Page 66 of Found in Obscurity
Kit had had no idea it would feel so different now that he had met Lorin as his human self. As a fox he’d felt drawn to him, tied to him, happy to be close to him and be kept safe by him. Now, with the idea of what his human side felt like, it was stronger. More present and more solid than ever. And it pushed. It demanded that Kit stay close. To protect Lorin. To make sure he was cared for and happy and fed and warm.
Kit took to his newfound obsession in the way only a determined mate slash familiar knew how. He glued himself to Lorin and refused to leave his side unless strictly necessary, and the necessities all revolved around making sure Lorin was okay.
Kit would nudge him to eat when he felt too much time had passed between meals. He’d paw at the glass of water Lorinseemed to forget existed to make sure he was hydrated. He’d sit stubbornly on top of Lorin’s books when he felt Lorin needed a break, and he’d whine and yip and argue as best as he could when he decided Lorin needed sleep.
He didn’t like the dark circles under Lorin’s eyes or the way his eyelids seemed to constantly be at half-mast.
Yes, Kit wanted help, but not at the expense of his beautiful mate.
And…Lorin was beautiful.
Kit thought so as a fox. He really did. But it was nothing compared to how Lorin looked to Kit in his human form. He’d finally had enough time to take him in, to appreciate the details that made him up.
Soft, dark hair curling around Lorin’s face and tickling his neck. Those deep, mysterious eyes, almost as dark as the night, that seemed like they could see right through to Kit’s soul. They were framed by long lashes Kit wanted to feel fluttering on his skin. Those elegant fingers, now marked more and more, giving Lorin substance, giving him power. The sharp nails that felt so good when they brushed through Kit’s fur. In whatever form he was in, it always felt good.
He didn’t think he’d ever have enough of Lorin.
He couldn’t wait to be human again, and this time, he realized, it wasn’t even about his shift. The list of his priorities had changed to include Lorin. Everything Kit wanted now was somehow tied to Lorin. And he couldn’t wait to be human again to show it to him.
In the meantime though, he’d opted to redouble his efforts in showing him as a fox would.
He scented Lorin constantly, licking his neck and grinning when Lorin pretended he didn’t like it. He rubbed their noses together, nipped at the tips of Lorin’s fingers, and nuzzled under the palm he knew held the outline of his fox form on Lorin’s skin.He initiated play fights, urging Lorin to chase him and going belly up once he caught him. It was invigorating and provided a small break from the serious clouds hanging over them.
He also tried to find little gifts for Lorin around their cabin. The woods didn’t really have a lot of options, but he had found a few things he felt were very nice. He’d brought Lorin a really pretty pinecone, a bright orange gardening glove, and half a brown tote bag before he’d struck gold.
He’d found a shoelace that had actual, colorful beads on one end. It hadn’t seemed like it had even been lost in the woods for long, because the beads were still shiny and reflective. He was very proud of that one.
Lorin seemed to like his gifts, too. He kept them all in a little basket on the coffee table, displayed for everyone to see. Not that anyone came to visit them, but the thought was there. If someone were to come and sit in their living room, they’d see Kit’s gifts and they’d ask about them. Then Lorin would smile and tell them his mate had found and brought those things to him.
Kit loved that thought.
Overall, he felt like life was falling slowly into place. Not exactly in the way he had dreamed of in the years he’d spent wandering around alone, but definitely in a way that would lead them both to something good in the end.
Kit was sure of it.
Chapter fifteen
Lorin
“Isee you’ve forgonegloves completely,” his grandma said the moment he sat down at the table, his heavy bag filled with books thumping against the floor when he put it down. “Are they now a thing of the past for good?”
Kit had crawled his way into Lorin’s lap before he could even process it, winding himself into a tight ball on his knees before plopping his head down and falling asleep. His fluffy tail was wrapped around Lorin’s wrist as if he was afraid Lorin would find a way to leave without him, even with Kit literally sitting on top of him.
The clinginess was growing with each day, and not just on Kit’s end. It seemed like spending time with human Kit had finally made Lorin realize what it felt like to have a shifter familiar. To be a mate. It wasn’t just Kit feeling it. It was like everything was increased tenfold and fed through their bond back to him.
He’d read some stuff on shifter familiars and mates since learning about Kit. He wanted to know more. But nothing couldhave prepared him for how intense it all felt. It made him think of his parents, and he thought he was finally on his way to understanding the depth of their love for each other.
At least a little bit.
He got restless whenever Kit was out of his sight. He knew Kit needed to go frolic in the woods from time to time, and that he both enjoyed it and craved it, but he didn’t like spending too much time separated from him.
The images still swimming inside his head made it hard to let go. Knowing Kit had lost so much already made him feel so protective of him. Knowing there was a human in there, a human who seemed to be everything Lorin hadn’t even known he wanted just amplified everything.
He wanted to see him again. Wanted to hold him and tell him he was there and that he’d do everything he could to get him back. He’d said that to the fox countless times since the ice bath, but he needed the human to hear it too. To know it and to be reassured he had made the right choice picking Lorin as his mate. For some reason, it felt beyond important to be seen as a valid, worthy mate to Kit.
“Lorin?”
Lorin snapped his head up. “Sorry what?”