Magic Grayson
“Grayson, you must focus,” Professor Augusta Shaw says before nodding her regal head, indicating that Grayson should begin his flow again.
Straightening his spine, Grayson focuses on the dust motes trapped in the last of the sun’s rays. Breathing in, Grayson pulls on The Plain, letting it trickle in and fill him with power, magnifying every color of the rainbow, embraced through his shared soul.
He focuses on the elements of the earth and tries—futilely—to locate the rose quartz pebble in the black soil through magic alone.
It’s the most rudimentary practice that even first-year apprentices can manage.
But not Grayson, and not today. He’s been at this for an hour already and still has nothing but dirty feet to show for it.
Grayson’s focus has been shit this week; longer, if he’s honest with himself. But today, it’s made worse because he feels like he’s pulling a rope through the eye of a needle. Normally, The Plain flows like water, but not today, and it’s distracting, frustrating, and embarrassing.
Working with Earth magic has always been the hardest for Grayson.
His natural Affinities are Fire and Air, which means Earth and Water—their opposites—come less easily.
Standing barefoot in the fresh dirt carved from the floor of Professor Shaw’s hut, he knows he should feel the Earth’s magic humming close to the surface—it’s been there for him before, countless times during their lessons.
But now, the connection feels distant, elusive.
He’s reminded of all the places he’s stood before and felt a trickle of the Earth’s magic: barefoot in the snow, in the forested expanse of the Smoky Mountains, on the beach in Florida, or even yesterday in the yard playing with Tsuki and Rowan-wolf.
Despite Professor Shaw’s reassurances that his talents are vast, as plentiful as his deep access to The Plain, Earth lessons have always left him feeling limited.
The most he’s ever been able to manipulate is sand and metal.
It’s hard to ignore the murmurs that it might be because of a developing Time Affinity.
The thought sends a twinge through his chest. Grayson really hopes they’re wrong.
He’s learned recently that Time Affinities are serious business, monitored closely by the Global Association Symposium on The Plain—GASP.
Training isn’t just rigorous; it’s mandatory and takes three long, isolating years in Switzerland.
The idea of being shipped off, away from his pack—away from Nix—tightens something deep in his chest. Grayson hasn’t mentioned it to the pack yet.
How could he? He has mates, children, and the fucking BBS to think about.
He can’t be on the plane without Nix for the time it would take to fly there, let alone stay at the Aeternum Academy for three years.
There’s a reason magic users are usually discovered and trained in their teenage years, rather than when they’re adults with lives and other commitments.
He’s already shielding most of his potential as it is. It seems to be growing leaps and bounds by the day, drawing the eye of Weres and human magic-users alike. Grayson can feel a mammoth confrontation brewing, his unique abilities and strengths a combination no one is willing to ignore for long.
“Grayson. Focus,” Professor Shaw says again, this time with a thread of irritation coloring her normally serene tones. He supposes that the students who normally study under her are more intimidated than he is.
“Professor Shaw, I apologize,” Grayson says. “For some reason, I can’t reach the full potential of The Plain today.”
The tall woman arches her eyebrow and adjusts the vest she wears over her mossy green dress.
She’s somewhere over sixty, and the most skilled Earth Affinity in the country; he’s fortunate to be able to work with her at all.
Despite her literal down-to-earth demeanor, she rules her domain with a stern countenance and iron will.
The large space is built in a ground-floor room, with floors made of dirt, sand, wood, and occasionally metal and stone.
Every natural element is represented, from the stunning stained glass to the large purple geodes on the shelves.
There are blocks of marble along one side of the room, some carvings in process, two pottery wheels, and a small door leading to a kiln.
His professor is a celebrated artist in working clay, and discussions about art quickly became the basis for a burgeoning friendship before and after their class time.
Sighing, she waves him toward the small sitting area beside her desk. “And how is Nix today?” She inquires, guessing correctly why Grayson is distracted. A distraction that should be at the mall with Luca, less than twelve miles away.
“I don’t know, because he’s…” Grayson says, and his stomach drops into his toes when he realizes what he is going to say. He doesn’t know, because Nix has narrowed their connection to a bare minimum. How had he failed to notice? The Plain had. “Excuse me for a moment?”
“Of course, call your mate. I’ll order tea.
We can talk about you taking up pottery again.
