I welcome feedback from readers, in fact I thrive on it. It's really the only payment authors on NIFTY receive for their efforts. If you enjoy the story please take a moment to drop me an email and let me know. Comments from my readers drive my creativity.

 

This is a bonus story I wrote to celebrate the one-year anniversary of my first publication on NIFTY. I hope you all enjoy it. It's a story of modern fantasy and gay sex. While it's set in the same world as The College Magic Cycle, it stands alone and has none of the characters from that cycle of stories.

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You can contact me at pseudonominius@gmail.com.

Author's Notes

●       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. NOTE THAT SOMETIMES GOOGLE WILL NOT ALLOW BULK EMAIL AND THAT SOMETIMES BULK EMAIL WILL END UP IN YOUR SPAM FOLDER OR TRASH.

●       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

●       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.

 

Links to My Stories

College Magic Cycle

●       My Roommate the Alchemist

●       Wishcraft

●       Alchemy and Songcraft

●       Magery

●       Elf Master

●       The Pack

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

"It's happened again, Ma'am! In the garden! Come quickly," the gardener said.

Sarah Prince closed her eyes for a moment and said a prayer to a god she didn't really believe in. She put her coffee cup on the table and followed the gardener outside, pausing only to grab her coat from the maid who'd run to fetch it. It was December and there was a thin layer of snow on the grounds of the country estate. The house had been decorated for the holidays; however, the mood was anything but festive.

"It's cold outside," she yelled over her shoulder. "Send some of the men to help me."

She hurried out, close on the heels of the gardener. Her sister-in-law, Beverly, was at her side, and she was glad of it. A strange and unnatural curse had fallen on the family. She hadn't believed in magic until she married Kevin. Now she did.

Her three sons were lying in a heap, asleep in the snow. All three were adults, so it took six servants to pick them up and carry them into the house. The men took them upstairs and put them all in Sarah's king size bed.

Sarah left Beverly to supervise the servants as they stripped the men of their cold and sodden clothing, while she ran to the basement to prepare the tea that would restore them. She unlocked the cabinet that contained her husband's book of alchemy. She'd already gathered the ingredients because this was not the first time she'd needed them. She mixed the tea carefully and heated it over an open flame. She followed the instructions exactly, adding the ingredients one at a time, stirring first nine times widdershins then eleven times clockwise. She filled the cups and took them upstairs.

Beverly was seated in the chair by the bed. The boys were lying naked under an electric blanket. This was the third time in three days that they'd had to do this exact thing.

"Help me get this tea into them, Beverly," Sarah said. "It's the only thing that wakes them."

Beverly got up and lent a hand.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, Sarah," she said. "We're lucky you were able to figure out the correct remedy in time. Heck, we were lucky you even knew about Kevin's book."

Sarah didn't tell Beverly that her husband had showed her the book, that he'd taught her the rudiments of alchemy years before he died. She was no master, but she could brew an unguent to enhance her charisma, a potion to remove disease, a potion that allowed her to read minds, and most importantly the restorative elixir that she used to remove the enchantment from her sons.

The women put the tea into the boys' mouths spoonful by spoonful. They awakened about halfway through and were able to sit up and drink the remainder on their own.

"It happened again?" Alex asked.

"It did," Sarah replied. "Do you remember anything this time?"

Her sons shook their heads and said no. It was always the same. Each night they disappeared out of their beds and each morning they were found somewhere on the grounds. They could never remember what had happened, and each day they grew more fatigued. Sarah needed to find a solution, or she worried she might lose them all.

*************

Nick Zauber finished his peppermint mocha. It had perked him up because he'd ordered it with a triple shot of espresso. He'd come to the lovely town of Ithaca, New York, because of the visitations. For the last three nights, he'd been visited by a strange apparition that urged him to go to the Prince Estate. The spirit hadn't been very communicative, like it was trying to communicate over a vast distance or through water. "Prince Estate...Ithaca...behind the dragon...Easter...Lily," was all Nick could make out.

That had been intriguing enough to get his interest, and it raised some questions. Who was this apparition? How did it know him? And how was it reaching out from wherever it was? He may never get the answers he wanted, but even years later he would count this event as one of the most important turning points in his life.

He assumed the apparition was somehow connected to the Prince Estate. Maybe it knew him from the Arcane Speculum, the weekly publication for the magical community. He'd been featured in a couple of articles over the years for some of his exploits. He had no idea how the spirit could be reaching out to him, however.

Nick had managed to dig up a little information while he was in town. The Prince Estate was the name of a mansion north of town just off Ridge Road. It belonged to Sarah Prince, the majority shareholder of Prince Investment Corporation. She'd inherited her position and money after her husband's death. From everything he could tell, the family was mundane with no magical connections at all. They weren't sworn to the Conclave, so they weren't mages, and his contacts in the local werewolf community denied that they were members of the pack.

Nick found the guy he was looking for, not a specific person, but a simple Lyft driver who was preparing to go home after several hours driving. Nick approached him about driving him out to the Prince Estate. The guy didn't want to do it, for any amount of money, but a simple fascination spell had changed his mind. Since there were mundanes around, he used his Lantern Society ring as a focus. It was harder than using a wand, but far more subtle. His fingers moved in the intricate pattern the spell demanded and he whispered, "Allicere lingua mea."

Nick had plenty of mundane money. He'd won several thousand dollars in a poker game last week. It was stored in his magic bag along with several changes of clothing , a small arcane library, a traveling alchemist's kit and several other items he sometimes needed for his missions. I even had a 10 gauge shotgun in there along with several cartridges filled with everything from rock salt, to silver to annealed iron pellets. The bag looked like a simple messenger bag and it weighed only a couple pounds but it could carry anything that would fit inside. The opening could expand to a yard in diameter and the interior could hold anything that was two yards or smaller in any one of its dimensions. Luckily, it took only a few seconds of concentration to call forth any object it held so that it could be easily grasped. Conveniently, there were three smaller pouches on the front, just below the flap that could hold a cubic foot of material each. That's where he kept his money and his alchemical concoctions..

The Lyft pulled up in front of the beautiful 8000 square foot gothic revival mansion sitting on several acres of well-tended lawn. It was decorated in an understated style. All the fir trees along the drive were hung with multicolored lights and the windows of the house were topped by strings of softly glowing icicles. Nick hoped he could finish this mission before the Solstice Holiday. He'd promised his mother that he wouldn't let his work keep him from showing up this year. His brother and his two sisters all planned to be there with their kids.

A handsome and fit man in a well-tailored chauffeur's uniform was bent over a car. Nick could see him through the open garage door when they drove up in the Lyft. He had the driver stop in front of the garage. He pulled $1000 out of his bag, handed it to him and sent him on his way with his thanks. Then he got out and walked up to the chauffeur.

"Excuse me," he said, moving up next to him. "I'm here to see Sarah Prince. Do you know if she's home?"

The chauffeur stood up and Nick could see that he was about his own height, with a handsome square jaw and deep brown eyes. He said, "It's not my place to discuss Mrs. Prince or her whereabouts, but you can go knock on the door and see if the butler can tell you."

Nick turned to leave but whispered the words to the fascination spell instead. Then he turned around and hit the chauffeur with it. "I really need to know a little about your boss before I offer her my services," he said.

The chauffeur leaned back against the car and said, "Well the boss is a pretty amazing woman. She's been running the business by herself since her husband died even though he was the one with the degree in finance. She's a fair employer and we're all loyal to her."

"That's good to know," Nick said. "So you think she'd play fair with me?"

He nodded, then added, "Make sure you know what you're agreeing to. She's a sharp negotiator."

"And is she home?" Nick asked.

"She's inside. All you have to do is knock," he said with a smile that went straight to Nick's loins.

The fascination spell wouldn't have made the guy give him a look like that. Nick wished that there were more time, and that he hadn't fascinated the guy. Having sex with a man he'd charmed with magic seemed a little too close to date rape for him.

Nick checked his magic glove to make sure that his wand was hidden in its extradimensional recesses, then he walked to the front door and knocked. The butler was a tall handsome man a few years older than Nick. He didn't want to let him in without an appointment, so he used the fascination spell again and soon found himself being led inside.

The interior of the house was just as tastefully done as the outside. The foyer had a vaulted ceiling and it was more than large enough to warrant the twelve-foot tall Christmas tree, so lavish and decadent it looked like it had been decorated by professionals. The furniture surrounding it had a modern but comfortable look. The room could probably seat a couple dozen guests. The fireplace had five stockings hanging from the mantle.

It was such a change from the more cozy decorations he was used to at his family home in Pennsylvania. Everything back home was done in German-American Volkskunst style, and most of it had been made by the children in the family over the last two centuries. Of course those decorations or the images painted on them in some cases were magically animated. And the tree would be lit by tiny mage fires.

Nick was led into the sitting room off the foyer that had no holiday decorations aside from a slender three foot tree sitting on a side table. A servant came and asked if he wanted some refreshments. The guy was a twenty-something twink with blond hair and a cute smile. Did Sarah Prince hire anyone who wasn't a handsome man? he wondered. If this job took time, it could be very interesting staying here.

He'd later find out that there were a few exceptions, but Sarah and Beverly Prince liked to be surrounded by handsome men.

In a few minutes, he was joined by two women, both in their forties, both elegantly dressed and both looking exhausted. The younger of the two sighed and said, "I don't have a lot of free time, Mr...?"

She didn't offer her hand, so Nick didn't offer his either. He rose and said, "Zauber, Nick Zauber, Ma'am. And I think you need my help."

The older of the two said, "My sister-in-law is very busy and doesn't have time for sales pitches. Tell us what you're here for."

"Very well, Ma'am," Nick said. "I'm here because of a strange apparition that appeared to me every night for the last three nights. I can't tell who it is, but it keeps repeating the same words. `Prince Estate', that's this place, `Ithaca', that's the town up the road, `Behind the Dragon', I have no idea what that means, and `Easter Lily', again no clue. I'm here because the apparition won't leave me alone. Obviously I'd like these visitations to stop and I have plans for the holidays after the 20th; my own family obligations, you know."

Like most mage families, the Zaubers were Mage Universalists when it came to religion. Their big celebration would be the Solstice Dinner on the 21st. Although the partying would begin tomorrow night on Saturnalia, they wouldn't exchange gifts until Christmas. Some mundane traditions were too good to pass up.

"This is ridiculous, Sarah," Beverly said. "Just have this bum thrown out and be done with this nonsense."

