Introduction

I welcome feedback from readers, in fact I thrive on it. Please drop me an email if you have a chance and let me know what you liked. I respond to all reader emails.

This is the final chapter of Elf Master!

The College Magic Cycle includes multiple storylines. The stories intertwine. They are listed in the College Magic Cycle folder in the suggested reading order.

Please remember that NIFTY is a free site that provides an invaluable resource for men like us. Please consider donating to help ensure that site remains available for everyone. https://donate.nifty.org/

You can contact me at pseudonominius@gmail.com.

Author's Notes

·        Please remember that any scene told from a single POV is subject to the "unreliable narrator" effect. A character can only see and react to events as they perceive them.

·        If you want to be informed of new stories, send me an email, and ask to be put on the notification list. I'll send a notification. Everyone will be on the bcc line so your email address will not show to other members.

·        I have created a google group for people who want to get more information about my stories in that format. Only I can view the member list, so data should be secure. If a reader sends a question my way, I will post the answer to that group after removing any information about the reader. It's a good way to get more background information if you want. https://groups.google.com/g/pseudominius-stories

·        Several of the stories in the College Magic Cycle deal with transformation. Kieran got smaller, but it's not apparent to those who can't see through the velamen arcanum. Alonzo got smaller, but then he changed reality so that he had always been smaller. He did the same thing to Erik after making him grow from 66 inches to 77 inches. In this storyline, all the skinchangers undergo transformation.

·        My editor is Robbear (robbear78@gmail.com). He not only edited this story but provided a lot of insight and suggestions that made the story better.

College Magic Cycle

· My Roommate the Alchemist (concluded)

· Wishcraft (concluded)

· Alchemy and Songcraft

· Magery

· Elf Master

· The Pack

· Tales of Severan

Other Stories

· Small Town Slave Boys

· Jack and the Giant

· Sacred Submissives

· Bellus Cinaedus

· Guardian Angel

· Eros in Arcadia

· Nivean and the Dvergar

· Desert Heat

· Constituent Services

· The Dancing Princes 

Elf Master Chapter 15

Elf Master Endgame Part Two
The Penultimate Week in September (Friday)

This chapter follows immediately after Elf Master Chapter 14 (Endgame Part One). It continues the action of Friday night, the second to last weekend in September, the weekend before Family and Friends Weekend. The moon is waxing and is approaching three-quarters full. The shifters are near their full strength. The narrative picks up after Kyle returns to his master's room, but before Nico comes back to get him.

 

Kyle

I was always happy to get texts from Andy or Ernie, but I always had to wait until I was alone to check the messages because what they sent me was often NSFW. Or Not Suitable For Class would be more accurate. Today's message had broken that pattern. It contained a series of pictures of the two of them at a concert. All three were selfies taken by Andy. They were clearly happy. There was a picture of them sharing a beer. Another of Ernie standing behind Andy with his arms wrapped around his chest and his head close enough to kiss Andy's cheek. The last picture showed Andy sitting on Ernie's shoulders. Ernie held Andy's smooth white legs and both of them were smiling. Andy had sent a text as well:

"Here are pictures of Ernie and me at the Lexington Music Festival."

"You two look happy," I replied.

"We are. I hope you find happiness like we have."

"I'm getting happier."

"Do you have a guy? I mean ONE guy who makes you happy."

That was a hard question, but I decided to be honest:

"There is one guy."

"Spill the beans, bro!"

"It's complicated."

"?"

"There is a guy I really like. I think he likes me too."

"You think?"

"I'll explain later. He's been mentoring me in my coming out. I think he's afraid to take advantage of me."

"That makes sense but it still sucks. You could try to seduce him, but if you are like me, you like the top to make the first move."

"Maybe. I don't mind being aggressive, but I beat him up once before I figured out I was gay."

"WTF! And he's still into you?"

"Yes. He's amazing."

"He's into you, bro. Jump him."

Nico came into the room, and I was running high on energy. When I was a child, Andy had always made me feel angry and hate myself. But now, he made me feel happy and loved. I finally had a brother, a real brother, not just someone I shared parents with. I was still smiling when I assumed the slave position.

Nico looked down at my phone and saw the chat. "Go ahead and say goodbye to your brother while I use the restroom. Then I'll tell you what we're doing tonight."

I picked up my phone to say goodbye:

"I will think about it. I have to go now. I have something I have to do."

"Send me pictures."

"I will if I can."

Knowing the kinds of things Nico had me do on Fridays, I doubted that Andy would want to see pictures of what I'd be getting up to. Although he had seen my videos online. Still we'd only just become friendly, like real brothers. How would he react if he learned about all of the things I'd done? The videos were one thing, but they could be written off as amateur porn. What if he knew some of the things I did for real?

When Nico came back, he pulled his cock out and I immediately took it in my mouth. My master enjoyed dominating me while I sucked his dick, standing while I knelt before him, giving him pleasure on command. And he liked me to be in this position when he gave me orders. That would come later, but first the cocksucking. Maybe it was supposed to humiliate me, but if so, it no longer worked. I liked sucking his cock and I liked the challenge of trying to cause him pain. He liked it when I bit down on his dick, and I had never been able to do it hard enough to make him stop me.

He waited until he flooded my mouth. His seed had a strange flavor, full of tannin, like an unknown type of nut. It was different from human semen, and I enjoyed every drop, no matter how often I swallowed it. He pulled his cock out of my mouth and brushed my lips with it. Then he patted my cheek gently. "I have business tonight with Philip, and you, my sweet and sexy jock slave, are going to dance at the Blue Room."

That was the club next to Gideon's Body Shop. I met a couple of dancers who worked there a few weeks ago. They'd told me that I had the right build to dance on stage. It had excited me then, and it excited me now. My dick stiffened at the thought. And of course Koby also worked there. We'd met last night, and I was still thinking about him and his sweet ass. I wondered if I would see him there tonight.

Master spoke softly to Buckwalder in a language I didn't understand and then the little man started pulling out my clothes. A jock with a green mesh pouch, black straps, and a wide waistband, also black. I also had a matching muscle shirt and shorts that fit me like a second skin. This time, he gave me black socks that came up to my knees and my white athletic shoes. Those shoes were the only clothes I had that hadn't been handcrafted for me by the little hob.

When I was dressed, Bucky handed me a gym bag that seemed fully packed. I made sure to thank him for his trouble and then followed Master down to the basement. Philip had been sleeping there in one of the spare bedrooms and I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head when he looked at me.

He jumped off his bed and wrapped his arms around me. "You look amazing, Kyle. But you always look amazing."

He kissed me and I kissed him back. Philip was so gentle and loving that I just had to hug him close. He was two inches shorter than me, but more muscular. He spent a lot of time pumping iron. He really liked me. In fact, I thought his feelings ran a lot deeper than mere like. But he knew I was obsessed with Simon. When I had a meltdown at his apartment, he'd known to call him and let him know.

When we broke apart, Philip said, "Nico told me that you were going to be dancing at the Blue Room tonight. I wish I could go see you, but Nico and I are going back to my apartment."

Nico put a hand on Philip's arm. "That's more information than Kyle needs to know about our plans."

Neither Philip nor my master owned a vehicle, so I had to drive. Master made me wait for a couple of minutes before driving off and I assumed that he was waiting for his redcap to join us, maybe other fae creatures as well. I had no idea how fast they were or if they had some way of magically getting around, like the time Master had teleported us back to campus.

I pulled into the parking lot just before dusk. There weren't many cars there yet because the Blue Room didn't open for another half an hour. Master led me inside and Philip followed. All the lights were on, and I could see the décor clearly. Large brass rivets in staggered rows fastened a black leather (or maybe faux leather) wall covering to shoulder height where it was held in place by a long brass bar. The walls above the bar were painted a creamy off white. Four person tables were scattered around the floor, and they were covered in the same leather as the walls, held in place by the same brass rivets. I doubted they were real brass. There was too much of it to make it cost effective.

The far end of the room held a stage with a runway, and there were chairs along each side as well. On the stage stood the largest man I'd ever seen. He was probably half a foot taller than me and even broader through the chest. His skin was a medium brown color and his hair hung in long cornrows.

Master headed directly toward him. "Mahendra. This is the young man I was telling you about."

The large man reached out a hand and pulled me onto the stage. Damn he was strong! And his voice was deep and powerful. It resonated down my spine and made me weak in the knees. "So, you're Kyle. A couple of my dancers have already told me about you, and they did not lie."

He put a hand on my abs and felt them through the thin cloth of my shirt. "Do you want to dance in my club tonight, up here on this stage, Kyle?"

I wondered if I would be able to say no, even if I wanted to. Mahendra must have had the same question. I hesitated for just a moment, and he narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Before you answer me Kyle, I need to ask your master a question."

He glared at Nico like he had no fear of him whatsoever. "Tell your slave that he is free to speak his mind and that there will be no repercussions regardless of what he says."

Nico smiled back at him and then at me. "Kyle, you are free to speak the truth. There will be no repercussions for what you say."

It was like his eyes were boring into mine, daring me to speak the truth. It was like he knew. He knew what I was going to say, and he was amused because he was sure he was right. I didn't really want to give him the satisfaction. Instead I said, "I don't know how to dance, Sir."

Mahendra gave a low rumbling laugh from somewhere deep inside his belly. "That's not what I asked. I can have another dancer show you some simple moves. No one will expect you to be an expert, not if we tell them that you're an amateur. Do you want to dance on this stage tonight?"

I inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly. I looked around at Mahendra, Philip, and my master. They were all awaiting my answer. I nodded. "Yes. I think I do want to dance on this stage tonight, if you think people would want to see it."

Mahendra laughed again. "With the way you look, no one will care if you can dance or not. Trust me, they'll want to see you."

Master placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm going to leave you here, Kyle. Go ahead and dance. I'll be back later."

Turning to Mahendra, he said, "My enemies may target him. Keep Kyle safe for me."

Mahendra replied, "No harm shall come to him so long as he is within my establishment. No one would dare."

There was something in his voice that made me believe him. Apparently my master was satisfied with that answer. I was a little surprised that he didn't order me to stay or ask Mahendra to keep me here until he returned. Instead, he took Philip and left me standing there on the stage.

