Page 9 of Chosen Spirits (The Bartender Mage #4)

"Hmm," Leif said consideringly, licking the citrus flavor off of his lips.

"Good hmm, or bad hmm?" Tucker asked him.

"Both? Kind of regretting downing the whole shot." Leif carefully set the empty glass down on the countertop, blinking hard. "Everything is a bit trippy. Um.To describe it, it's like every object I see has a layer of dust that is endlessly being blown away in slow motion."

Rahul helped Leif make his distracted way to the couch. "Impaired vision is the bad, then? What's the good?"

"The vision thing is definitely the bad, though I think it's something you can get used to with practice.

But the good is that the blowing dust is made up of different colors and textures, which my senses are telling me means something important.

At a guess… the emotional charge of the object?

Oh, wait, the dust also makes shapes! Glimpses of history tied to the object, maybe. "

"Well damn, cub, sign me up! That's definitely one I'd want in my kit if you can get the kinks out. Does it affect people?"

Leif looked up at his two boyfriends. Rahul's different pieces of titanium jewelry were gently blowing away, as was Tucker's yellow collar, but their otherwise nude selves appeared untouched. "No, just the stuff you have on. Actually… Tucker, will you get your shifter collar? "

As Tucker went charging off upstairs, Rahul grabbed Leif's notebook and pen off of the coffee table and sat next to him. "Want me to scribe for you?"

"Yes, please! The dust isn't as bad as I first thought, it settles down unless you're focusing on an object, but that'd be a big help."

As Leif dictated his observations, Tucker came back down with his favorite shifter's collar.

The difference between it and the recently store-bought one that he was currently wearing was nearly immeasurable, confirming Leif's suspicions—the dust from the shifter's collar was brighter, more vividly colored, and it more readily generated images.

Encouraged, the three of them spent the next hour testing out different theories, working out the mechanics of Leif's newest experimental cocktail.

After returning from a short ride in the passenger seat of Rahul's car to see if driving would be safe—seemed about the same as driving in a light shower, but should probably be avoided if at all possible, just in case—Leif took a seat on the big couch in their living room.

He closed his eyes and laid his head back, temporarily blocking out the sight of the mesmerizing dust.

"Here, darlin'," Tucker said a moment later, and Leif opened his eyes to see him holding out a glass of water. "And Rahul, you look like you're about ready to dance out of your tattoos."

"He's definitely more excited than I am with this cocktail," Leif agreed, taking the drink carefully. If he kept his gaze averted, the lingering dust effect was scarcely noticeable

Rahul laughed, flipping eagerly through the pages of notes he'd taken.

"No point denying it, puppy. This kind of divination magic is a game-changer.

Missing evidence buried in a backyard? Found.

Trying to find the most important clue in a house?

Instantly narrows down the prospects. Hell, even knowing what pieces of jewelry are most sentimental to someone when you're talking with a witness or suspect is going to be damn handy.

Hey, cub, what are you calling this one? Dust ?"

" Dust Sight , I think, to make the name a little bit more literal," Leif said after polishing off the water.

He lifted his head up and craned his neck, and, with a pleased smirk, Tucker obliged him by leaning down for a kiss.

"Or maybe Seer's Dust Sight ? I think I've got enough useful potion recipes now that I need to start adding prefixes and stuff, and fix up some of the old names to give a better idea of what the potion does. "

"What, you mean you don't want fancy potion names like Leif's Ephemeral Rainbow ?" Rahul asked in a teasing tone.

Leif laughed. "For sure, no! I keep thinking, like, what if an emergency happens one day and a new DOMA recruit grabs my potion supply and only has a second to read the labels, but can't figure out which ones are useful and then ends up drinking all of them and overdoses on alcohol?"

"It's a farfetched scenario, but overall I agree with you," Tucker said, taking a seat beside him and pulling him against his chest.Leif took the opportunity to close his eyes again, letting his fingers drift across Tucker's body.

"I've had to explain the Whisper potion a half-dozen times, and do you remember your ClariTea potion, from way back when?

It was a clever name, but Spirit Sight is far easier to understand at a glance. "

"While you both have a point," Rahul chimed in, putting aside the notebook and joining them in the cuddle. "Think about branding. If you're going to sell your services as a provider of magical enchantments, the more artsy-fartsy the name, the better!"

"If I ever become an entrepreneur, sugar bear, I'll let you help me come up with the names. Deal?"

