FSE

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Chapter 2.

20:07, Monday, the 30th of April, 2028.

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Her beak met my lips, cool and smooth, the sharp edges framing the kiss in a way I'd never imagined. It wasn't like kissing someone with lips – there was no soft give – but her movements carried a surprising delicacy. She angled her head slightly, the sharp curve slipping against my mouth with a careful, teasing pressure.

I hesitated, unsure how to respond, then remembered the way Cole had tilted his head with Hrod. Tentatively, I mirrored the motion, angling my face to meet hers better. It worked. Her beak caught the corner of my mouth with a feather-light graze before pressing fully against me, her touch growing more confident as if she'd been waiting for me to figure it out.

The strangeness of it evaporated as my hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers threading through her silky feathers. She responded instantly, a low, resonant hum rising from her throat as she leaned into me, her beak gliding against my lips with a rhythm that felt both foreign and breathtakingly intimate.

Her wings shifted, their edges brushing lightly against my arm. I let myself fall deeper into the kiss, into the warmth of her feathers and the quiet, deliberate way she drew me in.

When she finally pulled back, her eyes gleamed with a heat that left my heart racing.

"Well," I said, my voice a little unsteady, "that was... unexpected."

Her beak curved into that playful, knowing smile. "Was it?" She asked, her voice soft but edged with mischief.

"Not... entirely," I admitted, grinning despite myself.

Kayt leaned back slightly, her gaze turning contemplative. "You know, Ethan... gryphons aren't exactly shy when it comes to what we want."

I blinked, my cheeks heating at the implication in her tone. "Oh?"

She chuckled, a low, almost purring sound. "Stay the night," she said simply, her tail curling lazily behind her.

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at her. The confidence in her posture, the warmth in her voice, and the undeniable chemistry between us – it all made the decision feel... obvious.

"Alright," I said, my voice steady despite the nervous energy buzzing in my chest. "I'd like that."

Her beak curved into a satisfied smile, and she shifted closer, her feathers brushing against my arm. "Good," she said, her voice soft and inviting. "Because I wasn't planning on letting you leave." A talon reached up, pawing at the chest pocket of my shirt. “I want to see how soft those hands are…”

I leaned forward, moving my hands to either side of her abdomen and using my weight to press her down onto her back. Her beak opened but then closed, slight surprise warming her cheeks, the red peeking out through the fine feathers of her face. Her wings spread out, breath catching. “Well… aren’t you bold?”

“You make it easy to be,” I said, my words hushed.

My fingers moved slowly, carefully, along the furred contours of her abdomen where downy feathers gave way to thin, short fur. Kayt was warm everywhere, but especially there, where her body seemed to radiate heat like the coals of an expired fire. She shifted under me, a faint tremor running through her frame as my fingers trailed lower, brushing the inside of a hind leg.

I hesitated, searching her face. The beak made it hard to read. “Tell me if I should stop.”

She let out a low, purring growl. “If you stop now, I’ll bite.”

“Right…” I murmured and eased my fingers between her legs.

The slick heat I found there nearly undid me. I exhaled shakily, brushing through the soft, damp fur that framed her entrance. She hissed, not in pain, but in anticipation, hips lifting subtly into my hand.

“You’re wet,” I said, my voice thick, almost catching with surprise.

“Then do something about it, owl boy.”

I slid one finger along her feline slit, parting her gently, finding the warm muscles hidden within. Her reaction was immediate: a full-body shudder, claws curling into the velvet cushions beneath us. Her wings shifted again, spreading wider like she needed to anchor herself against something.

I stroked slowly, deliberately, learning her inhuman shape, feeling how her body pulsed and clenched in response to each subtle movement. She was so different – feathered, furred – but beneath all that, she responded just like any woman would to touch, to care, to affection.

“You’re shaking,” I whispered, desperate to fill the silence.

“It’s been some time. Work is busy,” she growled back, but her tone was breathy. Shaken.

I pressed the tip of one finger inside, slowly easing past tight resistance. She gasped, her muscles clenching around me, and her hips rolled again, deeper this time, like her body was trying to pull me in.

“That’s it,” I murmured, watching her eyes flutter, her breathing stagger.

I worked her slowly, one finger pumping in and out, curling just slightly to feel the soft ridges inside her. My thumb found the little nub at the top of her slit and brushed it, feather-light.