Mahendra threw an arm around my shoulders again and gave me a side hug. He was large enough that he made me feel small and protected in embrace. It wasn't something I had many opportunities to feel and damn if it didn't feel nice. His voice rumbled as he spoke. "Let me get someone to show you some moves."

Then he called out, "Koby! Come on out here."

My breath caught in my throat as I waited for him.

**********

Last night, I'd gone to my normal Thursday night session with Gideon at the Body Shop. When I got there, he locked the door. Before I could strip naked, like I always did, he put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "Don't strip down yet. I have a surprise for you."

We walked into the back room where another man was waiting. He was older than me, maybe thirty or so, with dark brown skin, large brown eyes, thick lips, and curly hair that was long on top with shaved sides. He was a good looking man, and he was very fit. He was about average height, four or five inches shorter than me. He was thinner than me as well, but still very buff.

Gideon introduced us. "Kyle Mason, this is Koby Williams. Koby, Kyle."

We shook hands. Koby had a firm grip and he held onto my hand just a little too long for normal greeting, long enough to let me know that he was interested. Like I didn't know that from the fact that he was here in Gideon's backroom. I gave him a long look to match the one he was giving me.

Gideon said, "I told you last week, Kyle, that your master had given me permission to teach you how to top properly. When I told Koby, he was very interested in helping you learn."

Koby looked over at me and winked. "Gideon told me you were a handsome young stud, but he didn't do you any justice."

Gideon sat back in a chair and said, "Kyle, you're the top in this encounter. What do you do first?"

I wasn't sure. Back in school, I'd always just grabbed women and tried to get my dick in them before I lost my erection. And I didn't have sex with guys in any normal way back then. I just beat the crap out of them until I came. Since acknowledging my gayness, I'd only topped David Campos and he'd still been in charge the whole time. I knew that I didn't want to go back to being the violent rapist I had been, but I didn't want to just bend Koby over and shove my cock inside him, even though that's what most of my... lovers was too strong a word... what the guys who'd fucked me had done. Almost all of them, but not everyone. Philip was different. And so was Elijah once we were relaxing in his bathtub. I decided I would use them as a model.

I moved toward Koby and took hold of his shoulders with both hands. Then I bent down to kiss his soft pillowy lips. After that first gentle kiss, I pressed my lips against him more firmly. He opened his mouth to accept me. I thrust my tongue inside his mouth and took charge. I stroked his tongue with mine, and I tasted him. I crushed his lips and slid one hand down to cup his firm ass. Damn it felt fine!

We kissed for several minutes and explored one another's bodies with our hands. I was grinding my cock into his firm abs, and he was grinding his into my thigh. Both of us were rock hard. I pulled his tight white t-shirt off, exposing his muscular chest so that I could take his nipples in my mouth. I teased each of them with my tongue until they became erect and then nibbled them gently.

Koby moaned, "Fuck, muscle boy, you know more than I gave you credit for."

His praise sent a thrill through my body. I was only repeating things that the kinder tops had done for me. Most of the guys I'd been with had been cruel or callous, but some of them had been considerate lovers. Philip, Terrence, Elijah, Joey, Tristan, and David Campos. They'd made me feel good when they fucked me. I had them as an example of what to do.

My cock was aching to get inside those rock solid cheeks, but I remembered Philip holding me and showing me all the pleasures I could derive from my ass. He'd held back on his own need for release until I was on the brink. That's the way a real top was supposed to behave. That's the kind of top I wanted to be.

I picked Koby up and carried him over to the padded bench that Gideon had used when he fucked me. I laid him down and pulled his pants off, leaving him in only a pair of tight white briefs that barely held his erection. I pulled the briefs off and was stricken by the fact that his cock was at least two and half inches bigger than mine. My confidence flagged. I shouldn't be topping him; he should be topping me.

Gideon had come up behind me. He whispered in my ear. "Don't forget. You're the top. It doesn't matter that he's got a bigger cock. Tonight, you're going to use your cock to please him, and I guarantee you that he will love it."

I patted Koby's hip and said, "Turn over so I can get to that ass of yours."

He smiled up at me and said, "Yes, sir!"

He flipped over and teased me by flexing his cheeks. "I love a stud who knows how to take charge. Go ahead and fuck me! I know Gideon has lube. He's used it on me often enough over the years."

I wondered what all Gideon had done to Koby. Did he just fuck him or did he stick his whole hand inside him, up to the wrist, like he'd done to me? And if he did, did Koby enjoy it? And if he enjoyed it, how would he feel about my cock? I shook my head to get that thought out of my head. Gideon had fisted me and I still loved a cock in my ass. And compared to Gideon's fist, there wasn't a lot of difference between my dick and the larger cocks of those who'd fucked me.

I ran my hands across his firm round ass. Like me, he kept his body shaved smooth. I parted his cheeks. He looked and smelled clean. His asshole was a little puffy but showed no signs of redness. I ran a finger up and down his crack and then rubbed his hole.

Gideon moaned. "Don't be afraid, stud. I cleaned up before you got here so I'd be ready for your young cock."

That reassured me. Of all the things my master had made me do, none of them had involved poop, and I was grateful for that. I ran my tongue up his crack from his taint to his tailbone. Then I ran my tongue around his hole, gently teasing it until it quivered.

I pulled back just long enough to say, "I'm going to eat your ass for a while before I fuck it, Koby."

"Oh baby, do it! Eat my ass for as long as you can, stud boy."

I went for it. I thrust my tongue into his hole and probed. The musky flavor of his ass shot straight to my dick. I continued to eat him out until his hole had relaxed completely and was dripping with my saliva. I thrust a couple of fingers inside him and probed for his prostate. When I found it, I stroked it gently. He let out a low, "Uhnnnnnnnnn. Oh yes, that's it. You are making my whole ass sing."

I slowly let my fingers be pushed out and pulled my own shorts down. Gideon leaned against my back and whispered. "You'll get deeper inside him if you change position. Either lift his hips up or turn him on his back so you can enter from down here."

He took my hand and ran it along the base of Koby's butt, where it met the back of his thighs, and then pulled it up over the muscular glutes. He patted the roundest part of the curve and said, "You need to come in below this point. Either get his ass up in the air or put him on his back with his legs against his chest. Otherwise your abs will be bouncing off his bubble butt and you won't be able to get in to your root."

That's when I noticed how deep the cleft between those muscular globes was. I gave it a few moments thought then touched Koby's hip again and said, "Turn over so I can look at your face."

Koby turned, pulled his legs up toward his chest and spread them so that his hole was exposed. His hard cock was throbbing and dripping with precum. I took hold of his hips and pulled him to the end of the bench. Then I lined up my cock and slid it inside his ass. He was still relaxed, so he offered me little resistance. And his ass was warm and wet. It felt so fucking good on my cock, but I had to try my best to ignore that for a moment, until I found the right angle and began to strike his prostate.

Koby's eyes grew wide and he gave me a sexy smile. "That's the spot, stud. Keep hitting me there."

I set up a rhythm, making sure to strike that spot with each thrust. His ass was smooth, warm, and tight. It felt like he was massaging my cock with every stroke. I pumped in and out for several minutes. I ran my hands up and down his thighs. Gideon kept his backroom at a comfortable temperature, but both Koby and I were sweating. I could feel my hands slipping along his skin and drops from my brow were running down my face and dripping onto his chest.

"You are doing one hell of a job, stud. Just keep on doing what you're doing," he encouraged.

I could tell he was close from the way his ass was beginning to clench on my cock, or maybe he was just a talented bottom. Either way, fucking his ass was an experience I wouldn't forget. I was so close that I didn't think I could hold back much longer. Once more, Gideon came to my rescue. He leaned in and whispered, "It's okay to stroke his cock. Not everyone cums just from getting fucked, and almost no one cums every time just from being fucked. Your master keeps you so horny all the time, that you're an exception."

I took hold of Koby's cock and stroked him. His cock was hard, but silky smooth, and I only needed a few strokes before he arched his back and shouted, "I'M CUMMING YOU SEXY FUCKER! BREED ME LIKE A BITCH!"

When I started to cum, he clamped his hole tight around my cock and yelled, "SEED ME GOOD. SHOOT THAT LOAD SO FAR INSIDE ME THAT IT SHOOTS OUT MY MOUTH!"

He was so vocal that I had little opportunity for words. But I'd reached that point where I couldn't hold back if I tried. I overrode his screams with a mighty roar of my own. "AAAAAAAARGH! YOUR ASS IS SUCKING THE CUM OUT OF MY DICK!"

And then I shot six loads inside him while he sprayed all over my hand and his belly. I ended up with a fistful of cum, which I swallowed as soon as he'd stopped shooting. When we'd both finished, I pulled out and Koby took my cock into his mouth and sucked it clean. Then we kissed some more until it was time for me to return to the dorm.

**********

When Koby walked onto that stage, it shook me out of my reverie. He took my hand and said, "Come backstage so I can teach you the basics. If you get three moves down it will be good enough."

Koby showed me how to roll my abs and hips, how to strut, and how to shake my ass. I had to do it slowly because a faster twerking motion required practice. I did each move about twenty times before getting dressed. Koby had changed into a policeman's uniform while I was practicing and then he helped me to get changed. Buckwalder had outdone himself. He'd made me a football uniform. The pants were held together by Velcro on the sides, so they could be removed quickly. The jersey had Velcro at the shoulders and one side for the same purpose. I even had shoulder pads that could be removed with a few simple steps.

I was so glad that he hadn't duplicated my high school football uniform. That may have been too much for me. Instead he'd created his own uniform in black and green, the same shade as my jock. The team name was the "Gay Town Bottoms", and my number was 69, of course. There was no helmet and, instead of cleats, I had my old Nikes.

 

Simon

I was hanging around on the third floor of the library where Oliver had his study session. The others had left, but Oliver was still in the room with Lalo. The two of them were kissing and Lalo had his hand down the back of Oliver's pants. I could tell he was rubbing the owl-eyed mage's hole from the way the boy was leaning against him. Seeing Lalo being aggressive and dominant made me smile. It was just so incongruous from what I'd seen of his behavior. I wouldn't tease him about it, but it did make me want to laugh. I could smell his arousal through that perfumy soap he wore, and he still smelled like a submissive bottom boy, but there was a hint of something more dominant, like Oliver was bringing out a side of Lalo that none of us in the pack had sensed before. Of course the mage wouldn't be able to smell that on him, otherwise he'd probably be bending him over the table.

