Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 44
Boyd was also very resistant to the idea of taking another lover, even for the sake of Enhancing them to increase their capabilities as a Hero. Silvie had truly chosen wisely when she selected Kitsune as the first addition to their team and family. It took the foxlike woman less than a day to tear through his resistances and get him into bed—although the first round had not involved a bed. There had been a kitchen counter and then the living room couch. A bed didn’t come into play until the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. The sixth round had been in his shower.
Something about her Change spoke to his Changed mind in a very primal way. She’d blindsided him and was now bound to him forever, making short work of four rounds within a few hours after getting past his paltry defenses. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
As young as their relationship was, Boyd found himself nearly as in love with the fiery redhead as he was with his beloved Silvie. He wasn’t certain if a previously unknown aspect of his Power caused it, or if the two just share an extreme compatibility. He found that he no longer cared.
He loved Kitsune and he loved Silvie. As long as that remained true, he could live with the fact that he had forced them to love him back—even if he couldn’t justify it. It didn’t hurt that they had both indicated that they would be forming a relationship with each other, as well as him. He wasn’t sure exactly how it would work, but found no sense of jealousy related to a relationship between the two women he loved. Boyd’s mind was drawn to the kiss the two had exchanged in front of him the night before while they’d shared some wine and watched a movie. It had been something to behold.
Kitsune adjusted herself under him, arching her back to press her nicely toned and tightly clad ass into his lap in a grinding motion. The action made him aware of his semi-hard state, something his loosely fitting athletic shorts likely make obvious to Kitsune, as well.
She tilted her head to the side and looked up at him with a wide and wicked grin. “Whatcha thinking about?” she called over the wind, mirth filling her shining emerald eyes with their oval-shaped pupils.
Boyd chuckled and shook his head, continuing to smile and wave to those below as he followed Silvie through a turn and down an adjacent street. They shouldn’t be able to see what Kitsune was doing, but the public display of affection did not thrill him. The general public had just found out about his relationship with Silvie a day ago. While they were not uncommon, enough of the population frowned on polygamous relationships to make their being together a complicated PR issue.
Boyd knew Kitsune had issues with rejection, though, so he didn’t want to reprimand her for the relatively subtle display. “What we can do once we get home,” he admitted, his voice rumbling as he replied.
Boyd had a very loud voice; it was something he always had to be conscious of. When he shouted, it registered on the decibel scale up there with the speakers used in rock concerts. It had been that way since his Change, though, so he had more or less mastered it.
Kitsune glanced over at Silvie before returning her gaze to him, with more than a little heat in her eyes. “Oh, and just what would that be?”
Boyd declined to answer with a shake of his head and a wry grin. “I’m not getting you worked up in public. It’ll just have to stay a surprise.”
Boyd suspected but hadn’t been able to confirm that part of Kitsune’s Change included the inability to naturally cool down once aroused. As in, if he turned her on now, she would remain horny until he had a chance to ‘relieve’ her. Requesting to return to their suite to satiate her wouldn’t go over well, so he chose to avoid starting a chain of events that had him fucking her on a rooftop. Way too many news drones have been following them around to make that feasible.
“You’re no fun,” Kitsune pouted, turning back to the crowd and waving after purposely flicking his chin and cheek with her white-tipped ears.
“We’ll see if you still feel that way later,” Boyd leaned down to rumble softly in her ear.
He paid attention to the Bond they shared, sensing the little thrill his words sent through her. The lean muscles in her abdomen shivered under his hand where it supported her weight. It was likely okay if she spent the rest of the day a little excited; he’d relieve her tonight.
Boyd just didn’t want her to be too distracted to act, if called upon. He went back to waving and smiling for the crowd below. When Kitsune didn’t respond, his eyes casually scanned for anything amiss.
Boyd spotted a young person whose gender was hidden by the oversized hooded sweatshirt that fell to their knees with the hood up over their head. They were a little way ahead of him and his lovers. Something about the way they moved triggered Boyd’s instincts.
