Page 55 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

He sat up quickly, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and looking deadly serious. “That’s exactly what I want to talk about. What happened to my bike?”

Rosie blinked. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Carnal dipped his chin lower. “You know there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You going to make me spell it out? You’re full of games, Rosie. All right. I’ll play. To a point. You were riding my bike straight into a concrete wall. Just before you hit, you disappeared, but the bike crashed and wrecked. You showed up next to me, clutching my arm. I’m not objecting to the clutching, mind you. But Iamgoing to be needing to know about the rest of it.”

Rosie tried to keep her face blank. “That’s not the way I remember it.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“Am not.”

Carnal stared for a moment before giving her a slow feral smile. “You are. Your heartrate sped upandyour eyes dilated.”

She decided that if lying didn’t work, perhaps subterfuge would. “Maybe I’m attracted to you. Did you ever think of that?”

Carnal laughed out loud. “Of course you’re attracted to me, angel.”

“I’m not an angel.”

“I think you are.”

“Then you’d be very wrong. I’m mostly demon. Do you know what that is?”

A deep, smooth-as-velvet voice came out of nowhere saying, “Of course he knows. Demons are universal.”

Toward the end of that sentence, Deliverance appeared at the foot of the bed. Faster than lightning, Carnal leapt off the bed and moved in front of Rosie.

“Hi, Grand,” she said from behind the wall of flesh that was shielding Deliverance from view. Carnal didn’t move and didn’t take his eyes off the new arrival. “Carnal, this is my grandfather, Deliverance. He’s a demon.”

Deliverance bowed with a flourish and a grin like there was nothing more enjoyable than hearing his name out loud. “At your service.”

Rosie stepped out from behind Carnal, who said, “Did he just appear out of thin air?”

“Yes,” she answered as Deliverance cocked an eyebrow.

Carnal’s eyes scanned down and back quickly. “He’s wearing a loin cloth.”

“Only because he’s making a stab at being civilized. But he’s a sex demon who’s exceptionally proud of his, um, package, and he likes to show off. If you don’t abandon the focus of your interest, his next trick will be to give you an eyeful you’ll never forget.” Deliverance smiled wickedly, punctuating that by grabbing his crotch. “What do you want? And how did you find me?”

“I threatened to tell the Council about your angel’s little pet project here,” he nodded toward Carnal to mean the Exiled species, “if he didn’t tell me where you were. Coincidentally, it happens you’re at the scene of the crime.”

“What crime?”

“Kellareal went against Council. They have a standing order of non-interference, unless they’re the ones doing the interfering, of course. He risked a lot to save these creatures and hide them here.”

Rosie looked at Carnal, who had suddenly become very interested in the conversation.

“Okay. That answers how you found me. Now what do you want?”

“Is that any way to talk to your grandfather?”

“I guess not. So, how have you been? And what do you want?”

“I want to know what you’re doing here.”