Crazy Seduction(erotica)

When he felt a little calmer, he looked up and saw he had everyone’s attention. It felt strange to be focused on so intensely, but he pushed past that, too.

“Mahati and I were in the Mall when I felt the magic laced rain. I’ve seen what these false clouds can do, so I got scared and told Mahati to run for the Lincoln Memorial. We were almost there, and I couldn’t see Mahati, so I looked back and saw that woman you saw with the two kids. She-she wasn’t going to make it, so I ran back towards her to help her get her kids to safety.

He took a breath, then gripped his knees until his knuckles went white. Tish placed her hand on top of one as Mahati held his other one. He sucked in a sharp breath, then nodded. He could do this… with a little help from his friends.

“I-I don’t know why, but the charge in the clouds was drawn to me. I could feel the power jumping all over me, and I started to glow. Maybe the Wild Magic in the storm was drawn to the Wild Magic in me.” He glanced over to see Siobhan nodding, as she obviously believed this.

“I knew I had to get away from everyone, but there were so many people. Some Silver People showed up, and I’d seen them save people before, so I asked them to save them, and they did, just before the two pseudo-clouds hit me with their lightning. It only hurt for a short time, then everything went numb.”

His voice cracked. “Could I get some water?”

Sandy quickly collected a glass of water for him, but Kesini plucked it from her fingers and handed it to him as she approached. Sandy gave her hair an annoyed look but retook her seat across from him.

“Thank you,” Henry said after he swallowed some to wet his throat. “While I was in the lightning, Xiong reached out to me and asked me to save the remaining Glass People in Kuwait. My mind went there, and I opened tears to drop them through to Eden, the other world. Then… then he showed me three more who were being tortured.” He looked at the others, his eyes brimming with fresh tears though it was his rage resurfacing. “They killed a child!” He was shaking once more.

“What did you do, Henry?” Roy asked.

Henry looked away. “I killed them. I dropped all six of them into a lava flow.” A shudder went through his body as he contemplated the violence he’d done.

Roy shared a look with Sigrid.

Meixiu had been listening from the hall. She walked into the living room and saw the looks of sadness, shock, and despair on her friend’s faces. She’d heard Henry’s confession and knew he’d been justified in his actions, so she wondered why the others were so upset.

She moved to kneel before him. She took his hands, and she looked up into his eyes. She saw they were filled with pain. “It was necessary, Henry. People who could do such awful things would do it again.”

He sucked in a shaky breath, hearing her acceptance of his actions.

“Why is your skin new?” she asked. Henry twitched, and several of the gathered made sounds of shock.

He looked from face to face and swallowed to force his stomach to settle. “The lightning burned me… badly, as Mary said. Xiong brought me to Eden, but they couldn’t help me. I saw what happened to me through the eyes of one of the Silver People. I was charred, my skin completely burned, my face was gone. I… I had no eyes!” he forced out, and Mahati and Tish cried out and clung to him. He was crying again as shudders shook his body from reliving it.

Meixiu moved to stand next to Sigrid and touched her shoulder to get her attention. She leaned down and whispered in her ear. Sigrid gasped and turned to look into Meixiu’s eyes as she nodded.

Roy leaned forward. “Who healed you, Henry?” he forced out.

Henry blinked at him through his tears. “I… I did.”

“Henry, that’s not possible,” Roy said gently. “Was it the witch?”

Henry shook his head and looked up at Roy. “I was dying, Xiong told me they couldn’t heal me, I was slipping away, and Baba came to me in the dark. She told me I could just let go. I knew… she was testing me again. I knew she expected me to fight, so I did. I had so much to come back for. It was so hard, but I came back. Xiong and a Glass Person who used to be a doctor implanted a crystal from a deceased Glass Person’s brain into mine so I could control magic like a wielder.”

“They made you a wielder?” Roy exclaimed as his eyes went wide. Henry nodded, and Roy’s mind spun, then he shook his head. “Okay, okay, but it’s still impossible to cast against yourself. Otherwise, wielders would be turning themselves into gods!”

Henry frowned as he thought about that. It made sense, but… he was proof it worked.

“I did it.”

They all looked at him, and that made him feel uneasy, so he explained.

“I didn’t do anything godlike. I just created a… spell that would run autonomously until it completed.”

Roy frowned. “Who taught you magic?”

Henry shook his head. “Okay, it was more of a program than a spell, but I think they’re roughly the same thing; instructions to perform an action, powered by the energy of magic and controlled by the will.”

Roy’s incredulous anger flared. “And how did ya manage ta stay aware during a spell that ripped ya apart and put ya back together again?” he snapped, his accent coming through in his agitation.

