“I thought you couldn’t stay outside Olympus for very long. The last thing I need is for you to vanish on me after your batteries die.”
Osaki chuckled good-naturedly. “Yes. That would be a bad thing. But never fear, I am a Shiver now, remember? I no longer have to recharge.”
Kofi smiled. “Then I’ll let you know.”
“Whenever you are ready…” Osaki smiled and exited the house. His scent remained behind, making Kofi sigh and sending a sweet shiver through him.
This is ridiculous.
Kofi took a breath and walked to the window. He watched the others greet Osaki, who turned to glance over his shoulder at the house. Kofi waved like a teenager with his first crush. Something was definitely wrong. His cock was still throbbing between his legs and that scared Kofi more than anything had ever terrified him. Osaki returned the wave, and Kofi pulled away from the window to pour himself another whiskey over the rocks.
He tried watching some television, but that didn’t work and, eventually, he made his way back outside. Hercules, Adrestia and Koi were already gone and the others were saying their goodbyes. Soon only Ciro and Carter remained.
“You’ve been silent. And you left in the middle of a dinner.” Carter faced him. “What’s on your mind?”
Kofi shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I’m going to Japan for a few weeks.”
“Japan?” Ciro arched an eyebrow. “Um… Why Japan of all places?”
“Why not Japan? I figured I could get a nice little place somewhere, take some time for my art and besides, it’s not every day you have a real, honest-to-goodness Samurai showing you around. It would be better than me going somewhere alone and just sitting in my hotel room in my funk—right?”
Carter and Ciro exchanged looks, which Kofi promptly ignored and took a drink from his glass.
“Look, I’ve been in a funk lately. I know the two of you have noticed.”
“We’ve noticed,” Ciro and Carter said together.
Kofi eyed them, wondering if they had to be like every other couple—annoying as hell—by finishing each other’s sentences. He said nothing to that but continued. “And Osaki is right. This will be a restart for me.”
“Osaki gave you that advice?” Carter and Ciro chorused again.
“Would you two cut that shit out?” Kofi asked. “You’re making it sound like he and I have crushes on each other and you two knew it.”
“Sorry…” Ciro pouted and kissed Carter. “I can feel a brother chat coming on, so I am going to go. Besides, I promised Aphrodite I would help her clean her pool.”
“Okay, darling, see you later,” Carter replied. “Love you.”
A smile played about Ciro’s lips. It was the same happiness Kofi had noticed the first time he saw the two of them together after they’d begun dating.
“I love you too, my love,” Ciro replied.
With a poof, Ciro was gone, and Kofi was left alone in the room, speaking with his brother. For a moment, they remained silent until Carter broke it.
“So Japan, eh? Well, I have a few connections over there, so I’m sure we could find you a beautiful place—maybe somewhere with a water view? Or maybe even a garden you can use as your quiet space.”
Kofi nodded. “That’s a good idea.” The truth was Kofi wasn’t really paying attention. He was still trying to figure out how he had known Osaki was standing behind him in the art room. There wasn’t a smell or a sound. He’d just known. He could pull some bullshit move and say it was one of those feelings when he knew he was being watched but who would he really be fooling? One minute he was alone and the next, he could feel Osaki there and he knew it was him. He didn’t have to question it.
“You’re not listening, are you?”
“Sorry.” Kofi smiled.
“Kofi…”
“I’m just really tired. I’ve been pushing myself lately. You’d think being a real estate agent was the easiest thing in the world.” He chuckled softly. “And I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Nightmares?”
Kofi shook his head. “Not really—can’t seem to shut my brain off at nights. It’s like someone is watching me and I know it.”
Carter arched an eyebrow. “It’s not Ciro.”
“I know that and there isn’t anyone watching. I told you—my paranoia.”
“Well, if you want, I can have Ciro stay with you tonight, just to make sure.”
“Can you get Osaki?” Kofi wanted to know, being careful to ask it in a neutral voice. “I need to talk to him about my trip anyway.”