She knew very well that they needed his services, but she was plagued with skepticism and a little fear. The family had had very little to do with mage society and she suspected that this itinerant mage adventurer could be involved in the curse. Could he be an agent of their enemy coming to worm his way into their confidence? She knew that they had other agents. Kevin had implied as much over the years before he was murdered.

And even if he was what he professed to be, it wasn't a bad negotiation tactic to downplay the importance of his talents. That way they could offer him less payment.

Nick smelled the tell-tale signs of alchemy on Sarah. He was a fair alchemist himself. Family legend said that they were descended from Nicolas Flamel and that was why there were so many Nicks in the family. If she was an alchemist, he could speak freely in front of her – but what about the other one? He decided he could always modify her memory if necessary.

"Let me guess," he said. "There's something supernatural happening here and it's wearing you out. You're trying to solve it with alchemy and it's not working."

"Easter Lilies, Beverly," Sarah said. "The message was from Kevin. Somehow he sent you to us, but how can you help?"

Nick smiled and said, "I'm kind of a freelance agent. I offer my services to those who need supernatural assistance."

Beverly frowned and asked, "What exactly can you do?"

"I don't know yet," Nick responded. "And I won't know until I investigate. But I've managed to put ghosts to rest, I've lifted curses, and I've disposed of monsters from the other side."

They told him the story of what was happening to the boys, although he had the impression that there was some background behind it they didn't share. He was also sure that they hadn't shared all the details. He agreed to investigate the problem for an exorbitant sum, with the promise of an even more exorbitant sum to follow if he could end the curse. Then they sent for the sons.

They were a fine-looking trio of young men, despite their obvious exhaustion. They were all home for the holiday season, although Alex usually stayed in the family's Manhattan apartment and Daniel in his frat house at Cornell. It was in Ithaca, less than thirty minutes away, but he enjoyed the college lifestyle. Tristan was the only one who commuted every day, but he attended a private school on the edge of town.

Alex was the eldest. He was twenty-five and had just finished an advanced degree in Finance. He was working at the family firm, helping to plan investments. His co-workers knew that he would eventually run the business and they were helping him to learn the ropes. He seemed intelligent and capable, but still humble. He had blond hair like his mother and a nice face. He obviously spent time in the gym.

"I'm supposed to get married on the 28^th," he said, shaking his head sadly, "but if I keep getting sicker, I'll have to postpone the wedding."

"And then the Cassidys will think we're backing out," Sarah said. "The merger of our two families would make us one of the top players in the world of Capital Investments. It would be unfortunate if that deal falls through."

It seemed like Alex was in love with his fiancée, but his mother was mainly looking for financial opportunities. Nick lost interest in the young man since it seemed that he was straight.

He found the second son much more interesting. Daniel had brown hair and a handsome face. He resembled the picture of his father hanging on the wall. His eyes were blue, and his lips were very kissable. He kept a faint smile around his lips that made him look like he was smirking. He was twenty-two and was finishing his undergraduate studies at Cornell. When he introduced himself, he seemed almost amused, and he licked his lips at the older man when his mother and aunt weren't looking. Nick's dick stiffened slightly in his pants.

Nick was a handsome man himself. Although he was in his forties, he had only a few strands of silver in his dark hair. He had a masculine chin, a strong aquiline nose and he wore his beard trimmed to a fashionable scruff. Daniel was attracted to him, even though he usually preferred guys closer to his own age.

However, it was the youngest who drew Nick's eye. Alex was of average height, and Daniel was a little over six feet tall. Tristan, however, was no more than five and half feet tall, maybe a little shorter. He had the fairest skin of the three, completely without blemish. There wasn't a single acne scar, mole, or imperfection. And his eyes were a very pale blue, almost gray. His upturned nose was thin and his mouth, although of a normal size, seemed somewhat overlarge on his thin face. He had an almost elfin beauty. Nick's dick grew rock hard when he looked at Tristan's face, and he was glad that he wore very roomy trousers, otherwise everyone would see his arousal. He was too big to hide in tighter pants.

"And this is Tristan," Sarah said, tousling his unruly black hair and kissing his head, "my youngest and the surliest of my sons. Smile at Mr. Zauber, Tristan."

Tristan looked at Nick and gave a faint smile before quickly looking away. His mother seemed a trifle annoyed that her youngest son wasn't being more personable.

"How are you, Tristan?" Nick asked, trying to draw the boy out.

"I'm fine," he said quietly, "except for not being able to sleep and feeling exhausted all the time."

Tristan's stomach fluttered and his loins began to tingle. He liked older men, at least in theory - he was still a virgin. This handsome stranger was making him wish he were as forward as his brother Daniel.

"Hopefully I can help you with that," Nick said. "Then you can get back to... um, college...? in January?"

"Oh, I'm still in highschool," Tristan replied. "But I turned eighteen at the beginning of the month."

Nick let out a mental sigh of relief. This boy was making him feel very much like a dirty old man. Everything about Tristan called to him, from his slender frame to his boyish cuteness to his nervous reticence.

Nick reluctantly turned his attention back to Sarah and asked, "I know that this is the Price Estate and that we're not too far outside Ithaca, but what do the other parts of the message mean?"

She sat down and said, "Easter lily is my favorite flower. I think that was a message to me, to let me know that it was from my husband. How he's talking to me from beyond, I have no idea."

"And `Behind the Dragon'?" he asked.

She looked around the room at her sister-in-law and then at each of her three sons. Beverly shrugged. Alex and Daniel shook their heads. Tristan didn't bother to look up.

"Okay. I don't need any details that are sensitive, but it may help if I know a little bit about you all," Nick said, "No one here is registered with the Conclave. I checked before coming."

He'd taken a risk. His oath to protect the secret of the Conclave was magically binding, but he wouldn't reveal anything more than the name if they didn't already know.

Sarah looked at the boys and said, "Go upstairs and try to get some rest. I know you won't be able to sleep but try and relax."

Daniel looked ready to argue, but Alex took him and Tristan by the arm and said, "Let's go bros. Mom wants to talk with Mr. Zauber in private."

Only when they were gone and Beverly had closed the door, did Sarah say, "I don't know much about the Conclave. Kevin said they would arrest us if they knew what we could do."

I decided not to give them any more information about the secret magical government of the United States. I shrugged and said, "They wouldn't care if you didn't break the law, but they'd probably watch you because you're pact mages, aren't you?."

"I don't know what that means. And if you're wondering where Kevin learned his magic, neither of us knows," Beverly said. "I think he learned it while he was at school. He shared the information with me, and even gave me a potion to win each of my three husbands."

"You have three husbands?" Nick asked with a smile.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Beverly said with a laugh. "I had them all one at a time. They were old and they left me all their money because they were so in love with me."

"And their love came from a potion vial?" Nick said.

"You disapprove?" Beverly asked.

"I honestly don't care," Nick replied. "I'm just trying to get the facts straight."

"That's all we know," Sarah said. "Since Kevin's death nine years ago, the two of us have done our best to learn the alchemical arts. I think my husband knew other magic, but he never shared it with us."

"Okay," Nick said. "If you don't mind, I would like to wander around and look for anything significant. Are there any areas you'd prefer that I didn't investigate?"

"Stay out of my room, and Beverly's," Sarah said. "Otherwise, no."

Nick didn't push the issue, but he was sure that the women were hiding something. He hoped it wouldn't make it impossible to do his job. He wandered around the grounds first. He used a spell to allow him to see magical auras. It was a simple spell and required very little, just a touch of the finger that held his lantern ring and a whispered, "Nimbi numinosi revelantur."

The subtle halo effect caused by the numina flow interacting with people and objects suddenly became visible to his eyes. The part of the garden where the boys were found today still had a faint other-wordly glow. He could tell that it was the endpoint of a faerie trod. It was fading rapidly, so it was a temporary terminus. He wouldn't be able to force it open from this end.

A faerie trod was a path used by fey creatures to travel great distances in a shorter time. Some were permanent, like the Forest Trod that connected several forests in Britain (inlcuding the Gwydir, the Ashdown, the Forest of Dean and the Loch Ard) with the Broceliande, Troncais and Haugeneau in France, the Teotoburg and Bayerischer Wald in Germany and so many more. Others, like the one in the gardens of the Prince estate, were temporary, established by the fey when they wanted to travel quickly. They would fade quickly unless reused by the fey over the course of years.

He found several magical herbs and fungi growing in the greenhouse. The sanguineus mortifer mushrooms were being properly fed with blood. The pixie caps were growing inside a magical circle. And the spina venefica had mice impaled on its barbed spines. The women knew what they were doing.

He moved inside the house and started looking around. He was trying to make a methodical search, but he was distracted by Tristan standing in the hallway and looking at him. He looked uncomfortable or nervous. He started to say something, but the boy walked down the hall and turned a corner. His skinny jeans clung to his round butt like a second skin. Nick followed him, feeling even more like a dirty old man.

Tristan went down the stairs to the basement. He stopped in front of a wall constructed of bricks with a subtle variation in shade. If you looked closely, you could see the outline of a dragon in the brickwork.

"This must be it," Tristan said.

"Why did everyone say they didn't know what the message meant?" Nick asked.

Tristan sighed and said, "When I point the dragon out to them, they see it, but then they forget about it."

Nick stared into the boy's eyes until he looked away suddenly. "Can I check something?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," Tristan mumbled in the general direction of the floor.

Nick renewed the spell that allowed him to see magical auras. And there it was. Tristan's aura was brighter, much brighter. It was reacting to the background flow of numina. He was untrained, but Tristan had talent. If the others forgot about this symbol, it meant that they had little to no talent, and it also meant... that the symbol was magically warded.

Nick looked at the wall in detail. The dragon was superimposed over a spiral, not just any spiral, but the golden spiral. At the top of the wall, the bricks were numbered 1 through 13.

"Have you ever opened the door, Tristan?" Nick asked.

He looked up, surprised, and asked, "It's a door?"

"Yes," Nick said, "And the clue to open it is right here in front of us. I'm not seeing it yet. I may need your help."

He looked intently and said, "I see a dragon and a spiral."

"Don't forget the numbers," Nick said.

Tristan looked up at them and said, "1 through 13. Is that significant, or is it just the width of the design?"

"Good thinking," Nick said, "You're pretty smart."