When they finally parted, Lalo seemed to be pouting, probably because Oliver was staying behind. I waited until the beta wolf was out of sight before heading inside and closing the door. Oliver was still packing up his computer and putting away the cables.

In a low tone, I said, "I have the weapons I need, and I borrowed a car from Hugh. He and Vicky are spending the night in her room, so he doesn't need it."

Oliver finished packing his backpack and then replied, "I spoke to Philip and asked him if he knew how much longer he was going to have to hide out in that basement room. He told me that originally it was going to be two weeks, but "Legolas" told Philip that he would be confronting the hunters who were watching his apartment tonight. So we can kill "Legolas" when he's away from campus."

Oliver insisted that we use codewords when discussing our plans because there were some elves who could hear it whenever you mentioned their name. He wasn't sure if Nico had that talent, but he didn't want to take any chances. He'd been skeptical when I'd first mentioned the plan to rescue Kyle by killing his master, but I'd managed to talk him around. It hadn't been too hard. He'd become frustrated with his failure to turn up anything in his own research, and he expressed more than a little dissatisfaction with the Conclave representatives and their inaction over Kyle's treatment (he didn't say "Sebastian" but we both knew who he was talking about). It had been his idea to make sure that we used iron instead of magic to finish him off because that way we could make it look like hunters had done it.

We agreed to meet at the parking lot ten minutes after Nico left. Oliver would wait downstairs in the common area where he could see the front doors and the door to the basement. Our plan was getting better. Now all we had to do was wait while he fought the hunters. If they killed him, we would then be able to take out the hunters. And if Nico won, he'd be weakened enough that we'd be able to take him easily. It was a win-win situation, and it was finally happening. By the end of this evening, Kyle would be free.

 

Lalo

When I smelled Simon after leaving Oliver, I decided to wait and circled back around. I was afraid he was going to try and intimidate Oliver into leaving me alone. I slipped into the study room next door and pushed two chairs against the wall and then balanced a third on top of them so I could reach the air vent. I pressed my ear against it and heard whispering. It was the waxing moon, so I was able to use my wolf senses while in human form.

What I heard made my blood run cold. Simon and Oliver were planning on killing the elf. This was bad, really bad. Drew had warned all of us to stay away from Nico. He said that messing with him in any way could lead to war between our pack and the fae and that we wouldn't be able to beat them without severe loss of life. And I knew that Nico was more than an elf; Oliver had told me that he was also a mage. And mages had laws about killing other mages. Oliver could end up in a mage prison for the rest of his life.

I couldn't tell Darren or Drew. That would get Simon in so much trouble. And I couldn't tell Nico because that would get Simon killed. At the beginning of the year, Darren had pointed out Sebastian to all us freshmen and we were told that he was the mage in charge of our floor. So I tried to talk to him, but he wasn't in his room. Micah and Cameron told me that he was taking Ethan to a special resort for his birthday and that they'd left right after our study session.

I didn't know what to do. I tried knocking on Kyle's door, hoping he could talk sense into Simon. But no one answered. At least no one answered until after I'd sunk down onto the floor with my head resting on my knees. I was on the verge of tears. If I didn't think of something soon, I was going to have to go to Darren, even if I did get Simon in trouble. That's when the door to Kyle's room opened and a small man with nut brown skin stood in the doorway. He stared at me for a moment and then opened the door wide.

I followed him into the room. I said, "I need to find Kyle. It's really important."

I didn't know who this man was, but he didn't smell human. He smelled more like a mixture of old leather and polished wood. He put a hand on my calf and held out a cup of water. I started to say that I wasn't thirsty, but then realized that I was. I took the cup and drank it.

"Thank you for the water, but I have to find Kyle. It's urgent. I need him and... well, he needs to know what I'm going to tell him."

I had no idea what this little guy would do if I told him my news. He'd probably tell Nico and I couldn't have that. He just stood there staring at me, like he was staring inside of me, reading my heart. Finally he sighed and then disappeared. In an instant, he was back, and he was holding a cloth. It was embroidered in block printing. "BLUE ROOM."

I looked at it for a moment then asked, "Is this a place?"

He nodded, so I continued. "Is it someplace on campus?"

He shook his head. I asked, "Is it in Severan, though?"

He nodded again. I didn't have time to play twenty questions with him and I didn't know the town very well. So I grabbed my smart phone and googled "Blue Room Severan OH." First result was a bar and strip club. I noted the address and had google give me directions. The sun was already setting when I jumped into my SUV. I had no idea how I was going to get inside a bar, but I knew I had to find a way. Failure wasn't an option.

 

Kadrian

My wrists were burning, and I was hungry. The hunters took me by surprise a week ago, just a little while after the Lord of the Elms had left. It was my fault. I was still distracted by the incredible sexual experience we'd had, and the honor he had given me by placing himself in my power while in my home. It was beyond my expectations. His kind, the elves of the summer court, were accustomed to demanding submission, not offering it. But the Lord known as Domenic Chase was different from the others. While outwardly just as haughty and arrogant, he had given himself to me.

The hunters had gotten my attention by spiking my tree with iron rods, and I reacted without caution. And they'd been ready with iron shot in their guns and iron cables to bind me. And here I was, trapped in a large plastic box, my wrists and ankles bound with iron cable. They hadn't fed me, or given me water, and I was alive only because of the connection to my tree. As weak as I was, if it weren't for the iron bindings, I would tear this box apart. Then I would find the hunters and I would turn them into mulch and feed them to my tree.

But, for now, I was helpless. I couldn't draw power because of the iron, and I couldn't find my way into faerie if I couldn't move and if I couldn't touch the earth. And any hunter would know to ward the windows and doors with iron, so there was no one who could come to my aid. I lay back and tried to meditate, hoping against hope that I would be able to recover my strength. If only I could return to faerie!

Kyle

I was scheduled to dance right after Koby, and there was another guy before him, so I had plenty of time to practice my moves. I felt like a klutz, but Koby assured me that I would do just fine. By the time my turn came around I felt ready to go. My stomach was full of butterflies, but my dick was swelling at the idea of what I was about to do. Until I met my master, I had no idea that I had such an exhibitionist streak in me. I knew that the house was full. I could hear them shouting their approval of the dancers and every time the curtain moved I could see that the darkened room was crowded. The thought of all those men waiting to watch me, and to take pleasure from seeing my body, was intensely arousing.

The first dancer had been a small guy, only about five and half feet tall, and slim. His name was Brandon. He'd gone on stage in a dark blue suit, complete with a tie, suspenders, a jacket, and a fedora. I'd watched him a little and gotten real anxious. That guy could dance! And he hadn't stumbled at all while removing his clothes. When he tossed his hat aside, I heaved a sigh, almost a moan really. He was a fair skinned redhead like Kieran, but he was considerably more muscular. He was the kind of guy who triggered the top inside me. And I realized, with a profound sense of relief, that I had no desire to slap him around like I'd done to pretty twinks in the past. All I wanted to do was to cuddle him tight against my body and gently tease him to orgasm.

And when he stripped down to a tiny little red G-string, he strutted around the stage like a bantam rooster, flinging his shoulder length hair and rolling his abs in an enticing and seductive way. His dick was covered by the pouch, but it seemed a lot bigger than I expected.

Koby put his hand on my shoulder and said with a smile, "He's not that big! He's wearing a cock ring to make his dick stick out more prominently. I don't need one." I knew firsthand that Koby was packing, so I gave him a smile in return.

Damn! Koby had a bigger dick than me. I was suddenly worried that my own G-string was going to look a little empty compared to these two. One task Master had given me was to research all aspects of gay sex and sexuality, so I'd read about cock rings. Maybe I should have asked my master for one. Koby noticed the concern on my face and shook his head. "Don't you worry none! Just get yourself fluffed up a little bit and you will look plenty big."

The audience seemed to like him. The men around the stage were shoving a lot of money into the strap of his G-string. When someone held up money, he danced in front of them for a few seconds while they tucked it in. And when the last song of his set ended, he walked off the stage, into the crowd, and moved around the room.

Koby piped up, "This is the best part. You get a lot of money on the stage, but if you're willing to take your time walking the room and giving lap dances, you'll get a lot more."

He'd explained the procedure before, but he was pointing it out to me again. There was a break of about fifteen minutes while Brandon worked the audience. Then Mahendra's voice came over the speaker. "Next up to stroke your... libido... we have Officer KOBY!"

"Gotta go," Koby said. Then he gave me a peck on the cheek and a wink. He squeezed my swollen cock through my pants before stepping out onto the stage to the sound of applause as the first song of his set started up.

Koby didn't dance so much as strut across the stage, but it still looked good. He was probably trying to move with authority because he was in a police uniform. He would stride over to one spot and then thrust his big package in the faces of the men who were waving money at him. I was watching him toying with his belt. He'd unfastened it and was pulling it out of his pants in a slow, teasing way. I didn't hear anyone step up behind me. The first indication I had was when a strong arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against a hard body. They started sniffing me, so I turned around quickly and took a step back to take a look. The guy was strong, but I was stronger.

The man I saw was drop dead gorgeous. He had light olive skin, full lips, and classic features, like an ancient statue come to life. His short black hair was wavy on top of his head but cut very short on the sides. And he was giving me a very broad smile.

"So, you're Simon's boy. You've been with other men since the last time he touched you, and you've showered. Nice. No perfume, just a natural, submissive jock boy scent."

"Who are you?" I stammered. This guy had to be a werewolf if he was smelling all that from a couple of whiffs.

That was confirmed when he said, "I'm Zeno, one of the alphas in Simon's pack. Has he told you anything about me?"

I shook my head. "No, sorry. He doesn't talk about you all."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me close again. "Good. He's not supposed to share pack secrets," he said. Then he sniffed my neck and said, "Damn! You smell so fucking good; I could just eat you up. Metaphorically, that is, but I'm not going to poach Simon's boy."

