Rich Boy: Awakening - 20. Chapter 20

It had been a very long week, and although it was not even noon yet on Saturday, Worthington felt half-exhausted. He’d made the Bargain with the Light mages for hunting and destroying the demon, although they’d had to haggle over a few of the terms of the Bargain. They’d cast it at twilight, as Dark and Light intermingled, and they’d established a system of warnings and responses if a mage was attacked by a demon. So far there had been no attack.

The Light mages part of the bargain included altering the memories of any mundanes who got too curious about the truth. Kendrick and a few others had worked spells on several key police officials, members of the press, and a few others. The mass murder in the apartment was now a gang-related crime, and the citizens of Phoenix became worried about gang-violence in their neighborhoods. In a way, typical of Light-mages, they were doing some good as well. Gangs, real gangs not like the motorcycle club that was now assembled in his workroom, were blights on society. This cover story would give the police some real power to combat them for a while.

While there had not yet been any more attacks by a demon against mages or even mundanes, there had been three false alarms, and two panicked attacks by mages against people who had startled them. None of them had resulted in death, but more memories had needed to be wiped, and Worthington found himself racing down the street of Scottsdale and Phoenix on his motorcycle at three in the morning, with Brandon and Jamie on their own bikes behind him.

Rob was still learning how to ride a motorcycle, although he was at least no longer nearly throwing himself off every time he tried to stop.

“Very not cool.” Barry said with a great deal of anger in his voice as they stood in the middle of the room. It was all of their ‘gang’ of motorcycle riders from high school, including three who had not been here the week before when Worthington had ‘forced’ them into accepting a magic ritual. Jamie had insisted, and this time Worthington listened to him that their further cooperation would have to be willing, with full understanding of the situation. Yes, to maintain the secrecy of the magic world, blocks would be placed in them, and any who refused would find their minds wiped, but in refusing they would not be taken and used against their will. They would just be made to forget.

Jeremy was here too, and he was not happy at all. The source of his unhappiness though was his three brothers, identical triplets with short brown hair and looks of excitement on their faces as they kept on looking up at the sphere of mage light that hovered in the middle of the rusting building. It was about the size of three basketballs joined together, and pulsed every few seconds as it changed into a different color, running through every color imaginable and casting shadows reminiscent of stained glass windows. Carl stood next to them, a smug look on his face as he listened to the discussion. He probably thought it was fitting that something else was coming back to bite Worthington in the butt. The boy had been trained only for a year in Dark magic, but had morals more aligned with Light magic. That was probably one reason as to why he got along so much better with Jamie than he did with Worthington.

“It was for your own protection.” Worthington reiterated. “We only knew that someone was killing people, and we needed to make sure you were safe. You’re friends, and it was the best way. We have to keep magic a secret, and so we made you forget.”

“Then why are you telling us now?” Billie asked. He was Richie’s best friend, and Richie had not been happy when Jamie had told them what they’d done. Then again, not even Jamie had been willing to tell him the whole story. Still, if Richie ever looked in his friend’s mind, he’d know something had been done, especially if Billie agreed to what they were proposing today.

“The situation is worse than we suspected.” Jamie said with force. “The fact is that we need eyes and ears, more than we have, and we need them to be people we can trust. We trust you.”

“But what about keeping it all secret?” Jim asked. Jim was of medium height, with short brown hair and rather plain features. “Are you just going to wipe our memories again afterwards?”

Worthington said. “If you don’t want to help, yes we’ll wipe your memories, but that will be that. Nothing else will happen to you, and you won’t be involved at all.”

“If we say okay?” Billie asked. “What then?”

“You’ll have to be able to remember things in order to be of help.” Worthington said calmly. “We’ve explained about the difference between Light mages and Dark mages. We’re not really either, we’re somewhere in-between, so a lot of the magic we use comes from both sides. The Light mages won’t use the devices we’ve prepared because they come from Dark magic.”

“Will it hurt us?” Barry asked. “I mean, if it’s this Dark magic, doesn’t that mean it’s like evil or something?”

