Chapter 24- Gordy
BEING IN THE Union of Mages infirmary isn’t my idea of a good time. I’m aware that this is the best place for my situation, since we’re surrounded by adults with medical and magical expertise. But really, who wants to be sick in a hospital? The less I come here, the better my life will be.
Still, I stay. Because Loxley hasn’t woken up in twenty-four hours.
The nurse practitioner guy who runs the place assured me that Loxley’s vital signs are fine.
He checked my wounds, and Luther and Kai checked my magic levels.
The scar on my wrist has almost completely healed thanks to Kai’s magic.
While I feel a little tired, I’m still able to muster up arcana from deep within my soul.
Sally didn’t permanently wreck me. The agents of SPELL said I could leave early this morning with a clean bill of health.
But I’m not going anywhere. I’d rather fade in and out of sleep in the chair next to Loxley than chill in a comfortable bed far away from him. He called me his home, his love. As I count the number of breaths he takes, I know he’s mine, too.
Kai, Seb, and Luther have intermittently come through the room and given me food and water. It’s sweet of them to look after me, but I won’t be paying much attention to them until Loxley wakes up.
Sometime during hour twenty-five since he rescued me, I yawn and stand up.
My tail whips about, and I rub the shell on my chest. All this waiting is getting boring, but I don’t want to be anywhere else.
Pulling back the curtain and peeking through the window, I spot Luther talking to Kai and some other agents in the hallway.
I don’t stare at them for long before a stirring pulls my attention.
Loxley! His eyes are fluttering open, and he’s fidgeting in bed.
My heart stops, and I rush to get closer to him.
Unfortunately, this leads me to banging my head on an orange, nearly invisible barrier; I had forgotten that Luther erected a mystical wall around Loxley, just in case he got violent.
“Hey…hey!” I tap on the barrier to no avail. With a grunt, I stride out of the room and yell, “He’s awake, put down the barrier!”
Luther and the others dash toward me. Moments later, the wall is gone, and I rush to my boyfriend’s side. I almost sob in relief when I take his hand, and he blinks at me.
Loxley looks so dehydrated, so strung out, but he’s alive, thank the stars. “Loxley, baby,” I rasp.
“G-g-g…” he stammers, squinting at me.
“Yes, it’s me, Gordy,” I say, wiping my tears.
“G…glasses,” he whispers.
“Oh, right.” I take his glasses out of my pocket and manage a wry laugh. After placing them on his face, he blinks at me. “How are you feeling, baby?”
“Hungry.” He feels his chest and stomach, then adds, “But not…food.”
I nod and exchange a knowing look with Luther. They were all debriefed on what occurred, but Loxley might be unaware. “Baby, what’s the last thing you remember?”
“You…kidnapped…” His eyebrows shoot up in alarm. “Are you okay?”
I laugh and go to grab a chair. Then, I’m back by his bedside, a place I never intend to leave. As I stroke his hand, I nod and say, “Yes. You saved me.”
“Your…magic?”
“I have it back, a part of being one of the Four Guardians. The big turtle inside me has this unending well of arcana.” We share a smile, and I continue, “It’s probably what made me the ideal target for Sally.”
Loxley sits up in alarm. “Sally…she…?”
“She’s gone. After passing the curse along to you, she vanished, poofed into the shadows.”
“We’ve been looking for her, but to no avail. It’s possible she doesn’t want to be involved with magic altogether,” Luther says. He gives us a wave and continues, “Hi again, Loxley. Good to see you awake.”
He smiles at Luther, then turns back to me. “How long have I…?”
I nod and reply, “It’s only been about a day. We’re in the Union infirmary. They’re taking good care of you.”
Loxley ponders something, then looks at Luther. “The curse?”
Luther cringes and shares a look with the other agents, who walk out the door.
Turning back to us, he says, “According to our research, the curse makes a single mage hungry to consume magic, like a parasite. It must have been crafted by multiple powerful dark witches or wizards, because none of our counterspells have worked.” Luther shoves his hands into his trenchcoat pockets and looks away.
“The good news is Declan is slowly regaining consciousness and magic. But unfortunately, we, um…haven’t found a way to cure you of it. ”
Loxley touches his face. “I’m…going to keep hurting people?”
Luther has no words, which answers his question. “Lock me up,” Loxley says in his quiet tone.
“No!” I shout.