“Yeah, sure,” Carter said, standing. He gave Kofi one of his ‘this conversation isn’t over’ looks before the two hugged. “Speaking to Osaki is a good idea. I think the best person to talk to about all this is Osaki. He knows the place better than any of us can ever begin to imagine. Oh, I have a better idea!”
“Uh-huh?”
“Ciro’s mom is away. You wanna spend the night at the North Shores?”
“Isn’t that akin to having a party while your parents are away?”
Carter grinned. “Ciro and I won’t be there. I have work to finish and he has his rounds with Sisqo. But Osaki and Koi will be there. What’d you say? Before you say no, look at it this way. It would be better than sitting here alone in the dark like a zombie.”
Kofi chuckled at that. He had to admit Carter was right. With a moan, he nodded and inhaled. “Yes, okay. I’ll go to the North Shores, but only because I think if I stay in this house one more sleepless night, I’ll go stark, raving mad.”
Carter laughed. “Sure. If you’re going to have insomnia, you might as well make it in a place that’s interesting.”
“You’re an ass. You know that?”
Carter winked at him. “Duh! I have a brother. I get told all the time.”
Kofi groaned as Carter kissed the side of his head.
“I’ll see you later, big brother,” Carter said, grabbing his coat from where it was lying across the back of a kitchen high chair by the island. “I’ll ask Osaki to use the front door, so don’t fall asleep before he gets here.”
“I won’t. I love you.”
Carter stopped on his retreat for the door and spun to face him. Kofi knew why but didn’t bring it up. He merely smiled, gave a mock salute and repeated his sentiments. A grin broke his brother’s face.
“I love you too, Kof.”
Chapter Two
Osaki sat completely still with his back straight, legs curled beneath him and his eyes closed. He cleared his mind as best he could and tried relaxing from a long day of training and strategizing with Ciro and Koi. He missed the days when his body was riddled with ache after a good workout. Now, if he felt pain, he dipped into the Celestial Pool and it was all gone. Lately, he couldn’t feel anything at all—except Kofi. The pool did nothing for that kind of hurt.
His heart pulsed and his head throbbed with that one thought then it felt as if someone was calling him. He snapped his eyes open and he looked around. There was no one there.
He gave up on meditating and was going to find something else to keep him busy when Sisqo appeared. The two shook hands and after a little chit-chat, Osaki joined Sisqo on one of his patrols. Though they came across a few stragglers, there was nothing really earth-shattering. Eventually, they made their way to their local haunt, a small sixties nostalgia diner on the corner of Crossfield and McKenna Streets.
“Hey! Triton!” Sisqo called. “What are you doing here?”
Triton turned, his ever-present grin plastered on his face. He was older than most men Osaki knew, yet he looked like he was barely twenty. Sisqo hugged his brother before they were introduced again.
“You remember Osaki, don’t you, Triton?” Sisqo asked.
“Of course,” Osaki replied, shaking Triton’s hand. “Would you join us?”
Triton flipped his blond hair from his eyes and looked from Sisqo to Osaki. He then wrapped one arm around Sisqo and the other around Osaki and smiled. “Of c
ourse. You can both do very well with my presence.”
“Check out the ego on this god.” Sisqo laughed.
They ordered and found a booth in the corner away from the traffic of other customers. While Sisqo slipped into deep conversation with his brother, Osaki only offered a few polite utterances in between sipping from his juice.
“You okay, samurai?” Triton asked.
“I am fine.”
It was a lie, but Triton wouldn’t understand if he explained. Osaki wasn’t even sure he understood.
“Just a little preoccupied with my training is all,” Osaki added.
Osaki eyed Triton to see if the merman had bought it and was relieved when he nodded.
“Yeah. I know how that is.” Triton said. “When Dad was training me, it took an eternity to pick most of the stuff up. Some of it I couldn’t believe the old god could even do. But you will get it. If you learn how to wield your sword, you can do this.”
Osaki smiled and nodded. He put in more of an effort to be in the conversation, but it just wasn’t working. After a while, he excused himself and walked from the diner. Once he was sure he was alone, he vanished.
