Mason saw Olivia and Cole off when it was time to take her to her grandparents’ house. He wished he could have ridden along with them, but he had things to do to prepare for the blessing that night. It was Beltane, and he wanted to try a fertility spell, to bring him a child. He wasn’t sure how that would work, maybe a surrogate, maybe Olivia’s complete acceptance of him to their family. He did know, however the child was brought to him, he wanted to be a part of Cole’s life.

He’d recognized part of the dream he had, the child holding up their hand, had come to fruition the day Olivia had taken his hand in the hardware store. He just knew it was what was meant by that part of the dream. It had felt so right. As for the rest of the dream, he had no idea what to make of it.

He’d called the men he got together with once a month, but only one of them was able to come up that day. Dr. Theodore Franklin or, as everyone called him, Dr. Teddy. It had always fascinated Mason that Dr. Teddy was a practitioner. When he’d asked him about it he began to describe some of the miracles he’d seen in the medical field. He was also a big believer in natural remedies brought to Western culture by Eastern practices. Mason liked to joke with him that he was a witch doctor.

Teddy was due to arrive any minute and Mason found himself upstairs, sitting on the bed where he had cuddled Cole. He hated having to get up and leave, but he knew he needed to respect Cole’s wishes. He wasn’t ready for Olivia to find them together and that was OK. Olivia had been fine at school the last week. He’d had a brief discussion with Mrs. Redner, the principal, and although she had advised him to be cautious, she couldn’t forbid him from seeing anyone outside of school.  

Mason heard the doorbell ring got up and trudged downstairs. Zemi was as melancholy as he was feeling. He’d never seen so much love as when Olivia had woken and played in the nursery and included him in the tea party. If Mason ever tried to get him to sit still and have a tea party with a Ninja Turtle action figure, an old Raggedy Ann doll, and a stuffed dog that was missing one of its black button eyes, Zemi might have scratched him, run away, and never brought him dead mice ever again. But the cat had sat still, tail twitching, and endured it all for the love of the little girl who gave him head scratches. Zemi was sitting on the bottom step, like he was waiting for Olivia to come back and play. Mason almost tripped over him when the doorbell rang again. He opened the door and found Dr. Teddy, a thin man with long, piano player’s fingers and bushy brown hair, standing on the doorstep. He always wore a sweater vest over a button up shirt and jeans on his days off.

“Teddy!” Mason gave him a quick hug.  

“Who’s the interest?” His voice was high pitched, almost a squeak.

“Huh?” His brows pinched in confusion.

“You have a new interest; I can just sense it. Who is he?” Teddy shrugged his vest off and Mason hung it on the peg on the back of the door.

“You’re very perceptive.”

“I’m a doctor, it’s my job to be perceptive,” he held out his hand and Mason shook it.

“Are you sure you aren’t psychic?”

“Hardly.”

“Come in, come in.  I have coffee,” he turned to the kitchen and Teddy followed.

“Bless you and blessed be. Happy Beltane!”

“And to you my brother.”  

They embraced again and moved to the kitchen. Zemi followed after them and slumped down in the sunny spot streaming in through the window and meowed.

“He’s looking rather glum.”

“He had a playmate last night and he misses her.”

“Her?”

“Yes, Olivia, one of my students and her father spent the night because the paint fumes in their house were too much. He’s become quite taken with her.”

“I see, and I’m assuming the person you are moping around for happens to be the father?”

Mason didn’t answer right away.

“You can talk to me.”  

Dr. Teddy squeezed his arm, and suddenly he found himself divulging the whole story from beginning to end. He told him how they met, about the instant attraction and how the last week had been a whirlwind, and he was so caught up in the magic of it all, he hadn’t thought what to do with himself once they went back to their lives on the other side of the woods.

“Well, have you told Cole all of this?”

“No, I don’t want to scare him off. It’s only been a little over a week.”

“That’s true, but the best way to communicate how you feel is to talk to him.”

Mason thought perhaps Dr. Teddy would have made a great psychologist as well.  

They sat in the kitchen for ages, talking about spells, herbs and their lives. Later in the afternoon, they decided to take a drive into town. Dr. Teddy insisted they stop at the bookshop so he could meet Cole. When they found him, he was slumped over the counter looking as morose as Zemi had that morning, but when he saw Mason walk in, he perked right up.

“Hi! I wasn’t sure I’d be seeing you today.”  

He looked between Mason and Dr. Teddy. Mason made the appropriate introductions and thought it went fairly well. Cole seemed to like Dr. Teddy immediately, he was just one of those men who you liked to have around.  

“So you know Mason from…”

“From our practitioner’s meetings,” Dr. Teddy supplied. Cole looked around at the other customers. Mason didn’t blame him. It wasn’t unusual for people to be hesitant to openly discuss witchcraft. Some practitioners still didn’t like to talk about it. It seemed taboo sometimes, but Dr. Teddy was not one of those people.

