“Shifters are known for their group mating rituals, aka VIP Nights. Pack mentality and all that.”
“You participate in those?” I asked while imagining a pack of shifters lining up to present themselves for my Daddy's attention.Not on my watch. I wanted to snarl and spit at my imaginary competition.
“We host them here at the bar, invite only, during breeding season. I’m not into sharing, but I don’t mind if others watch.” He touched my chin, probably because I was still reeling from my recent exhibition.
“I don’t think I could share you either. I have too many abandonment issues already.”
“Hard limit for us both, then,” he said, seeming satisfied by it.
“And all that stuff about Gunther and Dorth, I wouldn’t act on it. And my past…”
“Is your past. I don’t care how many men you’ve fucked, just as long as I’m the only one fucking you now.”
“You are,” I assured him.
“And if something changes, just tell me. I’m a big boy, and I can handle it. I don’t want to be lied to or made a fool of.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you. I know how it feels.”
He nodded, and I was glad we were setting these boundaries and expectations. I’d never been this open with past lovers. It was never a negotiation, and the rules were never clear until I did something to anger them, and by then, it was too late.
“Let’s get some ointment on your backside. How are you feeling back here?” Daddy asked as he grabbed some lotion from the bedside table.
“Sore but good overall.”
“Want to take the night off? Soak in the tub?”
“No, I want to go downstairs and work the floor with your cum still inside me. And after we close for the night, I want to blow you in the alleyway.”
“That can be arranged,” he said throatily. “Listen, Skylar…”
He grew so quiet that I turned to him and said, “Yes, Hiero?”
He brushed his fingers against my jaw, then traced the shape of my lips with solemn reverence. He gave me a rueful smile, then shook his head and said with a heavy sigh, “I may be part bull, but remember, pretty fae, my heart is only human.”
I took his tender words and cradled them gently in the palms of my hands.
“I’ll remember.”
Chapter sixteen
Hiero
Ineeded to lockthat shit down.
Frito’s advice played on repeat over the next few days, every time I caught Skylar smiling at me from across the bar, every time I sank deep into the sanctuary of his body.
My boy hadn’t said anything more to me about his future plans, despite my gentle probing, and he hadn’t taken me up on my offer to find him a spot in town or the several hints that he simply move in with me. He had been spending most nights at my place, and I’d cleared out a couple of drawers for his belongings. His makeup and hair products were slowly taking over the bathroom as well, which made me think he’d need his own vanity when I built our home.
And there I went again. Making long-term plans without any sort of commitment. If making me jealous was Skylar’s toxic trait, then mine must be planning an entire future without getting my partner’s buy-in.
I was desperate for a sign, which was the reason for me heading over to The Magic Shop one afternoon with two empty buckets. The bar’s patrons had become accustomed to the enchanted ice, and it did make our drinks taste better, not to mention I could store some of it in my bedside table to torment my boy. Skylar was spending the day preparing for an upcoming visit from his friend Monica, which meant that I could investigate the possibility of giving him a little nudge in my direction. It was only research after all.
At the tinkling of the bell, The Owner materialized behind the counter in a cloud of vapor, or perhaps it was only a trick of the lighting. He did, in fact, have a pipe in his hand. “Hierophant Wolfsbane,” he said with a light touch to the brim of his black top hat. “Back for some more of my enchanted ice?”
“It would seem that way,” I said, but instead of heading directly toward the machine, I lingered over the many elixirs and potions lined up on a shelf. The sunlight shone through the vials in a kaleidoscope of color, reminding me of the stained-glass windows of Church and the way the light played on Skylar’s wings when we were making love.
“Does something ail you, Mr. Wolfsbane?” The Owner asked. Something was ailing me alright, but I didn’t exactly want to admit my condition to the man.
