Nine of Swords, Reversed

By Xan West

Dev has been with xyr service submissive Noam for seven years and xe loves them very much. Dev and Noam have built a good life together in Noam's family home in Oakland, where they both can practice their magecraft, celebrate the high holidays in comfort, support each other as their disabilities flare, and where Noam can spend Shabbos with their beloved family ghost.

But Dev's got a problem: xe has been in so much arthritis pain recently that xe has not been able to shield properly. As an empath, no shielding means Dev cannot safely touch Noam. That has put a strain on their relationship, and it feels like Noam is pulling away from xym. To top it off, Dev has just had an upsetting dream-vision about xyrself and Noam that caused one of the biggest meltdowns xe has had in a while. It's only with a timely tarot reading and the help of another genderfluid mage that Dev is able to unpack the situation. Can xe figure out how to address the issues in xyr relationship with Noam before everything falls apart? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xan West
• Release date: Jan 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393374572

Book preview

Nine of Swords, Reversed

by Xan West

Copyright © 2018 by Xan West

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

[e-mail]

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales or actual events is purely coincidental.

Digital version 1.0

Cover design and illustration by Laya Rose

Find Laya Rose on Twitter, Tumblr, & Laya Rose Art

All rights reserved.

Image Description of the cover:

Dev, a fat white Jewish genderfluid person, sits cross-legged in a canopied bed. Xyr legs are covered by a purple-and-blue blanket. Xyr chin-length auburn hair is curly with fairly tight curls and parted at one side, and xe has a fuzz of facial hair. Xe is wearing a purple dress with a neckline that is low enough to show some chest hair. Dev is turned towards Noam, a midsize fat white Jewish genderfluid person in blue jeans, black jump boots, and a green hoodie, who is kneeling next to the bed. Noam's hair is short, dark, and curly with loose curls, and they are wearing glasses. The two of them look at each other, and Dev touches Noam's cheek. Next to the bed is a small table with a tray of lunch food and a tarot deck wrapped in a scarf. A patterned walking cane with an offset handle leans against the wall next to the bed. The wall behind the bed has a geometric pattern of nine parallel swords pointing down. The color scheme of the image is mostly purple, blue, and green. The title of the book sits at the top right, the author name is centered at the bottom.

Table of Contents

Content Warnings

About This Book

A Brief Note About Non-Binary Terms

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Afterward

A Note for Readers

Acknowledgements

Other Work by Xan West

Praise for Xan’s Work

About the Author

Excerpt from Their Troublesome Crush

Content Warnings:

·  Depicts an autistic meltdown.

·  Depicts MCs dealing with chronic pain. Describes the internal experience of chronic pain and brain fog.

·  Several references to an emotionally abusive ex, including some details of ableist abuse, gender policing and transmisogyny targeting a non-binary character.

·  Both MCs are trauma survivors, and trauma is referenced as part of what an MC is dealing with.

·  MC is grappling with internalized ableism and toxic masculinity and the ways they are intertwined with trauma. This is central to the story.

·  MC’s younger brother died many years ago; his ghost is referenced multiple times in the story. References to malevolent ghosts.

·  References to and a description of a disturbing dream-vision of partner's death.

·  Use of the terms queer and faggot as reclaimed slurs.

·  Depicts consensual kink including D/s and in particular, service-based submission.

·  References pain play, but does not depict it.

About this Book

Dev has been with xyr service submissive Noam for seven years and xe loves them very much. Dev and Noam have built a good life together in Noam’s family home in Oakland, where they both can practice their magecraft, celebrate the high holidays in comfort, support each other as their disabilities flare, and where Noam can spend Shabbos with their beloved family ghost.

But Dev’s got a problem: xe has had so much arthritis pain recently that xe has not been able to shield properly. As