Pride Before the Fall Read online

  "Where did I go wrong?" I muttered. "What God did I piss off this time?"

  Kaimiana resurfaced, brushing her sleek black hair out of her eyes with a webbed hand.

  I held out a hand in question. "Can I see?"

  She smiled and put her hand in mine. I turned it to and fro. She still had the same delicate, long-fingered hand, but there was a very thin, supple purple membrane between each of her fingers. "Huh."

  She huffed and I looked at her as she puffed out her cheeks and blew a piece of hair out of her face in irritation.

  "Sorry," I said, giving her hand back. "I didn't mean to sound so unimpressed. Your animal form is fucking awesome. I didn't even know octopus shifters existed."

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes at my stupidity.

  "I know. I get that a lot." I tugged at my hair. "Blond, you know."

  She leaned back and relaxed, trailing a tentacle out to touch my hand. When I raised an eyebrow and opened my hand for further exploration, she plopped the thing in my palm and curled it around the back, like she was holding my hand. I leaned my other forearm on the tub and lay my head against it, closing my eyes.

  Kaimana patted my head softly with a damp hand then closed her own eyes as we both relaxed into our own worlds. I hoped she was just relaxing. Not sinking into despair like I was. I lifted my head after a time. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten you back to your home yet." I felt like a fucking failure. "I will get your voice back and get you home. I promise."

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes again, patting me on the head like a child. She lifted my chin and kissed me on the forehead, then a soft brush against my lips. Her strange eyes stared into mine as if she was trying to tell me something. But I was just too tired to look for answers.

  I patted the tentacle I still held. "Your skin is less slimy than I would have thought," I said with a grin. Kind of like the velvety skin of a stingray I'd touched at an aquarium once.

  She slapped me lightly up-side the head with another tentacle and we both laughed.

  "Thanks for letting me hide out here. But I should probably go check on the others."

  She nodded. Then she lifted her hands and put them on top of her head. I frowned at her as she formed her hands into triangular ears and lifted a few tentacles in a good nine-tailed fox impression.

  "Yeah. He didn't look so good at dinner, did he?" I sighed, wondering why it was so easy to share my thoughts with the silent woman. Maybe I subconsciously knew she couldn't question my sanity out loud. Or maybe it was just Kai. She had this presence that made you feel like all your worries were just petty shit. "I swear to fuck, I just want to get drunk and sleep for year. Today has been exhausting. And we still have an insane asylum to raid tomorrow."

  She grinned at me.

  "Glad I could amuse you," I muttered as I slipped out the door.

  Chapter 6

  It took me a while to find Hisashi. He was in the next hallway over, in a library that had been my dad's favorite haunt. The wood trim and the smell of books was oddly nostalgic tonight, in a way it had never been before. I was getting stupidly sentimental. Ugh.

  The fox lounged on a leather bench seat under a bank of windows, wearing one of his silky faux kimonos. This one was black with sliver moons and stars embroidered on it. He lay with one leg on the floor, revealing a length of muscular white thigh, his head tipped back as he talked to the ceiling.

  I stopped by the bench and kicked one of the legs to get his attention. The hairs were standing up on the back of my neck as he jabbered at things I couldn't see, and it was cold in here. He turned silvery blue eyes my way and smiled. "Oh, Gesa. Glad you could join us." He threw out a hand, offering me a teacup full of pungent alcohol that sloshed on his pale hand with the motion. "Have some sake!"

  I frowned. Since when did Cheney stock sake? "What the fuck are you doing?"

  He sat up, his kimono sliding off one shoulder and revealing a beautiful chest and washboard abs. His happy trail was pure white, cutting through the center of a mouth-watering Adonis V. Not that I noticed.

  "Us? We're having a party!" He lurched to his feet, clearly drunk off his foxy ass. "Come on! Party with us, Gesa." He downed the rest of the sake that was left in the teacup and set it aside, missing the end-table and dropping the cup on the thick carpet instead. "Oops." He giggled, a stupid sound for someone with such a deep voice.

  He grabbed both my hands and attempted to drag me into a drunken dance. I shook him off and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Look. We have all had one hell of a day. I was worried about you after your little freak-out downstairs. And here you are, living it up like a drunk hobo." I didn't even know a creature like him could get drunk. It took a lot to get me snockered. And it usually faded fast. What the hell kind of sake was he drinking?

