Page 35 of Nicolette

“You paint a pretty picture, my friend, but I think for now I’m going to keep naps as a delightful escape,” I said, booping him on the nose with a finger. He gave me a playful snarl as he nipped at my finger.

“Neko, just so we’re clear…” Circus started, then paused to pin me with his gaze, “... I’m not your friend. The bond we have is far more than that word could ever encompass. I don’t have the right term for it yet, but I’ll keep searching for it. As for now, you can simply call me yours.”

Mine. Was he really mine? What about Nine Lives, wasn’t he supposed to be mine as well?

My lioness yowled her agreement to that question, answering me and yet not really giving me an answer at the same time. Well, which is it? She just gave me a slow blink as her tail lazily trailed through the air. “Fat lot of help you are,” I muttered to myself as I pulled out of my thoughts and realized Circus was watching me with a rather curious expression.

“You two communicate so easily with each other,” he commented. “My leopard and I get along better than most, but we don’t have moments like you just did. What’s it like, to speak to your lioness?”

That caught me off guard. How could he not be able to talk to his leopard when they were always right there? Up in your business, sticking their nose where it didn’t need to be. I let out a sigh and brushed a hand through my hair. “I don’t know for sure since I’ve never owned a cat, but I feel like it’s similar. She does what she wants when she wants to and ignores me whenever I actually have an important question. Oh God, and she’s pushy as hell when she wants something.”

“Hmm… maybe it’s better that I don’t interact with my leopard so much. If they are similar to who we are as people, I’m not sure I’d like that interaction much.”

“Wait, what? You think I’m pushy and demanding? That I do whatever I want when I want to?” I questioned. Then I realized as I was saying that, I’d just answered my own question. “Oh fuck, I’m totally like my fucking cat.”

Circus chuckled but then erupted into a full-on belly laugh at my expense.

“Laugh it up, fur ball. You’re mine remember? You signed up to be with me, so I don’t want to hear one goddamn word about how demanding and pushy I can be.” I grumbled the words, shoving him off me into the pile of pillows. Then I got up and left the hyena in the bed as I followed the two-foot wide path to the bathroom.

The space was lavish, with a giant tub, a rack full of bath salts, bubbles, shower gels, and anything else you could think of to make your experience amazing. Done taking care of business, I came back out to find the bed empty but found Dice leaning against the door frame out to the living room.

“Nice nap?” he asked.

The way he phrased it made me think small talk wasn’t really his strong suit. “Yeah, it was great. It seems I really needed it.”

“Amaretto,” he stated.

“Ah… yeah. How did you know?” I asked, coming to a stop in front of him.

He let his gaze linger over my naked body and reached out a finger to stroke the swell of my breast before flicking my nipple. I sucked in a breath at the jolt of pleasure that went straight to my pussy.

“Her hideous scent was in the hall,” Dice answered, and I had to think back to what the fuck my question had been. “Ever thought about getting your nipples pierced?”

Talk about a change in subject. Guess it goes to show just how important she clearly wasn’t to Dice.

“With cage fighting, I’d decided against any sort of body jewelry. Just one more thing for some asshole to try and rip out,” I shared.

“Smart,” he agreed absently as he raised both hands to pinch my nipples.

I groaned and arched into his touch as he tugged on them slightly. Why the fuck does this feel so good?

“I can do it for you.”

My brain was hazy, and didn’t quite register what he was saying. “Do what?”

“Pierce them. You need someone who knows how with shifters,” Dice explained. “Maybe one here too.” I gasped as a finger slid between my legs, and he stroked my clit. “They say it gives immense pleasure for the female.”

“What you’re doing now gives me pleasure.” I moaned.

“Oh, are we playing?” Circus asked, walking back into the apartment with a stack of clothes. “I dropped these when I kicked the door in, but it seems we might not need them yet.”

Dice shook his head and withdrew his hand. “No, we only have thirty minutes.”

“You’re right, not nearly enough time,” Circus agreed, but I did not.

“Hey, you can totally make do with thirty minutes. Hell, I’ve managed with fifteen between fights,” I pointed out. They both looked at me with unhappy expressions that made no sense to me.

“You are not a whore,” Dice announced.