Page 8 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

“Exactly. And lose the adolescent attitude.” She rolled her eyes. “Rosie, I’ve got to have your promise that you absolutely will not do anything extra-human. No matter what. More than you can imagine depends on it.”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“This is serious. You won’t forget. Right?”

“No. I won’t forget. And I appreciate this.”

“Well, I hope you still feel that way after a couple of weeks of working here.”

“Working?” She seemed surprised.

“Yes. Working. It’s not all kittens and rainbows here. Pull your socks up.”

Rosie was narrowing her eyes and gearing up for a reply when Kellareal vanished leaving her wondering what ‘pull your socks up’ meant. She turned toward the Exiled leader, whom Kellareal had called the Extant, and began walking in his direction. When a gust of wind ruffled her hair, she looked toward the east, where the human city could be seen below and in the distance.

Free looked down at her and smiled when she reached him. “Let’s get you situated. I see you didn’t bring belongings?”

She looked around like she’d misplaced them. “No. I guess I didn’t think about it.”

“No matter. We’ll sort it out. You can stay at my house with my family. We can always use help at the Commons. The unmated males spend a lot of time there. Drinking. Eating. Since they’re not mated,” he added smiling as if that explained the whole of the universe. “If anybody gives you any trouble or unwanted attention, just come to me. I’ll take care of it.”

For a scant instant she wondered what it might be like to be a young woman who had to worry about men trying to press their physical advantage and thanked the gods she’d never have to find out how vulnerable that would make someone feel.

“Thank you.” She smiled in return. “I don’t have any experience working at… um, working.”

Free looked at her sideways. “You seem capable. You’ll learn.”

By the time they reached Free’s house, it was almost dark and evident that Newland had no power for lighting. The house, like the other buildings, was made of roughhewn logs, with a small but cheerful light coming from the front windows. It appeared to be three stories and larger than most of the other buildings.

Free opened the door and entered before Rosie. The room wasn’t plush or luxurious, but was definitely inviting. The upholstered furniture was worn, but friendly-looking. The fire was small, but welcoming.

“Serene!” his growly voice rumbled. Rosie couldn’t tell if he was displeased or if his voice always sounded like that.

A woman, roughly the same age as Free, appeared from the back of the house, wiping her hands. She cocked her head at Rosie. “Hello,” she said. Her voice was also raspy, but not as deep as Free’s.

“Hello,” Rosie replied. “I’m…”

“She’s Kellareal’s ward,” Free interrupted. “She needs a place to stay for a while.”

Serene smiled. “Of course. You’re welcome.”

The door crashed open behind Rosie. “Hey, I…”

Rosie turned to see an extremely good-looking boy staring at her.

“Rosie. This is our youngest son, Charming.”

She looked from Free to Serene for a hint that he was joking, but saw none. Turning back to the new arrival she said, “Nice to meet you, Charming.”

She fully expected him to break into a fit of laughter and tell her that wasn’t really his name. Instead, he said, “Hi. Rosie.”

“She’s going to be staying with us for a while. Show her to Carnal’s room.”

“But…” Charming started.

“Show her to Carnal’s room,” Free repeated with a bit more insistence in his tone. “Then come back down for dinner.”

“Okaaaay.”