by Kaye Draper
Hisashi leaned against the counter giving snarky pointers about the placement of said decoration, but I couldn't focus on what he was saying. His ugly reindeer sweater was too loud.
I moved across the room to help Orion and Con, who were erecting a pine tree in a metal bucket weighted down with water and rocks. I couldn't stop my grin as I regarded the idiots I shared my home with. "What the hell are you doing?"
Orion smiled at me. "We're putting up a yule tree!"
I shook my head at his childlike joy. "No shit, Mr. Obvious."
Con laughed. "We were all talking, and we decided you needed some cheering up," he said with a warm smile.
I stepped back from the tree as Orion pulled out a box of fairy lights and started wrapping them around the boughs. The tree looked so strange—and perfect—next to Hisashi's tarot space.
"Gesa, my beautiful beast," Oisin called from his vantage point on the counter. He swayed ever so slightly as he held out his arms to me, and his bright green eyes sparkled even more than usual. His pale skin was flushed. "Welcome home! Come, let us ring in the season by offering our passion to the old Gods!"
I glanced at Hisashi, then eyed the cups sitting on the side table. "Is he...my fucking Gods, Hisashi, did you get a fae drunk?"
The fox gave me a wicked lop-sided grin and picked up a cup, waggling it in my direction. "We made punch," he informed me. "I helped make the spirits."
I rolled my eyes. They had been chugging sacred alcohol.
Oisin clapped his hands. "And I used my special flowers."
I glanced at Kaimana. It took a lot to get a supe sloshed, especially if they were old as dirt. Oisin was drunk. And high.
I narrowed my eyes at my stupid pride. "Oisin, get off the counter before you break something. Like your ass." I had never seen the man stumble before.
Hisashi handed the cup to Kaimana, who winked at me, shrugged and chugged it like a frat-boy. I shook my head at her. The fox held up his hands toward the fae. "Come on, fairy king. We won't all fit up there anyway."
Oisin huffed like a petulant child and I pressed my lips together hard to try to smother the smile that wanted to sneak out. Gods, he was fucking adorable.
Finally, the fae let out a resigned sigh and walked to the edge of the counter. He put his hands on his hips and glared haughtily down at the fox, as if offended at the offer to lift him down. Rolling his eyes, he put a hand to his wreath crown, holding it in place before he jumped, executing a perfect summersault in the air and landing in front of me on both feet with only a minor wobble at the end. He flipped his long hair over his shoulder, straightened his crown, and looked up at me with fire in his eyes.
"You ruin all the fun."
I couldn't help it. The laugh got out then. "You are fucking too much, fae."
He sauntered over to me and pulled me down to his level, his perfect, sculpted lips lifting in a beatific smile. "I know."
His kiss tasted like something biting and too sweet over the top of his usual fresh green essence. "Gods that shit is strong," I muttered as I pulled back.
Oisin just laughed. "Oh la, what a prude." He swatted my ass as he walked by, still clearly fucked up and loving every minute of it. It must be a rare thing, for someone so powerful to let go this way. Now I understood his obsession with "revelry."
He paced toward Con and Black and I let him go, heading upstairs to get rid of the piles of shopping bags I still carried.
They had decorated upstairs too. Thankfully with more restraint than downstairs. They must have been more sober then. I laughed to myself. It was good. Seeing them all enjoying themselves. Doing something so mundane as putting up holiday decorations. They needed that. I needed that.
The kitchen smelled like chocolate and cinnamon as I passed. Con had been up to something. When I got back downstairs, Orion headed toward me with two steaming cups. "I'm not drinking whatever the hell Oisin and Hisashi are on," I warned him when he held out a cup.
He laughed. "Magic-enhanced liquor and some sort of fae flower that resembles a nightshade," he informed me. "But this was made by your hedge—uh...human. Chocolate and cinnamon, and a bit of ordinary spirits, Fireball, I believe."
I snorted as I took the cup. "Thanks. Glad to see you're smarter than they are," I said as I saw he was drinking the cocoa, not the fuck-juice.
