Sirens blared and vehicles he'd never seen before rolled up. They had sirens like police cars, but they were black SUV'S with some kind of shield like logo on the side. Dozens of them poured onto the street, and whenever one stopped the doors popped open and people in vests and ball caps carrying rifles poured out.

“Okay,” Kyle said, raising his hands. “I guess now we get arrested.”

That was kind of what happened. Only it didn't quite go the way Kyle expected. The first part he was ready for. The agents with the guns rushed at him. He was pretty sure the guns couldn't hurt him, in fact he was pretty sure he could blow up the whole street and take them all out, but he understood their position. Something really weird and violent had happened here, they were nervous. He was all set to let them pull him down and cuff him when a voice cut over the din.

“Wait!” Tanya shouted. “He's one of the good guys!”

The agents hesitated, and a new voice came from within one of the SUVs.

“I'm going to need a little bit more than that, Ms. Myrden,” came the sultry purr, and a woman in a severe black suit stepped out of one of the cars in the back. Her skin was the color of burnt caramel, and her hair fell down her back in glossy waves. He was pretty sure she was beautiful, but it was like he was having trouble making out the details. The suit made her startling, but somehow also anonymous. “This is a much bigger mess than usual.”

The agents weren't pointing their guns as threateningly, but they hadn't exactly put them away either. They gestured for Kyle to walk in a direction and he did, meeting up with Jenny, Tanya, and Goldie. The only three members of their group who weren't too injured to talk. Tanya was having her leg looked at by a medic, Goldie was leaning against a wall, and Jenny just looked confused.

“Kyle!” She said. “Who are these people?”

“The men in black,” Goldie said. “I should have figured. This is the part where we disappear.”

“That hasn't been decided yet,” the agent woman said, walking over to the group.

“You're not going to disappear me, Julia,” Tanya rolled her eyes. “It would piss off my father, and you need him. So you're not going to disappear any of my friends either.”

“That depends on how good the story is,” the agent crossed her arms.

“Who is this?” Jenny asked.

“This is Agent Julia Nunez,” Tanya said. “Of...the agency doesn't have an actual name. Most people just call them the Shades.”

“There are magical operatives working for the government?” Kyle asked.

“Of course there are,” Tanya said. “Do you think you can keep magic a secret from something like a modern government? Every government has magical agents.”

“She doesn't feel human,” Jenny said

“You're one to talk,” Nunez grinned, and Kyle could see her teeth were pointed. Every single one of them. And the ones in front looked kind of like fangs. “And Tanya's right, we generally try to work with organizations like her family to keep things stable. Of course we don't generally have magic battles blowing big burning holes in the middle of a town.”

“Self defense clause,” Tanya said. “We'll give a full report.”

“You bet you will,” Tanya said. “All of you will. We've picked up Ms. Trent as well. I can't wait to hear this one.”

After that, it was like a magic trick.

Everything landed on Danny, eventually. They tied him all the way back to the fight at the school, saying that was an early bomb that didn't work right. He escaped from jail to retrieve his bomb-making materials, which he handled improperly causing the explosions and destruction in the neighborhood. Easy, neat, clean, believable, with no magic required to tell the story.

And just like that, before your very eyes ladies and gentlemen, the magical occurrences in Rolling Hills have (poof!) disappeared.

But before they, they had to explain things to Nunez and her team. After all, the magician needs to understand the trick even if nobody else does. Agents quickly set up tents all around the destroyed neighborhood, and Kyle was led to one and asked to tell his story. So he did.

“...and that's when you all rolled in,” Kyle finished.

“Nothing else you want to add?” Nunex asked.

“Yes,” Kyle said. “Can I go home now?”

“What makes you think you're not under arrest?” Nunex asked.

“Is it worth your time to arrest me?” Kyle asked. “Are you even positive you could?”

“Don't get cocky,” Nunex said. “You really think we can't handle you?”

He had worried, for a minute, that they might try to kill him and take Jenny. The last genie was a lot of power. But somehow he felt confident they wouldn't. Nunez felt like some kind of predator, and he still wasn't too clear on what she actually was, but he felt like he could handle it. At worst, he was sure he could bust his way out with Jenny before they could do anything to lock him down.

He wasn't sure where this confidence came from, but it was there. He didn't feel stronger, exactly, but ever since Jenny wished him awake his power had seemed...firmer. Tighter. More his. He'd have to figure out what was going on with all that.

Besides...