  He stared at me for a moment, all joking going out of those wide silver eyes, his face blank and distant. "Oh...."

  Then he smiled again and launched into giddy, drunken motion, stumbling to a halt with his broad chest brushing mine, his big hands grabbing my hips to keep himself upright. "Hi, Gesa."

  I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. "Hello, Hisashi. Glad to see you're having fun."

  He hummed, his deep voice rumbling through his chest where it pressed to mine. "Fun. Fun. Fun. We have to live while we're alive, don't we?" Tears shimmered in his silvery eyes. "While we're alive."

  He pressed his cheek to mine, like a wild fox marking me with his boozy psycho scent.

  I shoved him away. "Go to bed. Sleep it off." I reached for the ceramic jug sitting on the floor by the bench. I think Cheney usually stored maple syrup in these things.

  The fox moved faster than I would have thought he could, given how drunk he was. "Nope! My magical sake." He laughed as he spun around and drank straight from the jug.

  "Fine," I said, throwing up my hands. "Clearly you are just fine. Have fun with that hangover, asshat. I've got actual important shit to deal with."

  I stalked away, slamming the library door behind me. My head was beginning to ache. I almost screamed when I walked right smack into Oisin.

  I steadied the smaller fae while he cursed at me for being a big, clumsy beast. Then he glanced at the library door. "Alright there, gryphon?"

  I gritted my teeth. "Peachy."

  He sighed and reached up to caress my cheek. "All will be well, darling."

  I snorted. "Fae and their lies. I have to go save my sister from the nuthouse tomorrow. My clan is forcing me to play political games. And I'm wasting time here when I could be helping Kaimana get her voice back or helping you find a way to murder your skeevy dad." There was a loud thump and a string of deep laughter from the room behind me. I rolled my eyes. "Meanwhile, the underage fox thinks this is a good time to go on a bender."

  Oisin's face smoothed out. To some it would seem like he wasn't showing any emotion. To me, it was like a big billboard announcing his worry. "Something is not right with your little fox, Gesa."

  I rolled my eyes. "I noticed."

  He shook his head. "No. You heard what he said about the house. And when I touched him earlier...his energy was wild. It was crawling over his skin like a living thing."

  I arched an eyebrow. "I can't tell if you think that was scar...or hot."

  He glared at me, then lifted his perfect nose in the air. "Really Gesa, must you always be thinking about sex?"

  I laughed so hard it hurt. "Me?"

  The door was yanked open and a swaying Hisashi stood in the threshold. He held up another crockery jug. Where the hell was he getting the damned sake?

  "Gesa! Fairy! Come have some sake." He threw an arm around each of us and I shrugged out from under his touch.

  "I'll pass," I growled. "Go the fuck to bed, Hisashi. We have serious adult shit to do tomorrow."

  Oisin slipped an arm around the taller man's waist and steered him toward the hallway. I didn't miss how his graceful fingers skated over that smooth white skin. "Come on," he said to the inebriated asshole.
"Why don't we take the sake to your room?"

  I arched a brow at how that sounded. Hisashi smiled like the sun. "Yes! Let's do that. But Gesa—"

  I held up a hand to forestall that whole line of thinking. "Gesa is sitting this one out. She is going to bed. To sleep."

  Hisashi hugged Oisin closer to his side and leaned over to whisper loudly in his ear. "You hear that, fae? She really doesn't care if we fuck."

  Oisin took a deep breath and propelled Hisashi down the hall. "Yes, yes. Let's get you to bed," he said between clenched teeth. I chuckled at his obvious discomfort. Hisashi was being irritating as hell right now, but it was nice to see Oisin being tormented.

  "Are you a bottom?" The nine-tail asked, loud voice echoing in the hallway.

  I felt a full body blush coming on, but I was also laughing so hard tears were starting to form.

  Oisin glared up at the gorgeous drunk. "Are you?"

