Page 19 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

Asher

I ’d learned to control my magic pretty quickly when I was younger, primarily because falling asleep and entering into the dream dimension was not a fun place to be when you were ill-prepared.

Oneiromancy wasn’t an everyday skill like River’s telepathic powers, but it did make me fascinating to almost everyone that my parents would show me off to.

They—mainly my father—would have these parties where he would invite their friends and have them be put in a deep sleep.

He would then have me go in and manipulate their dreams. I would go into their minds and see what they saw.

I would turn their dreams into nightmares if I wanted to, and you could see it on their faces.

I was something my father marveled at, but despite all the good jobs and excellent works he would throw my way, I still only tolerated the man.

There was a time when his love was genuine, I think, but once I came into my powers…

that love got twisted and I became a side show act.

I kept River close to me, even though he hated it.

I didn’t have a terrible childhood, my father didn’t hit me or call me bad names, but I wasn’t about to have my brother go through the same performative bullshit I did.

I made sure I maintained a solid hold on my powers, but I also wanted to dive into the world of mental magic in a different way.

I graduated with honors in mental magic from Mystic Riegan, then got my Master’s in Education from UC Berkeley.

If I was going to help develop someone else’s powers, I was going to do it the right way.

I’d had my choices of schools to work at, but I came back to my alma mater and as River liked to point out, right under my dad’s thumb. I had my reasons, and they were none of his fucking business.

I sat in my office, taking my glasses off and placing them on my desk. I rubbed my eyes, taking a break from looking over lesson plans for the next week or so. I loved teaching, but sometimes those undergrad shits could really make me rethink my chosen career.

Speaking of a certain undergrad…

I groaned, replaying how well my night had gone when I’d gotten home.

Yes, I was met with the sounds of pleasure from both my brother and his girlfriend.

They weren’t sounds I hadn’t heard before, since River was never shy about that kind of thing, nor had he ever learned to fully close a fucking door.

None of what I’d come home to bothered me, rattled me.

No, it was what I was met with later on that night that stunned me.

I’d been asleep when I somehow catapulted myself into Riley’s dreams. They were sporadic and at times a little blurry.

I didn’t know what I was seeing at first until her face came across my mind, clear as day.

I immediately thought it was my own dream and why the fuck was she in them, but then it didn’t feel like my mind.

Once the chaos of her mind settled, the dream stalled with her sitting on her bed, reading.

Her braids cascaded over her shoulders and her brown skin was luminous and all on display from her shorts and tank top.

The sun from her window made the tiny hoop nose ring she had sparkle.

I was gazing at her from the doorway and she looked serene, less antagonizing than how I normally saw her.

River chose his partners based on their personalities and how they made him feel.

Looks were always something on his mind, but it wasn’t a priority for him.

I knew how she made me feel: she irritated me.

I had yet to really understand her personality, and as for her looks…

I shook my head, not letting my mind drift.

I took in the setting and thought about how if I really wanted to, I could ruin this for her.

I could make this room a prison, fill it with things she was scared of, pretend to suck all the oxygen from the room.

I could make her hate the thought of falling asleep ever again.

On the other hand, I could make this dream even more enjoyable.

I could make her slip her own hand between her legs and make her come on her own fingers so hard she might pass out. Or I could have her think they were my fingers and really fuck with her head.

I did neither. I just watched her until I drifted out of her mind and back into my own.

I groaned, running a rough hand through my hair.

I didn’t care who River dated and she seemed nice enough, but everything happened so fast. They start dating, her dad dies and then she transfers to the school…

just like that. I’d questioned my brother about it, but his response was for me to just leave it alone.

It was Riley’s decision, and he respected that.

I could respect her decision as well, while also being suspicious of her.

I knew her dad. He was a nice man who thought the world of this school.

He even spoke highly of my brother, which came as a surprise to me since River always did well with moms but not so many dads.

Was I wondering about his death till this day?

Of course I was. The school had moved on because it had to.

I wasn’t the police force, nor was I a detective, but he didn’t seem like the type to drink too much and fall or even worse throw himself out the window all on his own.

I tapped my fingers along my desk, looking over and peering out my own window.

I put my glasses back on, fingering through the papers in front of me.

Riley’s name screamed out at me as if it was written in bold red ink, instead of black.

The sound of her moaning, the sound of her being pleasured and pleased propelled itself right to the forefront of my mind, which sent a shockwave to my cock.

I took the papers and shoved them to the side.

This wasn’t good.