“I think you're not sure if you can,” Kyle said. “If you were sure you could arrest me, you already would. Or you would have rolled in and grabbed me and Danny at the same time. Because you were here before the fight started, weren't you? You're the reason we didn't get mobbed by random civilians trying to figure out what was going on.”

“Not bad,” she smiled. “You're right. I'm not sure we could handle you. But really, don't get too cocky. You're powerful, kid, but I've seen stronger. At the agency, we've got stronger working for us.”

“Alright sure,” Kyle shrugged. “But is a fight with me what you actually want?”

“No,” Nunez admitted. “That would be loud. And we're all about keeping things quiet. But that doesn't let you off the hook completely.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we're going to be opening an office in Rolling Hills,” Nunez said. “The Myrden family wasn't enough to warrant it before, but now that you're here? With the last genie? Not to mention all your little friends. This place has become a real magical hot spot. So the next time something like this comes up, your government will be here to help!”

She gave him a fang filled grin.

“Isn't that comforting?”

After that, a little to Kyle's surprise, they were free to go. Kyle stopped in to check on the others, the ones who hadn't already been taken to the hospital, but he barely had the energy to talk to them. It had been a long, complicated day and he was dog tired. Nunez gave everyone a ride home...in fact, she insisted. Strongly. Kyle barely had time to wonder where his grandfather was, he stumbled into the house and fell asleep.

At one in the morning, he woke up screaming.

“Kyle!” Jenny said, lying in the bed with him. “Kyle! It's okay. You're okay.”

“Right,” Kyle said, blinking and taking in the world around him. “Right. Okay.”

It wasn't so much of a surprise. He'd had a fight to the death today. He'd almost died. In his dream, he'd been on fire again. And Danny...

And he was killing Danny again.

Dammit. He'd hoped to be one of those heroes who was so pragmatic that kind of thing didn't affect him. Apparently, his life wasn't going to be that convenient.

“It's okay,” Jenny said, wrapping her arms around him. His elbow fell between her breasts again. “You just had a nightmare.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “I guess so. I'm okay, Jenny. I'll be alright.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, eyes sparkling in the darkness.

And suddenly what he needed, desperately needed, was to be close to her. He needed to feel the way he had before, when they'd kissed. To feel that bright warm calm wrapped around him, to feel the tension ease away because someone he loved was close.

He reached up to cup her chin and pulled her into the kiss. Her arms wrapped around him, and this time they didn't pull apart. They had nowhere to be, and there was nothing in the world Kyle wanted to do more in this moment than stay exactly what he was. It was Jenny who pushed things farther, pulling away the sheet that separated them until their bodies were pressed together with nothing in between but the thin pants he'd worn to bed, but this time he didn't stop her. She had more experience, after all, centuries of it. He decided to let her lead the way.

The kiss didn't break as she reached down his side, pulling his pants away. There was an awkward moment when neither of them wanted to break the kiss, but neither had the reach to pull his pants down any further. Kyle solved the problem by remembering the force he'd used to pull off Danny's wings--

And the memory was distant, unimportant now, so much less important than the woman in his arms

--and he called upon the same power to slide his pants down without them having to pull apart. They were against each other with no obstructions now, his cock pressed hard against the skin of her inner thigh, but neither of them was in any hurry. They let their hands play across each others skin, letting the moment build, the heat boil inside them both, before Jenny moved her hips to press her lips against his head and take him inside of her.

She broke the kiss as her lips thrust down, engulfing him to the base, the moment of penetration bringing a gasp to her lips she couldn't contain. Kyle made a similar noise, his hips bucking inside her, reveling in a sensation he had only ever dreamed of before, warm and soft and tight around him. And from that feeling, a strange echo. As her hips began to move, and he instinctively tried to match her rhythm, the echo continued.

It's her, he realized. It's coming from her.

Connected as they were by the magic that had brought him back from the brink of death, he could sense what she was feeling through some shuddering vibration of the magic inside her. He let his focus pour into that echo, let it guide him to her every weak spot. She yelped in surprise as her inexperienced partner suddenly found her most sensitive places, moved inside her in ways even she wasn't fully aware were keys to the deepest depths of her pleasure. But she rallied quickly, and slowly he began to lead the rhythm as their bodies rolled together.

