He focused on his backyard garden, felt the cool grass beneath him prickling at his bare legs, and let his mind concentrate on the sensation. He opened his other senses and smelled the flowers and herbs growing beside him, picking out the soothing scents of daffodil and rosemary, the strange combination one that Simon was sure only he found comforting.
He meditated on the natural elements and drew power toward him. Centering himself should be second nature at this point in his training, and Simon was determined to master the skill. Most of his peers were well on their way to becoming masters by the time they were his age, but Simon couldn’t even get past his apprenticeship, and his twenty-fifth birthday was only weeks away.
Simon could feel the gathering energy slipping as his negative thoughts grew. He tried to force those thoughts back into a box in the far corner of his mind. He pulled out his favorite memory, that ofwatching his elderly grandfather sit in this very spot and the look of peace on his face as he drew power from the earth.
The memory worked, and Simon’s focus returned for a brief moment, until his thoughts wandered to the heated stares he’d shared with Gray. He considered the fact that Gray was older, had a child, and was probably very happily mated to Garon’s mother.
That didn’t stop him from wanting to explore his feelings, but it would stop him from acting on his attraction. His mind kept drifting to what he’d rather be doing during their forbidden time together. The fact that it had more to do with the carnal than the educational helped him stand his ground.
He would call Gray and tell him he hadn’t found out anything. That would be the end of it, Simon was sure. As tempting as it was to allow himself to take a quick look at his grandfather’s books, it would be the wrong thing to do. Master Thomas allowed him to keep the collection in his residence only after receiving a strongly worded promise from Simon that he wouldn’t use them until he’d been approved to do so.
As if sensing Simon’s wavering allegiance, Master Thomas himself appeared around the corner of the house.
“Good afternoon, Simon!” Master Thomas was always cheerful when he first arrived. His cheer wouldn’t likely last, since Simon had not only failed to center himself properly, but also had a rather large confession to make.
Simon bowed slightly, giving Master Thomas the respect he commanded. In his early thirties, Thomas wasn’t that much older than Simon.
Simon was actually his first apprentice. When he had first met Thomas five years ago, Simon had been immediately attracted to the man who would be training him.
Knowing they’d be spending the majority of their time alone together hadn’t helped much at all. Thomas was Simon’s height and slim, as most mages tended to be. He kept his bright blond hair immaculately styled, and his perfectly straight white teeth always showed when he smiled. Simon was strangely attracted to those perfect teeth. It had always puzzled him.
His thoughts wandering again, Simon considered that perhaps he needed to look up one of those online sites his friends back in community college had told him about. Problem was, Simon wasn’t big on casual hookups, and that was really all he could manage right now.
Although, perhaps if there was a site like HotGayMages.com, he would be able to have his cake and eat it too.
Forcing his ideas for online research into the back of his mind, Simon greeted Thomas and took his outstretched hand. He watched as the bright white smile fell from his master’s face.
“Simon, what is the explanation for this? You clearly haven’t progressed since our last meeting. I’m extremely disappointed.”
“My apologies, Master, I’ve been…” Simon paused, trying to find a way to explain his actions. “Distracted.”
Thomas let out another of his long-suffering sighs, the ones Simon had nearly grown immune to over the past few years of his training. “This is something you should have mastered in your first year, Simon. Come, let’s perform the training bond so you can center yourself and we can get to work.”
Simon tried to control his flinch, but Master Thomas saw it and scowled.
“Sorry, Master. You know how painful I find the training bond.”
Thomas’s frown deepened. “You’ve made that clear. However, I know of no other way to get you focused so we can accomplish the tasks I have set for us today.” Thomas led the way to the back of the garden, where Simon’s grandfather had created a circle of special plants that enhanced the connection between two mages. It was Simon’s least favorite place in his entire yard.
They sat together in the circle and joined hands. Thomas’s grip was familiar, his hands slightly larger than Simon’s, and his skin smooth where Simon’s was work-roughened from his time spent gardening. Simon took a deep breath and relaxed, then opened his shields to allow his master to reach the magic inside him.
Thomas’s magic was older, stronger, and overwhelmed Simon’s own as soon as it entered him. It was a shock, the abruptness of thechange in power, and Simon had to fight to maintain his open state and allow the centering to occur.
It seemed to take longer each time they had to do this. When Simon’s energy began to respond, Thomas jerked away, and it left Simon shaky and unbalanced.
“Simon? What is this I sense in your magic? There is Other there where there was none before. Explain yourself immediately.” Thomas’s voice was harsher than Simon had ever heard it.
Simon took a breath and struggled to retain his control as his anxiety levels spiked. He had so hoped Thomas would not be able to sense his activities. He should have known better. Most days, it seemed his mage master understood Simon’s magic better than Simon did.
“There was an incident this weekend involving some werecubs and a low-level demon,” Simon explained. “I know it goes against our code to become involved with other magical creatures, but they were just kids, and they needed help. I really felt that it was the right thing to do.” Simon braced himself for the reaction he knew was coming.
Thomas’s mouth tightened into a line, and his eyes burned in anger. “I clearly don’t need to tell you in how many ways you went against our code with your actions. There will be consequences for this, and I fear they may be dire ones.”
At that, he dropped Simon’s hands and shook his head sadly. “However, that decision is not up to me. I’m afraid I will have to take this directly to the Conclave. I am extremely disappointed in you, Simon. Your actions reflect poorly on both of us.”
Simon cringed at Thomas’s words, having never considered that his involvement with the weres would negatively impact his master’s status. “My apologies, Master, for not recognizing the effect this situation would have on you. It was never my intent to cast any sort of shadow on your abilities.”
“This is the core of your problem. You must consider your actions more carefully. You must focus. You are so close to reaching your goals, but no matter how hard we try, you never seem to cross that line. I hesitate to push you harder, but I am afraid that I must, andnow we have these repercussions from the Conclave to consider. We are running out of time. In a couple weeks, I will no longer be able to guide you.”