He gave me a big grin and said, "Besides, you and I are way too alike. I think both of us prefer a big cock up our ass. I can't believe Simon still hasn't given you what you want, but just wait until he does. He's a very big boy for all that he looks like a twink."

"Are you always this forward, Sir?" I asked. There was a weird combination of feelings inside me; anger, confusion, amusement, and the need to be polite, brought on by this damn slave collar.

He shrugged. "Not usually. Simon likes you, so I was curious about you."

I smiled back at him and asked, "So what do you think, Sir?"

He stroked his strong jawline for a moment like he was thinking deeply about it. "I think I like you. Of course many people have called me shallow over the years, so it may just be that I like the way you look, and I like the way you smell."

I was wishing that I had the senses of a werewolf because I was wondering if Zeno smelled as good as he looked. He was dressed in army Battle Dress Uniform, complete with combat boots and web belt. He had a pistol holstered around his waist. The top few buttons of his BDU shirt were undone and I could see an olive green tee shirt tight enough to outline his pecs. He popped a black army ranger beret atop his head and adjusted it. I could've orgasmed just by looking at him.

In that moment, I didn't care if I was overstepping. I moved closer to him and planted my face in his neck to take a good whiff. It was easier for me than it had been for him because I was a couple inches taller than he was. "You smell good, too, Sir."

He chuckled. "You are not a werewolf."

"Nope. But I can still tell how sexy you smell." And damned if I couldn't. He was clean, but he'd showered just long enough ago that he'd had time to sweat a little. His natural scent was arousing, like a sexy cologne, without the cloying scent of actual perfume. It was a pure masculine aroma.

Zeno reached down and took hold of my cock through my pants. He squeezed it gently and then massaged it. "You're supposed to be semi-hard to fill out your pouch, but a full erection will also work, so long as you won't be put off?"

He reached into my pants and adjusted my hard cock so that it was pointing upward. "Your erection will push the pouch out nicely."

I gave a little moan from the attention his hands were giving my cock. "It won't be a bad thing then, if I'm fully erect?"

"Not at all. The audience will love it. I always get fully hard when guys watch me dance. Knowing how much they're into me gets me too aroused to keep it at half-mast. And I need to stop touching you before I make you embarrassingly wet."

He pulled his hand out of my pants and lifted it to his nose so he could take a deep whiff. "Damn, you do smell good. One day, once you and Simon finally stop fucking around and start... you know, actually fucking around... you and I will have to work up a sexy routine. We'll get our guys all horny, push them down onto the ground and then ride them until they howl."

That scene ran across my mind. Why was everyone so convinced that Simon and I were going to get together? I wanted it to be true more than anything, but there was no chance of that... was there? If there wasn't, why was an alpha in Simon's own pack telling me that Simon wanted me. And if Simon wanted me like that, I had to let him know that I wanted him too. I wanted him more than I ever wanted anyone else in my life. He was... damn it! He was perfect.

The last song in Koby's set ended and he began walking the room. The customary break began so that the audience could concentrate on Koby for fifteen minutes before I went out onto the stage. I peeked through the curtain and saw that Brandon was also still working the audience. So I turned to Zeno and started talking to him about Simon.

"I like Simon very much," he said. "He's young and newly come into his full power."

"Do you mean that Simon has finally shifted, Sir? But it's not the full moon yet...," I blurted out, a little hurt that Simon hadn't told me.

Zeno saw how upset I was. He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Whoa? I'm so sorry, Kyle. I thought he would have told you."

I sighed, "So did I, Sir. I mean... we've been so close that... I knew he was looking forward to it, but... we haven't really been talking. He's been avoiding me."

"Sorry, Kyle. I didn't know that, but if he's been avoiding you, it has nothing to do with you. He's crazy about you. I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice every time he talks about you. Do you want me to kick his ass for you next time I see him and tell him to get over whatever's bothering him?"

I could tell that he was teasing, trying to cheer me up rather than actually planning to attack Kyle. I didn't know what to say, so I just shrugged and replied, "No, Sir, don't bother on my account. I just don't know what he wants! I mean, I... you know what I did to him, right?"

He nodded. "I heard the whole story. I also heard that your debt to the pack has been paid, and I know that Simon has forgiven you."

That made me feel better. But I decided to make sure that Simon had given them everything. "You see, Sir, I was fucked up when I got here. I did a lot of bad things. I raped an innocent guy half my size in a campus bathroom and then I went back to our room – Simon and I were roommates then – and I took my anger out on Simon. He'd been looking at me like he wanted to have sex since we moved into the dorm, and, well, I was looking at him the same way, both of us, whenever the other wasn't watching, but I was in denial. I thought I was straight. Or maybe I didn't really think I was, but I was trying to convince myself that I was. When my master punished me, I thought no one would ever be able to forgive me, but Simon did. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. But I thought he'd never want anything to do with me after what I'd done."

Zeno nodded, like he already knew most of what I was telling him. He didn't say anything. He just left me with time to gather my thoughts before continuing. "He's been helping me, Sir. You know, giving advice, but mostly just listening. I want him so badly that it hurts, but I don't think he feels the same way."

Zeno sighed. "Yes, he does, Kyle. Trust me on this. Did anything happen between the two of you?"

I nodded. "We went on a run followed by a picnic. It ended up with a mutual massage session in the woods."

Zeno interrupted with a question. "A little clearing surrounded by holly trees?"

I nodded. "Yeah that was it, Sir. But during the massage, when Simon's hands were on my butt, he suddenly stopped and said we had to leave. He's been avoiding me since then, and I don't know what I did."

He laughed, not in a mean way, but in an amused way. "He took you to the make out grove. If I had to guess, he planned on doing something there but then changed his mind and panicked. He's not mad at you. He's embarrassed by his behavior."

"Do you mean that he planned to have sex with me and then he panicked, Sir? Do you think he was afraid that I might hurt him again?"

Zeno found that very amusing. He had to stifle an even louder laugh. "Not at all, Kyle. Simon is an alpha wolf on the waxing moon. Unless you were hiding a silver dagger in those booty shorts you wear all the time, there was nothing you could do to him. No, if anything, he was afraid of hurting you."

"Simon would never hurt me, Sir!" I insisted.

He patted my shoulder. "No, he wouldn't. Not physically. I think he was afraid of hurting you emotionally. He's been acting as your mentor. Simon is a very ethical person. He probably doesn't want to take advantage of you while you're vulnerable."

"What if I want him to take advantage of me, Sir?" I asked wistfully.

But I couldn't wait for an answer. Mahendra had taken to the microphone again. "Our next dancer is an amateur making his first appearance on the stage. Say hello to a football player, number 69 on the Gay Town Bottoms! Kyle Morgan!"

We Will Rock You by Queen began blaring. It was a song played at almost every high school and college football game in America. That was my cue. I charged out onto the stage like I was heading onto the field for a game. The audience went wild. They didn't stop applauding, not even when I almost tripped over my own feet. I went to the end of the runway first and did the pelvic thrust move that Koby had shown me. I lifted my shirt to show off my abs and then gave my belly a roll as I swiveled my hips. I strutted back up to the main stage, near the pole, and then lifted my jersey over my head and tossed it in the box at the back of the stage.

A middle aged guy near the edge of the stage yelled, "YOU'RE ONE HOT PIECE OF JOCK MEAT, STUD! TAKE IT OFF!"

He was waving a twenty at me. "COME BACK HERE WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR THONG, SEXY!"

I gave him the ab roll hip swivel combo and he licked his lips at me. Apparently no one cared if I kept doing the same move repeatedly, so long as I did it in front of them. Then I pulled the spandex bottoms down lower so that the pouch of my Jock was beginning to show. I walked around the stage, lowering my pants the same small amount at each stop, until I reached the end of the runway. Then I turned my back to the audience and pulled them down, exposing the entirety of my ass, but keeping my muscular thighs covered. I wiggled it for the audience, to the thunderous sound of applause.

The song changed to Don't Stop Us Now. Apparently Mahendra thought Queen was the proper soundtrack for me. I didn't mind. Who doesn't like Queen?

Koby had told me that once I had teased them a little, I would need to move to the front of the stage, because that's what Mahendra wanted, it's where I'd start to make money. It took all I had to take this last step. I loved it when guys looked at me, but this was a big deal. They were going to be judging me and I'd have concrete proof of their opinion by how much money they gave me. What if no one wanted to slide their hard earned money into my jock? What if they did, but they gave me nothing but ones and fives to show how little they thought of me?

But, now that my jock was visible, people began shoving bills behind the straps. I saw tens and twenties... maybe even a fifty! Most of them took the opportunity to touch my ass or even run a hand down my crack, which just made me shake it all the more vigorously for them. After I completed the circuit, I took hold of the waistband and pulled the pants apart, tossing the two pieces in the box at the back. Now I stood there in my black and green jock, my hard cock tenting the pouch. Luckily the wet spot wasn't too visible. Aside from the jock, I wore my socks, my Nikes, my shoulder pads, and the black makeup under my eyes.

The crowd, who I already thought were in a frenzy, went really wild. Football was America's favorite pastime. These gay guys may or may not have been into the sport, but they seemed really into football players. I danced around the stage, stopping periodically to allow guys to touch my legs and shove money into my jock. They seemed free with their hands, but they kept them off my cock, which was a good thing, because I was so horny from my hole being teased that I thought I would shoot any minute. I had no idea why they were being so polite, but I later found out that the Blue Room had rules on that sort of thing. They weren't supposed to be touching my asshole either, but they seemed more willing to break that rule. Maybe it was less obvious or could be made to seem more accidental? In this moment, I was so ecstatic, I couldn't care less!

When my set finally ended with Another One Bites the Dust, my waistband and the pouch of my jock were full of bills. I walked off the stage and started giving lap dances. These guys, who had waited in their seats rather than rushing to the stage with their dollar bills, paid even more. The standard for this seemed to be $50 or $100. Most of the guys were older or out of shape, but I loved the attention. They seemed so happy to have me grind on their laps for a few minutes. And that's when I saw Terrence Green, the basketball player, star of our team. He was the first man I had chosen to have sex with. He was waving a $50 bill in my direction, so I walked over to him, ignoring a couple of guys closer to me.