I think, perhaps, that your Earth Talents would be best realized in the pursuit of art.
” She nods toward his phone on the desk and opens the door to her office to let Leo in with a smile.
“Leo, come in. Grayson is too distracted to do the easiest of tasks today. Please chastise him at length.”
Laughing, Leo nods, but raises his eyebrow at Grayson. When the Professor has left the room, he asks, “You can’t get it up today or what?”
“I think you know from recent experience that’s not true,” Grayson says before dialing his soulmate’s number.
Nix’s phone rings three times without being answered.
“I can’t feel Nix, and he’s not picking up.
He said he would take his phone when he went out.
” He pulls on The Plain harder than he would normally, pushing the energy through their soul while he dials again.
This time, the call drops almost instantly. Shit.
“You try.”
Although why he’d answer Leo and not Grayson, he can’t imagine. He regrets not having the microchip app downloaded to his phone. There had been negotiations that only Finn would have it, even though everyone knows Gideon has access, too.
“You can’t feel him at all? That’s not good,” Leo says.
Grayson knows without Leo’s shake of his head that the call hasn’t connected, either.
“Does he have the bonds turned down? Why would he do that?”
While Leo is worried about why Nix has shut down the flow of the bonds, Grayson only cares that he has.
That they hadn’t noticed probably means he’d been doing it gradually all day.
Their mates would only become more agitated, irritable, and anxious, but it would be more effective than an abrupt cessation if he hadn’t wanted to cause immediate alarm.
Like a headache that creeps up on you, until you suddenly realize you’re dehydrated, or the feeling of being hangry when your last meal was breakfast because you’d been too busy to stop for lunch.
“Dammit. How long has it been going on?”
“If you didn’t notice until now, it can’t be an emergency, right?” Leo asks.
He’s got his phone to his ear, and he can hear it go to Luca’s voicemail, too. With a shake of his head, he dials again. This time, Finn’s voicemail says he’s in the clinic and to leave a message with Dennie. “Surely if someone in the pack was hurt, Finn would be the first to know, yeah?”
A sudden burst of heat flares under Grayson’s belly button, sharp and searing, before vanishing just as quickly. “Ow, fuck.”
He’s had enough of not knowing, of not feeling fully Nix’s soul open freely to let their magic flow unimpeded.
He sits on the corner of Professor Shaw’s couch and puts his shoes back on before calling for a car.
He’ll have to get to the road before the driver can pick them up, given the Guild is hidden from non-magical eyes, but if they leave now, they can get there before the car does.
Leo must have decided to talk to Dennie, because when Grayson tunes back in, he hears the nurse say, “He peeled out of here like his ass was on fire about fifteen minutes ago while I was on the phone. Left two patients in the office, too. Is everything alright with Nix?”
Another sharp pain escapes Nix’s grip on their bond, and Grayson knows with 100% accuracy that Nix is most assuredly not okay. Without further thought or a word to Leo, Grayson pulls on The Plain and moves.
He’s on the lawn outside Professor Shaw’s hut and then again, past the gates. Now that he knows when he’s doing it, Grayson can get further when he teleports than he was able to in Florida.
He considers trying to get the twelve miles to the compound by teleportation instead of finding a free-range taxi, but the more populated areas will make landing more awkward.
People frown upon suddenly-appearing men who then disappear just as abruptly, and Grayson does not want any more attention than he’s already been getting from GASP or the Were Alliance committees.
His phone rings when he lands behind a ramen place and heads down to the mouth of the alley toward the street. He connects the call, but doesn’t answer Leo when he sees Artem sitting in his small car. Their friend leans over to pop open the door for him.
“Artem? What are you doing here?”
Their friend shrugs, putting the car into drive and merging into the busy street’s traffic. “You know how this works, Grayson,” he says with a smile. “Now, seatbelt, please.”
“Yeah, but it works for Nix when he needs you. Not me.”
“And you getting home in time to see your daughters born is for Nix too, no?” the older man says, honking the horn to encourage the reversing truck to let them pass.
Grayson freezes.
He’s sure he looks just like Gideon when he’s processing, as he can feel himself blinking. But in Grayson’s typical fashion, he also adds his gaping mouth for added individuality.
“What! He’s in labor? Right now? How long? At the mall?”
“Slow down. He tried to hide it from me and Luca at first, because I think he’s scared.”
