Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)

Bad Idea

Air's guts churned, but he stayed quiet. When Quinn set his mind on something? He was usually unshakeable.

Air and Helena had used the spirit board many times over the years during drunken nights and times of boredom, and never once had anything gone wrong. Quinn was right. Helena knew what she was doing. So why did Air have such a bad feeling about this?

He tried to rationalise it. What could go wrong? This was human magic. Little more than a party trick. Human teenagers did stuff like this all the time in their bedrooms at sleepovers, so there was barely anything to it. Surely.

"Okay. Should we try?" Quinn said.

"Yup. Just relax, and don't panic if something happens. As long as I close it off properly, there's nothing that can go wrong," Helena answered, taking a few cleansing breaths and huffing them out. The three of them placed their fingers on the planchette, and Helena began. "We call upon the good-hearted spirits nearby and invite them to speak. What questions do you have?"

Air felt the atmosphere change and Helena's aura swirled the way it did when she was using her magic to contact the spirit world. The candles around them flickered and the pointer moved to:

Hello

Air shivered.

"Hi," he said to whoever this was.

Madam Bucur, he was sure. Helena gave him a death stare. She hated when he interrupted, so it only made him do it more.

"Welcome. Who are we speaking with?" Helena asked.

The pointer moved slowly to the letter S, continuing steadily to E, E, R.

Seer.

Air's stomach dropped. He and Helena focused on Quinn, who cursed just as his eyes rolled back in his head.

It happened in slow motion, and Air dove to catch him as he slumped backwards. Air's heart stuttered, the pain he always felt when Quinn shut down their bond stabbed at him, but this time it instantly transported him back to the worst night of his life. The night when their bond had iced over and the ether had almost taken Quinn.

"No!" he screamed, cradling Quinn's head to stop it from hitting the wooden floor. "Hel! Do something! Where the fuck did he go?"

Helena was up on her feet and running around the table. She knelt beside them, a hand hovering over Quinn's chest.

"Shit. Shit. Shit," she said, eyes wide. "This shouldn't have happened!"

"No fucking shit, Hel!" Air snarled. "Cut the connection!"

She focused on Quinn, frozen into place by indecision.

"I..."

Quinn's whole body tensed and Air whined, but he knew the drill when this happened by now, so he kept calm, even though inside he was freaking the fuck out. He grabbed a pillow from Helena's sofa and carefully put it under Quinn's head, heart breaking with the helplessness he felt as his mate started fitting. He didn't panic, though, even with the hysteria closing in around him.

Air needed to keep his head clear for Quinn and keep him safe until it passed. Because it would. It always did. He just hoped that once it was over, Quinn would be back. He told himself this over and over, because he'd be an absolute mess otherwise. Air took a calming breath. Helena hadn't moved. Had probably never witnessed this firsthand with Quinn. What should they do? Of course. "Is Seren home?"

Helena blinked, tearing her eyes away from Quinn, who was still convulsing, muscles straining and limbs jerking.

"Um. Yes? I don't know."