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When I got back home, there was a leprechaun on my doorstep.
I pulled up to the old cannery and deactivated the wards I had set around the place. Once I parked, I closed up the doors on the garage bay and reset the perimeter wards. I was a stingy motherfucker, but protection wards and security for the once place I could be myself were well worth the hefty price tag.
Fin stared at me for a second when I climbed out of the vehicle. Then he shook his head and headed up the metal stairs to my loft apartment. "I'll start some dinner while you get cleaned up," he called, his voice full of suppressed laughter.
I glanced down at myself, just now remembering I was covered in fiend squid ink. I sighed and reached into the back seat to retrieve a hefty paper-wrapped packet of calamari. I had made a killing dragging the tentacles to the local cur butcher. And as a bonus, it freaked the human guards right the fuck out.
Hopefully my nose didn't lie and the stuff was actually edible.
I sighed as I looked at the driver's seat of my Jeep. I was going to have to clean the worn upholstery. I wasn't so worried about the stains, but the ink stank. I was nose blind to it at this point. But I was pretty sure I'd notice the next time I got into my vehicle and it smelled like rotting fish stewing in a sewer.
I cranked the window down and slammed the door, hoping some ventilation would help.
I made my way up the stairs, shifting the paper package under my arm so I could rotate my wrist. It only gave a small twinge, so it was probably well on its way to healing. I fought a grin when I suddenly thought of all the reasons having a functional wrist might be a good thing.
Fin and I had agreed to take things slow, because of his sexual preferences and my insecurities and lack of a clear gender. But I was rapidly getting tired of being cautious. And hunting down monsters always made me feel a little wired and reckless right after.
I kicked the apartment door closed behind me and let out a breath, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. I was happy to be home, where no one was going to stare at me or try to hunt me. Being a freak got tiring.
Savory smells reached my nose as I entered the kitchen. True to his word, Fin was already at the stove, using the step stool I'd made him to reach a pan of heavenly-smelling eggs. I was never allowed to tell him how damned cute that was.
"Did you buy me groceries?" I said, surprised. When I left this morning there was nothing in my fridge or cupboards besides half a bottle of vodka and some goose jerky. Hence my joy over free seafood.
He wrinkled his nose at me and gave me a disgusted look from beneath his thick red brows. "For fuck's sake, Sam, you reek."
I grinned. "You always know how to make a girl feel special, Finny."
He waved a spatula at me, tilting his head in confusion. "I didn't buy you groceries. Why would I? Your fridge is chock full of shit already. And just where’d you get the cash for steak and bacon, anyway? You go on a hunt without us again?"
I frowned and went to put my calamari in the freezer. I could barely stuff it in there, for all the crap that was neatly stacked on the racks. I closed the door and opened the fridge to find it well stocked also.
I frowned. "Someone broke into my apartment, got past all my wards and locks, and...left me ass-tons of food?"
My scowl deepened and my nose twitched when I caught a hint of a familiar scent.
"Who the hell would do that?" Fin said in confusion.
I reached out and picked up a package of strawberries, holding it up to my nose so I could scent it over the shitty squid smell that clogged my nose. Letting out a hiss, I shoved the container back into the fridge and slammed the door. It was faint, but the person who handled that package last smelled like the ocean. Like beauty, and power, and home.
I growled. "Fucking Angel."
Fin stopped stirring the eggs and stared at me, his own handsome face forming a scowl. "The damned siren? Why?" He frowned at the eggs. "Is it poisoned?"
I huffed a short, dry laugh. "No. He's just trying to suck up. The asshole. Like feeding me is going to make up for anything."
I turned, ignoring Fin's confusion, and headed toward the bathroom, peeling off my ruined clothes as I went. Fucking Angel. I hated him. What I hated even more, was the way my weak heart clenched in pain at the mere thought of him.
When we were kids, he'd always pull the same shit. He'd tease me about how skinny I was, then drag me to the kitchen of his mom's whorehouse and wheedle the cook into making me homemade biscuits and gravy and stuffing me with baked goods and sweets.
