Page 66 of Starlight

“Was it something I didn’t say?” Cole whispered.

Akai kissed his temple. “No. There is a long history of distrust, and some are more wary than others.”

“And at solstice?”

“It’s mixed. But you find the pockets that you want to be with.”

Cole nodded and stared at the fire. “It’s kind of like the night we met.”

“How so?” There were no guns, and he wasn’t bleeding.

“The fire, the stars.” Cole leaned against him. “We’re staying for breakfast, right? Some giant hairy dude said it starts at sunrise.”

“That would be one of the bigfoots who runs the place.” And it was going to be so much harder to get away without breakfast now that Cole knew they were invited.

“One of the bigfoots?” Cole’s eyebrows lifted.

He thought Cole understood that the monsters he’d heard about were different types. Perhaps it was the shock of seeing a bigfoot face-to-face. “There are heaps of them, much like there are plenty of harpies.”

One of the monsters who’d gone to bed smothered a laugh.

Akai leaned down and whispered in Cole’s ear. “Let’s leave this for the moment.”

“Okay, but we’re staying for breakfast.”

Akai closed his eyes and barely smothered a groan.

“You said it was a practice for solstice.”

He regretted saying that now, and he’d only said it because Cole was uncertain about staying at the monster house, because it was a deviation from the route, and it was full of monsters. Akai had wanted to not hide for a bit…but perhaps hiding was better.

It was definitely easier than putting his fake mate on display over breakfast.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Cole woke up not because he was cold, but because he was too hot, and Akai’s dick was nestled against his ass. His head rested on one of Akai’s arms while Akai’s other arm was wrapped around his chest, keeping him close like he was a living stuffed toy.

He wouldn’t mind being stuffed full of the dick that was only separated from his ass by the thin fabric of his pajama pants. He gave a test wiggle to see if Akai was awake or close to waking. They could be quiet, and it wasn’t light yet, though it wasn’t dark either. Sunrise couldn’t be far away.

Akai’s hand slid to his hip and held him tight against him. “Be still.” His lips brushed the back of Cole’s neck. “Some of us can hear far better than you.”

Cole could barely hear his words, but he understood and had more questions. Was Akai one of the types who could hear better than humans? “Can you?”

“Yes.”

Were monsters listening to them talk now? It was enough to cool his interest, but now he was awake, he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. “I should get up and get dressed. Breakfast will be on soon.” He kept his voice low but was sure someone was listening.

Akai sighed and rolled onto his back. Cole sat up and stared down at him. It was clear that Akai was reluctant to have breakfast, and if they’d been alone, he’d have asked what his problem was, as it had been his idea to rest there the night.

Was he embarrassed to be with a human?

With him?

Akai smiled at him. His hand trailed up Cole’s arm and then around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. “You’d best get dressed before breakfast, or someone might think you are on the menu.”

His eyes widened. Did monsters really eat people?

Akai’s grin widened, and claws pressed into Cole’s ass cheek. “The way I like to eat you.”