Page 12 of Kael (Monsters & Mates #2)

I stare at it. Then at her. Then back at the pack as if it might come to life and bite me. Something in my face must be hilarious because Molsi makes a delighted little noise, and Decca’s eyes narrow in intrigue.

“So,” Decca hums, all casual-like. “What’s your deal with the Glowranth that’s caused that reaction?”

“No deal,” I say quickly. “There’s no deal. I just—he’s just—a dick.”

“Uh-huh,” Molsi drawls, clearly not buying it. “A sexy dick?”

I make a strangled noise. “That’s not the point.” And I really wish I hadn’t taught either of them English words like sexy . I should have known my awesome teaching skill would come back to bite me on my own very sexy butt.

Decca grins. “Oh, but it is.”

And just like that, I’m ranting.

It starts off strong. I say all the things I’ve been thinking. How Kael is the worst. How he keeps blowing hot and cold. How I don’t understand him. How he represents the very thing that has slaughtered so many of the rebels.

And then.

Somehow.

It all goes downhill.

“I mean, I wanna punch him. Hard. Right in his stupidly perfect jaw.”

Molsi makes an encouraging noise, clearly delighted.

“But also, God, is he sexy. And it’s infuriating.”

Decca outright cackles.

“And I don’t even know if he has an arsehole!”

Dead silence.

“What?” Decca asks, breathless with laughter.

“I’m just saying! I don’t know their anatomy! It’s not exactly polite conversation to ask, is it?”

Molsi wheezes. “Hey, Kael, do you shit?”

I groan. “Shut up.” But I’m not done. Oh no. I keep talking. “I bet he has a giant cock. It’s always the broody ones.”

Molsi is barely holding it together.

“Like, he could probably fuck me sideways with a smile. I’d come for days.”

More silence.

I pause. Molsi and Decca are suspiciously quiet. Too quiet. A terrible feeling creeps up my spine.

Slowly, like a man who knows he’s just walked into his own grave, I turn around. And there, standing with all the grace and amusement of a predator who has just caught his prey doing something deeply humiliating?—

Kael.

Fuck.

I want to die. Just right here, on the floor. Let the luminescent veins in the stone swallow me whole.

Kael, to his credit, doesn’t look angry. If anything, he looks entertained, which is almost worse. “I came for food,” he says smoothly. “Didn’t expect a full performance, though. Do continue.”

I open my mouth. Then close it. Then open it again. Nothing. Why is he even here? How is he even in the main community? And when the hell did he start speaking so casually and inappropriately? Fuck, am I rubbing off on him?

Kael tilts his head. “Oh, don’t stop on my account. I was particularly interested in the part where you were determining my… anatomy.”

Molsi makes a strangled sound that might be laughter but is probably their soul leaving their body in second-hand embarrassment for me.

I am going to set myself on fire. That is the only way out of this.

Decca, ever the traitor, smirks. “Well, Sonny? Got anything to add?”

I clutch the pack of food to my chest like it’s my only lifeline. “Nope.”

Kael’s lips twitch. “Pity.”

And then, as if this couldn’t get worse, he leans in—just slightly—and murmurs, “For what it’s worth, you were right about one thing.” He takes the second pack of food, throws it over his shoulder, and walks off.

I stare after him.

Molsi sucks in a breath. “Sonny.”

I shake my head violently. “No,” I say, voice hoarse.

Decca grins. “You okay?”

“No,” I repeat, more broken this time.

Molsi pats my shoulder. “That was a lot. You gonna survive?”

“No.”

But I have to. Because in less than an hour, I have to travel with that smug bastard, and I have a feeling I won’t hear the end of this.

I didn’t think I could be any more humiliated after Kael overheard me discussing his possible anatomical features.

Ha.

How fucking na?ve of me.

“Nuh-uh. No way. You have to be taking the piss.”

Varek somehow manages to keep a straight face, but I can tell—deep in his dark, scheming little soul—he wants to laugh. His lips don’t twitch, but there’s a certain smug glint in his eyes.

At least this time, there’s no audience. No nosy rebels lingering to witness my further descent into disgrace. But, of course, the main offender is here, standing before me like this is a completely normal conversation.

Kael, deadly serious, holds up what can only be described as some kind of bondage harness.

I stare.

He stares back.

I glance at Varek.

Nothing.

Back to Kael.

Still serious.

Then back to the harness.

Leather straps, thick and reinforced with metal buckles. There are loops, padded sections, and a complex webbing design that could belong in a tactical gear store… or the darkest, most hard-core BDSM dungeon .

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

Kael, the bastard, just tilts his head. “It’s standard royal guard equipment. Used to carry wounded?—”

“Oh, okay,” I snap, throwing up my hands. “That’s so much better. You’re not planning on slinging me around like a BDSM plaything—you just think I’m injured .”

