AM7: Durance, chapter twelve (Patreon)

Darren took shallow breaths and tried to ignore the way Kavon's weight on his right side made his body tilt and his muscles ache. Despite the physical pain it caused, he needed the emotional connection right now. “Coretta is going to be really annoyed that he didn't get a statement,” Darren said. Of course, she was far more likely to blame Kavon than Les.

“Wait,” Darren said as Kavon’s earlier words finally filtered through his drug-addled mind. “Did you say Assistant Director White was here?”

Kavon sighed. “You were attacked on a public street.”

“I was in an SUV that was attacked, and I’m pretty sure White doesn’t show up every time an agent wrecks a car. Hell, I was still trying to come up with a good cover story.” Depending on how badly the building he’d been thrown into was damaged, this might exceed even his ability to creatively lie. As much as Salma had always talked about the power of the durance, Darren hadn’t really thought of a guide as a creature capable of throwing an SUV. Sure, Bennu had the raw power, but he didn’t have the precision or inclination.

“I don’t think a cover story is possible,” Kavon said, but then he never liked even the little lies. Darren was more morally flexible on that front.

“Why not?”

“Between the three guides on that street, we appear to have blown up a good chunk of the street, so....” Kavon shrugged. Weariness rolled off him like a heavy fog. 

“Oh.” Darren didn’t know what else to say. Their record couldn’t look good at this point. Even before Bennu, Kavon had a reputation for property damage. Darren wondered if Bennu had ever given Kavon’s spells a little push back then. But now… it was like they were on a regular schedule. Take out a street every twelve months, a building every eight.

Kavon drew a gentle circle with his fingers over Darren's sternum. “White is worried about how you're doing.” Kavon’s touch warmed Darren, and he longed for more even as he knew his body wouldn't handle it well.

“How angry is he?” Darren asked. He rested his palm against Kavon’s cheek. When he lowered his barriers, the magic flowed between them.

“I think he's more worried than angry. He’s treating this like an attempted murder and he’s having unit three investigate.”

Darren frowned. Maybe the center was giving him the good drugs because that made no sense. Yet the low-level aggravation from Kavon made it clear Darren had heard right. The Assistant Director of the FBI planned to send mundanes to investigate a shamanic attack. “What exactly are they supposed to do?”

Darren had a lot of respect for unit three. There were some damn good investigators on that team, but none of them had any experience with Talent. And at least two of them were fairly anti-Talent. Neither was ready to join any an anti-Talent church or lead a protest, but they showed a certain sympathy towards Darren for being stuck on a Talent team. Worse, after Darren's talent became evident, both of them had made snide comments. They were not Darren's first choice for investigating a Talent-based crime.

“I thought Coretta had the scene?” Darren said then Kavon didn’t say anything for several minutes. Darren truly could not handle Kavon going into shutdown mode. Not now.

“She does. And White can't pull her until someone makes a decision about what to do with the magic that spilled onto that street,” Kavon said. “But he wants someone objective to investigate the actual attack.”

“Spillage? Bad?”

“I assume. Coretta says that the dead magic on the street is bigger than anything she's ever seen.” Kavon sounded so damn neutral and unemotional, but the bond screeched like fingernails down a chalkboard.

Coretta had been there for O’Brien’s failed spell, for Bennu’s magical storm when they’d bonded, for the gas station Darren had blasted a little too hard, and the aftermath of Angel Zamora’s showdown with Luschesce when Bennu had dropped a fucking nuclear bomb of magic to try and strengthen Angel’s spells. Fuck, no wonder the black market for magical objects was in overdrive. And now they had created the biggest spill yet. Darren let out a shaky breath.

Kavon kept tracing circles, and his body warmed Darren’s side. Eventually Kavon said, “White is considering having the Djedi Center investigate, but we’ll have to see what he decides to do.” Kavon’s body had a stillness that suggested he was trying hard to control his reactions.

“What does he know? I mean, what did you tell him?” Darren asked softly. In the past he had avoided discussing anything regarding Kavon’s leadership of the team. Their relationship was separate from Kavon’s position as the team lead. But Darren had too many unknowns in his life right now. He needed information.

“Not much.” Guilt flooded the bond, but so did a perverse determination. Kavon continued. “I told him someone could be targeting me for my work for the FBI or my position on the Council, but in either case, attacking you would disable me.”