He met my eyes, and I was surprised to realize how much of his shyness had fallen away. "Your fae has propositioned me no less than five times this afternoon. But I've been strong." He lifted a shoulder. "I doubt he was serious, but if I was inebriated, I might have done something...untoward."
I laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get some ambient energy somehow or other."
He grinned and we both turned as Con yelped and dropped a box of ribbon. Oisin was saying something to the human as he petted his silky brown curls. Con rubbed his ass, which I suspect had just been pinched. Shaking his head, Con slipped an arm around Oisin's waist steered him awkwardly toward Hisashi. The human was beet red. "Here," he said, pushing Oisin into Hisashi's arms. "You got him drunk. You remind him I'm not gay."
Oisin patted Con's ass one more time in parting and went willingly to Hisashi. "I'm surrounded by beautiful temptation, but no one wants me," he pouted. "This is the worst yule gathering ever."
Hisashi chuckled and hugged the fae closer, knocking his crown askew. "Poor baby."
Oisin nuzzled into Hisashi's chest, not the least bit deterred by the ugly sweater. "Poor me," he agreed. The asshole.
Hisashi was on to him too. "You're not drunk enough to be so pathetic."
Green eyes flashed with mischief and Oisin snaked out an arm to snag a cup off the counter. He took a quick sip then shoved it at Hisashi, who obligingly finished it off. I laughed at their antics, feeling the warm buzz of the spiked cocoa and a happy, stupid, pride.
Orion went back to decorating the tree, and Con hooked his phone up to some portable speakers and blasted carols. He got sidetracked from the decorating by a clingy, punch-drunk kraken, and I smirked. Poor human. He couldn't escape the tipsy supes for long.
Oisin had moved to the big, faded couch we kept against the back wall for customers who just wanted to hang out. He plopped down and righted his crown, then locked eyes with me. I headed his way, feeling the pull between us as strongly as ever. He was so beautiful. And his magic was humming just below the surface of his skin, as wild and unfettered as he was at the moment. I sat down on the low coffee table in front of him. "Enjoying yourself, king fairy?"
He smiled, slow and evil. "I will be soon."
I shuddered. "Was the decorating your idea?"
He tilted his head. "Con's, actually. That sweet man is so observant."
I nodded. We were all stressed out and neurotic lately, and it was just like Con to know what we all needed.
Oisin patted the seat next to me. "Come over here beside me and hold court, beautiful beast. Before this lovely spell wears off."
I snorted. "By lovely spell, you mean before your crazy buzz wears off."
He arched a red brow at me. "Always splitting hairs, gryphon. Come. I need you all close to me."
And my heart warmed at that.
We spent the evening listening to carols and hanging decorations, ending up cuddled on the couch and a couple of poufy cushions we kept in the area designated for kids. Everyone had a warm buzz about them, and I felt like I was living out some fantasy. I couldn't believe I was surrounded by such amazing creatures. I was not the best at emoting, but my heart was overflowing. I had no fucking idea what to do with the love I felt. So, I simply...basked in it.
When we finally made it upstairs, we were all radiating sleepy contentment. Oisin was still making soft innuendos to Hisashi as the fox carried him up the spiral staircase. Con and Kai were connected at the hip as they walked. I followed them, watching over my pride.
"I'll make sure things are locked up and turn out the lights," Black said softly as he paused at the foot of the stairs.
I nodded and followed my pride to my bedroom. Hisashi deposited Oisin on the bed, and set to undressing him, laughing as he told him that no, there was no more punch left. I watched the tender way Hisashi handled the sly little fae as he got him into pajamas. Ice blue eyes met mine and he gave me a fond smile. I nearly purred at the love I could see in Hisashi's eyes. He was falling for the silly fae just as hard as I had, even with all his antics.
Hisashi slid into bed at Oisin's side, wrapping a long arm around the fae and stifling a yawn. Con and Kai had stripped down too, and they both came to give me soft, lingering kisses before helping me tug off my own clothes.
After throwing on an old t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts, I climbed into bed between Oisin and Con. Kai wrapped her arms and her legs around Con and nuzzled into his neck, letting out a contented sigh.
