Bury Their Bones (Wicked Fortunes Book 2)

by AJ Merlin

  And sure enough, there he was.

  Sprawled on a red sofa that looked like it had been shoplifted from an eighteenth-century palace, the kitsune sat like a king on his throne.

  His outfit was not inherently magical in my eyes. The high collared, black coat was unbuttoned, showing off a white shirt covered by a vest of the deepest black. His black pants were just as dark, and delicate silver buckles marched up the sides of his thighs. His boots were silver, armored much like Cian’s, and I couldn’t help but wonder why everyone seemed so enamored with their middle ages theme tonight.

  “I’m older,” he announced suddenly, catching me off guard. “She’s right, and you lost.”

  It took me a moment to catch up. When I did, I folded my arms and closed the door behind me before entering the room fully.

  “You have got to stop listening in on my conversations!” I snapped, only a little irritated with him. This room was somewhat like the others I’d looked into. Lush white carpet lined the floor, and three near-matching sofas were set up in a bit of a circle.

  Against one wall was a floor length mirror, and on the one nearest the door was a large, dark wood piano.

  It was so easy to stop and imagine us being in a different place, in a different time, dressed as we were, and in such a decadent room.

  It could’ve even been a little romantic.

  If the kitsune in front of me wasn’t snickering at my words like I’d just said the funniest thing.

  “I should get a little prize too, don’t you think?” He asked.

  Before answering, I inhaled. I hadn’t been able to smell him in the ballroom, and I wondered if he was somehow keeping even that from me.

  But his scent flooded my nose. He smelled of melancholy, the feel of it hitting me hard. Moreover, he smelled of something secret and forbidden, like it was hidden away in a deep forest or cave.

  He smelled of the dark itself, I realized. Cold, forgotten places that hadn’t seen sunlight in years. Like the calm before the storm that would destroy the world.

  I’d never scented him like this before, and it occurred to me that he had never let me.

  I’d never known a person could hide their own scent, but here he was.

  “Did you hear me?” His eyes slid slowly up to mine, and there was no trace of his facade here tonight.

  There was just Merric, the only nine tailed void kitsune.

  “What kind of prize do you want?” I asked softly, standing stock-still a few feet away from his throne.

  Something was so different about him tonight, and I couldn’t figure out if it was because he wasn’t trying for a disguise, or if it was something else entirely.

  “You won’t like what I want,” Merric promised.

  “I don’t even know if you’re telling the truth,” I pointed out.

  “When Cian and I first met, he was human. He’ll never tell you that, of course,” the fox explained patiently. “I don’t know if he even remembers me. I had five tails then, and he was born in the late seventeen hundreds, I believe. At most, your vampire is a few years shy of three hundred.” He raised his brows as if he’d proved an inarguable point.

  “And how old are you?” I pressed.

  “How old do you think I am?”

  I’d been so sure with Yuna that he was maybe two hundred at best.

  Now, with his scent in my nose and the way he looked to me in this room, I had never been more sure of my own mistake.

  “I don’t think I can guess,” I admitted. “But…” I hated when I needed to ask him things that he quite obviously found trivial. “Why is it that I can scent you now? I’ve never been able to, before. You’ve always just smelled like too much cologne and coffee.”

  “Because I didn’t feel like letting you,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  He was quiet, and so was I. Somewhere in the room, a clock ticked the seconds by as I stared at him.

  “Angelica told me about you,” I blurted out, not thinking.

  “I know,” he replied easily.

  “About you being the only–“

  “I know,” he repeated.

  “Right. You know.” I looked away from him, and he sighed.

  “I’ll try,” he relented. “Because you asked. I will try to stop hearing your conversations unless you allow it.”

  “Wow. Seriously?” He’d never given me any kind of concession before. “Why? Are you mad or something?” Sudden nerves twisted in my gut, and I wished I had a hem to twist in my fingers.

  It was becoming more and more apparent that my words to Aveline nearly two months ago were becoming false. She’d asked me once if I was sleeping with Merric, and I’d denounced the idea loudly and with conviction.

  But that was two tailed, immature Merric. The fake him.

  Now I had to admit that there was a strong possibility he was completely my type.

  Not that it mattered, I reminded myself. My other romantic interests had all expressed their agreement to our arrangements. Merric had neither done that, nor ever expressed any interest in me.

  “I’m not mad,” Merric said, confusion evident on his features. “Why would I be mad?” He got to his feet in one fluid motion.

  “Because you’re never this easy.” He started to walk past me, and I reached out to grip his wrist. “Hey, I mean it. If something’s wrong, you can tell me. I’ll help.”

  Or, I’d try to. What use was I in the problems of an obscenely powerful fox?

  He stilled, but didn’t extract his hand from my grip.

  “What did I tell you earlier?” He asked, his voice almost careful. There was a strange quality to his words I couldn’t understand.

  “That if I didn’t let go, we’d have a ‘chat?’” I quoted. “First off, I’m not holding you that hard. Second, I’m really curious what this chat would be.” I was being rude, and I really should let go, but I wanted to make sure he was all right before he walked away from me. Again.

