All Knight Long, Book I: One Warlock's Love Story Read online

  “You’ll have to teach me how to do that one day,” he said.

  “I’ll teach you everything that you know, but I won’t teach you everything that I know,” she teased.

  “Yes, I remember.”

  “So, did you meet anyone?” she asked.

  “I’ve met dozens of people, but...” he started.

  “...none of them tickled your fancy,” she finished.

  “You could say that.” He sighed.

  “So, does the excursion begin now?” she whispered.

  “I think so.”

  “Your parents have already started to get reports back from the families in Atlanta. You’ve been doing a very good job of faking it. The crowd should be large enough now for you to sneak way, but what are you going to do when your cousins Waverly, Vera, and the rest of them come looking for you?” she asked.

  “I have my own private tent here at the campsite. I’ll tell them that I was still tired from my birthday party and I went to lay down,” he said.

  “You did get your smarts from my side of the family,” she proclaimed.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Do you have on the protective charm that I gave you?” she asked.

  “What?” he asked.

  “The necklace,” she reminded him. He reached down into his shirt and grabbed the ruby, and for the first time he noticed that it seemed cool to the touch.

  “Of course I do,” he told her.

  “Good. Don’t take it off!” she ordered again.

  “I won’t. I promise. Are you sure you haven’t told anyone about this?”

  “I am a ride or die witch. I’ve got you,” she teased, doing a pretty good impression of sounding like someone a fraction of her age.

  “I am going to meet my friend Giovanni, and then I’m--”

  “Stop. The less you tell me, the better. I’ve been reading the tea leaves and throwing bones for the last two days. Tonight will be a turning point for you, and it is going to be filled with magic and excitement. Embrace it.”

  “Thanks, Grandma.” Zander sighed and ended the call.

  Chapter 5

  It was just before midnight when Zander arrived in Giovanni’s neighborhood. Giovanni lived in a pricey condo right in the center of Atlantic Station, a mixed-use neighborhood on the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta. From his profile, Giovanni was about Zander’s height and complexion but with much sharper features, a goatee, and shoulder-length dreadlocks. Giovanni had promised to meet Zander in front of the H&M clothing store in Atlantic Station. When Zander drove up, Giovanni was standing there looking just like he did in the pictures from his online profile.

  Zander’s nerves took over as soon as he saw Giovanni. He had never actually hung out with another warlock who wasn’t a cousin or family member. And his relatives always seemed to only tolerate him and talk down to him. Zander and Giovanni’s online chatting had started out like most online conversations, filled with flirtatious banter and innuendo, but had quickly turned into something more like a friendship after they started to share personal problems. Giovanni was learning to live on his own after having been outed to his family by a magic school classmate, and Zander was struggling with being a closeted gay warlock living among mortal teenagers.

  Despite the friendship, Zander couldn’t help but notice how attractive and confident Giovanni seemed, standing on the corner in skinny jeans and purple combat boots. A necklace of purple beads hung around his neck, both of his wrists were filled with multi-colored bracelets halfway up his arms, and all but four of his fingers were covered in rings. Both of his ears were pierced, and the phrase “MAGIC TRICK,” was tattooed on the lower left side of his neck.

  Zander stopped at the curb in front of Giovanni at the H&M store.

  “Love and light!” Giovanni said, jumping into the passenger’s seat as if they had known each other for years. Zander extended his hand for a shake, and Giovanni responded by reaching across the seat and giving him a big hug.

  “Blessed be,” Zander responded.

  “Nice to finally meet you face to face, Z. You are a cutie!” Giovanni exclaimed, punching him in the arm.

  “Thank you. You aren’t so bad yourself.” Zander smiled.

  “I like your car,” Giovanni offered, looking around Zander’s Audi. The new black A6 had been a graduation gift from his parents.

  “I like your neighborhood,” Zander volleyed.

  “Thanks. I live right there in that building.” Giovanni pointed to the largest building in the center of the courtyard.

  “How can you afford to live in a place like that on your own?” Zander wondered.

  “I am a sexy, young warlock. The world is mine! You know most witches and warlocks don’t work. Why should I be any different?” Giovanni opened his arms, allowing his bracelets and bangles to jingle.

  “I know, but most of us have family money that has been built up over the years. I thought you said your family kicked you out with nothing.”

  “I’ll admit that I’ve had to be resourceful,” Giovanni explained.

  “Do you miss your family?” Zander asked carefully.

  “Fuck them,” Giovanni responded, without missing a beat.

  “Okay, so where are we going?” Zander asked, changing the conversation before the mood could get too heavy.

  “We are going to teach you how to be a young warlock in the city. I can tell that you are ripe, too. I love it,” Giovanni teased, taking a moment to sniff him. Zander blushed and wondered if this was how all young warlocks in heat acted. Their collective scents filled the car with the force of a dozen new air fresheners. Zander’s patchouli and sage mixed with Giovanni’s sandalwood and lavender to create a mindboggling symphony of smells. Zander had never been in such close proximity with another ripening warlock, and the effect was damn near overwhelming. His cock stiffened in his pants, his nipples poked through his shirt, and he was starting to perspire.