“Dark does not mean evil.” Jamie said with a snort. “In this case, it’s really gray, but it is based off of Dark spells. The ankle bracelets Worthington and I have created will be able to sense the presence of a demon within a half-mile. You’ll feel it like an ice pack on your ankle, and up your leg. At the same time, it’ll set off an alarm that Worthington and I can both hear. The closer the demon gets, the colder it will get, but the bracelet won’t hurt you. It’s not really turning cold, it’s just giving you that feeling. You’ll ride around on your bikes in patrol patterns each night for a few hours. If it goes cold, Worthington and I will come and fight the demon. We know the most likely targets they’ll be after, so it’s not like you have to ride all over the city.”

“There are also spells we can set so that you’re not too tired in the morning.” Worthington added. “We all have our own lives, and I don’t want you to patrol half the night and be tired the next day. It’ll be done in shifts, so it’s not every night, and you’ll be well compensated for your time.”

“No shit.” Dave, a rather handsome blond who was also on the football said with a snort. They were offering them $2,000 a month for their help.

“We’ll be able to remember everything?” Barry said. “I mean, I don’t want to be a warning system for demons and end up being lunch because I couldn’t remember to run away.”

“You’ll remember everything.” Worthington assured him. “You won’t be able to talk about it with anyone who isn’t part of this group here, today, or where anyone can overhear you talking, but let’s say two of you are in a room together, alone, you can talk about anything. Here, you’ll almost always be able to talk, and of course you’ll be able to remember at all times without a problem. The restrictions are really for your protection as well as ours. If other mages find out you know about magic, they’ll wipe your memories without hesitation.”

“How fast can demons run?” Billie asked with a frown. “I mean, in comparison to our bikes.”

“They’re fast, but you’ll be able to outrun them on a bike no problem.” Worthington said with a smile. “That’s why we’re coming to you guys. Bikes are fast, maneuverable, and all of you are good riders. We can trust you, too. You’re good friends, and you’re smart enough to know when you’re in over your head. Don’t stick around if you feel the bracelet go cold, or it keeps growing colder. Turn your bike around and get out of there. The demon will be able to sense the magic of the bracelet, and he might just chase you. When Jamie and I come to deal with it, we’re going to head to you first. As much as we’ve promised to protect the Light mages from demons, our first priority is going to be protecting you. You’re our friends, and you’re more important to us.”

“But you had no problems wiping our memories or doing it again.” Barry said sourly.

“I’ll say it one last time.” Worthington growled. “I’m sorry. I was wrong to do that, and I will not do it again without real need. You deserve better than that.”

“What happens after you kill the demon?” Dave asked. “I mean, will you ever need us again? We all knew you were rich, Mike, but if you’re willing to hand out money like that, I’ll do whatever you want. Shit, I won’t have to get a job after school, or go to college. I can just work for you.”

“We can discuss… options after this matter is resolved.” Worthington said with a little smile. Dave came from a fairly rich family, but he was only an average student who considered an occasional ‘B’ to be worth celebrating. He had no interest in college, and his parents despaired of him ever making something of himself. Not that he was stupid, it was just that school held little interest for him. He could make his Kawasaki R1 dance, and had been toying with the idea of trying to be a professional motorcycle racer. Maybe he was good enough at that, and it might be worth sponsoring him… well, as he’d just said, there would be time later to discuss options.

“I’m in.” Dave said with a grin. “Money’s good, just enough danger to get the heart pumping, and all I got to do is ride my bike. Not a bad deal I say.”

“You say this thing would go after Richie if it finds him?” Billie said and Jamie nodded once. “Fine, I’m in.”

A few more people called out that they were in, and Worthington had to admit that once again Jamie was right. The truth was that these guys all rode bikes for a reason. They loved the rush of speed, the thrill of danger, and the adrenaline that came with all of that. Here they were being offered a chance to face real danger, ride their bikes more, and make a good deal of money. The time they were spending doing the patrols was really little different than they would spend working part-time jobs. All of them were between sixteen and eighteen, old enough to work, but with parents who made enough money that they didn’t need to work.

“What about those kids.” Barry asked with a jut of his chin to the triplets. “What are they here for? They’re too young to ride, and I don’t take passengers.”

