Spellbound Read Online Free PDF Page B

Elion laughing, Elion’s hands on him as he shifted him into bed.
    His stomach tightened and his blood began to heat at the thought. He turned the water colder, flinching as it pelted his skin. That was not happening. As the cold water began to force his temper into submission he groaned.
    ~~
    Elion didn’t utter a sound when Stavros entered their office. Stavros looked like death warmed over, but Elion wasn’t going to point it out. He also wasn’t going to point out the hellish sleep he’d had knowing that Stavros was only a short distance away. Every time his eyes would begin to drift closed, he had startled himself awake, unsure if he was expecting Stavros to smother him in his sleep or if he was worried about less-than-appropriate dreams of his partner.
    It was pretty much official to him that he thought Stavros was the most attractive being to ever exist, and that wasn’t okay. He needed to get laid. He just needed to get rid of pent up frustrations and call it a day. He was a lot of things, but a masochist wasn’t one of them, and lusting after someone like Stavros made him the very definition of a masochist.
    Stavros didn’t spare him a glance before he opened a file. He acted like Elion didn’t even exist, which wasn’t anything new. But it bothered him this morning, which was ridiculous. What was he expecting- a thank you? No, gratitude was probably foreign to Stavros. Elion didn’t have to open his home to the cold-hearted jerk, but he did it because it was the right thing to do and he liked to think himself a decent person. He could hardly call himself that and expect something in return, even if it was just a tiny show of gratitude.
    The clock said it was already a little after noon and he had gotten absolutely nothing accomplished. He hadn’t expected Stavros to show up to work at all but found that he wasn’t surprised when he had. He had even lied to Mikhail that morning when he asked where Stavros was. Elion told the old sorcerer that his partner was under the weather and resting. He could have easily told him that Stavros had spent the day and night getting so drunk that he had been nice. But he didn’t, because… well. He still didn’t have an answer for that.
    “I’m going to grab some lunch. Want anything?” Elion asked. He was almost startled when Stavros looked up instead of ignoring him. He only got a shake of the head in response, but it was more than he’d ever gotten. “Alright. If you change your mind just call.”
    “Alright,” Stavros replied, his eyes focused on the file in front of him, despite Elion’s continued staring.
    Elion swallowed hard and quickly left the office before he could make an idiot out of himself. He promptly collided with another officer who caught him before he could fall back onto the ground.
    “You let that asshole get you too worked up,” Malachi chuckled. His copper eyes never failed to make Elion feel a little on edge. Maybe it was the fact that Malachi was twice his size and emitted an aura of power. Why he wasn’t a ranked officer yet was beyond Elion’s knowledge.
    “He’s not a bad guy,” Elion defended. Malachi’s brow arched and the corner of his lip twitched. “Don’t even. There’s nothing happening there. If anyone gave him half a chance they’d see he’s not so bad.”
    Elion remembered those words with a bitter hatred a short time later. He had gotten a simple lunch from a vendor in the market. It had been a nice walk, not too hot, not too cold to enjoy the short break. He rarely used the power bestowed upon ranked officers that allowed him to teleport where he pleased, more or less. It was given mostly for convenience. They often had to travel long distances and between realms and it would be absurd to think a Council member could be on call for such occasions. He had spent his childhood years taking long walks, speaking to the trees and enjoying the wind singing him songs. Even when he left his home realm, he didn’t