Tristan blushed. Nick thought that he was even prettier than he was smart. He wondered if the boy was gay. If he were a mage, the law of liminality meant that there was about a one quarter chance that he was, and another half chance that he was bisexual. Nope! Nick thought. The universe would be heartless and cruel if a boy that pretty wasn't gay.

"Wait!" Tristan said. "That's not just a spiral; it's a golden spiral, and it has two full curves! And that means that I know what the numbers mean."

Nick picked the boy up by the legs and held him so he could reach the numbered bricks. "You show me the code, Tristan."

Nick's face was even with Tristan's butt. He took a deep breath. The boy was sweaty but clean. He smelled amazing and Nick wanted to rip his pants off him and lick his boyish crack. What the hell am I thinking? he mused. I have never been attracted to a boy before. I like men!

He couldn't stop himself from adding, But he's eighteen. And that makes him an adult.

"The golden spiral can be defined by the Fibonacci sequence," Tristan said. He touched the bricks and spoke the numbers aloud, "One, one, two, three, five, eight, and thirteen!"

The bricks seemed to turn and fold themselves into the wall, leaving a shelf unit exposed. Its wooden shelves filled the entire space, five feet by eight feet with a depth of three feet.

Nick put Tristan down, so they were standing side by side. The shelves contained a lot. There were some components for some very dark spells, including preserved human fetuses, three skulls (human, elf and forest drake), a sealed jar that contained tallow of some kind he chose not to identify, and several other things that he didn't want to think about. There were bearer bonds worth tens of thousands of dollars, a strangely mundane addition to the arcane items stored there. There was a knit cap with arcane sigils on it, an obsidian dagger inlayed with silver and several scrolls rolled up and tied with black ribbon.

"If the message came from your father, he must have wanted me to see something. I doubt that these things were what he wanted to reveal," Nick said, gesturing at the unsavory spell components. "So, it must be one of these."

He picked up the cap and the obsidian dagger with silver sigils in the blade. Tristan picked up a set of scrolls and said, "Or these."

"Let me take these and study them before tonight," Nick said. "The more I know, the greater chance I have of saving you."

Tristan handed them over with a smile. He said, "I believe you can help us, Mr. Zauber."

Then he got embarrassed and turned away. He left the basement without another word. Nick noticed that the boy was walking funny, almost like Nick would walk when he was trying to hide an erection. He took the objects upstairs. As he left the basement, the wall closed behind him, sealing the hidden storage area.

*************

Sarah Prince gave him a guest room to study what he'd found, but she insisted that tonight he would stand vigil in Alex's room. He was obviously her favorite and she was very concerned about the upcoming marriage.

The cap was a pilleus obscurans. It would hide its wearer from sight. From all appearances, it was well-crafted. The simplest invisibility caps would only hide the wearer from mundanes, but this one was more powerful. It was perfect except for a single place where an embroidered sigil had been carefully removed. Kevin Prince must have removed it for a reason, meaning that it was likely a gift. If it had come from Kevin's patron, the missing sigil probably would have allowed them to see him even when invisible or at least to divine his location at any given time. Nick couldn't see any harm that could come from wearing it.

The obsidian blade was enchanted to cut through magic. It would make it easier to unravel powerful spells, and the blade would cut through creatures of magic and spirit as if they were flesh and bone. The mage put the dagger in the extradimensional space of his other glove. Now he was armed with both a wand and a magic blade.

Nick was just looking through the papers he'd found when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened and Alex was standing there. Despite the snow outside, it was warm inside the house. It looked like he'd come to the guestroom straight from, what Nick assumed must have been, the home gym. He looked fine with a white muscle shirt plastered to his broad chest. His gray knit shorts displayed a healthy bulge. His blond hair was plastered to his head. He shut the door and moved nervously to the couch.

He'd been in the gym when his mother had come in and put a hand on his shoulder. "We need this Nick Zauber, Alex. He carries himself as a man who knows what he's doing. I called a friend who's also familiar with the magical world. She told me that he's the real deal. He has experience in exactly the kind of situation we're facing."

She'd sighed and stroked his face. "You need to seal the deal, Alex. It's not enough that he's agreed to take our money. You need to make him want to help you."

And now he was sitting nervously on the bed. Nick suspected why the young man was here, but he didn't make it any easier on him. He sat and stared at his handsome face.

"Do you need something, Alex?" he asked.

Alex searched for the right words to say. He twisted his fingers in his lap, and then he stood up and pulled his shirt off, exposing his well sculpted chest. He has a classic vee shape to his torso that Nick found appealing. He knew the guy was here for the wrong reasons. His mother or his aunt, maybe both, wanted Nick bound by more than bonds of employment.

His presence must be something they think will make me take the job. Was there some dark secret they were hiding, or did they suspect their enemy was powerful enough to scare me off? What the hell? He thought. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He stood up and walked over to the young man who'd come here to offer himself. He grasped the blond's handsome jaw. It was smooth. He must have shaved recently, and he smelled of sporty cologne. Nick kissed his firm lips and then pushed him back onto the bed.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right," he said.

Then he grabbed the young jock's shoe and pulled it off, tossing it over his shoulder. He followed with the second shoe. Socks came next. Nick held each masculine foot to his face and inhaled. It smelled of sweat and the slightly sour smell of feet.

"You smell good," he said.

Coming to the mage's room hadn't been his plan, but Alex was beginning to warm up to the idea. His mother wanted the mage bound to the family by bonds of affection, in addition to money. Alex had suggested that Daniel would be better at the task. He was sexier and he was willing to do whatever it took. While Alex was no stranger to same sex activity, it was usually just a little mutual masturbation with his jock friends, which on a rare occassion might lead to a flip fuck. For some reason, his buddies found it too gay to suck a cock, but they would fuck or even get fucked if they got horny enough.

Nick Zauber was making him feel sexy and uncomfortable at the same time. Alex wasn't used to a guy desiring him for his body. This didn't feel like good natured friends horsing around. He was crossing a line he hadn't been willing to cross before. He was a little scared, but couldn't deny his excitement.

Alex moved between the young man's legs with a hand on each of his muscular thighs. He admired the gym honed body stretched out before him, clad only in those gray shorts that were betraying his excitement.

"You don't have to do this, if you don't want to, Alex," the mage said. "I'm going to help you either way."

Alex felt a tremendous sense of relief. He'd come here at his mother's behest to seduce Nick and ensure his loyalty. Sarah Prince had seen the older mage checking out her boys. But now he was excited and the thought of having sex with this guy made him incredibly horny.

"Do you want to do it?" Nick asked.

Alex nodded and said, "Yes, Sir, I do."

Nick narrowed his eyes and nodded. Then he grabbed the waistband of Alex's shorts and tugged them down to his knees, exposing a healthy sized cock barely contained in a black jock. The guy had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Tell me what you want to do," Nick asked. He wasn't into non-consensual sex.

Alex licked his lips and said, "Can I see what you're offering, Sir. I mean, I'm not hiding anything now."

Nick gave a low chuckle. With a flick of his wrist, his wand was in his left hand. He wove a complex pattern through the air and let out a string of Latina Moderna. His clothes flew off and folded themselves neatly on a chair. He sent the wand back to his glove and then made his gloves shrink down to leather wristbands.

Alex was obviously impressed. He was smiling and his eyes were wide.

He'd seen magic, but never anything this casual. All he'd ever witnessed of his father's magic were rituals of protection. Of course Alex had no idea that this was the major practical difference between pact mages like his father and the mages of the Conclave. Pact mages knew specific spells taught to them by their patron, sometimes even empowered by their patron. Mages like Nick used a multitude of smaller spells to improve their lives. Their understanding and training was both deeper and broader.

Nick held up his arms and flexed. Alex's eyes bulged a little. The mage may have been as old as his mother, but he had some serious muscle. His chest was strong. His body didn't look like he'd been sculpted in a gym. It looked like it had been shaped by hard work. And it was covered by an impressive amount of dark chest hair with only a few silver strands running through it. And his cock was big, probably six inches when soft. This was a man. Most of Alex's same sex encounters had been with younger guys.

"I want to feel you inside me, Sir," Alex said, almost without thinking. His eyes were mesmerized by that big cock that was slowly swelling before his eyes. He licked his lips and added, "And I want to taste you, Sir."

Nick climbed onto the bed and lay down next to the blond jock. He ran one calloused hand down Alex's chest and then took hold of his hard cock through the jock. It was slimy with precum.

"What about this?" Nick asked. "What should I do with this?"

"Anything you want, Sir," Alex replied.

Alex couldn't believe he was being so submissive with this guy. He tried not to think about the fact Nick was the same age his father would be if he were still alive. Usually when he was with a guy, it was a relationship between equals.

"That's very accommodating of you, Alex, but I suspect a boy like you needs a little physicality," Nick said. When he saw the concerned look in the jock's eyes, he added, "I don't mean you need a beating. At least I hope not. That's not my style."

He grabbed Alex and pulled him close and crushed his lips with his own. His tongue shot inside the jock's mouth and conquered it like it was claiming territory. His hands moved down that gym honed body and seized Alex's nipples and pinched them hard.

Alex moaned and writhed beneath the older man. His dick was leaking, and his hips were thrashing around. Nick let go of his nipples and grabbed his scrotum with a firm pressure. He didn't squeeze, but he held it tight.

"Do you like that, Alex?" the mage asked.

"Yes, Sir!" Alex said. "It's... you... no one has ever done these kinds of things to me before. Are you going to fuck me now?"

"Take hold of my cock, Alex. It's probably bigger than anything that's ever parted your sexy cheeks. Some men can't take it. Are you a man or a boy, Alex? I need you to tell me if you still want me to fuck you with it."

Alex grabbed Nick's cock and stroked it. It was a full twelve inches long and Alex couldn't close his hands around it completely. It was a lot bigger than any of his friends'; it was about twice as long and twice as wide. He had his doubts about his ability to take it, but Nick's words echoed in his head. Are you a man, or a boy?

"I'm a man, Sir. Fuck me," Alex said.

Nick smiled down at the jock before him. He was a young man just on the verge of full adulthood, the last vestiges of ephebia were gone and his body had taken on its adult proportions. But he was still young and inexperienced compared to the man who was about to take him.

He moved his hand down to Alex's crack and rubbed his hole. It was tight.

"Have you ever had anyone inside you before?" Nick asked.

Alex gave a crooked smile and said, "I thought I had, but being with you is going to be like getting double dicked by my usual fuck buddies."