Kayt gasped, her back arching hard, wings flaring. “Ethan,” she grunted, voice cracking, “Don’t tease me-”

“Not teasing,” I said, pressing in a second finger. “I want this to last.”

She grabbed at me, talons sharp but controlled, curling in the fabric of my shirt. Her hips were moving now, rolling against my hand with instinctive rhythm, meeting each thrust like her body knew exactly what it needed.

“Fuck,” she hissed. “You’re better than I thought you’d be.”

I smiled, bending down to kiss along her jawline, letting my lips graze the sensitive skin between her feathers. Her scent, perfumed and a heady, unmistakable bitterness, filled my head, making it hard to think straight.

Her inner walls clenched hard around my fingers, but she didn’t let go, didn’t peek. She held herself back, breath ragged, muscles trembling. It was controlled, but barely, and it made my own body ache with restraint, the trousers suddenly feeling far too tight.

“You’re close,” I said, lips brushing the base of her throat. My index and middle fingers curled gently, then slowed, then each moved independently; a walking motion an ex of mine had shown me.

She scoffed. “Not even close, but I wouldn't finish like this anyway.”

“Why not?” I teased, pressing deeper with my fingers, curling hard.

“Because I want to feel you when I do,” she growled, grabbing my wrist. Her grip was firm. Not painful, but commanding, and she slowly pulled my hand away, slick with her wetness. “That was the appetiser.”

I blinked, breath catching. “Then what’s the main course?”

Her eyes locked onto mine, the blue burning bright. “You. Inside me.”

Her body shifted beneath mine as she sat up with a grace that felt almost predatory. She straddled my lap, pushing me back into the cushions with her weight, her wings spreading behind her like shadows.

I moved quickly, too quickly. Shuffling back to try and remove my trousers only resulted in me forgetting I’d worn a belt and awkwardly tugging them against my hips, still on my knees. Kayt hesitated, then the lips at the base of her beak curved into a small, soft smile. A little slower and a lot more carefully, I undid my belt, and she pulled the bottoms all the way down before settling closer.

She reached down, wrapping one warm paw around my cock. I gasped, hips jerking at the sensation—her grip was strong but precise and experienced, her claw-tips held carefully away, and her movements slow and deliberate.

“You’ve been hard this whole time,” she whispered, stroking me. “Why didn’t you ask for more?”

“I didn’t want to rush you,” I breathed.

Her small lips curved into a sharp smile. “I’m not fragile, Ethan.”

She shifted closer, her hips above mine, soft feathers brushing my bare chest, her slickness brushing along the underside of my length. I groaned, eyes closing shut for a heartbeat. She paused, pressing her forehead lightly to mine.

“You still want this?”

“Yes,” I breathed. “God, yes.”

Her voice dropped to a velvet whisper. “Then watch me.”

She rose slightly, guiding the tip of my cock to her entrance. Her folds parted slowly around me, hot and tight and impossibly wet. I gritted my teeth, barely holding still as she sank down, inch by agonising inch. Her body enveloped me, tense and pulsing, drawing me in until I was buried to the hilt inside her.

Her breath hitched sharply. My hands found her hips, steadying her, holding her close to me.

“Kayt-”

“I know,” she said, her voice raw. “Just… give me a second.” Another twitch. “Humans,” she grunted, like a curse.

We froze like that, bodies locked together, tension simmering just under the surface. Her inner muscles fluttered around me, and I had to fight not to thrust up into her.

“Are you okay?” I asked, voice tight.

“Always, pet,” she murmured, eyes locked on mine. “Now move.”

I obeyed.

It wasn’t a question, and the tone didn’t invite hesitation. I shifted beneath her, rolling my hips gently, pushing deeper into the tight, molten heat.

Kayt didn’t gasp. She didn’t flinch. She growled, low, pleased, feral.

“There you go,” she said, her claws bracing against my shoulders as her hips responded with slow, deliberate rolls. “You’re not just pretty.”

“I- yeah,” I breathed, already melting under the intensity of it all.

Her wings lifted slightly, framing us in a canopy of gold and soft brown. She moved with practised ease. No uncertainty, no awkwardness – her weight shifting perfectly over mine as she set the pace and I followed.

“Have you ever had someone like me before?” She asked, her voice a purr against my ear.

