Page 151 of His Retribution

Her cheek is warm against my shoulder blade. "Want to tell me why you're not pouting?"

"No."

Cora giggles. "It isn't because you're jealous, is it? Jealous of my time spent with Zan, time spent with mydemon brother?"

I growl, growl like an asshole and pull the pillow tighter over my head.

Ah, but then my light kisses my shoulder, my spine, the back of my neck as her hands slide down my abs until they sit dangerously close to my neglected cock.

"Are you pouting because I wasn't here when you woke up?" Cora's fingers slip further over my hips before they flex against the V she enjoys tracing. "I can tell you're feeling significantly better so I know it isn't anything like that. Did you miss me, lovey? Is that why you're pouting?"

"Yes," I grunt because her interrogation methods are most unfair. "I do not like waking up without you."

My light smiles against me, kisses my shoulder again before she removes her hands and sits up on my ass. "I don't like it either but you were sleeping so peacefully, so deeply I didn't want to wake you when I left."

"Left to go seeZan."

Suddenly the pillow comes off my head and when I chance a look over my shoulder, I see my mate holding it to her chest while she stares at me, a little mischievous glint in her eye.

"I was watching Daisy while Allie had her appointment with Henrich. Posey and Grace are at Kady's, Casey is sicker than a dog because apparently Milos's spawn is just as determined as he is to make life miserable for everyone from time to time, which is why he is currently holding her hair back while she yaks because she's making him suffer too. Hank and Karel are training with the others and Janet is having lunch with her book club. There was no one else to sit with that sweet little babe while Henny shoved a wand up Allie's hoo-ha."

I almost laugh because my angel is funny, but manage to maintain my pout. "What about Andrej or Kai?"

Cora rolls her eyes. "Drej was also at the appointment because wand up his mate's hoo-ha, and Kai is in the war room."

"Fine," I grumble and turn my face into the mattress. "You were not with Zan this time."

"Havok, my heart, my adorable pouting mate, you need to get over your shit with Zan. He's here to stay as long as I have power over him, he's been helpful in a riddle-filled sort of way and he's the only link I have to my parents. My relationship with him is no different from the ones I have with your brothers, maybe a little stronger on a subconscious level because of his blood, but the only thing I feel for him is as close to what I'd feel for a real sibling as I can get. You are my mate, my everything, he's just another missing piece that finally fell into place."

Though her words coupled with how strongly I feel our bond should soothe me, right now it only pisses me off.

"Then perhaps you should go to him now, continue learning all the ways you are alike, strengthen that forced connection to the demon. Clearly you do not need to waste your time here with me."

The pillow comes down on the back of my head so fast I don’t have time to react. And my still slightly compromised reflexes delay even further when Cora hits me with it again.

"You're ridiculous." Another whack with the faux down."You are the one who taught me about the mate bond, the blood-bond. You're the one who explained nothing is or ever will be like it." A fourth smack. "And I know you can tell how strongly I feel both of those, how intense my love for you and you alone is. I get that you alpha assholes are definitely the jealous type but do you know how fucking ridiculous it is that you are essentially jealous of my brother?!"

At her words, I flip over, get smacked in the face with the pillow then grab her wrists as Cora tries to do it again. "But he is not your brother, he isn't even your kind! You cannot claim him as kin because there are no shared genetic markers!"

"Hypocrite!" my angel growls. "You're saying I can't claim Zan to be my brother because he is a demon and I'm fae, but then you'll march your happy vampire ass around here brothering it up with dragon shifters like you hatched from a fucking egg right next to them! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?!"

Yes.

Yes, I do.

But I will not tell her that, not now anyway.

"My relationship with my brothers is completely different! They embraced me from the very first time we met, introduced me to their family, took me in and treated me like their own! Bozidar called me son!"

"Just like Tolan called Zan son!"

"At least my brothers have never seriously tried to kill me! They definitely didn't succeed in doing so ten times over!"

"Nine times!" Cora shrieks as if that makes it better. "And they were acts of mercy forced by Zan's boss! I told you that, told you I've forgiven him for his role in my multiple deaths because I finally understand it!"

"Well, I have not! I cannot forgive the creature that brought you harm over and over despite the reasoning behind it! That demon does not deserve your forgiveness and he sure as fuck won't be getting mine!"

My angel narrows her eyes, tries to tug her wrists free. "My relationship with Zan is no different from yours with the Dragovihk brothers. We may not have been born of the same species, the same parents, but he is my brother just as they are yours. And if you think for one minute I'm going to cast him out or not try to get to know him, try to hang onto that connection, then you are fucking nuts."