Page 128 of Their Lethal Pet

“She has a safeword now?” Orcus asks, no hint of jealousy in his tone, just mild curiosity. “Care to share?”

“Chicago,” Reaper replies as he sets the tray of cupcakes down on a nearby table.

Orcus frowns at him. “I’m getting to that. I want my question answered first.”

“No, that’s the safeword,” Reaper clarifies. “But yes, we also need to discuss our plans. You tell them what’s happening, and I’ll go get the nest packed up.”

My eyebrows lift as Reaper vanishes once more, presumably topack. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to Chicago,” Orcus says, causing Alina to pause midbite. “The Elite City King kidnapped ourStrigoi, and I need to go find out why.” His irritation is palpable, and an emotion I share.

I gape at him. “Why the fuck would someone kidnap our Strigoi?”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what’s going on,” Orcus admits. “And the Monster City Queen—Helia—wasn’t much help. But she gave me permission to portal, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Permission,” I repeat with a laugh. “I bet you took that well.”

The look he cuts me confirms my assessment. “We’ll eat lunch and then go find a safe location to make camp. I didn’t trust the supernaturals here before, and I really don’t trust them now.”

A fair assessment. “All right.” My arm is still around Alina’s lower back, so I give her hip a squeeze. “Looks like we’re going to Chicago.”

Her eyes are round, her lips smeared with strawberry icing.

I lean in to lick some of it off her mouth, desiring a taste.

She blinks. “Chicago.”

I frown, pulling back. “What did I do?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I mean… I was saying the city, not the…” She growls a little, the sound causing my inner predator to perk up with interest. “I need a new safeword.”

I can hear Reaper chuckling from the other room.

“I agree,” Orcus says. “But you don’t have to pick one right now.”

He’s right,I think. “We can ask again before our next session,” I say out loud.

“Okay.” She swallows, her eyes telling me she likes the sound of having anext session. But there’s also a hint ofsomething else in her gaze. An emotion I can’t quite define.

Is it related to why she has interest in Chicago?I wonder.Are you going to finally tell us why you want to go there?

Alas, she doesn’t.

Instead, she blinks again, finishes her cupcake, and grabs a second from the tray.

Orcus clears his throat, his gaze having been on her mouth. “Let’s eat,” he says, his voice gruff. “Then we’ll talk more about this Elite City and what else I learned from Helia.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ALINA

I’m notsure what to be stunned by more—my orgasmic morning, the information Orcus shared about the Elite families, or the magic unfolding before me right now.

Not only did Orcus create a mirrorlike doorway that led to another part of the world, but he’s also currently renovating an old cabin.

When we arrived, it was basically a pile of wood.

Now… now it’s…it’s a home.