With Pride Read online

  Con sat up, his honey-brown eyes glowing. "Japanese in origin. They are supposed to have a whole host of spiritual powers. In—"

  I held up a hand. "History lesson later, Con. First-hand experience trumps the textbooks."

  The fox grinned, all sly and cunning like a... fox. "See, you're learning how to manage us all already."

  I glared at him. "I do not have a pride, and what the hell do you mean us? No. Forget it. That's another damned tangent and I'm not falling for it. You. Powers. Go."

  He ran a hand through his white hair and glanced up at me, such a strange combination of vulnerable openness and scary power. "Con's right. My family is from Japan, originally. But I grew up here in the states. I turn into a fox with nine tails. I can do psychometry, like I said before. And... all that spiritual stuff Con mentioned."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Nope. You are not getting off that easy."

  He took a breath and his eyes darted around the room. "I kind of...can see ghosts? Talk to spirits? Denizens of the...in between? It's hard to explain. Not really as clear-cut as it sounds. I'm still learning."

  Oisin leaned back on his hands, his legs crossed and one foot twitching in irritation. "And that is precisely the problem, isn't it, little fox?"

  I turned to Oisin. "Oh, you want to be next, you little jackass? Fine. Your turn. Why the hell, besides your penchant for secret-keeping, are you so terrified of our new friend? I thought you were all lethal and shit. I know there's something you aren't sharing with the class."

  He looked down his nose at me. "I am not afraid of a child."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Keep going. Because I know you can shovel the shit a lot deeper than that, and I'm wearing my waders."

  Con snorted. Oisin gave him a look. "Careful whose side you're on, human. I know where you sleep."

  I tapped my fingers on the desk, rapidly losing patience. "Oisin."

  He waved a hand, gesturing at Hisashi. "Oh fine. You aren't asking the right questions, Gesa. Fox, how long does it usually take for a nine-tail to grow all their tails and master the full breadth of their powers. Ballpark figure." He smiled patiently.

  Hisashi was starting to look angry. His eyes narrowed and he glared icy daggers at the fae. "It varies."

  Oisin smirked. "Give us an average."

  "A few...hundred years or so?" The guy gripped the arms of the chair and I had the distinct feeling he was trying not to strangle Oisin. I knew the feeling all too well.

  Oisin lifted one hand and studied his fingernails. "And how old are you, little fox?"

  "Twenty-one."

  I lifted an eyebrow at him. "You're lying."

  "Almost twenty-one? In a couple months."

  Yep, I was right. He didn't just look young, like some supes did. He actually was young. "What does this have to do with anything, Oisin. So he's a savant. Awesome. Why are you freaked out?"

  Oisin flipped his long ponytail over his shoulder, nearly slapping me in the face with it. "I do not 'freak out' over anything. It's just that this little fox cub has all this lovely power. But he probably has zero control. There is no way he should even be standing here acting sane right now, if he's developed this fast."

  I looked to Hisashi, saw the way his square jaw clenched, and his eyes flicked downward. "Is it as bad as he says?" I pitched my voice low, trying for sensitivity. Caring was so damned hard.

  "I've got it," he said, squaring his shoulders. "It's fine."

  I stared into his eyes. He stared back, daring me or begging me, I'm not sure which. We both knew he was lying.

  "Okay," I said, turning to Con.

  Oisin huffed. "Okay? Okay? Gesa, you have no idea what could happen."

  I waved him away. "Neither do you. So just stop, you little scaredy-cat."

  "Con, tomorrow's your day off, right? Will you come back to the junk shop with us and help translate, as much as you can?"

  He nodded, his brown eyes darting between the three supes in the room. "Sure. Hisashi, you usually travel with the carnival...do you need a place to stay? I can make sure we have clean sheets in one of the spare rooms. And there's enough food for an army, so one more won't hurt."

  "That's fine," I said at the exact time Oisin said, "absolutely not," and Hisashi said "that would be great."

  We all stared at each other. I turned to have a staring contest with Oisin. It was his building, after all. But I was supposed to be the boss. Then again, I wasn't the boss of the house. Just the business. And I certainly wasn't the alpha of the fucking pride that didn't exist because I don't have a fucking pride.