  Zander rolled down the window and asked again, “So, where does one go to learn how to become a young warlock in the city?”

  Giovanni took another deep breath before responding. “There’s a brand new club just south of the city for folks like us.”

  “For warlocks?”

  “For warlocks, witches, shifters, vamps and any other supernaturals!”

  “Is that safe?” Zander asked. “I thought we didn’t mix.”

  “The old folk don’t mix. It’s a new day. Our generation doesn’t care as much. It’s kind of like racism. Besides, there’s no magic, shifting, or biting allowed in the club,” Giovanni explained.

  “Biting?” Zander asked. Giovanni laughed, directed Zander toward the highway, and turned the radio volume up to hear D’Angelo’s latest single.

  “What do you have to worry about?” Giovanni asked. “You’re wearing a magic ruby stone around your neck. Someone very powerful must really love you. They don’t come easy.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Zander said, not realizing that the gift that his grandmother had given him was quite so special.

  The ripening scent reached a fevered pitch. Without a word, Giovanni pulled a packet of wet naps from his pocket, reclined the passenger’s seat, and pulled out his eight-inch, uncut dick and started masturbating.

  “What are you doing?” Zander asked, alarmed.

  “What do you mean? Your scent is driving me crazy. My ripening keeps me horny, but you are something else. Don’t you ever masturbate?” Giovanni asked, stroking even harder.

  “Yes, but not in my car,” Zander said desperately.

  “Just drive. I’ll go crazy if I don’t do something about this right now. We can pull over beside the road and jack off together if you want,” Giovanni offered.

  “That’s okay,” Zander said, glancing back and forth between the highway and Giovanni’s beautiful hooded dick. Giova
nni leaned over several times to smell Zander. It didn’t take long for him to climax and shoot a huge load onto Zander’s dashboard and windshield.

  “What are you doing? My dad is going to kill me,” Zander screamed.

  “It’s come, not acid. It’ll wipe right off.” Giovanni cleaned himself before wiping down Zander’s automobile interior.

  “Do you want me to drive while you get yours? The last thing you want to do is walk up in a club with all those cute boys as ripe as you are. There’s no telling what might happen,” Giovanni warned.

  “I’ll be fine.” Zander started to wonder if finally meeting Giovanni was such a good idea.

  “Suit yourself,” Giovanni said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a joint. He cast a quick fire spell, lit the joint, inhaled, and laid back.

  “Are you serious?” Zander asked incredulously.

  “My fault. Do you want some?” Giovanni handed the fat joint to Zander.

  “You can’t smoke in here. My parents don’t allow smoking in here!” Zander squealed. His voice was higher than he intended.

  “You are very uptight,” Giovanni announced. “I think you need some dick!”

  “Just put out the marijuana,” Zander warned. Giovanni took one last drag, before putting out the joint and slipping it back into his pocket. He slumped down in the seat, folded his arms, and poked out his bottom lip. The next few miles were filled with awkward silence until Zander broke the ice.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “I forgive you,” Giovanni perked up immediately, leaned over, and gave Zander a huge kiss on the cheek. They both laughed out loud.

  “We’re almost there. Take the next exit, go through the next five lights and take a right. It’ll be the large abandoned-looking warehouse at the end of the street,” Giovanni instructed.

  “Got it,” Zander said, glad that they were speaking again.

  “So, I never asked. What power level are you?” Giovanni questioned

  “I never took the formal private magic school leveling exam, but I test out at a 10.6 on the home exam,” Zander said.

  “Damn! Are you serious? 10.6 out of 12? That is coven leader level. I don’t even think I know anyone in double digits. 10.6 and you aren’t even out of your teens!”

  “It isn’t really that big a deal,” Zander mumbled.

  “Damn if it isn’t. At a 10.6 you’re able to handle levitation and transformation, right?” Giovanni asked.

  “I am actually thinking about going to Europe for formal training,” Zander said, surprising himself. He hadn’t really been thinking about going to Europe, but it sounded good, so he went with it. He also wasn’t that good at magic. Sure he was powerful, but he had never been trained to wield magic the way that his cousins had at the private magic schools.

  “That’s wassup! Hell, I might even go with you. I’m not trying to do any damn studying, but I am sure that there are a few hot boys in Europe ready for a little magic trick,” he teased.

  “I think we’re here,” Zander said, looking at the cars parked along both sides of the street leading up to the large warehouse at the end of the road.

  “This is it. Now we just need to find somewhere to park. Turn up this side street. I think I see a space on the other side of that truck.” Sure enough, there was a space just large enough for Zander’s A6, and he parallel parked with relative ease.

  “I think we need to leave our valuables in the car. These types of clubs can attract some shady characters,” Giovanni said.

  “What?” Zander asked, immediately wary.

  “It isn’t a tea party or a tired-ass Litha.” Giovanni rolled his eyes. “This is a real fucking club. All you need is some money and your ID.”

  “What kind of place is this again?” Zander asked, his nerves welling up in his stomach.

  “It’s an underground club for same-sex loving supernaturals called Arcane,” Giovanni said lightly, as he jumped out of the car and slammed the door. Zander stuffed all of his valuables, except $40 and his identification, in the glove compartment and then locked and covered it with a small protection spell. Giovanni was halfway up the street before Zander could even get out of the car.