There were no complicated poses, no experimental contortions. Nothing beyond the two of them entwined, hands gliding across each other's bodies to grope and caress, their hips rolling against each other in a pounding rhythm as they clung to each other. For a while there was nothing else in the universe but the two of them, and time lost all meaning, until at last it was punctuated by the clamping of Jenny's walls along his shaft and her nails digging into his shoulder as she came to shuddering climax.

For the first time, of many.

Morning came, and Kyle found himself still in bed with a beautiful genie. She was snoring softly in the bed beside him. So it hadn't been a dream. The bad parts or the good.

Kyle leaned in to kiss her in her sleep. She woke up with a mumble.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey,” Kyle said. “Feel like getting up?”

“No,” Jenny said, covering her head with a pillow.

“You're normally the one with all the energy,” he pointed out.

“Your fault.”

“How?”

“Colossal physical enhancement is exhausting,” she told him.

“Did I hurt you?” Kyle asked worried. “I wasn't really thinking about it, because, you know, but I thought I kept my strength under control...”

“No,” She said, poking her head out to give him a swift peck on the lips. “You didn't hurt me. It wasn't the strength, it was the stamina. Not complaining, but I'm tired. Lemme sleep.”

Kyle tried to stamp down his grin. He was not going to spend all day with an enormous stupid grin on his face because he'd worn his magical genie girlfriend out. That sounded like something from a porno, anyway. Still, he couldn't deny it felt good.

He rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, heading downstairs to get breakfast. He found his Grandfather sitting at the kitchen table. His grandfather did have an enormous stupid grin on his face.

Oh no.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” his grandfather said, grin never slipping. Kyle tried to ignore him for a few minutes, but it was no good.

“Look-” Kyle started.

“Good going boy!” His grandfather laughed.

“Dammit!” Kyle slammed a fist on the counter. It left a dent.

“Careful there,” his grandfather said. “You don't want to knock the place down, do you?”

“I dunno,” Kyle said. “I'm still considering.”

“Well looks like you're doing fine,” the old man said. “I was worried about you, but by the time those government vultures got done interrogating me you and the genie were already asleep.”

“That's it?” Kyle said. “You don't want more explanation than that?”

“You're a good kid,” the old man shrugged. “I care that you're okay. The rest of it? Not much I can do. Danny got his hands on something bad and you handled it. If you need to talk, I'm here.”

“Thanks grandad,” Kyle said, misting up a little bit.

“About anything,” the old man waggled his eyebrows. “Anything at all. I got experience that could really come in handy, especially for a talented young amateur...”

“Aaaand now you're ruining it,” Kyle sighed.

“G'mrning,” Jenny mumbled, walking into the room wearing an oversized shirt. “Nuggets.”

“It's first thing in the morning,” Kyle pointed out.

“Want nuggets,” Jenny yawned. “Still all tired. Your fault.”

“No don't say that!” Kyle wailed, but it was too late.

“Good on ya boy!” His grandfather laughed, punching the air. “That's my genetics in you right there! Good for you!”

They were just sitting down to breakfast when the phone rang. Tanya. He picked it up to hear a surprising amount of noise going on at the other end.

“What's up?” he asked.

“I'm getting everyone together to talk about yesterday,” Tanya said over the phone. “Everyone. That includes Ammeline and Goldie, they need to be read in too. It'll be easier if we explain everything all at once. When can you come over?”

Kyle thought about it. School was over for the year, he didn't have anything else to do. And besides, it sounded like everyone was having fun over there.

“Why so noisy?” Kyle asked.

“Goldie is berating Evan for cheating against her at chess,” Tanya sighed. “Betty is rambling about something I don't even understand but it sounds vaguely pornographic, Trevor is trying to figure out what she's saying, and Ammeline is walking around declaring herself the real winner of the fight with Danny. Please, Kyle, you have to come help me with these people.”

Kyle blinked.

“What did you say?”

“I said please come help,” Kyle said.

“That's the nicest you've ever spoken to me,” Kyle pointed out.

“Well if I can't get rid of you people,” Tanya snapped. “I may as well be polite. Alright? Don't make a big thing out of it.”

“Yeah sure,” Kyle said. “No problem. We'll be there in a couple of minutes.”

He hung up the phone.

“Who was that?” Jenny asked, her cheeks stuffed with nuggets like a squirrel.

“Tanya needs some help calming everyone down,” Jenny said.

“Yay!” Jenny punched the air. “Friends!”

“Yeah,” Kyle said, smiling. What a weird, weird place his life had become. But also magical, in ways that had nothing to do with genie powers. “Friends.”