He held out the $50 and then shoved it inside the pouch of my jock. "I allow myself one and only one lap dance a week. You can't believe how fucking happy I am to see you here, Kyle, and God Fucking Damn! You are hotter than hell these days.

I straddled his legs and ground against his erection which was almost bursting out of his shorts. I wished he could pull them down and let me impale myself on that big cock of his, but that was strictly against the rules. This was a strip club, not a sex club. Guys drove from miles around to visit the only gay strip club in this part of rural Ohio, and Mahendra wasn't going to let it become a brothel. However, It hadn't stopped some guys from shoving pieces of paper with their phone numbers on them into my jock and offering me $200 dollars to hook up with them after the show.

Terrence put his hands on my hips and felt my tight lats while I ground on his lap. I wasn't technically supposed to touch his cock with my ass, but I did anyway. I ground my ass right along his erection, and I could tell he wasn't wearing underwear.

"If you keep that up, I'm going to cum in my shorts, Kyle."

I gave him a smile and wink. "Do you want to cum in your shorts, Sir?"

He leaned forward and placed an illicit kiss on my abs. "If it's your ass, then I absolutely want to cum, no matter how messy it gets."

I stroked his cock with my cheeks until he moaned and gripped my hips tight, pulling me down so that his throbbing dick was lodged in my crack. His cock pulsed when he came, and I felt the wetness of his semen leaking through the cloth onto the cheeks of my ass.

 

Lalo

It took me a while to find the Blue Room. I got lost a couple of times and had to go around the block since there wasn't room for a U-turn on most streets in Severan. I admit that I drove through a couple of red lights and maybe a stop sign or two. People were blowing their horns and shouting obscenities at me. I thought, It does no good to get mad at me. I know you're mad and I am also unhappy with what I'm doing in this car!

I knew that I wasn't a very good driver. I could see the fear in Oli's eyes every time he rode with me. The problem was that it wasn't entirely my fault. My dad was terrified that I was going to get hurt on the road, so he'd bought me this brand new beast of an SUV before I left for college, thinking it would keep me safe in case of a collision. Maybe it made me safer, but it did nothing for the safety of those around me. How could he expect an exuberant and fearless young man to hold back in a car like this? Not to mention that I was only five foot eight inches tall, and this car was built for someone much larger than me to drive.

Still, I finally made it without doing any damage to myself or anyone else. I left the SUV across four spaces at the back of the lot since I wasn't good at parking this beast. I saw Oli literally translocate my car into a single space last time we were out. I wished I could do that. I jumped out of the car and ran to the door. I'd barely gotten inside when I felt a hand grab me by the front of my shirt and pull me against the wall.

A big guy with a bushy beard glared down at me. "Didn't you see the sign? It says 21 and older to enter. You are not 21."

"No! I'm 18 and I'm not here to drink. I just need to see Kyle Mason. It's an emergency."

"If you're not 21, you don't get to stay. Now go," he said, tossing me toward the door.

I didn't have time for this. I wasn't that strong, even if I shifted into wolf form, but I was fast. I ducked under his arm and ran into the room. The bearded guy followed me, but I was quicker. I ran along the back, near the bar, and was about to duck down the half stairs to the audience floor, when the biggest man I'd ever seen stepped out in front of me. He gave a low growl deep in his chest that sent a wave of fear through my body, but it also made me feel weak and submissive, like an alpha growl. Dammit! Even my asshole twitched, like it wanted to feel this guy's touch. I seemed to melt into his arms when he grabbed me.

"I'll take care of the boy, Vinnie," the man said calmly, and the bearded doorman went back to his post.

The man who was holding onto me led me back to an office behind the bar. He kept a grip on me while he spoke. "My name is Mahendra Khatri. I am the owner of this establishment, little wolf boy. Why are you breaking the law by coming inside here?"

I spilled the whole story as fast as I could. I didn't know what else to do. I left out the part about Simon planning to kill Nico; I just said that Simon and Nico were in trouble and were going to be killed. Mahendra waited until I was done and then said, "I should hand you over to Zeno when he's done dancing, but I want to honor your bravery in coming here by yourself."

"Please don't tell Zeno. I need Kyle to go see Simon and talk him out of doing something stupid. He's the only one Simon will listen to. If Zeno's there, Simon will get stubborn."

Mahendra gave me a smile that said he didn't believe me, but he was going to indulge me anyway. He led me out of the office and down to the main auditorium. Zeno was dancing on the stage, and I found Kyle on the floor just finishing a lap dance. I could smell that the man Kyle was dancing for had just cum. Mahendra's face said that he smelled it too.

He shook his head and then put a firm hand on the seated man's shoulder. "You're going to have to go home and get cleaned up now, but I'll see you again next weekend."

To Kyle he said, "Fifty percent goes to the house. You can pay the bartender before your little friend takes you out of here."

Kyle gave me a quizzical look, so I said, "Let me explain backstage while you're getting dressed."

I went with him, and he pulled the money out of his jock and handed it to me. "Count this for me, Lalo, while I get dressed."

I decided to wait until he had finished getting dressed before telling him the story. I doubted he'd be any more efficient if I made him panic. I counted his money. "$680 dollars, Kyle. That's pretty good for one night."

He replied, "It may have been more if I'd had a chance to work the audience for a little while longer. Can you count out half of it in the most non-cummy bills you can find?"

A lot of the bills had been inside the pouch of his jock and were a little slimy, but I found $340 that were relatively clean. I handed him the slimier pile and he put it in his pocket then took the other pile and held it in his hand. "Now, what brought you here looking for me?"

I told him everything. He stood there with his mouth agape for a moment before saying, "No! He can't do it. The last thing I want is for him to kill my master. It's complicated, but I don't want any harm to come to Nico. I want my freedom so badly, but not at that cost. We have to stop him."

I nodded. "I'm going with you."

Nico

We watched Philip walk into the woods, my entourage and I following invisibly. I knew this was a trap. My mistake was underestimating what the hunters could do if I fought on their turf. Philip stripped off his tee shirt and dropped his sweats. He was an experienced shifter, so the transformation was fast. In a matter of seconds, he had dropped to all fours and become a lynx. His fur was long and browner in color than a natural lynx reflecting his human hair color. This wasn't uncommon for a shifter, and it was one way that those in the know could tell a shifter from a natural animal. I followed along with him. We were confident in our glamor.

Jebediah Scanlon

In typical fae fashion, the elf and his people were walking right into our trap. We'd sprayed onion oil around the small clearing. That would bring the were-lynx right where we wanted him. He was hunting us, and moly unguent smelled like wild onions. As we expected, the fae were invisible. None of our senses could perceive them, but the electronic monitors we'd placed throughout the woods could detect the movement of the air and the vibrations in the ground. The computers couldn't see them, but they could locate them within a couple of yards.

We'd strung a steel cable three-quarters of the way around the clearing and my men were hiding in several blinds, ready to go. The were-lynx stalked into the clearing and followed the trail we'd laid out on the other side. Steel cables wouldn't hold a shifter, but the fae were our real target. As soon as the two bigger of the elf's companions walked into the clearing, two of my men unrolled the final section of the cable, closing the circle, trapping them inside. Four other guys tossed paintball grenades into the area which marked the invisible fae. They would be able to adjust their glamors, but it gave us a few seconds. Three of us fired at them with semi-automatic shotguns filled with iron buckshot.

 

Simon

Oliver and I arrived at Philip's apartment building. It wasn't a standard complex. It was a series of small one floor rectangular dwellings with adjoining walls. Each unit had a small backyard. We tried the buzzer, and looked in all the windows, but no one was home.

I turned to Oliver and said, "I can't smell Nico at all."

"Not surprising at all if he's glamored," Oli said.

I knew that from an earlier discussion with Drew, but I let Oli play a walking info dump. Lalo had told me that was how he dealt with anxiety. I could smell that Philip had been inside his house and the backyard, but the trail leading away was weak because it went into a field full of wildflowers.

I looked at Oliver and said, "I can smell him, but not well enough to track him as a human. I have to shift into wolf form for that, so my senses are keener."

He nodded in my direction and said, "Good. Don't run off and leave me. I'm going to turn into a crow and follow you."

"You're a shifter too?" I asked.

He pulled out his wand and said, "No, but I am a transmuter. I have a crow form and an otter form. I think the crow is more useful right now."

"Okay then. I'll wolf out and you can become a crow. Don't let me out of your sight."

Knowing my limitations, Oliver shouldered my heavy bag of steel weapons and then waved his wand and chanted, "Ego volentia mea formam corvinam assumam."

The transformation was nothing like watching a shifter change. One instant he was just the deceptively mild looking Oliver, and the next instant he was a crow. Even his clothing, my bag, and his wand had changed. The most surprising thing to me was that he could still talk, albeit in the harsh sounds of a crow.

He gave a loud CAW sound then said, "You'd best change in the woods."

Then he flew across the hundred yards of field and landed in a tree, and I jogged after him. Once shielded from view by the tree line, I started pulling my clothes off. Now I knew why my fellow shifters wore sweats and tee shirts so often. It took me a few minutes to finish removing my clothes and then I wasted more time looking for somewhere to put them where they wouldn't get dirty. Finally I just tossed them at the base of the tree.

Oliver was looking at me, staring with his dark crow eyes. "What?" I asked.

He gave a quick series of three caws that could almost be taken for a laugh. Then he croaked, "You look good Simon. I can see why Lalo likes you."

Great! So this was the moment he decided to bring up the point that I'd fucked his boyfriend twice now. I needed his head in the game. I needed him not to be sidetracked, so I lied to him. "What Lalo and I do is a wolf thing. It's not really about sex. It's a matter of pack social dynamics."

Oliver bobbed his head like he was nodding his understanding then said, "Change. You need to lead the way."

I sighed and then replied. "I won't be able to talk in wolf form, so I'll bark once for yes and twice for no. If we're close and trying to be quiet, I'll nod or shake my head, okay?"

Oliver bobbed his head again in agreement. I wondered if it was difficult for him to talk in crow form. His voice seemed harsh and forced. I stretched my naked body to limber my muscles, then shifted. Xav could do this in just a few seconds, but it took me a little longer. I still needed practice. I could feel the transformation as it took effect. I dropped to my hands and knees as my back arched and my body changed shape. All the wolf parts are already present in human form, just different. My muzzle forced itself out of my face, combining my upper and lower jaw. My spine and my back muscles changed so that I couldn't stand. I could feel the fur pushing out of my skin and the claws pushing out of my fingers and toes as they shortened into paws.

