“Expectations,” the Succubus whispered, more to herself than to Quin.
Ducking her head, she nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” Glyma murmured, and Quin shrugged wordlessly. Two purple fingers tapped the underside of Quin’s chin, and she obeyed the unspoken command, lifting her head. Glyma was so close, but the undercurrent of desire was gone now, replaced with something akin to grief. “No one should have to live in hiding. You deserve to be free.”
It hurt too much, her honesty, her kindness. Quin couldn’t take it. She stepped back, and Glyma’s touch fell away. She didn’t follow, leaning back on the railing as Quin backed toward the doors.
“I should go before I’m missed,” she said, breath shaky.
“Okay,” Glyma said.
She crushed the butt of the cigarette against her hoof and said, “Waryn is probably looking for me.”
“Okay,” Glyma repeated.
Turning to go, Quin hesitated, pulled in too many directions at once. She spun back around, clutching her necklace desperately. “I understand if you no longer wish to work with me. With your business, I mean. I can send you everything I have over email, free of charge. I’ve been so unprofessional, and—”
“I’ll see you in your office on Thursday,” Glyma said firmly, and the tension in Quin’s chest eased.
“Oh, okay then. That’s… well, that’s wonderful.”
Glyma dipped her chin, and Quin took it as a dismissal. She took another step toward the door and reached for the handle.
Before she could open it, Glyma said, “You’re not plastic, Quin. And you’re not metal or steel either. You’re flesh and bone, and that makes you stronger and more real than any of those arrogant, fake robots in there.” Emotion clogged Quin’s throat and blurred her vision, but she still caught Glyma’s soft smile as she added, “And your mother is full of shit. Your hair looks absolutely stunning this way.”
Fingering one of her locs, Quin mumbled what she hoped was a thank-you or perhaps a good-night. She wasn’t quite sure. She was floating again, and this time, she didn’t think she ever wanted to come back down.
Chapter five
Cleavage and Cardigans
Glyma
In preparation for hermeeting with Quin, Glyma had a lot of sex. She wanted to be as full as possible in an attempt to keep herself in check. She didn’t understand why she wanted the Daemon so badly, or why her Succubus instincts roared to life with a vengeance every time she was within breathing distance of her, but she needed to nip this inadvisable crush in the bud.
Quin was engaged. Or soon to be engaged, at least. She was closeted as all get-out, from a prestigious family full of assholes, and entirely unattainable. She was off limits, and it made Glyma want to break things. Which was highly inconvenient because she was, in most cases, a pacifist.
She, instead, invested that energy in riding Krul’s indigo dick for three hours. They’d been friends since secondary and fuck buddies almost as long. Sure, they’d hit pause if either of themstarted a monogamous relationship, but when they were both single, they were each other’s go-to for a fun time and a good meal.
When they were both sated and spent—and Krul’s knot had finally deflated—she dismounted and slumped onto the bed, gasping up at the ceiling. Their energies glowed and crackled around them as they both came down, eventually separating and settling back under their skin. She was full and happy and wanted a nap.
With a contented sigh, Krul curled up on his side and threw an arm over her waist. His mauve hair was wet with sweat, but she still ran her fingers through it, knowing it soothed him. He hummed and snuggled in closer.
“Thanks, I really needed that,” she said, and Krul nuzzled her neck, licking at the sweat there.
“I could tell. You shouldn’t go so long between feeding,” he mumbled into her skin.
“I know. I’ve just been busy.” She watched him draw lazy circles over her tummy, then up between her breasts.
He circled her violet areola absently. “Still, you were practically starving when I walked through the door. Not that I minded.” He glanced up at her, bright blue eyes wide with sincerity. “I was very into you attacking me like that.”
“Of course you were, you little slut,” Glyma said fondly, and Krul flushed beautifully in pleasure. “Now, let me up. I have to shower and go to a business meeting.”
Pouting, he gave her breast a kiss before he rolled off her and sat up. The muscles of his strong back flexed as he stretched, his powder blue tail stiffening. As he stood and reached for his pants, she admired his ass because, gods, it was a fine ass—she could bounce a coin off those glutes if she had the inclination.
Since she was heading to the shower, she didn’t bother putting clothes on as she followed him to standing. “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
He mussed his hair, making it stand up in every direction. “Uh, not much. Maybe I’ll go feed thecryriesat the park. Or I was thinking of signing up for a candle-making workshop.”
