Page 6

Simone lets out a snort of a laugh that I can tell is her trying to ignore just how jealous she becomes when thinking of me with other females.

I do not rub it in her face as much anymore because her jealousy will only truly be good when she is claiming me and reminding me who I belong to.

Until she is willing to do that, her jealousy just makes my chest pinch because I do not like thinking of hurting her in any way.

I might be a little insecure about what she thinks of me, even if I try to keep her from seeing it.

“I trust them more than any other stranger in this tribe.”

I know I should not ask, but a part of me is hoping that she trusts them because they have wonderful taste in males. So, instead of talking myself out of asking, I blurt out, “Why would you trust them?”

Simone narrows her eyes on me, and for a moment, I think she is going to skewer me with a cutting remark that will have me having to fake my confidence once again.

I have never been a male who needed much to think highly of himself.

I have a wonderful body that I take care of.

I was blessed when I became a grown male in that my size is quite large.

And I am among the favorites of the unmated females.

Not that any of them will share my bed again.

No, now I am a celibate male, waiting for his female to admit that she wants him.

My cock has never been so abused in its disuse.

“I trust them because they at least have halfway decent taste in men,” Simone says. Her words are slow, like she’s having to force them out. I do not hide my smile or the way her words make my chest swell in pride.

“You would think them wanting to share my bed would make you trust them less,” I say, needling Simone to see if I can get more reluctant compliments from her.

Simone chews on the inside of her cheek, not in a timid and shy way like I have seen some of her sisters do in my brother’s tribe.

Oh no, Simone chews on the inside of her cheek when she has something scathing she wishes to say but is thinking better of it.

I have been on the receiving end of her cruel tongue when she is very angry, and she knows it will only have me wanting her more because I enjoy her when she is full of passion.

Her angry passions are the next best thing to the passions she will show me when she admits she wants to warm my bed.

“I will listen to their opinions on the demons who want to go to the tribe,” Simone says slowly. “They’ll have more experience with them and can tell us if any of them are cruel or hateful.”

I nod because these are things that the females should be able to tell her. “There will be some brothers they have not bedded,” I tell her because I was not lying when I said the females have favorites.

“They’ll still know better than you how they treat women,” Simone says.

I nod, not knowing what else to say. I was hoping to get some more compliments, but unfortunately, Simone is thinking more so about what is best for her sisters in the tribe.

“I’m going to say that we get a list of demons from your tribe leader.

You’ll go through it and tell me yes or no on them, and then maybe we ask a woman or two if any of the men aren’t safe to be around someone who won’t be able to fight them off.

” Simone counts off the steps to her plan of finding males to allow into my brother’s tribe.

“If there are even enough males who want to go,” I tell her.

My brother’s tribe has many human females who will soon join his tribe, and they will all need males big enough to protect and care for them.

However, there is something that my brother’s tribe and their females do not really know about other males of our species, males who know what a female of our kind looks and feels like.

“Why wouldn’t they want to go?” Simone asks, her brows crinkling because she honestly does not see what I have seen. “All of the others seem interested in humans.”

“Simone,” I start by saying her name and feel my cock twitch against the restraint of my pants when her eyes flash with lust for a moment.

“You know I find you highly beddable. In fact, I often think of your naked body, which I have seen and have decided is the best-looking naked body I have ever laid eyes on.”

“Get to the point!”

“Sorry, yes, sorry.” I am not sorry. “Humans are an acquired taste.”

“Excuse you?” Simone narrows her eyes on me like I am offending her when I just complimented her very thoroughly.

“When my brother showed me his creature, I had to stop myself from recoiling. You are small, and weak, and covered in hair like an olack.”

I list off all of the things I tried to reconcile with when I saw my brother’s mate.

She was not attractive to me at all, and I could not figure out why my brother would want to bed her other than that he had been without a female in his life for many years.

Then, I saw Simone out in the trees, and I realized that human females, or at least this human female, could be the most amazing sight to behold.