No one had seen a real wolf in Ohio since the 19^th century, but I was obviously a wolf, not a coyote. And the casual observer who had never seen a wolf in the wild had no way of knowing that I was an alpha wolf, much bigger than any ordinary wolf. I stood slightly more than four feet tall at the shoulder and my paws were twice as wide. I was covered in solid black fur, and I had more muscle in proportion to my body than I was ever likely to have in human form.

The world around me exploded into a complex tapestry of scents that allowed me to detect even the smallest detail. I could distinguish dozens of different plants in the area, even if I couldn't identify them. I could smell the faint traces of decay in the detritus of the forest floor, and I could tell what the humans back in the apartments were having for dinner. And I could smell Philip, both his human scent and then the sharp feline odor of his lynx-form.

My hearing was also better, sharper, and more directional. I could hear the soft sounds of Oliver's feathers rustling as he moved his wings nervously, and I could hear faint sounds of insects too small to see. My vision was the same as it always had been. Knowing that I would soon be able to change into one, I'd read up on wolves. Apparently, their vision wasn't as good as humans. They relied on their senses of hearing and scent, so I'd been surprised the first time I changed to discover that I retained my human visual acuity, not that it did a lot of good in the forest at night.

I couldn't smell Nico thanks to his powerful glamor, but I could follow Philip's trail easily enough. I padded off into the woods, Oliver flying along after me. I heard the action before I saw it and I smelled the sharp scent of gunpowder. And I could smell nine men, each of them different in their own sweaty way. Philip was trying to fight off two of them at once while most of the others were firing into the air around the clearing, the harsh sounds of their shotguns echoing in my ears.

Kyle

We sprinted into the parking lot. I was running toward my truck and Lalo broke off toward a badly parked SUV. He looked at me and said, "Let's take my car. There are more seats in case there's trouble."

I ran in his direction, and he tossed me his keys. "You drive. You know where Philip lives."

I thought there was more to it than that. Lalo owned a brand new SUV, there were minor dents and scrapes all along the lower body and he was parked in such a way that he took up one space plus a small amount of three other spaces around it. I went to get behind the wheel, but had to adjust the seat before I could climb in. Lalo was six inches shorter than me and much skinnier. He drove with the seat incredibly close to the wheel, like my grandma.

Lalo didn't seem put out at all to take the passenger seat. I looked for the ignition then realized that this was one of those fancy cars that started with the push of a button, so long as the keys were somewhere in the car. It had a camera in the back and motion detection that gave a warning if it got too close to another vehicle or obstacle. I had no idea how Lalo had managed to put so many scratches and dents into a vehicle that had this many safety features.

My family owned an auto dealership, so I knew how much a car like this cost. Lalo's family must have money if they sent him to this college and gave him a car this nice. I pushed the speed limit all the way to Philip's place, and I pulled up behind Hugh's car. I knew him from my soccer team, and he'd driven himself and his girlfriend to the pizza place that day I'd gone with Aidan.

We got out and I asked, "Is Hugh here?"

Lalo sniffed and replied, "No. I don't smell him. I smell Simon and Oliver. They must have borrowed Hugh's car.

I started to go toward the apartment door, but Lalo shook his head. "No. They did go to the apartment, but I can also smell them out back."

We ran around the building. Each of these apartments had a small yard with a short chain link fence and a gate. At the back, there was an open field and then the woods. That's why Philip loved this place. He could go hunting on the full moon without driving anywhere first.

Lalo was jogging toward the tree line, and I followed him, not really knowing what I was doing. Once we were safely out of view, Lalo started pulling his clothes off. He'd come dressed for action because he was wearing only knit shorts and a tee shirt, which was rare for him. At school he always dressed as nicely as Simon. I took a moment to take a good look at him while he undressed. He was a damn fine specimen of a twink with dark tan skin and dark brown hair. His features were delicate, like Kieran or Alonzo. And his long hair was pulled back in a kind of messy clump. I knew that style was called a wolf's tail despite it looking nothing at all like its name's sake. He was pretty, rather than handsome, and I understood why Simon had mentioned to me that all the wolves wanted a taste of him.

He turned and smiled at me, almost subconsciously posing. His penis was half erect. He noticed me staring at it and said, "Sorry. I get this way when I'm naked, especially when I'm naked around a sexy and macho guy like you."

I waved it off. "No need to be sorry. It's flattering, trust me."

He nodded and blushed just a little. "I'm going to shift to wolf form now so I can follow their trail. I won't run off and leave you but try and keep up."

I'd never seen a werewolf shift, so I was fascinated to see it. It took a few seconds from the time he dropped to all fours to the time he was completely a wolf. It looked painful when his muzzle thrust out of his face, but that was the only really disturbing part. When the transformation was complete, I almost laughed. Wolves are supposed to be scary, but Lalo had dark brown wavy fur that matched the hair on his head. He was still thin, more like a coyote than a wolf. He looked over at me and wagged his tail, and I couldn't help but think that he looked more like a cute dog than a wolf. I couldn't stop myself. I reached out and rubbed his head. He didn't object. He stuck his tongue out and panted. Then he started sniffing the ground.

With a short yip, he trotted off deeper into the woods. I followed. True to his word, Lalo didn't run off and leave me behind. We heard the sounds of the fight before we saw it. The sounds of gunfire and shouting. It was too dark for me to see much, but I could smell gunpowder.

Lalo led us off to the side where I saw an enormous black wolf. It had to be Simon. I knew there were no actual wolves in Ohio, just werewolves. I ran over and threw my hands around his neck. He turned and licked my face. I wanted to bury my face in his fur and stay there forever. But I had to talk to him.

"Simon, I need you to listen to me. I don't care how you feel about me, but I love you. I'd do anything for you. And I'm so grateful for what you're trying to do, but I don't want you to kill Nico."

A crow fluttered to the ground and suddenly transformed into Oliver. That was a little shocking. I had no idea he could do that. He dropped a heavy bag onto the ground and took a couple of deep breaths. "We're not going to kill him, Kyle. We're waiting to see if he survives the hunters. Then we'll decide."

"No!" I said. "I don't want him to die at all."

Oliver gave me a confused look. "Do you want to remain his slave?"

I kissed Simon's head, getting wolf fur in my mouth. "No. I hate being his slave, but if he'd never enslaved me, I would never have become what I am today. I wouldn't be a happy gay man. I'd be a self-hating, closeted serial abuser who attacked twinks and beat the crap out of them, and, even worse, since I've already crossed the line once by now, I'd probably be raping them as well. Damn it, guys, I am a better person now than I ever was before. And I owe all that to my master. I don't know exactly what I feel for him, but it's not hatred. It's more complicated than that. Please! Help him."

That was the first time I'd said that, even to myself. I was a better person now. I wasn't that guy I'd been before, the closeted homophobe, the brutal rapist. The idea of violence disgusted me now. And it has been my master who'd helped me to change.

Oliver said, "He's right, Simon. If Kyle doesn't want this, we have no right to force it on him. We'll find another way."

Simon nodded his assent. Then he turned toward the nearest gunmen and charged. Oliver waved his wand and chanted, "In circlo radio octo graduum, totus pulvis pyrius in adamentem transmutetur."

Suddenly the gunfire stopped. Men started shouting. Lalo charged the other side of the circle growling at the hunters who were suddenly holding shotguns that were useless except as unwieldy clubs.

Oliver gave me a cocky wink. "I've transmuted their gunpowder into diamond dust, now I'm going to light up the area so we can see."

He waved his wand again and chanted, "Circlum radio sedecim graduum illuminetur."

A circle of clear radiance appeared in the forest, just on the other side of us. Everything in that section was illuminated bright as daylight. We saw hunters in full combat gear. Three were attacking Simon, two were attacking Lalo and three were circling the outside of the area, ready to engage either of them as opportunity allowed. They were ignoring the four figures in the middle of the clearing. They were invisible, but they'd been splashed with paint. One was probably my master, and another was likely the redcap.

Without thinking, I charged one of the men and shoved him back into the clearing. Before he could get up, the redcap appeared and sliced into his body armor. And then two giggling creatures, who resembled laughing children, ran over. Their knives were smaller, but they were razor sharp, and they struck with precision. They sliced the areas not protected by the armor and blood flew from the neck and the hands.

Master looked at me and said, "There's a steel cable sealing us inside this clearing. If you break the circle, we can get out."

It was strange that he hadn't given me an order, but it didn't matter to me. I had no choice. There was no way that I could leave him trapped. I looked around for the cable, but just when I'd found it, I saw a man charging toward me with his dagger drawn.

Oliver shouted something I couldn't understand and the ground around the man suddenly turned to quicksand, or rather the dirt equivalent of quicksand, whatever that was. He sank beneath the soggy ground and had to stand on his tiptoes and tip his head back so that his nose was barely free to breathe.

I grabbed the cable and pulled it back. I didn't know where the opening was, but my master sensed it as soon as the circle was broken. He and his minions poured out of the clearing and the tide of battle changed. Lalo was on the ground and two men were beating him repeatedly with the butts of their guns. He was whimpering instead of growling. I suspected he wasn't much of a fighter. The red cap ran up and swung his sword hard enough to knock one of his attackers down. Their body armor prevented them from being sliced in half, but it didn't protect them from being stomped on by heavy iron boots. The flexible body armor also didn't stop bones from breaking.

Simon was on the ground retching while two men tried to hit him with their knives. I had no idea why at the time, but I later learned that the men had smeared something called moly unguent on their skin. It made them resistant to magic and it sickened shifters when they bit them. Simon hadn't known about it at the time, nor did he know how to recognize it by its faintly oniony aroma.

The third man was holding his hand, which looked like it had gone through a meat grinder. My master stepped up to one of the men and grabbed his wrist. Then he casually snapped it with a sickening crunch. The razor children attacked the other man with their knives. They were so fast, and I mean really fast, that I could barely follow them with my eyes. They ran by the man, slashing them as they passed, ending up a dozen yards from their targets, and then they did it again. They were the embodiment of death by a thousand cuts.