As he watched, they slid their hand into the pocket of a man in a business suit who was looking up at the approaching Heroes. Coming out with a wallet, the young person turned and started slipping through the crowd, heading away from them.
“Got a pickpocket,” Boyd said after tapping his earpiece to activate it.
“Where?” Silvie’s sweet voice called back through the comms.
“Adolescent in the big blue hoodie. Their back is to us and they’re walking away up ahead.” Boyd didn’t point, not wanting to alarm the crowd below.
“I see them,” Silvie replied after scanning the crowd. “Do you want to take it, Darling?” she asked, excitement in her voice.
Boyd considered the prospect; Silvie was actually better suited to the task. She was not only quicker, but also quite a bit smaller than Boyd. Inserting herself onto a crowded street was a lot less difficult for her than it would be for his nearly five hundred pound, seven-and-a-half foot tall, wing-dependent self. He would have to be extra careful not to squish someone, while Silvie could slide right in with ease.
However, it would be great PR if he got involved. Citizens loved it when Heroes got mixed up in the minor stuff. Sure, getting that guy's wallet back was nowhere near on the level of saving the city, but it would make his day. He would talk about it to his neighbors. Hell, he might even get interviewed since Boyd was the new guy on the block and already making world news.
Before Boyd could answer, Royce, Boyd’s handler, cut in on the line. “Affirmative. Boyd is to apprehend the pickpocket. Kitsune and Silver are to support. Return the wallet and ask if the victim would like to press charges.”
“On it,” Boyd replied, a wide smile splitting his face as he began to descend, looking for an opening where he could land. He found a gap big enough for himself a little ahead of the pickpocket. There was a smaller opening not far behind him, just about the right size to drop Kitsune into.
He pointed it out. “I’ll drop you there, Kitsune.”
Boyd decreased his speed to something near a walk, flaring his wings and dropping to about fifteen feet above the street. He heard gasps come from below, but they didn’t draw the attention of the pickpocket.
“I see it, this is good,” Kitsune replied.
Boyd let go of her legs first, unwrapping his tail and letting them dangle. Once the angle, speed, and height were right, he dropped her. It was something he had practiced with others many times in the past, although this was the first with his new lover.
Kitsune made it look good, curling into a ball and adding a flip that had her three tails fanning out in the air before landing in a crouch. She popped to her feet as if being airdropped by a massive demon was the most casual form of transportation possible and began walking after the pickpocket. The onlookers stared at the unconcerned Hero. At least a shout didn’t go up that might alert their target.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Boyd projected himself down the street towards his entry point. He used the second flap of just one of his wings to spin himself around so that he came down in the open space facing the way he’d just come. The pickpocket froze, but Boyd was careful not to look right at them.
They put their head down and kept walking towards him after a brief hesitation. Of course, this only served to draw more attention to themselves. Everyone else stopped to stare with wide eyes, many reaching into their pockets to withdraw their preferred recording device.
Boyd could see Kitsune behind their target, pacing the pickpocket at about ten feet, prepared for an attempt to turn and run. Silvie remained in the air, floating in place about thirty feet up and out of the pickpocket's line of sight. One S-ranked and two A-ranked Heroes? It was massive overkill for a simple pickpocket.
At least Boyd assumed that Kitsune was A-ranked, now. She had been B-ranked before he’d Enhanced her yesterday, Now, though, all of the requirements for her illusion Power to be A-ranked seemed to have been met, she just hadn’t been tested yet.
The pickpocket tried to give Boyd a wide berth. Boyd acted as if nothing was wrong as he smiled and waved to various people who were now taking his picture or recording video. Right as the pickpocket was about to pass him by, Boyd extended his wing on that side right in front of them.