  Oisin sighed. "Fine. For one night." But his emerald eyes were flashing with anger.

  I grinned and gave him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Thanks darling, you're the best."

  He slipped off the desk and paused by Hisashi's chair. "No more magic. It fucks with the wards. And if you blow something up, you're paying for it."

  The fox looked up at the fae and something passed between them that I didn't even try to decipher. "I promise. And I won't touch you...unless you ask me to." The barest of eyebrow twitches followed that statement.

  I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. It was awesome to see some of Oisin's humor turned back on himself. But I had a feeling my feisty fae didn't need me laughing at him just now.

  Con stood to follow Oisin out the door. "I'll just go make sure you have what you need, Hisashi, then I'll start dinner. You good with lasagna?"

  Hisashi stood and clapped Con on the back, as if needing to prove he could touch someone without snooping into their secrets. "That sounds great, man. Thanks."

  Con smiled and left me alone with our guest. I stood and approached the fox, feeling it was important, somehow, to show him I trusted him. Even if I had no reason to. For fuck's sake, I didn't even know the guy. "How bad is it really?" I asked. "No bullshit. I won't judge you. But I need to know they're safe, you know?"

  He nodded. "I get it." He paused and a sigh escaped him, hallowing out that broad chest. "I... struggle. A lot. But not because of anything that would hurt you guys. I would never come here—never be around people at all—if I thought I would hurt someone."

  I stared into his pleading blue eyes and nodded. "Truth."

  He let out a long sigh, his face relaxing into a sad smile. "You have no idea how happy I am that you can do that."

  I laughed. "It usually just pisses people off."

  He shrugged. "Back home...I think no one believed half the shit I said. For a long time, no one believed me when I told them what I saw, what I heard. What I felt." His broad shoulders hunched in on themselves momentarily, and I saw him make the conscious effort to straighten them. "Then, when they realized I was telling the truth, they were all afraid. Male nine-tail kitsune are rare. The last one blew himself up several hundred years ago when he grew his last tail. Took a few villagers with him."

  "But you don't think that's going to happen to you?"

  He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "No. The physical power, that's easy for me. It's all the other shit that might get to me."

  I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, gave it a squeeze. "The mind reading?"

  He shook his head and gave a bitter laugh. "No, Gesa. I can turn that on and off at will, for the most part. Sometimes it's hard if I'm in a really emotional situation, but Oisin really doesn't have to fear I'll accidentally reveal his deep, dark fae secrets. It's this...." He waved his hand around, as if gesturing to something I couldn't see. "The aether, the spirit realm, the...in between. It calls to me. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it shouts. And sometimes I have to try hard to drown it out. It's like I've got one foot here and one foot planted someplace else."

  I didn't know what to say to that. Not a fucking clue. "Are you okay with helping us? Does it bother you to use your psychometry?"

  He shook his head. "No, not really. Sometimes I find out more than I ever wanted to know about someone." He gave me a lop-sided grin. "Some people are really fucked up, you know? But
mostly it's fine."

  I dropped my hand. "Good. Then you can help us out. There's no money in it this time, unfortunately. But who knows...maybe this can be like your trial period? Oisin is always insisting this is a business. And businesses need employees, don't they?" For fuck's sake, it looked like everything the fox owned fit in two sad, faded duffel bags.

  He smirked at me. "Don't you dare be pitying me, gryphon. I'm not that sad. I manage to do okay, traveling with side-shows and doing readings at ren faires and stuff."

  "You begged me to take you with me, back at the carnival," I reminded him.

  His smirk stretched into a full-on, blinding smile. "That's because I saw myself here when I did your reading. I knew this is where I belong. And... I looked really happy."

  I sighed. "I bet all the psychics say that when they're low on cash. It would make a good con."

  He laughed and followed me out the door and toward the stairs to the living area. "You'll see. I'm not lying. I'm supposed to be with you."

  I turned to glance at him over my shoulder, my own powers clicking into place as I read him automatically. "I know."

