by Kaye Draper
The dainty fae woman paused and wrinkled her nose. "I don't know what it is about this place, but I've always hated coming into this room. Do you feel that Oisin?"
He blinked at her. "I do. I thought it was just me."
She shook her head. "No. I've always had an aversion to the store." She shrugged. "I assume father placed some sort of enchantment just to irritate me. He never approved of me visiting the 'rustics' on my little trips out here." Then with a grin, she added, "but I came anyway, just to spite him."
I shook my head, again reminded how old she and Oisin were. She had owned this place, and visited it like it was a novelty, back in the Victorian era when it was built. There couldn't have been much here besides bars and lumber camps.
"Got it!" Black said in breathless triumph. "There was a hidden compartment at the very back."
He backed out from under the counter on his knees, covered in dust bunnies and holding an old wooden box.
"What the hell is that?" I asked.
Oisin came to stand beside me and peer over the counter.
Black looked up at us, belatedly realizing his hair was messed up and we could see his ruined face. He brushed the tresses forward to hide his scars and cleared his throat. "I sensed some sort of disturbance in here. It's taken me nearly a week to find it. I think it was shielded." He smoothed a hand over the wooden box. "This is sealed. But I think I can open it, if you'd like to see what's inside?"
I glanced at Oisin and Evalyn. "Do you think it's dangerous?"
Oisin pressed his lips together. "Mysterious box that causes physical irritation to the fae in the room. And only he was able to sense its magic. No, Gesa. Sounds perfectly safe. Good to know that blond color doesn't come from a bottle, darling."
I rolled my eyes. "Black?"
He tilted his head. "While whatever is inside is irritating to the fae, I don't think it is deadly." He shrugged. "It does feel...somewhat unpleasant."
I glanced at Oisin. "Go upstairs or something. I'm opening the mystery box of fae pollen."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm staying."
Evalyn moved to the other side of the room. "I'll just...be over here." Wise choice. She might be old, but she wasn't middle-ages old like her brother.
Black muttered something that felt like a spell and the lid to the box creaked. He lifted the lid and stared down in confusion at...a book. It was bound in some sort of charcoal-colored leather. Aside from being ugly, it seemed like any other really old book.
"That's it?" I asked.
Oisin sneezed. Evalyn moaned. "That's awful," they both said in unison.
I quirked a brow at them. "You're both allergic to a damned book? I was right—delicate fucking fae princesses, both of you."
Black stood and I reached over the counter to take the book out of the box. I flipped it open to reveal old, delicate pages inked in what looked like legit quill and ink. It was all in some other language, with lots of diagrams and notes scribbled into the margins in spidery writing. And I felt like I was going to ruin it with my ham-handed manhandling. Those pages were old. "Huh."
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and I looked up to see Hisashi padding down, barefoot and wearing only a pair of cotton pajama bottoms. His hair was rumpled like he had been napping, even though it was the middle of the day. Poor kid had not been sleeping well at night. I let my eyes travel over all that sculpted white skin. His fox was right. Alone time needed to happen. Soon.
More important things, I reminded myself.
Hisashi was in half-shift, eyes silver, white fox ears protruding from his hair, and nine fluffy tails twitching in agitation behind his back. "What the fuck is that?" he whispered.
I held out the book. "Uh. Mysterious book that makes fae sneeze?"
Evalyn groaned. "I think I'm going to be sick." She held her stomach as she raced outside to fresh air.
I shrugged as the bell above the door jangled behind her. Princesses.
Hisashi padded closer, standing by the counter, but not making any move to take the book. He crossed his arms over his beautiful chest and glared at the offending paper and leather. "Put it down."
I set it on the counter.
He closed his eyes, and a glowing blue aura of power sprung to life around him, outlining him like flames. "Shut the fuck up already. I need to concentrate," he muttered.
I glanced at Oisin. No one was talking. At least no one on this side of reality.
Taking a deep breath, Hisashi reached out a hand and planted it on the book's cover. He was able to perform psychometry. One touch and he could sense things about people or objects. Sure came in handy in times like this.
He hissed and yanked his hand back. "Fucking gross!"
