Page 105 of Alien God

“Sometimes I think you watch me,” I blurted, anything to change the subject, get away from the all-too-alluring idea of him rutting me like a beast. “When I’m sleeping.”

Wylfrael turned to face me fully.

“I do.”

“You... you do?” What kind of crazy person just admitted a thing like that? “Why?”

His mouth quirked downward.

“You ask too many questions.”

“You avoid too many questions.”

“I can’t tell you the answer to a question when I don’t know it.”

“So, let me get this straight. You come home late at night, don’t try to get into bed with me, sleep in a chair, but then also sometimes just get up and watch me?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know why?”

“No.”

I crossed my arms over the soft fur of my cloak, looking at him skeptically.

“I’m not sure I buy that, Wylf. You don’t strike me as the sort of stone sky god who doesn’t know his own mind.”

He cocked his head.

“Wylf?”

“Oh.” I hadn’t even realized I’d called him that. “I guess it’s a nickname.” An apt one, too. Sounded just like wolf. The predator prowling through the forest of my life.

“And why did you call me that?”

“I... I don’t know.”

“Are you sure, Torrance?” he asked, a victorious sneer tugging at his mouth. “You don’t strike me as the sort of human who doesn’t know her own mind.”

God fucking damnit.

“I give up,” I said, shaking my head.

Everything in Wylfrael’s face tightened.

“You give up on what?”

I laughed at how quickly he asked the question. So demanding. Maybe I’d even made him anxious.

“All of this!” I said, “This isn’t working and you know it!” I slashed my hand back and forth in the air, gesturing to him then to me. “This... whatever this is. We’re failing. You more than me, I feel inclined to point out,” I added sourly. He was the one who’d been gone basically every day since we’d struck this bargain. Not me.

“I...” His wings flexed, pounding the air as if in exasperation. “I have business. That doesn’t go away just because I’ll marry soon. Though, I acknowledge that my business has taken longer than anticipated.”

“Hold on. You expect me to believe you’re not actively avoiding me?”

“I am not,” Wylfrael replied with instant certainty. “Being away from you is merely a convenient side effect.”

“Convenient side effect!” I sputtered, enraged.

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