between two men, hips gyrating to the music—sweet son of a sea cook, how did the man manage to move like that? It was downright filthy and gave Dae a warm sensation in his groin.
Ben’s face shone with sweat and his eyes glinted in laughter as he teasingly swivelled his hips and waved his fingers in a come and get it gesture to the short Latinx hottie dancing with him. The other man, lean, with dark red hair and dressed in precious little, had his hands on Ben’s waist, under his shirt and was slowly slipping lower.
Oh no, bullshit to that. This wouldn’t do. At all. Magic headache be damned, Dae wasn’t having these two perverts macking on his friend.
He edged closer to the trio and flexed his fingers. It would only take a teensy bit of effort and he’d make these men pay for treating Ben like a piece of meat. He closed his eyes, thinking of his homeland, Quimaria, and its scented gardens and evergreen hills. As the images conjured in his mind, Dae felt the tingling in his arms that heralded the approach of his magic. He smirked as the pins and needles reached his fingers. Then, with a gesture so subtle he doubted anyone would notice it, he sent a burst of energy straight down into the red-haired man’s groin.
The shriek that burst forth from Red’s mouth would have shattered glass. Dae winced. He hadn’t meant to do too much damage—he may have misjudged the amount of magic he used.
He’d been on the receiving end of a dunzu spell before, and he knew the feeling of heat and prickling when it hit. It wasn’t pleasant, but wouldn’t damage anything vital. It was a bit like getting menthol cream on your private bits.
“My fucking balls are on fire,” Red screamed as he staggered about, reaching into his tight trousers to relieve himself. “My dick is burning.”
Ben stepped away, staring at the unfortunate man’s nether regions in horror. “What the hell happened?”
Dae edged closer to Ben, deciding he’d done enough damage for one night. Mr Latinx had already made a wise move and disappeared into the crowd standing around gaping at the man cradling his groin.
“Let me help you,” Dae offered. He snatched a glass of beer from a gaping patron. With one quick flick, he threw the contents of the glass over Red’s groin.
“There, that should help. Do you need any more? I’m sure one of these lovely people would delight in putting out the fire. You with the drink. Help the poor man.”
As various patrons began dousing Red with their drinks, Dae moved over to Ben and grinned. “You seem to attract excitement wherever you go. Perhaps you should have a break from dancing. Come, I’ll buy you a drink.” He took Ben’s hand and dragged him towards the bar. The path was fairly clear as most people were assisting in putting out Red’s fire.
Ben looked shocked. “I don’t know what the hell happened. One minute we were dancing, the next he was prancing about like a loon. That poor guy. Do you think he’ll be okay?” He looked back uncertainly, biting his lip in a way Dae found rather appealing. “Should we call nine-nine-nine or something, get them to take him to the hospital?”
Dae waved a hand airily. “Oh, no need for that. I’m sure whatever is ailing him will clear soon.” In his experience, the effects of the dunzu receded after about five minutes. However, the effects of casting that bit of magic outside of his kingdom were starting to hit him. Dae’s head spun and he had a distinct ache in his bones. He needed water and a bit of fresh air, and he’d be fine.
They reached the bar and Dae ordered another beer and a glass of water.
Ben blinked at him. “You’re drinking water? Are you feeling all right?”
Dae was too busy draining the glass to answer. He finished it then slid across the counter to the bartender. “Another one of those, please.” He nodded at Ben. “I’m good. Had enough alcohol. Perhaps we can take a walk outside onto the deck when I’m done with this one?” He swigged down his second water as quickly as the first. His head was swimming and his insides felt a little swirly. Drat it. He simply wasn’t used to being drained like this anymore.
There’d been a time he could’ve done magic all day, and only needed to rest at night. Earth was sucking away