  When he spoke about belonging here with us, his words, his aura, his entire being rang with the warm gold of truth.

  Now what the hell was I supposed to do what that fun bit of knowledge? Especially when my sexy little fae was acting like an offended diva. "Come on in," I said, as I shooed him toward the kitchen and dining room area. "You want to stick around and help us fight crime and eat Con's cooking, be my guest. But you're going to have to convince your new roomies all on your own."

  Chapter 5

  Dinner was awkward, but still delicious. Oisin refrained from making any more snide comments to Hisashi, but he was still broody. Con tried his best to play peacemaker and get everyone to feel better. I just ate my fucking food like a sane person would. The guys needed to work on their priorities. Con's cooking was serious stuff.

  Hisashi was every bit as easy-going as Con. He ignored Oisin's brooding and helped clean up and load the dishwasher. It was almost comical how seamlessly this strange man seemed to slide right into our daily life.

  You know, if one of us wasn't glaring murder at him the whole time. Fae.

  It was late by the time we cleaned up. Con took Hisashi to the guest room to show him around. The fox cast me one last look as he walked out of the kitchen, a half-smile lifting one corner of his mouth. I slumped at the table for a moment after they were gone. Then I put my big girl panties on and went to find Oisin. The fae had muttered about going to bed a few minutes ago and made himself scarce.

  I expected him to be off in his own room, brooding with his greenery. But I should have known better. He hardly ever slept in there anymore. I found him in my room—our room—staring out the window toward the dim streetlights with a distant look on his face, arms crossed over his bare chest, wearing a pair of silk pajama pants and a frown.

  I slipped out of my clothes and pulled on my own pajamas, then went to stand behind him, wrapping my arms around him and resting my chin on top of his head so I could meet his eyes in the window's reflection. "Hi."

  He huffed. "Hello."

  "Going to tell me what's really going on in that awful head of yours?"

  He leaned back against me and closed his eyes. "You don't want to know."

  I nuzzled my face into his silky hair. "Only partially true." I managed to work his arms loose from their crossed position so I could wrap my arms around his ribcage and plaster one hand over his heart. "Which is really fucking concerning. You really, truly believe there's something you are hiding from me that I won't want to know?"

  He stared out into the night for a while longer, his pale face painted with faint streaks of color in the stained-glass window. "Gesa," he said, deflecting me. "That man is amazing. But he can't stay here. He can't be anywhere near me."

  I snorted. "That is not answering my question at all, but I'll bite. Why the fuck not? I talked to him about his powers. I don't think he's as dangerous as you make him out to be."

  He sighed. "Probably not. Possible, but not probable, if he's managed to live this long." He turned to me, his emerald eyes sad. "Don't you see, Gesa? He's nearly overflowing with magic. It's all around him, like a vortex. You might have to be looking to see it, but to another magic user...God's he's beautiful. He has this presence in his aura...can you imagine what someone might do...to take that power for their own?"

  I swallowed convulsively, my stomach dropping out. "Fucksticks."

  Oisin's deranged father, fiancé and horde of mages. If they would drain one of their own, what would stop them from trying it on other beings?

  "They haven't tried it with anyone but fae yet, as far as I know," he whispered, his silky voice like a breath of chill air. "They think only fae magic is worth anything. Other beings are lesser, tainted. But if they saw him, felt that power...who knows?"

  "We have to stop them," I said, with more confidence than I felt, honestly. "Even if Hisashi doesn't stay here, we need to stop them from hurting you. And we need to make sure they never threaten anyone else. This is just sick."

  Oisin nodded, his eyes moving to gaze at the half-closed bedroom door, toward the hallway where Con and Hisashi had disappeared. "He's so young," he whispered. "If he had full control of his abilities, he might be a match for anyone that came at him, even a fae. But...he's so vulnerable, Gesa."

  I pulled away to plop down on the edge of the bed. "I knew it," I sighed.

  He paced closer, coming to stand in front of me and card a hand through my hair. "Knew what, darling?"

  I grinned at him. "You don't hate him. You want him."