Grayson rubs his face with his palm. Thinking about Nix at the mall or home, scared and in pain, makes Grayson want to puke.
Artem pats his arm, interpreting his stress correctly. “He may be frightened, but he’s also strong, and he’s not alone.”
“He’s not alone,” Grayson whispers.
“Right, Luca is with him, and Gideon is at home, too. I think you and Leo might even be the last to arrive.”
“Fuck, Leo!” Grayson brings the phone to his ear. “Leo?”
“How nice it is that you remember me,” Leo growls over the line, and there’s a door slamming. “Is that Artem?”
“Sorry. Fuck, I didn’t think. Yeah, I popped up behind that ramen place Gideon tolerates and was looking for a car, and there he was.” Grayson smiles at their friend.
“Huh. How does that feel?”
“Weird, but appreciated. Did you find the car?”
“Yes,” Leo says, lowering his voice so the human driver doesn’t overhear him. “Although she didn’t know why she was waiting outside a port-a-potty.”
Grayson shifts uncomfortably in his seat through another twinge of pain.
“Almost there,” Artem murmurs, accelerating through a yellow light.
“Did you hear all that from before?”
“Sure did. I’ll be another twenty, though, since I can’t fucking teleport,” Leo whispers again.
“Yeah, but you’re magical in other ways, baby,” Grayson teases his disgruntled mate. But he blushes when Artem coughs. “I’m sorry I left like that.”
“Nah, I get it. Just…tell him I’m coming, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Grayson hangs up, and the phone rings immediately afterward. “Gideon?”
“Well, you’d better say goodbye to Professor Dirt and get your perfect ass home.” He sounds strained, and there’s water running in the background, as if Gideon is washing dishes or cleaning.
“I’m almost there. Artem picked me up.”
His revelation is met with silence as Gideon turns the water off. “Hmmm. Tell Artem that he and I need to have a conversation about aiding and abetting naughty kittens.”
Artem’s eyes widen, his hands clenching on the steering wheel, but he just gives Grayson a short nod.
“I’m almost there, tell Nix to wait, okay?”
Gideon barks out a laugh. “No, I will not tell him to fucking wait on you, you dumbass. And I suggest you don’t tell him either.
Just get here. And…tell Artem: thanks.” He disconnects, leaving Grayson staring at his lock screen.
It’s a family photo they took on the beach in Florida.
They’re happy and free. It hits him that they’ll be ten at the table soon, and it shoots an excited thrill down his spine.
When they pull up to the compound’s gate, Artem enters the code with a face scan. He passes through the gate, coming to a stop in front of the house. He keeps the car running but puts it in park.
For as much of a rush as Grayson had been to get home, now that he’s here and now that he knows Nix is in early labor, he’s suddenly reluctant to get out of the car.
“It’ll be okay,” Artem says.
When Grayson looks at the older man, his eyes are unfocused, and there’s a small smile on his face.
“Yeah. Thanks for driving me.”
“Of course. I’ll see you all soon.”
Grayson exits the car, waving as Artem drives out of the gate. It doesn’t have time to close before Rowan-wolf is slipping through the narrowing gap at top speed and loping up the drive. He shifts in mid gallop, landing in the classic “superhero” crouch on the drive, sweating and pale.
“He’s in labor, Gray.”
“Yeah.”
They look at each other for a moment, sharing anxiety and anticipation, before Rowan grins his biggest grin and Grayson has an armful of his beloved mate.
“I’m scared,” Rowan whispers, uncharacteristically vulnerable, and it’s everything Grayson feels, too.
“He’s so strong,” Grayson reassures, kissing his mate’s ear. “Hey, did you run here?”
Rowan pulls back and, rolling his eyes, turns to head inside. “Duh. The old man drives too slow.” Anyone who has seen Jay on his Ducati knows that’s not true, but Rowan shoots Grayson his sauciest “finger guns” before the door closes behind him.
The gate opens again, and Jay’s ?koda comes to a stop a foot from the front of the house.
He’s frowning, and when he catches Grayson’s eye, he raises an eyebrow in inquiry.
It says: Are you okay? What the hell are we doing?
So Grayson just flashes him a grin and shrugs, because he won’t know the answer to either question for hours yet.
Until his soulmate has done this incredibly hard thing, and all three of them—Nix and his daughters—are safe on this side.