They bumped into the soft crimson interior and stumbled back, caught completely off guard. They’d been walking with their head down to hide their face under the hood and must not have seen his wing at all. As they looked up, their stumble turned into a trip, and they fell on their butt.
Boyd moved quickly, closing the distance between them in two big strides to grab them by the scruff of their sweatshirt and hoisting them into the air. The pickpocket squealed in distress. And though Boyd still couldn’t identify their gender, he was certain the pickpocket was a child. Reaching up, he pulled their hood back to figure it out.
Chapter 8
A terrified young boy blinked back at Boyd, dirty and malnourished. Glorith City didn’t have a large homeless problem, but some still went without a stable roof over their head. Unless Boyd missed his guess, this child was one of the unfortunates who counted themselves among that number.
Boyd frowned as the boy started screaming bloody murder. He couldn’t be older than nine or ten, but the dirt coating his face made it hard to tell. “AHHH! He’s going to eat me! Help! Somebody, anybody!” the boy screamed to the surrounding crowd, who had backed up a few steps as he thrashed uselessly in Boyd’s grip.
Boyd sighed and replied in his basic speaking voice—which, though calm and about as low volume as he could make it, easily overpowered the boy's screams. “I am not going to eat you. I don’t eat people, I’m a Hero. You took something that doesn’t belong to you. I’m just going to help you return it.” Boyd's voice came out in a rumble that had been likened to rockslides. It shut the boy right up.
Instead of thrashing and screaming, the boy went limp and glared daggers at Boyd.
“That’s better,” Boyd continued more quietly. “Don’t be mad at me. You’re the one who stole.” Boyd shrugged away the child's ire.
The boy scoffed and crossed his arms, looking put out in the way only the very young could do. Boyd continued to hold him up in the air, his feet dangling a good three feet above the ground. The boy’s hair was as dirty as his face, but Boyd guessed it would be light brown without all the smudge and grease that currently darkened it.
“What’s your name?” Boyd asked, feeling for the young man. He tried his best to look kind and understanding.
The boy glared at him for a few more seconds before he glanced around at all the onlookers recording the interaction. Embarrassment replaced his anger and his cheeks turned red under the layer of grime.
“C-Connor,” he stuttered a moment later when he realizes that answering was probably the best way to make the humiliation end quickly.
“Well, Connor, stealing is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, depending on the contents of the wallet. The minimum sentence is fourteen days, even for a kid. Did you know that?” Boyd asked seriously.
He didn’t talk down to the child. That would only make his embarrassment worse. Honestly, he probably would have let him get away with it, if he had known just how young the perpetrator was. It might not be the most heroic thought Boyd ever had, but this homeless child probably needed the money more than the guy he stole it from.
The red faded from Connor's cheeks almost immediately. Instead, they went ghostly white, along with the rest of him. “N-no,” he stuttered.
“Why are you stealing?” Boyd asked the child. “There are programs for kids. Free housing, food, and education.” He didn’t want to see this child start down a dark path for no good reason.
The boy studied Boyd for a long moment as if trying to figure out if he was asking honestly or just for show. Then he started to cry. Connor was trying to hold the tears back, but they cut lines through the grime on his cheeks as they leaked out despite his effort.
“None of that would help my sister,” he stated firmly, stubbornly keeping his lip from trembling. “I don’t want her to have to sell herself.”
“Ah,” Boyd replied with a nod. That was something Boyd could wrap his head around. He knew it was wrong, and would never do it himself, but stealing to protect his family was understandable. At least it wasn’t personal greed.
“Well, I can’t let you keep the wallet, but I’ll try to keep its owner from pressing charges. You’ll have to apologize, of course. If I put you down, are you going to try to run?”
Connor contemplated it for a moment too long, so Boyd turned him and pointed up to where Silvie hovered above them. She smiled sweetly and waved down at them.
“N-no. I won’t run,” Connor agreed.
