Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kassie
Steam curled from my coffee mug as I breathed in the rich aroma. Hints of macadamia and vanilla wafted up, making my eyes flutter shut for a moment. Harlow splurged on the fancy beans this week, and it was exactly when I needed the pick-me-up the most.
Why was Titan suddenly demanding this game challenge? If he thought he could ambush me publicly and force me to play just to damage my gaming cred, he was seriously mistaken. The guy had another thing coming.
Was his ego so fragile that radio silence for a couple of days had sent him into this tailspin?
My fingernails clicked against ceramic as I drummed the side of my mug.
The familiar pattern of Harlow's footsteps bounced down the stairs.
She appeared in jean shorts with her blonde hair swept into a high ponytail, but instead of her usual sunshine smile, her eyebrows were knitted together in concentration.
Very unlike her.
I frowned as she made a beeline for the dishwasher, the moment it let out its end-cycle beep. "What’s wrong?"
She grabbed a plate from the dishwasher and set it on the counter with a soft clink. "Does Atlas seem off to you lately?"
My shoulders shook as I tried not to laugh. "Define 'strange' for a guy who's literally part moth. The dude trips over air, blushes at everything, and still manages to be hornier than a teenager. Atlas wrote the book on weird." I took a sip of my coffee. "What exactly are we talking about here?"
Harlow leaned back on the kitchen counter. "I'm not sure. It could be nothing, but something weird happened with the security cameras while you were out, falling into Gideon’s crotch or whatever it was you two were doing." She raised an eyebrow accusingly.
I placed my mug a little too hard on the table. “I did not touch your boyfriend’s dick!”
Harlow's cheeks flushed crimson. "He's not my boyfriend," she huffed, crossing her arms. "And according to him, you were getting rather intimate with a streetlamp."
I screeched. "I was not! I was just doing this weird shimmy against the pole because my underwear was riding up in the most uncomfortable way. Trust me, if I'd been doing what he's implying, I'd have been a lot more enthusiastic about it. And a lot less vertical."
Harlow's face contorted like she'd bitten into a lemon. "Sweet mercy, Kassie. That's a mental image I didn't need."
“Atlas has this magic, horny come, okay? It makes me want the D! Which we have to talk about later and put it in your book, because you won’t believe the things I have seen and felt.
” I held out my hands to show how big Atlas’ dick really was, then did this squiggly thing with my fingers that didn’t even make sense to me.
Harlow's eyes narrowed as she stared at my hand gestures. "Whatever that"—she pointed at my still-wiggling fingers—"is supposed to represent, I'm going to need therapy to forget it. Can we please focus on the security cameras?"
I stomped my foot. I wanted to talk about sex right then, well, more about the L word, but I guess we could talk about the cameras. “What about them?”
Harlow's fingers tapped nervously on the counter.
"It's about the security system. Last night I woke up with this.
.. I don't know, like a prickling at the back of my neck.
When I checked the footage…" She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"There's been this black fox circling our property the last two nights you haven’t played. "
I rolled my eyes. "So, we've got a nosey fox. Big deal." I twirled my finger in the air. "Next, you'll tell me we need to call animal control because a squirrel looked at you funny. Should we put the house on lockdown?"
Harlow growled, and I stepped back, shocked she would ever do such a thing. She was the cute, fluffy puppy, not the angry Doberman dog.
Harlow's face hardened. "Just because I'm nice doesn't mean I'm stupid." She whirled around so fast her blonde ponytail whipped through the air.
I reached for her arm, but she was already at the kitchen island, picking up the remote. With a quick tap on the mousepad, the security system's laptop screen flared to life.
“Harlow, I didn’t mean—” I begged.
She waved her hand at me and stuck it on her hip. “No, it isn’t you. Old memories hit me today. It was wrong of me.”
That the dark shadow that had fallen on her face was gone and was replaced by the normal, happy Harlow.
We needed to have a girls’ night so I could figure out what was up with her.
“Right, now as I was saying, the fox—”
I stopped her with a finger in the air. "Hold up. Didn't you specifically tell me these fancy cameras only pick up humans and beings with—"
Harlow nodded. "A paranormal essence, exactly.
Which is why this is so interesting." Her fingers tapped the remote, bringing the security footage to life on screen.
"See this? Recorded the night Gideon brought you home.
