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Some people said the old gods were dead. When we arrived back home, I decided that those people were idiots. The gods were definitely alive, and they were smiling on me, for once.
Oisin opened the front door of the bookshop and I went in. The place was less dusty than it had been a month ago when I moved in, but it was still a mess. My secretary, who was also our roommate, had been working on sorting the books and organizing things so we could open the shop again someday. But he taught part time at the local college, and there were a lot of books, so it was slow going.
I barely glanced at the books and clutter as my nose caught a whiff of something delicious. I ignored Oisin's laugh behind me as I hightailed it past my office and up the old, spiral stairs that led to our apartment. Con was home. And he was cooking.
I found our human roomie in the kitchen, humming something under his breath as he stirred pots on the stove. "Is that pasta? You made homemade pasta sauce? Tell me there's garlic bread."
Con chuckled, his voice low and at ease. It was...nice to see him so happy. I thought he was just a serious nerd at first, but apparently there was more to it than that. He was still soft spoken and at times in awe of us non-humans, but he was becoming more and more outgoing. "Yes, and yes," he replied, his golden-brown eyes twinkling. "And it's almost done. I figured you and Oisin would be cold after chasing bad guys around all morning."
I grinned. "I love you, you know that, right?"
Con flushed, the pink tinge just visible under his light brown skin. He averted his eyes and shrugged off my teasing praise as he opened the oven. "You love the food, you mean."
Oisin trailed in after me, his own long nose twitching. "With our Gesa, there is no difference. You make the food; therefore you own her heart." He poked me in the belly. "It's almost enough to make me want to take up cooking."
I growled at him. "Piss off. If it wasn't for Con, we'd starve or be poisoned by now."
Neither Oisin or I should be allowed in the kitchen. Ever.
Oisin didn't argue. He knew it was the truth. I don't know how the fae had lived as long as he had without learning to cook. Probably grew up with drooling admirers waiting on him hand and foot, knowing my spoiled little fae.
"I'm going to go take a shower," I said plucking at my mud-stained t-shirt. "Then I'm eating all that food. Don't even think about starting without me."
I turned to head toward the bathroom. Oisin laughed. "I'll come and help, shall I? You got so dirty, darling."
If Oisin's constant innuendos bothered Con, the quiet human didn't show it. He was probably just glad to have us both out of his kitchen.
The big bathroom was tiled to look like a natural space, with river stones and gray slate. Oisin's green thumb was apparent even here, where strategically placed planters trailed green vines down the walls like a tropical cave. I shucked off my wet clothes for the second time today and left them in a pile by the door, my eyes glued to the big walk-in shower. We'd start there, but then I was going to soak in the huge tub that stood next to it until my skin melted off.
A whisper of sound caught my ears and I turned to see Oisin pulling his shirt off over his head. I drank in his lithe, beautiful body as he shucked his pants as well. "You didn't even get dirty," I reminded him.
He gave me a wicked grin as he unbraided his hair, leaving it to trail loose to his hips in a river of red flames. "I'm about to," he said, bright green eyes flicking over my body.
He paced toward me like the deadly magical being he was. I looked down at him when he stopped in front of me, our bodies almost touching. "Fae," I said with an eye roll.
He reached out a graceful hand to push my mud-crusted hair behind my ear, then trailed the hand down my neck, across my collar bones, and to the swell of my breasts. Eyes never leaving mine, he drew his hand lower, across my abs, tracing every ridge of muscle and leaving behind a tingling trail of magic. "You protest a bit much," he breathed, head tilted up, plush lips curved in invitation, "for someone who is purring right now."
I let out a breathy laugh. "Gryphons don't purr." We had eagle heads, after all, we weren't entirely cat-like.
Oisin's long fingers trailed lower, tracing over the hollow below my hip bone. "Mmm...we'll see."
I stepped backward, under the rain-style shower head, grabbing his wrist and pulling him with me. "Maybe I'll make you purr," I said, pulling him in for a kiss. Gods knew the fae could be catty.
Kissing Oisin was like handling a sharp knife. You never knew if you were going to do the cutting or end up getting cut. I loved the danger in it.
This time, he went pliant against me, relaxing into the warm water, not caring that mud was running off me in rivulets of gray. Knowing him, he was probably recalling a time when he'd claimed the spoils of a hunt on the forest floor. He was amazing. But I never once let myself forget, he was also feral. His already hard cock pressed against my thigh, and I pulled him closer, burying my hands in his long hair to hold him still while I nipped at his lips. He tasted like honey and fresh green grass, addictive as his magic.
Finally pulling back, I grabbed the shampoo and washed my hair, eager to get the cleaning done so we could move on to more interesting things. Oisin helped by soaping up my body. He was very thorough.
After the first orgasm under his fingers, I leaned back against the wall, trying to catch my breath. "Gods."