One of the other hunters was approaching Oliver, trying to strike him with a stun baton, but Oliver stepped back and did something with his wand. He was chanting again, but I had no idea what he was saying. It may have been Spanish. The visual effect was stunning. An acrid smell filled the area and a rain of liquid poured down on the man's head. He screamed and dropped to the ground as bitter smoke rose from his clothes and flesh.

The man with the mangled hand drew a dagger and plunged it into Simon. I wasn't worried. I'd seen the other daggers striking him and failing to break his skin, but this dagger gleamed silver in the light. Simon howled in pain. I didn't think. I rushed his attacker and knocked him to the ground.

And that's when everything changed. The bushes and trees around us started moving and the area was filled with the sound of dozens of tiny arrows flying through the air. Most of them bounced off body armor, but a few found weak points and penetrated. Wherever they struck, be it a hand, an arm or leg, that part of the body seemed to go completely numb.

Something large, resembling a small tree or massive bush, lumbered up, grabbing a hunter with vines that squeezed them mercilessly. More fae drew near, none of them bothering to hide behind glamors. They wanted to be seen. My master said, "You captured and tortured a dryad in your inane quest. I wish I could say that you would serve as a lesson to others, but... that's not going to happen."

Dozens of dryads and a half dozen other elves stepped into the circle of light. They fell on the men and overpowered them. I was kneeling next to Simon, trying to staunch the blood that was pouring out the wound. My master put a hand on my shoulder. "You have the power to heal him, Kyle. All you need is the tantric bond."

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "Do you mean I need to have sex with him, while he's wounded and in wolf form?"

Master knelt so that he was next to me. "No. All you need is the bond. Sex is one way to create it, but I suspect that you and Simon are close enough even without it. Just lie down next to him and let yourself feel on the outside what you already feel deep inside."

I lay down and wrapped my arms around Simon's furry wolf body. I pressed close, burying my face in his fur. I emptied my heart. "I love you Simon. I love your smile. I love your good heart. I love your generosity. I love everything about you. And I haven't even mentioned how much I love your kind eyes, and your sexy lips that make me want to kiss you every time I look at you."

Simon was still unconscious, but still he shifted into his human form, leaving us spooning on the ground with his body still in my arms. I looked over at my master and said, "Is he dying? Why did he change?"

Master's hand stroked my brow gently. "He changed because his energy body is attuning itself to yours. You aren't a wolf, ergo he won't be a wolf while you're bonding. It's okay. You're doing everything right."

I held Simon's slender body in mine and allowed our breathing and our heart rates to synchronize. He felt warm in my arms and all I wanted to do was hold him. The feeling I was experiencing was much more than sexual. It was deeper and more meaningful. It was love.

When Simon regained consciousness, he turned around, so he was facing me. Our eyes locked and neither of us cared how much of an audience we had. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and we kissed. I felt his tongue slide into my mouth, and I used mine to caress it gently. I eagerly swallowed his saliva, tasting him and reveling in his sheer deliciousness. His scent was sweet yet masculine with just a hint of the wolf still about him, and it was going straight to my groin. I'd been aroused while dancing and I'd almost shot a load when Terrence did, but my erection had gone down since then. Now it was back, pressing against Simon's equally hard cock.

"We need to stop before we both cum, Kyle. I want you, but not here in front of everyone. I want our first time to be private and... romantic."

I breathed heavily and asked, "Our first time?"

He kissed me again and said, "Heck yeah, Kyle. I have been thinking about nothing else for a week now."

Oliver walked over, his arm around a naked Lalo's waist. He was a feisty little guy. He stared at my master and said, "We saved your life, and you owe us a favor. I demand ownership of Kyle as my payment."

All the elves and other fae turned to look in his direction. I stood up and extended a hand to help Simon. Master tilted his head and gave Oliver one of those predatory smiles of his. "I do owe you a favor, but I owe many favors today. And I will choose the order in which I will grant them."

He turned to me and said, "Kyle, you have shown extraordinary bravery tonight. You alone of your companions have no powers useful in combat, yet you charged in, heedless of the danger. You broke the circle so my vassals and I could join the fray. And then you charged in to help Simon. You saved him from the man who was drawing his silver weapon. And don't think that I am unaware of the other thing you did for me this evening. I will grant you a favor first, before all the others. Don't worry. Simon, Lalo, and Oliver will also be granted a favor, and no one shall be judged by their intentions, just their deeds."

He looked into my eyes and said, "What do you want, Kyle?"

A thousand things crossed my mind, but there was only one choice. I said, "Master, I am grateful for all the things you've taught me. I'm a better person than I ever was before. But, now, I want my freedom. I want to be able to make my own choices and live my own life."

I pulled Simon closer to me, making it clear that I was choosing him. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. Master reached out and took hold of the magic chain around my neck. It came off easily in his hands. "Then you have your freedom. Make good use of it, Kyle."

Then he leaned in close and whispered, "I love you in my own way, and I have always based my treatment of you on that love."

All the others agreed that they wanted to hold onto their favors.

I looked around and saw the nine men on their knees, each being held by a brawny dryad. One of the newcomer elves looked over at Nico and asked, "What do we do with these men, my Lord of the Elms?"

Nico said, "Their lives are forfeit for what they've done."

I don't know why I did it, but I yelled, "NO! Hasn't there been enough violence? They are the way they are because of how they were raised. They deserve a chance to be better. Isn't there some way to make that happen?"

Nico looked at the others and they conferred in an unknown language. Even Oliver seemed not to understand them. Finally they finished. Nico said, "You have a kind heart, Kyle and we've been moved by your compassion."

The newcomer elves divided themselves into two groups of three. Each group surrounded one of the men and touched them on the head while singing in that strange language of theirs. The man who was touched shrank down and disappeared in a pile of clothes. One of the elves reached down and pulled out a baby, laying him gently on the clothes. Then they repeated the action until all the men had been changed into infants.

Nico said, "Now we will deliver them to those who are desperate for children, but unable to bear one of their own. They will begin again and have a chance to do better the second time around. Now go back to campus. This part of your tale has drawn to a close."

Arm in arm, we left. Simon drove me to pick up my truck on the way, and Oliver climbed into the SUV with Lalo. I felt like tonight was the beginning of the rest of my life.

**********

Kyle is now free to make his own choices. He no longer has an Elf Master, or a master of any kind. His and Simon's story continues in Starcrossed chapter 1.

College Magic Cycle Characters

Fae

·        Domenic Chase. An elf from New York City who looks about 24 but is actually a couple of centuries old. He has an alien mindset that others find hard to comprehend. He stands 66 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. His skin is pale, and his hair is almost white. His eyes are purple. When he's not glamered to appear more human, you can see his pointed, lobeless ears, solid purple eyes (like he has no white in his eyes, just purple iris) and sharp feline teeth. He's physically tough (he claims to be tougher than the werewolves), fast and has strong, claw-like fingernails. He can weave illusions and powerful charms, although the charms require some level of acceptance from the target. He's a friend of Sebastian. He enslaved Kyle Mason as punishment after he raped Kieran and beat up Simon. He's a sophomore despite having gone to the Academy with Seabstian. He started college just last year.

·        Kadrian. A male dryad who lives in an ash tree a hundred yards from Philip's apartment with a clear line of sight. He and Nico had a sexual encounter. The hunters were using his tree as an observation platform. They captured him and tortured him.

·        Lyan. A dryad who lives in an elm near Philips apartment. Like all elm spirits, they are hermaphroditic, shifting from male to intersex to female in form.

Mages

·        Cameron Campbell. Formerly one of the twink trio along with Micah Blum and Oliver Rankin, he is now considered a twunk. He is five ten and weighs 165 pounds. He's lean but muscular and is a member of the Severan College soccer team. He has bright red hair, fair skin and a lot of dark freckles. He is the boyfriend of Micah Blume.

·        Desmond Devereaux. A 23-year-old 1^st year graduate student in history. He's the fifth floor RA in Baylor Hall. He's dating Viviane Lamont, the fourth floor RA. He's a competent mage, but less good at casting spells quickly. He's six-foot one inch tall and has light brown hair, green eyes and fair skin. He's not athletic but still looks fit.

·        Elijah Jackson. A 24-year-old graduate student who went to the Academy with Sebastian and Nico. He's a graduate student in the history program and he mentors struggling African American students and he tutors student athletes. He is 74 inches tall and weighs 275 pounds of mostly muscle. He's built like a massive rectangle. His skin is dark brown, almost black and he wears his hair in long dreadlocks. He's a powerful transmuter mage. He understands mechanics and electronics better than any of the other mages except for Erik Rucker. He has become friends with Kyle. He has two live in boyfriends, Kendal, and Tristan.

·        Ethan Lowry. A 17-year-old boy from Long Island. He stands 67 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. He has golden blond hair, blue eyes and always has a golden tan. In this story he was working with the hunters. His mother is a sylph (an air spirit) and his own spirit is half human and half ventus (a name for male air spirits). He holds a donum arcanum (magical gift) and is being trained as a mage. He's an orphan who was raised by his uncle, ow also deceased. He is now Sebastian Trent's boyfriend.

·        Jason Lee. A 19-year-old (about 6 months older than Kieran) Chinese American college freshman with golden brown skin, brown almond shaped eyes and collar length black hair. He is already an accomplished alchemist. He is a dominant, looking for a submissive boy. He finds what he's looking for in Kieran Morgan. He takes charge of Kieran and begins training him as a submissive. He gives Kieran alchemical elixirs that change his body, and he uses psychology to lead him to embrace his innate submissiveness. He has allowed himself to fall into tantric entanglement with Kieran, bringing them even closer. He believes that Kieran is his complement, the other half of his soul. Jason and Kieran are the suitemates of Alonzo and Erik.

·        Joseph Lawrence Peters. A freshman in Kieran's writing class who was in the same religious program before school that Kieran was in.

