Dayn lay back, trying to stay in a calm place. He first thought of the sea, but then he recalled being stung by a jellyfish, and suddenly he didn’t want to think about that any longer. He envisioned a quiet meadow, but then a bear crashed out of a copse of trees and tried biting off his head. This wasn’t going so well. He began to think about the cellar he used to hide in as a boy, but then he felt a presence begin to infuse his mind. The problem was, it was kind of disturbing.
Maybe he’s fixing me, Dayn wondered, but he couldn’t help but shiver uncomfortably. He kept having flashes of a kind of desire, but it wasn’t the same as when he looked at a woman. No, it was somehow twisted. Not even close to natural. He felt as though bugs were crawling around under his skin. The feeling scared him. This wasn’t even like one of those dirty pleasures he hid for fear of being judged. The faint rapture was washed away by a tide of fear. “Hadrian, I don’t like this,” he said softly, but the mage didn’t seem to hear him.
Now, Dayn listened to Hadrian speak of him leaving the city, of fleeing the control of his family. He felt as though those sentiments were correct, but at the same time, he knew some were false. His mother could barely even control her own fork. His father was the real problem, and the time was coming when he’d leave again… but the problem was, this was making him very, very confused.
The worst part, though, that he was growing increasingly paranoid that Hadrian was trying to seduce him.
Strong as a bull? He’s just motivating me, Dayn frowned. He’s not lusting after my exquisitely- He raised an eyebrow. “Um, Hadrian? There’s always the chance that my cock might have stirred, but the sort of things you’re saying right now… they’re creeping me out.”
