Page 49 of Seer

Congratulations! Please tell Silvia I expected her to have better taste though.

Lloyd

[eye roll emoji] Tomorrow I’m taking her to TWIST so she can meet everyone, and I’ll pack up my stuff since I’ll be moving here.

Good for you! I’ll be glad to have you close by

I stared at Lloyd’s message. He was going to TWIST, the very place that triggered every anxiety I had.

But where there was a room full of books.

Dusty, moldy books stacked haphazardly. A chaotic mess in a storm of even greater chaos. People everywhere, talking and shouting for attention. People arguing over things that could easily be solved if they’d just have a calm discussion with each other. People who told me they’d help me with my studies or teenage drama, but then who got distracted and forgot.

But the books might have answers we needed.

Edgar finished his call. He stood up and carried his wine glass over to us. “I told Bettina what was going on. She thinks she remembers one of the older Wonders saying there’s some kind of Elven weapon in the book room.”

Cal perked up. “A weapon we could use against the fog monsters?”

Edgar shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try. If those creatures are actually changing into the fog instead of just generating it, we won’t be able to use a gun.” He eyed me cautiously. “We need to go to TWIST.”

I pressed my lips into a flat line before saying, “Agreed.”

“You can stay here.”

I shook my head. “I won’t be of any use here. The more people going through those books the better.”

“Okay.”

I turned to Cal. “What time do you want to leave in the morning?”

I woke up Tuesday with a raging hard-on. Morning wood was one thing, but this was more like morning steel. I’d been dreaming of Cal, of touching his naked skin, so it wasn’t a mystery why my body was primed to get off. I’d leaked enough precum I’d have to throw the sheets in the wash before I left.

I didn’t have much time, but I could not be in a car with Cal for over an hour without dealing with my situation. I managed to keep my hands off my dick until I got in the shower.

Once under the spray, I filled my hand with shampoo and gave myself a good stroke. Fuck, that felt good. I closed my eyes and remembered my dream—how Cal’s soft body surrounded me, his arms around my back holding me against him. I imagined our dicks pressed together but unable to thrust because Cal was on top of me, cuddling me and keeping me safe. I pictured his hands inching down until his fingers breached my hole, and I came.

My brain kept the fantasy going, pretending to feel a faint echo of my orgasm through my connection with Cal, like I’d been told happened with bonded partners.

I sighed. Not that I wanted to be connected with Cal, much less bonded. I didn’t do well with chaos.

I looked ruefully down at my chest where the connection I didn’t at all want taunted me with its brightness and vitality.

Cal was waiting outside his apartment building when I pulled up at 8am. His building appeared to be a little nicer than mine, and his truck stood out in the parking lot for how old it was.

The drive to TWIST would only take an hour and a half, so we’d have most of the day to look through the books. Along with his tattered backpack, Cal also held a surprisingly stylish brown leather duffel bag. I’d warned him we might need to stay overnight.

When I’d told my mother we were coming, she’d tried hard not to shriek with excitement. I hadn’t been able to make myself go back to TWIST more than a few times since I’d left for college. Mom and my brother Dominic always had to visit me in Bent Oak.

Mom knew how hard it was for me, but I never got the impression she really understood why. But to her credit she never minimized my anxiety or pushed me to “get over it”.

I popped open the back hatch of the SUV so Cal could put his duffel inside. “Good morning,” I called, craning my neck around to watch his meaty pecs flex under his t-shirt as he lifted the bag into the car.

Today’s t-shirt read, “Pluto 1930-2006. Never Forget.” At least it didn’t say “Moist”. And it was clean.

Cal grunted a greeting then slammed the hatch shut. He walked around to the passenger side and got in next to me,slinging his backpack to the floor by his feet. Our connection glowed between us.

“You need coffee or anything?” I asked.