“Are you here for Beltane then?”

“Oh, we’ll see. I definitely needed time away from the city. Coming up here to Central Pines always puts me back in touch with Mother Earth. I think I might take a stroll around the town tonight and maybe even go for a hike.”

“That sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy your time here and it’s a pleasure to meet you!”  

The two men shook hands and Mason wanted to give Cole a kiss, but it seemed inappropriate somehow with Dr. Teddy standing right there and this being the place of Cole’s business. He held out his hand, but it seemed awkward when Cole took it and shook it, like it was detached somehow.

“Olivia make it to Loretta and Bill’s OK?”

“Yes, she loves being there on vacations.”

“Glad to hear it. Zemi misses her already.”

“She misses him too. She talked about him the entire ride out there.”

“I miss you,” Mason mouthed to Cole and he nodded.

“I miss you too.”

“So I’ll see you tonight maybe?” Mason glanced over his shoulder but Dr. Teddy had moved away to give them some privacy and to browse some books.

“Yeah, maybe after your ritual.”  

Mason hated how forced and formal this conversation was, so he thought it best they leave. He looked at Cole one last time and turned away. He had this feeling that somehow, this was a goodbye, but he couldn’t figure out why.  

Mason spent the afternoon preparing his altar in the woods. Dr. Teddy had gone off to do his own thing, which was fine. Zemi had come along for the hike through the woods and sat at the edge of the stone circle. He never came inside, something Mason found strange, but then, cats were mysterious creatures.

He returned home around dusk to have dinner and Dr. Teddy still wasn’t back, so when he was done eating, he decided not to wait any longer. He took out his ceremonial robes which he only wore a few times a year. He didn’t see the point of being so formal most of the time when he preferred to be in a natural state.  

Mason made his way back into the woods, having left a note for Dr. Teddy to come join him if he wished or to make himself comfortable. By the time he got back to the altar, the sun had almost set and the moon was high in the sky. He took out the book he’d purchased a week ago and set about making a small fire near the altar. The flames, a symbol of lust and fertility, were an offering in themselves. For other offerings, he usually used simple things he found in the woods but this time, he used some of the poor rodents who hadn’t escaped Zemi’s hunt and kill routine. Mason could never bring himself to harm anyone, not even himself, and that included animals, so the rodents seemed fitting enough.

When he was done, he lit some candles to place on the stones around the altar, so it was encircled by light. He hoisted himself up onto the stone slab and lay back, gazing at the stars. He’d stripped his robe off after he’d made the sacrifice into the fire, and the flames warmed his skin as well as the stone he was lying on. It was a warm night, one of the few that hinted at the heat of summer, but was tolerable. He closed his eyes to listen to the cadence of the crickets and birds in the wood, and the crackling of the flames. He prayed to the Gods to send him another sign. Something to show him that someday, he would have a family of his own, no matter how alternative his lifestyle was.  

He was just fighting the haze between consciousness and drifting off to sleep in his dream-like meditation, when he felt warm lips on his own. His eyes flew open, and he found Cole standing over him, staring down, wide-eyed and curious.

“Cole!” He tried to sit up, but Cole put a hand on his chest and pinned him back down.

“I decided to come through the woods. I wanted to see what it is you see whenever you come here. You talk about it so much, you’re so passionate about it. Then I saw the flames so I started running to make sure there wasn’t a forest fire and I found you lying here. You remember what you said about home is about the people in it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea how sexy you look in your home?”

Mason sucked in a breath. He realized he must make quite an impression lying there naked in the firelight. He tried to sit up again, but Cole kept his hand on his chest as he bent slightly at the waist and kissed him. Mason groaned when Cole took the initiative and thrust his tongue into his mouth. His back arched and his hips tilted forward as his erection thrust up into the cool night air. His skin felt tight again and he curled his fists at his sides. He moaned into Cole’s lips, right before he broke off the kiss and began planting small, wet kisses along his cheek and down his throat.  

Mason’s breathing seemed to quicken with each snap of the fire as it danced. He clutched the edge of the stone slab and held on for dear life, as Cole’s lips continued to trail over his chest, teasing his nipples, and then down the center of his abdomen. His pelvis twitched as Cole teased the soft flesh just under his belly button, and he gritted his teeth so hard, he thought his jaw was going to crack.

When Cole’s warm, wet mouth slid over the tip of his dick, he fell apart. He started shaking uncontrollably as the suction increased and the tempo quickened. Mason didn’t remember his hand letting go of the slab and finding Cole’s head so he could lace his fingers in his hair. He didn’t remember propping himself up on his other elbow so he could watch Cole as he worked his mouth up and down his dick.  

