Page 64 of Found in Obscurity

Lorin frowned, trying to think of anything he could do. Maybe he could find some medicine somewhere. He tried to get up off the sofa, but Kit hurried over to push him back down by both shoulders.

Lorin stared up at Kit with wide eyes. He was now backlit by an orange glow, making him seem even more ethereal.

Lorin swallowed. Hard.

Kit climbed back on top of him with vulpine grace. Lorin could only gape at him as he wormed his way into his lap and under the blankets again, just like he did when he was in his fox form. He made a satisfied sound once he was settled, only a single thin layer over Lorin’s lap separating them. Lorin was helpless to do anything but cradle his waist and contemplate how his life had led to this moment.

The air was already noticeably heating up with the crackle of the fire, and with Kit back in his arms, he forgot about the chill lingering on his skin and hair.

It was hard not to get lost in it. To remember what his goal had been when he went outside with the ill-informed plan to cast a spell that was dangerous and well above his ability level. Kit squirming on his lap and tickling fingers along his collarbones wasn’t helping anything.

“I saw things when I was casting that spell,” Lorin said, fighting for rationality. “From your head, I think.”

Kit made a grumpy face at him, dark eyebrows curving down. He hit him on the shoulder like he was telling him off.

Lorin winced. “I’m sorry. I thought once I got in there, I could, like…mentally ask permission.”

Kit rolled his eyes like he was exasperated that Lorin wasn’t getting why he was angry.

“I’m sorry for…”

Kit’s sharp eyes pinned him, as if daring him to get it wrong again.

“…whatever it is that I did.”

Kit snorted but didn’t punish him again. In fact, he went back to pawing at his skin, running fingers over his collarbones and dangerously close to his nipples.

It was so distracting.

“Look, while you’re human we should try to work this out,” Lorin said, trying to catch Kit’s mischievous fingers so they could have this important conversation.

Kit leaned closer as if to use his mouth instead.

Lorin panicked and let go of his hands, shrinking back with his pulse pounding.

He was pinned against the back of the sofa, Kit hovering over him and giving him zero space or rest. In fact, he laid himself on Lorin’s front like he was a bed, stretching his arms over Lorin’s shoulders and up over the headrest. He smiled at him, his sharp incisors glinting in the firelight.

Lorin tried to breathe. “Look…I know we have this whole…mate…thing going on…”

Kit tilted his head at him, blinking those eyes and making him lose his train of thought.

“You’re stupidly pretty.”

Kit grinned and Lorin’s face burned.

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud. We’re getting so off track.”

Kit stretched against him again, arching his back like he didn’t agree in the slightest. Lorin closed his eyes and shook his head, praying to the moon for help. His fingers itched to grab, to fold into the dainty dip of that waist and see if they could reach all the way around.

“The things I saw!” he shouted, to drown out his own thoughts. “Were they real?”

Kit didn’t move again, and Lorin peeked a single eye open cautiously. He found Kit pressing his lips together in a flat line.

“Is that a yes?” Lorin asked.

Kit sighed through his nose and nodded, once.

Lorin nodded back, trying to sort through the scattered fragments. It was hard to put together, the puzzle had so many missing pieces. But there were a few things he was certain of.