“So you left out the whole part where durance from another universe are threatening to come to this universe and declare war on the docent and other guides?” Darren summarized.

Kavon narrowed his eyes. “I trust White, but do you really trust everyone who would read his reports?”

“Okay, you might have a point there.” If someone in the top levels of the FBI had an anti-Talent bias, this would be fodder. And given how many of the rank and file officers were borderline anti-Talent, it was reasonable to assume there were assholes at the top as well. “He understands politics better than we do, couldn't we tell him our concerns?”

“And what?” Kavon demanded. “Ask him to violate his oath by concealing information on a terror threat against the United States?”

Darren wanted to rub his face in exasperation, but that would require moving his body. Darren hurt too much. Kavon was assuming that White was his rule-bound as he was and that White’s reliance on the rules would put the Talent community at risk. Darren wasn’t so sure. From what he’d seen, White was more the type to trust his subordinates to handle the details and focus on setting the unit goals. However, Kavon knew White better. A voice in the back of Darren’s head whispered that he should let Kavon set the pace. Darren was still mentally debating whether to push the issue when Kavon changed the subject.

“Do you want to work on some healing energies?” Kavon asked.

“Yeah,” Darren said. “That would be nice. Is your bull willing to share some energy, or do you want me to call Bennu?” The bull was far less likely to drop too much magic, so Darren trusted him more with the smaller spells, but sometimes the damn guide was as stubborn as Kavon.

Kavon closed his eyes and the bull appeared in the room. He snorted loudly and pawed the ground defiantly before swinging his head around in search of enemy. His butt passed through the walls and IV stand. As it passed the bed, Darren could feel a hint of wind from the whipping tail. After the bull had shuffled around in a circle and assured himself that no enemies were hiding behind the bedpans, the bull gave a weird snuffling noise and settled. “My bull will happily help,” Kavon said. His freckles glowed with a subtle blue shamanic light.

An expanding bubble forced its way into their bond, a pressure that felt almost like the air pressure change when an airplane took off, and then his ears popped. Kavon rested his palm against Darren's chest and warmth spread through Darren’s chest, leaving tingling skin and small shivers as it spread. When the heat reached Darren’s collarbone, his whole body shuddered. Muscles tightened like the morning after a hard run. Darren stretched.

“That feels good.”

Kavon chuckled. “Most people say I am clumsy at healing.”

“Most people are fucking morons,” Darren said. He arched his back, and it audibly popped. “Thank God for the extra-large beds because I think I'm gonna want you to do this for the next hour or two.” Darren slipped his arm around Kavon and pulled their bodies closer. When Kavon’s hand slid around to the small of Darren’s back, the heat shifted with it. Darren groaned as his cock started to grow.

“People who use their Talents in conjunction with one another often transfer energy. That's why the beds are larger. I imagine any number of partners have had sex on this bed.” Kavon delivered all statements with such nonchalance that Darren was caught off guard.

“Sex? In a hospital?”

Kavon rolled his eyes. “You know sex is one of the easiest ways to transfer energy from one person to another.”

“Energy? Is that what we’re calling it now?” Darren wiggled his eyebrows at Kavon. “It’s like the plot of a porn. The big bad shaman will fuck their partner healthy.”

Kavon’s expression turned incredulous. “Porn movies have people with Talent?”

Darren offered his lover an exaggerated moue. “I don't know the actors have Talent or not, and I do actually mean that pun. However, having the plot center around someone with Talent bringing his big magical dick to the relationship is pretty much a porn standard.” Darren expected Kavon to show some recognition or embarrassment. Instead, he just continued to looked confused. “Come on, you have to know that. You're a man. I know you watched porn.”

“I'm not a fan.”

“Okay, I'm weirdly unsurprised,” Darren said dryly. “But you’ve seen some.”

Kavon shrugged. “Maybe when I was a teenager. I might've watched a few free videos on the Internet.”

“Whoa. The free stuff. That stuff makes me feel all full of Trojan horse.” Darren twitched his body.

Kavon raised his eyebrows. “Is that a sex joke?”

