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"Like this?"

"More like this." I reached over and made a quick demonstration.

Magnus made an attempt at mimicking my instructions. "How's that?"

"That's great. Don't stop. Keep going."

Magnus continued his work before pausing. He shifted his yellow-green eyes over to me and smiled. "You realize how sexual you're making this study session sound?"

"I am not!" I lightly punched his shoulder. "You just have a dirty mind."

Magnus set his pencil down on the open textbook and rubbed his eyes. He reached his arms up and stretched, wincing at the tenderness of his healing wound. He gingerly rubbed the spot where the bandages were before reaching for the pencil again. He stared at one of the equations, chewing his lip as he concentrated. I studied him, entranced by the sereneness in his face. He began scribbling numbers and letters on the blank piece of paper before him, but he made a noise of irritation and started over. He hesitated halfway through his work, his brow furrowed. My heart lurched to see him struggling, but I dared not interfere with his challenge.

He surprised me by dropping the pencil and sitting back on his heels. "I can't do it."

I leaned over to glance at his work. "You're on the right track, Mags. Keep going!"

"What's the point? Being good at chemistry isn't going to get me into university."

"I'll help you with everything else. You'll get your GED, and universities will be lining up to accept you. Whenever you feel like you're struggling, I'll be your personal tutor."

The corner of his mouth pulled into a tentative smile. "You really think so?"

I scooted closer to kiss him on the mouth. "I know so. And I'm smart, so you have to believe me."

Magnus brushed his thumb over my jawbone. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Don't go overestimating my generosity yet," I said, waggling my eyebrows. "That tutoring is going to come at a cost."

"Oh?" Magnus bit his lip before capturing my mouth with his. "Do you accept mind-blowing sex as a form of payment?"

"I won't say no to mind-blowing sex," I said breathlessly as he nipped at the hollow under my ear. "But there was something else I had in mind..."

Magnus had been right: we had the gym completely to ourselves. The small building was located just across the street from a school, and after four-o-clock, when all the kids had gone home, this part of the city tended to be deserted.

I followed Magnus down a short hallway. Raphael and a few others from Magnus's "crew" had accompanied us to the gym. Thankfully, the four others remained in a room filled with equipment and machines. Magnus led me into a room and flicked on the lights. The floor was completely matted, and in the far corner there were three battered punching bags. Only one of them still hung from the ceiling. A faded white circle was painted in the centre of the floor.

Magnus stepped in front of me and unzipped my jacket. He held my gaze as he pushed the material from my shoulders. "You know I don't like the idea of you being in another fight."

"I know you don't." I took my jacket from his hands and tossed it aside. "But don't you think it's better for me to be prepared?"

He frowned. "Just don't go looking for trouble."

"There's trouble out there worse than you?"

He ruffled my hair. "Smart ass."

I followed Magnus inside the faded circle and stood facing him. It was difficult to not be distracted by the tight navy blue t-shirt he wore; the low rise of his sweatpants begged to divert my attention. I plastered my gaze to his face, ignoring the itch of my fingers to delve into his hair.

"You know I'm not a professional, right?"

"I just need a fighting chance," I assured him.

Magnus nodded. "All right. Let's start with some basics. Let's say someone swings at you like this." He swung his arm in a demonstration, his movement turtle-slow. "If you can, duck down and rise in a fluid motion. As you straighten, grab his wrist with your left hand and push it away, and aim for his jaw with your right fist."

He took another swing at me, this time slightly faster. I did as he instructed, but I stopped my fist an inch from his face. He nodded his approval and shook free of my grasp. We practised the movements over and over, gradually increasing speed. My confidence in the defensive maneuver grew, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'd be quick enough to anticipate an attack in order to use it.

When he was finally satisfied, Magnus said, "Now let's say someone tries to punch you like this." He reached his fist out to my nose. "One way to avoid it would be to lean to the side and make a grab for his arm again. Another way would be to drop down and, using your hands for balance, kick your leg up at the guy's stomach."

We practised again and again like before until both of us had a thin sheen of sweat on our faces. Magnus switched back and forth between the two maneuvers, sometimes giving me a heads up of what to expect, other times completely catching me off guard. After a while, he reached out and grasped my shoulders to turn me around. Slowly he reached his arm around to loosely wrap it around my neck.

"Usually an attack from behind will be like this. Here, you have three choices: push off the ground and try to knock him backward, drop all your weight and hope that he loses his grip, or bend forward and try to flip him over your back."