Nick hit Alex with a spell to clean, lubricate and loosen his bottom. He wasn't into pain and Alex was essentially a virgin as far as his big dick was concerned. He worked his fingers inside that jock bottom. It was still tight, but Nick didn't know a spell to dilate an anus, just to relax it. It was going to be a tight fit tonight, but magical lube was much more slippery than any mundane concoction.

Nick quickly worked two fingers in Alex's hole. His long fingers easily found the jock's gay spot and stroked it, making him moan. Then he worked in a third. Every thrust caused Alex's cock to leak a little more. Nick worked four fingers inside that fine ass and with his right hand and used his left to pull aside the pouch of the jock, freeing Alex's seven inches.

Nick leaned down and licked the head. Alex was so hard that his foreskin had retracted enough for the head to peak out. Alex's cum was still sweet and boyish.

"You taste delicious," he said.

Alex smiled up at him and blushed, saying, "I cum a lot."

"Good," Nick said, grinning. "Then I'm going to make sure I eat up every drop."

He worked Alex's butt until he was moaning non-stop, then he pressed his cock inside.

"It feels like you're tearing me up," Alex moaned.

"Do you want me to stop?" Nick asked.

He didn't want to pull back, and if Nick were a different person he wouldn't have made the offer.

"Hell no!" Alex said, clearly in a reckless state of lust. "Just do it. Ram it home and make me feel it."

Nick tensed his hips and then thrust inside Alex's silken warmth. Alex shoved his hand into his mouth to stifle his screams. The last thing he needed was for someone to come in to see what the matter was. Once Nick had sunk all the way to the root, he rested inside the jock's bottom, waiting for Alex to adjust.

The brutal assault on his ass had wilted Alex's erection, but Nick teased it with his fingers and brought it back to life. The mage started moving in and out, his massive cock driving the jock to new heights of pleasure. This masculine man was driving Alex crazy with his dick. Nick's rough hands and his masculine scent overwhelming his senses, driving conscious thought from his mind.

Nick could feel Alex's ass clamping down on his cock as he fucked him. He was tight, extremely tight compared to most of the guys he had been with. He wasn't fond of virgins. They needed to be treated with extreme care so as not to hurt them. Without meaning for it to happen, Nick's mind shifted to an image of Tristan lying beneath him, his slender limbs wrapped around him. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked down into Alex's eyes. He felt like he owed it to his lover to be focused on him while they were together instead of fantasizing about someone else.

NIck was close to orgasm. He pushed Alex's knees all the way back to his chest and pumped harder. When he felt his own orgasm coming, he reached down and stroked Alex's cock, sending him over the edge. Alex arched his back and moaned loud enough to be heard in the hall.

"I'm cumming, Sir. You're fucking the cum right out of me!" he yelled. And he blew a massive load that flew up and landed on his chin. Others landed between his muscular pecs, on his solar plexus and in his navel. The last oozed down into his pubic hair.

Nick pushed as far as he could get inside his lover and then held it, allowing the contractions of Alex's ass to milk him dry. He spilled his load deep inside him.

Nick pulled out carefully. He lowered Alex's legs and then swallowed his cock, using his tongue to clean every trace of cum from the shaft and the head. He peeled back the foreskin and cleaned under it as well. Finally, Nick licked every trace of cum from Alex's sexy body..

"Like I said, delicious," he proclaimed. And then he leant down and gently kissed Alex.

Alex, feeling the need to return the favor, jumped up and moved tenderly down the bed. His ass was throbbing and sore from the pounding it had just taken. He fell on Nick's cock, choking and coughing when he tried to take too much of it into his mouth. He cleaned the cock that had just taken him, savoring the flavor of sweat, cum, Nick's masculine musk and the faint flavor of his own butt. He hadn't expected to like it at all. But he was surprised at how much he loved it.

Alex looked into Nick's eyes and said, "You're delicious, too."

*************

At dinner, Sarah and Beverly took the time to further explain the curse to Nick. They'd given him the basics, but they fleshed out the details. Every night, a strange lethargy came over everyone in the house. No matter how hard they tried to stay awake, everyone would fall asleep. Sarah had even tried brewing alertness potions, but they had no effect. At some point, the three Prince brothers would leave their rooms. The first day, Alex and Tristan had shown up in shorts and a tee shirt, and Daniel had shown up naked. Since then, the brothers had been wearing sweats to bed.

Last night, the boys had been sharing Sarah's room with the big bed and the servants had pushed furniture to block the door, but they'd managed to get out anyway. Despite their best efforts, in the morning, they were found on the grounds in a magical slumber that provided no rest.

Nick told them that he would be able to stay awake, although he didn't explain how. He didn't want them to know all his secrets. Given some of the dark things he'd seen in the hidden cupboard, he didn't trust them.

Shortly after dinner, he got his stuff and accompanied Alex to his room. He made himself comfortable in a chair while Alex bundled up in a double layer of sweats with thick woolen socks. When he closed his eyes in a vain attempt to get some sleep before the curse took hold, Nick pulled out his pervigilium amulet. It resembled a pocket watch with Roman numerals. He set it for the maximum of twelve hours and immediately felt a sense of wakefulness come over him. It would keep him awake, but there would be a price to pay later.

Nick had been given this amulet by an elderly man in North Carolina who was being plagued by a fardarrig who had been pranking his farm. He'd used the amulet to face down the faerie trickster without falling asleep from its fiddle playing.

Within the hour, Nick heard distant drumming echoing through the house. Everything grew still, except for Alex who sat up and then got out of bed. He had a glazed look in his eyes and moved like a sleepwalker. Nick put on the pilleus obscurans and followed Alex out of the room. He noticed the chauffeur lying on the floor asleep, a baseball bat lying discarded nearby.

Daniel and Tristan also emerged from their rooms in the same state. They walked downstairs and out the backdoor. Nick could hear the beeping of the house's security system and was considering a spell to disarm it. Two of the brothers were enthralled, but Alex seemed to have enough presence of mind to turn it off. Nick followed them outside. They headed toward a stand of fir trees. Nick could see the magical aura that told him there was a fey path between the trees. He followed them. It took nine minutes to walk the path with fir trees pressing in on all sides and then they emerged into a clearing that contained a rough looking cottage. A large cauldron sat in the flames in front of the house. Three large and twisted women stood around it. Animated drums played a lively tune and the flames danced in time with their beat.

The central and largest of the three crones had skin that looked red and cold-damaged. The one on the left had skin that was white as snow and icicles hung from her hair, while the one on the right had skin of light blue and was covered with hoar frost.

The one on the left addressed the larger crone and said, "Cailleach Beurrach, the sons of the betrayer come."

"I see them, Cailleach Deigh. And once again they seem more hale and hearty than they should be," the one called Cailleach Beurrach said.

Then she turned to the crone on the right and said, "Can you give them the test, Cailleach Reotagh?"

The blue skinned crone smiled and said, "My pleasure, Cailleach Beurrach."

Nick translated the names. The middle crone, the one who seemed to be in charge was called Crone Winter. The white skinned crone with icicles in her hair was called Crone Ice and the blue skinned crone was called Crone Frost.

Frost approached the three young men and ordered them each to spit in a cup which she swirled around and drank. "Sisters," she said. `Either the mother, the aunt or both have managed to brew a refectory elixir. They should be ready to die tonight, but it may take longer. Each day, much of their energy is restored. But still, they weaken and will die."

"And then we'll have claimed all three of the betrayer's offspring repaying him threefold for him breaking his oath," Ice said.

Winter held aloft a severed head. It was withered and weathered from the cold, but Nick could make out the shape of the face and the structure of its bones. He thought it likely to be the head of Kevin Prince.

"Do you hear me, Betrayer?" she said. "Watch now as your sons dance out their lives in payment for your debt."

The drumming became livelier, and the three Prince brothers began to dance. It was a wild and exuberant dance, mesmerizing in its eroticism. The three crones watched and laughed. When they were fully distracted, the apparition appeared behind the mage. It was more solid here close to its skull.

Nick turned to it and whispered, "Kevin Prince, I presume."

It nodded and when it spoke, its words were still faint and weak. "Please save my sons."

Nick nodded and said, "I will if I can, but I need the details."

The shade had difficulty speaking. Nick assumed that it was using most of its energy to project beyond the skull in which it was bound. The mage was patient and slowly drew out what he needed to know. Kevin Prince told him that the information about his oath was in his notes.

He also managed to communicate the passwords that would allow Nick to safely enter the cottage. The crones didn't need them to enter their own house, but the fey servants who did the cleaning and made repairs needed some way to pass the threshold safely. But it was getting late and there would be no time this night to investigate. After a few hours of dancing, the brothers were dismissed, and Nick had to follow them back through the fey path. The nine-minute walk took three hours in the real world.

The brothers collapsed in the snow upon their return. They'd spent hours dancing energetically in that clearing. Even though he'd saved some time by taking only eighteen minutes for a six hour walk, the amulet showed that he'd used up about four and half hours of the amulet's time. He wouldn't be able to reset the amulet until he had time to sleep for a full twelve hours.

Nick used the pupatus spell to control them like puppets and make them walk into the house. Their motions were jerky and clumsy because Nick was controlling three men at once.

He left the Prince boys unconscious on the couch and went to get their mother. Soon they were comfortable in her bed under the electric blanket again and Sarah, Beverly and Nick were spooning the magical tea into their mouths. Sarah tended to Alex, Beverly to Daniel and Nick to Tristan.

Once they were resting and warming properly, Nick gave a quick debriefing to the women.

"We'll need to meet again after I sleep. I have a spell that will allow me to awaken refreshed after four hours, but you won't be able to wake me until then," he said. "When I get up, I'll need to read through some of your husband's papers and then we can talk. I have some ideas on how to defeat the faerie crones, but I need some more information first."

*************

While Nick was sleeping, Sarah and Beverly met in the study. They were sharing a pot of tea. Daniel and Tristan were trying to rest and relax, even though the curse wouldn't allow them to sleep, but Alex had gone to meet with his mother and tell her what had happened between him and Nick.

Sarah tapped the teacup nervously and said, "I'm glad that you failed to ensnare the mage, Alex. We need the Cassidy merger to go through."

Beverly smiled at her sister-in-law and took her hand, her thumb rubbing her hand in a loving way. She said, "I was going to try and do it myself, but I'm relieved that his interests lie elsewhere. I don't want a man to come between us now that we've found one another."

"Let's hope that Daniel has more luck," Sarah said. "Maybe we can get a spark ignited between two of them."