“It was actually a computer virus joke, but it was lame, so it's fine if you didn't catch it.” Kavon wasn’t normally this clueless, so either he was playing dumb to amuse Darren or they’d just found a blind spot. That’s what Kavon called it when Darren’s normally outgoing personality got waylaid and he’d turned hateful toward Ben Anderson and then cold toward Ahtisham. A blind spot. More like a spot of temporary and brilliantly callous willful ignorance, but Darren tried to ignore twinge he got every time Kavon tried to comfort him. Maybe porn was some weird zone of cluelessness for Kavon. “Are you serious about not watching porn?”

Kavon frowned. “I never wanted quick gratification out of sex, and that's what porn offers. It was just more aggravation I didn’t need.”

“Porn aggravated you?” Clearly Kavon had watched some pretty shitty porn. The sudden heaviness in the room bothered Darren. He poked Kavon in the side. “What, did you go into it expecting good acting?”

Instead of cheering Kavon up, that seemed to make his emotion turned even darker. “Sex is difficult for shamans, and porn reminded me of what I couldn't have.”

Darren wasn't sure that Kavon couldn't have enjoyed a sexual relationship with someone. After all, millions of shamans had relationships, and some of them had relationships with mundanes.

True, shamans couldn't pursue higher level powers if they had a mundane partner, but if shamanism was a deterrent to sex, the gene would've died out. Darren wondered if this wasn't more fallout from Dave's manipulation. Dave had isolated Kavon from the shamanic community where he could have enjoyed a normal, healthy sexual relationship with someone. The thought made Darren want to kill Dave, but ironically the man was already dead. Dead and still a pain in Darren's ass.

“Well, I say that we rent some porn together when we have time.”

“I say we enjoy something more meaningful and realistic right now.” Kavon slipped his hand inside Darren’s hospital gown and squeezed Darren’s ass cheek. The healing heat gathered where their skin met, and flares and tingles travelled up Darren’s spine. Having semi public sex in a difficult to defend location… that didn’t sound like Kavon.

“Are you feeling okay?” Darren wondered if maybe he had left the bond open too far and if some of his personality wasn't bleeding across or something. He couldn't imagine any other situation that would lead to Kavon acting so out of character.

Kavon kissed the side of Darren’s neck just under his ear and whispered, “I could've lost you.” The bond shone with guilt and fear and lust and gratitude.

“And I could've lost you. We were both in the fight.”

“When I saw the car…” A tremor went through Kavon’s body. His bull stamped the ground, and warning magic boomed out into air as the bull announced his desire to destroy any enemy.

Kavon had unbuttoned half of Darren's nightshirt, and Darren captured his hand, holding it tightly. “I'm fine. I don’t even feel sore anymore. Your healing skills are underrated.”

Kavon give a half sob, and a wave of guilt and grief and fear crashed over Darren. He hung on to Kavon's hand as the emotions buffeted him. He pushed back with all his might. They were together and safe and Darren thanked the universe for allowing them to find each other. For a moment, positive and negative emotions warred, until the heat between them drove the grief into the background.

And when that happened, Kavon crushed his mouth against Darren’s. Darren gasped as Kavon pinned him to the bed. In an instant, Darren’s cock was hard and aching. Raw need sliced into him, and Darren clawed at Kavon, desperate to pull him closer—to hold him tighter. Kavon caught Darren’s wrists and pinioned them to the bed.

Arching his back, Darren begged softly, “Please.” And again. “Please. Please.” Emotions tangled between them until Darren could both feel his wrists trapped under one of Kavon’s large hands, and himself on top, holding his lover down while he trailed fingers over the handprint claim mark. Shivers danced across skin and heat gathered.

Kavon pushed the nightshirt off Darren’s shoulder and kissed a collarbone before he nipped it. He worked his way up toward Darren’s neck, worshiping and tormenting each inch. When Kavon pulled back, the tactile loss made Darren physically ache. He watched as Kavon tossed his own shirt aside and unfastened his pants enough to shove them down to his thighs. Never before in his life had Darren been so grateful to be pantsless. 

As soon as Kavon finished, Darren curled his hand around Kavon’s neck and pulled him down to the hospital bed. The firm mattress didn’t give him the same room to squirm and maneuver, but Darren didn’t complain as Kavon used his weight to trap Darren. Skin against skin, the feelings and power flowed freely now. Kavon ran his teeth over Darren’s ear, his hand tweaking a nipple before he slid down to grab Darren’s cock.

