9. Lyndon

Chapter 9

Lyndon

" W hat'sss this one do?"

I nearly dropped the potion I was working on when I saw Darcy with his face halfway in the jar of hair growth potion I had been making. While it was probably harmless, I had no idea how Darcy would react to it, and I didn't want him sprouting hair all over his body, or something worse. The potion was specifically curated for humans, and I didn't know enough about Darcy's biology to be sure it was safe for him. I snatched it out of his hand at a speed faster than I'd probably ever moved before.

"Goddess, Darcy! What are you doing? You have no idea what that was? What if it was deadly?"

"What?" He blinked innocently at me. "You won't tell me what any of this stuff does. How can I help or learn anything if I don't know what it isss? I sense magic best with my tongue or nose, so what else am I sssupposed to do?"

I ran my hands through my hair. Goddess. "How about just . . . not touch things? I've been doing this on my own for years. I don't need help."

Darcy pouted, like a full-on pout, which was comical with his facial shape. But also kind of adorable. "I'm bored, Lyndon. You won't let me leave the cabin unsupervised, and you won't let me help Ambrose with the portal problem or tell me about these visions so I can assist Aria. I'm sooooo bored. Please let me help you, at least."

"Read a book."

I tried to turn from him and go back to work, but things were never that easy with Darcy.

"I already read all your books, and your internet connection is terrible. You're a witch. Can't you magic it better?"

My lips twitched and I found myself relenting even if I didn't want to. It had been just over a week since Darcy had shown up, and we weren't any closer to an answer on anything.

Much to my chagrin, Ambrose had not only called his twin sister, Aria, but had also opened a portal to my property that same day. Her and Darcy had hit it off immediately. She was also happy to look into my visions, though she wasn't sure how much she could help. Still, it was kind of nice to have someone else looking into them, even if I'd never admit it to her. At least they were able to help me fix the floor and repair the damage.

It also seemed like the twins were true to their word and hadn't shared what they knew with the coven yet. I was sure my mother would have visited by now, or at least called if she heard. I took her silence as a good sign.

It was the only good sign I had. Ambrose was pretty sure he could find a way to get Darcy home, though not through the same portal. He had disappeared a few days ago and gone radio silent. I wasn't worried though. It meant he probably had an idea he was working his way through. Or he was getting fucked. It was honestly a toss-up with Ambrose.

Aria had been visiting nearly every day, but she had some business to attend to for our coven out of town and hadn't been here in two days. That left Darcy and me here alone.

Things between us had been . . . interesting. Darcy hadn't mentioned the mate thing again since our conversation. We hadn't figured out a way to end the bond yet, and he'd just shrug good-naturedly and move on whenever that was brought up. He didn't seem upset by it, but he also wasn't trying to maintain any distance between us either. He was always there, in my space, his scent constantly invading my nose. We never touched, that was my hard limit, but I thought he enjoyed seeing how close he could get without crossing that line.

I couldn't figure out what he was doing. I was sure he was up to something. Growing up with Ambrose had trained me on the finer details of figuring that one out. I just had no idea what his endgame was.

It was messing with my head. I constantly wanted space away from him, but as soon as I managed it, I was missing him and wondering where he was. It was maddening. Darcy was maddening.

Just like now, he watched me with puppy-dog eyes, begging me to teach him about potion and balm making. Nobody could convince me they weren't puppy-dog eyes, either. It didn't matter that he was a reptile hybrid—he had that pouty look I was apparently a sucker for down pat.

"Ugh, fine, you can help."

"Yay!"

"But you're going to do exactly what I say—" Darcy cut me off by reaching for the glass jar again. I snatched it out of his way. " Exactly what I say, Darcy. And for the love of the goddess, no sniffing or tasting anything. Understand?"

Darcy smiled happily, unbothered by my rules. He was practically vibrating with excitement. Who knew doing something as simple as potting potions would make him this happy?

My stomach swirled. I liked seeing Darcy happy. That was a . . . strange development. Though, I guessed for the time being, he was still my mate. There was nothing wrong with wanting to make Darcy happy. Didn't mean anything had changed. I'd still make an awful mate, and he still had to go home eventually anyway.

