Page 11 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

He sneered at Charming. “I’m alwaysnice. Nice to humans. Nice to guests. Nice to everybody except our own kind, the ones we’re protecting humans from.”

“That’s really your answer?”

Scar stared at Charming, who seemed to have grown taller as he transformed from good-natured boy to serious messenger.

“No. Here’s my answer. I’ll leave the girl alone. Best I can do.”

“That is acceptable. Give us two ales.” Scar drew ale from wood barrels and set two pewter mugs on the bar. Charming took both mugs and motioned toward a table by the fire pit. “Let’s sit by the fire.”

Rosie sat across from Charming.

“Tomorrow morning,” he said, “I’ll introduce you to the people you’ll be working with. They’ll be nicer. I promise.”

Rosie smiled. “If you say so.”

“Don’t let Scar give you the wrong impression. The old ones like him, they remember how things were before we were Exiled. Some of them are having a hard time letting hard feelings go.”

“You meanyouaren’t holding a grudge against humans.”

He shook his head. “It’s different for those of us who were born here. What happened before is history for me, but for him it’smemory. Makes a difference. You know?”

“I think so.”

“Charming.”

Rosie heard a raspy female voice behind her. Charming didn’t look pleased.

“Midnight,” he replied in a neutral tone that bordered on cold.

“You should introduce your guest around. Let us all get to know her.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that. She just arrived.”

Rosie turned in her chair and looked up into a face that was beautiful and ferocious at the same time. The young female was grinning, displaying pearly white fangs. “I’d like to meet hernow.”

Charming stood up. “I said no.”

“Let your friend speak for herself, Charming.”

The female he’d called Midnight continued to stare at Rosie, her grin looking more like a grimace.

Rosie stood from her chair slowly. At full height she was a good four inches shorter than the hybrid. “Say what you have to say, Midnight, is it?” When it became clear that Rosie would not be displaying any fear response, Midnight’s grin began to falter. “Well, you’ve met me. I’ve met you. Unless you want to dance, we’re done.”

Midnight blinked a few times, looking confused and uncertain about how to back down. Rosie reached down and picked up her mug. “Here. You want my ale?”

The female glanced down at the mug. “Drink after a human?” She made a disgusted face and turned to leave.

Charming leaned over the table looking impressed. “That was prodigious.”

“Yeah, well. It also looked a lot like jealousy to me.”

Charming sat back, looking uncomfortable. “It’s nothing. She wanted me to be her Promise.”

“Her Promise?”

“You know. Promise to be her mate.”

“Oh.”