“You’re not allowed to die. Ever.” Kavon’s voice had a fierceness and power that echoed through reality.

“I’ll try not to.” Darren couldn’t offer more.

“I’ll follow you, so don’t you get us both killed,” Kavon said.

Fear washed some of the lust cobwebs from Darren’s brain. His own death was a frightening concept, but he couldn’t imagine the world with Kavon standing tall and strong, putting himself between civilians and all the dangers in the world—hunting evil and standing at the edge of his chosen herd challenging predators. That was a world Darren would never accept. “If I have a choice, I will never leave you,” Darren said. His claim mark grew so hot that he hissed, but then Kavon stroked Darren’s cock.

The heat increased between them. Sweat gathered. Darren trembled in need, but Kavon only kissed a slow trail across Darren’s chest before sucking at a peaked nipple.

Heat. Need. Fear. Love. Lust. Guilt. Anger. Friendship. They swirled and tangled, catching on each other like cobwebs in a breeze. Darren wrapped his legs around Kavon, and lifted himself up off the bed.

“Fuck me,” Darren demanded. The tangled knot of cobweb feelings flared, and a million points of light flashed against his skin like the red sunspot Darren would sometimes see when he closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the sun.

Forgoing his usual teasing style, Kavon slid a finger straight into Darren. Lube delivered, Kavon ignored the two-finger, three-finger routine and pressed his cock against Darren’s hole. Darren clawed at Kavon’s shoulders. Kavon gave one hard lunge that made Darren’s eyes water, and their bodies slapped together. Muscles strained, and for a few seconds, the heat in Darren’s claim mark matched the burn in his ass. 

But that pain had faded to a tormenting need for more before Kavon began to slowly thrust into Darren. Kavon’s fingers pressed nickel-sized bruises into Darren’s hips and the slap of flesh filled the room. Darren gasped in time with Kavon’s heavy grunts. Eventually, the grunts gave way to low, guttural words.

“Don’t you ever fucking scare me like that again. Don’t you do it.” Every third or fourth word, Kavon slammed his hips forward. Darren hit the headboard, and Kavon tightened his grip on Darren’s hips and hauled him back down the bed.

“I won’t,” Darren promised. “Never.” He didn’t care how impossible, he would find a way to keep that promise. Kavon’s thrusts grew jagged and staccato. When Kavon grabbed Darren’s cock in a tight grip, Darren cried out. His muscles spasmed and grew tight enough that Kavon’s cock felt three times larger as Kavon gave several more hard thrusts before he came. Darren’s vision grayed and a ghost image of the spirit plane appeared around him.

Colorful Egyptian moments rose out of the IV stand and the white tile floor turned into a pale suggestion of yellow veldt grass swaying in the wind. And in the middle, Kavon’s bull stood with his tail lashing his sides.

Kavon collapsed to the side. For a long time they lay in bed with only the sounds of their breathing interrupting the silence. 

“God, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Kavon eventually asked with concern in his voice.

Darren had to actually think about why Kavon would ask that question. Right. Car accident with a mythological monster. Check. Despite that, Darren didn’t have a single ache or pain. “Fucking awesome,” Darren said. “Porn is never anywhere close to this good. Maybe you’re right. We should just skip porn and do this again.”

Surprise filled the bond and then Kavon chuckled softly. “Next time in our bed,” he said. He draped a hand over Darren’s stomach, and the fatigue practically dripped off him like sweat.

Darren frowned and opened himself to their bond. Satisfaction. Love. Admiration. And yes, Kavon still had a fair share of guilt and anger, but not anything more than he usually carried. “Sleep,” Darren whispered.

“Good idea.” Kavon sounded almost drunk. Darren turned to look at the bull. For a second, it looked like a mammoth stood in the guide’s place, but then the superimposed image faded and the cape buffalo gazed back at Darren, unfazed and unimpressed with Darren’s concern.

If the bull wasn’t worried, Darren couldn’t spare too much energy to worry, either. He wiggled around until he could reach the blanket and pull it up over both of them. Kavon had tucked his head into the crook of Darren’s neck, and Darren fell asleep with their bodies tangled together.

Chapter 13: https://www.patreon.com/posts/aberrant-magic-7-24757990