Page 106 of The Spellreader and the Phoenix

A few hours later, Max was up front when Alex arrived and gave Rory a gigantic hug that went on for a long time. “I’m so glad you’re alright. It’s so good to see you again!”

Rory returned the hug tightly. “It’s good to be back.”

Alex tugged out their phone. “I know Max already told everyone you were fine, but I’m just going to reinforce it.”

“Have you heard anything from Tom?” Rory asked.

Alex shook their head. “No. But then, it’s not like I really knew him—I’m just the person who turned into a bear the first day I met him and contributed to the overall panic.”

Rory hugged Alex again, even as Max said, “That’s absolutely not your fault.”

Alex shrugged.

Yeah, it seemed like all of them felt bad for what had happened that night.

“I’ll text Tom,” Rory promised. “Maybe he’ll ignore me, but I’ll try.”

The group chat had been dinging all day with lots of well-wishes, memes, and questions for Rory. (Max had muted it, eventually, to actually get some work done.) Tom had sent only one text, telling Max he was glad Rory was better but he wasn’t coming on Friday. Max hoped that Rory had better luck.

Alex gave them both hugs before leaving. “I’m so glad you’re both still here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The two of them waved Alex off, and Max closed and locked the door, flipping the open sign to closed and activating the wards that would ensure that no one would be bothering them—or, you know, breaking in to try to steal books and stabbing Max instead.

In the apartment, they fed Nōwē and then ate dinner because Rory pointed out that it would ruin the mood if their stomachs were grumbling during the intimate moments. Max couldn’t help but laugh and agree.

But then the dishes were cleaned and put away, Nōwē was curled up on the cat tree by the window, and they had the evening ahead of them.

“Still want to do this?” Rory asked.

He looked just the tiniest bit anxious, a furrow in his brow, and Max didn’t want Rory to ever feel like that because of him.

“Definitely want to do this,” Max promised.

He didn’t totally know where to start, but he figured kissing was a pretty sure bet. Rory kept the pressure light and warm, letting Max be the one to deepen the kiss until they were both breathing heavily and Max’s hands had found their way to Rory’s hips, tugging him closer, feeling his erection pressing into Max’s abdomen.

“You want to fuck me?” Max asked.

Rory pulled out of the kiss, eyes hazy, though they sharpened as he focused on Max. “Uh, just to clarify, we don’t have to have sex to bond.”

Max blinked. “We don’t?”

Rory shook his head. “It’s one of the easiest ways to get the requisite intimacy, sure, but it’s not required. Intent from both parties is essential. There’s usually a bite, which is how magic is exchanged.”

Max nodded. You needed a shifter to have a bond. Max had never thought of it as shifter magic at work, but that actually made sense. It wasn’t a spell like a witch could perform, but shifter magic was unique and powerful in its own way.

“Mythical shifters are different,” Rory told him.

Max grinned. “Of course you are. How does it work for mythical shifters?”

“Intimacy and intent, like I said, but mythical shifters typically share magic directly. The form the magic takes varies between species. So, like, if you have tentacles or flames or scales…”

“Okay,” Max said, nodding his understanding. “So, this won’t end up with me having a bite mark?”

That was one thing so many of those shifter romance novels had gotten mostly right.

Rory shook his head. “No. It’s usually a more symbolic marking for us.”

Max narrowed his eyes. “Am I likely to be set on fire by anything we do today?”