Page 8

“Yes, they might,” I say, knowing very well my brothers have only met one other human and she is sitting here with me.

“I need you to think very carefully about what you just said.” Simone’s words drip with vitriol. I am her mate, which means her barbs do not hurt me, and her poison is not dangerous.

No, she is only upset because her female needs have been neglected for far too long. Maybe I will suggest for her to go to her privacy so that she can take care of herself. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s the perfect thing to say. If I play my cards right, she might get glassy-eyed in lust for a moment in my presence before she leaves.

“You sound upset. Maybe you need your privacy now?” I ask, and then when she narrows her eyes on me even tighter, I add. “To care for your female needs. You are very obviously wound up tight. You need to do something to release all of your tension.”

“Rallan!” Simone shoots to her feet, her eyes wild in needy fury and her hands flexing and fisting by her sides.

I stand to meet her energy, taking two steps so we are much too close. She is a good two heads shorter than me, her small human stature only reaching my chest. She is not scared of me, though. She has never once been scared of me because even if she rejects me, her soul most certainly does not.

Her breathing is heavy and hard as she stares up at me. Her nipples stiffen under her tunic in a way that only happens when she is furious at me or needy in her desperation for me. Right now, it is both.

I reach my hand up to touch her face and am surprised when she lets me cup the back of her head. Her nostrils flare, but she does not tell me to stop. I am sure she will in just a moment, but until then, I am going to enjoy the feel of my mate in my hands.

“Say my name again, and I will take care of everything,” I say the words in a teasing manner that I know will break this moment between us.

Simone has said my name, and we both know it means she wants to bed me. Humans do not have this custom, though. I have learned that if I am to get Simone worked up enough, she will eventually always say my name. It is a wonderful thing to know about one’s mate. It also means I cannot take her proclamation of wanting to make love with me by saying my name seriously. Each time she says it, I make sure to ask her to say it again to see if this will be the time she wants to follow through with what saying it means.

“Fuck you.”

Simone pushes away from me, her small hands hitting my chest in a manner that is much more caressing than a hit. I smile brighter, knowing she is trying to touch me to feel me and not to get herself away from me. I can let her pretend, though. Especially when she lets her palms linger for a moment before pushing away.

“One day you will. I hope it is soon,” I call after her when she marches down the short hallway to her room.

She sticks her middle finger up behind her, a signal she loves giving me that also means ‘fuck you.’ I am a lucky male with how often my mate tells me she wishes to make love with me. One day, she’ll admit it’s what she’s doing.

“I am assuming you are wishing for privacy now?” When she does not respond with anything other than slamming her door, I add, “So you can touch yourself to find release?”

There’s an angry squeal that comes from her room, and my lips pull up even higher. She is very much going to touch herself to thoughts of me right now. I imagine what she looks like when she does it as I sit back in my favorite chair, rest my head on the back, and close my eyes.

4

Simone

“Ah, Rallan and the human female,” Zathar, the leader of Rallan’s tribe, greets us as we enter the dining hall. It’s similar to the tribe where all of the other women are living, where I’ll be living after Rallan and I make this deal.

There are a couple dozen demons sitting at the various tables. All of them were making conversation until we were announced, and then all attention quickly turned to Rallan and me.

I’ve spent most of my time in the new tribe in Rallan’s home since there aren’t many demons I trust here. I mean, this is the tribe where the demons who kidnapped one of the other women came from. There were actually quite a few who were all wanting to do the same, but they’re no longer a problem. Zathar dealt with the men responsible for trying to convince others to attack our tribe to kidnap women, and those who were a part of it were either imprisoned or banished. Still, I wasn’t eager to go out and explore the tribe on my own without Rallan with me.

He did show me around everything and introduce me to a few others, but for the most part, he was busy explaining everything to Zathar. When it was time for me to offer my part of the conversation, we only had a few days before the storms came back. So, Rallan and I have stayed cooped up in his home, enjoying—or trying to enjoy—one another’s company.

“Zathar.” Rallan nods in the male’s direction in acknowledgment of his greeting. He places a hand on the small of my back to guide me over to where his tribal leader is sitting.

I don’t miss how there are mostly men in the dining hall. Demons who are all looking at me with curiosity and confusion. I hate that Rallan told me they might think I’m ugly a few days ago because now that’s all I can think about. I’m not normally someone who’s insecure, but I don’t like knowing a whole species might find me unappealing.

Rallan must sense my tension because he’s leaning down. “You are worried?”

“Nope,” I say a little too loud and then cringe when more eyes snap in my direction. I refuse to duck my head or lower my eyes. I might be worried about being seen as ugly, but I won’t let any of them know that. Especially not Rallan, who will definitely use it against me somehow. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Well, that is not true, but I will not force it right now,” he says, much too quiet for anyone else to hear but loud enough to have my heart flutter.

I hate that I react to Rallan in any way that might mean I find him attractive or arousing or anything other than the annoying ass that he is. I don’t need another man in my life. Not when the first one that made me feel safe and cared for dropped me off in the middle of the forest, naked, alone, and fucking terrified. I keep trying to put myself in dangerous situations, thinking he might come back and offer some sort of explanation that makessense, but he still hasn’t, and I’m starting to wonder if he ever will.

“We are glad you have finally graced us with your presence. Many of us were eager to meet your female,” Zathar says.

“Not his,” I interject, much to the amusement of Rallan and his tribal leader, who only smiles brighter. He’s an older demon whose colors have dulled with time, and his mate sits next to him, just as cheery and happy as he is. Why shouldn’t they be happy? They have one another, and they look like they have for a while.