Charmed by Chance

By Alex Powell

Merritt has just vowed that he's done with dating mages when he runs into Verity. Verity is clever, cute, and definitely Merritt's type - the problem? Verity is a mech mage. He and his ex Serrah are still at odds with one another, and Serrah and Verity are friends. What's a guy to do?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Powell
• Release date: Sep 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393794134

Alex Powell

Alex Powell is an LGBTQ+ author from northern British Columbia, Canada. They write mostly sci-fi and fantasy themed queer romances, but occasionally write other genres. They published their first novella with Less Than Three Press in 2012.

Book preview

Merritt cradled his hand, trying very hard not to jostle it. One of the miniscule screws in his thumb joint teetered on the edge of falling out, and if it did, he’d never find the damn thing again. Why had he thought that Serrah would just let it go, when he knew she had a vengeful streak?

No more, he told himself. Dating mages ended here, once and for all.

Merritt had even moved to Yasadria to get away from all the drama in the guild, and here he had just happened to run into Serrah at the local Mech collegium.

They’d been civil—or so he’d thought. Merritt had realized that all the screws in his left hand were loose only after Serrah had left. It was a nasty trick, and one that he couldn’t fix himself.

He’d panicked and asked one of the Mech mages the location of the nearest prosthetics shop, and now he stood in front of it.

It looked like a very small shop, but looks could be deceiving. The door into the shop was narrower than average and made of stained wood. The hinges were lovely wrought metal that snaked its way up the door. A strange contraption hung inside the single window.

For a few seconds, Merritt stood stuck outside, wondering how to open the door with one hand holding the other one together. Then, someone exited, and he slipped inside.

The long, narrow shop had wooden floors and brick walls. Surprisingly, the well-lit interior had shelving that held all sorts of models for different metal prosthetics. On sight alone, Merritt knew he couldn’t afford most of it.

A mage sat down at the end looking into a metal-and-glass contraption that magnified his work. Realizing that he had a customer, the mage raised his head and smiled.

Wait. She smiled? He?

Merritt couldn’t figure out the mage’s gender, because while they had a completely flat and masculine chest, they also had on full make-up and Merritt could see that they were wearing a long, patchwork skirt.

Following that realization, Merritt felt a confused pull of attraction. Oh no.

Not that he was picky about gender, but he had just pledged not to get involved with another Mech mage. Just now.

Um, said Merritt.

Luckily, the mage could see very well what had brought him in.

Oh, dear, let me see that, they said, ushering him over into a chair.

They pushed their current project aside and pulled Merritt’s hand underneath