  “You don’t want the chat,” Merric sighed, his yellow eyes finding mine. They were still slitted like a fox’s, and impossibly intense.

  “I don’t know. Now I’m curious about the chat.” I offered him a half smile that he returned instantly.

  “Three seconds remaining to avoid the chat,” he warned.

  “Three, two, one?” I raised a brow. Was this him trying to warn me off again? Would he pull out the ‘don’t trust a fox’ spiel again? I might leave if he did.

  He did not repeat the do not trust a fox monologue.

  Instead, Merric sighed and extracted his wrist from my fingers. “No,” he mumbled, half to himself. “It’s…not the place or time for it.”

  “For a chat?” I asked, confused. I met his eyes, and found his pupils suddenly very wide.

  Something twisted in my stomach, but I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on with him.

  And if he wasn’t going to tell me, there was nothing I could do to persuade him to do so.

  “Fine,” I sighed, raising my hands in surrender. “If you want to stay in here and pout by yourself, that’s fine with me.” I brushed past him, my fingers slipping through the fur of one of his tails accidentally.

  Did he shudder?

  It was probably just my imagination.

  The door was still just as closed as I had left it. I reached out, already thinking of how I’d ask Indra to confirm Merric’s story.

  He was a fox, after all–

  Suddenly Merric was behind me, one arm around my waist and trapping both arms at my sides.

  “You can tell me to stop,” he murmured against my ear, his breath tickling my skin.

  I shuddered, then said very quietly, “How can I tell you to stop, when you haven’t done anything?”

  His grip on me tightened, though not uncomfortably.

  “You should tell me to stop,” he amended, pulling me away from the door.

  One of his tails slid around my waist, wrapping loosely around the bodice of my dr
ess and prompting me to wonder what it would feel like against my bare skin.

  I tipped my head back, resting it on his shoulder enough to look into his face. “What are you doing?” I asked, goosebumps trailing along my arms.

  I’d thought him incapable of indecision, but there it was. Plain on his face.

  Then it was gone, like it had been wiped away with an eraser.

  Merric leaned down, his mouth hovering over mine as my own lips parted expectantly.

  “Tell me to stop,” he said again, his words the mere breath of a whisper.

  “No,” I said simply.

  Merric’s other hand came around to rest at the base of my throat. He met my eyes one more time, searching, then finally-finally–he pressed his lips to mine.

  It wasn’t exactly his mouth that I found myself focusing on. His kiss was excellent, his actions teasing as he drew my tongue against his.

  No, it was what else he was doing.

  His arm around my waist held me in a grip like steel. I couldn’t lift my own whatsoever, and that along with his tail had me locked firmly in place.

  The grip at my throat tightened ever so slightly, just to give me the promise of its presence. He lifted his hand so he could grip my chin, keeping me just as I was, and just how he wanted me.

  I couldn’t move at all. He had me helpless, and completely at his mercy.

  That did things to me that getting tied up by Akiva had not.

  Merric didn’t need rope, or anything else to have me feeling so deliciously helpless, and so helplessly out of my depth.

  His kiss deepened, fingers sharp points of pressure that bordered on too much. My muscles trembled, and I found myself trying to break free of his grip so that I could reciprocate with more than just my mouth.

  “Wait, wait,” I protested, turning away slightly. His grip slackened immediately, and I knew I could step away if I wanted. “What if someone comes in?” The door sure as hell wasn’t locked.

  Merric snarled out a laugh. “Let them,” he hissed against my ear, pulling me tight once more and trapping me against him. “Let them look.” Goddess, I’d never heard his voice like this and it did very wonderful things to my body.

  My thighs clenched around nothing when he spoke, and trembled when he pressed his mouth to the juncture of my neck and shoulder and bit down.

  “At least let me touch you,” I begged, closing my eyes to regain some semblance of control over myself.

  He snickered. “Not a chance, George.”

  “Why?”

  Instead of responding right away, the kitsune purred softly just under my ear, teeth skimming my skin.

  “It’s not fair,” I added, with as little of a whine as I could manage.

  His chuckle turned into a surprised snort. “Life’s not fair,” he pointed out. “I’m not fair. If I say you don’t get to touch, or that you don’t get to move, you don’t.” He paused, then added. “Except when you tell me to stop.”

  Why in the Goddess’s name would I tell him to stop?

  My brain and body were unsure where we stood on this. I didn’t want him to stop-not by any stretch of the imagination-but the door was unlocked, and anyone could come in.

  The idea that someone could see him doing this to me sent heat straight down to my core, and I would definitely have to examine that sudden interest later.

  “I thought you didn’t like me,” I admitted, gasping when his teeth found my neck again. My knees felt like jello, and I was glad that he had his arms around me to hold me up.

  In lieu of a response, he bit down harder, the wet sounds of his mouth on my skin incredibly loud to my sensitive ears.

  I was totally going to have a mark.

  “And-and that too,” I rambled, trying to focus on my words. “Merric, everyone else told me without a doubt they were okay with everyone else. If we’re going to–“

  He sighed suddenly and let go, only to spin me around and press me to the door, his face close to mine.