This fox followed you all the way here, then circled the property until sunrise before disappearing. "
The black and white footage showed an ordinary-sized fox, but its coat gleamed silver in the moonlight. The creature moved like a shadow, ducking out of sight at the slightest sound or movement, expertly avoiding detection by anyone else on the property.
"The next night, during your scheduled gaming shift, our visitor returned.
" Harlow tapped the screen where the fox reappeared.
"Watch this, it made multiple attempts to scale the rain gutter.
When it finally reached your windowsill, it peered inside for several seconds before dropping back down.
Whatever it was looking for, it must have found it, because after that, it disappeared into the woods and didn't come back. "
I pulled up the stool next to Harlow. “Why would a fox… a special fox want to look in my window? And what kind of fox could we be dealing with here?”
Harlow’s smile widened again. “I’m glad you asked.”
Atlas kept one hand firmly on my thigh as I made final adjustments to my gaming setup.
Everything needed to be perfect—water bottle positioned exactly three inches from my mouse, snack bowl filled despite knowing I wouldn't touch a single chip.
Tonight was too important to break routine.
Even with Atlas's distracting touch sending warmth up my leg, some rituals couldn't be compromised.
Harlow hip-bumped the door open, balancing an overloaded tray.
"Snack delivery for the gaming goddess and her boy-toy!
" The platter was a mosaic of carefully arranged fruit slices, tiny sandwiches with the crusts trimmed off, and what appeared to be first-attempt sushi rolls wrapped in seaweed that was already starting to wilt.
Atlas still didn’t know that Harlow didn’t know about him, and we were going to keep it that way… for then.
Atlas’ immediately looked over at the tray on the bed, and the decision to let go of my leg or get a snack was just too much for him. “Go on, I’m not leaving.”
Atlas let out one of his whines. I could hear his wings flutter behind him while they stayed invisible. “No, I’m with you.”
Atlas had been acting strange all day, especially when he came back from his morning walk. Harlow later explained she believed monsters grow strong attachments to their significant others.
They do it in monster romances, why not in real life?
Anyway, morning walk my ass, he smelled different. He smelled like the forest, the one we weren’t supposed to go into. That place had a distinctive smell that I could never forget. Like ozone and, I don’t want to say death, but maybe rotting moss?
Harlow and I exchanged glances. She snatched up a plate, crossed the room, and handed it to Atlas, who sat beside me in his own chair.
He balanced the plate carefully on his lap as Harlow leaned down, her voice gentle but firm.
"Eat up, big guy. Just so you know, once she starts gaming, you'll need to keep those hands to yourself. She needs complete focus."
Atlas' face fell, his eyes growing round with dismay. "You mean I can't touch you at all?"
I sank my fang into my lower lip, feeling the pressure build as it pressed deeper into the soft flesh. "Gaming requires my complete focus. With you sitting right beside me, I'm already struggling to concentrate..."
Atlas' eyes welled up with tears, tremors running through his fingers where they gripped my thigh. From deep in his throat came a sound I'd never heard before—a keening vibration so high-pitched it made the hairs on my arms stand up.
Oh. My. Gods.
Harlow gasped. “You are going to kill him, Kassie! You have to let him at least hold your boob, a foot, something!!”
I caught Atlas' trembling hand as it slipped from my thigh. His eyes were squeezed shut, his whole body quaking. Desperate to calm him, I guided his palm to my chest, letting him feel my heartbeat beneath the curve of my breast. His fingers instinctively curled around the soft flesh.
Despite my attempt at comfort, Atlas unleashed a high-pitched wail that vibrated through the glass panes of my bedroom windows, making them tremble in their frames.
Harlow clapped her hands over her ears while I lunged from my chair onto Atlas' lap, sealing my lips against his. The keening finally subsided as his fingers found the curve of my breast, alternating between gentle pressure and release.
“Better, much better,” he mumbled into my lips.
Harlow mumbled. “He is making biscuits with your boobs. Are we sure he isn’t part cat?”
I nipped at his face. “You are like a toddler. What the hell is wrong with you?” My expression softened.
“No, really, Atlas, what is wrong? You’re clingy.
Am I not paying you enough attention? Do you need mothy cuddles?
” I adjusted myself on his lap and tucked my head beneath his chin, nuzzling him.
He relaxed physically, and I heard a deep sigh.