Page 82 of Magical Midlife Conclave

“Wait…” He paused for a long moment. “You did what?”

I grimaced into his chest. “Hit gargoyles with⁠—”

“No, no.” He gently pulled back, looking down into my eyes. “What about the Elder?”

“Ultimately, that was your fault.”

“Explain.” I did, and he stared at me with hard, disbelieving eyes. “Jacinta, you are an idiot. She could’ve killed you!”

“That wasn’t one of her options. I only gave her the options of helping or leaving.”

“Why did you stand so close?”

“To make a point that I wasn’t afraid of her. And in that moment, I wasn’t. Mostly.”

“Your gargoyle,” he said in annoyance, bending to glide his lips up my neck. “Truce?”

“Not even remotely!”

He chuckled. His hands reached low and pressed against my thighs. He slid them up, under the fabric. “Bang it out?”

“Bang, sure, but you’re still in trouble.”

His lips settled over mine as he let me work down his pants. His kiss turned needy as he hopped up onto the desk. His keyboard crashed against the ground, followed by his pencil holder and whatever was inside it.

I climbed on top of him, settling against him and then over him, sitting down hard. His body felt like home. He groaned as I moved, his fingers gripping my hips.

“I love you, Jess,” he said, the words riding a breath. “I need you in my life. You make me better.”

I worked him hard, jerking against him. My body wound up and the stress melted away.

“I love you,” I told him, reaching down to massage where I needed it. The desk scraped against the ground, moving across the floor. Maybe scratching it—I didn’t care.

Harder I went. Faster my fingers worked.

The explosion stole my breath. He shuddered beneath me, saying my name like I was divine.

In the aftermath, not totally comfortable in this position but good enough, I lay down over him.

“If ever there was an example of why you’re needed in this convocation,” he said, “you just proved it today. I couldn’t do this without you. I have part of what’s needed, and you are the other part. This place works because we work. Our people are united because we are united. You and me—we bring it all together.”

I felt his heartbeat against my palm. I breathed in his delicious scent. Home.

“You’re still in trouble.” It had to be said.

18

Jessie

“Ah, come on, really?” I asked softly, sagging in the front seat of the Porsche that Tristan had essentially claimed at this point. “This many?”

He had a front-row parking space in the large field we were using for challenges. People stood around the various squares sectioned off with cones, watching, waiting for their turn, or in charge of breaking up the fights. Gargoyles hovered overhead and basajaunak lounged off to the sides.

“Are we going to talk about it?” Tristan asked as he shut off the car.

After I’d left Austin’s office—we hadn’t had much time; he’d had to head here to start monitoring challenges—I’d chatted with Calvin for a moment, reaffirming that we’d host his pack at dinner if he needed a safe and quiet place to unwind. I was supposed to meet with Kingsley and Aljoe’s sisters and the other generational convocation shifters, but I’d met them before. They’d be talking politics and organizational structure. Or maybe alpha gossip. I didn’t want to say that Calvin was a great excuse to get out of it…but he really was.

I’d then met everyone for flying training, showing the new shifters what gargoyles could do in the air. It wasn’t as taxing as normal because I didn’t have to do much magic. I just had to follow along, essentially, grabbed here and there by a gargoyle to pick up speed.