He must be asking if I enjoyed myself. If I continue dating this amazing man, I’ll need to get used to filling in the blanks of his words. “It was so good,” I say. Kissing his hand, I know I said the right thing, because his smile makes the butterflies in my stomach float faster. He’s so precious.
“Next weekend?” he asks, darting up.
He wants to keep seeing me? “For sure!” I sit up and watch him bend over to put on his boxers. That ass is so tight and compact, I’m almost drooling. I’m truly a lucky turtle.
“Bathroom,” he whispers after putting on his glasses. With him gone, I take a moment to put on pants and pad around his room. I knew a little bit about Speakeasy. Now, I want to know everything about Loxley. There are hardly any knick-knacks or pieces of his personality, other than his video games. He did tell me he moved here not long after me.
Destiny put us here. This magical connection seems like a reward after years of loneliness.
Once he’s back, he beams as he approaches me. Putting his hands around my neck, he reaches up and gives me another sweet kiss. I can’t fight my smile or my wiggling tail behind me. “Next…w-w-weekend? What do you…?”
“Anything. A movie, video games, doesn’t matter.” He steps back and continues to smile. “What are you up to today?”
“I’m just…just…” His smile falls, and he looks around.
Huh? “Loxley, what are you…?”
He frowns and points at his ear. Loxley must hear something, but all I hear is the morning silence.
“I hear nothing.”
He shakes his head, and concern grows on his face. Before I can say another word, Loxley keels over onto his knees.
My heart stops when he groans. He holds his ears as if he’s blocking a huge sound. “Loxley!” Panic grows in my gut, and I kneel closer to him.
“Loxley, speak to me.”
He shakes his head. Tears run down his face; he’s in so much agony. What’s happening?!
“The voices,” he rasps. When he puts his hands on the ground, I notice waves of light floating around his ears.
Arcana, wild magic, is burning around his head. They almost look like sound waves from a science textbook, but I hear nothing. Loxley looks up at me and shakes his head again.
“Loxley, baby, what’s…what’s happening?” My head swims with conflict. I’ve never witnessed a medical emergency, and this one is magical in nature. Loxley is still shaking on his knees from the pain.
Fuck. On instinct, I pick him up and barge through the house, not giving a shit about my presence here.
“Help! Witches, I need help!”
“What is going on?” Lisbeth and the other two ladies promptly walk out of their rooms. Dressed in their nightwear, they gaze at me in confusion as I bring Loxley into the living room. I place him on the couch, and he continues to hold his ears.
“Reptile?!” the tallest woman yelps. I frown, but there’s no time to get mad at that. She clears her throat and raises her chin. “I mean, um…sir, what are you doing here?”
“Loxley needs help!” I bark.
“Cauldrons,” the other girl, Taina, I think her name is, mutters. With that, the witches gather around my date. He writhes on the couch, half-naked and holding his ears.
“What happened?” Taina asks.
“What did you do?” Lisbeth adds as they all crowd Loxley.
“I didn’t do anything!” Walking behind the couch, I touch Loxley’s hands. “Look at his ears!” Slowly taking his hands away, he clenches his eyes shut. The girls gasp when they spot the unmistakable signs of arcana flowing in and out of his ears. Lisbeth and the others share dumbfounded looks of silence?it’s evident they’ve never seen this phenom before.
Loxley opens his eyes, and I almost break down when he gazes at me. “Gordy,” he rasps. He reaches for me, and I interlace my fingers with his.
“I’m here, baby,” I manage to mutter, and my eyes prickle. I can’t stand seeing him in so much pain. “I’ll make this okay, I promise.” Whatever it is.
The ladies gather around each other and whisper to themselves. In moments, they stand up straight and hold hands, each with a resolute look. I step back, and the two flanking Lisbeth raise their free hands.