His foxiness faded and he shifted back to full human. "That thing is bound in gremlin skin."
I stared at him. "Gremlin...skin...?"
Okay.
Black nodded as if this made perfect sense, completely unconcerned that we were talking about someone skinning a person and making a book out of them. "That explains it."
I rubbed my hands on my pants, then crossed my arms under my breasts and glared down my nose at the shorter man, feeling unclean from touching the Godsdamned book. "No. It doesn't."
Oisin coughed. "Just put it back in the damned box already," he wheezed, chest gurgling.
Hisashi rounded the counter and grabbed Oisin's arm, dragging the fae away to the sitting area across the room.
Black tucked the book away and muttered something over the box. It wasn't any language I had ever heard before. He looked at me helplessly. "What should I do with it now?"
I heaved a sigh and took the damned box. Marching over to the door, I opened it and tossed the box out into a flowerpot on the stoop. I glanced at Evalyn, who was hovering outside. "Done tossing your cookies?" I asked her.
She blinked at me with those pretty purple eyes and nodded, then came back inside, shivering slightly from the cold air.
"Someone explain what the fuck just happened," I demanded.
Black tucked his hair behind his ear on the pretty side of his face, then folded his gloved hands in front of him like an obedient butler. "Gremlins are metal workers. Some have a very strong affinity for iron. It literally becomes part of their physical makeup as they work with it. They ooze iron dust from their very pores, or so I've heard."
I arched an eyebrow. Wasn't he just a fucking encyclopedia all of a sudden? "I thought that whole fae and iron thing was a myth." I waved a hand at Oisin and Evalyn where they sat on the couch. "They touch iron all the time."
Oisin heaved a sigh. "It's never good for us, but usually our magical...immune system takes care of it. The iron in a Gremlin's veins is different. Enhanced with magic and turned into a floating particle." He paused to cough. "I can tell you; it's not doing my lungs any favors."
I frowned. "Are you guys going to be okay?"
Hisashi went around opening windows, letting in fresh, freezing winter air. Oisin waved a hand dismissively. "I'll be fine in a moment. Just need time to repair the damage." He stroked his sister's head. "Evalyn might need a bit of help."
She held her stomach. "Maybe an infusion."
I rolled my eyes. Tea. It was always leaves and herbs with them.
I paused. "Ah...maybe Con can help."
They all looked at me. "Con's a great cook and all," Hisashi said. "But maybe Oisin should make the tea this time. She needs magic to heal."
I rubbed my temple. I wasn't actually considering this, was I? After all, who knew what White's motives were in spreading his stupid lies. "Just tell Con what happened and ask him to help. You guys can show him what fae herbs to use. Trust me." At worst it would do nothing outside whatever power Oisin's magic-enhanced plants gave the brew.
And at best...Con was secretly a witch.
Oisin sighed. "I'll go tell Con what to use. Evalyn, go shower. We need to get the residue off our skin and clothes."
He turned to Hisashi and ran a hand down the fox's
arm. "Okay there?"
Hisashi grimaced. "That thing was...not happy being a book."
And wasn't that just a great thought. Fuck.
Chapter 6
Once Evalyn was showered and ensconced in her room with a mug of some stinky herbal remedy that she insisted was having an immediate effect on her nausea, we all took turns rinsing off, just in case we carried any of the iron dust on our bodies.
I took the opportunity for a good soak in the over-sized bathtub which, more often than not, was occupied by a bath-hog kraken. Con had gone out to get groceries, since he insisted I ate like a lion after I hunted down a bounty. And Kaimana went with him...because apparently shopping was a sickness with her. I thought dragons were supposed to be the hoarders. I was wrong.
I sighed and flipped the drain open with my toe. As much as I wanted to enjoy the uninterrupted soak, I was warm through now, and I needed to make sure both Oisin and Hisashi were okay after their run-in with that damned book. For all we knew, Oisin’s damned father placed it there years ago just to torment his children.
Maybe we should just gut the bookshop and burn everything in it. Call it a neighborhood bonfire and invite the whole city to roast marshmallows.