I thought about trying to use my small stature to flip someone over me and grimaced. "What do you recommend for me?"

"Use your legs and push backward."

Magnus released me and I turned to face him.

"How do I disarm someone?"

"Alec," Magnus shook his head, "I don't even want to think about someone pointing a weapon at you."

"It's happened before."

"How about we just focus on this for now?"

I nodded and repositioned myself in the circle. Magnus stood a few feet away, watching me, his eyes betraying nothing. I kept vigilant, seeking one movement that would reveal his intended attack.

He charged at me so suddenly I barely had time to brace myself for the point of contact. He hit me around my waist and the two of us fell to the floor. The mats protected me from any real damage, but the blow had been forceful enough to steal some of my breath.

Without missing a beat, Magnus straddled my hips and snatched both my wrists. I struggled against him, but he managed to pin them down on either side of my head. He looked down at me, grinning triumphantly.

"What now, Alexander?" he taunted.

I bucked my hips upward, reaching my legs as far as they would go. Magnus's victorious smile vanished when my ankles hooked around his neck and pulled him flat on his back. The second my wrists were freed, I swung my body to claim my position over Magnus. I straddled his hips and pinned his wrists to the floor. He thrashed against me for a moment before sagging with defeat, breathing hard.

"Say you surrender."

"What are you going to do to me if I don't say it?" Magnus asked lustily.

I smiled and bent down to kiss him, long and hard.

The six of us left the gym before it got too dark. According to Magnus, the location was in neutral territory, but he did not want the night to give cover to anyone wanting to surprise us. We left the block and crossed the schoolyard without any problems. As we started our way up a street with boarded-up buildings, I slipped to the back of the group. Magnus was in deep conversation with Raphael, and I wanted to be respectful and give them some privacy. The other three, who'd been briefly introduced as Malcolm Fade, Ragnor Fell, and Isaac Laquedem, did not give me a second glance as I fell back to bring up the rear.

I'd just been contemplating the uniqueness of their names when I tripped slightly. Looking down, I noticed my shoelace had become untied. The group continued forward, not yet noticing I'd stopped. Without a word, I bent down and began retying my laces.

Suddenly I heard running footsteps, followed by a grunt and a thud. My head snapped up to see two forms rolling on the ground. Four figures charged out from between two buildings and swarmed Magnus and his group. None of them had noticed me, as I had not yet passed by the alley. Fear swimming in my veins, I bolted out of the street and hid behind three trash cans.

Yells and the sound of landed punches pierced the quiet air. Slowly, I peered out from behind my cover. I could not distinguish Magnus amidst the scuffle. Malcolm Fade, only recognizable by the streak of purple in his hair, had been separated from the group, and was being savagely beaten by one of the attackers.

Against my inner flight instinct, I crept out from behind the trash cans. I drew my hood up as I charged for Malcolm's opponent. If these were Jace's followers, I could only hope that they would not recognize me.

I threw myself head first into the attacker, knocking him away from Malcolm. Unexpected pain erupted in my shoulder. The assailant snarled at me and tried to knock me off at the same time he reached into his pocket. A soft snap revealed a switchblade. I grabbed the guy's wrist and slammed it against the street again and again until it slipped from his grasp. He aimed a punch at my head with his left hand, but it was sloppy and I easily dodged it. Before I even knew what I was doing, I grabbed the attacker's head between my hands and slammed his skull against the pavement. His gaze became unfocused and his struggle against me weakened. I smashed his skull again. The guy's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp.

Shaking, I slowly rose to my feet...

There was a sharp clap of thunder. I jumped then froze. Something fell against the street behind me. I turned to see a figure laying on the ground, clutching his shoulder. His teeth were gritted in pain and blood oozed from between his fingers. When he lifted his head, I realized the attacker was younger than me. Much younger. He was barely through his teen years, but the hatred in his eyes was that of a man who had seen too much, had grown up too fast. A knife lay forgotten at his side. I hastily turned away, but not before his eyes met mine. With a jolt I realized I'd met him before. Jace had introduced us. But that had been a long time ago, and I hoped the kid did not recognize me.