“But, Gordy―”
“But nothing.” Leaning closer, I hold him to my chest. “No one’s locking you up. You’re not a prisoner, you’re a victim of this awful curse, and I won’t let it ruin your life.” Holding his head, I gaze into his precious eyes. “You saved me. Let me save you.”
Loxley half-smiles, his eyes glimmering with emotion. “But how?”
“We have a strategy,” Luther says. “Since Gordy is the Ruby Turtle, he can be a regular source of arcana for you. That should tamp down the hunger inside. Ultimately, it’s your choice, Gordy.”
“Not a choice,” I say in a serious tone, then turn back to Loxley. “I’m going to feed you and let you live a normal life, I swear on my parents’ graves.”
Before he can reply, Luther clears his throat and walks away. “We recommend you, uh, feed soon. I’m going to, um…” He doesn’t finish his sentence before he leaves the room, giving us privacy.
Turning back to my boyfriend, he gazes at me with a mixture of emotions. Fear, sadness, and panic all mix in his precious eyes. I brush his hair and say, “It’s okay, Loxley. You’re okay.”
“But…but I don’t…want to hurt you.”
“Baby, no.” I rub his cheek and kiss his forehead. When I pull back, he takes my chin and pulls me into a real kiss. His lips taste so right on mine. How did I live all these years without knowing Loxley Boysen?
Our heated kisses are interrupted by him hissing and pulling back. “G…Gordy,” he says through a grunt.
“It’s okay,” I murmur. Putting my wrist near his face, I give him a solemn nod. “Don’t hold back. Take as much as you need.”
“But…but I don’t want to…ooh,” his words slur into a bellow, and he clenches forward. It’s as if he’s a starving man, and in a lot of ways, he is. This curse is awful, it’s torture, but I’m the solution. I will be everything for Loxley.
“Watching you be in pain hurts more.” My eyes well up with tears of sympathy, and I move closer, sitting on the bed. “We can go over logistics later, just…” He gazes at me in shock and anguish. “Take my magic. I’ll generate more, I promise you my love, just…please don’t let this curse hurt you.”
This flips a switch in Loxley. He opens his mouth wide, and two of his teeth descend into fangs. Trying not to flinch, I watch as my boyfriend pierces my wrist with his mouth.
I anxiously pace back and forth in the foyer of Boysen House, waiting for my love to return.
Toying with my tail, I ignore the concerned looks Anika and Lisbeth give me.
It’s been eight days since the Union let Loxley come home, provided I go with him.
I’ve allowed him to feed off me regularly, and I don’t even mind the piercing pain of his teeth digging into my wrist. As such, I’ve basically been living here.
I refuse to be too far from Loxley in case the hunger strikes him.
He claims that when he feeds from me, he’s good for twenty-four hours, but I don’t want to chance it.
It’s not the ideal context for me sleeping in his bed every night, but I can’t say I don’t enjoy that part of this whole ordeal.
But it’s his first day back at work, and I’m a nervous wreck.
When his car pulls in, I anxiously gaze through a foyer window.
As he walks out of the car, I take in his image in the summer sunlight.
Dressed in his dark blue button-down shirt and tight khakis, Loxley looks divine, like a business casual wet dream.
Now’s not the time to be horny! Sure, we haven’t done anything sexual the entire time he’s been home. My priority is for him to be healthy, so when he walks through the door, I rush up to him.
“Oh, thank the stars.” I hold him tight, tucking my chin on his shoulder.
“Hey,” he says through a laugh. I’ve been an anxious wreck for hours, and this boy has the audacity to laugh. Why am I fated mates with this guy out of everyone?
But when I stand up straight, he gets on his tippy toes to kiss me, and I forget everyone else exists. “How are you?” he asks.
“I’m fine. How are you feeling? Any hunger? Do you need to feed? We can go to your room. Or do it right here.” As I roll up my coat sleeve, he shakes his head, then leads me to the living room.
“Ah, glad to see you’re home in one piece!” Anika says.
“Koopa Troopa over here wouldn’t stop pacing a hole through the carpet,” Lisbeth remarks.
Loxley frowns at her, but I simply laugh. Loxley’s aunt is a hoot, and now that I’m sort of living here, we get along great.
“But are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.
“Yes,” he replies.
“I’ll put on some tea,” Anika says.
“I’ll help. Give you and your familiar some private time since he missed you so much when you were at work.” Lisbeth gives a wink, and I let out another laugh. Loxley, meanwhile, seems low-key mortified.
