Page 146 of A Soul to Embrace

He hated this wavering; it’d never happened to him before.

He also hated himself for knowing the absolute truth. He still planned to leave this realm because he could never choose her over his vengeance.

He’d have to give up...everything.And everything was the one thing that had kept him alive and fighting all his life. To lose that would be like losing his sense of self. It was who he was, and all he’d ever known. He’d have to reshape himself completely, and doing that in this realm was abhorrent to him.

He hated the Elvish, not Nyl’theria. He missed home, and he’d missed it his whole damn life. He missed the heat, the plant life, and the lifestyle. He was tired of being resilient, of being strong. He wanted support, comfort, and to be among people that wouldn’t scorn him nor try to hurt him.

He wastiredof freezing his ass off in a world of humans who rejected him, and it was only the monsters in the shadows who accepted him – while wanting a piece of him for dinner.

The humans are cruel.They would never welcome Demons into their fold, not even non-violent and fully complete ones.

He’d experienced firsthand what that was like, the callousness humans were capable of, and he refused them just as much as he refused the Elysians.

So where did that leave him? Not here, obviously. But what did that mean for Zylah? He kept wishing for clarity on that, but Jabez was entirely torn. He wanted her to come with him for all the right reasons, but he wanted her to stay where it was safe for all the right reasons too.

Sure, she had Demons and humans to contend with here, but it was nothing like the violence within the forests of Nyl’theria.There are some Demons bigger than me there.And he usually towered over everything except a Mavka.

In the Elven world, even Mavka would end up being prey, depending on the kind of swarm chasing them.

Shit,he thought, shoving his fingers into his clenched eyes.It would have been easier if I’d never met her.

Why did she have to be this damn way? She had no right to be so cute or sweet. And after this morning, he knew her to be naughty, sensual, and could wind him up into a madman. A conflicting mixture that was apparently just the right blend to confuse the hell out of him.

That bundle of adorable chaos stirred, breaking him from his thoughts when she suddenly sat up. She immediately searched for him with white orbs, and her tense shoulders softened at seeing him still here.

He’d been hoping for more time to piece together his mind. A few minutes was barely enough to digest anything – let alone their intimacy that had him questioning much.

At the reminder, his dick jerked, ready to go again after the rest he’d gotten. It didn’t help that the blanket fell to her hips, revealing her naked chest and the contraceptive chain around her waist.

“Morning,” he greeted, forcing a mild smile.

She turned her head away as she scratched at the side of her neck. “I don’t know why, but I worried you left without saying anything,” she muttered, her orbs shifting to a reddish pink.

So, part of her was instinctively aware or intuitive enough to know something was wrong.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he lied.

He absolutelywoulddo that, just apparently not to her.

Then, to his absolute destruction, she shifted to her hands and knees... andcrawledto him. Naked. Her tail and small breasts were easily viewable, and the evidence of their prior intimacy clung to her scent.

Jabez stifled his cringing groan, his cock jerking once more, and hid his heating face behind his hand. Apparently his bodywas still hungry for her, and she wasn’t making it any easier for him.

She paused at his reaction right as she was above his straightened legs and sat back on her feet. “Did I do something wrong?”

He drew his palm down his face, as humour lit his distressed gaze. “I just had a female I’m attracted to crawl to me naked on her hands and knees. How did you think I was going to react?”

She lifted her arms to look down at her body, as if she didn’t see the issue at first. It apparently registered, because she fucking flicked the head of his hardening cock. He flinched and bit out a growl as he grabbed her and brought her closer so she couldn’t so easily touch it again.

I think I need tighter pants.The loose material constantly gave him away like a horny virgin ready to get his first lay.

“Why is that a bad thing?” she asked, tilting her head as she settled on his lap, his dick precariously nestling between her cheeks.

And just like that, his earlier whirling thoughts dissipated under the power of her unwitting wiles.

It made him want to be playful with her.

Jabez had yet to be truly that way with her. He knew how to fight sensuality with sensuality, andthathe could effortlessly win against her.