  “If we’re going to what?” He asked tauntingly, so close that I could reach out and touch him.

  I started to, and he grabbed my hand, pushing it back down.

  “If we’re going to do….this,” I replied.

  “We can’t do much more of this here,” Merric sounded almost rueful. “And I’m not asking you on a date. I won’t be, either. But let me be clear-you can do whatever you want, with whoever you want. That won’t change what I want.”

  “What do you want?” I asked, lifting my chin to gaze at him stubbornly.

  His grin was a very sinful promise. He stepped forward, the line of his body hot against mine, and slid his knee in between my thighs to press firmly against my core.

  I gasped, and his grin widened.

  “I want to put Georgette Levasseur, last summoner of her line and descendant of one of the most fearsome summoners in history on her knees at my feet. I’m going to have you begging me for my touch and begging to touch me in return. My teeth on your skin will leave marks you won’t forget, and everyone else will get to see as well.”

  If he talked much more, with his thigh rocking against me, I was going to absolutely lose it.

  My chest heaved as he spoke, my eyes wide at his promises.

  “You know why?” the kitsune pressed.

  I let out a breathless laugh. “Because you think I’m pretty and you enjoy my company?”

  He chuckled along with me, then surged forward and bit my lower lip hard.

  I yelped in surprise, but only clamped my thighs tighter around his.

  “Because everyone out there got to see just how powerful and important you are. How you can make an entrance.” He ran his hands down my sides and I shivered.

  “Now I want to see just how lovely you are when your voice is hoarse from begging and you’re about to fall apart.” He pulled back suddenly, taking all of that heat with him.

  I sagged against the door, a whine climbing in my throat. “Are you seriously going to–“

  “It’s inappropriate, George.” He grinned while he smoothed out his clothes. “It’d be against the rules. And I’d hate to turn you into a delinquent like me.” He paused, thinking, then went on. “I’d say I should get the same prize from you as Yuna, for making that bet so easy and all, but I’ve decided I don’t really need anything. After all…” He reached out to run his thumb over my lip. “I bet you’ll do anything I ask, anyway.”

  He stepped forward, then around me, grinning on his way out the door.

  For a moment I stood there, sure it was a joke. That he hadn’t just left like he hadn’t been affected as well.

  But he really had. He’d left me here, worked up and confused.

  I needed a cold shower. And a reality check to make sure I hadn’t dreamed this.

  Chapter 18

  “Can’t you wait outside for a few minutes?” Yuna’s voice was sharp. “Before you go stomping into some murder scene and get yourself torn up?”

  “No. No, I don’t think so,” I said, my eyes fixed on Nathanial. The shop owner leaned against the half-stone wall outside beside me, taking a long inhale on his cigarette.

  I could almost see the anticipation and dread rolling off of him in waves.

  “Try,” Yuna snapped, and hung up.

  I texted Merric again, this time just a few question marks. He hadn’t spoken to me since the gala two nights prior.

  Why was he ignoring me after that? Had I done something wrong? Not given him the answer he wanted?

  Nathanial sighed, smoke curling upward from his mouth. “Are you going to wait for her?” He asked quietly.

  I wavered.

  One part of me did want to wait for either Yuna or Merric. I felt safer with them. Especially walking into a fresh crime scene. Nathanial had assured me that the police were being properly distracted, and the other voodoo priests had thoroughly checked the body and done whatever needed to be done.

  So I was the last to get to look, but I didn’t have a lot of time. W
hat if something had been taken before now that I needed to see? Something that might help?

  This would be so much easier if the voodoo community trusted me.

  We couldn’t wait for Yuna, and I couldn’t stand around hoping Merric might show up when he was sending a loud and clear message that he would not be showing up.

  It was just bad luck that Yuna was caught up in some business of her own. Of course, I didn’t expect her life to revolve around me, but I still wished she had been free tonight.

  I also had a feeling that a few minutes meant more like twenty, though I hadn’t said it.

  “I’m not going to wait,” I sighed, answering Nathanial’s question at last. “We have each other, right? We should be fine.”

  “My gifts lie in the realm of healin’, cher,” Nathanial informed me, leading the way up to the front door. He pushed it open as I sighed.

  “If something happens, I’m sure I can protect us,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “And you being able to heal is a real comfort.” Though, the idea that something might make so that I would need to be healed in the first place was not so comforting.

  “Right, with you bein’ all those things you announced to the council and all,” he replied with a bit of a chuckle.

  “Were you there?” I asked, hoping he couldn’t hear the way my heart beat in my throat at the scent of blood in the air.

  “Nah, but word travels fast. You were the talk of the metaphorical town. Even Johanna said she wished she woulda’ known who you were descended from. Though, between you and me, I’m not sure if that would’ve been a good thing or not.”

  “Because she knew my great-great grandmother?” I asked, figuring I knew the answer without me saying it.

  “Because she probably wouldn’t have let you in the funeral at all.”

  Oh.

  I most certainly had not expected that.

  “Did this happen like the others?” I asked instead, not wanting to delve any deeper into the subject of Johanna’s dislike of me. Maybe, if I helped solve this, she’d change her mind about me.

  More than likely, she would not.