I shook my head, unable to form words any more. Her hips ground down harder, and a shudder ripped through me. My control was slipping fast.

“Didn’t think so,” she said. “You’re doing well, though. Keep that up.”

My hands grasped more tightly at her broad hips, helpless to stop the way she rolled them; deep, slow, unforgiving. She wasn't racing toward a finish. She was drawing it out, milking the tension like she wanted to watch me squirm.

And I was.

Every stroke inside her was warm, wet, and impossible. Her body clenched and relaxed around me in waves, as if she could control that too. And maybe she could.

“You’re really tight,” I whispered.

She chuckled, almost kindly, almost mockingly. “That’s not a compliment, dear. It just means you’re not making me relax yet.”

I flushed, embarrassed, but she dipped her beak and kissed my throat, just under the jaw. A slow, dragging lick followed. “It’s not a bad thing. Just means I’ve got to show you what you’re working with.”

She straightened, talons shifting slightly on my chest as she sat fully upright on my hips, her weight pressing down. Her silhouette against the glow of the city lights was utterly alien.

And that’s when I saw them.

Just below her feathered breastline, nestled where her lioness half began, the fur parted slightly with each rise of her breath. Four soft, dark nipples, two pairs, symmetrical, stood out against the tawny fur.

They weren’t animal, not small or vestigial. No, they were unmistakably mammal, closer to human than feline, almost. Rounded, supple, and lightly swollen from our friction. They moved subtly with her breathing, responsive and flushed. Beautiful.

My eyes locked on them.

She noticed immediately.

“Oh?” Her voice shifted, now rich with amusement, low and slow. “Spotted something new?”

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t- I mean, I didn’t realise…”

“That gryphons had teats?” She finished for me, her hips still moving in that slow, torturous rhythm. “We’re mammals, love. Avian in the air, feline on the ground. It surprises your kind, but you’re not the first to look at them like they’re some kind of treasure.”

“They’re…” I hesitated, watching how the lower pair lifted slightly with each bounce of her hips. “Kind of hot.”

That earned me a grin – sharp and real. “Curious, aren’t you?” she said, leaning forward just enough for one of her upper teats to graze my tensed stomach. The contact sent a ripple through both of us.

“Want to touch?”

I nodded; fast, eager, and more desperate than I'd meant to be.

She lifted herself back up, giving me the space to explore. My hands slid upward, nervous at first, through the short, velvet-soft fur. When my fingertips found her, I expected the firmer texture of feline skin, but what I touched was closer to human. Pliant, sensitive, and responsive to the lightest pressure.

She hissed,not warning, but pleasure, arching her back faintly as my thumbs circled the upper pair.

“They’re sensitive,” she murmured, her voice thinning slightly. “Especially now. Keep going.”

I listened, hands slow and steady, brushing the sides of each nipple before trailing down to the lower set. They were even warmer and flushed and a little stiffer than the upper pair,touched more, rubbed against my palm more. As I grazed one with my knuckle, her body clenched around me, tight and rhythmic, before finally loosening, her body relaxing.

Her claws twitched. Her wings flexed. “That’s it,” she murmured. “You’re learning.”

I traced her with open palms, fingers cupping each mound gently. They were fuller than I expected, as if they'd swelled from arousal—each capped by a smooth, dark nipple that responded eagerly to my touch. When I gave one a soft squeeze, her hips bucked involuntarily.

She rolled them forward sharply, grinding down with sudden, delicious pressure. I nearly lost it.

“God- Kayt,” I gasped, hips twitching up into her. She didn’t allow the pace to falter.

She smiled darkly, her muscles rippling around me. “You like them.”

“Yeah,” I breathed. “I really like them.”

“Good,” she said, lowering herself back down, then bringing her chest forward, letting her teats drag against my skin. I felt the slick warmth of her arousal coat the base of my shaft as she slid.

She moaned this time. Soft, guttural, her breath hitching. The first real crack in her composure.

“You’re fun to tease,” she breathed, her voice lower now, strained at the edges. “I might keep you.”

Her claws dragged gently down my arms as she rode me harder now, the angle shifting until every motion slammed pleasure through both of us. Her walls gripped me in calculated pulses; tight, then looser, then tight again.

“You’re close,” she said. “I can feel you shaking.”

“I’m trying-”

“I know you are.” She grinned again, wicked and gleaming. “But I didn’t say stop.”

