I grunted. “Fine.”
“Splendid. And thank you, Muzo, for your cooperation.” Jade leaned on the balcony railing, ready to shift and fly back to the castle. “Coming, Cobalt?”
I glanced back at Muzo, who waved at me. That adorable mental image was enough to tide me over until the next morning—especially with the way he snuggled the blue dragon plushie close to his chest. Different name or not, it was still a symbol of me.
If Ihadto leave, then I was loath to do it without a goodnight kiss. I pressed a soft, quick kiss to Muzo’s cheek before joining Jade in the starry night sky.
Thirteen
Muzo
I spent abouttwo minutes being sad that Cobalt had to leave. Then the post-orgasm fatigue combined with the day’s exhaustion hit me like an eighteen-wheeler truck, and I passed out.
The next morning, I was shovelling food onto my plate at the all-inclusive breakfast buffet when a hesitant finger tapped me on the shoulder. Poppy stood behind me with a shy smile.
“Oh, hey, Pops,” I greeted, offering him a bite of my half-eaten roll. “Want some?”
“Ah, no, thank you.”
I shrugged and tossed the other half into my mouth. “What’s up?”
“How was your date with Cobalt last night?” he asked.
“It was awesome. I mean, I kinda screwed it up ‘cause I ate a bunch of chocolate beforehand, but we still had a great time. He’s really nice.”
I didn’t mention the part when he came over after and we gave each other hand jobs. That wasn’t the type of thing you discussed over breakfast.
Poppy’s smile brightened. “That’s wonderful. I’m happy to hear that.”
Alaric slipped into the conversation uninvited like a typical cat. “Once again, the wolf has forgotten this is a competition,” he said, taking a sip of coffee.
Poppy turned sharply to Alaric. “I haven’t forgotten!”
Both Alaric and I blinked in surprise at his outburst. That was a big reaction to one of Alaric’s run-of-the-mill sassy comments.
Realizing he’d raised his voice an inch, Poppy shrank. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to shout.”
Alaric snorted. “If that’s shouting, then the jackal’s regular speaking volume is louder than a jet engine.” He took another sip. “In any case, the bachelor clearly has no interest in either of us.”
Poppy’s eyes flashed with hope. “You really think so?”
“I know so.” Alaric arched a brow. “Although I fail to see why you’re so chuffed about being a loser.”
“I’m not,” Poppy argued weakly.
“Sure. And I’m a Siamese.” Alaric sighed, rubbing his temple. “Honest to gods, if the producers drag us through every season of this show and Idon’tend up with a mate at the end...”
I munched on a strip of bacon as they went back and forth. For once, I agreed with Alaric. Why wasn’t Poppy invested in winning? He was a nice, sweet omega. He should have an equal chance with Cobalt.
Then a sharp, twisting pain stabbed my chest and I nearly dropped my bacon.
What the hell was that? Did I not want Poppy to be with Cobalt?
For the sake of experiment, I imagined the two of them together. This time, I actuallydiddrop my bacon.
No, I realized. I didn’t want anybody else to be with Cobalt except me.
The sensation was alien and bizarre. I wasn’t usually selfish. I never felt owed anything. But when it came to Cobalt, I distinctly didn’t want to share. I wanted him all to myself.
