Page 71 of Essa

It sounds like Essa's letting Adam think he stands a chance at keeping her occupied, and maybe there's a part of Essa that wants us to see whatever it is that Alik was talking about.

I stand in front of the board with my hands on my hips, glaring at the pristine white sheen of the board. Okay, so maybe there's been a misunderstanding. I'm about to call out to Adam and tell him it's not here anymore when I see a little handle on the edge that looks like I could grip it. I grab it, and the whole board tilts.

While they're still scuffling, I pull the board away from the wall until I can spin it around. The other side is filled out to capacity in various colors, with doodles added to the white spaces. She not only took the time to come up with things to write on it but also to decorate it.

"Oh gods," Essa whispers.

I turn my attention to where she's standing in the doorway. Her dress is askew enough to show off the dark tips of her breasts. Her hair's messy now, and her lips are swollen like theywere doing more than fighting out in the hallway. Her eyes are wide, pupils vibrating softly like she doesn't know if she needs to get upset or stay aroused.

Adam's behind her, on his ass, though he's stopped caring about stopping her now that she knows I've seen the board. Her tail twitches behind her, and Adam goes to grab it, missing it when it flicks away from him. Then, Essa walks into her room, fixing the dress as she does.

"I can explain," she tells me.

"Explain what, princess?" Adam says, standing to follow her. He wraps his arms around her. Not in a sweet way, but in a way that keeps her arms pinned to her body so she can't move them unless she's willing to go for round two. "Explain how, in Seth's words, you wanted this good dick?"

I flush at the reminder of what I said earlier. I can't believe I said something so stupid, but hearing it from Adam's lips sends a nice little thrill down my spine.

"You think too highly of yourself," Essa mutters, but she's not upset. If anything, she's relaxing in Adam's hold as his arms move to a more comfortable position, and his eyes track over the whiteboard like he's seeing her naked for the first time.

Love.

All-consuming love radiates off him as he reads over Essa's plans. Things she worked on, decided, and planned before she even really knew us. With how much detail is put into this and how much research would've had to go into it, I wouldn't be surprised if she started this the day she met us.

"Princess," Adam says the term of endearment like a vow. I urge him in our mind to tell her how he feels, and for once, he listens. "I love this. I love–" He swallows hard before trying again. He's only ever said the words while her venom's been coursing through him, but I believe he can say them now. "I love you. Even without this. I love you."

Essa smiles, a little laugh escaping her as she turns to look at Adam over her shoulder. "And I love you, which is why I'll kill them all with or without your love."

"I know," Adam says, pressing his lips to her temple.

"I think you should tell us the full plan," I tell her, standing in front of her so she's sandwiched between Adam and me. Her pupils dilate, but I'm serious about wanting her to explain her plan to us. More than that, I want to help in some way. "I think knowing how you plan to avenge us would be some amazing foreplay."

"That's a great plan," Adam says cheerily as he pushes away from Essa, slapping her ass with a loud crack.

She startles, her tail wrapping around his thigh tight before releasing it just as quickly. He wiggles his fingers, beckoning me to Essa's one person bed.

Essa watches us, her nipples pebbling underneath the sheer material of her dress. She didn't do a great job of readjusting it when she finished fighting with Adam, but it just means we get a great view of her tits as her chest heaves with her ragged, aroused breathing. She takes a deep breath, trying to let it out slowly before nodding to herself.

"The plan needs a better name," Essa says sheepishly, her fingers tangling as she examines the title written in big, bold letters across the top of the board.

"No." Adam shakes his head, his lips pulling up in a smile. He's trying to play it cool, but his heart is still racing, and love and adoration pour from him. "I thinkEssa's Plan of Killing the Scientists Who Hurt Adam and Sethhas a nice ring to it."

Essa's fangs press into her lower lips, but her silence only lasts a few seconds before she launches into telling us every single aspect of what she's figured out on her own so far and how she plans on getting justice for what was done to Adam and me. While she talks, I can't help but let my eyes stray to the bottomright corner. Her writing there is small, but it was important enough for her to add it to the board. Important enough, I want to sear its image into my mind.

'Convince Adam and Seth I can protect them.'

And in even smaller writing below it.

'Make them fall in love with me?'

thirty

Essa

A Few Months Later

The air in the desert humans call Death Valley reminds me of home. Sure, not of the temperature controlled palace, but of the times Niivi and I used to sneak off to play in the sand dunes with the other children. We aren't near the dunes, but I saw them on our ride here. That, and the hot, arid smell, reminds me of good memories.

"Fuck, it's hot as balls," Adam says, tugging at his crotch like he's done a handful of times already.

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