Lachlan

Magnus was in my kitchen.

I mean, I know I invited him and all, so it wasn't really a surprise, but he was actually here. I had tried all evening to imagine him here at my table, in this space I had built for myself, and it had been impossible.

I took another bite and watched him as I chewed. Magnus caught me looking and smiled, dark eyes twinkling. Tingling heat spread through me from that smile alone along with a prickling awareness of my body in relation to his. I honestly never knew I could feel this way around someone. Or about him. When Magnus was around, he consumed me. When he wasn't, I felt an emptiness that never existed before I met him, like he opened up a space in my life that only he could fill. It was alarming. I didn't like the grip he already had on me, but I didn't want to pull away either.

"What is it?" Magnus asked.

"Hmm?"

"You're looking at me funny." Dark eyes pierced me, holding me hostage. For a long moment, I couldn't break free from the intensity of his gaze.

I rolled my eyes just to show any emotion other than the ones that were making me feel so vulnerable right now. "I was just thinking."

"About?" he prodded, and took another bite.

I cursed myself for agreeing not to lie to him. This was exactly the right moment for a little white lie, but a promise was a promise. "You. I don't understand how I feel this way with you."

His eyes lit with excitement – I had noticed that they did so frequently, and it always lit a corresponding spark of excitement in me. "Feel what way?"

I shook my head. "Gonna nope out of that one," I decided.

"Aw, c'mon! Lachlan, don't tease me like this! Want me to go first?"

One look at Magnus told me he was being perfectly serious. I knew I was gaping at him, but the twist our conversation had taken was breaking my brain. Magnus took my staring as some kind of confirmation, because he said, "I think you're wonderful. I know we haven't known each other that long, but already a day without seeing you feels like a waste. A few words from you can turn around even the worst day. I want more from you, Lachlan. More talk, more time. Just... more."

Everything fled my mind except the fluttering of my own heart and Magnus' eyes fixed on mine. He smiled a little. "I said I wanted more words from you, not fewer."

That startled a laugh out of me. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting... this."

"You weren't expecting me to tell you how I feel about you? Lachlan, wasn't it obvious? I see you every day."

I shook my head. "No... I mean, I wasn't expecting to find, well, whatever this is when I moved back here."

Magnus leaned forward and kissed me. When he pulled away, he said, "I always knew I would find you."

My heart beat quicker. How could he be saying things like this? "You don't know me that well yet, Magnus," I reminded him.

His happiness faded a bit and he shrugged. "Lachlan, I know what I feel." He casually scooped another bite into his mouth as though he wasn't shaking me with every word.

I couldn't eat. Not when I felt how unbalanced our conversation had become. Magnus gave too much. I had suspected he was the type for a while now, and every day with him only convinced me more. I glared at my plate while I searched for the right words to balance the conversation without giving him too much in return.

"Hey, it's okay," Magnus said gently. I looked up at him and he smiled a little when our eyes met. "Just eat your breakfast, Lachlan. We can talk more another time."

I shook my head, thoroughly frustrated with him. No one should be this kind, this caring. It made him vulnerable. "No, we're going to finish this conversation," I decided. Magnus set his fork down and watched me cautiously. I couldn't help smiling at that – he looked almost nervous. Maybe he hadn't just been giving me an out. Maybe he wasn't sure he was ready to hear what I had to say.

Since I wasn't above stalling, I took a long drink of water while Magnus waited patiently. "I want more with you too," I finally said. The words weren't much, especially after all the wonderful things he said to me all the time, but I meant them. "I want to see you more and... I want to be with you. In a relationship."

My eyes refused to budge from their staring contest with the table, so I had no idea what Magnus' reaction was. I felt strangely nervous. Logically, I knew better than to expect a rejection from him. This wasn't a logical issue, though. This was emotional, and that made everything harder.

He didn't leave me in suspense for long.

Since my eyes were fixed away from him, I didn't see him coming. I didn't hear him moving, either, but then he had always been strangely light on his feet – when he wasn't tripping. The next thing I knew, he was pulling me up out of my seat and yanking me against him. Our bodies pressed together from torso to thigh. His arms were bands around my waist, keeping me from escaping – not that I wanted to. It was strangely thrilling to be caged like this.