·        Kieran Finley Morgan. An 18-year-old boy with pale skin, golden-red hair, and green eyes. At the beginning of the story, he is deeply closeted (he is unaware that said closet had glass doors everyone could see through) and stands at 72 inches and 180 pounds of muscle. He was a high school athlete who was on the diving team, the swim team, and the track team. Jason took charge of him shortly after they moved into the dorm and began training him to let his inner submissive out. Jason gives him alchemical elixirs that are changing him physically. He sometimes struggles with the idea that he's losing himself inside Jason, but he can't go long without his lover's touch. Kieran is somewhat naive. During the story he loses height, mass, and penis size. Jason says that he's not doing it, but Kieran is sure that he is. After being raped by Kyle Mason, he suffers psychological trauma and only his relationship with Jason gives stability to his life. He and Jason are suitemates with Alonzo and Erik. He has an artistic soul. Jason has decided that Kieran will change majors to Art. Kieran is a foundling mind mage with powers of telepathy and clairsentience.

·        Kyle Mason. A 19-year-old college freshman from Kentucky. He's recently developed his latent mind mage powers, but they're weak. Kyle begins the story as a high school athlete who's let himself go a little. He's 74" tall and 250 pounds. He has a muscular build with a layer of fat and a small gut. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He's a closeted gay man and a homophobe. He has a history of beating on gay acting guys who get him aroused. During the New Student Mixer, he raped Kieran Morgan. When he got back to his room, he beat on his smaller roommate Simon until he orgasmed in his pants. In return for these acts, Domenic Chase enslaved him and is turning him into a hot jock bitch. His life has become a prolonged slave training session. He begins to show remorse and even to accept his sexuality but tries to find a way out of his magical enslavement.

·        Marvin Oswald. A 21-year-old mage sophomore with talent in healing. He's studying premed in hopes of going into complementary healing.

·        Micah Blum. An 18-year-old mage boy who rooms with Darren. He used to spend most of his time with his two friends Oliver and Cameron. They were in a polyamorous relationship. Micah is a little afraid of Darren because he's afraid of werewolves. Once he was in an abusive relationship with his older cousin Remuel Adler, but now Micah has chosen Cameron Campbell as his boyfriend.

·        Oliver Rankin. A freshman mage (18 years old), one of the twink trio along with Micah Blum and Cameron Campbell. He describes himself as a rude, arrogant (because he is smarter than everyone around him) and unable to quickly read social cues. He's befriended Kyle Mason and works with him in science lab.

·        Sebastian Trent. A 24-year-old graduate student. He's the RA for his floor and he helps Professor Thorne to wrangle the mage and supernatural scholars on campus. His female counterpart is Clarissa Spencer. Sebastian is 70 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He has light brown hair and brown eyes. He was a little overwhelmed with the fallout from Alonzo's spell and Kieran's rape, so he allowed Domenic the leeway he needed to enslave Kyle. Now there's nothing he can do about it. Sebastian is bisexual but prefers men. He has older men on campus who blow him in exchange for favors. He seems to have a lot of influence on campus for a grad student. He is dating Ethan Lowry but feels guilty about the age difference.

·        Tristan Navarro. A 21-year-old senior seeking a degree in English Literature. He's filipino with medium beige skin, black hair, and dark eyes. He stands 66 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He likes short shorts and tight tee shirts. He's Elijah Jackson's lover and lives with him and Kendal. He calls Elijah daddy and Kendal brother. He has written two volumes in a series of mm romance novels about mages called Wands of Love and he intends to keep writing. He kept his own name and keeps his own finances, but he's no less devoted to Elijah than Kendal is.

Mundanes (or Unknown)

·        Edward "Eddie" Mason. Kyle's 25-year-old brother.

·        Kendal Jackson. A 23-year-old college dropout. He's five foot three inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. He has pale blond hair, heterochromatic eyes (one blue and one green), and extremely fair skin. He lives with Elijah Jackson and is one of his lovers. He hated college and dropped out. He stays home and keeps house for Elijah Jackson. He likes to wear women's clothing but identifies as a boy. He changed his last name and signed power of attorney to make Elijah control over his affairs. He's very submissive. He calls Elijah daddy and Tristan's brother.

Skinchangers, Non-Werewolves

·        David Campos. (Da VEED) A handsome man Blatino freshman of Domenican ancestry. He's from Philadelphia. He has dark olive skin tone, black hair that looks feathery, and piercing brown eyes. He is a were-raptor who can assume two non-human forms. He can become a raptor that resembles a large golden eagle or a hybrid form that is bipedal with sharp claws on the end of feathered arms. He is an alpha, but the were-raptors don't follow a pack structure like the were-wolves do.

·        Gideon Blackburn. A muscular man with dark brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair in tight, kinky curls. He's about 30 years old and works as at a waxing salon on the edge of town that takes male clients. It seems popular in the gay, BDSM community. He likes fisting (giving, not receiving), and he's a shifter who turns into a lynx.

·        Mahendra Khatri. 50-year-old were-tiger who owns and operates the Blue Room. His place is a neutral space for various shifter tribes to come together because they're all afraid of him.

·        Philip Mertz. A jock who shares a history class with Kyle Mason. He's 6 feet tall and weighs 180 lbs. He's about 6 feet tall and muscular, with light skin and brown hair. He's a shifter who turns into a lynx. He becomes Kyle's partner and trainer in the gym. He's also a lover that cares about Kyle. Domenic saved him from a were-wolf in his freshman year. He lives off-campus near the woods by a different trailhead from the one used by the were-wolves.

·        Tristan White. A 19-year-old college freshman. He stands only five and half feet tall and has sandy hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. He's a wererat and a member of Oliver's study group. No relation to Stella White the werewolf.

Skinchangers, Werewolves

·        Darren Groves (Alpha). A 21-year-old college junior from Montana. A heavy-set man with shoulder length brown hair, a short beard, and brown eyes. He's powerfully built under his extra pounds. He's of average appearance. He stands 70 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. He's Drew's right-hand man. In a fit of lust, he groped Kieran in the laundry room. Who knows what would have happened if Drew hadn't broken it up? Despite this, Darren is a good guy. He's become a kind of avuncular figure for Kieran as one of his protectors on campus.

·        Drew (Andrew) Janowski (Alpha). A 22-year-old werewolf from rural Pennsylvania. He's 74 inches tall, with blond hair and green eyes. He wears a short, well-trimmed beard. He has a powerful build and weighs 220 pounds of solid muscle. He runs the local werewolf pack and helps Sebastian keep order on campus. He's bisexual. His girlfriend Dawn commands the female werewolves. He also likes handsome men and pretty boys. He took Simon into his room after he was attacked by Kyle.

·        Hugh Kent (Beta). A 19-year-old college freshman. Lalo's roommate. He was born mundane and then turned back in Michigan. Although self-identifying as straight and conservative, Hugh participates in the mounting ceremonies and surprised himself by enjoying that experience with his pack leader, Drew. He's in relationship with Vicky Garcia.

·        Kevin McNeil (Beta). 20-year-old college sophomore. An athlete with brown hair and fair skin. Roommate with Conor Tighe. Tammy's brother.

·        Lalo Arenas (Beta). A cute and thin latino freshman, with a wiry build. Lalo is short for Eduardo. He has light olive skin tone, jade green eyes, and brown hair. He is friends with the mage Oliver Rankin (they share a literature class), and now the two of them are dating. He's eighteen years old.

·        Simon Carter (Alpha). A 19-year-old gay college freshman. He's an African American boy (although his biological father was white) who was raised by two moms. He stands 68 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He's of average size, but the men he likes best are muscular jock types, most of whom aren't interested in bottoming for a skinny black boy. After getting beaten up by his roommate Kyle, he is moved to Drew's room.

·        Vicky Garcia (Beta). A very short Latina were-wolf. She's tougher than she seems, and she really hates rapists. She's a 19-year-old sophomore and she's in a relationship with Hugh Kent.

·        Xav (Xavier) Janowski (Alpha). A 24-year-old werewolf who is spirit speaker (priest) for the werewolves. He stands 70 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He has long blond hair he wears in a French braid and deep sapphire blue eyes. He's Drew's older brother, and his closest advisor in the pack. He is the spiritual leader for the pack and gives spiritual advice to mundane clients who don't know he's a werewolf. He's flamboyant and campy. He is a total power bottom and fucking him can be a spiritual experience as well as a physical one.

·        Zeno Schiller (Alpha). A grad student, brother of Dawn and supporter of Drew Janowski. Drew was sleeping with Zeno before he even met Dawn. He's six feet tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has dark hair and olive skin tone. He has very little body fat and keeps his impressive body shaved. He is a dancer and according to Drew he has the greatest core body strength of anyone he knows. He's a power bottom who runs Wolf House. He's taking a semester off after showing up to school late. He works as a stripper at the Blue Room, a gay bar on the edge of town.

Places

·        Blue Room. A gay strip bar operated by the weretiger Mahendra Khatri. Most of the employees and clientele can't see through the velamen arcanum. Zeno Schiller dances here and a lot of versipelles and mages frequent the place. Unfortunately for most of our main characters, the minimum age to enter is 21.

·        Numina Flux Zone (NFZ). This area of southeastern Ohio is a weak spot between the worlds. Magic rituals are easier to perform here, and a higher-than-average number of people born in the region have mage talent, although most of them are never identified or trained. The realms of faerie, umbra, outland, spirit, underworld, astral, dream, and light are easily accessed from this zone. Other realms may or may not be easier to reach from here than from elsewhere. A similar, but smaller zone surrounds the Sagacia Academy and the Ossuarium in the Bayou of Louisiana.

·        Severan College. A fictional private college in fictional Severan Ohio. It was founded by the mage Aurelius Severan, originally to provide mundane college degrees to young mages. To accomplish this goal, mundane professors needed to be hired. Over time, the magical nature of the school became hidden behind a layer of mundane scholars and professors. The college sits near dead center of the numina flux zone that marks a weak spot between the worlds.

·        Severan House. The oldest building on campus was originally the home of Aurelius Severan, the mage who founded the college. Severan House contains offices, a museum, and several mage-only facilities, including a magic circle in the basement to make translocation spells more accurate. Students living at Ibis House and mages visiting from other towns and states use this circle to arrive in Severan.

·        Wolf House. A large farmhouse surrounded by row apartments used by werewolves to house wolves who can't or don't want to live on campus. It's governed by Zeno Schiller with the aid of a council of alphas. It's the headquarters of the Severan Pack.