“They’re here for something else.” Jeremy said in a protective tone. “They need to be protected for different reasons.”

“Why?” Barry asked. “If you’re going to trust us, you should trust us. I haven’t agreed to this yet, and I won’t unless I know I can trust you.”

“I’m a mage, too.” Carl said stepping forward and Worthington was surprised that he was taking some initiative. “We all live in the same trailer park, and any demon coming after me might go after them too. Jeremy is good friends with Worthington, and so he has a lot of magic residue on him. That will make him a target too.”

“Plus Carl is not that strong of a mage.” Jamie added and Carl looked down at the ground with a slight blush staining his cheeks. “His parents aren’t mages, and so his home isn’t well protected like the ones we’ll be patrolling. We can put some protections on them, but because we don’t live there they won’t be all that strong. All of them need to be aware of the danger, and have the bracelets so there is warning.”

“Okay.” Barry said with a shake of his head. “My gut tells me I’m being stupid, but I’m going to agree. Fuck with me though, and I’ll find some fucking way to make you pay.”

“We won’t.” Jamie said firmly. “When you agree, you form a magical agreement between us. I have an obligation to you, to protect you, and deal with you honesty. It’s part of my magical training.”

“Fine, but I deal with you, not him.” Barry said with a point of his finger at Worthington. It didn’t really matter, because the fact was that Jamie wasn’t being totally truthful with them. They’d never know that though.

“That’s fine.” Jamie said with a shrug.

“How do we do this?” Barry asked.

“First, is there anyone who wants to leave?” Jamie asked. “This is your last chance. If you want to leave, I promise, you’ll just go over to the couch and sleep for a bit. When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this, and we will not bother you with it again.”

There were a lot of people looking at each, and some shrugging, but no one left. Well, that was another victory for Jamie. He’d sworn they would all volunteer for this.

“Okay, we need two groups here.” Worthington said when no one moved. “Since the bracelet is supposed to go on your ankle, take off your boots and socks, and please no jokes about smelly feet.”

“Can’t you just magic the smell away?” Dave called out and several people laughed.

“I wish.” Jamie said in an overly dramatic pose, holding his nostrils closed. “I’d use it on that mess called a locker room at school. Unfortunately, magic can’t do everything, and sometimes it’s easier to do something without magic.”

“Like what?” Barry asked, and Worthington stopped himself from cutting off the chatter and getting down to business. Jamie sent a clear signal that this was important.

“Lifting things.” Carl said with a shudder, attracting everyone’s attention to him. He blushed at the attention but continued. “One of the first lessons I ever learned was lifting things with my power. It was easier to go and pick the damn rocks up than stack them with magic. I thought I’d get sneaky and do it by hand when they weren’t looking, but they could tell from the lack of magic residue on the rocks.”

“That’s another disadvantage.” Jamie added. “Doing things by magic will sometimes leave a trace, kind of like tire tracks. They can be tracked back to a particular mage.”

“So there’s limits.” Barry said.

“Yes.” Worthington agreed.

“Okay, now what?” Barry asked, and he sounded more confident. Everyone was now standing on the mats bare-footed, and there was a discernible smell, but it wasn’t too bad.

“Now we begin.” Worthington said and held out his hand, palm up, to Jamie. His brother mirrored his action and people gasped as the dark light formed in their hands. They had cast this spell so many times now that it was second-nature. As always, Jamie held a little bit of worry in him, that they were becoming addicted to it, needing it like a drug. They loved the feeling of union, the certain knowledge that they loved each other, and would be there for each other, for all of eternity. Worthington had never imagined letting someone this far inside his skin, being this close to someone. Jamie had never imagined it was possible to be closer to someone than he was to Richie.

“What’s that?” Dave asked in a hushed voice.

“It’s a unity spell.” Jamie gave a simplistic explanation.

“It guarantees that we are acting in unison, towards one goal.” Worthington finished for Jamie. Brandon was ready now, standing between them with two boxes of pure silver bracelets. It had taken quite a bit of money to get them made on a rush order, and had taken a lot of power and time late at night to infuse the right spells into them. It would take more power to do the final setting. “Now, everyone please form into two lines, one in front of Jamie, one in front of me.”

