"Your ex is gay?" I asked, and Revel finally withdrew her hand, sitting up and reaching out to grab a piece of bread for herself. As I watched, she slathered it with liberal amounts of butter and popped the whole thing into her mouth.
"As a rainbow unicorn," she said, and I found myself grinning. What were the chances of us using the same analogy? I felt myself starting to warm towards this woman who was, most likely, going to win Finley's heart eventually. But maybe we could still be friends? Maybe I could still see Fin and not feel this ripping, tearing pain in my chest. "He's a crosser, too."
A small chuckle escaped me at that one. I was a crosser—a person who fucked outside their own species—if there ever was one. Not only did I sleep with non-kitsune canidae shifters, but apparently I was also entertaining the idea of screwing a vamp. And vampires, well, let's be frank: they were dead. I was thinking of sleeping with a dead guy, for fuck's sake.
"Last I heard, he was dating some tiger shifter in China." Revel flashed me another smile—she seemed to have a hell of a lot of those stored up behind those red, red lips. "I saw him a few months ago, just before I moved to Japan. He seemed seriously fucking happy though."
"So you live in Japan now?" I asked, simply assuming that Fin would be relocating. I mean, he had a low-level, hand-me-down job from the Earth while Revel worked for a massive PR firm. I still had no idea what the hell Riot was planning on doing, but I couldn't worry about that right now. I had to stay focused on the issue at hand: getting my goddamn magic back and getting my new fucking tail bound.
"I live wherever I'm needed," Revel said, reaching out to run a finger down my bare shoulder. "Or, wherever I'm wanted." If I hadn't known she was there for Fin, I might've thought she was hitting on me. "But enough about me," she continued, reaching out and stroking her hand up the length of one of my fluffy, white tails. "You're either ancient as fuck or else you're … powerful as fuck."
I just stared at her, my fingers twitching against the strap of my gun holster. If Revel Jones had been a man in that moment, I'd have probably shot her in the balls. At the very least, I'd have taken my mother's knife and cut a bitch. Then again, I'd let Nix get away with touching my tails, too. What the hell was happening to me?
"I'm thirty," I said curtly and she poked me in the shoulder. Ziff grumbled and I passed him another piece of bread, this time with a bit of butter on it. Now that made him trill with pleasure.
"Yeah, and I'm twenty-seven, big fucking deal? I saw that on your profile page. I want to know how you have nine tails and why they aren't all bound."
"Looks like she's working on that problem now," a voice said from behind me. I knew right away that it was fucking Fin. I'd have smelled him immediately if I'd been paying attention, even with the beautiful scents in the restaurant, the smell of garlic and butter and onions, of smoked meats and fresh bread. No, I'd have smelled Finley Wilde's clove and cinnamon scent as soon as he’d walked in the door if it hadn't been for fucking Revel.
"Finley," I warned as I rose to my feet and Ziff quickly climbed up onto my shoulder. He, of course, was more than happy to see my ex. I … had mixed feelings. Obviously his introduction to Revel had to happen at some point, but not like this, not before I was ready. And shit, definitely not with the attitude I could see him swinging around like a giant erect dick.
"Who the hell is this?" he asked, his voice this broken, sad thing. Finley paused, almost an anomaly without Riot by his side. Again, I wondered if the two of them were together, or if they were fucking, or shit, even if they were in love. I had no goddamn clue.
"Oh, so this is the ex?" Revel said as she rose to her feet and cocked out her hip. She looked Fin over like she wasn't impressed and a shock of cold fear ran through me. If Revel didn't want Fin, I'd have to find another unmated kitsune which was about as easy as finding a needle in a monstrous pile of shit. "Calm down, killer," she continued, flicking him in the stomach.
Finley shoved her hand away, teeth clenched, and gave me this look of betrayal that I wasn't sure was solely to do with Revel. More than likely, it was to do with Mik.
"Please sit down and don't cause a scene," I said, giving Fin's tight, black t-shirt and loose jeans a look. He wasn't wearing shoes which was sure to give one of the restaurant employees a heart attack. Pets might be allowed in establishments now, but the shoe thing was still pretty well-enforced.
"Where's Riot?" I asked as, surprisingly, he took a seat at the table without protest. His orange-brown eyes lit on mine, blazing with both confusion and frustration. Fuck, I missed his tricksy old personality. Finley played pranks, made jokes, nibbled my earlobe and made me laugh … He wasn’t always like this.
"Nursing his pains at a bar," Fin growled out, raking his fingers through his rust-colored hair and giving me a look. "Because, you know, you made out with a dead guy."
"She was trying to save her ass—not that that incident is any of your business anyway," Revel replied, still standing up, and now with both hands planted on her hips.
"Save her ass?" Fin choked out, his face twisting into a mask of rage. "She showed up to work in his shirt and practically fucked him on a desk right in front of me. How is that saving her ass?"
"Wait, what?" Revel choked out as I felt my face heat. But I'd be damned if I'd let either of these two shame me for what'd happened. But then Revel turned her attention to me and cocked a brow, her orange tails swishing behind her. "Are you like, pansexual or something? Poly?"
"What?" I choked out, thoroughly confused. I mean, well I knew what pansexual and poly meant—I lived in Colorado, after all—but where the hell was this question coming from?
"I mean, you contacted me looking for a mate. I flew all the way over from fucking Japan for this." Revel gave me a look like I was the scum of the earth. "Dude, if you're fucking your boss, you should've told me that in your message."
"What does my relationship with Mik have to do with any of this?" I asked as I glanced over at Fin and saw him with this stupid smirk on his face. It was comforting in a way, seeing that old spark of mischief in his eyes. Made me miss him in a way I hadn't expected.
"Oh, this is rich ... " he purred, much in the same way as Revel. "You didn't send for a mail-order bride for me—you bought one for yourself." With a chuckle, Fin reached out a hand and grabbed for my wineglass, just as the waitress arrived to take our order. One look at our table though and she scurried away with a mumbled excuse.
"I ... " As soon as Fin said it, it hit me like a brick in the face.
Oh.
Oh.
Ooooooh.
"You're here for me," I whispered as Revel rolled her eyes and leaned down, putting both palms flat on the tabletop and giving me a scrutinizing sort of look. "You came here for me," I repeated, just before she leaned in and pressed her mouth to mine.
Our red lips clashed, and I was so startled I didn't even fight.
My entire life, I'd considered myself to be straight. Like, straight as a goddamn arrow. In fact, as soon as her mouth touched mine, I was thinking about getting away, putting some space between us.
But then …
Holy fuck, women have soft mouths.
Not only were Revel's lips soft, but she tasted sweet. Her lipstick smeared against mine as her tongue darted into my mouth, swirling against my own, bringing the crisp, sweet taste of the wine along for the ride. Her hand cupped the side of my face, demanding but comforting in a way, too.
I'd heard rumors that women were better kissers than men.
It was true.
It was so true.
Or at least it was for Revel Jones.
I found myself leaning into her like she was the sun, drinking her in, letting her left hand trail down my arm, her long nails teasing my flesh. I'm not sure how long we would've kissed for if Fin hadn't interrupted us.
He was around the table and yanking Revel away from me, shoving her back … and getting a gun to the face for his effort.