Isaac was helping Malcolm to his feet, and Raphael and Ragnor were standing over a figure huddled in the fetal position. The other assailants seemed to have fled. Not too far away, Magnus was standing stoically, his hand still clutching the smoking gun. I approached him, and, though his expression was hard and vacant, I could see the dread in his eyes. Without a word, I reached down and grabbed his free hand. I pulled on him until we were running, running far away.

Magnus hadn't said two words since the attack. His silence was beginning to frighten me. He hadn't made a move for either the beer or the tea I'd set in front of him. The set of his jaw and intensity in his eyes led me to believe he was brooding, but the paleness to his skin made me think otherwise.

When I could no longer stand it, I grabbed his face and forced him to look at me. "Say something, Magnus. I'm begging you."

He took a long while before he answered, which made me want to hit him, but finally he said quietly, "He was just a kid."

My thoughts drifted to the teenager in the street, hand clasped over the bullet hole in his shoulder.

"I was just protecting you," Magnus went on. "He would have hurt you if I hadn't shot him...but he was just a kid."

"He wasn't just a kid. Did you see the hatred in his eyes? The anger? He was a weapon. He could have hurt anyone. You didn't kill him, Magnus. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did what you had to do."

"He reminded me of you. Dark hair. Light eyes. I thought about you becoming that—"

I pushed my finger against Magnus's lips, silencing him. "I will never be like that."

He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from his mouth. "I don't want anyone to hurt you."

"No one will hurt me, Magnus. I can defend myself, and I've got you to protect me."

Something changed in Magnus's expression. He looked...feral. But aside from feeling fear, I felt my blood being set on fire. He grasped my upper arms, hard enough to bruise, and crushed his mouth against mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth without permission, and I moaned against his lips.

When he ripped his mouth away, he growled, "I will always protect you. You are mine."

"I'm yours," I agreed, breathless.

Magnus kissed me again. "God, do you know what I want to do to you right now?"

"Tell me," I said, shuddering with excitement.

"I want to tie you to the bed and tease you until you come. Then I want to fuck you, hard and fast, until you scream my name. Then I'm going to fuck you again until you're begging for mercy."

I swallowed, my pulse hammering in my throat. "Okay."

Magnus rose from the sofa and bent down to scoop me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he kissed me. We bumped into walls as we blindly made out way to the bedroom, but all I felt was desire and anticipation. I unwrapped my legs so he could set me down and watched as he grabbed my running shoes and began pulling out the laces. My stomach fluttered. I'd never given much thought to bondage before, but the thought of surrendering completely to Magnus... I looked down and saw my erection straining against my pants.

Magnus noticed, too, and dipped his head to kiss me. Still holding the laces, the grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up and over my head. Then he pushed me down onto the mattress. He hovered over me, kissing and sucking at my neck. He grabbed my left hand and lifted it above my head. He pressed my wrist against a headboard bar and began tying the shoelace around them. The knot was loose enough to leave my circulation intact, but tight enough that I could not break free easily. He made quick work of restraining my other wrist before bending down to kiss me again. I groaned against his lips and arched my hips up against his, desperate for the contact.

Magnus put his hand on my waist and pushed me down against the mattress. He pressed his lips against my chest and kissed a path over to my nipple. I gasped when he nipped and sucked on the sensitive tissue. I squirmed underneath him. He chuckled and continued licking while he moved his hand from my waist up to my other nipple. He moved his finger in a circular motion over the peak. I felt myself growing unbearably hard.

"So responsive," Magnus hummed. "You like that?"

I made a small noise of protest when he started to get off the bed, but I quieted when he curled his fingers around the waistband of my sweatpants. He dragged them down slowly, taking my boxers with them. My erection sprang upward against my belly when he pulled my clothes over my thighs and down to my calves. When he pulled them off completely, he crawled back onto the mattress above me. His mouth sealed over mine and his hand crept down over my abdomen to my throbbing dick. I gasped against his lips. I was already dangerously close to the edge; only a couple of strokes and Magnus would have me climaxing.

"Oh God, Magnus," I panted.

He slipped lower to capture my other nipple in his mouth. I arched off the bed, aching to feel more of his mouth on me, desperate for release. As he swirled his tongue around, Magnus began stroking me. He pumped me from the base to the tip, applying just the right amount of pressure.

I felt the familiar coiling deep in my groin. But just before I could orgasm, Magnus stilled his hand and pulled his mouth away. I whimpered as my body began to wind down. Magnus caught my gaze and smiled devilishly. My stomach flipped when I realized Magnus hadn't been joking when he said he wanted to toy with me.