Jeremy and his brothers were at the front of the line that formed before Worthington, and he smiled his thanks for the support to his mundane lover. Dave was in that line as well, and several others. Barry was at the head of the line in front of Jamie. Carl didn’t move until Worthington motioned for him to get into line. He/they were pleased that with Carl in Worthington’s line, the two lines were equal in length. Except for Carl, it didn’t really matter which line someone was in. The spells cast when they were joined would be as if they had each cast it on all of them.

“Hold out your foot, whichever one you prefer.” Worthington whispered to Jeremy while Jamie did the same with Barry. Jeremy stuck out his left foot, while Barry his right. Worthington and Jamie took a bracelet from the box closest to them, and fastened it around the ankle of the person in front of them, while releasing several more spells. Both Barry and Jeremy had to lean on the mage in front of them as they went dizzy for a moment, but there was no other reaction.

“Will it come off?” Barry asked as he stepped behind Jamie, looking down at his ankle and examining the shiny bracelet. “It looks pretty cool.”

“It won’t come off until we release the spell.” Jamie said. “You don’t have to worry about getting it wet, either. The bracelet won’t tarnish – ever.”

“Not bad.” Barry whistled as he went over to the couch and plopped down, propping his feet up so he could admire the ankle bracelet some more.

“Alright, Tim, whichever foot you prefer.” Worthington said, and this time he cast the full set of spells on the first of Jeremy’s younger brother. They had not told everyone the full extent of spells being placed on the anklets, but they didn’t need to know everything. Not even Jamie had argued that point. Within a few weeks they would all love their anklets so much that they would beg to not have to take them off ever again.

Eric was next, and like Tim, he stuck out his left foot. Then came Terry who stuck out the same foot, and all three brothers went over to the couch area to sit and admire their new jewelry. Jeremy went with them, talking to them in a low voice. It didn’t take long, although Worthington was feeling slightly drained by the time Carl came up. Jamie had just started the last person in line, and so Worthington placed the anklet on Carl’s right foot while ignoring the very slight smirk on his face that hadn’t faded at all. He put his hand on Carl’s shoulder there, when Carl started to step away and the boy looked up at him with curiosity.

“Just a moment, Carl.” Worthington said with a smile. Jamie was done, and they released the spell between them, becoming separate people again. Without waiting, he reached out for the link to Brandon, and fresh power roared into him as Brandon opened the link as fully as he could. Before Carl had done more than take a step back at the power flooding into Worthington, Jamie cast a shielding spell that would keep what was about to happen from the attention of the others. They were absorbed enough in their new jewelry that it would be at least an hour before they could think of other things, or notice certain people weren’t there.

“What’s going on?” Carl demanded, without any fear in his voice, although there was some fear in his eyes.

“I wanted to have a private chat with you, Uncle.” Worthington said in a sickly-sweet voice.

“Have you gone insane?” Carl laughed shrilly, taking another step back.

“Did you think my father had not taught me the spell, Uncle?” Worthington asked.

“Or that we would be stupid enough to not check for the brand, just above his hole?” Jamie added. They were still fresh from the joining, and they’d done so much of that in recent months that they might as well have been born twins.

“You’ve used that joining spell too much.” Carl’s voice took on more maturity than he possessed, and a full sneer instead of a smirk. “No matter, do what you will with the boy. He was flawed to begin with, and all but worthless. I have learned as much as I need to know already. You are weak, nephew. Too sentimental.”

“I grew up in the Light, what else would you expect, Uncle?” Jamie laughed and through Carl, their Uncle looked confused.

“I am no Uncle to you.” Carl’s voice held a great deal of sarcasm.

“Actually, you are.” Worthington laughed. “One last lesson for you, Uncle. Father was as great a sneak as you are. He managed to have his wife’s lesbian sister inseminated with his own seed, so that the son she bore was his. Jamie and I are half-brothers, as well as cousins.”

“You fools.” Their Uncle sneered. “Do you not know what that joining spell does to brothers so closely related?”

