Page 35 of The Fae Menagerie
Maybe not fully awake, then. He wriggled closer still, and I forced myself not to think about where my dick was as it nestled between his pert cheeks.
Nope. Not going there.
I focused on his hair, letting the smooth strands flow between my fingers until his breathing evened out. He relaxed against me, and the room went dark again.
Soft, clingy Parker was just as alluring as sharp, resisting Parker, and even the more moderate and considerate Parker of the last couple weeks. I wanted his gentleness, his closeness, all to myself.
That thought kept me awake longer than it should have.
One nightmare was unusual.Three nights in a row? A coincidence. A full week? A suspicious recurrence, especially when coupled with Aidan's threat before they began.
"Are you having nightmares?"I signed to Horace through our kitchen windows.
"No, but I have felt more agitated at night."
Right. I always forgot. Horace ate breakfast while we ate lunch. He also slept in his viewing room so he wouldn't have to wake for the bell. The menagerie made no concessions for his nocturnal lifestyle. Viewing hours were from 8 to noon, no exceptions. He often woke in time to speak with his children, but they left messages with me when he didn't.
"I'm not allowed in the kitchen at night."He pointed at the sink."Aidan's orders."
I'd forgotten all about the strange hole between our enclosures. I'd put a heavy wooden box in front of the hole, hoping that would keep anything from crawling in. I cracked open the sink cupboard, and already, I could see light through the hole. Someone had shoved the box to the corner.
I needed a better solution. "Small and clear," I said aloud. The only glass in my enclosure, besides the walls themselves, was the thick mirror in the bathroom. That wouldn't form a transparent barrier.
"I have an old Coffee Bucks card in my wallet." Parker pulled a slim cardholder from his inner jacket pocket. "It's clear plastic."
"That might work," I said.
It worked perfectly. Only one half of the card displayed the company logo. Once he sliced through the card with the wallet's built-in multi-tool and broke off the logo side, the card slotted perfectly against the glass, and I added some clear shoe glue from my shoe shining kit to hold it in place. It wasn't perfect, since something strong could burst through it, but for now, it still looked like it was open for whatever dream gas Aidan had pumped into my enclosure.
"Even if he breaks through it, at least we'll know he did something," I said to reassure Parker, who frowned at my handiwork.
"Then what?" Parker asked.
"Then, we call my mother." Parker backed away from my toothy smile, and I chased him back to the library for an afternoon discussion of my family tree and all my crazy ancestors, thanks to the book I'd given him about my grandmother.
The next morning,I woke feeling refreshed. I missed being wrapped around Parker, protecting him from his bad dreams, but he hadn't thrashed once. He was still sleeping peacefully with his back to me.
I prepared for the day with the usual shower, but I took extra care to comb my hair over my ears, trying to make myself appear more human. It didn't work, but I didn't want to scare Parker, either. He'd noticed Mother's teeth and Aidan's horns, and he'd massaged my wings with lotion.
I sighed. There was no hiding my wings, claws, or pointed ears. Besides, even if I were the most attractive human in the realm, Parker wouldn't think so. I laughed at my bad luck.
Parker knocked on the bathroom door, and we traded places. In the bedroom, I exchanged my towel for my garment. Then, I went in search of breakfast.
I found an agitated cuddlebug at my kitchen window instead. He pointed at the floor beside his sink, and we both opened our cupboard doors. I shoved some things around so I could see the body. There, on the floor of Horace's enclosure, lay Aidan. His chest rose and fell, but he was sound asleep.
"Oh, fuck." Horace didn't need me to sign that one. He read my lips.
"What are we going to do?"
"Let him think he did this to himself!" I tried to pull the piece of credit card from our side of the wall, but it wouldn't budge.
I scratched at the edges with my claws for a few minutes, to no avail. "It won't come off!" The clear shoe glue really worked, but none of my shoes needed repairing.
"Do you have any nail polish remover?" Parker asked from the doorway. He was still in his towel. I must have made more noise than I thought.
I took a few calming breaths before responding, "I do."
I'd polished my claws, back when I'd been trying to impress Aidan. Now, I only used the nail file to keep them short and a little more rounded, but there was no denying my claws could rend flesh. There were wasps bigger than the ones that had invaded my enclosure, after all, and it was my job as an anthousai to stop them.