  He shoved me and I fell back to lie on the bed, chuckling. "Fae are so weird. I mean, I seriously thought I was going to have to mop up blood at some point. And here you are already being all protective of the hot new roommate."

  Oisin put a knee on the bed between my legs to loom over me, his long hair draping around us like a curtain of fire. "Careful, gryphon. Do you really want to play this game?"

  I smirked at him. "Con won't play with you, so you found another target. You really are a walking cock."

  He lunged. Sitting atop my stomach, he pinned my hands above my head with magic-enhanced strength, his knees planted on either side of my torso. He smiled sweetly. "Just thought you might want to grow your pride, darling."

  I bucked underneath him. "I do not have a pride!"

  "Funny," he said in a conversational tone, "how gryphons can sense whether other people are lying, when they are such liars themselves."

  I glared.

  Oisin relented with a chuckle and we moved to lie on the bed the right way. He still draped himself over me, the leech. I rumbled my approval. The man was a giant mess. But Gods, I loved him.

  "Have you ever had sex with a woman?" he asked calmly, head still on my chest.

  I slapped him on top of the head. "Idiot."

  "I'm being serious. I need to consider all of our options."

  I rolled my eyes. "You mean all of our positions. I know exactly where your mind is right now, and you can just stop."

  He tilted his head to grin up at me, showing slightly pointed canines. He had dropped his glamour. I stroked along the tip of one pointed ear and he hummed. "You're not wrong," he admitted. "But you can't stop me fantasizing."

  I rolled, pinning him under me. "Is that a dare?"

  He squirmed when I bit his nipple, but didn't really try to get away. "Take it as you will," he said in a haughty tone that turned to a breathless laugh.

  I slid lower, over his smooth, milky skin and dancer's body, pulling his pajama pants down, sliding the silk over his perfect skin in a slow drag until his hard cock popped free. His hands slipped into my hair, insistent, demanding. I grinned and licked him from root to tip.

  The door clicked closed behind me, and I stiffened for a second. I had completely forgotten it was open. Then, big, warm hands slid over my hips and Con's voice whispered in my ear. "I
thought you'd both be naked at this point?"

  I chuckled and we helped each other strip. Then I returned to what I was doing—slowly punishing my bratty fae. Meanwhile, Con moved behind me, stroking and teasing, making me gasp and moan against Oisin's skin. His clever hands had me shuddering and moaning around Oisin's cock as I came.

  Oisin pushed me off with a muttered curse and I grinned up at him, still panting from my own orgasm. "Something wrong?"

  He narrowed his eyes at me and tugged on my hair. "Come up here, you beautiful beast."

  Con and I joined him to lie on the bed, their bodies sandwiching me in a tangle of limbs. I turned to face Con and he pulled one of my legs over his hips, angling himself to enter me while we were on our sides. I chuckled to see he had already slipped on a condom while he was watching me and Oisin. My human might be straight as a ruler, but that didn't mean he didn't like to watch me with my other mate.

  It still surprised me, how each of them was able to focus on our combined happiness, rather than trying to prove their dominance. So different from any of the gryphons I'd slept with.

  I hooked my leg around Con's hips and pulled him closer, sighing when he entered me, dipping my head to taste the smooth brown skin of his shoulder. Lost in the sensations of Con slipping into me, I barely registered the soft snick of a plastic cap being opened. Oisin, trailed kisses down the back of my neck and spine, and I tensed in surprise when I felt a slick finger glide between my cheeks.

  Gods, he was depraved.

  That didn't stop me pressing back against his slender finger, then forward against Con. I had thought of this often—what it might be like to have them both inside me at once. But so far, we hadn't ventured there. Con kissed me, his soft, devouring touch a contrast to Oisin's biting kisses across my ribs and hip. I shuddered as Oisin slid that finger inside, slow and patient. "All right there, gryphon?" he whispered. His silken voice was full of humor, but I knew he really was making sure I was okay with this.

  Con lifted his head at my gasp, his liquid brown eyes flicking to Oisin to see what was causing me to spasm against him. His eyes widened a bit, then a slow smile spread across his beautiful face. He dropped a kiss to my forehead. "Roll this way?"