Alex was uncomfortable listening to his mother and his aunt discuss his sexual encounters, but he was accustomed to them not respecting his boundaries. They had a practical streak that overrode any normal considerations of propriety.

"I'm glad you didn't get attached to him, but I was hoping I could tie him to you with bonds of affection," Sarah said.

Alex wasn't sure that a mage like Nick Zauber could be affected by his mother's potions. He was so confident and he hadn't been affected by whatever magic had put everyone to sleep last night. But Alex knew that his mother was difficult to persuade once she'd made up her mind, and she'd grown accustomed to using alchemy to make sure she got her way.

Beverly smiled and said, "Daniel is more experienced and from what I hear more talented in that area than his older brother. That should help to ensnare the mage. If he doesn't already have strong feelings for Daniel, the potion is unlikely to work – not a mage of his power. He must triumph. Without my brother, we need another mage to help the family succeed. We're neutralizing the Cassidy's with Alex's marriage, but I'm sure that Griselda Rank is some kind of mage. She's been nipping at our heels lately as well."

"There's still Tristan, if Daniel isn't the one for him," Sarah said.

"Tristan is a child. He has no sex appeal to speak of and he's still a virgin. If Daniel can't land us the mage, we're screwed," Beverly said with a sigh.

"Don't sell Tristan short," Sarah said. "He's young and inexperienced, but he has a certain appealing charm in his own quiet and unassuming way. If Nick isn't interested in the jock, or in the charming and ardent lover, maybe it's the quiet nerd he's looking for."

Beverly sighed and said, "We can trust Alex to do our bidding because he's so eager to please you, and we can trust Daniel because he's so much like his father and like me, but can we trust Tristan? He's never shown interest in being guided by either of us in the past."

"We can only hope so if it comes to that," Sarah said.

"And he's so small that we'll have to hope a big guy like our mage doesn't split him in half," Beverly said with a chuckle.

They'd both seen the size of Nick Zauber when they'd helped Daniel strip him down after he'd entered his magic-induced sleep. He hadn't been lying. He slept like a log.

*************

After four hours of sleep, Nick awakened to the smell of rich and savory soup. Daniel was in the room setting up a hospital style tray that would be supported by an arm hanging over the bed. He pushed it into place and then started moving the soup, fresh bread and tea to the tray.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Zauber," Daniel said, "or is it okay if I call you Nick?"

Nick looked at the handsome young man and immediately felt aroused. He was the most classically handsome of the brothers, and he had a mischievous smile. He seemed to have more energy than Alex and Tristan, although he also had heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"Nick is fine, Daniel," the mage replied.

"Good," Nick said. "I'm hoping we can be friends."

Daniel moved to the other side of the bed and crawled in next to him. He didn't just lay atop the blankets. He slid under them. Then he scooted next to Nick and started buttering his bread. That's when the mage noticed that he was naked under the covers. He'd probably rested better for not being in his street clothes, but he wondered who had stripped him while he slept.

"That's an amazing cologne you're wearing, Nick," Daniel said. "You smell of pine and a multilayered muskiness that's quite... um... enticing. What is it?"

Nick reddened slightly at that, prompting Daniel to give him a wicked grin and say, "Oh no. It looks like I embarrassed you. That must mean that you're not wearing cologne and that is your natural scent."

The young man inhaled deeply and then sighed. "You are incredibly sexy, you know. It's not just your scent, although that's definitely a part of it. You have such rugged good looks that I nearly fainted when I caught sight of you. I think my aunt was interested in you until you failed to notice that she was flirting with you."

Nick had noticed, but women held little interest for him sexually.

"Hopefully, her loss is my gain," Daniel said as he tore off a small piece of buttered bread and placed it against Nick's lips.

Nick opened his mouth and allowed the twenty-two-year-old to feed it to him. It didn't take a genius to realize that Daniel was trying to seduce him. He saw it immediately, and he also acknowledged to himself that it was working. This young man exuded sex appeal and Nick was hard and dripping under the blankets. It took a while to eat the entire bowl of soup and the bread.

Daniel got up and took the tray and dishes away, then he looked over at Nick and playfully started lifting the waist of his shirt, exposing his smooth abdomen. He asked, "Can I join you under the blankets for a little while, Nick?"

Nick nodded his head and then pulled back the sheets, exposing his muscular body and hard cock. Daniel pulled his shirt off and casually slung it onto a chair. His chest was completely hairless, and he had titanium bars through his nipples.

Then he undid the waistband of his pants and slid them down over his round butt. Like his chest and arms, Daniel's legs were hairless. He was wearing a fashion jock that was barely more than a posing strap in the front. He turned around and displayed his well-shaped butt, then teased Nick by lowering the waistband slowly. He bent over to take it off and his cheeks parted, giving just a glimpse of the pink rosebud nestled between them.

Nick sighed. Not only was Daniel the most handsome of the boys, but he was also the sexiest and the most open with his sexuality. At that moment, the mage adventurer wanted him more than he'd ever wanted anyone before.

When Daniel turned around, he ran his tongue around his pretty lips and stroked his smooth torso with his hands.

Nick growled, "Come over here and get your sexy body under these blankets, Boy!"

Daniel grinned and hopped into bed. Nick pulled the blankets over them both. He could feel Daniel's smooth body rub against his own hairier frame. He ran his own hands over Daniel's back and buttocks, and pressed his thigh against his erection.

"You are a cute little boy, Daniel – or should I call you Danny Boy?" Nick teased.

"I'm not `little'," Danny said. "I'm as tall as you!"

"I'm not talking about your height, Danny Boy," Nick said, kissing his nose.

"Stop it!" Daniel said with a giggle. "It's cold out there, that's all."

Nick wrapped his arms around Daniel's slim waist and said, "And I was talking about how thin you were, not the size of your penis!"

"Good," Daniel said, "because everyone looks small next to your big club!"

Daniel grabbed Nick's cock to illustrate his point. It was more than six inches soft, but now it was hard. He whispered in Nick's ear, "I've never had footlong sausage."

"You're about to get one, Danny Boy," Nick replied. "Are these buns warmed up or do I have to heat them a little?"

Daniel said, "You can heat them up if you want to, Daddy. But it may be a little crowded under this blanket and it's cold out there."

Daniel snuggled tighter next to Nick and ran his hand over his hairy chest. His well-manicured fingernails traced spirals on those powerful pecs, and he wrapped a leg over Nick's muscular thigh.

"Do you want to take me on my back, so I can look at your eyes while we do it," Daniel asked. "Or do you want to shove my face down in the pillow and take me roughly from behind? Or..."

Nick grabbed Daniel's hips and pulled him on top of him, interrupting him to say, "I want to stare into your handsome face while you ride me, if you can manage it."

Daniel sat up and reached back to grasp Nick's cock firmly. "Oh, I can manage it, Daddy," he said with a smile. "I came here prepared because I knew that I had to have you inside me, unless you wanted me inside you instead."

Nick took Daniel's cock in hand and stroked it a few times, then said, "It's tempting, Danny Boy. You have a decent sized tool of your own there. But I've been looking at your fine butt all day, the way you've been flashing it at me since I got here, and I want to get inside it."

Daniel started rubbing his butt against Nick's erection, scooting up and down along the shaft. "I was hoping you were going to say that, Daddy."

"You're a sexy tease, Danny Boy," Nick said. "Are you going to play with it, or are you going to ride it?"

"Oh, I'm definitely going to ride it, Daddy," Daniel said. "Give me time to work my way up to it. You're as big as two other men – and I've only had two men inside me twice before. After this I'm going to tell everyone it's three times."

Nick couldn't tell whether Daniel was serious or not. He said everything with a wink and a smile, but he certainly knew how to drive a man crazy, and he knew what to do with a cock. He had to rise from his kneeling position to squat over Nick's twelve inches. Being strong and fit, he had no trouble maintaining the position while he rubbed the head against his anus.

Nick hadn't been wrong. Daniel had discovered how much he loved dick, especially the feel of it in his ass, when he was in middle school. When his mother had discovered him straddling the cook's son when he was fifteen, she'd given him the sex talk and told him to be careful.

Daniel had learned to relax but it took all his powers of concentration to allow the head of Nick's thick cock to slide inside his hole. He'd come to Nick's room prepared for sex, but no amount of lube could fully prepare him for a cock that big. Then he stopped, held his shaky position, and waited for his ass to adjust. He took a deep breath and then sank down a little farther. He repeated the cycle, taking another inch or so each time.

Nick wanted to say something to his younger lover, but he didn't want to risk disturbing his concentration. Daniel was very cute when concentrating hard and working himself down on Nick's cock. For a moment he looked younger than his twenty-two years. Considering how hard Daniel was working to please him, Nick felt like a jerk when he kept imagining it was little Tristan trying so hard to take his dick.

Daniel was objectively more handsome than either of his brothers, but it was Tristan's shy reticence and nerdy enthusiasm, especially when faced with a puzzle, that drew him. Tristan's skinny body couldn't hold a candle to Alex's athletic build or Daniel's carefully honed twunk physique. But Nick kept imagining how pretty his body must look in all its skinny boyishness.

"Oh my fucking god!" Daniel yelled as his perfect buttocks came finally to rest on Nick's groin. "Nothing has ever felt as good as your cock in my ass right now."

"And you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen, Danny Boy, sitting there impaled on my cock, right now," Nick said, teasing him with his own words.

He didn't claim that it was the sexiest thing imaginable because his mind kept picturing Tristan instead of his brother. The image faded however when Daniel began to ride Nick's cock, rising and then sinking down. From a kneeling position he couldn't rise high enough to slip off the end, so Daniel felt free to ride his lover hard and fast.

Daniel felt the tightness beginning in his cock and the pulsing beginning in his gay spot, telling him that he was going to cum hands free. His breathing was growing ragged and fast. He ran his nails down Nick's chest, leaving faint red lines.

And Nick was close as well. Because of his width, he'd never been inside someone who hadn't felt tight, but he'd never been with anyone who could flex his ass muscles and massage his cock like Daniel was doing. He knew he wasn't going to last. He was ready to shoot at any minute.

"I'm going to cum, Danny Boy!" Nick cried out. "Your ass is going to suck the cum right out of my cock!"

"Good, Daddy!" Daniel cried. "That means I don't have to wait"

"I'm almost done there!"

"Aaaaargh!"

"I'm cumming!"