  “Wait! Did you say same-sex loving?” Zander asked, looking around cautiously. The night was completely still and unusually bright. Zander found himself wishing that he had paid more attention to his grandmother’s lessons on communicating with night fairies. One person was making his way toward the club from the other end of the street, and he didn’t seem to be very interested in either Zander or Giovanni. The large warehouse stood still and silent, and Zander was starting to wonder if they were at the right place.

  “Maybe we should just...” Zander began.

  “Just what? Loosen up your look a little bit?” Giovanni unbuttoned and removed Zander’s striped dress shirt, leaving him in a cerulean t-shirt, jeans, and running shoes. Giovanni picked through the dozens of bracelets lining his arms and decided on six to slide onto Zander’s right wrist. Giovanni threw Zander’s discarded dress shirt in the air, waved his hand, and watched it disappear in a puff of smoke.

  “Why did you do that?” Zander asked, annoyed.

  “We’re going to a club, not an interview,” Giovanni replied simply. “Do you not have any tattoos or piercings?”

  “No,” Zander said defensively.

  “Don’t you ever wear any jewelry?” he continued.

  “Not really,” Zander answered.

  “We can work on that later. Now you look like someone that I might hang out with. Let’s go!” Giovanni grabbed Zander’s hand and jogged up the street.

  Zander hadn’t noticed before, but a massive, bulky bodyguard, clad in all black with a blonde Mohawk and sunglasses was now standing at the front entrance to Arcane.

  “Where did he come from?” Zander whispered.

  “Be quiet,” Giovanni whispered. “She’ll hear you. That’s a shape shifter.” Zander took Giovanni’s lead as they approached the burly bodyguard, who wore a nametag that indicated her name was Ooba.

  Giovanni lifted his arms to be frisked. The bodyguard took a long whiff and an even longer time giving him a body search. Giovanni, however, seemed to enjoy it. Zander endured a similar sniff and search routine before they were allowed to enter. The bodyguard’s deep, sultry baritone boomed, “Glad that you two came out tonight. Nothing tastes quite as good as ripe warlock.” Zander felt the cool ruby on his chest heat up like it had been set on fire.

  As soon as they crossed the threshold from the outside to the inside of the club, they went from complete silence to raucous club noise the likes of which Zander had never heard. There was screaming, laughing, and howling covered by a thick layer of typical club music. The music’s heavy liquid vocal harmonies and intricate melodic phrasing seemed to seep into Zander’s soul. They entered into a long, narrow hallway filled with dozens of people waiting to get into the club. The walls were covered with handwritten signs reading NO SHIFTING, NO SPELL CASTING, NO SUCKING! The air was filled with an intoxicating mixture of marijuana, alcohol, and some other musky sent that Zander couldn’t quite identify.

  Despite the narrow hallway, several people at the end of the line turned to look at Zander and Giovanni as soon as they came in. The bodyguard slammed the door behind them, forcing Zander to bump into Giovanni, who was already beginning to gyrate and dance to the music.

  “What is everyone looking at?” Zander whispered to Giovanni.

  “I think they smelled us before they saw us. You are pretty ripe, and I am fine as hell. When was the last time you busted a nut anyway? The longer you go without sex, the riper you will become. You know that.” Giovanni exchanged flirtatious glances with a tall, slim, Asian vampire further up in the line.

  “I know,” Zander said, but he really didn’t.

  “It has been a while since I have had se
x with a vampire. They fuck like rabbits in heat. I am getting hard again just thinking about it. He is gorgeous, and his body is as hot as fire. Do you think he has a nice dick?” Giovanni asked, never taking his eyes off of the vamp.

  “What? No!” Zander hissed.

  The line moved fairly quickly. When they reached the front, a beautiful, coffee-colored, young vampiress behind a glass enclosure recited the same rules that were plastered on the walls. The only difference was that she also gave the warning that they would be neutralized and permanently banned from the club if they were caught violating any of them. Zander didn’t know what it meant to be neutralized, but he knew that he didn’t want it done to him. After they agreed to follow the rules, the vampiress asked each of them to present identification and $20. After Zander showed his driver’s license and Giovanni showed his magic school identification, they were escorted through a large, black curtain by a figure in a dark, hooded robe.

  The club was huge, and every inch seemed packed with writhing and wiggling bodies. Zander’s heart rate increased as the ruby went white hot against his skin. It was so hot, in fact, that he took it off and stuffed it into his pocket. Men were dancing with men, women were dancing with women, vampires were dancing with shifters, and shifters were dancing with witches. Zander noticed that the dances that they were doing were nothing like the ones that he and his mortal friends did back at his old high school dances. Someone howled behind them, and Zander jumped.

  “Let’s go get a drink! Maybe that will loosen you up,” Giovanni laughed. Zander could barely hear him over the club music. Giovanni grabbed Zander’s hand and pulled him through the thrashing crowd toward the bar. Hands grabbed at every part of Zander’s body as they made their way through. He kept checking to make sure that his necklace, ID, and cash were still in his pocket.