“Roy!” Camila and Sigrid snapped in response. He just looked at them in frustration as Henry flinched from the memories.

“I didn’t. I knew I wouldn’t be able to, so I embedded the spell with my will,” Henry asserted.

Roy stared at the boy, messing with things he had no experience with, making assumptions that would get him killed. Roy needed him to understand how dangerous magic was. “It doesn’t wor-”

“It worked, okay!” Henry surged up from the couch as he yelled. He panted as his anxiety shook him. “I was dying! I don’t know how fucking magic works, and maybe that’s good because at least I tried. I never wanted anything to do with magic, but this time it saved me! I don’t intend to use it again.”

Roy’s chest felt tight as he watched Henry shaking from reaction. He stepped forward and pulled him into another hug. He was desperately afraid for the boy, but he couldn’t deny Henry was right. He’d managed the impossible because he didn’t know better. As Henry’s trembling slowed, Roy cast his eyes over the group with a serious expression.

“No one speaks to anyone about what happened,” he said sternly.

The corner of Camila’s lips curved up slightly. “You mean about how huggy you’ve become?”

Henry snorted explosively against Roy’s chest then pulled back to look up at the man apologetically.

Roy shook his head in exasperation and squeezed Henry’s shoulder before stepping back to focus on Camila. “No. I’ve always been a hugger.” That caught Camila and Sigrid off guard, and they snorted, too.

He continued in a serious tone. “We won’t speak of Henry’s new state of being a wielder. The Hidden Races Council has too many reasons for grabbing the boy as it is. Informing them he’s miraculously become a wielder, and can use magic in ways no one else can, will guarantee an immediate reactionary response from them.” He looked to Michelle as the only active member of the Council in their group. The woman nodded with an equally serious expression, and he gave her a nod.

He turned back to Henry, who was once more sitting between Mahati and Tish, both of whom were holding his hands again. “I can’t say I’m comfortable about the idea that these Glass People put a crystal in your brain.”

“Henry, may I take a look?” Dayshia asked. “I want to see how they grafted crystal to brain tissue.”

He squirmed. “Maybe later?”

“Oh! Certainly,” she said with a nod, embarrassed that her fascination made her miss his unease about it.

“Getting back to the events of Washington, the press is all over this Lightning Man, and so far as we know, the Council isn’t aware of Henry’s involvement. If they are paying attention to his movements at all, they’ll have their suspicions. Henry attracts more chaos than anyone I know,” Roy sighed. “For everyone’s benefit, no more visits to other cities. Restrict your movements to work and home for a few weeks at least, please.”

Sigrid scowled at the man. “Roy, you can’t impose-”

“Yes. I would welcome some semblance of routine in my life right now,” Henry said, interrupting her. Glancing at the tall blonde, he amended his statement. “As long as we include the homes of my friends in the restricted location list.”Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Roy nodded briefly, and Sigrid tried to hide her smile. She nodded to Meixiu as it was time to get an answer to her earlier question. The Vampire moved back to kneel before Henry.

“Earlier, when you fed me, I noticed another difference. The magic in your blood is far more potent than it was before. I could only manage three swallows before I lost consciousness from the power sweeping through me. Is that due to the lightning or the fact that you’re a wielder?” she asked.

He blinked in surprise at her. “I-I don’t know! I don’t feel any different.” He turned his head to look at Siobhan, but she was facing the window. He could see her eyes were closed behind her shades, so she was still having trouble dealing with her magic sight. His face fell as he felt terrible about that. Then he realized he was staring, so he quickly looked away into Camila’s too aware eyes. She turned her head to look at Siobhan as well. Then Roy was watching her until most were looking in her direction.

Siobhan sighed deeply and bowed her head slightly. “Funny how a man burdened by so many of his own secrets can’t keep just one from someone else.”

“I’m sorry, Siobhan, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine. It was bound to be discovered since I’m wearing these indoors,” she said with a sigh as she gestured toward her face.

“How does Henry’s power level connect to your- you can see it?” Camila gasped as the dots connected.

Siobhan nodded. “Please keep it to yourselves as it’s a sensitive secret for my folk.” She took off the shades and looked around the room without opening her eyes. She named each person in the room as she pointed directly at them.

“You can see our power levels too?” Dayshia asked.

“No, I can see you bathed in the reflections of Henry’s power. He’s casting off waves of the stuff. Bathing the room in energy, much brighter than before, as Meixiu noted. Can’t you feel it? It’s hard to imagine you couldn’t.”

The group looked at each other, and slowly, smiles appeared. “I can’t feel the transfer, but I do feel… refreshed,” Marisa confessed, and heads nodded. Eyes turned towards Henry.