“We do.” Jamie and Worthington said in unison. “Do you know what it is like to have two nephews, not one, who hate you and are bound so closely together they know they can always trust each other, and will both dedicate their powers to making their Uncle pay for what he has done?”

“No!” Carl shouted, but it wasn’t an answer so much as an exclamation. That was the end of the conversation though, because Worthington cast a stun bolt that dropped Carl to the mats like a rock.

“I didn’t know he could actually talk through that connection.” Jamie said with shock as he looked at Carl’s prone form. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“I didn’t know that.” Worthington countered. “Father never said you could do that when he taught me the spell.”

“Maybe it’s something our dear Uncle learned.” Jamie shook his head. “Oh well. I guess there really is no other way. Are you sure this will work though? It’ll free Carl? Well, as free as he can be, which he’ll be a lot more with me than right now.”

“It will work.” Worthington promised as he used magic to summon down the equipment that had been set up, and stored out of sight earlier. Simple illusions, mostly, had kept them from being seen. He doubted any of their friends would be comfortable surrounded by paraphernalia from a sado-masochistic dungeon. Jamie shivered at the array of equipment that was now lying before him while Worthington dropped the link with Brandon. “C’mon, Brandon, let’s get Carl tied up.”

“I don’t like this.” Brandon added his own opinion, but complied.

“None of us like it.” Jamie said with a shiver as he picked up the barbed dildo. It was a nasty piece of work that would cut Carl open as it slid inside of him, but that was for later. With a sigh he put it down, and picked up the nipple clamps while Brandon and Worthington finished tying Carl into a tortuous position with all his limbs spread as far as they could go, and his head hanging down.

Jamie cast a spell that woke Carl, who started twisting in his bonds and screaming as soon as he awoke. “Leave me.”

“I should stay and…” Worthington started to say, but stopped when he saw the tears in Jamie’s eyes. “If you need me…”

“Just go.” Jamie panted, already regretting this, but he knew it had to be done. Sometimes great sacrifice had to be made to achieve good, and this was a sacrifice. Not only for Carl, but for Jamie. Even as Worthington and Brandon gathered up the scattered footwear with a spell and carried it outside the shield, Jamie attached the first items, the nipple clamps to Carl’s smooth, hairless nipples and unleashed the first spell. Carl’s screams echoed in the room, and Jamie felt excitement run through him, the power that came from being the one to cause the pain in another. It thrilled him, and it sickened him, but he continued, and this time there were no apologies on his lips.

“Oh, hey, where you guys been?” Barry said as Worthington and Brandon joined the group sitting around the couches and chairs.

“You forgot your boots.” Worthington said and handed the correct set over to Barry who looked surprised.

“Oh yeah, thanks.” Barry said, but he didn’t move to put them on just yet. Worthington could hear the screams, inside his head. The joining with Jamie was still fresh, and he knew what was happening on the other side of that shield. No one else heard it though, or seemed to notice they were missing two of their number. The group continued sitting around, talking for a few hours before they began to put on their footwear, and head out. Different riders offered seats on the back of their bikes to Jeremy and his brothers, and all too soon, it was just Brandon and Worthington left.

“I’ll start cleaning up.” Brandon said as they looked around at the mess that everyone had left. Jamie had finally taken his clothes off, and was almost halfway through the process. Carl had screamed his throat raw already, and was now reduced to whimpers as Jamie made small cuts along his back, pouring salt in each wound before healing it closed. The salt would continue to burn in the healed wound for hours yet. Soon enough the boy would reach the point where the pain would bring him to the border of insanity, and the real spell work would begin. The blood and pain were providing Jamie all the power he needed though.

Deciding he couldn’t take any more, Worthington headed outside where daylight was fading to twilight as the sun set. This wasn’t a necessary part of the ritual, but he suspected it would make it more powerful as Carl faded to the border of insanity and his mind was laid bare for Jamie while Light faded, turning into Dark. It was only fitting.

