| |
Hisashi stared up at the redheaded fae as the door clicked closed behind Gesa and the others. "I'm sorry," he said again, unsure what else to say. He wasn't sorry, really. Not at all. He would never let anyone suffer the way the fae had been suffering a few moments ago. If he had to live with his damned, cursed "gifts," then he was going to use them to help others whenever he could.
Oisin's emerald green eyes bore into him like daggers. "What did you see?"
Hisashi sighed, his tails whipping around him, giving away his emotions even though he tried to keep his face serene. "I saw what you've done to protect them." He lifted his head and met the fae's eyes. "Gods, Oisin."
The fae swallowed hard, the long, slender column of his throat working as he suppressed the emotions that flickered across his face. "I don't need your pity," he spat out, crossing his arms over his chest.
Hisashi tried to suppress his grin, but one corner of his lip twitched upward. Gods, the pretty fae looked like a stray cat, spitting and hissing out of fear and hunger. He wanted to scoop him up and comfort him, but he knew he'd only end up getting scratched. "I'm not pitying you," he said softly. "But Gods, Oisin, you're keeping this from Gesa, aren't you? You can't possibly carry this all alone."
The fae narrowed his eyes. "You can't tell her what you saw." He waved an elegant hand. "And for the love of fuck, get up. You don't need to kneel like some disobedient servant."
Hisashi pushed himself to his feet. He tried not to loom over the pretty fae, but it was impossible. The guy was pocket-sized. He smirked. "Thanks. I thought it might be easier for you to remove my head from my body that way. But it is a little hard on the knees."
The fae shook his head. Then he seemed to regain some of his equilibrium. "Removing anything from that body would be a waste." His eyes glittered, teasing. But there was still a bit of haunted fear lingering in the green gaze.
Hisashi paced closer. "Thanks. I like to think so. You must be feeling better if you're back to flirting."
The fae tilted his head back to look up at Hisashi. "I don't know what you're talking about. I feel fine. It was just a little nightmare. Don't get your panties in a twist." His eyes flicked downward, and he smirked. "Or do."
Hisashi laughed, letting go of the pent-up tension in his chest. Gods, he had been so terrified when he saw the spirits lingering around the fae. The faces of the dead pleading with him, the sense of absolute helplessness and resignation the fae felt as he re-lived scenes of torture and murder. And now, here he was, acting as though nothing had happened.
"Careful," Hisashi warned the beautiful little terror as he lifted a hand to touch that tangled curtain of silky red hair. It was even softer than he expected. "I'm not Con. I might flirt back."
The fae snorted, but he allowed the touch. "Please. I'm not interested in the advances of a child."
Hisashi grunted. "Ouch. That almost hurt." He rubbed his chest, making note of how the motion drew the fae's eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I might not be a thousand years old, but I am all grown up."
The fae's eyes traveled over his body, and though he tried not to show it, Hisashi did feel a bit outclassed by that wicked look. "Oh, believe me," Oisin whispered in that silky-smooth voice of his. "I noticed."
It was like time stopped. Was this really happening? He'd felt the attraction there since the moment they walked into his tent. Not only for Gesa, but toward her little firecracker of a fae too. From what Hisashi understood, things weren't like that with Con. But could Hisashi have a different role in the gryphon's pride?
Fae were so hard-wired for sex that it was hard to tell what was genuine attraction and what was simply their nature. But he was already growing tired of this little dance. He stepped closer to the fae, his bare chest brushing the other man's skin, testing the boundaries. "I'm not like Gesa," he said fondly. "Name calling isn't foreplay for me. Don't call me a child."
Oisin's lips quirked. "Thanks for clearing that up."
The fae lifted a graceful hand and placed it in the center of Hisashi's chest, stroking gently over his pecs. The light touch sent a tingle of fae magic dancing against his aura. "It's not safe for you to be here," he whispered, his eyes flashing a hint of panic before the mask fell into place again.
Hisashi put his hand over the fae's trapping it. "I told you I'm not into that kind of thing," he said with a smirk. "Threats are right up there with name calling and—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence before the fae drew back, lifting a hand to stroke Hisashi's cheek, then dropping it. "You know full well that wasn't what I meant. You saw...everything. I don't want you to end up like them, the potential of your young life snuffed out before you've even lived." He drew back, stepping out of Hisashi's embrace entirely. "I don't want to feel your blood staining my hands in my dreams."
Hisashi met those amazing green eyes. "You won't," he promised. "But you don't get to choose what I do with my life." He smirked. "Besides, I've seen it already. Gesa's future has me in it. Very, very much in it." He winked.
The fae laughed, even though it was tinged with sadness and the shades of his past. "You won't tell her?" he asked,
Hisashi put on a thoughtful face. "You mean that you want me? I don't know...will she be mad do you think? Maybe we really should get her permission first. After all, it's her pride."
He was only half joking. Shit, now that the thought occurred to him, he hoped Gesa wouldn't be angry that Hisashi wanted them both.
Oisin raised a perfect brow. "Oh, you just go ahead and ask her if it's okay to be utterly in love with me. See how that goes over. Just make sure I get to watch."
Hisashi frowned. "Wait, what? I was joking, but will she seriously be mad?"
Oisin grinned. "Only that you think she has a pride. Or that she's in charge of any of us. You have a lot to learn about our big, bad gryphon."
The fae found a t-shirt in one of the dressers and pulled it on, hiding his beautiful body under baggy cotton. "But that wasn't what I was referring to and you know it."
Hisashi sighed. "I won't tell her. But I don't understand why you're hiding your past from her. Clearly you care about her."
The fae gave him a sad look. "I do care. Deeply. Which is why it will be so much more difficult when she eventually finds out the truth and is repulsed by it." He started calmly braiding his hair, as if he wasn't pouring out his soul. "I know the day she finds out, she'll leave. I've lived through things that would turn a mortal to madness. But I don't know if I can bear being alone again after knowing her."
Hisashi sighed and shifted back to full human form. "I think you have a lot to learn about our big, strong gryphon, if that's what you think will happen."