He smirked at me as he started washing his own hair, as if he were completely oblivious to the rock-hard state of his dick. I pushed myself away from the wall and turned him around, massaging my fingers into his scalp. That damned hair was gorgeous, but it was a bitch to wash. I was only helping him because it would speed things up. Not because I was feeling tender toward him. Never.
Gryphons can sense the truth. That doesn't mean we always tell the truth.
When we were both squeaky clean, we filled up the over-sized tub with hot water and bubble bath...and a couple of naked supes. Oisin guided me to my knees, my hands gripping the side of the tub, tits propped up on the ledge it made. He swore in some fluid language as he fumbled with something. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him fish a soapy condom wrapper out of the tub. I lifted an eyebrow. The fae had stashed them everywhere around the apartment. "Did you just...drop something? Are fae even allowed to be—OMG Oisin that was...clumsy." I must really be getting to him, to make him lose all that perfect grace. I smirked. He bit down sharply on the skin of my back as he slid into me and I laughed.
I moaned and pushed back, taking him deeper. He moved, slow and languid. Teasing me, even now. The wonderful bastard. I groaned and dropped my head when he refused to answer the urging of my hips to move faster. "Did you want something, Gesa?" he murmured against my skin, never breaking that excruciatingly slow rhythm as his breath caressed my spine.
"Fucker," I panted. Gods I was so close. If he would just speed up....
My awful fae just chuckled, one hand sliding around to stroke my clit in time with his thrusts. He might be small in stature compared to a gryphon, but he could more than match any male I'd ever met in the stamina department. He could torture me like this all day, if he put his mind to it. "I'm not certain what you mean by that," he said, his voice only slightly strained. Ah. So he was torturing himself too. The little liar.
I gasped in a deep breath when the hand at my clit moved up to pinch my nipple. "God damn it Oisin, fuck me harder already!"
He laughed, drawing his hands back across my skin to grip my hips. "Oh...was that what you wanted?"
I growled.
He slammed into me, his strength enhanced by his innate magic. I bent over the side of the tub and screamed as he pounded into me through my orgasm, soapy water splashing everywhere. When he finally came, he raked his nails down my back, magic pulsing over us, and I came again, nearly roaring with the force of it.
I sat back in the tub, pulling Oisin with me with a tidal-wave-sized splash. He let me tuck him onto my lap, leaning his chest back against mine, his fingers tracing along the skin of my forearm where it was wrapped around his middle, his giant ego totally unaffected by our reversed positions.
"You're purring, Gesa," he said with smug satisfaction.
Arrogant-ass fae. "You are."
We both started laughing then, giddy and stupid with afterglow.
When the water started to get cold, I jiggled my knees, urging my fae lapdog to get up. I stood staring down at the water on the floor. "Shit, Oisin. Look at the mess you made."
"Me? I believe it was you who asked to be pounded like an anvil sweetheart."
I shoved him. He slipped and almost fell, only his fae reflexes saving him from a head injury.
We both started laughing again.
My life was so damned weird since leaving my clan. But I couldn't remember ever being this happy.
We were soaking the water up with towels, competing to see who could make the most innuendos about being wet and on your knees when there was a timid knock at the door.
"Um...did you guys want me to put the food in the fridge for later or...?"
"No! Don't put it away. We'll be right out," I said not wanting that food to get cold. Damn, I was hungry.
"Okay, hurry up." Con's voice was adorable. Full of embarrassment. I guess we'd been just a little loud.
I glanced at Oisin and he rose to his knees, waggling his eyebrows as he pantomimed inserting a long object into his mouth.
I slapped him. "Stop it."
He only smirked at me, slapped my ass hard enough to leave a sting behind, and strutted to the door. I grabbed a towel at the last minute and wrapped it haphazardly around my body as the fae flung the door open and strutted out into the hall, buck-ass naked.
"Sorry Con," he said to the flabbergasted human, who had only made it partway down the hall. "Gesa wouldn't let me stop. She's so demanding. And she got everything all wet."
Con choked, the sound part panic, part laugh. He got a good eyeful of svelte, sculpted fae ass as Oisin padded away toward his room to find clothes. Con's eyes met mine for a moment and I was surprised to see a flare of longing. Then he averted his gaze and closed the door.
I sighed and stood. Con was the first human I could spend long periods of time with without wanting to strangle. He was a really nice guy—which was usually the kiss of death, but with him was okay—and although he liked to blend in, I caught him at times standing out in the most amazing ways. He really didn't give himself enough credit. I liked his soft smiles and his eager work ethic. The way he was always wanting to know more about the supe world. He had a brilliant, fascinating mind that put things together in a way I never could. More often than not, it had been his input over the last month that helped me figure out how to round up the creeps I hunted.
And now, thanks to Oisin, the poor guy probably wouldn't talk to either of us for a week out of sheer embarrassment. I sighed. Fae just weren't happy unless they were causing chaos.