  Hisashi shrugged, nearly losing his kimono in the process, silk skating over smooth, marble-white muscle. Oisin grabbed the garment and yanked it back up with a little too much force, while Hisashi blinked at him. "I would be for you. Gods, you're so beautiful I'd—"

  Oisin slapped a hand over Hisashi's mouth. "Enough. Shut up and walk."

  I laughed again and Oisin leveled a murderous green glare at me. "You are not helping. Unless you are planning to take advantage of the drunk minor here, please do fuck off."

  I smirked. "No problem. You boys have a great night."

  Oisin snorted and hauled Hisashi toward his room. "You owe me, gryphon. And I'm not holding his hair while he pukes." He gave Hisashi a shake. "You hear me? Wake the hell up, fox. And do not vomit on me."

  I left Oisin to get the idiot to bed, trusting he really wouldn't do anything other than leave him face down in his pillow.

  Con was in my bedroom when I got back, sitting on the edge of the bed with a look of deep concentration on his face. I ruffled his brown curls in passing. "Stop it, you'll get wrinkles."

  He sighed and watched me as I got ready for bed. Padding over to him in my bare feet and pajamas, I stroked his hair again. "See. Oisin was right."

  Con grabbed my hand and looked up at me, wary. "About what?"

  I slipped into bed and patted the spot beside me. "About you being a total worry wart. Come the fuck over here and lay down, Con. I'm not diseased. And I am clearly not afraid of sex anymore."

  He slipped in beside me, but he froze at that last bit. "Anymore?"

  I groaned and rolled away to bury my face in my pillow. "I just want this day to be over," I moaned.

  Con wrapped an arm around my waist and snuggled in. "Okay. I'm sorry. But honestly, I don't know what to do to make you feel better."

  I patted his hand where it rested on my stomach. "Just what you've always done, Con. Just being you and being there for me. For all of us. That's enough."

  He nuzzled my hair aside and dropped a sweet kiss on my neck. "Done."

  Sleep took a long time to come. And it did not escape my notice that Oisin never came to bed.

  Chapter 7

  I slept fitfully and woke early. Con and I were still the only ones in bed. I disentangled myself from my human and slid out from under the covers as gently as I could. Con sighed in his sleep and rolled away, wrapping his arms around the mound of blankets like it was a lover. I smiled fondly down at him and ran a hand through his rumpled brown curls. He might worry and fuss for a while longer, but we'd be fine, thank the Gods. If I had a pride, he was its heart. And hearts were so easily broken.

  I pulled on some clothes, happy to find that despite his teasing, Oisin did leave me at least one t-shirt and a pair of worn leather pants when he decided to repack my bag. I left the lacy bra in a heap on the floor. I might have to shift in a hurry today, and one less piece of clinging elastic was always a good thing.

  I crept out of my room barefoot and padded down the hall toward Hisashi's room. Dawn was just starting to lighten the sky, and pale purple-gray light filtered in through the windows. I pushed the door open a crack. "Hisashi?" I whispered.

  I didn't really want to wake him up if he was still sleeping off his bender. Though it was really tempting to go find some pots and pans to bang on, I did need him in good shape later this morning in case the rescue mission went ass up. And let's face it, with me things usually went ass up. Not that I was going to admit that anytime soon.

  I slipped into the room and paced over to the bed to stare down at the beautiful sight that greeted me. Hisashi lay on his back, his stupid silk robe and the bed-sheet twisted around one shoulder and his waist. His long, thick white lashes rested against the slightly bruised looking hallows under his eyes, but some of his color was coming back. Oisin, still fully clothed except for the silk vest he'd dropped at the foot of the bed, was draped across Hisashi's broad chest like a blanket, his bright red hair spilling around them. Even in his sleep, Hisashi had his long arms locked around the fae, holding on for dear life.

  I wondered if Oisin even realized it yet...how thoroughly he was caught.

  I laughed silently at them. My heart ached at how adorably idiotic they both were. And how loudly this resounding mine roared in my head. I must have made some sound, because Oisin turned his head, one bright green eye staring up at me as he lifted a hand to tuck his wild hair behind one of his pointed elf ears. "Help me," he whispered pathetically, holding out a dramatic hand. "I'm trapped."

  I laughed harder, swallowing down the sound to keep from waking the fox. "I don't know...," I said softly. "You look pretty comfortable to me. And here I was, worried why you never came to bed."