The sexual tension that had fizzed between us all night had faded to a sleepy coal, waiting for one breath of air to fan it to life. But no one made any move to stoke that fire. Oisin pillowed his head on my arm and I held him close, dropping a kiss on his silky red head. Con pressed to my back as we all shuffled around to find space in the oversized bed.
There was movement in the hallway and Orion appeared at the door. He met my eyes and gave me a soft smile. "Good night, Miss Lionheart." He pulled the door closed.
I drifted asleep to soft touches and feather-light kisses and the heartbeat of my mates.
Chapter 12
It was a snowy December day just like any other when disaster struck.
Con had just arrived home from the college, looking adorable in his nerdy professor get-up, and we lounged near the front counter of the bookshop, talking about what he should make for dinner. Maybe a hearty stew, since it was colder than a witch's titties outside. I listened to him ramble off seasonings and ingredients and gush about how the herbs Oisin grew in every spare inch of space around the apartment were heartier than the stuff you got out of the store.
It was on the tip of my tongue then, to ask him about the hedge witch thing. But I didn't feel up to any serious conversation today. His brown eyes glowed with happiness, and any discussion of whether he might have supe blood would require dredging up memories of how his moron parents had abandoned him as a baby. It could wait.
Black was puttering around with some of the truly ancient books we had uncovered as we finished working through boxes of inventory and delved into the stuff that was hidden in corners or the back of forgotten shelves. He had blossomed over the past couple weeks, since he revealed what he was, and it was good to see him feeling truly useful. I think it helped that he realized none of us were going to judge him for what he was or how he was. Gods knew we all had our own failings.
"Whatever you decide to make will be amazing," I told Con sincerely. He went up the stairs, taking them two at a time and whistling a tune as he flicked the bells in the solstice decorations hanging on the bannister, making them jingle. He was overjoyed at being able to spend time in the kitchen. I smiled fondly. What a freak. It sounded like torture to me.
I took a deep breath and thought of how lucky I was. I hadn't wanted a pride. But my pride was damned amazing. I turned to watch Hisashi staring at Oisin. The fox was decked out in his fortune-telling garb and perched on a cushion next to the yule tree. He looked like the love child of a male geisha and a gypsy stereotype. Why was the guy so damned sexy draped in a gaudy silk robe? He caught me looking and smirked at me. I crossed my arms and grinned right back. He could laugh it up all he wanted. We'd see if he was still laughing when Oisin and I forced him to wear that costume to bed later.
The fae tried to shelve a book into a slot above his head, standing on his tip-toes to reach. Hisashi stood from where he was playing with his tarot cards and paced over to the shorter man, pressing to Oisin's back as he took the book from his hand and placed it on the shelf.
Hisashi dropped one hand to Oisin's hip as he stroked a strand of red hair out of the fae's face with the other. They exchanged some sort of heated words before Oisin grabbed the back of Hisashi's head and dragged him down for a quick kiss. Then the fae danced away to go back to tiding shelves, leaving Hisashi standing there looking bemused. I snorted to myself. Oisin had just completely derailed Hisashi from whatever he wanted to talk about.
It would be fucking adorable, if it didn't set off all my alarm bells. Hisashi looked worried. And Oisin was clearly avoiding something. I had caught them arguing in hushed tones more times than I cared to remember over the past couple weeks. Whatever it was, they weren’t sharing with the group. I really hoped their little lover's spat didn't mess up the dynamics of the pride. I couldn't stand it if there was a rift between any of us, but with Hisashi and Oisin, I knew it was more than physical attraction and a common interest in my growly gryphon ass. They were head over heels for each other. It was absolutely disgusting. I grinned.
Growling to myself, I turned to pay attention as Black expounded on the wonder that was the old moldy book he'd just found. Something about the origins of the city and how much White would have loved to see it. I narrowed my eyes at the reminder of how infatuated the poor incubus was with his smarmy ex-employer. It sure as hell sounded like some sort of psychological damage to me. How else could someone fall for a monster like Derek fucking White?
The bells above the door jangled, and I turned to greet the customer. We were starting to open the store for more regular hours, and with the encroaching holiday and Hisashi's fortune telling and palm readings pulling in occult weirdos, we didn't do half-bad.
