Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kit hovered behind his chair as Nick wrote the letter, providing tips on using the ink and quill so no ink blots obscured his message.
Finished, Nick leaned back to examine the parchment in the candlelight.
His inner wrist had burned the entire time he’d been writing, and he knew from the way it tingled now that what he’d written wasn’t all in English.
It was a mix. He had to trust that someone who understood both languages would get their hands on it.
Connor and Adonis were fluent; Laurence could probably decipher most of it by now.
Beneath their bedroom window, the courtyard sounds had settled into a quiet, calm night. Kit leaned in, the chair creaking under their dual weight as he pressed against Nick’s shoulders. He scanned the page. “Done?”
Nick reread the letter. He explained about the symbols on his arms and why they couldn’t find him—leaving out why they were hiding him from mermen, of course.
That wasn’t a conversation to be had by letter.
He included a marked map that Kit had fetched for him, added everything he knew about Desre with a strong warning to never, under any circumstance, let her touch any of them.
For Trevor’s benefit, he included a full paragraph about how perfectly fine he was.
The rest of the page was dedicated to explaining how the kits were innocent and not to harm them.
“Done.”
“Will you teach me your language?” Kit asked. He singled out a word at the bottom, tracing its outline in the air. Nick.
“That one’s my name.”
“I like its shape.”
Nick smiled.
“I’ll teach you. I’ll even bring you textbooks from home,” Nick said.
He checked the ink was dry and folded the paper, tucking the parchment and map into an envelope.
He then proceeded to write a silly amount of names: Connor, Trevor, Adonis, Sam, Goldilocks, Vi.
He almost put down Bee and Dew, but he didn’t trust what the mermen would do if the letter ended up with them.
They might dunk it straight into the water.
And…his pen hovered over Adonis’s name. Would Adonis do that too?
His brow scrunched. The plan was to deliver the letter to one of the mermen searching the river—apparently, there were three of them—but they could be such brutes. Would it even make it to his family? Nick put the quill aside. He’d have to have a bit of faith.
Nick turned to Kit, whose attention had been locked on Nick since dinner.
“Kit.”
“Yes?” Kit didn’t lift his gaze from Nick’s mouth.
“This”—Nick gestured to his bandaged arms—“took it out of me. I don’t want us to have penetrative sex for the first time when I’m drained and tired.”
Kit nodded. Eyes on Nick’s mouth.
“I’m going to lie down,” Nick said. “Are you meeting Ios?” The other kit had invited Kit to spar after dinner.
“I am also lying down.”
Kit followed Nick closely as he changed into loose clothes and was practically on top of him when he crawled onto the bed. “Kit…” Nick laughed. “Come on.”
Kit hummed, only backing off long enough for Nick to lie down, and then he was right there, curling his body over his.
Nick lay on his back, adjusting his arm so that Kit could fit comfortably against him, and then let his eyes drift shut.
The room felt safer now that he was familiar with it and knew the men outside.
No urge to check the locks or latch surfaced, and Nick had a feeling that when he drifted off, it would be to another night of undisturbed sleep.
Kit’s breaths were steady, but fast. His body didn’t relax the way Nick’s did, maintaining a slight tension as the minutes passed. Nick opened his eyes again. Kit wasn’t initiating anything, but that slightly ochre scent drifted from his skin.
“We can do other stuff if you want,” Nick said. “Non-penetrative.”
“I’d like to practice taking out your piercings,” Kit replied immediately.
The whip of his tail and the speed of his delivery left Nick suspecting Kit had been on the cusp of asking before he had spoken.
Kit sat up, meeting Nick’s eyes. “I will be gentle. If you instruct me how—or perhaps show me with one? I can do the rest.”
Nick wondered if he’d ever have the strength to say no to such a request. “Go on then,” Nick said with a grin. “But I’m not helping, you have to figure it out.”
Kit’s eyes flashed. But, Nick noted, not in worry but rather in anticipation, or excitement, for the challenge.
Kit sat up, taking the sheet away with an impatient sweep of his arm.
Nick adjusted the pillow under his head, letting himself see Kit’s concentrated look as he stared at Nick’s clothed legs.
He flicked a look over Nick’s expression as he reached for the waistband of his trousers, and when Nick didn’t object, he pulled them off.
Kit then cupped Nick’s knees and guided them up, propping Nick’s feet on the mattress.
He settled himself on his knees between Nick’s spread legs, scrunching his eyebrows together as he decided on a plan of action.
Nick was already sporting a semi.
“What was it you accused me of before? Brazenly looking at your cock?” Nick raised an eyebrow.
Kit’s tail lashed, though it hooked when he met Nick’s eyes.
“You are not shy,” he pointed out. “And I am not looking, I am…studying.” He crept closer, knees brushing against the back of Nick’s thighs.
He reached out only to stop, remove his gloves with an impatient grunt and toss them aside.
The warning not to reach for his hands didn’t come.
Kit’s finger brushed against the lowest rung of the scrotum ladder. The metal clinked softly against his nail, a ticklish feeling rippling through Nick. His cock twitched, startling Kit.
