Page 67 of The Reaper's Vice

But then Bob’s lids lower, and he nudges his snout against her palm, closing his mouth in a gesture of goodwill. Seraphina relaxes at the sight, even going so far as to give his snout a little scratch. Bob’s eyes close fully, and it truly looks like he’s smiling as he loses his senses in Seraphina’s touch.

Trust me, buddy, I get it.

Angry that she’s not getting the same treatment, Karen shoves Bob out of the way, a low, hissing sound passing through her open jaws as she pushes a claw into her mate's face. Giggling, Seraphina willingly stretches out her other hand, giving Karen and Bob scratches at the same time.

“I never knew they could be so…friendly.”

I shrug, never taking my eyes off the beautiful, glowing girl. “Just because something looks a certain way or has a bad reputation doesn’t mean it’s incapable of love.”

She turns to me, a genuine smile spreading her lips. “Thank you for bringing me here. This is… well, I’m not going to say it’snice,but it’s definitely something I’ve never done before.”

I laugh, offering a hand to Seraphina as she stands from her crouch. Bob and Karen let out disgruntled hisses, their jaws opening wide.

“No.” I shake a finger at them. “No drugs for you.”

Seraphina side-eyes me. “I seriously thought you were kidding about that…”

“Nope. Karen and Bob came from an animal testing facility. They pumped these twofullof LSD—didn’t they?” My earlier irritation fades as I reach down to give them each a pat. When I straighten, Seraphina has a haunted look in her eyes, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Shaking it off, I look back at the gators, rage swelling in my chest as I think back to the conditions I found them in.

“About eight years ago, I was working with some people to dismantle the trafficking rings in this city when I stumbled across Bob and Karen. They were both smooshed in a tiny crate alongside a shipment of X—emaciated, wounded, and bound for some drug dealer’s pool house. He had bought them straight from the testing lab—a great deal, I imagine—but they were both so fucked up… I’ve never heard an animal make those kinds of sounds, let alone agator…” I clear my throat, blinking away the red that crowds my vision. “Anyway, I decided to take them back here. Though they still run up to anyone who gets close to the lake, looking for their fix.”

Seraphina looks out at the lake, a frown pinching her brow. “I’m glad you helped them… not everyone would do something like that.”

I shrug. “There’s too much cruelty in this world. What I did is just a drop in the ocean against it.” Suddenly, I’m not talking about the alligators. Suddenly, a little girl's face swims in my mind. The one I was unable to save. “I could have done more…”

“How? You gave them a home—a place to recover. You did more than enough.” She looks at me, and I know by her expression that she realizes I’m no longer talking about alligators. “Orion… whatever happened in the past… I’m sure you did everything you could.”

I shake my head, stooping to pick up a flower by my foot. It’s bright yellow, and happy, and not at all like Seraphina, but I offer it to her anyway.

She grabs it from my hand, but her frown only deepens.

“What?” I ask. “You don’t like flowers?”

“It’s not that…”

“Is it because of the whole ‘dying beauty’ thing? Because that’s corny, even for you, Seraphina.”

She throws her head back in a throaty chuckle, and when she returns, her golden eyes are brimming with mirth. “No… it’s because every time you pick a flower, you sever the plant's genitalia.”

My mouth falls open. “Seraphina… that’s so fucked up.”

She laughs harder, and the sound fills my chest with so much warmth, so much light, I’m afraid I might burst.

I step forward, grabbing her waist and pulling her against me. Her laughter halts, but that sheen in her eye remains, doing something strange to my insides.

“Do that again,” I breathe.

She blinks up at me, eyes wide. A piece of hair falls onto my brow, and she reaches up with a little chuckle, giving me a taste of what I want. In the same movement, she places the flower I picked for her behind her ear, a twinkle in her golden irises.

“I thought you didn’t want it?”

“I never said that.” She grins. “You gave it to me. It’s mine now. Plus, the plant can just grow a new sexual organ if it wants.”

I laugh, placing my forehead against hers, breathing her in. “You’re a strange little thing, did you know that?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m pretty sure it’s why you’re so obsessed with me.”

I grip the back of her neck. “Oh, I’m farmorethan obsessed, my little dove. I’m fucking mad for you. Your taste, your touch, your smell.” I take a deep breath in through my nose, my cock straining toward her. “The little sounds you make when you’re dripping, desperate for my cock. Those are the things that really just drive me insane.” I jerk my hips forward, eyes dark and swirling as I gaze down at my little dove, trapping her in my orbit.

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