He heard Rahul rumble, then felt his hand rub his shoulder affectionately. "Papa bear, big bear, teddy bear, and now sugar bear. Still trying to decide on a pet name for me, cub?"

Leif leaned back into Tucker, still with his eyes shut, and grinned over at where he imagined Rahul was giving him a wry look. "No, in fact. I made the decision that you're my something bear."

"Something bear?"

"Yeah! You're my super clever smart bear. My adorable cute bear. My kitchen chef delicious bear. My something bear!"

He heard Rahul growl. "Cub…"

"Aw, don't be like that," Tucker said. "I think it's sweet—"

"I mean, yes, but…"

"—my cuddly Roo bear."

With a loud battlecry, Rahul leaned his full weight onto them, wrapping his arms around Leif and Tucker both.

Amid their laughter, he savaged the two of them with bearded kisses.

Between ticklish giggles, Leif continued to call out different bear names for his boyfriend, until Rahul's onslaught left him too short of breath and too distracted to go on.

A few minutes later, laying nude on top of Rahul while his happy bear idly massaged the top of his buttocks, he tested his vision, then felt within himself with his spirit senses.

"I think the potion has just about run its course. Should be tapering off in a few minutes."

"Time check, puppy?" Rahul pressed his fingers deeper into his glutes. "It's on the first page."

"Got it. Looks like we're at an hour forty right now, so that means about an hour forty-five minute duration. A bit shorter than Leif's usual effects, nowadays."

"It's a power-hungry spell," Leif agreed, leaning forward to give Rahul a kiss before getting up. "Thank you both! I'll type it all up in a bit to get it ready for adding to my recipe book."

"I take it we're done with experimenting, then?" Rahul asked him as he sat up.

"Yeah, I'd rather have the extra time to hang out." Leif turned around, giving Rahul a hug and a smile. "For some reason, I'm suddenly craving cuddles."

"I'm sure Tucker and I can oblige. Let's hurry with the tidying up, I need to start making dinner in an hour."

While Leif put away his liquor and other cocktail ingredients, Tucker and Rahul carried the used glasses and bartending tools to the kitchen for washing. After a bathroom break and a quick deliberation over what to do since there wasn't enough time for a movie, they reconvened on the couch.

"You'll mix me a Dust Sight to try out before you head in to work, right?" Rahul asked him, one arm wrapped around him, the other running through his hair.

"Oh, for sure!

"It won't tire you out?"

"I only made three potions today. I'll be fine!"

On the other end of the couch, Tucker reached a foot out to nudge Leif's leg, giving him a smile as he used a controller to load up his farming video game.

"Before I forget, darlin', instead of adding prefix names to every one of your recipes, what about using colored potion bottles to help distinguish effects? "

Leif gasped, and distantly heard Rahul grunt as he started wiggling in his excitement.

"Yes! I could do, um, blue glass for divination effects, like Dust Sight and Spirit Sight , and red ones for confrontation potions like Bullet Barrier and Binding Chains !

I'll want to add something to accommodate the colorblind, maybe bottle shape, but yes, that's perfect. "

Leif spent the next hour chattering away, bouncing suggestions off of his boyfriends, then Rahul excused himself to start making their dinner.

Leif used the opportunity to start massaging Tucker's feet, which earned him some pleased growls.

Tucker eventually turned his game off, returning the favor by grabbing Leif's own feet and holding them against his chest, his erection pressed up hotly beneath Leif's leg.

"Dinner!" Rahul called out a short time later, and Leif and Tucker stopped what had progressed to a heavy petting session.They padded over to the dining room table, Leif first making a quick detour to grab a cloth to wipe away the precum that invariably dripped down when he got overly excited.

"Thank you for making dinner," Tucker said, hugging Rahul from behind and grinding against him. "The meat smells simply mouthwatering."

"You can try some for yourself, if you can manage to pull yourself away," Rahul countered, doing a few hip gyrations.

"I dunno, this dessert looks pretty temptin'." Tucker gave Rahul's ass a slap, then grabbed himself a handful. When Rahul turned around to face him, Tucker shifted his grip to Rahul's chest, tugging at the nipple rings he wore.

"Seems like the cub got you riled up," Rahul said, giving Leif a wink, who was busy fixing his plate.

"Mm-hmm," Tucker murmured as he buried his face in Rahul's neck and began kissing him.