He'd sit there and watch me eat, like it was the greatest thing he'd ever seen. The dumbass.
And of course, I was just as dumb, since I'd missed how all those stupid little things he did added up to him caring way more than he should. But Angel had ruined any chance of anything more. He'd completely lost my trust.
Besides, I had Fin now. Stupid, sweet, annoying Fin, who had known I'd probably be home soon and waited at my door just to make me dinner because he was that kind of guy. Fin, who would never betray me to make a quick bit of coin. And possibly the only other person I could risk letting know all of me. Someday.
I showered quickly, scrubbing so hard my skin turned red in an effort to get all the squid stink off me. Then I hurriedly dried off and pulled on some clean clothes. I tried to play it cool as I went back to the kitchen. Like I wasn't some girl gushing over her first crush.
For fuck's sake, I was a mess lately.
Fin smiled at me from where he sat at the table, his short legs dangling from my normal-sized dining chair. He'd made a huge pile of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, juice. My belly rumbled and I sat down and dug in.
Fin's smile widened. "I know it's nothing fancy, but I figured you'd want something quick, if you've been out all day." He raised an eyebrow. "What was that mess, anyway? You take a contract without us again?"
I rolled my eyes and finished a bite of eggs and toast. Fin insisted we were a guild. I insisted he was crazy. So, I still took my own jobs. Though I did try to include him and Emerson on the trips I thought wouldn't get them killed. They were determined to be hunters, so they had to learn somehow.
"No job," I mumbled around a strip of bacon. "Just decided to try the whole good Samaritan thing. I won't be doing it again."
When he just kept staring at me in shock, I shrugged. "Giant squid thing at the walls. Lots of tentacles."
He barked out a laugh. "A squid? In the middle of dry land?"
I shrugged and took a bite of buttery toast. "Fiend. Doesn't have to make sense." The monsters that made their way through to our world when some scientist decided to play with quantum physics might resemble creatures from this plane at times, but that didn't mean they operated by the same rules. Apparently, on the other side of the rift, giant land-dwelling squid monster things existed. And they shot foul-smelling ink out their mouths. I didn't question these things. I just killed shit.
"Are you going to eat that last piece of toast?" I said, making grabby hands.
Fin laughed and passed me the baked good. "So, did my magic help?"
I narrowed my eyes at the leprechaun. "You used your damned luck magic on me? Of course you did."
I hated luck magic. It was unpredictable and ephemeral. I preferred magic that was more direct and tangible. Like the magic that let me grow claws and teeth so I could shred shit.
Fin just gave me a smug look. "Tell me it didn't work."
I scowled and pressed my lips together. But I eventually relented under that intense green stare. I knew he just wanted to feel useful.
"It fucking blinded itself with its own damned ink. Which is the only reason I got a head shot in. And now I have a freezer full of calamari, because I thought I was out of food at the time."
Fin just grinned at me and finished his orange juice.
The smug bastard.
I polished off the rest of the food, my shifter metabolism more than up to the task of taking care of the spare calories. Standing, I turned to Fin and grabbed him, lifting him up to plop him on the table so we were nearly at eye level. I stole a quick kiss before he could protest.
Then I pushed his legs apart and slid myself between his knees, trailing kisses across his strong jaw and down to his throat, rubbing my own smooth cheek against his plush red stubble. His small hands rested on my hips.
"It's cute how you get all horny after you kill things," Fin snarked.
I pulled back to smirk down at him. "This okay?" I asked, my voice coming out low and growly. "You're not mad that I just picked you up?" I knew how easy it was to offend someone without trying, especially when they were sensitive about their differences. And I did tend to get obnoxiously alpha after I made monsters bleed.
He quirked a red brow at me and did a bang-up job of suppressing the smile that wanted to sneak out. "Depends," he said, his voice gruff. "Would you carry me around like that if I didn't have dwarfism?"
I tilted my head, considering. I was slender for my height, but I was way stronger than I looked. And I was part shifter. So, I enjoyed a bit of dominance every now and then.
