Krys shifted, and there was a slight point that was visible on her belly. “From what they tell me, yes. I do know that when they are both inside me at once, they don’t last long.”

  Nen walked in with a tray, and he set a cup of tea in front of each of them. “That is because you start threatening to cut us off if we keep going, love.”

  Krys nodded. “That does sound about right. It is a lot of fun but not comfortable.”

  Maven grinned. “What was it in that movie... sex shouldn’t be comfy?”

  Nen kissed Krys. “Dinner in an hour. Don’t catch a chill.”

  Krys stroked his cheek and smiled. It was a strange softening of her normally determined and serious features.

  Maven smiled and waited until they were on their own again before she asked, “Does it feel weird?”

  “The pregnancy or the triad?”

  “The second one.”

  Krys shrugged. “They were always a pair for me, so it isn’t like I was dating one, and they wanted to bring someone else into the relationship. It was always both, so a triad is what we are. We each have a role to play, and settling into those was the difficult part, and even those could change with the situation. I used to do most of the cooking, but now, Nen does it because I have a problem reaching over the stove and bending to get into cupboards, but Nen hates being ordered around while cooking, so I end up in another room, and he streams cooking videos off the net.”

  Maven chuckled. “So, compromise.”

  “I also do all the online ordering because they get carried away.” Krys smiled. “We don’t just have a nursery ready, we have two.”

  “What if the child takes after Kel?”

  “We get a nanny from the magical community here and use guises, glamours, and other things for it until it can manage it itse
lf, coming home and being itself. It could take after me.”

  “Have you had scans?”

  Krys gave her a long look. “Yes. Of course. There is a doctor nearby who specializes in creatures. She’s on call in case anything goes weird. But, whatever the little sprout is, my body defies her scans. It interferes with the standard medical equipment, and magic isn’t getting through me.”

  “Oh. Got it.”

  Krys picked up her teacup and sipped. “So, how are you adapting?”

  “Well, I think I told you, we did a lot of discussing things, came to a few agreements, and tonight, I will go home to them.”

  “And we have you here. That must have gone over well.”

  Maven showed Krys the texts, and Krys grinned.

  “Well, as long as they won’t take it out on you. You need to have a life outside of them.”

  “I did. I do. Well, I do what I like to.” She was about to say something else when she felt something annoyingly familiar. She paused and exhaled at the feeling of fingers slowly skating around her sex. “Well, they are home.”

  Krys sipped at her tea. “How do you know?”

  “They are playing with that spell they installed before I knew better.”

  “Are you uncomfortable?”

  “No. But if I cum, just ignore me.” Maven blushed. “This is a very long game.”

  “So, long-range stimulation... how long does it take?”

  “About ten minutes.”

  Krys blinked. “It only takes ten minutes?” She whistled slowly. “They were lucky to find you.”

  Maven blushed. “That isn’t normal?”

  “For you, it is.” Krys smiled.

  Maven refilled her teacup, easing the plate of cookies toward her. Her hand shook as the touch got more invasive. It was Argo. She recognized the touch. Olmin preferred to use his tongue—oh, there he was.

  She inhaled and exhaled and tried to keep calm.

  “So, when do you think you will go through the binding?” Krys was chuckling.

  “Next new moon if I am still speaking to them.”

  Krys grinned.

  Maven gripped the arms of her chair and tried to ignore what was going on by looking out at the wide yard, the lovely gardens that were being prepped for winter, and the flickers of the lake visible through the trees. When she shuddered and gritted her teeth, Krys flinched.