Nope. Too many people. Ugh. More and more, my instinct was to remove myself and my fucking pride to a remote island somewhere where we could be alone. I didn't know what was wrong...only that my gryphon side was being a real pain in the ass.
I dried off and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel, padding barefoot to my room. Black was still kicking around here somewhere, but I was beyond caring if he saw my big lady bits. I got the impression he was more into guys anyway.
I pushed my bedroom door open to find Oisin and Hisashi sitting side-by-side on the bed. Once upon a time, it would have bothered me to have people in my personal space. Now my bedroom had become a damned communal gathering area.
I couldn't really complain though. Waking up in a bed filled with a warm human and a snarky fae or clingy kraken was hardly the worst experience of my life.
Hisashi had thrown on a t-shirt somewhere along the way—damned shame. He had his elbows on his knees as he hunched over and hung his head. Oisin was speaking to him in a soothing tone as he channeled his fae magic into the fox, one graceful hand gripping the back of his neck. "It's for the best. You'll see," he was whispering.
I wanted to demand to know what secrets they were keeping, but I didn’t think any of us needed one more fight today.
I crossed to the dresser and pulled out a change of clothes. Turning back, I found both men watching me expectantly.
"What?" I demanded.
Oisin gave me a sly, wicked smile. "Just waiting for the show, beautiful beast."
I rolled my eyes. "It sounded like you were having a moment. I don't want to interrupt."
Hisashi glanced at Oisin with a strange expression on his face, but it smoothed out and some of the sadness left his eyes as he turned to me. "Your little fae was just being a know-it-all, as usual," he said dryly.
I shrugged. "You get used to it. Just ignore him. I always do."
Oisin rose and came to stand in front of me, green eyes twinkling with mischief as he tilted his head back to meet my gaze. "Only because you eventually recognize my superior wisdom in all things."
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Maybe in some things," I corrected.
He smirked. "Oh?"
I leaned down and kissed those perfect, wicked lips. "Sometimes."
The bed frame creaked, and I glanced up to see Hisashi reclining against the head of the bed watching us. "Oh, don't mind me," he said with a grin. "Carry on."
I shrugged, as if completely unconcerned—even though I was vibrating with tension. "I will."
I pushed my fingers through Oisin's long red hair and tilted his head back for better access, then explored his mouth at my leisure. He tasted like sunshine and nectar. The fae chuckled against my lips, his lithe body bowing against mine as he went pliant. This was what I loved about my little fae. He could be bossy and domineering. But he also had no issues with me being in control. His hands gripped my ass through the towel, and he bit my lower lip sharply, making me growl.
I lifted my head to find Hisashi standing behind Oisin, his clear blue eyes rimmed in silver. "Okay," he said in defeat. "I give up. I can't just sit there and watch."
I laughed and glanced down at Oisin. "So easy."
He nodded, green eyes shimmering with mischief. "I know."
Hisashi rolled his eyes and stepped closer, gripping Oisin's slim hips as he leaned past him to capture my lips. "Idiots," he muttered right before our lips met.
I mean, he wasn't wrong. But I liked to think that's what made me and my little fae so fun. I let go of Oisin to grip the back of Hisashi's neck and keep him right where he was, with Oisin trapped between us. Hisashi tasted like the air before a lightning storm, cool and full of the promise of electricity. My fingers dragged through the shorter hair on the side of his head, then up to grip the longer strands and hold him close.
My gryphon side growled its approval. My mates.
Oisin's graceful hands stroked from my ass up my hips to my breasts, pausing to tug the towel away, leaving me fully exposed. I shuddered. Gods, I'd been wanting to have them both together for so long now. Fucking finally!
Apparently, I was every bit as bad as a stupid male beast, needing to sate my urges whenever possible. I didn't give a shit what label fit me right now. I was in heaven. Hisashi pulled away to turn his head to Oisin, nibbling at the fae's lips before he was caught and held while Oisin devoured him.
My whole body flushed with heat at the sight. Gods, they were fucking beautiful.
They broke apart and turned back to me and I swallowed hard. I was so lost.