"Absolutely," I said with a nod. "Even if you were the same size as me, I'd probably toss you around once in a while. It...makes my inner beast all growly."
He huffed a laugh and pulled me closer, his fair complexion going an adorable red color, and his square jaw working to bite back his smile. "I am not going to admit I like being manhandled," he muttered.
But we both knew it was just self-preservation. He was a typical guy, with the usual need to preserve his masculinity. If he knew how often I thought of him as cute, he'd probably murder me. I scooted him to the edge of the table and pressed closer, rocking my hips so my hard dick slid against his through our clothes. "And this?" I whispered, pausing to nip at his sexy, pointed ear. "You okay with that too?"
Fin hadn't been with a man before. But he had assured me he was game to try. Still, some part of me was afraid he was going to freak out and run every time we made out. We'd always stopped just shy of actual nudity.
He just swore and wrapped his arms around my neck to kiss me again, harsh and needy. I took that as a yes.
I pulled back for breath, my entire body lit up like a torch. Fuck, the man could kiss. "I'm going to pick you up again," I warned with a serious face.
He leveled a fake stern look at me. "You drop me, and I will kick you in your one working nut."
I snorted and scooped him off the counter, earning an undignified, but very manly, squeak of surprise before he clung to my neck and did his best to wrap his short legs around my waist. I strode across the apartment toward the bedroom, pleasure jolting through me when he leaned in and bit my shoulder. Hard.
I knew he was eventually going to make me pay for making him feel all little and cute. But I planned to enjoy it while it lasted. I grinned to myself and dropped him on the bed, letting him bounce a time or two before I joined him.
Our laughter fizzled out, fading to something deeper as I leaned over and kissed him again. It was just as devouring as the kiss a moment before, but for different reasons. Both of us were uncertain, desperate to be accepted despite the thousand little rejections that happened every day. It was hard enough being a human-fiend cur. But when your human side also gave you physical challenges, it sometimes felt like the whole world was against you.
I slid a hand up under his shirt, trailing my fingers over his defined abs and up to tweak a nipple. He hissed and nipped at my bottom lip in response, so I tweaked the other side just to get him to make that sound again.
I grinned as I pulled away, dragging my blunt fingernails across his ribs as I moved lower to undo the fly of his jeans. Fin looked down at me with a level of adoration in his green eyes that I just couldn't handle. It made my whole body feel too hot and too full. This caring shit was still new. And it was really, really hard for me. I bared my sharp teeth at him in warning. "Don't go all sappy on me."
He reached down to thread his hand through my hair, stroking his fingers over the blue and white streaks at my temple, then getting a good fistful and giving it a playful tug. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sabertooth." He raised his eyebrows. "Watch the fangs, yeah?"
I smothered a laugh against his hip as I yanked his pants and underwear lower, freeing his cock. Trying for playful, even though it felt like my heart was about to explode out of my chest, I glanced up into Fin's bright green eyes and winked. "That is not proportionate," I informed him, leering at the surprisingly above-average sized dick on his much smaller than average body.
He rolled his eyes and his cheeks went even redder. "Will you just get on with it before I die, Sam?"
I tried my best not to let out a gross giggle, thanks to all the damned tension in the room. "Yes Sir, guild master, Sir."
He yanked on my hair a little harder, sending a little jolt of pleasure right to my own dick and pussy. I stroked him a few times, gently rolling his balls, making him squirm before I finally licked a stripe up the length of his cock. His hips lifted off the bed and he swore in another language when I sucked him into my mouth and got to work.
"Fuck, Sam!" He cried out when I swirled my tongue around his head. Feeling more than a little proud of myself for the reactions I was getting, I let my partial shift ripple over me, so I could drag my rough cat tongue up the underside of his dick and capture the pre-cum that leaked from his slit.
He made a noise like I've never heard before, hips trying to thrust deeper into my mouth. His response went right to my gut, leaving me tingling and determined to drive him crazy. I tortured him for a few minutes longer, until he was cursing in another language. Finally, I chuckled and let go of his hips, letting him push deeper as he came down my throat yelling my name.
