Exhausted with life, Dakota tries to end his -- only to be saved at the last moment by his friend Terrell, who then drags him into a world of magic and intrigue that's always been right there, hidden beneath the surface.<br><br>Powerful magic users are steadily pulling the planet into a violent war, and evil forces will stop at nothing to take the talismans possessed by Dakota and his newfound family. Dakota soon finds himself deeply in over his head ... with love, with family, with fighting for all their lives.

The Pyre Starter

Halfway into slumber, Terrell’s voice roused him. “Tomorrow, we should go into town.” With his lips grazing Dakota’s forehead, he spoke through locks of his hair.


Terrell nodded. “That, and…umm—” There was a pause as he seemed to choose his words carefully. “That, and there’s a clinic I was thinking maybe we could stop at. Get you checked out.”


The statement woke him up immediately. “Terrell, I’m fine.”


“I know you are. But I wanna make sure. If you’re sick, there’s medicine and treatments we can get you. And if you’re not—” He let out a sweet laugh. “Then we can celebrate!”


“You worried about me, or do you just have an aversion to latex?”


Terrell withdrew enough to make eye contact. “I don’t care about using condoms or not. I care about you. Of course I’m worried. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”


The confirmation sent warmth through his whole body. “Okay. We’ll go in the morning.”


Chapter 33