The sun had set as he walked around the abandoned mine, careful of the pitfalls and deep sloping mounds that led into the old mine. He was on the border of one of the refuse piles, so large it was a small hill when he felt the shift in the wards that signaled someone approaching the borders he’d established. There was something threatening about the presence, but not an immediate danger, and the silver bracelet on his own ankle didn’t react at all, so it was not a demon. He followed the sensation to the edge of the pile, and the borders of the ward. What he saw there surprised him, surprised him so much he forgot to summon any power to defend himself.

“You be the lord of this place, no?” The short, squat figure that appeared in front of him asked, and Worthington stepped backwards in surprise. It barely came up to his waist, and as it threw back the hood of a dark robe, he saw skin as dark as charcoal, and a long white beard that nearly touched the ground, confined underneath a belt of interlinked silver plates.

“I don’t believe this.” Worthington breathed. Bright white teeth shimmered in the rapidly darkening night as the creature smiled at him.

“We don’t have much traffic with your kind, human, but I’d think a mage such as yourself would remember us.” The Dark Dwarf chuckled, his ample stomach moving up and down as he laughed.

“I know what you are, Dark Dwarf.” Worthington snapped angrily and then remembered his lessons. He stood up straight, crossed his arms and gave a short bow. “These are my lands, Brothers of Stone, what business would you have here?”

“I’d think that’d be obvious, mage.” The dwarf chuckled again, but he returned the bow and spread back his cloak so that Worthington could see the steel-bladed axe gleaming at his side. “I come in peace, from the Halls of Stone to the world above to make an Offering, and a Bargain, if it please the Lord of this place.”

“I will listen.” Worthington said as his mind spun from the simple fact that he was standing here talking to a Dark Dwarf. There were human settlements all around, and everything he’d been told had the Dark Dwarves as living only in the most remote mountains, where few humans ever dared to travel, much less live. Dwarves disliked humans, at the least. No, that wasn’t quite true. They once tolerated humans, but believed humans always greedy, desiring their things. Since the Industrial Revolution, the trade in Dwarven-made goods had dwindled, and so they’d come towards human lands less often.

“You humans, always digging your pits and leaving your scraps without knowing what value they have.” The dwarf grumbled as he crossed the boundary of the wards. He went to the refuse pile and dug through bits that he could reach. “Gah, we could make good use of this, even if you humans can’t. This is why I am here. I am told you own this land.”

“How would you know that?” Worthington asked in surprise.

“Silly humans, always thinking you know what is what and what is not.” The dwarf laughed. “Dwarves are creatures out of the old days, so of course we do not understand the marvels of the new age! Gah! We know your electricity, and we even have learned to make it on our own, through our own magic. Brothers of Stone knows ways you humans never dreamed of! Your computers aren’t easy to make, so we have to buy them, but humans who don’t remember dwarves think we are like your little people, and they take our gold and gems to turn into cash. There is market out there for good old-fashioned dwarf-made jewelry if you know who to talk to. The money we make pays for many things, even computers and satellite connections to your Internet.”

“You’re on the Internet?” Worthington couldn’t help the disbelief that entered his voice and the dwarf laughed at him.

“Yes, we are, human.” The dwarf said as he examined something from the slag heap. He harrumphed again and then turned to look at Worthington. “You are a Sinclair. Worthington Michael Sinclair, the Fifth. The Internet says you bought this land. To you humans it is near-useless, no? We wonder why you buy it, but even a dwarf can feel the dark magic that goes on in yonder building. Gah! We are Dark Dwarves, we understand such things. To you, this place is of little value except for what you do in there, away from prying eyes of the Light-fools down in the Valley?”

“You have the advantage of me, dwarf.” Worthington said in a cold voice and the dwarf chuckled again.

“I am Domas, First Councillor to King Odros of the White Halls.” The Dwarf said with another little bow.

“I am Worthington Michael Sinclair, the Fifth, Head of the Sinclair Family.” Worthington replied with another bow of his own. “What does the King of the White Halls wish with me and mine?”

“This slag you humans consider waste.” Domas said with a rather loud snort. “We use it, in our forges. You do not need to know for what. There is also still good metal under this land, although with the way you humans dig it is not worth the effort to bring to the surface. We are dwarves, human. We know the ways of the Earth, and how to make use of it the way it should be used. This place offends us with its unclean state, and with its usefulness scorned. There is a bargain to be made, if you are smart enough. We will clean the land in return for its resources.”

