Page 42 of The Fae Menagerie
"I refuse to let you die of anything other than natural causes, then."
"That's better."
I answered his grin with a smirk, and his breath hitched. He leaned forward and pulled me down. Our lips brushed once, twice. Gods, I'd missed kissing, but I didn't want to take more than Parker was willing to give me.
When his lips parted and his tongue tickled against my bottom lip, I took it as a sign of consent. I picked him up and hefted him onto the kitchen counter. I stood between his spread legs, leaving space between us so I didn't scare him off. Then, I let him continue to explore my mouth with his tongue.
We wore too many clothes, with Parker still in his suit. My garment rubbed me the wrong way with every touch. Still, I didn't care. Parker kissed me!
When he moaned, I slotted our mouths together to give him better access. I froze when he scooted forward, latching his legs around my waist and rubbing his hard cock against me. I couldn't help it. I'd wanted Parker from day one. It was nice to know he was also on board, if only temporarily.
He pulled back and stared at me in open shock. "What am I doing? I'm so sorry, Doyle."
"Sorry?" No one had ever apologized for kissing me before.
"I'm emotionally overwhelmed." He bit his bottom lip and nodded solemnly. "Near death experience. That has to be it." He hopped off the counter and disappeared into the living room before my brain, and my cock, registered he was gone.
Horace waved to catch my attention. He must have seen the whole thing, but I hadn't been paying attention.
"Are you all right?" He pointed to the other room, including Parker in his request.
I wish I knew.
After a few minutes, I heard the shower running. By the time Parker reemerged wearing a fresh suit, Chani and a team of guards had arrived to remove the basilisk from my library.
"Can't talk now," Chani signed to me. "Aidan is furious."
So was I. In fact, I aimed to get my warden fired for this stunt.
Parker didn't speakto me through dinner. Then, he waited for me to finish in the bathroom before he got ready for bed. He climbed into bed in his dress shirt and boxer briefs. I rolled onto my side to face away from him, even though it cramped my left wing. If he wanted space, I could give it. My guilt for bringing him to this awful place flared again. I closed my eyes and begged the fae luck coin to show itself already, or to magic itself into my enclosure so I could send Parker home.
After a few hours of restless sleep, a rustle woke me an hour before morning. My room was still dark, so it wasn't Parker. He was still in bed, softly snoring. Jealousy flared in my gut. Howwas he able to sleep so well? My overactive imagination switched from watching Parker die by basilisk in slow motion to reliving that kiss.
It had been ages since I'd had a kiss like that, unless I was lying to myself. It was more likely I'd never kissed anyone like that in all my long life.
Parker's kiss had been sweet and heady. Each touch felt new and familiar, like leaving on a great adventure and coming home all at once.
I only wished the experience had been the same for him. Instead, he'd run away, and now he was shutting me out.
I pulled on my garment in the dark and walked through my enclosure. Silvery light caught on the crystals embedded in the stone walkway outside. My mother's bench was half-shaded by a large conifer, and all vegetation looked blue-black beneath the moon's gaze.
I continued through to the kitchen and found the table laden with a garment bag, a pastry box, and a letter with my mother's seal. This was my sign that she'd made the delivery herself. She would have hidden the envelope inside a package to keep it from Aidan's prying eyes. Even so, I would monitor Parker's every move to see if anything triggered my need to take care of him.
I broke my mother's seal with a sharp claw and removed the missive scrawled on thick paper. It read more like a greeting card than a letter, true to my mother's style.
"Dear sweet Doy'al'ini,
I am sorry to hear about the basilisk escape. I'm surprised it made it all the way to your enclosure without capture. I am proud you and your little human destroyed the creature after distracting it away from the cuddlebug in the neighboringenclosure. That proves you work well as a team. I look forward to watching your relationship bloom.
Love means never having to say you're happy.
Mother Thera"
I ignoredmy mother's random quote about love. I was pretty sure she'd mixed messages on that one.
A thick piece of paper pinned to the garment bag read, "Parkour." I carried it back to my bedroom and hung it off the back of the chair where Parker laid his suits between wearings. I didn't have any hangers for him. I hoped there were extras in the bag.
I slid back into bed, wondering at my strange thoughts. I had never cared whether anyone else suffered any discomfort, and here I was hoping Parker wasn't too upset that, while I retained access to my closet, I wasn't allowed hangers. Mother worried I might use them to gouge my eyes out. I would never, not since I'd gotten sober. I wanted to live, if only out of spite for everyone who had put me in here.
