The battle that followed was swift and, for the most part, both fighters remained on the ground. But soon it was like watching a movie that had been intricately choreographed. They took to the air, swords clanging together, sending sparks through the sky. Everything about it was spectacularly unbelievable—that was until Christophe’s attacker lost his head. It fell to the ground and landed with a sickening thud. The rest of his body seemed to disappear into thin air. The other fighter merely hovered above Christophe and the stunned-looking people who had ducked for cover. His eyes were on Christophe and for a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then he gave Christophe a mock salute and disappeared as well.
Eventually the police came. Though Christophe had no idea what the others had told them, he said he wasn’t sure what had happened. He’d been knocked out. They forced him to be tended to by the paramedics and finally he was cleared to drive home. Once in the safety of his condo, Christophe pressed his back to the door and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.
He’d been attacked by Morpheus, saved by Neo and had watched a sword fight in mid-air. How was that real? Men couldn’t fly! Hell, there was a running joke that said white men couldn’t even jump! Sure, it wasn’t funny right then as he stood there contemplating his sanity.
All that had happened had to be real—it had happened. His sore ribs were proof he had connected with the long side of a truck and his back confirmed that fact.
The main question that remained was the reason for the attack. He was a nobody, working a job like everyone else, trying to live the best he could. Though he tried thinking it wasn’t about him, Christophe knew it wasn’t true. The man had gone past all the other vehicles, every other driver and come at Christophe. What made him so special?
Maybe he was in danger and he should say something to Geoff. Better yet, if he was truly in trouble, he wanted to stay as far away from Geoff as possible. The only other person he could trust was Kofi. Christophe grabbed his cell phone and scrolled to Kofi’s number.
“Olabasu!”
“Kofi! I need to talk to you.”
“Christophe? You sound out of breath. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. Do you have a second? I think I’m losing my mind.”
“Remember I told you I was heading to Japan today? If you need to talk I can send Koi—”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I think I’m in trouble and I don’t know why, how or with whom.”
“Christophe, I trust Koi with my life. If you’re in trouble and I can’t be there, Koi is coming to you. Have you called Geoff? Maybe he can come to you.”
Christophe groaned. “Trust me, Kofi. Geoff can’t help me with this—at least I don’t think he can.”
“Okay, then it’s settled. Give me a few minutes to get a hold of Koi, okay?”
Christophe exhaled long and hard. “Okay. I’ll call you back.”
“Good. My cell will be on.”
When he hung up, Christophe gritted his teeth and eased into the sofa. He exhaled once his body was relaxed into the seat. His sides were hurting, his back throbbed and his knees felt as if they were bruised. He wasn’t sure how long he was like that before there was a loud knock on the door. That momentary thought he could be in trouble again and should prepare for another ass-kicking was at the forefront of his mind.
Wait, he couldn’t live the rest of his life like this.
It took some effort to get up, but he wandered to the front with his fingers wrapped around the baseball bat he kept behind the door.
“You’re in pain,” Koi said, stepping forward and taking Christophe’s shoulders. “What happened?”
“I was attacked on my way to the grocery store,” Christophe replied, falling into his chest. “Kofi didn’t need to send you over here. All he had to do was call…”
To his surprise, Koi picked him up and carried him into to the condo. For the first time in a long while, Christophe felt cared for by someone other than his mother. He sighed and relaxed into Koi’s arms. Koi brought him up the stairs and into the master bedroom. He was placed on the bed and when he looked up, Koi was shedding his coat.
“Where’s your bathroom?”
Christophe pointed. Koi disappeared for a moment and the sound of water followed, before Koi reappeared in the bedroom with a towel bunched in one large fist and a bowl in the other hand. He then sat on the side of the bed, set the bowl on the floor, the towel beside his thigh and proceeded to undo Christophe’s shirt. Koi used the wet towel to wipe him down. His blue eyes were intensely focused on what he was doing. Each time Christophe winced as Koi passed over a bruised spot, Koi would bite his lower lip.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t. Just some crazy guy on the highway—I don’t even know where he came from! All of a sudden I’m the object of his misery.”
Koi didn’t speak. He caressed Christophe’s chest so tenderly, tears stung Christophe’s eyes. He didn’t think a man Koi’s size could be just so soft. He licked his lips and arched into Koi’s touch, sighing at the heat it sent surging through him.
“I’m sorry you were hurt,” Koi’s voice cracked.
“Koi, look at me.”
Christophe gasped when Koi did as he asked. Koi’s eyes were sensational normally but now they were full of lust and confusion and that turned Christophe on. Geoff’s advice filled his thoughts then, and Christophe smiled, licked his lips and lifted a hand to cover Koi’s fingers on his body.
“Koi—I want you to kiss me.”
“I can’t— I don’t deserve…”
“Right.” Christophe forgot he was hurt and rolled over. The reminder caused him to grit his teeth and grunt.
Koi caught his shoulder and rolled him back. “Stay still. You’re in pain and moving will only exacerbate the situation.”
“This is a very embarrassing moment for me,” Christophe explained. “I can’t—I mean…”
“I’m sorry if I am being an ass. That was not my intention. Can I be honest with you?”