She ground down again, dropping her full weight in one sudden grind. My whole body jerked. Her name slipped from my lips in a half-garbled gasp.

“Say it again,” she said. “Say my name while I’m mounting you.”

“Kayt,” I moaned. “Kayt- fuck-”

“That’s it.”

She didn’t pick up speed. Not yet. She didn’t need to. Her rhythm was unhurried but exact, precise. Just enough to keep me on the edge, just enough to make sure I stayed where she wanted me: desperate, aching, and beneath her.

“Do you get it yet?” she said, eyes never leaving mine. Her hips ground forward again, and her body tightened around me in slow, pulsing waves. “You’re just here to keep me full until I’m done.”

Her teats dragged against me again, hot and swollen, damp with sweat against my abdomen. They’d been sensitive earlier when I touched them gently, but now…

Now, I grabbed for them, harder than before.

She growled, not in protest but in sudden, raw pleasure.

“Finally,” she gasped. “Like you mean it this time.” Her beak dipped again, nipping at my throat hard enough to sting.

Her hips bucked forward suddenly, unexpectedly and urgently. Her eyes fluttered—but only for a second—then locked back onto mine like they never left.

She was panting now. Her claws dug into the nest. Her rhythm started to break, not messy, but finally—finally—less controlled.

“Keep going,” she snarled, voice breaking around the edges. “Harder. I’m almost-”

I obeyed. My thumbs rolled tight, fingers kneading around each swollen nub until her entire body trembled above me. My hips twitched upward in shallow, desperate thrusts; my control frayed.

Her breath hitched. Her hips dropped one final time, burying me so deep I felt her clamp down around me like a fist.

“Now, Kayt says now,” she snarled, all heat and command and sudden third-person perspective.

I didn’t even choose to.

My body surged up into her as I came—hard, fast, everything at once. My cock pulsed deep inside her, spilling heat as my back arched.

She collapsed into me at the same time, a cry ripping from her chest that sounded more beast than woman. Her whole frame convulsed, wings snapping out to their full spread as her lion cunt clenched around me, milking every last drop from my release.

For a long, dizzy second, all I could hear was the rush of her breath and the wet, twitching heat between us.

Then her wings folded, slowly. Her weight settled over me. Her breathing eased.

We were still tangled—slick, panting, and shivering.

Kayt didn’t move.

Eventually, however, her beak brushed the side of my face, almost a nuzzle, almost not.

“Not bad,” she said, her voice husky and hoarse.

I could barely move. “You… didn’t even… give me a warning.”

“I told you to hold it,” she said, amused, “and then I told you to come. That was your warning.”

She stretched out across me, completely unbothered by the weight or mess. Her teats grazed my stomach again as she settled. My hand moved instinctively to one, just resting there. She didn’t stop me.

“You really like those,” she said, eyes half-lidded.

“I really like you,” I said, meaning it more than I expected.

Her lips curved again, gentler this time. “Hmm. Careful, Ethan. That almost sounded like something sweet.”

“...Wasn’t it?”

She gave me a long look, then curled closer, her voice softer now.

“You’re going to make a fine pet,” she said fondly, only a hint of teasing in her voice.

Her voice still rasped from exertion, but it wasn’t sharp now. Just low. Tired. And maybe something close to sincere.

Stealthily, almost without breathing, I moved my free arm up. My hand hovered a moment, hesitating, then gently – gently – I wrapped it around her barrel. She twitched at the touch, a full-body shift I felt in her flank and shoulder.

I froze, my palm just barely grazing her plumage.

Her head lifted in an instant. Sharp avian eyes found mine, pupils tight, unreadable. For a second, everything froze. No more moaning, no heat, no dominance, just that look. That moment. My pulse pounded in my ears, chest tight.

Because it wasn’t sex.

It wasn’t tension.

I braced for a warning nip. A cutting word. A command to stay in my lane.

But she didn’t speak.

She simply tilted her head, her beak brushing my collarbone, and let the side of her face rest gently against my chest. Her eyes closed.

I let out a breath. Then I adjusted my grip, held her properly, tucked my arm around her side and pulled her just a little closer. Cuddling.

She let me.

No protests. No snide comments. No shift in weight to reassert control. Just quiet breath and fur and feathers, tangled in the heat of the nest.

She stayed after it was over, and so did I.