Hisashi moved behind me, pressing a kiss to my shoulder and neck as he ghosted his big hands over my waist, pressing against me with that huge package while I unbuttoned Oisin's ridiculous layers and stripped him of the damned fussy silk and cashmere that covered his beautiful body.
I ran my hands over Oisin’s smooth skin, bending to capture his mouth again. I never tired of how pretty he was. How small and soft, compared to the hulking gryphon males in the clan lands. His clever hands explored my body as I unzipped his fly. He stepped back to kick off his pants and I turned to Hisashi.
Silvery blue eyes met mine, and his canines were a bit sharper than usual when he spoke, reaching up to cup my face in his hands. "Gods, you are so fucking beautiful." He stroked a hand over the hulking muscles that were sometimes a turn-off to other men. Then he smiled softly at Oisin as the fae stepped closer, lifting a hand to caress the other man's cheek. "You both are."
One corner of Oisin's mouth lifted in a wicked smirk. "And we seem to be the only ones not wearing clothes." He turned to me and his smile widened, eyes sparkling. "Can we unwrap your fox now, Gesa, pretty please?"
I laughed, reaching out to grasp the hem of Hisashi's t-shirt and drag it up over his head. Oisin's graceful hands followed, stroking over that albino skin and lean muscle, dipping teasingly across beautiful Adonis arches. Hisashi was tall and broad, but so thin every muscle was outlined in clear detail.
"You're the beautiful one," I told Hisashi. "Jesus, Buddha, and Odin. You can never wear clothes again. I forbid it."
He laughed, and a hint of pink colored his cheekbones. I reached for the waistband of his pajama pants and he tensed slightly. Oisin wrapped an arm around his waist and stroked a hand up his chest. "What is it, little fox?"
Hisashi quirked a white eyebrow at the fae, whose red head barely reached shoulder level on the fox. "Little?"
Oisin glanced downward at Hisashi's bulge. "Maybe not so little...."
I drew Hisashi's attention back to me. "You're worried about whatever it was you were trying to tell me before, aren't you? The genetic thing?"
Oisin tilted his head and studied our blushing fox. "There's something wrong with the equipment?"
I slapped him on the arm. "Shu
t the fuck up, Oisin. Gods." Even though I hadn't been any more sensitive the first time I heard about it.
Hisashi laughed. "You two really never do quit, do you?"
He heaved a sigh. "Maybe you should just continue the...unwrapping. We'll deal with it when you get there."
His voice was light and joking, but I could see some hint of fear in his eyes. Whatever he was afraid of, intimacy had hurt him somehow in the past. I could recognize that in another person a mile away.
I flattened my palm against his smooth stomach and slipped my hand downward, under the waistband of his pants, proving to him that I wasn't going to shy away. Hisashi kept his eyes glued to mine as I brushed his straining erection. My fingers explored him, and I didn't quite believe what I was feeling at first.
Then I started laughing. I tried to hold it back. Really, I did. I'm sure no guy likes it when your first encounter with his dick results in laughing so hard you cry. But I couldn't help it.
He huffed out a breath. "Yeah, yeah."
Oisin looked back and forth between us and I could tell curiosity was killing him. "Share with the class, Gesa."
I struggled take in a breath and smirked at Hisashi, who was beet red by now. "There's...just the two, right? You don't have like seven more hidden somewhere, do you?"
Oisin let out a breath. "Oh."
I glanced at him. "Oh?" I gave Hisashi a squeeze down below. "This gorgeous beast has two fucking dicks and all you can say is fucking oh?"
Hisashi snorted. Oisin lifted a shoulder in a graceful, unconcerned shrug. "It's just a little case of diphallia, Gesa. Do control yourself."
I shook my head in utter disbelief.
Hisashi ran a hand through his hair. He seemed like he didn't know whether to be embarrassed or proud. "You've met someone like me before?"
Oisin rolled his eyes and grabbed Hisashi's waistband, stripping him in an instant, then standing back to leer at the fox with glinting green eyes. "Like you? Oh no. There is nothing like you on this mortal plane, darling."
Hisashi was quiet. I don't know what he was thinking, since I wasn't watching his face. I was staring at the two perfect cocks he was toting around.