  He gave me a pathetic look. "Comfortable? With his giant erection digging into my hip all night long?"

  I shook my head. "You mean you didn't take his virginity? I'm a little worried about you, fae. Are you feeling okay?"

  "Will you both shut up?" Hisashi's deep voice was rough and gravelly. "What the fuck time is it? And what makes you think I'm a virgin? I'm twenty-fucking-years old." He flexed his hips suggestively under Oisin while keeping the smaller fae locked in his arms.

  Oisin groaned and dropped his head to Hisashi's chest as if completely defeated. "And he's still drunk."

  Hisashi laughed, a throaty rasp as if he were still half asleep. "Nope. Completely sober. You make a nice blanket, fae." He lifted a hand to stroke Oisin's hair. The fae slapped the hand away and sat up, shoving away Hisashi's clinging arms. "Fuck off. As if I enjoyed taking care of an inebriated child all night."

  Oisin stood and jerked his wrinkled shirt straight, twisted his long hair up and knotted it into a messy bun and glared at the fox. "Next time, keep your shit together. Gesa needs us."

  Hisashi sat up over the edge of the bed, his teasing expression gone. He dropped his head into his hands. "I'm sorry."

  Oisin huffed, but he reached out a hand and squeezed the fox's shoulder. "I know." He turned to me. "I'm going to go get changed. I assume you are in here waking us up because you're chomping at the bit to go cause utter chaos amongst the mentally ill?"

  I grinned. "The sooner the better."

  Oisin slipped silently out the door.

  I went to Hisashi and sat on the edge of the bed. Something was fucked up here, and I had no clue how to help him. "Why did you decide that last night, of all times, was the best to get smashed and act like a complete jackass?"

  He hunched his broad shoulders, like a kid being reprimanded. I felt like I was some prune-faced up old lady, damn it. And all the while, the urge to go, to forget all this drama and go get my sister, was beating at the inside of my chest like a wild, trapped thing. It was hard being the damned protector all the time.

  "I'm sorry, Gesa," he said, sitting up and looking anywhere but at me. "I just...it was like the fighting last night riled up the spirits. I don't think your ancestors, or the energies attached to this place are very happy about the current situation."

  I heaved a sigh. I couldn't even imagine what it was like to be able to sense shit lik
e that. Last thing I would want was old uncle so-and-so jabbering in my ear. My relatives were bad enough when they were alive. "The alcohol helps?"

  He shrugged. "Makes it less scary if I'm too shit-faced to be afraid." He turned silvery blue eyes on me. "It feels like they'll climb inside my head and never leave." He shuddered. "Or maybe drag me off with them."

  I didn't know what the fuck to say to that.

  "You sure you weren't just trying to get Oisin all to yourself?"

  He snorted. "If that was my goal, I'd say it was a failure. He seems pretty disgusted with my dumb ass right now."

  I nudged him. "He's worried about you. So am I. But—"

  He waved away my concern. "You have bigger things to worry about. I'm fine. I'll keep it together. I promise. I want to be able to help you, not cause you more issues. Like a fucking kid."

  I slid my hand along his jaw, enjoying the way the almost invisible white stubble there rasped against my palm before I cupped the back of his neck. "You aren't an inconvenience, Hisashi. I'm sorry I have the emotional skills of a rock. I didn't realize you were struggling. And I don't know how to help."

  He sighed and leaned into my touch. "You shouldn't have to help. But...you do. You...and the others too. You make me feel more...I don't know, grounded? Steady."

  He took a deep breath and stood up. "Okay. Let's go break into the loony bin."

  I laughed, mentally berating myself for enjoying the view of a sleep-rumpled, barely clothed, and apparently mentally unstable young fox. "You might want to put on some clothes."

  Oisin was right. That bulge was humongous.

  I tore my eyes away to find Hisashi watching me with one side of his mouth curled up in a lusty grin. "You sure?"

  I growled and stood, heading toward the door. "Fine, don't get dressed. Go swing your cock around at the loonies. See how that ends for you."

  His laughter followed me out the door and my shoulders relaxed a bit. I still felt like I carried the weight of the world on them, but at least Hisashi was okay.