Osaki banished himself to the Waste Land for the rest of the day. He was trying hard to fine-tune his skills. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to focus, so he gave up and returned to Olympus. With nothing else to do, he stood in the great hall, looking down on the earth. He found the one person he was curious about the most and stared. Shirtless, Kofi was playing a game of basketball with his brother. Though he was so far, Osaki remembered distinctly what Kofi looked like without his shirt. He was toned, hard and perfect. During the summer, they spent plenty of time in the pool, something Osaki didn’t quite understand but partook in because it made Kofi happy. He bowed his head against the large, white column he was leaning against and pressed his eyes closed. A shiver darted down his spine. Deep down, he knew his fantasies of Kofi were ridiculous. Kofi was into females and even if he wasn’t, what did Osaki have to offer such an independent, intelligent man?
He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, wondering why he couldn’t just get over it.
“Osaki! There you are!”
With a gasp, he swung around. Ares was walking toward him with a big grin on his face. It always unnerved Osaki to see the God of War smile. Still, he shook his friend’s hand and turned to look down again. Kofi and Carter were gone. He sighed.
“What troubles you, my friend?” Ares asked as the two of them wandered through the great hall and out into the Celestial Garden. Osaki folded his arms behind his back and shrugged.
“I am not sure,” he replied. “I suddenly feel restless and alone.”
“But you are not alone, Osaki.”
“My apologies. I think I used the wrong word… Lonely. I am among the stars—among all these beings, yet…”
“I understand completely. Why are you here? Everyone is somewhere else.”
Osaki thought about the answer to that before stopping to face Ares. “Yes, but everyone else has plans. Hercules has a date. Ciro has his husband. Sisqo has gone to spend time with Triton and their father… I could go on but I am fairly certain you get the picture.”
“Osaki…”
“I keep training with Ciro. It is not going well.”
“The Shivers are a special breed, my friend,” Ares explained. “You cannot merely grasp what they are capable of.”
“Ciro said the same.”
Ares held Osaki’s shoulder. “And he is right. Look, you may live the rest of eternity and still not grasp the powers of the Shivers—and you do not have to. You have all of us here. We have your back.”
Osaki smiled. He wasn’t reassured but he didn’t want to keep dwelling on it. The two walked silently for a moment before a voice screamed through Osaki’s mind. He grabbed his head and winced. “Shit, that’s loud.”
“What is?”
“Can you not hear that?” Osaki asked just as the voice said his name again and he groaned again at how loud it was. “How can you not hear that?”
“Osaki, hear what?”
“Kofi’s voice.”
“Whoa… What?” Ares asked.
Osaki smiled at Ares through the pain while rubbing his temples and nodded. “I can hear when he calls me. When he thinks about me. Mind you, I do not know what he is thinking.”
“You may wish to speak with Ciro about this.”
Osaki was confused. “I am not ill, Ares. It is just a voice. Ciro told me to expect it.”
“You do not understand what this is, do you? Osaki, speak with Ciro.”
The concerned look in Ares’ eyes made Osaki worry more but he didn’t question it. He merely nodded and left Ares. He wandered the halls, past the great hall where Zeus was having another one of his meetings. Osaki was never invited to them and he didn’t mind. Zeus may have been the King of the Gods but he was boring as hell. Closing himself into his private chambers, Osaki stood with his back against the door. The air in the room wasn’t right. Someone was there. He reached back for his katana, straightened his spine and walked through each room. He found no one but he knew someone was there.
“What is going on?”
He stashed the sword away and undressed. Wearing nothing but his undergarments, he climbed into bed and folded his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes and felt the throbbing return. Though he didn’t hear Kofi’s voice, it didn’t matter. Sleep didn’t come and after what felt like an eternity, he climbed from the bed and dressed himself in a black and blue kimono. He grabbed his sword and vanished.
* * * *
Kofi finished his painting and put things away. He stood back, staring at his latest piece, and had to say that he was very proud of it. It was the first thing he’d actually finished and knew what he was going to do with it. Kofi took a breath and exited the room to wash the paint from his hands. Just as he turned on the water, the doorbell rang. He groaned, quickly finished up and grabbed a towel even as he ran out of the bathroom then down the steps. At the front door, he tossed the towel over his shoulder and yanked the door open.