I held her tighter.

She sighed softly, her feline tail giving one slow, lazy flick behind her. Then she nuzzled deeper into my chest, her cheek rubbing against the skin like she was marking me. Or calming herself. Or maybe just… resting.

And that was enough.

#

The morning after was a blur. She had to leave before I'd even woken up, which left me loitering around the suite like some vagabond.

Normally I'd have left a girl's place after a night, but she'd told me to wait until she got back. Not a clue why, but I listened. It was only for an hour whilst she ran to deal with something. Or flew, I supposed.

I’d read that flying should’ve been impossible. But they made it work. Something about air pockets and it being more gliding than true flight.

Magic didn’t exist, after all, which had been a real bummer to learn when I did.

Cole wasn’t answering his phone either, which was… rare. The guy loved his phone. Still, I sent him photos. Mostly of the ridiculous things Kayt owned. Blue milk in a crystal glass jug. Eggs from a brand I’d never even heard of before and cereal with too much fruit in it for my liking.

Ethan Eze.

> Sour cherry and almond granola? No flavour. Smh.

Still no response, but to be fair to the guy, it was still early in the day, and he did work for the city.

Probably busy.

> Look how big this dining table is.

When an hour of painful banality had passed, and boredom won, I opened up my phone one last time and went to tell Kayt that something had come up, only to realise she'd messaged fifteen minutes earlier and my device had magically decided not to ping me.

> Be back in thirty. Get showered; we’re watching TV and snuggling. XOXO.

With nothing better to do all day, I decided to listen. The cubicle was huge, and the assortment of creams, conditioners and soaps nearly made my head spin. In the end I stuck with one meant for fur, as it felt closer to hair than the fifty feather creams she owned.

It was a quick shower, more to freshen up than anything else. My clothes were clean. I’d ironed them twice the night before, knowing that a lady like Kayt would appreciate some effort.

Finally dressed, I stepped back into the kitchen and at long last decided to raid her stash. I was starving, and she would never know. A ham sandwich and a glass of milk was my reward for waiting so long. The meal of champions.

The milk was… weird. Had a weird aftertaste. A little tangier than I was used to, and stored in a glass bottle, but I chalked it up to rich person preference.

The television was some absurdly large flatscreen, opposite a large, white, sectional sofa. I took a seat, snatched the slim black remote from the coffee table and flicked it on. Netflix was already loaded, and 'continue watching' was pressuring me to watch a nature documentary. I spared a glance at the front door before moving over to her profiles.

Kayt and Guest, that was all. Her account was mostly documentaries, some dramas and the odd romance flick. A little dry. I decided to spice up her life with some… I paused, trying to think about what exactly to pick.

“Fuck it, Stranger Things.” The blandest pick in recorded history, but the first season was evergreen to me, even with how horrifically the last season ended up being.

Cole still hadn’t replied, and there were no more Kayt DMs, so I decided to use her coffee machine to make two cups. Uni had given me something of a caffeine addiction, but I was in no mood to fix it. Her cappuccino was ridiculously good, and I’d have been tempted to ask what the make was, but it looked like it required a mortgage or a 401k, whatever that was.

Midway through an episode, during another DnD analogy, the front door swung open, making me jump. I quickly got to my feet. The door banged against the frame and in strutted a visibly stressed-looking gryphoness, eyes heavy with bags, and wings limp.

“You want a coffee?” I thought about offering her my extra one, but it was already cooling, and I didn’t want her to pounce at me. “Work… alright?”

She slipped her satchel off, letting it fall dead and defeated to the marbled floor. “No.” She lowered her front body to the ground, stretching her back and flaring her wings, a multitude of joints cracking. “Max is still out, and an old-money unicorn family is planning to pull out – that shooting has lost a lot of trust in human structures. I had to show up and flex my wings just so they’d consider staying.”

“Shooting?” I asked, flicking the coffee machine on and prepping her a cappuccino.

“You really do live under a rock,” she murmured, flopping over the sofa and curling into herself, beak rubbing against the cushions. “Big incident involving lindwyrms, but I really don’t want to talk about it, if that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, totally” I said quickly, mixing the drink with a clean spoon. “Does Max work with you?”

“For me. Law division. Sweet guy.”

When ready, I placed the mug atop a clean coaster and sat beside her. She got up weakly, cracked her back a second time and grabbed the mug with both forepaws.

