“Thank Gods.” Ronin jerks his thumb toward us. “These two are at it again.”
Frankie giggles and it’s fucking music to my ears.
“Also…” Ronin tugs a piece of Jess’ hair. “Are you corrupting my mother?”
She laughs. “Are you kidding? That woman is corruptingme…and I love her for it.”
Graven tips his chin toward the only space that has enough room for all of us. “Looks like that table’s free, unless you’d rather stand all night.” Unfortunately, the table he’s talking about happens to be the one where Sable is sitting.
I start to object when Frankie cuts in. “As long as she keeps her mouth shut and doesn’t start singing again, I don’t mind.”
Decision made, we drift toward the table. Frankie claims a spot on a bench without hesitation, unbothered by Sable’s glare. That’s my girl. Gods, my mate is attractive.
Voices falter when I sit, the same way they always do lately. Too many eyes on me, too much weight in their stares. It makes me uncomfortable. Frankie presses her knee to mine, grounding me, as conversations resume.
“…I heard they had some sort of chase-and-claim game at theirs.”
Jess perks up instantly. “Ooh, like a find-me-fuck-me game?”
Frankie rolls her eyes as the demon leans closer to Jess, his tail lazily swaying behind him. “Exactly like that.” He grins, clearly enjoying her interest.
Jess smirks, eyes dropping to his tail. “Careful with that thing. I may want to keep it as a souvenir.”
Graven cuts in before the demon can respond. “Humans wouldn’t be allowed to play, anyway. You’d last all of two seconds.” His tone is clipped, sharper than usual.
Jess only winks at him. “Guess you’ll never know, Gray.”
Sable leans forward, voice sweet but edged with acid. “Ignore her. No one’s here for humans…well, most of us anyway.” Her gaze snaps to me, waiting for a reaction I don’t bother giving. The flicker of irritation that crosses her face is satisfying.
Frankie turns to me. “Chase-and-claim? Sounds fun!”
Sable speaks up once again before I can get a word out, eager to steal the spotlight. “It only happens during mating ceremonies. Usually they have one of those trashy S&M stations. It’s so barbaric.”
Ha, she never knew what I wanted in bed, and clearly still doesn’t. Frankie’s eyes flick to mine. Holding back a smile, she walks her fingers up my thigh under the table. Fuck, I am a lucky demon. The rest of the table fades to the background—Jess teasing the demon’s tail, Ronin off doingRoninthings. None of it matters, not when Frankie’s looking at me like that.
But then Sable’s voice cuts through, too loud to be anything but deliberate, dragging me out of the moment, as she launches into some story about the ritual she and I once attended together.
“I’m trying to remember who caught me last time,” she says, tapping an index finger against her chin like she didn’t know it was me. I’m about to step in, but she snaps her fingers, looking directly at Frankie. “Oh, of course…it was Zarreth. How could I forget?”
Gods, I want to wring her fucking neck. What the hell did I ever see in her? Was she always this conniving?
Frankie’s nostrils are flaring, fingers curling until her knuckles turn white, the faint shimmer of smoke beginning to stir in the gem at her neck. I know she can handle her own, but I’ve fucking had it.
I slam my hand on the table. “Shut the fuck up, Sable. That was so long ago, I barely remember it. I’m surprised you do, given the number of partners you’ve had.”
Her head pulls back, in shock, but she still doesn’t have the sense to shut her mouth. “Oh puhleeze, like you’d forget our first orgy together. Stop acting all innocent in front of Frankie. She’s a big girl, she can handle it.”
My voice drops low, the warning clear. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
She leans in, eyes gleaming as she prepares for a snide remark, but Frankie beats her to it. “You must be really hard up if you’re pining for someone who’s basically forgotten about you,” she says sharply. “I suggest you move on, unless you can’t handle it. Maybe you’re the one who’s not a big girl.”
A ripple of laughter moves down the table, more than a few demons smothering their grins. Sable’s face tightens, purple eyes flashing. Before she can spit something back, Graven cuts her off. His hand closes around her wrist, tugging her back. “Enough, Sable. Don’t mistake Zarreth’s restraint for weakness.” His gaze flicks to me, a subtle nod of respect before sliding away.
Jess tilts her head, eyes flashing with mischief as they settle on the two of them. “Cute. Your little boy toy’s keeping you on a leash tonight.” Ha! For once I don’t mind her mouth running. I catch her eye, giving her a quick nod. Her lips twitch, proud of herself.
Graven’s shoulders tighten, the only sign he’s holding back. Beside him, Sable slumps, lips pursed in a pout because the conversation didn’t go as planned.
Frankie leans in, a hand half-covering her mouth as a giggle slips free, light but wicked. Her lips brush my ear as she whispers, “Is it wrong to wish my necklace would stop working long enough for me to make her bleed.”