Christophe nodded.
“I want to kiss you—I’ve wanted to kiss you since that day we were at Ciro’s place with you sitting across from me. You looked at me and your eyes were just so—”
“Then why is it now that I give you the chance to do it, you reject me?”
“That was not rejection, Christophe. You are hurt. I came to be of assistance. I do not mean to take advantage. I never want to put you in that position to regret anything later when you’re in your right mind.”
“What? You think I don’t know my own mind? Damn it, Koi, I am an adult.”
“I did not say you were not. If I am to be intimate with you, it will be when you are not in pain.”
“They’ve been so many times where we came close—but each time something happened, from Kofi coming back too quickly, to the roof falling to you just thinking I’m not alluring enough to be kissed. But you’re right. You’re just here to help.”
“Maybe it was not meant to be,” Koi said, his voice soft.
“Not meant to…?” Christophe did get out of bed then. He stood under his own weight to get some aspirin from the bathroom. He quickly downed two then joined Koi again. Koi was standing at the window now, staring out.
“What I meant before, Christophe, was that being intimate with you would be an honor. I love a good fight in bed and if we ever get to that place where I have you naked before my eyes, I want you to be well enough to fight back.”
Christophe’s cheeks heated. He didn’t even know Koi knew he’d returned. He stood there, silent, jaw dropped and heart racing as he imagined being bare for Koi’s eyes.
“I am sorry. I should not have been so vulgar.”
Christophe looked up to see that Koi’s beautiful eyes were fixated on him. He rubbed his palms against his thighs and smiled. “No, I appreciate your honesty. I know I’m not the best-looking guy in the world.”
Koi grinn
ed and faced the window again. “You really should look in the mirror a little more, Christophe. Tell me what happened today.”
“I was attacked by a guy who flies.” Christophe inhaled. Though he wanted to hear more about the delicious things this man could do to him, and he was a little jarred by the change in subject, he rolled his shoulders and spoke again. “He was strong too. I figured if I was going to die, I would go down fighting. After all, I’m trained to protect myself. Who was I kidding? I was totally not prepared for what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“He tossed me across the damn road like I weighed as much as a stinking feather.”
“What did he look like?”
“I don’t know,” Christophe said, lying on his back on the bed and moaning. “I was too busy trying not to get my ass kicked. Then this other guy showed up. Him, I can describe. He’s tall, handsome, beautiful dark hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in a brown get-up, long coat. His eyes were just—breathtaking.”
Koi grunted in that way a guy would when he was jealous but didn’t want to admit to it.
“He saved me. I’m glad he showed up when he did.”
“And you said they both flew?”
Christophe nodded. “Yes. That little tidbit I left out of the police report. I mean, I know they wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I don’t even know why I’m telling you. You probably think I’m crazy.”
“You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen throughout my life.”
“Yeah well, I’m sure you’ve never seen a man fly,” Christophe muttered. “And I’m not used to any of this crap. I really don’t know if someone is after me but Kofi seemed to think I should tell you what happened. And if he trusts you then so do I.”
“As simple as that?”
Christophe coughed then grunted. “Yes. Want to know the crazy thing?”
Koi nodded.
“The crazy thing was that he came right for me. Think about it, right? He passed all the other drivers, all the other cars and fixated on me.”
Koi walked back to the bed and stood over him. For a moment, Christophe thought he was going to divulge something, some ancient secret. But Koi merely smiled and turned away again. It was hot and cold with this man. One minute he was calm, tender and so affectionate. The next he was withdrawn and quiet.
“I don’t get you,” Christophe spoke softly. “You’re here and looking at me in that way I’ve always wanted a man to look at me.”
“What way is that?”
“With heat. With your eyes hot enough to melt an iceberg, and I swear you’re about to rip my clothes off and…” Christophe stopped himself.
Koi looked at him. “And?”
He sat up and cleared his throat. “And I would let you. Shit, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“Do not be shy, Christophe. That time has passed. Tell me what is on your mind.”
Christophe took a breath. “But then you changed like—” He snapped his fingers. “So then it’s like you don’t even know who I am.”
“That is never what I intend. I never want you to feel as if you are a stranger in my eyes but there is a…” Koi said. “One day you will understand. In the meantime, I will look into what happened today. I will keep you safe.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
Koi smiled. “Just because I am terrified of kissing you, Christophe, and just because I think if I touched you the heat would consume me, does not mean there is anything more important than your safety. I must go now but do not be afraid. You will be protected.”
Christophe was too stunned to speak, even as Koi pressed a kiss to his forehead, smiled and left the room. He’d never thought anything or anyone could scare Koi, but something as simple as a kiss had petrified him. Christophe guessed he could understand that. A kiss to some people wasn’t merely something that happened, then they forgot about it. It was intimate—it had meaning.
Christophe smiled and settled into lying on his back to try to get some sleep and allow the tablet to work.
He wondered what a smooch would mean to Koi. Christophe shook his head. No, he would not even think about that. Koi wanted to kiss him and that was the most important thing.
Chapter Ten
“I don’t know if I like any of this,” Hephaestus said with a grunt. “From my experiences, sprites are not very notorious for being trustworthy.”
