Black Wings, Gray Skies (Black Hat Bureau 4)

Grateful Clay had asked so I didn’t have to, I threw my weight behind his question. “What he said.”

Asa prowled over to me, crouched to put us at eye level, and wound his hand in my hair. He pulled until I tipped back my head, and he pressed a kiss over last night’s bite mark near my collarbone. It was tender, probably would be sore for days, and I didn’t mind one bit.

“I woke up like this.” His lips trailed my throat. “I’ve tried, but I can’t conceal them.”

Hide them was what he meant, to make himself less threatening, less daemon, just…less.

“I like it.” I caught his chin and guided his mouth to mine. “A lot.”

Hand over his eyes, Clay damn near giggled. “Is anyone else thinking he’s horny because he’s horny?”

Ha! For once, I had beat him to a punchline. “Been there, done that—”

“Yeah, I know.” He broke into peals of evil laughter. “I saw the video.”

“Video?” Asa swung his head toward Clay. “What video?”

“We tripped the motion detectors,” I told him. “Clay watched our romance unfold in real time.”

The blush I expected from Asa burned up my throat, but he was more at home in his skin than I had ever seen him. Even the presence of his horns didn’t bother him, when once, he would have locked himself in his room until he discovered a way to mask them. From me. From Clay. From Colby. Even, I suspected, from himself.

“That’s not why you came home early, is it, Clay?” I stroked Asa’s jaw. “You could have called.”

I hadn’t expected him and Colby back until dark, but it was noonish, as best I could tell.

“And miss your face when I told you?” He snorted. “Some things are worth waking up for, Dollface.”

“You’re such a good friend.”

“I know.” He grinned at Asa. “That’s why I’m going to tell you a story that might help your situation.”

Afraid of the rating on the story, I managed to get out, “Okay?”

“There was a couple, maybe thirty years back. Two agents. He was fae. She was a siren.” He laughed, the memory a good one. “His wings popped out the night they mated, and they wouldn’t fold back in.” He shook his head. “Took him a month to get them to cooperate, and they still boinged years later whenever he got…you know.”

The anecdote sparked my curiosity. “So, it’s a fae thing?”

“Far as my experience goes, yes.”

“Hmm.” I managed to yank my attention from Asa’s horns to his outfit. “What are you wearing?” Asa and Clay were matchy-matchy. “These are real clothes.”

“I always wear real clothes.”

“You know what I mean. They’re casual.” I shoved Asa and glared at Clay. “What are y’all up to now?”

“That’s my cue to skidoo.” Clay got to his feet. “I’ll go check on Shorty.”

“Chicken,” I yelled after him then turned back to Asa. “What has he talked you into this time?”

For him to emerge dressed for chaos, they must have texted about their plans for the day.

“Canvassing the streets of Samford. Clay says it’s time to enroll students in the self-defense classes.”

Meaning he wanted to get Asa alone to see how he was doing post-sex. Or he wanted to threaten him in private. Clay might not be my biological anything, but he was like a big brother to me. The temptation to warn Asa not to break my heart or else might prove irresistible once they were alone for guy-talk time.

After they left, I would call Camber and Arden and tell them to spread the word about the classes to their friends.

“Aedan is at the shop, waiting on the electrician.” I stretched out my legs. “Do you need him?”