Page 36 of Spooks & Specters

“Glad to be of service.”

Such a funny guy. “I’m sure.”

“Didn’t hear any complaining from you,” Kage pointed out.

“No. You absolutely did not.”

Although he was thinking about it now. Making love in the woods sounded hot, but in actuality, it was a major pain in the ass. Literally, in some cases. Kage wasn’t the only one a branch had been poking.

Romance generally didn’t deal with reality because, well, that took the romance out of it. Morning breath was definitely a real thing. So was having to pee as soon as you got up. And morning wood. And having to fart. And blowing up the bathroom.

And rolling around in the woods wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, either. But the chase parthadbeen hot.

Also? Austin wasn’t one of those species who self-lubricated, so Kage had to bring that little item along. Because lube was a gay man’s best friend. There was no such thing as too much, in his opinion. Especially when your mate, in his true form, was very blessed in the size department.

They hadn’t bothered with condoms because they were mates, but no way would he have ever allowed some rank stranger into him raw, paranormal or not.

Austin sat up and shoved his hair out of his face. “Where did my jacket disappear to? Did you actually rip through the back of it? I really liked that suit.”

“I did.” Kage grinned at Austin. “But don’t worry, Susan can fix it. Won’t take her magic but just a moment.”

Susan belonged to their clan, despite not being a daemon—she possessed magical abilities with a talent for healing. Austin was clueless about her expulsion from her coven and chose not to inquire, as it was irrelevant. She was a member of their clan and that was all that mattered.

Of course, belonging to a close-knit clan often meant that other members were privy to things Austin would rather they not know. Like in this case. She likely wouldn’t comment, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a raised eyebrow when he handed over the jacket for repair.

Austin wasn’t much on fancy clothes, but he’d liked this suit they’d bought for the masquerade ball. The mask was pretty cool too, although the diamonds on it had freaked him out. He saw it sitting over on a stump. He guessed Kage must have grabbed it.

They had purposely waited until the ball was almost over to do this, so it was very early in the morning. The anticipation had built as the night went on, which had definitely added an edge to their role-play.

“I can already feel her judging me,” Austin joked.

“You enjoyed every second of it.”

“You know what? You ripped the jacket, not me. I’ll just tell her to go look atyouwith that raised eyebrow.”

“Which distresses me not at all.” Kage tugged Austin back down.

Austin let himself flop backwards. Leaning up on one elbow, Kage gently kissed him. At some point he had transferred back to his human form, not that it mattered to Austin. He loved the daemon as much as he loved the human façade.

Kage ended the kiss, then lay back down next to Austin. “It’s been quite a while since I took the time to enjoy a starry night.”

“We don’t have too many of those thanks to being downtown. At least here we’re out far enough we can actually see the nighttime sky.”

“We need to take the time to do this more often.” Kage sighed. “Even though things have been so intense, that’s no excuse.”

“Got to take the time to smell the flowers,” Austin agreed. “And our last trip was certainly not for pleasure. Although I did enjoy seeing what little bit of Chania and the Church of Adiusdar we did get to see.”

“The next time we return to my homeland, it will definitely be for a vacation, not to bury a half brother I didn’t know I had.”

Austin really didn’t want to dig up the memories surrounding that trip, so he changed the subject. “I think the ball went very well. Don’t you?”

“We had an exceptional turnout, but we usually do. It’s money for a good cause. But yes, I would say ninety percent of those invited showed. If we continue having that type of attendance, Hudson and I may have to move the venue.”

Hudson and Kage were the ones who sponsored this event. First World Group, which was listed on the invitation as the host, was yet another one of his and Hudson’s joint businesses.

“That would be too bad. I love this grand old place.”

The Monarch Hotel was one of the oldest hotels in San DeLain and was definitely a gem.

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