The greeting died on my lips as the wards flared to life in angry protest and I got a good look at who—or what—had just entered the shop. It was a tall man with long, silky black hair, turquoise eyes and a sword. I shifted my hands into talons in an instant as I stared into the face of an unfamiliar fae.
Hisashi had crowded Oisin into the corner and they were arguing. But I had eyes only for the asshole in front of me. "Can I help you?" I growled.
A couple more fae came in behind him, fanning out to his right and left, their magic pulled close around them, ready to cast. They were dressed in modern suits, strangely urban for fae.
The tall man smiled at me, beautiful and inviting. His face lacked Oisin's fine-boned grace. This guy must have some human mixed up in his lineage. And he wasn't even bothering with glamour. He wanted us all to know what he was.
He tucked a strand of hair behind his pointed ear and flicked his eyes to the corner, where Oisin struggled to get around Hisashi. "It seems you have something that belongs to me, madam," he said in a smooth, charming voice. "I've paid quite dearly for it; I would ask that you return the merchandise."
I snorted. "The only thing for sale in here is books, asshole." I pointed at a shelf to his right "The children's section is right there."
He tilted his head and regarded me with those turquoise eyes. He wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as Oisin was. This guy was shit at it, actually. I could sense the anger in him from a mile away. Good. Let him be pissed. I had no idea who he was, but if he thought Oisin belonged to his scrawny ass, he had another thing coming.
He glanced at Oisin, who had freed himself from Hisashi and paced toward the strange fae. Oisin's own fae blades materialized from thin air, dancing with blue fire. The other two fae tensed and looked to their leader for direction.
"Why, look at you," the tall one said with a leer. "You're even more beautiful than I remembered. To be expected from the royal line, I suppose. Fucking you before I drain the life from your arrogant body will be a pleasure." He leered. "Not that you have to be sane for that. Maybe I'll enjoy a round or two after. When I'm overflowing with your magic and you're too brain-dead to resist."
I growled and started toward them, but Oisin shot me a glare. "Don't you dare take my kill, gryphon."
I stood down. The truth was, there was magic humming in the air between the fae. My brute strength would only get me so far.
Oisin turned his attention back to the freak in front of
him. "Henry, my beloved fiancé. I never expected you to get your hands dirty chasing down one little escaped concubine."
I gritted my teeth together and seethed. Hisashi moved closer, his magic hovering just under his skin. I felt Black move silently behind me, but I had no idea what he was doing.
The tall fae—Henry the fucking fiancé, apparently—pointed his sword at Oisin's chest. "Come along nicely before your father gets here, and I might leave you enough magic to keep you almost sane."
Oisin smiled. It sent a shiver down my spine. "Thank you for the generous offer," my fae purred, padding closer like a stalking cat, his blades hanging loose at his sides. "But I decline."
The taller man laughed. "Your entire clan will be wiped out for your sire's trickery."
Oisin gave a soft laugh. "Oh no," he said in fake surprise. "Don't tell me...you only just now realized what his plans were for you?"
Henry growled, low and feral. "Once I've taken you, that old fool plans to drain us both and keep the land we bartered away. But he's made a grave mistake. I'm one step ahead of him. No one crosses me. Your clan might think they can get away with anything just because they are old as dust. But we are the future."
I was growing tired of the tension in the room...and the yammering. Apparently, Oisin felt the same way. He spun and brought his blades up in a graceful whirlwind of death.
Black moved closer to me and I held him back with a hand, my eyes riveted to the graceful, lightning fast movements of the fae as they attempted to gut one another. Clearly, the jig was up and the fiancé was afraid of being swindled out of his power snack. I didn't fully understand what he meant about Oisin's father's plans—but if what he said was true, Oisin's dad was even greedier than I thought.
"The other ones," I whispered to Black.
He shifted slightly, moving in the opposite direction of Hisashi as they went for the two back-up fae.
One of the fae launched a spell at Hisashi, only to have it bounce back at him and fry him the way it had the last time someone had attacked the fox with magic. I blinked at how rapidly that was over and reminded myself not to piss my fox off any time soon.