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Jaygen’s control was slipping, and Ozni could practically feel the tension in the air. Disruption of order was one of Jaygen’s triggers and Ozni had been witness to it too many times to count. His hand tightened further. The last thing any of them needed was Jaygen, their poster child of control, to lose it over an untidy kitchen.
Ozni tilted his head to the side and stared into Jaygen’s eyes, willing the tiger shifter to take a breather. It was a big mess, and he knew how Jaygen felt about sloppiness, but there was no reason to go scare the human. The frown on Jaygen’s face deepened before he visibly relaxed and sucked in a deep breath. His eyes fluttered shut and Ozni made sure to keep hold of Jaygen until he could practically see the tension ease from Jaygen’s body completely.
Bright blue eyes stared back at Ozni. “I’m fine now, Oz.”
Ozni watched him closely for another second before releasing Jaygen and moving further into the kitchen. Ozni made quick work of cleaning up the mess as Jaygen took a seat. He grumbled in his chair that Ozni didn’t need to be the one cleaning, but that was irrelevant.
He didn’t mind cleaning up the small mess, especially if it kept Jaygen from flying off the handle. And he was sure the human hadn’t known he was supposed to clean up his own mess.
“Oz my man, quiet as ever,” Foi shouted as he came in.
Ozni wiped the counter down one last time before glancing over to Foi. He was missing a shirt, and sweat coated his tan skin. He rubbed a towel around his neck and chest, making his dark chest hair stick up as he tried to dry the sweat from his body. His thick black hair was loose from its ponytail and some pieces clung to his face.
“You stink, dog,” Jaygen grumbled.
Ozni refrained from rolling his eyes at the pair. They bickered more than anyone else at the host bar. It was no doubt due to the fact that Jaygen was the embodiment of organized and pristine and Foi was, well, the opposite. He was brash and chaotic on a good day. Not a moment went by without some type of argument erupting between the two. They were the definition of cat and dog fights. Arden of course took advantage of that and stuck them together often. They both might have hated it but when they were partnered together the bar was booked solid and customers clambered to be front and center to their little show. Enemies to lovers was a number one seller, Arden had pointed out once.
“Yeah, well, last night I made more than you,” Foi bragged.
Jaygen leaned back in his chair, his face blank as he finally looked at Foi. “Good job, it's about time you did something right.”
Foi threw his towel on the floor and the tick in Jaygen’s jaw was the only tell Ozni saw that showed how pissed the tiger was. Before things could go south, Ozni moved faster than any of them could see and stood between them.
“Oz, out of the way. That pussy cat has another thing coming if he thinks I’m going to let him keep insulting me,” Foi seethed.
A dry laugh left Jaygen. “Keep barking, dog.”
These two.Ozni held out his hand and pressed it in the middle of Foi’s chest, the heat from his skin warming Ozni instantly. He could hear the erratic beat of Foi’s heart and the blood rushing through his veins. And with all that skin on display, Ozni’s never ending hunger had his stomach clenching.
Ozni wrenched his gaze from Foi’s pulse point, willing his hunger to settle even as saliva pooled in his mouth. Foi’s gold eyes focused on Ozni intently and he’d stopped pushing against Ozni’s hand at some point.
“Oz, when was the last time you ate?” Foi asked softly.
It took everything in Ozni not to wince or show any sign of discomfort. He could lie and say yesterday, but he knew it wouldn’t be worth it. Jaygen and Foi agreed on one thing and one thing only and it unfortunately was about Ozni’s eating habits. They both knew just how much Ozni detested giving into his daywalker side. He could pretend to be somewhat normal most days until his raging hunger became too strong and reminded him of the cursed monster he was. It wasn't as simple as drinking blood, he wasn’t graceful the way the public painted vampires. No he was vicious in taking his food. Flesh and muscle caved under his sharp teeth, blood splattered his face and rushed down his throat. Just thinking about the metallic taste of blood had his teeth aching.
“Has it been a few days?” Jaygen asked. His tone stern but laced with concern.
Ozni gave a curt nod, not willing to open his mouth, knowing his second row of teeth would already be descending, ready to tear flesh and muscle. Foi relaxed further and his eyes softened as he glanced at Oz.
Other than Ozni and Cyrus, Foi and Jaygen had been there longest. They had all seen many hosts come and go, but they stayed. The bar was their makeshift home. The four of them had the closest bond, knowing what made each other tick.
“Alright, we’ll go hunting before the bar opens tonight,” Foi said. Not really giving Ozni much of a choice.
Ozni’s shoulders tensed.Hunting.Foi meant murder, because no matter how Ozni tried, his victims never survived. He could eat small pieces of flesh and blood but it would only sustain him for a short while. No matter what, Ozni could never get out of hunting. His daywalker side demanded it.Maybe it was his curse for being able to walk in the sun.
“Oz, come sit down,” Jaygen called out.
Foi rolled his eyes. “Stop being so demanding, you damn cat,” Foi grumbled as he took his own seat with one open between them.
Ozni knew Jaygen wasn’t commanding him, it was just the way the man spoke, and he knew he was concerned for him.
“This is why I voted that we get muzzles,” Jaygen said.
Foi growled and his golden eyes glowed, his wolf prowling under the surface.
Ozni never pointed out how they tended to care for him, but he enjoyed it. Years of seclusion had taken their toll and even after he’d come out of his hiding hole, it took a long time for Ozni to warm up to others. Cyrus and Arden of course were the first. Cyrus had no issues with what Ozni was and soon Jaygen and Foi came along, both pushing past Ozni’s walls and making themselves comfortable. Ozni never pushed them away. Maybe it was because they all had a beast inside of them with their own kinds of hunger. Or maybe it was because they were all lost souls that Arden had collected. Over the years they had slowly helped each other pick up their broken pieces.
Finally, Ozni took the seat between the bickering shifters as a sweet scent tickled his nose. Cyrus sauntered in, his flawless face glowing as if he’d just had the best sex of his life. His brown eyes glinted when they landed on the three of them. A sultry smile curved his pink lips that begged for a kiss. Ozni had reminded himself constantly that Cyrus was off limits, but the incubus was pure temptation. His eyes followed carefully as Cyrus took the chair next to Jaygen.
