Page 134 of Wicked Magik

Vesper pursed her lips to hold back her smile. “Perhaps we can play with him later then.”

He really isn’t so bad.

I purred, the tip of my tail gently lifting Vesper's chin. "He's worth keeping around. The way he looks at you…that's real. And I'd tell you if it wasn't. Haven't lied to you yet, have I?"

“I know.” she whispered. “I’ve known all along. I am very stubborn and I should have let it go, it’s just I had to figure things out for myself.”

Because nothing makes sense anymore. And when we leave the walls of this home, I won’t know anything either.

I perked up my ears. “Is that what you are more afraid of? Not the vampires, but not knowing this realm?”

Veylor stirred and opened his eyes. “What? Are you afraid? We will protect you.”

Vesper rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't call it fear. It's more... uncertainty." She hugged herself, her gaze dropping to the floor. "My only venture outside ended with fangs in my throat. The world beyond these walls are a mystery to me." Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. "The play sounds wonderful, but I can already imagine the whispers. Humans are weak. I'll be walking around with a target on my back."

Veylor scoffed and sat up. He didn’t hesitate to pull Vesper in his lap and Vesper squeaked in surprise. “Nothing will happen to you, not while we are there. I will go as myself and so will Oryx. No one would dare mess with either of us.”

Vesper tilted her head in confusion. “But, I don’t want Oryx to be upset. I want everyone comfortable.”

I puffed up my chest at my pet’s warm regard.

Veylor shook his head. "We'll be at ease, as we'll dress in a manner that exudes authority," he said, scratching his chin. "However, Oryx might need to take on a role that could be somewhat degrading."

I tilted my head.

“Oryx, would you be willing to wear a leash and let our pet walk you as if you were her… captive?”

My cock instantly hardened.

“Am I to be at her mercy?” My tail swished back and forth behind me.

Veylor pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, if your mind wants to take you there.”

Vesper imagined an image of a leather ensemble, complete with a whip and a stick that had a leather flap on its tip.

I opened and closed my mouth with a snap. “I want her to wear the outfit she just thought of.” I pointed to her and sent the image to Veylor.

His eyes widened and he looked at Vesper.

“There is no privacy!” Vesper cried out. “Literally no privacy.” She went to stand up but Veylor held her down on his lap. “And now you are hard again.”

Veylor grinned wickedly. “I can see what I can do about this outfit, but that should be left at home. I don’t want others to try and take what is ours.”

Vesper snorted. “Now you are getting all possessive.”

Veylor’s eyes darkened. “My darling, you have no idea.”

Chapter 43

Veylor

We pulled up to the closest township. The crowd was bustling at the night market.

Everyone was either selling food, jewelry, or doing other assortments of shopping. In the Shadow Court territories, people preferred twilight or night. We were used to the darkness but there were daytime dwellers too.

Behind me, Oryx's shoulders hunched, his knuckles whitening as they gripped the cart's wooden edge. The scaled tip of his tail coiled twice around Vesper's middle, cinching the leather of her corset until it creaked. Her fingertips traced the tail's ridgesabsently as she scanned the crowd, the silver studs on her jacket catching the same moonlight that gleamed in my own.

He was worried, and I felt Vesper’s worry also as her arm clung to mine. Oryx had been a monster for years, feeding on livestock, animals in the forest, drinking their blood to stay alive.