Page 44 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“I am well aware of my condition.” His voice was rough, slurred at the edges, and he cringed at the lack of precision. To his increasing mortification, a sulky demand slipped out. “You should tend me.”
Sansa’s face filled his view. “Harm her, and I will end you. Yes?”
Argent managed a trace of hauteur. “Likewise.”
Amusement flickered across Sansa’s face, and she nodded. “Tsumiko is the strongest, safest pain reliever available to us. All natural and easily administered.” Folding back the corner of Argent’s blankets, the woman said, “In.”
Michael quickly backed her up. “He’ll sleep for days. Let him rebuild his strength.”
“I’ll keep watch,” said Gingko. “But why worry? A word from her is all it’ll take to stop him cold.”
“Don’t discount the potency of fox dreams,” warned Michael.
Gingko shrugged. “I’ll keep watch, Tsumiko. You’ll be fine. And thanks.”
The young woman hovered tantalizingly close, almost within Argent’s clutches, but she peered in his son’s direction. “For what?”
Gingko gruffly replied, “For being what he needs.”
Need? Argent’s snort sent a twinge through his side. He neither wanted nor needed the hold this woman had over him. All he wanted was to hold her. For a little while. Maybe then this vexing need would fade away.
TWENTY SIX
Nestle
Tsumiko wasn’t sure what woke her until another lick raised goose flesh on her whole body. The slow drag of a warm tongue made it halfway along one shoulder before the fabric of her shirt checked its progress.
Argent curled around her from behind, one hand splayed over her belly, his other arm supporting their shared pillow. His strained breathing had evened out and deepened into something that felt more natural. Good. She was grateful for any sign of improvement. At least, she assumed these were good signs. It was hard to interpret all of Argent’s little noises—grumbles, sighs, hums. And now licking?
Another heated swirl against her skin derailed her thoughts, and she lifted her head.
Gingko sat in the chair by the window, reading by moonlight. One of his ears swiveled her way.
“What’s he doing?” she whispered.
“Making you blush.”
“I meantwhy.”
“Dunno for sure,” Ginko replied, flipping a page. “Maybe you find him attractive. You gotta admit he’s in decent shape for an old guy. I hear it happens all the time, nurses falling for their patients. Can’t say I empathize, though. There’s nothing romantic about seeing someone suffer. Guess I didn’t inherit Dad’s sadistic streak.”
Tsumiko took some comfort from her friend’s bland teasing. He wasn’t worried. Tsumiko lay her head back down. “You know what I meant.”
Gingko set aside his book. “Relax, Tsumiko. He’s not trying to seduce you. Dad’s sort of … comforting himself.”
“This is normal for Amaranthine?”
“Not all clans, but ours for sure. When I was little, all I wanted to do was nestle.” Easing from his seat, Gingko crept to her side of the bed. “Most of what comes naturally to foxes doesn’t fall in line with human propriety. Dad’s bottled up instincts are sneaking free. Foxes want to taste, to touch, to pet, to play.”
Tsumiko tried not to squirm when Argent nosed her neck before hiding his face in her hair. “So he’s treating me like he’d treat you?”
Gingko’s gaze lingered on his father. “Yeah, he used to.”
“Do you want to trade places?”
Surprise turned into a crooked smile. “With which one of you?”
Tsumiko reached for Gingko’s hand. “Do foxes outgrow the need to nestle?”
