Page 123 of Their Lethal Pet
I can practically hear him saying, “They said we couldn’t kill him. They said nothing about delivering other forms of punishment.” He would follow that up with a shrug, adding, “I’m still following the rules.”
Typical Reaper.
Regardless of his antics… “Alina deserves the right to kill the man for trying to harm her,” I say to Helia.
The human hurt our intended mate.
The human will suffer.
“This is not how we typically operate, but given the circumstances, I can offer him to you as a gift. However, I want something in return.”
My eyebrow lifts. “A boon for a boon?”
“It’s how things are done here, and thus far, I’ve offered you and your mates several boons.”
Reaper and Flame are technically not my mates, but I don’t correct her.
Instead, I focus on the insinuation that I owe her a great deal for herboons.
“We remained here as a courtesy, Queen Helia. While we appreciate your hospitality, it’s not a gift or a boon when partnered with a mandate. We did you a favor by respecting your meeting request when we could have very easily vanished.”
Not exactly true—we needed to remain here.
But she isn’t aware of that.
Her dark eyes flash as she studies me, her energy whirling dangerously around my aura. “I think we both know we stand to win more by creating a partnership. Becoming enemies would be… a disappointment.”
“I agree,” I tell her. “But understand that your definition of a boon does not match my own. So whatever you intend to request from me needs to be an appropriate trade.”
She dips her head, her wine glass twirling in her fingers. “Fair enough.” She sets the drink aside again and sits up, her thin heels clacking loudly on the marble floor. “I would like to invite you and your mates to a dinner.”
I stare at her. “You want us to attend a dinner?”
She nods. “As a boon, yes.”
I’m instantly suspicious. “Why?”
“Do I need a reason?”
“If you’re asking me to sacrifice something, then yes, you do.”
“All I’m asking for is the sacrifice of time, God Orcus.” She smiles. “It will just be an intimate gathering between mates.”
My lips flatten. “We don’t share. And we don’t swing.”
The Queen throws her head back on a laugh that booms through the room. Whatever monster type she hides beneath her skin is intense. That sound alone proves it.
“Don’t worry, darling. Orgies are no longer my thing.” Her eyes are dreamy as she adds, “I’m a two-mate kind of woman now, and those positions are very much filled.”
“Then what’s the purpose of this dinner?”
“To form an alliance and to appease our mates,” she says cryptically. “Do you agree to the boon or not?”
Reaper and Flame are going to fucking kill me.
But alliances are important.
And we need to remain on good terms in this realm.So…“I agree.”
