Page 25 of Gemini Hunted
Fortunately, Lucius has taught her to channel that lethal energy in ways that are more, shall we say, satisfying?
Thankfully Neo, her fated mate, is a soothing presence. He hovers close behind her tonight, brushing the thick teal manethat falls to her waist in the slow hypnotic rhythm that typically soothes all of us.
Still, Zara’s mermaid curls discharge tiny sparks with every stroke.
In the glass, her gorgeous pinup girl face is flushed with temper and mating heat. It’s far too soon for certainty, but all her alphas—myself (very secretly) included—are hoping she might soon be pregnant.
Whether she is or isn’t, my girl’s tiny body is so delicious in her lingerie—lush sun-kissed curves spilling from the tangerine lace bra and boy-cut briefs I had shipped in our last box from Paris—that I’m prepared to use all my little tricks (even the sneaky ones) to coax her past her pissy mood.
Now I pluck one of the sneakier tricks from my bag of mischief…
Honesty.
I stop dabbing rosewater goop beneath my eyes, carefully assess the result, and fluff the punk-rock shag of silver hair that grazes my shoulders for a sassy boost of volume.
Then I meet Zara’s angry gaze in the glass. “Surely you realize I never meant to give that ridiculous demon a mating bite.”
She rolls her pretty eyes at her own reflection and abandons my facial goop in favor of a tiny pot of honey lip balm. She swipes the balm along the pert bow of her Betty Boop lips with an agitated finger.
“You should have asked first,” she says tartly. “Like Lucius said, we’re all committed, Goblin King. Even you. All of us have a say in a mating bite.”
“I’d like to reiterate, in my own defense, that itwasn’ta mating bite.” My discontented gaze shifts to Ronin, also visible in the glass. My boyfriend is sprawled shirtless across Theo Mercury’s surprisingly massive bed (whatdoesthat senator getup to in here?) with his head resting on Lucius’ thigh, his sleek black hair spilling over Lucius’ legs, and Lucius’ absentminded hand stroking him like a cat.
Simultaneously, our frowning headmaster—propped against a tidy stack of pillows and primly buttoned into what Zara calls hisDownton Abbeypajamas—is poring diligently over that demonic tome I filched from Zephyr.
The dim golden light of the bedside lamp lends the entire scene an air of deceptively cozy intimacy.
Believe me, I intend to take full advantage.
Keep trying, love,Ronin murmurs wryly through our mating bond.Our girl’s not having any, is she? And neither am I. Fancy we can all feel the bloke next door lusting.
Regrettably, this appears to be true. For the moment, I’ve ordered our amorous demon to take up residence in the adjacent cabin and stay put. Safely out of the way, but close enough for me to keep a wary eye on him (and the artifact) through our fledgling bond.
Now I suspect that demon may be a great dealtooclose to assist my argument.
Waves of potent sexual arousal emanate from the wicked creature, right through the wall between us, like heat from a fiery coal.
Consequently, under the flimsy camouflage of my black silk kimono, I’m doing my best to ignore a raging cockstand. I suspect the sustained sensual assault from being this close to a horny sex demon is making us all irritable.
Especially Zara.
Twisting toward me on the bench, she props her pointed chin on one fist. “Are you even going to take care of that bite you gave him? Since you’re now—apparently—his alpha?”
I heave an inward sigh.
During the deed itself, I gave the initial bite a few obligatory licks to stop the bleeding, of course, with the shifter biochemicals in my saliva. I’ve certainly been hoping that demon wouldn’t require much more from me in the way of tending. They’re fast healers, like shifters, according to that grisly volume I borrowed (oh, very well,stole) from Zephyr.
“I suppose,” I mutter, sounding sulky even to myself, since Zara’s plainly waiting for my answer. “I’ll tend the wretched creature and his wretched bite. Eventually.”
Lucius, fueled by his own powerful alpha instincts, raises his lovely sherry-colored gaze from the demonic text he’s perusing to give me a piercing look. “Best not delay too long, Mr. Romanov. Or we’ll have a raging case of mating fever on our hands. Surely you considered that risk before you mated him.”
These days, with Lucius and me so intimate, that formal mode of address is strictly reserved for those occasions when I disappoint him.
Irritably I rise to my feet, giving my kimono a dramatic swirl for effect. “For fuck’s sake, Lucius. I’m running out of ways to say this. Try to hear me this time, pet,do. I. Did not.Mate him. That bite was meant to be platonic. I said soexplicitlybefore I bit him.”
Zara snorts and leans into Neo, which interrupts the rhythm of their sweet bedtime grooming ritual. “Did you wait for him to agree?”
She knows me so well.
