Page 33 of Entranced By the Nakken
Soon, Casimir’s friends joined them. Sophie passed a colorful drink to Casimir, who slurped it down while maintaining eye contact with her. She rolled her eyes and pilfered a darker drink from Noah’s hands. The whole exchange was so natural, Tsunis felt special for witnessing it.
Casimir’s hands were bolder after his pretty stolen drink. His gaze heated every time he glanced at their earfins, mouth, really anywhere on their body. Tsunis began to believe he’d meant what he’d said, and he would soon swallow them whole.
The song ended, and a new band took the stage. Like those before, their music was no spirit song. Surprisingly, it didn’t matter. There was an inexplicable feeling among the dancing bodies, especially within the bubble surrounding the four of them. Sophie and Noah resembled jellyfish with how hard they banged their heads, smiling through the blur. Casimir’s hand around Tsunis’ waist. Reminding them they belonged. Even when their gaze wandered outside of the group, they were met with nods and raised cups. All of it made for a euphoric sense of belonging that pounded inside Tsunis’ chest.
It was possibly the best night of Tsunis’ life.
“You okay?” Casimir asked, voice husky and low.
Tsunis realized they’d stopped moving. They gazed into Casimir’s beautiful eyes, pretty as coral with glimmering flecks of green and gold, and they couldn’t help themself. Standing on the tips of their toes, they grasped the back of their mate’s neck and dragged their lips together.
Tsunis was a great kisser now. Casimir pressed flat palms to the small of their back, and the hard bulge flexing against their belly confirmed this absolute fact.
Casimir’s tongue found easy entrance to their mouth, and they moaned. Completely forgetting to care about their surroundings, Tsunis took Casimir’s wrist and brought it to their fin.
The groan that Casimir fed them was deep and all-consuming, but Casimir barely stroked the tips of their sensitive fin before breaking the kiss.
Tsunis whimpered, but Casimir chuckled with a touch of darkness. Still holding their bodies flush, he whispered, “Don’t worry. After the show, I’ll tend to all your greedy little desires.”
Tsunis growled, wishing they didn’t like it so much when he called them greedy, but their core pulled taut and buzzed with excitement at his promise.
In a fit of impulsivity, Tsunis licked a drop of sweat that’d beaded along Casimir’s jaw. Casimir hissed, but Tsunis savored the stolen droplet, as syrupy as the sweetwater rivers of their childhood.
“You taste like home.”
A few bands later, it was time for Casimir’s band to take the stage. After dropping the trio off backstage, Noah led Tsunis down a passage, where he said something to a security guard who laughed and nodded. Noah smirked at Tsunis over his shoulder and motioned them to follow. The guard squinted at Tsunis, and their heart sped up. Would they see through their costume and know they weren’t human?
“Hmph. Cool cosplay,” the guard commented, taking the lead.
The guard escorted them to a spot directly center of the stage, in front of the metal barrier separating the crowd from the band then left without a second glance.
Tsunis stared up at the empty stage with bated breath. A sudden thump on their shoulder shocked their attention toward Noah who leaned close with a smug grin behind a fresh cup of dark brown liquid.
“Trust me!” he shouted. “This is the best spot. Right here, we’re fucking royalty, baby.”
Noah’s enthusiasm had a mirroring grin tugging at Tsunis’ lips, a swarm of pygmy moonfish fluttering in their belly.
The lights dimmed. A spotlight locked onto Anna, who instantly found Tsunis and Noah in front of the crowd and stuck out her tongue.
Blue and teal lights flashed in succession, revealing two more band members at the front of the stage. The moment it came into focus, Casimir’s gaze was trained on Tsunis.
“My eyes are up here, you filthy heathens!” Sophie shouted into the microphone. Her fierce features scanned the crowd, the straight lines of blue painted-on scales giving her a deadly presence. When she landed on Noah and Tsunis, the ferocity yielded to a saucy wink.
Noah roared, and Tsunis barely registered their own loud growl under his.
Sophie, front and center, banged her head in that endearing way that sent her colorful hair bouncing like a jellyfish. She plucked the first chords of a song without accompaniment, the tension in the room building. Tsunis bounced in tune as though they’d heard it as often as the song they impatiently awaited, their veins hot.
“Thank you! We are South of Misery and we’re here to save your asses!” Sophie exclaimed as the first song came to an end.
Two pure, unmistakable notes played on Casimir’s bass guitar. Unsure when their arm and Noah’s had tangled over each other’s shoulders, Tsunis jumped alongside their new friend.
The thrill evened out into an ecstatic bliss. The crowd behind them delighted in the moody rhythm, which blended with the mellow vocals of the first verse, creating an atmosphere of love and loss, grief and gratitude. Noah off-key voice intoned every word, as though he’d memorized it much the same as they had.
Inside their soul, Tsunis felt a crack, as the song shifted. The subdivisions quickened while the overall tempo remained constant, Casimir’s steady control seamlessly lead the song in a new direction. Tsunis stared up at the love of their existence and knew without a doubt, nothing would ever be the same.
Casimir’s gaze roamed over the crowd, always returning to Tsunis. Despite knowing nothing of the hardships Glacis faced, the humans surrounding them were clearly moved by the song, swaying their hips and pumping their fists at all the right moments.
Tsunis had expected to feel elation at this moment. It was there, but more than anything, all Tsunis wanted was to be alone with their mate. To burrow into the safety of his arms. To know the fighting was over.