“Osaki! What a surprise.” He peeked up then up at the sky. “Is the sky falling?”
Osaki arched an eyebrow. “Um…”
“It’s a Chicken Little joke…”
“A what now?”
Kofi groaned and stepped aside. “Er, Chicken Little?” But the blank stare Osaki was giving him made him sigh and shake his head. “Never mind. Come on in.”
After Osaki had walked past him, Kofi closed the door then led the samurai through the foyer and into the large kitchen. “You want something to drink?” He placed the towel in a neat, folded pile to a corner of the island. “I know you’re not an alcohol person but I have juice and stuff.”
“Anything is fine,” Osaki replied. “I am sorry to just show up like this. But it seems I am conflicted. I could not fall asleep.”
“And you came to me?”
“I am sorry if I assumed…”
“No,” Kofi said quickly. “I’m just surprised with all the others you have that you chose me. You are always welcome here.”
Osaki smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind his ears, even as his cheeks took a slight reddish tint. Kofi wondered why Osaki was blushing. “Here, let me get you something to drink.”
Kofi poured some juice for both of them. He then opened a large bag of potato chips and dumped some into a big bowl. “Does this bout of insomnia have anything to do with you, the other Shivers and what happened to Ciro with Aerios?”
Osaki looked thoughtful. “I do not suppose so. A fight I can always handle. But all my thoughts are jumbled inside my head and that worries me.”
“Well, let’s talk about what is on your mind. Maybe you’re just having something like writer’s block—a moment when writers can’t seem to write no matter what because their ideas are gone or tangled up inside their heads.”
Osaki shrugged and took a long drink from his glass then r
eached for a chip. Kofi watched the way Osaki examined it before shoving it into his mouth.
“Adrestia was right. This is delicious. But I do not know what puzzles me so,” Osaki explained. “I cannot seem to concentrate. And it is not only when I spar with Ciro. It seems to be more of an everyday thing now.”
Kofi laughed. “When humans say things like that, their friend replies ‘you need to get laid’. But I don’t know if it works the same way with Shivers.”
“Laid?”
“Laid… You know? A good session of…” Kofi stopped, unsure if he should say it. Was there a rule to saying such things to a Shiver? “Laid as in…” He wiggled his wrist.
“Oh! You mean I need intercourse!”
It was Kofi’s turn to blush. “When you put it like that…”
“Well, it has been a long time since I last had that. I chose to leave my body for meditation and fight.”
“Which means you have a kick ass case of blue balls!”
“Blue balls? I do not understand. This conversation is all very confusing.”
Kofi moaned. “Okay. Since you can’t have sex, let’s do something else. Want to teach me how to fight? I mean with the crazies going bump in the night, I’m going to need to learn to defend myself.”
Osaki stared at him in that same cool way that made every hair on Kofi’s body stand on edge in the best of ways. He trembled slightly and tried covering by grabbing a handful of chips. Quickly, he popped some into his mouth. “What’d you say?”
“You cannot train in what you are wearing. You must change.”
Kofi didn’t argue but did as Osaki suggested. When he returned, they moved things around the living room to make a large empty space in the center. He listened to Osaki’s instructions, trying hard to avoid getting hit or flipped, but each time, he wound up on his back on the floor.
He rubbed the back of his neck in pain and frustration. “This is dumb.”
“Keep at it. Futatabi.”
“Futat —what?”
Osaki laughed softly. “It means again.”
Kofi nodded and once again tried sparring with Osaki. He only succeeded in falling to his back with Osaki on top of him. For a moment, the fall stunned him then arousal seeped through his defenses. He turned his head slightly and felt Osaki’s breath hot on his skin. It burned so sweetly that Kofi found himself trying desperately to keep that simple caress going. His face was so close to Osaki’s now that if he so desired, all he would have to do would be lift his head the mere inches it would take to kiss this Shiver. But Osaki climbed off him and extended a hand.
Shivers Page 18
