“Frankie, I—”
“Hey, Z!” We turn. Ronin jerks his head toward the tent, calling him over, then slipping through the flap.
Zarreth’s jaw tightens. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to leave, so I lift my chin, ready to argue.
His mouth opens, but he pauses for a moment before finally saying, “Stay here where it’s crowded. I’ll try not to be long.”
I soften a little when he doesn’t order me to come with him. He’s trying. “I’ll be fine.” I nod to the stand selling chunks of meat. Anatha and Beleth are sitting on a blanket not too far from it. “I think I’ll grab a bite and join your mom.”
He kisses my temple and disappears.
A few minutes later, I’m walking toward his mom, some sort of drumstick in hand, when someone runs straight into me, sending me to my ass—and my chunk of meat to the ashy ground.
“Oh no!” Sable brings her hands to her mouth in a dramatic fashion. “I am so clumsy. Here, let me help you.”
Is she serious? After the library, she still wants to try this?
“Oh, did you drop this?” She lifts a book from the dirt, the same one she tried pushing on me at the library. Thumbing through it, she pretends to hold back a laugh. “Frankie, you poor thing. Being mated to someone like ZeeZee must be so hard for a halfling.”
Her friends giggle behind her. I do not have the patience for her shit right now. Fighting the urge to tell her to fuck off, I push myself up. Everyone’s already leery of me. I don’t need to make it worse.
A female reaches for the book and laughs the moment she sees what it is. “I can’t believe this is still around. Where did you find it?”
I want to slap the fake concern from her face, but I take a deep breath instead. She doesn’t give me time to respond. “Don’t be embarrassed, Frankie. We applaud you for trying to learn.”
I dust the ash from my trousers and paste on a sweet smile. “Oh, I’m so glad we ran into each other. I was actually looking for you so I could return it. I finished writing my notes in the margin like you asked. Let me know if you need anything else.”
The daggers in her stare are sharp enough to cut through her pathetically sweet act. She opens her mouth to speak, but hesitates when something behind me catches her attention. “Who the fuck is that?” she asks, voice laced with venom.
My grin spreads ear to ear when I turn around and see the little redhead who has Sable so flustered. Black leather leggings hug her hips, open slashes revealing fishnet underneath. A cropped black tank reveals her pierced bellybutton and the tattoo trailing down her ribcage. She’s standing on her tiptoes, reaching for the horns of a very happy demon. “They’re so big. Are they sensitive?”
I chuckle, well aware she already knows they’re sensitive. She’s such a little minx and I fucking love her for it.
“Very sensitive.” The demon rubs his horns against her palm as a pissed off Graven grabs her arm and pulls her away.
She bites her bottom lip, looking innocent, while he lectures her. “I can handle waiting while you paint your face, but I will not be explaining to Macen why you got eaten because you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.”
Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she uses her other hand to poke him in the chest. “You’re no fun.”
He grits his teeth as Jess spins on her heel and spots me, her flirty demeanor faltering for a moment as she holds her arms out. “Frankieeee!”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sable mumbles under her breath when I run up to Jess.
“I’ve never been more happy to see you.” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze. “The curvy blonde is Zarreth’s ex and she’s determined to make my life a living hell.”
“Ew.” Her eyes roam over Sable, clearly not impressed. “Leave her up to me. I got this.”
“Grayyy! Where have you been?” Sable’s sweet facade is back in place.
“He’s been busy with me.” Jess doesn’t bother looking at Sable as she speaks. Instead, she flicks her sultry eyes toward Graven. “Haven’t you,Gray?”
“Careful, human,” his voice sharp. “You wouldn’t survive five minutes with me.”
Her lips curve in that dangerous little smirk that always means trouble.Oh Graven. You have no idea what kind of game you just signed up for.
“Gray, stop wasting your time on these humans. You already know I can make you feel good.” I swear I catch a hint of annoyance on his face when Sable speaks. His eyes drift back to Jess, his gaze lingering longer than I expect. He finally tears it away and turns to Sable.
“I’m babysitting the human, but I can find time for you.” He eyeballs the book in Sable’s hand and grins. “Maybe we can try something in that book of yours.”
