Page 14 of The Sirin Sisterhood (The Sons of Echidna #2)

“ Allow me?”He folded his arms, staring down at Lucy.

“Yes, allow you!”Lucy took a step towards Aris, folding her arms to mirror him.

She wasn’t afraid. If she died, she died, and she felt like she looked quite cool standing up to him.

The mountain of the man glared down at her, a man she had collared, a man who hadallowedher to call him a good boy.

He only looked scary. Lucy knew that inside the hellhound was a golden retriever, just like the silly, sweet dogs he raised and had rescued from the manor.

“Respect the hierarchy,”Ryan commented aloud as he looked up from his book, glancing up at his father. “You’re following orders now, remember?”

Lucy grinned as finally Aris took a deep breath and uncrossed his arms, backing down from the challenge.

“Fine.”He spat the word through clenched teeth.

◆◆◆

“This is humiliating. I am a Pirate Lord, and I will not be pushed around by you.”Aris refused to make it easy for Lucy, barely moving as she dug her hands into the small of his back, shoving him towards the en suite.

He muttered curses under his breath as she pressed painfully against a kidney, finally walking the last few steps to the spacious bathroom.

The man was acting like a husky being forced into a bath, withlots of loud complaining and very little moving.

Lucy doubted that throwing a handful of dog kibble into the tub would work as motivation, though she was on the brink of giving it a try.

“Strip,”she ordered, locking the door behind her.

She turned on the water and explained what the various bottles of soaps were for as she grabbed him a shaving kit from the vanity drawer, setting everything out with a towel and a washcloth, grateful for the hotel-like amenities that Xim liked to keep well stocked.

“Need anything else?”She turned to Aris and paused, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. He was between her and the door, his shirt hanging from his hand for a moment before he dropped it, watching her hungrily as he slowly loosened off his pants and stepped out of them.

“Yes.”He’d already answered her question with a look. The words were a formality at that stage.

“You can hand me your clothes; I’ll make sure they get cleaned.”Lucy gulped nervously, her throat dry. In the excitement of reuniting with Xim, she had almost forgotten about her affair with Aris. It seemed he had not, only biding his time before he could have her back in his bed.

Aris stepped closer to her, his warm hands closing around her hips, pulling her against his own.

She could feel his excitement growing and let out a small gasp before sidestepping him, twisting to put her back on the door, not daring to turn away from him as her hand searched for the doorknob in case he took it as an invitation.

He placed his hand hard on the door, blocking off her escape. “You love that feisty wee thing, don’t you?”He whispered, leaning in close. “Tonight, I’ll fuck you both.”

Ah. A power play. Lucy relaxed as she understood. He wanted to claw back some of the control.

Adorable. Aris was trying to ignore his own leash.

Lucy stood on her tiptoes and kissed Aris’s jaw. Her right hand stroked his throat while her left reached down to his cock.

“You are mine. Don’t forget your place.”She lightly tightened her grip on his neck and on his balls. Aris let a deep groan escape him, her fingers making her point with relentless force. Slowly, he nodded.

She released him and kissed his cheek, pushing his hand away from the door and freeing the lock, slipping out of the room with her heart drumming against her ribs. That was something she should have anticipated. Aris was a dog in more ways than one.

◆◆◆

Lai met her in the living room, flicking lazily through the countless T.V. channels. “Is the giant man-baby finally having a bath?”

“I hope so,”Lucy replied tensely, sitting down next to him, still a little bit shaken. She’d almost been tempted by Aris, that was the worst part. She could still feel him in her hand.

“So, why me?”She needed to escape from the memory of muscle, scars, and tattoos, glancing at Lai as she asked about the other burning issue pressing on her mind. Lai’s surprise nomination was still eating at her.

“Because getting our home back will require someone who will appeal to the sisterhood. My father’s reign has not been a good one.

My grandfather’s was even worse. The entire family has been in a nose dive since we decided to let men be in control.

”Lai paused on a channel, delight on his face as his favorite movie played out on the screen.

He and Lucy had watched it together a few times back at the manor.

He had been able to quote it word for word for her amusement.

“I’m not a regular mom; I’m a cool mom,”the character on T.V. declared, and Lai finally looked at Lucy, an eyebrow raised as though there was a deeper meaning to the well-timed script.

“Father would be a good leader if we were heading off to war or raiding monasteries, but right now, we need to make a good impression with a coven of women who don’t trust men. You gotta be the cool mom.”

“I’m the same age as you. And neither of us are parents.”

“You are missing the metaphor. Do you know why all of the other families hate us? I’ll tell you, it’s because we are one of the only clans with a man in charge, and the men leading us have fucked up something shocking, burning bridges the whole way down.

No one is going to help unless we can show we’ve changed. ”

“Makes sense.”Lucy reached over to the coffee table and filled two glasses from a crystal decanter that Klein hadn’t yet had the chance to tidy away.

“You are a young woman, just discovering your powers. Feminine, full of rage. The witches will love you.”He took the glass, swirling the amber liquid.

“So it’s just marketing? You don’t actually think I can lead?”She huffed, looking at her wobbling reflection in her own drink.

Lai clicked his tongue. Lucy understood.

She still needed to prove herself, and she would.

She would wipe the smirk off Lai’s pretty face when she reclaimed the manor, and that was just the beginning.

One day, he would look at her in awe. Maybe even fear.

For now, though, she would have to endure his infuriating smile.

“You are lucky I like you.”Lucy lifted her glass and downed it.

Lai raised his own in a toast. “Lucky indeed.”