Kayt took a sip of the still steaming drink, a long breath, and said, “I don't think you ever said what you did. I hope I've not dragged some stray into my nest.”

I held one of my own cups to look busy. “Can't believe I've not mentioned it yet. Hah. I, uh, graduated from university last month. Electrical engineering. I thought a trade would be a good gig, but I just couldn't find any work in York – it's a university city, so there was competition. Plus, I had no family over there, so I moved back.”

She hummed. “Student, huh?” After taking another sip, she slowly placed the cup down and leaned against me, her weight settling, the scent of fur and perfume wafting over me, soothing and somehow already familiar. “I could probably get you some work, you know?” A talon reached over, the sharp tips drumming against my thigh. “Nepotism can be a wonderful thing.”

I shifted to the right, allowing her smaller frame to curl deeper into my lap and stomach. “Honestly, I'll take anything at this point.”

“Even an old hen like me?” She purred, tilting her head back, rubbing her cheek against my neck like an affectionate cat.

I laughed, holding her more tightly against me, embracing. “You're not that old. You're only… what, forty?”

In an instant, Kayt froze up, body stiffening against mine, and then, ever so slowly, ever so tensely, she pulled away – just enough that she could look me in the eye. “Forty?!” She said, shock and amusement sneaking in, a faint red flush visible between the sleek feathers on her round cheeks. “Do I really look forty to you?”

“N-No!” I threw my hands up, stifling a laugh that was trying its best to escape. “You're just… Very mature is all, so I guessed. It's a compliment I-I promise.”

Grumbling, Kayt gripped the edge of a soft blanket with her hindleg and pulled it over her, followed by her weight pressing more firmly against mine, snuggling in hard enough to push me further onto my back. I let her. “I'm thirty-six, you dolt.” Her head shifted, pressing, searching, before settling. “What is this? Who are these children?”

“I'll put it back to the start,” I said, trying to reach for the remote, only for her to press yet deeper, not letting me up. I grunted and tried again and almost made it, but she nipped at my chin and kept me there.

Wincing, and realising how trapped I was, if not physically then spiritually, I pulled back. Her feathers were cloud soft, and her entire body radiated both heat and comfort. It took everything not to swoon.

Play it cool, I told myself, laying further back, watching as she followed the motion, taking more and more territory. “Thriller show set in the eighties. A kid gets taken to this, uh, like, evil mirror dimension.”

“Sounds familiar,” she murmured, a leg awkwardly jerking at the blanket to push it further up her curled-up form.

“...I have wondered if a kid has fallen into a portal.”

“It's impossible, and two-way.”

“...That still means-”

“Shh. Don't think about it too hard, honey. Focus on the warm.” Small, beaky pecks along the underside of my jaw distracted me from some rather downer thoughts. “Don’t look so glum. You've seen the transit stations, right? They're like fortresses. No human child is sneaking in.” More beak pecks.

Like with most politics, I ignored it and focused on what was good in the world. Kayt was good. Soft. Still, the nag remained. Like the pain on Cole's face. “So, what's the plan for today? Melt into the sofa and ignore the world?”

“I only left this morning because of the Velvet accounts, and that's sorted. So yes, pet, that's the plan. I don't get to relax like this often, you know. Work is tiring, and it's only gotten worse with all that's happened recently.” A low, long-suffering sigh escaped her. “But I like money.”

I couldn't hold back the bark of laughter. She hummed in question. “Sorry, sorry. I thought you were going somewhere with that. I wasn't expecting it.” I brushed my fingers through the thick feathers along her spine. “Money is good. And you can always cuddle me when it's rough.”

“I plan to.” Her voice was fading, her breathing a touch faint. She hadn't so much as glanced at the show besides the initial glance. It didn't take long until she was completely limp in my arms. I shifted up just enough to pick my phone back up.

There wasn't much. An email from Indeed about an application, some rewards on the McDonald's app and a notification about Steam sales, which I did open up. I didn't know her Wi-Fi password and didn't dare wake her up just to ask, so I flicked on my mobile data just to check. When I did, I got a ping from the Facebook messenger.

Cole Macapagal.

*> Sorry. Gonna have to cancel this Wednesday. *

> Family stuff.

*> Bad cereal. *

> No taste. Mhmhm

I sat up a little straighter, chest tightening.

