Page 30 of Me and My Christmas Familiar

He gritted his teeth as he cleaned up the floor once again. This never happened to Lachlan. He never had a bad day in the bakery. He was a hearth and kitchen witch. The strongest in the family. This was where he thrived. This was where he found peace and strength.

He took a step back from the counter, trying to calm his breathing. He sat down, but the chair did not move directly behind him to catch him. He cried out as he knocked the chair over and fell to the floor.

Lachlan closed his eyes.

Something is wrong. I am wrong.

Was this because of Kit? Was he being punished for taking a shifter as his familiar? Or for having sex with his familiar? Had he polluted and distorted his magic?

Lachlan rose, rubbing his arse.

The door to the bakery opened. “Morning, Lachlan.”

Lachlan spun to face Grady.

“I had sex with Kit!” Lachlan blurted.

Grady froze.

“I had sex with my familiar, and now I think my magic is wrong as punishment!” Lachlan’s voice shook.

Grady closed the door behind him. “I see.”

“Is that wrong? Did I do wrong?” Lachlan’s voice cracked. “Is my magic not working because I slept with my familiar?”

Grady frowned. “I doubt it. Ever since you found out Kit is a shifter, you’ve been off. I think your mind isn’t clear, so it’s probably affecting your magic.”

“So there aren’t any rules about sleeping with familiars?”

Grady seemed to think for a second. “I mean, normally familiars aren’t shifters. But he is. So I’m not sure there are clear rules about this. I mean he wanted to have sex, right?”

“Yes.” Lachlan thought of the night before, of Kit’s eagerness to touch Lachlan, to please him. His cheeks flushed. “Yes, he did.”

“And you wanted to have sex with Kit, right?”

Lachlan nodded. He’d definitely wanted to. “I did.” He ducked his head as the heat spread down his neck. “It was my first time…with anyone.” He didn’t allow Grady to respond to that. “I’m so confused and don’t know what to do.”

Grady stared at him for several seconds. Then he stepped forward and clasped Lachlan on the shoulder. “Look, this whole situation is pretty unusual. I don’t think there are clearrules about this because, like I said, shifters aren’t normally familiars.” He paused. “But you want my advice?”

“Please!”

“I think you have three options,” Grady said. “One, you can try having a relationship with Kit, being romantically involved and having sex. You don’t have to rush into it. You can just take it slow.”

Lachlan’s stomach tightened. “But what if it’s wrong?”

“Like I said, you’re in an unusual situation and I don’t think there are set rules. If you both want to be in a relationship, if you both want to have sex, whilst also being a familiar and a witch, then why not?”

Lachlan frowned, could it really be that simple?

“Two, you can try and be friends. No sex, no romance, just friends whilst he is also your familiar.” Grady grimaced. “But I’ll be honest. I see how Kit looks at you. He wants option number one. He loves you, he desires you, and he also wants to be your familiar.”

Lachlan’s throat tightened. “I think you’re right.” He supposed Kit’s yearning for him had been very obvious to everyone. “What about the third option?”

“You part ways.”

The floor felt like it dropped from beneath Lachlan’s feet. “No,” he whispered.

“He’s only been your familiar for a little while, a witch-familiar bond can be broken with space and time if it is new,” Grady said. “It’s not like a mating ritual, which is permanent. If you parted, told him you were releasing him from being your familiar, that bond would eventually weaken and then dissipate into nothingness.”