Nick smothered a grin. “You’re touching my cock, that’s going to happen.”
Kit grunted his acknowledgement. His tail flicked in and carefully twined around Nick’s shaft, weaving between his piercings. The limb tightened until it was snug and then tugged Nick’s cock up, pinning it to his abdomen, his balls lifted up to be easily accessible.
Kit peered at the first rung closely. He tapped it, and his tail kept Nick’s cock still even though he twitched. His breath was warm on Nick’s sack, making him squirm, fingers curling around his pillow to squeeze.
Kit pinched the round ball on the end of the ring and tugged.
Nothing happened. He took hold of the ball on the other side of the ring and tugged; it came off.
A purr burst from Kit’s chest. “I see,” he murmured.
He guided the ring out of Nick with the utmost care, eyes flicking up intermittently to check Nick’s expression for pain.
The only pain came from how hard he was getting. Kit straightened up, a victorious gleam in his eye. “It is not so difficult,” he said. “These are very well made.” He placed the ball back onto the end of the ring and set it aside on the bedside table.
Nick watched through heavy-lidded eyes as Kit worked his way steadily up through each piercing, removing the three rings from his scrotum and the five bars from his shaft.
He used his tail to stretch the skin around the piercing he was currently working on, his touch braver after each success.
Nick was tense and aroused, and he clutched the pillow tighter to stop himself from grabbing his cock for relief. He wanted that to come from Kit.
Kit placed the last of the piercings aside and studied Nick’s cock at length.
His tail was still wound around it, providing pressure, but not friction.
A single drop of precum beaded on his tip.
Kit’s eyes found it. His head canted to the side, and he angled his tail so that the edges of his tufts slid against Nick’s slit and pushed.
Nick cried out, hips bucking. He inadvertently knocked the tufts out of place. Kit moved in, hands settling onto Nick’s hips, pushing down. His tufts found Nick’s slit again and rubbed against it. It wasn’t much, but the sensation drove Nick wild.
“Kit.” Nick’s entire body spasmed.
With the gentlest touch, Kit delivered the most exquisite agony.
“You are cut.” Kit’s voice was thick. “So you require saliva.”
Nick was too tied up in the sensation of his body to realise what Kit had in mind.
By the time he did, Kit’s breath was on his tip.
The tuft moved aside, fluttering against his sensitive underside, still finding a way to torture him.
Nick could barely keep his eyes open, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
He’d be humping the air if Kit wasn’t pinning him still.
He watched, waiting to see if Kit would spit or –
Kit’s tongue darted out and wet Nick’s tip. He angled his head to the side. Wet along the ridge of his head. And then he leaned in, rubbing his cheek against Nick’s cock with a pleased hum. Every one of Nick’s breaths was a curse or a pleasured groan as Kit scent-marked his cock.
His lips spread over Nick’s tip, holding him in his mouth as his tongue pressed flat to his slit. Kit lowered, and Nick watched transfixed as he swallowed down his cock, lips glistening red. Kit’s lashes fluttered when Nick prodded the back of his throat.
“I’m going to come,” Nick warned. “I can’t help it. It’ll be in your mouth if you don’t –”
Kit’s cheeks hollowed, the heat of his throat closing around Nick.
Nick gasped, arcing off the bed as the orgasm tore through him. His mind whited out under its force, nothing but bodily sensation remaining as he spilled onto Kit’s tongue. Kit groaned, lowering down onto Nick with a wet slide, swallowing down the rest of his release.
Nick collapsed, gasping.
The ability to think didn’t return until Kit had Nick thoroughly cleaned, the piercings back in, and himself tucked against Nick’s side. Kit’s chest vibrated with a low purr.
“That was amazing,” Nick mumbled.
“I enjoyed it also,” Kit said shyly.
Nick twisted enough to get his forehead pressed against Kit’s. “I want to return the favour, but I can’t even open my eyes.”
Kit’s purr hitched. “I do not want… Perhaps it would be okay to try.”
“Oh.” Right. Kit had said before that he didn’t want Nick to touch his cock. “I won’t, it’s okay. Don’t worry about me trying to push anything.”
Kit shuffled. “No,” he said thoughtfully. “I would like to try with you.”
Nick, despite his tiredness, gauged that Kit seemed relaxed. He purred while he spoke. His body was glued to Nick’s, leg thrown over his, a bare hand splayed out on his chest.
“We can try it in a position where you’re on top,” Nick said. “Like…if I’m lying down, you can set your knees on either side of my head. That way you’re in control.”
Kit’s breath trembled. “I like how that sounds,” he admitted. “But not…not now. It can be on the list.”
Nick smiled tiredly in the dark. “Can I get a copy of this list?”
“No,” Kit said, so defensive and shy that Nick groaned.
“Good God, you’ve just sent my imagination in all sorts of wild directions.”
“You are the one who does all these crazy things—like the piercings—that is far wilder than anything kits ever do!” Kit accused hotly.
Nick’s groan transformed into a laugh. “Yes, I got it. I’m the sexual deviant, not you.”
“Yes,” Kit agreed primly.