"Here, come help me with these. They're just lotions to help with muscle pain." No chance of Darcy hurting himself if he couldn't resist smelling or tasting them. At least I hoped.

Which . . . was a good thing because he immediately ran a claw through the open jar and flicked his tongue over it.

Before I could even think to scold him about it, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he had a full body shiver. When his eyes met mine again, his pupils were dilated.

"Godsss, Lyndon, your magic tastes delicious. Usually, it has a bitter aftertaste, but yoursss." He trailed off with another shiver.

Goddess . . . was he . . . turned on?

I tried very hard to keep my eyes on his face, but listen, I never claimed to be the strongest of men. My eyes flicked down to where, yup, there was a very large bulge.

I may or may not have made Darcy exclusively gray sweatpants that fit his tail to wear while he was still here. It wasn't my proudest moment, but if I was going to be stuck with a mate I couldn't touch, then I deserved to at least have some enjoyment. The man had two dicks! Two dicks I'd never get to feel inside of me, so maybe the sweats were a little on the thin side and a little tight. Sue me. It wasn't like Darcy seemed to mind.

Darcy's tongue poked out and licked his upper lip before he finally seemed to get himself under control.

"Okay, what do you want me to do with thisss?" he asked cheerily, like that whole thing just hadn't happened.

How was I supposed to concentrate on making lotions for the humans now? My magic had made Darcy hard. I was supposed to just ignore that?

Apparently, because Darcy pushed the jar toward me, a reminder that I was supposed to be teaching him. Right. Teaching him. I cleared my throat and forced my eyes back onto my worktable. I could do this. I could ignore Darcy and his two-dick bulge and my own, much smaller, with half as many dicks, growing erection.

Potions. Work. Get it together, Lyndon.

I somehow managed to focus again, and surprisingly Darcy was a big help. Once I got him to stop tasting everything. He was a quick learner and eager, and we got twice as many orders completed in the same amount of time it usually took me to do half of it.

Darcy was practically bouncing off the walls by the time we were finished. "Sssee, I told you I could be helpful."

I smiled. "You were. Thanks. I, um, actually got a lot more accomplished than usual."

"Told you it's not so terrible to have me around, is it?"

He didn't wait for an answer, just bounced out the room, humming to himself and once again leaving me alone and floundering to understand what the fuck was happening to me.

I started to follow after him, for no other reason than my brain decided I couldn't be more than a few feet away from Darcy. I never made it, as my head began to spin and then I was no longer in my kitchen.

I stretched, that lazy, luxurious stretch that came with a good night's sleep. My eyes started to flutter open, but I closed them again, allowing my body to sink back down into the soft sheets.

"Morning," a sleep-addled voice mumbled to my right. Smiling, I turned my head toward that direction.

"Morning."

Darcy smiled at me, looking all adorable. I kissed the tip of his nose. "Can we just stay in bed all day? I'm too comfortable to get up."

"Unfortunately, you have a meeting with the mayor today."

I grunted. "Ugh, you sure you don't want to go in my place? That guy is a dick."

Darcy snorted and stood up. He was completely naked, and for a moment I forgot all about our conversation.

The vision changed.

I looked down at Darcy as I straddled his hips. His hands held my thighs in a steady but careful grip. His claws were grazing my skin but not cutting through. Darcy was always very careful about that.

I moved my hips, rocking myself back and forth. With each thrust, Darcy's dicks sunk deeper inside me until I was completely full.

"Fuck, you feel so good," I said, looking down at Darcy with a soft smile. His eyes were slitted as he got lost in the pleasure.

"So do you." He groaned. "I love thisss."

I smiled and leaned down, brushing my lips over his jaw. "What do you love? Me riding you until we're both seeing stars? Seeing me stuffed full and needy?"

"Yesss. That. Both." Darcy looked up at me. "Jerk yourself off, please?" he asked with a needy whine. "I want your cum all over me."

Goddess. "Gladly." I sat up so Darcy had a clearer view and took myself in hand. His tongue shot out and licked his lips. He fucking loved this. I began riding him harder and fucked my hand as I fucked myself on his cocks.