“I think there is room for us to discuss the matter.” Worthington said, and looked back towards the building. Even at this distance he was still close enough to feel Jamie’s reactions as he removed the barbed dildo and replaced it with his own cock in that bloody hole. He shivered at what was going through Jamie’s mind and body at that moment. It would be done soon, and Jamie would need him then. “Now is not the time.”

“The King remembers the Sinclairs.” Domas said. “We will be careful in our bargaining with you, even though you are just a whelp. Do not think you will catch us unwary!”

“The Sinclairs remember the name King Odros.” Worthington laughed. “Odros bargained cleverly for passage to this new world on a Sinclair ship, and managed to wheedle his way out of paying the gold he should have.”

“It was a fair bargain, Sinclair.” Domas laughed. “Your Sinclair should have considered all the words, singly and as a whole. Bah, that was many generations ago, for your kind. That King Odros was the grandfather of the current.”

“And that Sinclair was an old man, fifteen generations ago.” Worthington laughed. “I will discuss the matter further, when the time is ripe. Return on the night of the next dark moon. I will be here, waiting, with proper refreshment, so that we may bargain in comfort.”

“Until then, Sinclair.” The dwarf bowed once more before leaving, disappearing into the darkness with the blink of an eye. As soon as he was beyond the wards, Worthington could no longer even sense him at all. Well, that was the way of dwarves. If there was ground nearby, they could disappear faster than a human could blink. Some legends said dwarves had no magic, but they had their own kind of magic, different than humans and both very powerful in its element and weak outside. For them any form of earth was easy to manipulate, but they could barely light a candle.

As far as he knew, no human had been inside a dwarven settlement in centuries, although occasionally they would come out and trade in the human world. Apparently they did that more than occasionally, if half of what Domas said was true. For some reason the idea of dwarves sitting in their remote mountain halls, surfing the Internet was more bizarre than demons roaming through Phoenix.

A wolf howled in the distance as he entered the building. That was a good sign, the hunter calling out in the night. Brandon was asleep on the couch, and the room was as neat as it had ever been. Well, there’d be time before the dwarves came back. The Dark Dwarves were closest in ideology to Dark mages, and often got along best with them. Many Dark Families had made their first fortunes by dealing with the dwarves.

There were other issues to deal with though, and he sighed as the shield shimmered and fell, revealing Jamie standing there, still nude. His body was streaked with blood, his soft cock covered in it, and none was his. Those wonderful eyes were hooded, clouded over with too much experience, too much trauma, and when he saw Worthington he stiffened.

“I hate you.” Jamie whispered when Worthington took him into his arms. Now he could let the tears flow, and Jamie did. “I love you.”

“It’ll be alright, my love.” Worthington assured Jamie, who cried for a good half-hour before straightening and pulling away.

“I need to clean up.” Jamie said softly.

“I’ll clean this up.” Worthington said with a nod towards where Carl lay on the mats, freed of his bonds. There would be no marks on his skin, or at least nothing visible to someone who didn’t know what to look for, and when he woke, he’d remember nothing of this, nothing since being fixed with his anklet that still hung on his ankle.

While Jamie went over to the sink and began to wash up, Worthington looked at all the paraphernalia that had been used to inflict such horrible pain and his anger flared. Brandon woke as Worthington pulled power through him, and burned all of the stuff to ash, and summoned wind to carry the ash towards one of the trash cans that were around the room. The metal bits of what was left clinked into those cans, and Worthington turned his back, leaving the rest for Brandon to take care of later.

Jamie would bear enough reminders of tonight on his soul. There didn’t need to be other things to remind him. Carl still slept, freed of their Uncle, and freed of things he’d never know. Whatever instructions Jamie had placed in him would override anything done to him the first time by a Sinclair, and only their Uncle getting his hands on Carl again could reverse what they had done.

“I swear Carl, never again.” Worthington whispered as he went outside to wait, and enjoy the quiet of the night.