Page 40 of Craving Carla

He nods, then clears his throat and adjusts his tie—that nervous habit of his. “I have, actually. I think...” He pauses for a moment, almost as if he’s embarrassed. Embarrassed of what? “I think it would be best if I spoke with your children directly about what happened the night of the attack. When you lost two of your children. It would help me better strategize and come up with a better security plan so that we can get you back to patrolling the borders.”

I smile at him again, and the way his eyes shift, the way his lips part slightly, it’s almost as if he’s mesmerized by it. The way he’s looking at me makes me blush all over again.

“Okay,” I say simply. “Want to do it now? I mean, look at all those NOSY ASS eyes lurking in the trees.” I say the last part loudly, narrowing my eyes at the forest that suddenly goes completely dark as my children retreat deeper into the shadows.

Amari bursts into laughter at my outburst, putting the side of his hand to his mouth in that smooth, handsome way he likesto do. The sound of his genuine laughter makes my stomach flip again.

“No, Carla, not tonight. It’s cold and you’re not dressed for?—”

I start moving forward, clutching my robe and heading past him toward the forest. He’s made me smile twice tonight, and for some strange reason, I don’t want him to leave me just yet. I’m not ready for this moment to end, for him to disappear with his vampire speed and leave me alone with just the memory of his touch on my cheek.

“Are you coming, or not?” I mutter, keeping ahead of him. I don’t turn back because I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my back as I move forward, stalking into the trees.

Amari stays a few steps behind me but follows until I stop in a small clearing, looking up at the trees. To anyone else, it would look like an empty forest, but it’s far, far from it.

“Children, come out. Amari needs to speak to you about something,” I say, smiling when Amari suddenly appears beside me, his hands in his pockets, looking up at the night sky where the moon shines brightly through the branches.

And they do come out. One by one, they begin emerging from behind trees and descending from branches, their sizes so baffling it’s hard to imagine how some of them managed to disappear behind such thin coverage. Tofi appears first, her burgundy body, followed closely by Niko with his intricate patterns. More and more follow until we’re encircled by at least twenty of my children, their sizes ranging from dinner plate to small pony.

To my amazement, Amari just smiles. He doesn’t stiffen, he doesn’t shy away, he doesn’t take a step back like every other person who’s ever seen them. His expression is one of genuine fascination and something that looks almost like... respect.

I’ve never met anyone like him before. Someone who looks at my children—these creatures that most people find terrifying—and sees beauty instead of monsters. Someone who sees them as extensions of me rather than something separate and frightening.

14

Amari

Carla’s children step out from the shadows at her request, their massive forms appearing from places that seem impossible for their size. I grin when I see Tofi crawling toward me, a much larger one close behind her. They gather around us; their eyes fixed on Carla as if awaiting her command.

It reminds me of my coven—the way they serve our cause, united in helping supernaturals and melanated humans overcome the systematic oppression we’ve faced for centuries. The same oppression that King Amir seems unwilling to address, which is something I definitely plan to bring up before I leave.

Why? Because I’m an asshole who asks the difficult questions everyone else avoids.

Carla looks at me, her enchanting green eyes meeting mine. It’s getting harder to resist the urge to kiss this woman. She’s witty, intelligent, and her body... I want to trace every curve with my tongue, sending her to heights of pleasure she’s neverexperienced. I want to own her, possess her completely. My heart isn’t beating for her, and goddamn, I wish it would.

Carla narrows her eyes at Tofi, and I stiffen, bracing myself for the spider to reveal how I stalked her cabin the other night. I don’t even know why I did it. I felt some inexplicable pull to watch her sleep, but her children intercepted me before I made it out of the forest into the clearing. They cornered me, bombarding me with images until I gave up and retreated to my cabin in the Community Lands.

Beautiful images of me kissing Carla, embracing her, embracing them—as if we were one happy family.

“Tofi, have you been sneaking off again...” Carla starts to chide the large arachnid, but I quickly clear my throat, adjusting my tie nervously.

“No, Tofi didn’t sneak off,” I admit, my voice rougher than intended. “They surrounded me when they caught me sneaking to your cabin last night.”

Her mouth falls open. Her beautiful smile quickly shifts into a glare.

“So you’re a creep?” she questions, folding her arms over her chest.

“Carla...” I start to defend myself, but suddenly, images flood my mind—me kissing Carla, me in the forest with her children, me in a web with them, petting them. Then letters form the word “Daddy.”

I chuckle, and Carla scoffs immediately after. She must have received the same imagery.

“He’s not your father, children,” she says quickly. “He took care of Kemnebi, that doesn’t mean...”

“Hold on, Carla,” I interrupt, giving her my smuggest grin. “Let’s not be hasty with them. If they want to call me daddy, I don’t see the big deal.” I adjust my suit as Carla’s glare intensifies.

She looks ready to beat my ass, and goddamn, I hope she does. She’s sexy as hell when I piss her off. That’s why I enjoy doing it. She walks over and slaps her hand against me. I’m so turned on by her frustration right now that I laugh a little louder.

“You are so fucking annoying sometimes, it’s just—ugh!” she yells.

---