Daniel came. He sprayed cum across Nick's chest, glistening beads falling amid the matted hair. The convulsions in his ass intensified and he dragged Nick into orgasm with him.

"Take my seed, you sexy bitch!" Nick growled, slapping Daniel's firm ass as he came.

*************

Tristan hadn't meant to overhear his brother having sex with Mr. Zauber, but it was hard to miss. He sank down to the floor and drew his knees up to his chest. He didn't know what he'd expected. The boys in his school had never aroused him like Mr. Zauber, no matter how pretty they were. Tristan felt weak whenever he was in Mr Zauber's presence. And when the man had touched him, his breath had caught. He couldn't even look him in the eyes.

But Mr. Zauber clearly preferred Daniel. It wasn't a surprise. Everyone preferred Daniel. Daniel was handsome and sexy and... everyone wanted him. Tristan was ready to cry. Daniel was perfect, and he was just a skinny nerd. He'd heard it his whole life. Alex was athletic and successful. Daniel was handsome. And what was he? Even Tristan didn't know the answer to that question.

He staggered to his feet and ran to his room. He threw himself on the bed, wishing he could fall asleep.

*************

Daniel lay in Nick's arms for another half hour or so and then got dressed to take the dishes away. Nick had some reading to do, so Daniel dropped the dishes off and then sought out his mother and his aunt. When he came into the study and closed the door, he sat in an overstuffed chair, gingerly, on one cheek.

"From the way you're walking and the way you're sitting, I assume that you were successful, Daniel?" Beverly observed.

Daniel inhaled sharply with a hiss and said, "Yes and no. He fucked me alright, but he seemed distracted a lot, like he was enjoying it, but he wasn't falling for me."

"No chemistry between you then?" Sarah asked her son.

Daniel shrugged and said, "I could see myself with him, but I'm not in love, and I know he's not in love with me."

"How do you know if you don't try to make it work?" Beverly insisted.

The two women were desperate to find a mage they could use to protect the family while they expanded the family fortune. Too many of their rivals had supernatural help of their own, or way more money, contacts and ruthlessness than either of them could muster. Daniel was their best hope.

"I know when someone's in love with me, Aunt Bev," he said. "Mr. Knowles, my algebra teacher, is in love with me. Mr. Delorean has been in love with me since sixth grade when I first had a sleepover with his son Tommy, but Tommy's not in love with me no matter how much he pretends to be. Either Mr. Zauber is in love with someone else or he's not interested in falling in love right now."

*************

At dinner, they shared what they knew. Nick had read the scrolls from the hidden cupboard, and he was appalled.

"The nightly abductions are caused by three faerie crones named Winter, Ice and Frost. They claim to be collecting on a debt," Nick said.

"Impossible," Beverly said with a shake of her head.

"Why is it impossible?" Nick asked.

Sarah spoke up and said, "Because my husband fulfilled his bargain with those hags eighteen years ago."

Nick tapped the scrolls and said, "No, he didn't. If he had, your oldest son wouldn't be here. Your husband would have given him to the hags."

Alex looked up and said, "Dad wouldn't do something like that."

"Boys, go into the living room and wait for us," Sarah said.

"No. This concerns them as much as you, maybe more," Nick insisted.

Sarah said, "I won't speak of the details of my husband's dealings in front of my sons."

Nick pushed his plate back and said, "Very well, then. It was a pleasure meeting you. I'm sorry I couldn't help you solve your problem."

He stood up to leave, but Beverly grabbed his arm and said, "We're paying you a million dollars. You can't just walk away from that much money."

"I can and I will," Nick said. "I can't solve your problem without full information and cooperation. And I like your sons. I'm not going to stay here and watch them die because of your failure to cooperate. Good evening. I'll call for a ride."

Nick pulled away from Beverly and almost made it out the door before Sarah said, "I'll increase the reward to two million, but I can't go higher than that."

The mage stopped and said, "I'll take your two million. Thank you for increasing the reward now that I know what I'm dealing with. But I still need everyone present to make sure we have the whole story."

The two stared at each other for several minutes until Sarah finally cracked. "Sit down boys. Mr. Zauber insists you should hear this tale, no matter how painful it may be."

Nick sat back down and said, "As I was saying, this is a copy of the agreement between your husband, Kevin, and the three faerie crones. He promised to deliver his first-born child to them when they came to collect."

"And my husband fulfilled his end of the bargain," Sarah said. "He hated to do it, but he did. Alex was born a few years later. We're not proud of it, but that's the truth."

The Prince brothers seemed shocked by this revelation. I was going to disappoint them even more. I shook my head and said, "No, that's not true. There was no fourth child. The hags returned exactly nine years after the date of the contract and demanded double the payment. They wouldn't have shown up the second time if the contract had been fulfilled the first time. Tell me the truth if you want any chance of saving your sons."

Sarah took a deep breath and said, "Kevin tricked the three hags twenty-five years ago. Alex was a newborn. He used a spell to hide him, and he gave them another infant. I didn't ask where he got the other child. I didn't want to know. I was just relieved that my son would be safe.

"We thought they would be satisfied, but nine years after the signing of the first contract, they sent a message again. They told us that they knew of his trickery and now he had to pay double. They gave us nine nights to comply, just as they had the first time. Kevin sent all three boys to England with their aunt Beverly to visit the Harry Potter Studios.

"He used a ritual to change two other boys into duplicates so identical that even a DNA test couldn't tell them apart. He handed them over to the hags and we thought it was done. But they came back on the ninth night. They killed Kevin and took his head. They left a note saying they would return in nine more years to collect all three of our sons and if I tried to stop them, they would kill me and take them anyway.

"This is the fifth night, Mr. Zauber. After tonight, there are only four more nights before they kill me and take my children."

Nick sat back and nodded. As he suspected, Kevin Prince had made a pact with the three hags. He'd promised them his firstborn in exchange for magical power. It was a tale as old as time. Then he'd thought himself clever enough to trick them. They gave him one chance to make it right and he tried to trick them again. To avoid paying his debt, he'd delivered a total of three innocent children to the hags. He'd been a terrible person when he was alive, but his sons didn't deserve their fate.

"Your sons are adults," Nick said. "The hags cannot claim them legitimately, but that won't stop them from seeking revenge. If Alex, Daniel, and Tristan do not voluntarily give themselves to the three faerie crones before the ninth day, they will be killed, and you will as well."

The brothers looked at each other with fear and uncertainty. Nick said, "And now your sons are trying to figure out whether they should sacrifice themselves for you."

"NO!" Sarah said. "I won't have it. Mr. Zauber, can you help us?"

Nick replied, "I don't know, but I'm going to try. I'll follow them again tonight and see if I can explore a little while they're dancing. Maybe I can find a way out. They would need DNA from their victims to be able to lure them out each night. If nothing else, I'll find the blood or whatever they retrieved from the duplicates, given they are exact genetic matches..."

Nick trailed off and sank deep in thought. His fingers steepled in front of his chin. Then he said, "No, it will be easier than looking for blood. It will be something a maid could lay her hands on easily. Hair retrieved from brushes, toenail clippings... anything like that.""

"How do you know?" Beverly said, her eyes narrowing.

"Because Kevin would never have provided any physical artifacts from Tristan. They had come seeking only Alex and Daniel. And Kevin must have assumed they would be fooled by the duplicates. He hardly would have given them anything while they were killing him. If they wanted Tristan too, they would need a physical artifact from him as well. They must have bought one of your servants with magical gifts. I'll provide you with a talisman you can use to find any faerie gifts in the house, just avoid my room as I have a few of my own. You deal with the servant yourself. I must prepare for tonight's trip.

*************

Beverly and Sarah were ruthless. Once they had the talisman, they searched the house until they found the guilty party. No one knew what happened to her. She disappeared that night and was never heard from again.

When the lethargy struck, Nick was in Daniel's room. He'd planned to spend the night watching Tristan, but Daniel could be very persuasive. Nick suspected the middle brother's motives, but he spent the time with him anyway. With the right ritual, a sexual encounter could amplify his power. He wasn't above using someone who was trying to use him and he wanted to be at maximum strength in case the encounter with the hags turned ugly. And more importantly, he wanted things with Tristan to be perfect, not rushed when the boy was terrified of his impending doom.

When the brothers headed outside, he followed them through the faerie trod, making sure to use the pilleus obscurans to keep himself invisible to the hags. He knew from last night that three hours would pass in the real world during the nine minutes of his walk. In the clearing, the boys started dancing. Nick noticed that the Winter Crone had a bracelet with three wispy braids of hair hanging from it.

He couldn't retrieve them yet, at least not without a fight. Instead, he used the passwords taught to him by the shade of Kevin Prince and he snuck into the cottage. It was built on a large scale, but it was simple. The main room was dominated by a fireplace with a smaller cauldron than the one out front. There were dried herbs and fungi hanging from the ceiling, skulls on shelves and the animate skeleton of a cat that chased the shadows of mice, who weren't present, around the room.

There was a single bedroom with three beds, a bathroom with a large copper tub and a room filled with books and writing materials. Nick decided to start in that room. The books were written in a variety of languages. And they covered subjects ranging from herbalism, to astronomy, to the cosmology of the nine worlds, to magical creatures, to advanced mathematics, to alchemical codices, to books containing contracts with other beings.

There was so much that Nick would have loved to take if he were a common thief, but he needed to limit himself to something that would be important enough to force the crones' hands. Something to make them give up all thoughts of revenge on the Princes and maybe even to save the boys Kevin had sacrificed in their places over the years.

He glanced in the book of contracts. He found Kevin's along with the crones' commentary. They were certainly angry with him. He followed the trail of the duplicates. The first, the one who'd been delivered as an infant, was now the same age as Alex. He had been given to a childless couple who'd been desperate. The parents had gladly promised three favors to be collected later. The crones had collected two of them already, and the boy was a rising star in the state legislature, despite his youth, and had also signed his name in the book of contracts. That made him another of their agents in the mundane world.

The two who were made into genetic duplicates of Alex and Daniel had been traded to the Queen of Air and Darkness, where it seemed they were highly placed in her court. Nick wondered if they were still identical to the Princes and if they would be able to cause trouble in the future.

This book was promising, but the shade of Kevin Prince had appeared and was gesturing for Nick to follow him. Setting the book aside for a moment, the mage followed the shade into the bedroom. It was gesturing toward the bottom drawer of the dresser. I pulled it out. It was full of scarves and shawls. Nick asked, "What do you want me to see?"