He sighs. “It’s for efficiency.”

“No, it’s for humiliation.”

Kael remains perfectly neutral, which only makes me more suspicious.

“What, is this payback?” I demand. “For the whole arsehole thing?”

His expression flickers just enough to confirm my theory.

“Oh, fuck off ,” I groan.

“This isn’t about—” He exhales sharply, visibly recalibrating his approach. “Sonny, we don’t have time for this.”

I cross my arms. “Are you saying I can’t keep up?”

Kael hesitates, which is the worst thing he could have done.

“Oh my God .” My eyes widen in horror. “You do think I’m weak. You absolute—” I wave a hand at him. “—Glowranth bastard! I knew you were speciesist. I knew it.”

“What? No?—”

“You’re saying I’m lame because I’m human, aren’t you?” I press, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Well, fuck that. I’ve spent my whole life dealing with bigots, and I am not about to take it from some oversized flying cat?—”

Kael’s eyes widen in genuine horror. “That is not what I meant.”

“Well, it sounded like that.”

“I apologise,” he says quickly—almost too quickly. “That was not my intention.”

I narrow my eyes. He looks sincere. He sounds sincere—even went back to formal English. And somehow, I feel a bit mollified. But I’m still pissed.

And Varek? Varek, the traitorous shit , still isn’t saying anything .

He’s just watching, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

I know he’s enjoying this. He probably has as much of a hard-on for Kael as Kael does for him.

Which, frankly, is annoying, because Kael clearly does not deserve my leader’s approval.

“I can keep up,” I declare, lying so hard, I almost believe it myself.

Kael’s lips press together, his eyes flicking over me like he’s running calculations. He doesn’t even have to say anything. The scepticism is palpable.

“We don’t have time for ego,” he finally says, voice low, steady. “Dawson had another seizure.”

My gut twists. Shit. I can be a stubborn bitch, but I can’t be a selfish one. I exhale sharply. “Fine. But I’m plotting my revenge.”

Varek finally moves, stepping forwards with a smirk. “Make it creative.”

“Oh, don’t you worry,” I assure him darkly. “I’m going to be so fucking creative.”

He chuckles. The bastard.

Meanwhile, Kael is already adjusting the harness, and I finally get a good look at it.

It’s a complex piece of gear, all sleek reinforced straps and custom padding, meant to hold a Glowranth securely against their carrier. No doubt useful in the heat of battle or the thick of rescue, but in this scenario? It’s mortifying.

I eye it suspiciously. “You sure this isn’t just some weird Glowranth soldier kink?”

Kael turns bright red.

Perfect .

I smirk, bolstered by his reaction. “Not into bondage, then?”

He makes a strangled noise. “Get in the harness, Sonny . ”

Varek snorts but wisely stays out of it.

I grumble the whole time, muttering about “If you’re going to manhandle me, at least buy me dinner first…” and “I swear, if this gets weird, I’m biting you,” but eventually, I let Kael strap me in.

And I immediately regret it.

Because the second he lifts me, it’s alarmingly comfortable .

His body is warm, all solid muscle and infuriating ease, as though I weigh nothing to him. His weapons have been shifted to accommodate me, and I realise I’m carrying his supplies too.

Great. So not only am I strapped to him like some perverse backpack, but now I’m his personal fucking pack mule.

Varek watches the whole process with thinly veiled amusement. Then, just before we set off, he surprises me. “Remember your training,” he says, voice softer than usual. “Stay safe.”

I blink, caught off-guard. Varek doesn’t do sentiment. Not really. For a second, something warm swells in my chest, and I actually consider hugging him. But before I can throw myself at him like a starving stray—which, yes, is impossible since I’m in a kink carrier—Kael growls.

Low. Deep. Possessive .

The fuck?

I glance at him in disbelief. “Oh, relax. Just because your dick is hard for my leader doesn’t mean I should be denied basic human affection.”

Kael, to his credit, looks absolutely mortified.

Varek?

Varek is fighting for his life not to laugh. “Right.” He clears his throat, lips twitching. “You two should probably get going.”

Kael doesn’t wait. He turns sharply, yanking me with him like a bag of cargo, and strides towards the exit of the cavern. Varek gives me one last look—one that makes it clear he’s definitely going to give me shit for this later. But there’s something else there too.

Something serious.

And then, just like that, we’re leaving. Leaving the safety of my home. Leaving everything I know. Finally, after all my talk, I’m actually doing something for the cause.

What the fuck was I thinking? I wanted adventure? Some grand, heroic journey? Please. I’m so far from being a hero, I’ll probably trip over my own sword and accidentally impale myself before we even make it halfway.

Well, you know, if I could be trusted to bloody well walk.