"I want that too," Magnus said in a low, rumbling voice that had my toes curling.

I grinned in relief as he looked down at me with an expression of such tenderness that my relief morphed into an aching need. I rolled up onto my toes and linked my hands around his neck so I could pull him down for a kiss.

We had kissed before – frequently, in fact. Every day I saw him, we divided most of our time between talking and kissing. This was different, though. That tender ache in my chest bloomed into such a pure affection for this man that tears filled my eyes even as his tongue swept into my mouth. I kissed him back with everything I had in me. He could take it all; I didn't care. I just wanted him.

Magnus' hands slipped under my shirt, brushing light strokes over the skin of my back and hips. Tingles erupted over my skin in their wake, so intense I gasped. Magnus didn't let our lips stay parted for long. His fingers stopped their teasing strokes to grip my waist and he lifted me off the ground effortlessly. I was carried and set down on my counter, where Magnus pressed himself against me all over again and kissed me with a feverish intensity I was all too eager to match. My legs hooked around Magnus' waist and I used them to pull him against me even harder. He groaned, the sound sending delicious shivers down my spine. I bit his lip and he pulled away to smile down at me.

"I'd rather stop now while I still can," he said with obvious reluctance.

I bit my lip and nodded slowly. He was right – it would be too easy to get carried away, and I couldn't sleep with him. Not yet – not before I confirmed that he was human. "You're right," I admitted reluctantly.

"I don't want to be right about this," he complained. We laughed together, which helped dispel some of the haze his kisses had cast over me. I looked down at myself where I was perched on the countertop, then up at Magnus. His hair was mussed – I didn't even remember combing my fingers through it, but it was obvious that I had. His lips were pinker than usual and looked altogether too tempting.

"I don't want you to be right," I agreed. I'd have to get Safiya or Glenna to confirm his humanity soon. As witches, they would be able to determine his species without much effort. And then... well, then we would pick up where we'd left off.

I refused to consider the other possibility, the one where he wasn't human. The odds were slim – the best estimates I'd heard said that less than half a percent of people were supernatural - and I really, really wanted him in my bed.

"We should finish our breakfast," Magnus said. He helped me down from the counter and pulled me back to the table.

I sat down and scooped a bite of eggs into my mouth. They were too cold now, but that just reminded me of why they were cold, so I didn't mind. "Do you mind if we have dinner with my cousins soon?" I asked. "They'd like to meet you."

Magnus grinned. "Only if you have dinner with my family. I know they'd love to meet my boyfriend."

The term sent a jolt of pleasure through me. It was nice to have a claim on him. I never thought I was that kind of person, but then, Magnus brought out a lot of new feelings in me. What was one more? "Deal."

--

Magnus helped me clean up after we finished eating, but he had to leave as soon as we were done. Once I was alone again, the emptiness returned. I could feel his absence in a way I never knew was possible. This kind of dependence couldn't be healthy, but my only options were to accept it or to stop seeing Magnus altogether. The mere thought of breaking things off with him was physically painful. Every part of me shied away from it, so I was left with option number one.

I had some work that needed done, but I felt the need to move and honestly, I didn't particularly feel like being alone at the moment. It was a strange feeling, since I had spent almost all of my time alone before moving back here. It never bothered me before.

After checking Glenna and Safiya's driveway to make sure they didn't have any business in their shop, I decided to pay them a visit. Glenna had the door open as soon as I stepped up onto the porch. She had a small gift for foresight that drove her sister absolutely mad, but I appreciated it. She couldn't see major things, usually only catching glimpses a few minutes into the future. Safiya, who couldn't see the future at all, burned with jealousy over it nonetheless.

"Hi, Lach! I didn't expect to see you here," Glenna said. She held the door open for me and I stepped into their house for the first time.

"I didn't think I'd visit either," I told her. It was the simple truth. I looked around the living room and made a game of picking out who owned which things. There was an overstuffed green armchair whose legs ended in burnished bronze lion feet. That would be Safiya's. Across from it was a smaller chair with light blue fabric that had a sunflower pattern. The shape of the chair was more delicate, less obtrusive – definitely Glenna's.