The shade kept gesturing. With great force of will, it was able to say, "Too short."

Nick looked at the drawer and then at the side of the dresser. The drawer was less deep than it should be. He carefully worked the drawer out of the dresser. There was a shelf behind it that contained nothing but a magic puzzle box.

The Shade of Kevin Prince kept pointing to it and whispering "Winter", "Frost", and "Ice". Nick had no idea exactly what he meant, but he put the box in his magic bag. Then he examined the pillows on the three beds and found what he was looking for. There were a few strands of long stringy hair in each bed. He braided them carefully and then put them in the bag as well.

He barely had time to put everything, except for the box and the hair, back where he found it and to get out of the cottage before he had to follow the Prince brothers back home. He used the same spells as the day before to get them safely into the house so he could get some rest. All five of them seemed anxious to ask questions, but Nick needed sleep before he could examine the puzzle box.

*************

When Nick awoke, it was already late afternoon. The first day, Alex had come to seduce him. The second day, it was Daniel. And as he suspected, Tristan was now in his room. The youngest Prince was curled up in the chair by the window staring out over the garden. He was wrapped in a sheet but had his clothes on under it. When Nick started moving, Tristan looked in his direction. The circles under his eyes were darker than either of his brothers.

Nick gave him a smile and asked, "Is it your turn to watch over me while I sleep?"

Tristan nodded and said, "Mom told me to let her know when you woke up, but you can take your time and do whatever you want. I'm not going to go get her."

Nick started to get out of bed, but realized he was naked under the blankets again. "Um... I need to get dressed. If you don't want to get an eyeful, you'd better turn away," he said.

Tristan blushed and turned away. Nick got out of bed. He started to put his clothes on the mundane way. He was used to hiding his spellcraft. But then he remembered that Tristan alone of the Princes had inborn mage talent. He noticed the boy glancing in the mirror to catch sight of his naked body, so he stretched to give him a better view, then he performed the vestitio spell to draw his clothes onto his body quickly.

Tristan turned around and said, "That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that."

"I saw you watching me, so I decided to give you a show," Nick said.

Tristan suddenly realized that he wouldn't have seen the magic if he hadn't been secretly watching Nick in the nude. He blushed and looked away. Nick came up to him and put his hands on his shoulders and said, "It's okay to be curious."

"I'm sorry," Tristan said. "It was wrong of me to watch you."

Nick pulled Tristan over to the bed and they both sat down. "You're not very good at this, are you Tristan?"

"Good at what, Sir," he asked.

"Seduction. Your mother did order you to seduce me, didn't she?" Nick replied.

Tristan looked down at the ground and said, "I'm not trying to do it, though. I just wanted to see what you looked like."

Nick turned Tristan's face so he could look into his eyes. "But she did order you to do it, right?"

The boy nodded and said, "She wants you bound to our family. She thinks if she gets you to fall in love, or at least lust, with one of us, she can slip you a potion and bind you."

"So why are you telling me her plans?" Nick asked.

"I don't want her to trap you," Tristan replied. "I like you, even if you don't like me."

"What makes you think I don't like you?" Nick asked.

Tristan answered in such a low tone of voice that Nick had to strain to hear. "I heard you and Daniel together. I know you like him, and I get that. He's better looking, and he knows what to do. And I'm still..."

"... a virgin?" Nick asked.

Tristan nodded `yes' and hung his head down.

Nick put his arm around the boy and said, "Daniel is amazingly handsome, and he knows some things that much older guys still haven't figured out, but I was thinking about someone else when I was with him."

Tristan looked up and said with a smile, "Don't tell him that, Sir. I think he'd just die if he found out. Who's the lucky guy?"

Nick said, "I was thinking about someone younger and less experienced. Someone who's just as cute as Daniel but doesn't realize it yet, someone smart who has a talent neither Daniel nor Alex has."

"He sounds great, Sir," Tristan replied. "He must be something special."

"He is," Nick said. "I haven't told him how I feel about him yet because it's kind of creepy. I'm twenty-four years older than him."

"If he's like me, he likes guys who are older than him," Tristan said blushing even darker.

Nick wanted to tell him, but he had a lot of work to do. If he defeated the faerie crones, he'd tell him. Right now, all he wanted to do was cheer him up a little.

"Maybe you can help me out today," Nick said. "I need to open this puzzle box and see what's inside. It may give me some insight into how to defeat the faerie crones."

"How can I help?" Tristan asked, perking up at the offer.

"You have a talent neither Daniel nor Alex has," Nick explained. "You're like me, born to be a mage. That's why you were able to see and remember the dragon image on the wall. I suspect that your father was an unrecognized talent, what we call an orphan mage. That's why he was able to find and use a ritual to call the crones in the first place. If he'd been recognized by the arcane order, he would have been trained."

"Does that mean I can be trained to do magic, Sir? Like you?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, you could, and I intend to make sure you get the opportunity to do so if you want it," Nick said.

"That would be amazing!" Tristan replied. It was the most enthusiastic Nick had seen him since they had met.

"Okay then, help me open this puzzle box."

The box was about twelve inches long and nine inches wide. On the top it had a lacquered design in three panels. The first panel was a simple rectangle with a diagonal line running through it. The second showed a triangle and the third an image that looked like an attempt to draw a pyramid in two dimensions. Each picture had a simple mechanical wheel numbered 1-12. And the front of the box had a latch that should be able to be turned once the puzzle had been solved.

There was no doubt that Tristan was better at puzzles than Nick. It took him about fifteen minutes of turning the wheels and running his fingers over the images before he said, "I've got it! There are three images that represent three different dimensions. The line on this first image tells us that we're dealing with one dimension. The second image is a triangle. That's the simplest figure that can be constructed in two dimensions. The third image is a pyramid with four sides as seen from above. That must represent three dimensions. There are three wheels with the numbers 1-12 on them on each panel."

He went on trying to explain his reasoning and Nick was getting lost in his logic. Finally, the mage said, "If I am following you, you're saying that the first panel represents linear numbers, the second triangular numbers and third pyramidal numbers, and that there is only one number in the 1-12 range that exists as each of these three kinds of numbers and it's the number 10. So, are you telling me that the combination to open the box is 10-10-10? That seems too easy."

Tristan shook his head and said, "No. Almost right. No one would set that as the combination because it is too easy. But the number 10 is the 10^th number in the linear system, the 4^th number in the triangular system and the 3^rd number in the pyramidal system. I think the combination is 10-4-3."

Nick said, "I hope you're right because I'm not completely sure I follow your logic. Since this is a magic puzzle box, if I try to open it with the wrong combination, the box will seal itself and I have no idea how long we'll have to wait to try again."

"No guarantees, Sir, but that's the best answer I can come up with," Tristan said.

Nick moved the first dial to 10, the second to 4 and the third to 3. The box popped open. Inside were three still-beating hearts. Nick smiled and pulled them out.

"I've got you, crones!" he said with a smile.

"What have you got?" Tristan asked.

Nick replied, "The crones removed their hearts and stored them inside this box. If I'd tried to kill them, even with a magic or steel weapon it wouldn't have worked. They cannot die so long as their hearts remain alive. But now I have a bargaining chip."

*************

Dinner went well. Sarah and Beverly wanted to know what the plan was, but Nick preferred to keep it quiet, just in case there were other spies in the house. Everyone was on tenterhooks. The curse would activate exactly one hour after sunset, just like it had every other night.

Sarah and Beverly were arguing over where Nick should wait. Sarah wanted him in Alex's room. Beverley wanted him to keep vigil with Daniel. As usual, both seemed to have forgotten about Tristan. From the look on his face, he was used to it.

"I'm going to be in my room, preparing for the final battle," he announced.

On the way out of the room, Nick whispered to Tristan, "You can come help me get ready if you want."

Tristan jumped up and followed him upstairs. And it was like a miracle for the Christmas season that, despite their rivalry, Daniel went into Alex's room to spend the time sitting quietly with him, a combination of hope and despair overcoming them.

Tristan sat on the bed in the guest room and said, "How can I help you?"

"I'm as prepared as I can be for tonight," Nick said. "I just didn't want to spend more time with your mother and aunt. Sorry."

Tristan laughed and said, "No problem. I understand."

Nick put his arm around him and asked, "When you came to my room earlier, were you hoping for something more than talk?"

Tristan blushed and didn't respond. Nick hugged him tight and said, "You know that I'd rather spend my time talking to you than spend time with either of your brothers."

Tristan smiled at that and looked up. Nick took his chin gently in his hand and kissed his lips. "I think you're more beautiful than Daniel and more fun to talk to than Alex," he said.

"Don't tease me, Sir," Tristan said quietly.

Nick kissed him again. Seeing how much the boy lacked self-confidence, Nick felt the desire to be more passionate than he was with the other two. Tristan responded slowly, but soon he was kissing back with virginal tentativeness. Nick pulled him down onto the bed, so they were lying arm in arm. Tristan was crying softly while they kissed.

"Is there something wrong?" Nicks asked. "Am I pushing you to do something you don't want to do?"

"No, Sir," Tristan replied. "I'm crying because no one ever chooses me. Alex is strong and athletic, and Daniel is handsome. I'm just..."

"... the perfect boy who has so much more to offer than he knows," Nick said. "You're incredibly cute. You're genuine. You're smart. You have a talent neither of your brothers have."

The mage had punctuated each phrase with a kiss, and Tristan started laughing. Nick thought there was nothing more beautiful than Tristan's laugh. His normally somber demeanor disappeared and was transformed into joy. They lay there on the bed, kissing and cuddling until the lethargy descended and the boy twisted out of his arms and headed for the door.

Nick followed him out the door and then he followed the three Prince brothers through the faerie trod, remembering to don the pilleus obscurans, just like the previous two nights. He witnessed Alex, Daniel and Tristan start to dance. Only Daniel was a good dancer, but Nick could have watched them all night. However, tonight was going to bring the long-awaited confrontation with the crones. He was as prepared as he was going to be. He had the amulet to prevent sleep charms, although he was running out of stored time. He had his wand to deflect incoming spells and curses and he had the dagger for offense. And best of all, he had the crones' hearts.

Feeling ready to end this nightmare, Nick took the puzzle box out of his bag and threw it onto the fire. The crones dived to retrieve it. The Winter Crone waved her boney fingers through the air and ripped away all glamors and concealments, leaving the mage standing in the circle of light between her and the brothers.