“I believe in this one.” Koi dragged his fingers through his hair.
“Think about it. Can you really trust this sprite?” Osaki asked. “Did you read something in him?”
Koi shrugged. “He wasn’t a fighter, Osaki. He had no true interest in me whatsoever. I was only the thing between him and the freedom they promised. Trust me. I believed him when he said he didn’t want to fight or come for me.”
“Okay, where does that leave us?” Osaki sighed.
“Same place where we started. With an old woman and a man who was not recognizable. He said his name is Lis. He didn’t know much about us. He tried sneaking up on me and I clocked him coming out of a vortex. Someone sent him after Christophe and someone sent that other creature after him as well. That same person masked his scent as that of a Shiver. I could have killed him.”
“A person’s need to be with family clouds the senses,” Hephaestus said softly. “I never understood that. Before you guys, I wanted to stay as far from my family as possible. Now look at me. I leave my domain to protect a man you are crazy about.”
Koi smiled. “And for that I am grateful. I owe you a great debt of gratitude.”
Hephaestus shook his head. “From what I have learned from Carter and Kofi in the time I have known them, this is what family does.”
“And it is,” Osaki said. “I learned that about this family, especially.”
“I just wish Christophe could be a part of all this—the good parts,” Koi whispered.
“When are you going to tell this man you care for him?” Hephaestus asked. “From what I could tell, he is a handsome man, and if you’re going through all this trouble, you must feel something.”
Koi grunted. His brother rarely left his forge, but when he did, it was because something was wrong or Ciro, Koi or Osaki had asked a favor. “I came close to it today. He was lying there and I was touching him and he suggested we kiss. I had to back away because I knew the world would implode if we did. Just the thought of having those lips on mine, I just…”
Lightning crackled outside and Hephaestus laughed. “Um—you are horny.”
“What?” Koi asked.
Hephaestus pointed to the window and Koi groaned and took a deep breath. After a few cleansing inhalations, the clouds evaporated and the sun returned. “Sorry. Anyways, I cannot say anything to Christophe, brother.”
“Listen to me,” Hephaestus implored him. “If you walked away, he is still in danger. It is a messed-up logic, I know, but you know I am right. Our father’s demons will know he still means something to you—to us. Why then must you torture yourself?”
“Hephaestus speaks sense, Koi.” Osaki stepped in. “Take me and Kofi for instance. I ran as fast and as hard as I could away from him. I thought if I was stronger and if I left him alone they wouldn’t go after him and look what happened? If you go to him at least when the darkness comes you won’t have far to go to save him.”
“I was so tempted today,” Koi admitted. “He was hard and warm against my fingertips and it would have been so easy to simply lean forward and taste his abs, that soft spot between his legs or that tender spot behind his knees…”
Hephaestus laughed. “Like I always say, you feel something? Say something.”
Koi rose and walked to the window. He fell deep in thought, weighing the consequences of letting himself fall against the horrible things he knew their enemies were capable of. Deep down, he knew Osaki was right. It was better to be by Christophe’s side than somewhere else. But could he be around Christophe without wantin
g to indulge in the glorious passion he knew being wrapped in Christophe’s arms could bring him?
That day, as he’d wrestled with Christophe, he’d felt it. Koi felt aroused and protected and comforted in a way that he’d never experienced before. He smiled and bowed his head, wondering if Christophe’s eyes would change colors like a chameleon as Koi sank deep within him.
“Koi? Are you listening?” Hephaestus’ voice cut through Koi’s thoughts.
The Shiver took a breath and turned to look at his brother and Osaki. “Um…sorry, were you saying something?”
Both men laughed, and Hephaestus stood. “I only came to help your man out,” he said. “I should return to my lair. I have plenty of work to get done if I wish to rest tonight—how are your guns working?”
Koi tilted his head and the weapons appeared on his back strapped in the X pattern as they usually came. He reached up and pulled them from the holster. “They are magnificent,” Koi told him. “I did not know you could make such weaponry.”
“Modern times, little brother.” Hephaestus smiled. He shook Osaki’s hand and gave Koi a mock salute before disappearing.
Koi shoved the guns back into their respective holders and they disappeared.
“So, what are you going to do tonight?” Osaki asked. “Are you going to remain here, go back to the North Shores or pay Christophe a visit?”
“I do not know.”
“What is there to know? There is nothing you can do now unless there is another attack. Until Ciro and Sisqo return we are just waiting. Use this time wisely, my friend.”
“What will you be doing?” Koi asked.
Osaki smirked. “My man desires rum and raisin ice cream.”
Koi nodded with a smile. “Have a good night.”
When he was alone, Koi turned back to the window. He took a breath, remembering the moment he’d heard Christophe was in trouble. His first instinct was to go to him, save him, take him into his arms and hold him. But the others wouldn’t allow him. Keeping this secret from Christophe was getting in the way of his response to the man. Still, Koi left Osaki’s home and wandered through the sky, feeling dew fall downward against the world. He stuck his hands into his pockets and only made his presence known when he had to stop by the fast-food restaurant. Christophe might be sleeping.
Shivers Page 41