Everything in the room was like that, having two contrasting styles for almost everything in sight. It really shouldn't have worked, but it did. The space felt eclectic. Everywhere I looked, there was more to see. You could never be bored in this room.

"This place is great," I told Glenna.

She smiled in obvious pleasure. "Thanks, Lach."

Safiya came into the room with a scowl on her face but amusement in her eyes. "As if his opinion on this means anything. You've seen his house, Glenna. He has no sense of style."

"I don't have to have interior decorations to appreciate them," I argued.

Safiya opened her mouth to argue but Glenna swiftly stood in front of her and asked, "What brings you here, Lachlan?"

I smiled gratefully at Glenna. Safiya was always looking for a verbal spar and I really wasn't feeling up to it right now. Honestly, I never felt up to it. I loved the woman, but what was wrong with having a pleasant conversation? "I came to invite you both to have dinner with me and my boyfriend."

Safiya squealed in excitement and darted around Glenna to grab my arms. I danced back, putting a chair in between us, and Safiya rolled her eyes, though her excitement didn't lessen. "You're not bleeding," she said. "I'm not bleeding. What's the problem?"

"You know the problem," I said firmly. No touching known supernaturals. It was a long-held rule, and one I wasn't budging on.

Safiya huffed, but let Glenna drag her to the sofa, where they sat facing me. I took a seat on Glenna's sunflower chair. "When would you like to have the dinner?" Glenna asked.

I shrugged. I didn't actually know when Magnus was available. I probably should have figured that out sooner. So I couldn't forget, I texted asking when he would be free and turned back to my cousins to talk. The front door opened, though, and someone walked in. Safiya and Glenna darted out of their chairs, exchanging nervous looks before they split up. Safiya grabbed me by the arm and hauled me down the long hallway, thrusting me into a dark bedroom. I ripped myself out of her grip as soon as I could, though I didn't complain about her touching me this time. I knew she was just trying to keep me away from their customer.

"Do you know that man?" I asked.

"Yeah," Safiya confirmed. "He's fae."

My stomach turned. The number-one rule for dealing with the fae was to show no weakness. Hopefully he hadn't noticed how quickly Safiya had ushered me from the room – or if he had noticed, hopefully it hadn't sparked his curiosity. If he realized what I was...

"I shouldn't have come here," I murmured.

Safiya's eyes were the only part of her I could clearly make out. Was there a reason she wasn't turning on the light? I was afraid to ask – afraid the fae man would hear me.

I pulled out my phone and texted Safiya rather than risking being overheard. "Should I sneak out the window?"

She read the message on her phone and grimaced, shaking her head immediately. She typed back and a few seconds later, my phone buzzed. "No! He'll hear you and get curious." My phone buzzed again with a follow-up: "He'll be gone soon."

We waited in the dark bedroom for fifteen minutes before Glenna opened the door. The relief on her face was obvious. "The coast is clear," she said.

Walking back down the hallway still had my heart thumping. I half expected the fae man to be there, but he wasn't. I didn't feel safe leaving yet. Who's to say he wasn't out there waiting?

Yes, I was paranoid. I had good reason, though.

Glenna went to the kitchen while Safiya and I sat back down in the living room. We didn't speak and a while later, Glenna came in with a tray full of steaming mugs. I smiled in thanks when she held the tray out to me and took one, inhaling the steam. Lemon tea. Mmm.

"I thought this might help us relax," she said, sitting down with her own mug. Safiya was already drinking out of hers. She never had the patience to wait for things to cool down and had spent a lot of our childhood complaining about a burnt tongue. Some things never changed.

"Thank you." My phone buzzed and I relaxed further when I saw I had a text from Magnus with his schedule, which he claimed was wide-open for me. "So, when can you guys come over for dinner? We can make any night work."

Safiya and Glenna exchanged glances for a long time, their expressions shifting every couple of seconds. Did they have some kind of telepathy spell in place? And if they did, why bother using it now? What didn't they want me overhearing?

This time, my paranoia wasn't so justified. After no more than a minute, Glenna turned back to me and said, "Sorry, it's a habit. We didn't mean to shut you out. How about Friday?"

It was Tuesday now. Friday felt too far away, but I nodded anyway. "Friday it is."

Magnus and I would just have to keep our clothes on until then.