Mason let his head fall back and he thought it was strange that the same owl was circling overhead as when he prayed just over a week ago. He didn’t think much more of it because at that moment Cole moved from sucking him, to lightly caressing his balls.

“Do you want me to stop?” Cole asked suddenly, as if he thought he should have asked before, but forgot in the heat of the moment.

“By the Gods, no!” Mason shouted. He groaned when Cole’s lips began to massage the spot his fingers had just left. He used his hands to work him up and down, and Mason felt himself getting close, but he didn’t want to come yet.  

He grabbed Cole’s arm and with his other hand, pressing on his forehead to get him to stop and he slowly sat up.  He ached so much it hurt, but he wanted to make sure turnabout was fair for Cole. When he sat up, he stood slowly, but still felt himself sway between his legs. He groaned as he dropped his head to kiss Cole and began working the buttons on his shirt, needing him naked and skin to skin.

Cole helped him by snapping the buttons on his pants, and it wasn’t long before he was standing in front of Mason, naked and shivering. Mason was pretty sure it wasn’t from the cold, because Cole was just as aroused as he was. He pressed on Cole’s shoulders, urging him to sit down and lean back. Cole did and Mason skipped the teasing, not wanting to miss out on this moment. He dropped to his knees and took Cole into his mouth, relishing the feel and taste of him.  

Cole didn’t have as much control as Mason. He immediately began to shake, so Mason had to back off, slow his rhythm, and lessen the pressure.

“How long has it been?” he whispered up at Cole.

Cole’s eyes were wide and he was panting, looking down at Mason who was on his knees in front of him. “I feel like I’m being offered up like a sacrifice here or something.”  

Mason smiled. It had been too long was what he was getting from that. “And if you are? Do you want me to stop?”

“Please don’t!”  

Cole trembled as Mason sucked him back into his mouth. Mason knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. It was one thing for a man to go without sex, eventually the body became accustomed to it. It was another thing to go so long without even touching or relieving himself. Mason guessed Cole had set up some sort of internal code of conduct that said it wasn’t OK and he hadn’t done it in a while. His skin quivered and the tightening and releasing of the sack below his dick was a telling sign that he was losing control.  

Mason wanted this to continue, so he wet one of his fingers and pressed it to Cole, using his other hand to prop his feet up on the edge of the slab to give him better access while he prepared him. Cole obliged, as Mason continued to work him in his mouth, and eventually he pressed another finger in. He was hot and tight and Mason took his time, even after Cole hadn’t been able to hold onto his orgasm anymore. He’d slumped back against the slab and was allowing Mason to work his fingers in him, despite being satisfied and loose-limbed.

When Mason was sure Cole was ready, he used his palm and wetted it, rubbing his own cock until he was ready. He held Cole’s legs open and began to work himself in as Cole gazed up at him. Mason saw the stars reflected in his eyes from up above, and it never occurred to him that the fire behind him should have died down but his back still felt warm and the candles still burned on the stones.  

Mason continued to work himself into Cole, who was pressing a palm to his stomach as he grew accustomed to him. When he squeezed his muscles, Mason jumped and groaned. “Don’t do that yet. I can’t hold on much longer.”

It wasn’t Mason who moved first. Cole began to rock his hips back and forth, rocking himself onto and away from Mason’s dick. It was erotic to look down at him and see him work himself over his cock, and Mason’s breath quickened as he began to move back and forth himself, meeting and matching him.  

It wasn’t long before Mason’s movements became frenzied. He reached up and slapped his palm against the upper ledge, but accidently hit a bowl he’d put some oils in. He noticed the swirling patterns he had drawn on the backs of his hands were now smeared and running and he thought it was strange, like he’d seen it somewhere before. The sense of déjà vu was overpowering, but the lust he felt at the moment shook off the feeling. The bowl fell when he hit it and some of the oil sprayed across Cole’s stomach, but neither man cared. Their bodies were slick with sweat and Mason couldn’t help but think they were in a blind frenzy, moving together and apart again and again. He wasn’t sure if he had orgasmed, except for the tingling that raced up his spine, because he kept going even after he shouted something to Cole. Cole had grown hard again as well, and Mason had reached down between them to work him as he was himself, until he, too, came again.

Mason wasn’t aware of when he finally collapsed. Time had little relevance. It could have been somewhere near midnight, but from the indication of the moon and stars, it was the Witching Hour. He just remembered climbing onto the slab next to Cole and falling asleep while spooning him. His back was cool pressed against the rock, but his front was warm, and the fire felt good. The last thing he remembered before he drifted off to sleep, was seeing a pair of yellow, glowing orbs approaching from the other side of the circle, and then he fell asleep.

He awoke to Cole’s screams.