Again Magnus brought me as close as possible to my release, only to stop before I could fall apart. I groaned in frustration as I hovered on the edge and then felt my pleasure slipping away.

Magnus tugged my nipple between his teeth. My over-sensitive flesh tingled. I cried out and ground my hips against Magnus's hand. He moved his fist rhythmically around my cock.

When I felt myself drawing nearer again, I whimpered, "Please, Magnus."

He removed his mouth from my nipple. "Please what?"

My breath hitched in my throat when my pleasure began to spike. "Please let me come."

Magnus began stroking faster and drew his tongue up the side of my neck. When he nibbled on my earlobe, a wave broke inside me and I clutched helplessly at the headboard bars as my orgasm wracked my body. Wetness spurted against my belly. I cried out shamelessly as the pleasure overwhelmed me.

When my release finally began to subside, Magnus bent down to kiss my lips.

"You came all over my clothes," he whispered. "Now I'm going to have to punish you."

His words sent a thrilled rush through me. I felt myself began to stiffen already. Magnus climbed off the bed and stripped out of his clothes. His impressive erection was already long and thick. He hovered over me and dipped his head to swipe his tongue into my navel. Slowly his tongue began to trail down my body to the inside of my thigh. He grazed over my sac and then inched upward.

I tensed, guessing where he was going. "Magnus—"

He quickly repositioned himself to look down into my eyes. The raw heat in his yellow-green depths had been replaced by tenderness. "Trust me, Alex. I'll make you feel good."

I hesitated before nodding. He kissed the tip of my nose and returned to the lower half of my body. I closed my eyes, willing myself to cast aside all feelings except for pleasure. My dick twitched when Magnus drew his tongue up my entire length. He circled the tip before taking me into his mouth. I gasped and threw my head back. I'd never been inside anyone before, and the warmth and tightness Magnus provided with his tongue and cheeks were mind-blowing. He bobbed his head up and down, milking me. When he made a swallowing motion with his throat, I could not hold myself back.

"Magnus, I'm—"

I came before I could finish speaking. A long moan escaped my lips as I spurted into Magnus's mouth. I opened my eyes and looked down at Magnus. He swallowed and licked at the fluid that had leaked from the corner of his mouth. The sight was so erotic that I could already feel my groin stirring again.

Magnus grabbed my ankles and slid my feet closer to my ass. He pushed my knees apart, exposing me completely to him. I felt heat creep into my cheeks. He reached up to stroke my face gently, though his next words were anything but:

"I'm going to fuck you now."

"Okay," I said.

He plunged into me. I cried out with a mixture of pain and satisfaction. Magnus withdrew and slammed back into me. I lifted my hips off the bed to match his rhythm as his penis penetrated to my prostate, pounding my sweet spot over and over.

"Faster, Magnus!" I pleaded.

He obliged, ramming into me.

"Alex, fuck— I'm—I'm gonna..."

He began undulating even faster. My body tightened, slight too early, and I orgasmed. My own semen splattered against my belly as I ejaculated. Magnus panted raggedly as he fought to catch up to me. Finally I felt his warmth burst inside me. He stiffened, clutching my hip and groaning in ecstasy.

I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Three orgasms had left me feeling exhausted, but Magnus was not done with me yet. Without pulling out, he draped himself over me and began licking my nipple again. I cried out as my hyper-sensitive flesh flared back to life. My cock, impossibly, began pushing against Magnus's stomach. He lifted himself on one arm and withdrew from me. I moaned when he pushed back inside, torturously slow. He was taking his time this time around, being gentle, but my body was already too wound up.

"Magnus, fuck me."

He did not need me to tell him twice. Magnus slammed his hips forward, over and over. I gasped with each thrust. Unexpectedly, Magnus grabbed the back of my knee and pushed one of my legs farther back toward my stomach. His dick went even deeper inside me. My body surrendered to the pleasure and I came, hard. Magnus continued thrusting, intensifying and lengthening my orgasm. Not long after, he cried out and stiffened. His cock jerked inside me and I felt him spurting his semen.

"Oh God," I whispered, physically wrung out.

Magnus gently pulled out of me and reached up to untie my hands. Freed, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine. He threaded his fingers through my hair and rolled onto his side to avoid crushing me under his weight. I fell asleep in his arms, never in my life having felt more cherished, safe, and protected.