Page 78 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

Carnal’s eyebrows tried to touch his hairline. “Lead?!?” He started shaking his head. “Noooooooo. Not in a hundred years.”

Free had been leaning back in his chair. The front two legs hit the floor with a thump when he leaned forward, levity aside. “You may not have a choice, son. Fate gives you what Fate gives you.”

“Yeah? Well, the only thing I want Fate to give me is…” Carnal realized he’d said too much and looked away.

“What?” Free asked with more than a mild curiosity. “What is it you want from Fate?”

When Carnal looked at his father, Free’s face softened. He could count on one hand the times in Carnal’s life when he’d appeared vulnerable. The longing on his son’s face was unmistakable.

“Rosie,” Carnal almost whispered.

Free’s expression went slack. “Carnal. She’s not staying. She’s just passing through. Kellareal said she’d only be here a short while. And she’s not…”

“Not what? Not one of us? I thought you wanted us to mate humans. Mix it up. Isn’t that what you said in the Commons?”

“Yes, but…”

“But what? It’s good enough for the others, but not me?”

“Well…”

“She’s special. More special than you can even imagine. And she affects me in ways I don’t even understand.”

Free thought about the fact that Exiled would be facing extinction if not for Rosie. “It’s undeniably true that she’s special, uncommon in many ways and we owe her a lot. I mean, she’s human, and I’ve made her an advisor on par with the elders.” He looked at Carnal. “But she’s not staying.”

“She might.”

Free cocked his head to the side. “Has she indicated that she’s interested in you?”

It was Carnal’s turn to take a deep breath. “I’m not sure. Maybe. Sometimes I think yes, then… I don’t know. Ask me tonight.”

“What’s happening tonight?”

“Not tonight. This afternoon.”

Free tapped his fingers on the table and seemed lost in thought. “Your mother likes her. And it would be a good example to set. If my oldest son took a human to mate.”

Carnal grinned. “Way to put a political twist on love, Dad.”

“What can I say? I’m a political animal.”

“Please. It’s too sober in the day for animal jokes.”

Free pinned Carnal with a pointed look. “Like it or not, so are you. A political beast, that is.”

Carnal knew that look. He also knew that Free was usually right about things. Following in those footsteps wasn’t something he saw himself doing, but if Free thought it was inevitable, Carnal knew he needed to stop being dismissive about the possibility.

“So what’s happening this afternoon?” Free asked.

“None of your business,” Carnal said casually.

Free laughed. “All your life, you’ve always found a way to get what you wanted, even if you knew it’d mean punishment. Elora Rose Storm…” Free shook his head, “strikes me as being someone who is an immovable force when she doesn’t want to do something.”

One side of Carnal’s mouth raised into a lopsided smile. “I’m sure you’re right about that. She’s not like anybody else. So wish me luck.”