“Wait,” Simone says, holding up her hand and rubbing at her temples as though she is realizing a flaw in her plans.

“I have already dealt with some of the fears of your ugliness,” I say, not waiting for Simone to figure out what she wants to say. When she lowers her hand from her forehead to stare daggers into my soul, I cannot stop the thrill that runs through me.

“My ugliness?”

“Not all the males will think you are ugly. But the ones who do might need some nudging to want to help out in the tribe. That is why I have told them that if they end up being drawn to a human, they will think she is more beautiful than anything they have ever seen. They will want for nothing but her. Their very soul will sing when she is in his presence.”

“My ugliness?” Simone asks again.

I ignore it and continue. “I would say about half the males will have no qualms about how humans look, but those that do will very much want to find their mate. We are very emotional creatures. You know this already. Even those who might find the humans they have met ugly will want to see if there is one for who their soul will be completed.”

“They might find the humans they’ve met ugly?” Simone says the words slowly, her eyes burning into mine, even as I stare at her with more joy than I have felt all day.

“Yes, they might,” I say, knowing very well my brothers have only met one other human and she is sitting here with me.

“I need you to think very carefully about what you just said.” Simone’s words drip with vitriol. I am her mate, which means her barbs do not hurt me, and her poison is not dangerous.

No, she is only upset because her female needs have been neglected for far too long.

Maybe I will suggest for her to go to her privacy so that she can take care of herself.

The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s the perfect thing to say.

If I play my cards right, she might get glassy-eyed in lust for a moment in my presence before she leaves.

“You sound upset. Maybe you need your privacy now?” I ask, and then when she narrows her eyes on me even tighter, I add. “To care for your female needs. You are very obviously wound up tight. You need to do something to release all of your tension.”

“Rallan!” Simone shoots to her feet, her eyes wild in needy fury and her hands flexing and fisting by her sides.

I stand to meet her energy, taking two steps so we are much too close. She is a good two heads shorter than me, her small human stature only reaching my chest. She is not scared of me, though. She has never once been scared of me because even if she rejects me, her soul most certainly does not.

Her breathing is heavy and hard as she stares up at me. Her nipples stiffen under her tunic in a way that only happens when she is furious at me or needy in her desperation for me. Right now, it is both.

I reach my hand up to touch her face and am surprised when she lets me cup the back of her head. Her nostrils flare, but she does not tell me to stop. I am sure she will in just a moment, but until then, I am going to enjoy the feel of my mate in my hands.

“Say my name again, and I will take care of everything,” I say the words in a teasing manner that I know will break this moment between us.

Simone has said my name, and we both know it means she wants to bed me.

Humans do not have this custom, though. I have learned that if I am to get Simone worked up enough, she will eventually always say my name.

It is a wonderful thing to know about one’s mate.

It also means I cannot take her proclamation of wanting to make love with me by saying my name seriously.

Each time she says it, I make sure to ask her to say it again to see if this will be the time she wants to follow through with what saying it means.

“Fuck you.”

Simone pushes away from me, her small hands hitting my chest in a manner that is much more caressing than a hit.

I smile brighter, knowing she is trying to touch me to feel me and not to get herself away from me.

I can let her pretend, though. Especially when she lets her palms linger for a moment before pushing away.

“One day you will. I hope it is soon,” I call after her when she marches down the short hallway to her room.

She sticks her middle finger up behind her, a signal she loves giving me that also means ‘fuck you.’ I am a lucky male with how often my mate tells me she wishes to make love with me. One day, she’ll admit it’s what she’s doing.

“I am assuming you are wishing for privacy now?” When she does not respond with anything other than slamming her door, I add, “So you can touch yourself to find release?”

There’s an angry squeal that comes from her room, and my lips pull up even higher. She is very much going to touch herself to thoughts of me right now. I imagine what she looks like when she does it as I sit back in my favorite chair, rest my head on the back, and close my eyes.