“What’s wrong?” I ask once we get to the living room and sit down on the couch. “Do you want to feed?”
“No. Not hungry hungry,” he says, his code for when he needs to sap magic from me.
“Then what is it?”
Loxley moves his hands around, like he’s weighing what he needs to say. I know exactly what he needs, so I whip out my phone and point to it. When he procures his own phone, he proceeds to text rapidly. “No rush,” I say.
He smiles at me, and it reminds me of sunshine after a hurricane; it’s calmness and peace after a lifetime of insecurity and loneliness.
When he hands me his phone, I read the words out loud. “You’re not my familiar. You’re my boyfriend. My best friend. But don’t think I’m kidnapping you or keeping you as a pet. If you want out, I can find someone else to feed off of.”
My eyebrows furrow. “Wait…do you not want me around?”
“N-n-no!” He shakes his head, then puts his hand over mine. “But you…don’t n-n-need…” He gulps, then closes his eyes.
As he centers himself, I squeeze his hand. “Think of the words, and take all the time you need, Lox. I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
When he opens his eyes, he’s visibly calmer. “You…are no familiar. Or pet. Or prisoner. This curse…”
“This curse is horrible. But it happens to be a convenient excuse for me to sleep with you every night. So I’m making the most of a shitty situation.
” We both bust out laughing, and I take the moment to rub his cheek.
He leans into my touch, and all feels right.
Now’s as good a time as any to tell him how deep my feelings are.
We’ve been so busy trying to get used to life with this curse, so now I want to lay out the terms of our relationship.
“Loxley, baby, I’m happy to be your familiar. ”
He gazes at me in concern. Before he can argue, I continue, “Let me be specific: I’m not a pet. Or a prisoner. And you don’t make me feel that way.” Rubbing my thumb on his face, I quietly say, “I’m here because I want to help you. Because I love you.”
Loxley gasps. “Really?”
“Yeah. You said it first, by the way.”
“I did?”
“Yes!”
We both crack up in joy, and I lean forward and hold him.
“It was the night you rescued me. When I thought Sally was going to kill me, all I could think of was losing you. The fact that I can’t get enough of you.
The way I want to be around you at all times.
And that’s so much more than a familiar. That’s a fated mate.”
When I pull back, I gaze at him, smiling, eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Really?” he whispers.
I nod. “So, consider me your familiar and your fated mate. But I’m warning you, I can be a cranky turtle. And you won’t be able to take me to a public beach. And I won’t let you win at video games. And I’ll want you to kiss me before you sleep every night.”
Loxley laughs and pulls me in for another sweet kiss. Rubbing my face, he says, “Best. Familiar. Ever.”
“Aww, you two finally figured it out!” Anika walks in, holding a massive tray with a teapot.
“This calls for some celebratory pre-supper tea and snacks,” Lisbeth says.
“I heard tea and snacks,” Shugo says, walking in from the basement. He’s beaming while holding his pet chicken.
“Uh-uh!” Lisbeth points at Shugo as Anika pours the tea. “You know the rules. Keep that thing out of the living room.”
Loxley and I chortle, but Shugo frowns. “But look how sad Cluckboy is! He almost cried when I tried to leave him in the outdoor coop just now.” Holding up the animal, the chicken indeed looks distraught. So much human emotion in that bird.
“I don’t care. No familiars in here.” Lisbeth sips her tea, and I send her a curious look. “Not you. Familiars with opposable thumbs don’t count.”
We all laugh, but Shugo continues to coddle his chicken. “I can relate, little clucker,” I say, pointing to the bird. “I don’t particularly wanna be away from this guy, either.”
I squeeze Loxley’s thigh, and he beams at me. “Move in,” he says.
My brow furrows. I glance over to where Lisbeth and Shugo are still bickering. “There might be too many witches in this house,” I whisper.
He titters, then says, “I’ll move in with you.”
The very thought sets my soul ablaze. I’d get to hold Loxley in my bed every night? We have plenty of room at our house, and it would certainly free up space in Boysen House. I smile and nod, letting him know I am so down.
Life is coming at us fast, with changes left and right.
I want to keep Loxley healthy in case his curse never gets lifted.
But my folks always taught me that’s what being a part of the magical community is all about―helping each other.
So, I intend to start with the guy to my right, my boyfriend, and possibly, my forever partner.