"Now we see you, little sneak!" the Ice Crone cackled.

"And we'll strip the flesh from your bones and imprison your soul inside your own severed head!" the Frost crone shrieked.

"Wait!" he called. "I've come to bargain."

"With what?" the Frost Crone demanded. "You've foolishly thrown your only bargaining chip into the fire, as if we wouldn't have warded it from such dangers!"

Nick smiled and pulled one of the still beating hearts from his bag. He held it aloft and said, "Why protect the box from fire, when there is nothing in it to protect?"

He made as if to toss the heart into the fire. The Ice Crone clutched at her chest and then lunged forward, stopping only when she saw the obsidian blade poised to stab deeply into her heart.

Nick said, "Now that I have your attention, I propose a fair trade."

The winter crone eyed him warily and said, "A thief proposes a fair trade?"

"I am no more a thief than you," he said. "Did you not steal hair from these boys and use it to bind them? Are you not even now plotting to steal their souls?"

"We claim what is owed to us!" the three crones intoned as one. "The father made a deal, and he broke it twice, what once was owed is now owed thrice!"

"If you hadn't been bound by the laws of three and nine, or if you had tried to collect your debt while they were still children under the control of their parents, I would have a harder time prying them away from you. But you were bound, and you did wait too long. You have no legitimate claim on them now and I demand that you release them. You must swear to bring no harm and to work no mischief against them for so long as they do not bring harm or work mischief against you."

"You ask much, little thief," the crones replied, growing to the size of giants before the mage's eyes.

Their aura of menace washed over him, but his resolve was strong. He stood firm and pressed the point of the enchanted blade against the heart he held in his hand.

"I ask much because my purpose is just and my determination is unassailable," he said. "Do not try to force me to quail before you. I will not retreat one step until my purpose has been accomplished."

The three saw that his magical defenses were strong, so they changed tactics. If spells would not avail them, they would shred him with their icy nails. They spread out so that they could come at him from three different directions.

"Come on, Beurrach, Deigh, Reotagh. You are powerful crones of the fey realm. I did not come here to disrespect you, but to bargain in good faith. If you release the Prince brothers and swear as I've asked, then I will return your hearts," Nick said.

"To return what you've stolen is no bargain!" the Winter Crone said, clacking her nails and smiling to display her razor-sharp fangs.

Nick laughed and said, "It is only fair to return stolen goods for stolen goods, but I also offer a boon."

The crones glanced at one another and then looked at him intently. "We're listening," they said.

Nick knew he had them at that point. It was all negotiating from that point. It took an hour to work out details, but he promised them one service in the future in exchange for them considering the deal between them and Kevin Prince to be unconnected to his adult sons. They weren't happy to be cheated of their payment, but they were willing to not take it out on the Prince brothers.

They released the brothers from their enchantment and allowed Nick to lead them back home along the faerie trod. It was before dawn when they arrived, and they went to their beds. Nick decided to stay awake to make sure of his safety. He was still wary of Sarah and Beverly. He suspected they were not blameless in Kevin's faithless dealings. He knew that, since he hadn't made up all the sleep that had been absorbed, he was pushing the amulet to its limits and that he would have to sleep soon. Very soon. And that sleep would be deep indeed.

He set wards on the door so it wouldn't open until he released it. Then he settled into bed and allowed himself to fall asleep. While he slept, Sarah and Beverly both tried to get past the door to no avail. Daniel tried to get inside but was unable to turn the knob.

It was Tristan whose determination found a way. No one noticed him sneak out of the house and into the garden. No one ever paid attention to him; he wasn't one of the favorites. He pulled a ladder out of the shed and leaned it against the wall and climbed up to enter Nick's room through the window. He'd noticed that the latch was undone earlier when he was sitting there.

When Nick woke up, it was already dark outside and he was startled to find Tristan in bed with him. He rolled over and stared at the young man's sleeping face and resolved to have him no matter what, or at least so long as Tristan was willing. He watched him sleep until he awoke naturally. Then he kissed him. This time, Tristan didn't hesitate to kiss him back.

"You saved me, Sir," Tristan said.

"I will always save you, Son," Nick replied.

Tristan scooted closer to him and rubbed one soft hand over his scruffy chin. He looked into Nick's eyes and said, "I'm yours, if you want me."

Nick hugged him and said, "You don't have to have sex with me just because I saved you."

The young man inhaled deeply, his head swimming from the heady masculine scent of Nick's body. "It's not because you saved me, Sir," he said. "I want to have sex with you because you chose me. You made me feel wanted. No one ever wants me."

"I do," Nick said.

He grabbed Tristan's slender body and pressed it against his own. He didn't use a spell to take the young man's clothes off. He wanted the joy of unwrapping this present himself. He kissed Tristan's neck and then kissed down his chest, unbuttoning each button as he came to it. He paused to nibble gently at each of Tristan's tiny nipples.

"Delicious boy nipples," he murmured.

Then he used his tongue to tease Tristan's navel, sending him into fits of giggling.

"Every part of you tastes amazing, Tristan, at least every part I've sampled," Nick said.

Then he undid the waistband of the young man's jeans. He yanked them down and pulled them off, leaving Tristan's small cock visible beneath the boxer briefs he wore. He was still built like a teen and hadn't reached his adult proportions. Although he would always remain short and slim, and his cock wouldn't quite reach four and half inches even when he'd stopped growing.

Nick took hold of the waistband of the boxer briefs and said, "This is the time to say `no' if you want me to stop."

"Please!" Tristan said. "Don't stop. I want this so much."

"So do I," Nick said.

He pulled Tristan's underwear off and then kissed his little cock. It jumped and spilled some cum.

"I'm sorry!" Tristan cried. "I'm just too eager."

"Virgins always are," Nick said, grinning wolfishly.

Then he swallowed the small cock and applied just a touch of pressure. Like the horny eighteen-year-old virgin he was, Tristan shot immediately, and Nick was rewarded by a mouthful of sweet boy cream. He sucked it down greedily, savoring the flavor on his tongue.

"OH MY GOD!" Tristan screamed.

Nick swallowed the last of Tristan's cum and then kissed away his salty tears. "Was it good for you?" he asked.

Tristan nodded. He looked like he was still in shock. "It was the best thing ever," he said. "No one has ever done that for me before." He hesitated, unsure of the etiquette. "Should I do you now?"

Nick ran his hand down Tristan's chest and said, "Do it, Baby."

Tristan moved down and kissed Nick's shaft and the sensitive head of his cock. At forty-two, Nick's libido was usually more of a slow burning flame than an explosion, like when he was younger, but the feeling of Tristan's slender body against him had ignited him to a roaring inferno.

Tristan was an inexperienced and unskilled cocksucker, but he had enthusiasm on his side. He gagged. He choked and he never got more than a few inches of the twelve inside his mouth, but as far as Nick was concerned, this was the best blowjob he'd had in years. When he came, he shot several loads into Tristan's eager mouth. And then they kissed and cuddled some more.

"Are you going to fuck me today?" Tristan asked.

Nick replied, "I want to, but you're a virgin and my cock is too much for you right now."

He saw Tristan's expression fall and his heart went out to him. "It's too much for your sweet little bottom to take now, but I am going to show it some love. And if you choose to stay with me, I'll train your cute little hole and stretch it until you are ready."

"Do you mean that you want me to stay with you?" Tristan asked hesitantly.

Nick pressed a moistened finger against Tristan's tight hole and said, "Yes. I want to wake up next to you for as long as you'll have me."

Tristan started crying again. But they were tears of joy. He was still crying as Nick moved down between his legs and lifted them over his shoulders. He touched the boy's rosebud and whispered, "Emundatur rosula lubricaturque." He was still crying when Nick's tongue first brushed against his tiny, but magically cleansed, hole. However, those tears dried up and his weak sobs turned into cries of pleasure when Nick's tongue probed inside him. He sighed and moaned and ran his fingers through his lover's hair. And when his hole relaxed and opened for the first time, he squealed so loud that Daniel heard him as he walked down the hallway.

Nick used his fingers to stimulate Tristan's gay spot until he was writhing on the bed and shrieking his pleasure for the whole house to hear. And when his little cock turned red and started leaking like a faucet, Nick swallowed him to the root and sucked another load from him.

*************

At dinner, the brothers seemed more refreshed than they had been in days. It would still take a while for them to recover completely. Everyone knew that Nick had taken Tristan's virginity. The entire house had heard them. Eyebrows were raised, but no one said anything when the two of them sat close and shared kisses between bites of food. Shortly after dinner, Nick picked Tristan up in his arms and carried him up the stairs so they could go to bed early.

"Maybe we don't have to pay the mage his two million after all," Beverly said. "Now that he has Tristan as his reward, we can renegotiate the deal."

Sarah said, "If he accepts Tristan in place of the monetary reward, we won't have lost anything."

Alex's ears were burning. He'd been as guilty as the others in overlooking his youngest brother over the years, but his mother and his aunt were talking about him as if he had no value except as a tool to wriggle out of their debts.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled. "I'm tired of listening to you two conniving and talking about Tristan like he doesn't matter. Mr. Zauber is going to get his full reward. And if he gets Tristan as well, that's between the two of them. You were plotting to trick him into working for us. You got me to sleep with him despite my upcoming wedding. You sent Daniel to seduce him and win his heart so you could bind him with love potions. And I know that you sent Tristan to try and trade his virginity to satisfy your plans. But I'll bet he refused to play along. It's time to leave him and Nick Zauber alone and just hope that the mage decides to help us of his own free will."

And that's the way it worked out. Nick Zauber took Tristan to his family home for the Solstice dinner. Tristan was amazed at the reception he got from Nick's family. There were a few jokes about their age difference, but Nick's family seemed to love him at first sight. They stayed through Christmas morning. They enjoyed an early breakfast and exchanged presents with the dozens of Zaubers young and old who'd crowded into the house.

Then Nick whisked him back to the very room he'd been staying in at the Prince Estate so they could enjoy Christmas Day with Tristan's family. Nick extended his stay for the entire school holiday and then beyond. He and Tristan shared a bed every night. And when February rolled around, he took Tristan to the Valentine's Day Formal at his high school. He used magic to make himself appear half his age just to avoid wagging tongues (although he still looked about the same age as the youngest of the teachers.)

Tristan became Nick's lover and Nick became Tristan's mentor, teaching him how to use his magic. Eventually, the entire family was brought into the wider magical community, although only Nick and Tristan were accounted as full members.