He was still cussing in leprechaun other-side language when he pulled on my hair again, urging me up to lie next to him. "You're going to be the death of me," he muttered.
He made a visible effort to rouse himself and rolled to face me, sliding a hand through my hair to pull me into a slow, deep kiss. "My turn," he said with a shy smile.
My heart stuttered and my entire body went still. I cursed myself for the reaction. For my sudden terror and insecurity. Duh, Sam. What did you think was going to happen?
Fin felt me tense up, and ran a soothing hand along my side. "Hey. Stay with me there, Saber," he said in a teasing tone, knowing the stupid fucking nickname would jolt me out of my panic.
I growled at him. "Stop calling me that!"
He ran his hand up my side again, then around toward my chest. "Can I?" He asked, his voice husky with his spent passion, but filled with a tender sort of hope. He was asking me to trust him.
I closed my eyes and nodded, my throat working. "Please."
It wasn't that I didn't like my female parts. It was just...safer to keep up a masculine front, when you operated in a male dominated, tough-guy job like fiend hunting. I'd done it so much, hidden that part away so often, that it was hard to be...soft.
His hand slid over my chest, cupping my breasts and finding my hard nipples even through the tight sports bra I always wore to tone down my feminine attributes. I arched into his touch and let out an embarrassing little purr. Fin chuckled and levered himself onto an elbow to kiss a hot line up my neck. "I agree," he murmured against my skin. "I can't wait until the day you're ready to show me everything."
I shuddered at his words. But even through the pleasure I was currently feeling, I knew today wasn't that day. So did he. And I loved the hell out of him for not pushing, for respecting my feelings and my stupid insecurities. I'd had a lifetime of feeling ashamed of my body. It was going to take time to undo that. Time, or a whole lot of booze.
Fin's hand trailed lower and he met my eyes in question. "I want to get you off too, Sam. He waggled his eyebrows at me. "I promise, I'm no longer afraid of dicks. And I won't go exploring, if you don’t want me to."
I huffed a laugh and tangled my hand in his thick red curls, holding him in place so I could lap at his mouth. "I trust you," I said when I pulled back, averting my eyes.
Fin reached for my fly and I scooted up a bit so he could reach me with his short arms. I snaked an arm under his neck and held him lightly to my chest as he pulled my small cock free from my pants and gave me a gentle stroke. True to his word, he gently fondled the folds of skin that encased my one testicle, but didn't reach any lower before stroking my shaft again. He tilted his head up to kiss and nibble at my neck as he squeezed tighter, increasing the pace and driving me toward my own release.
I dropped my head back and let myself thrust into his grip. Fin didn't flinch from my weird body. He pushed me onto my back and rolled to lie half-atop me, so he could fondle my tits through my clothes with his free hand while he stroked me off.
I arched my back as tension built in my core, panting out his name. He gave me a wicked grin and gave me what I wanted, harder and faster until I was shouting and spilling over his hand and my stomach. I felt the dual sensation of my inner walls clenching as I came. And for a second there, I cursed myself for not just showing him everything and demanding that he fuck me.
I floated back down to earth as Fin hopped off the bed. He returned a minute later with a washcloth to clean us both up. Chucking the cloth to the side, I pulled my clothes straight and turned my head on the pillow to look at him, dread and hope warring equally in my gut. This was the part where people usually ran off. Either because I'd paid them and their job was done, or because they were freaked out about my anatomy.
Or because I loved them and trusted them with everything, and they left me tied up on the floor of a whorehouse. I firmly shoved all thoughts of Angel aside. The fucker.
Fin met my gaze with a soft smile, no hint of disgust on his face. "Hey there, Saber—"
I clapped a hand over his damned mouth. "I swear to fuck, I'll murder you right here and now if you don't stop calling me that."
He laughed against my palm and wrapped his arms around my waist, settling in with a sigh.
I removed my hand from his face and draped my arm over his small body, a weird, uncomfortable warmth trembling over me at his easy acceptance.
Fuck, he was too good to be true.