At least the kid was smart enough to know he had no chance of escaping Silver. Not that he had a real chance of escaping Boyd, but Silver had made quite a name for herself over the months she had served as Glorith City’s primary protector.
Boyd fought to keep the grin off his face. “That’s smart, Connor. Now let’s go find the owner of that wallet, then we’ll talk about what we can do to help you and your sister.”
Boyd smiled warmly at the child before carefully setting him down on his own feet. The kid looked from side to side as he got his feet under him, probably contemplating bolting anyway. Boyd watched him carefully until the boy’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Boyd reached down and gently patted the boy’s back. He was very careful with his strength. He left the hand in place, virtually covering the kid's shoulders and most of his back as he guided him back the way they had come.
Kitsune wore a massive smile when he spotted her. Some of the crowd had cleared out a spot for her and were recording or taking pictures of the gorgeous three-tailed fox woman. Her stance was casual, but brought attention to her long legs and sweetly curved thighs and hips in her form-fitting red and white suit.
The crowd parted for Boyd as he walked up, continuing to guide Connor, who had his head down. Kitsune fell in on Connor’s other side. She reached down and ruffled his dirty hair with her white-gloved hand, smiling warmly down at him when he looked up.
“Don’t worry,” Kitsune said, “it’ll be okay. Dashing Devil is a really nice guy.”
She spoke to Connor but was loud enough for the many cameras to pick up her words. She turned that warm smile on Boyd, who carefully didn’t cringe when she used the public’s name for him. Almost under her breath she added, “Who apparently has a soft spot for kids.”
“This is incredibly sweet,” Silvie confirmed over their comms, which Boyd had left open during the active engagement.
Protocol was protocol, even if the engagement involved a child pickpocket as the target.
“I haven’t seen him around kids since we were children. It’s… um… nice… yeah, nice to see how gentle he can be.”
“It’s trending like crazy. Tons of little hearts keep popping up on the live streams,” Royce cut in. His gruff voice was a bit of a discordant break from the dulcet tones of Boyd’s lovers. “Keep it up.”
That wasn’t why Boyd was doing this, but knowing that the citizens he was trying to win over liked his behavior didn’t exactly feel bad. Boyd used his height to look over the crowd. It didn’t take him long to find the business-suited middle-aged man who was trying to look over the crowd to see what was going on. Boyd guided Connor and Kitsune right towards him. The man’s eyes widened comically as his gaze locked with Boyd’s, who held it.
“Excuse me, Sir. I believe you will find your wallet is missing,” Boyd said carefully as the group of Heroes approached him.
The crowd dispersed, leaving a circle around the man that Boyd entered, gently shoving Connor forward. The child glanced back over his shoulder, still on the verge of tears, but Boyd gave him a reassuring nod. Connor turned back to the man and shuffled forward. Reaching into the big pocket of his sweatshirt, he withdrew the wallet. His head stayed down as he held it up to the man.
Boyd could barely hear him say, “S-sorry.”
The businessman scowled at the kid and snatched the wallet out of his hand. His face turned an angry red color and Boyd recognized all the signs of an impending indignant tirade when he saw it. Connor didn’t need that, so Boyd stepped forward with a still polite, but harder expression on his face.
“Sir, Connor here feels really badly about stealing from you. He did it to help his sister, who is in a tough spot. You have every right to press charges, if you are so inclined, but I’m asking you not to… as a personal favor to me. I would like to see if we can help this young man and his sister instead of punishing them.”
The man’s face paled a little when he looked up at Boyd. Many people were recording the exchange, something the man hadn’t failed to notice. He was smart enough to understand that pressing the matter would make him look like the bad guy. Stuffing the wallet back into his pocket, he muttered, “Of course, just… don’t do it again.” Then he turned around and stormed off.
It was obvious the man was still pissed, but at least he no longer had the opportunity to turn his anger on the unfortunate youth. Connor stared after the disgruntled man for a moment before turning back to Boyd with a vaguely shell-shocked expression.