*Ethan Eze. *

> All good man.

> Hope you're alright. You know you can always talk to me.

> No homo tho.

> No offence.

No answer, which made sense given the timing, so I placed the device on the arm of the sofa and closed my eyes. She really was warm. And soft. Ridiculously soft. All the creams and conditioners she piled onto herself were really paying off, I realised, my fingers digging back in just to feel more of the downy softness.

She was actually rather thin; most of her bulk was purely for show, I discovered.

A living blanket. One I found myself not drifting off against, but rather relax against, seeing as I’d woken up not two hours prior. The show was alright, at least.

#

Kayt slept longer than I figured she might’ve, which was a little worrying. I didn't know how stressful finance was, but… no, no I could imagine. Actually, I should have been less than concerned, but the silence left me to think. Cole had seemed totally at ease with his totes-not-a-boyfriend partner, but the soft little gryphon in my arms was a lot. She talked differently, walked differently and lived in a swanky penthouse.

I didn't even have a job for Christ's sake.

And I couldn’t depend… no… No, wait. I sat up, chewing on the nail of my thumb.

Nepotism…

…

…Screw it, she was rich and hot. If she could help get me a job, who was I to refuse her?

The thought sat there for a moment, heavy but practical. Logical, really.

Kayt shifted against me, feathers rustling softly as she adjusted her weight. One wing slid further across my stomach, possessive even in sleep. She let out a slow breath that tickled through my shirt.

“Kayt sees you’re tense, yes,” she murmured, not opening her eyes.

“I’m not.” I didn't question her vocal tick. She was tired, I let it go.

“You are. Your ribs are tight.”

I huffed. “Do you come with built-in diagnostics or something?”

“Mm. Executive perk.”

Her eye cracked open, sky blue and sharp despite the drowsiness still clinging to her voice. “What are you spiraling about?”

I hesitated. There was not a graceful way to say it.

“You mentioned… getting me work.”

Now both eyes were open.

“Yes.” Too quick, almost excited.

“I just don’t want it to be weird.”

“It will be weird,” she replied calmly.

“That’s… not exactly comforting.”

She shifted upright, feathers smoothing as she pulled herself together, posture straightening with authority. Even rumpled from sleep, she looked composed.

“You are human. My human,” she said. “I am senior management. People will draw lines.”

“Yeah. That’s what I figured.”

She studied me for a long second. Not amused. Not dismissive. Just assessing.

“What did you study? Electrics,” she asked.

“Electrical engineering.”

She slipped off the sofa and padded toward the kitchen, stretching her back in a slow arch as she moved. The softness was fading. Not disappearing; just tucking itself away behind her.

“I can arrange an interview, transit falls under our portfolio. I sign off on their budgets.” she continued, voice drifting back to me as she filled the kettle. “And they’re short-staffed after the incident. They’ve been pushing for more engineers.”

“That shooting thing?”

“Yes.” Pause. “Security upgrades. Diagnostics. Electrical redundancies. It would suit you.”

The kettle clicked on.

“You’re serious?” I asked.

“I don’t dangle toys, Ethan.”

“That’s not-”

She glanced at me over her shoulder, a faint smile tugging at her beak. “Tomorrow. Nine-thirty. I will have someone expect you.”

“Tomorrow?” My stomach tightened, half thrill, half dread. “That’s fast.”

“You said you would take anything,” she reminded me gently. “I prefer momentum.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “People are going to know.”

“Yes.”

“And they’re going to assume.”

“Yes.”

She turned fully now, leaning her hip against the counter. “If you perform well, the assumption fades. If you don’t, it becomes truth.”

Blunt. Clean. Not unkind.

“That’s a lot of pressure,” I muttered.

Her expression softened, just slightly. “You are capable. I would not attach my name to you otherwise.”

That landed harder than it should have.

She reached for her phone, talon tapping briskly against the screen.

“Done,” she said a moment later. “Interview scheduled. Bring whatever proof you have that you are as competent as you claim.”

My own phone buzzed almost immediately.

Unknown Number:

I stared at it.

Kayt watched me carefully, not smug, just observant, eyes sharp.

“Well?” she asked.

I swallowed.

“Guess I’ve got a job interview.”

She dipped her head once, satisfied.

“Good,” she said softly. “Let’s see what you’re worth.”