Goddamn that stupid purple asshole for keeping me in the dark about everything. There isn’t anyone else here I can ask. Krav lives alone except for a pet I’ve never seen, and his creepy shadow servants, who flit about silently and do all the menial stuff like housekeeping.
Sliding intoextended child’s pose, I inhale slowly and close my eyes, trying not to think about how much I’d love a latte right about now. Then I’d head over to Texas Roadhouse for some of their delicious starter rolls with that sweet whipped butter…
Mindfulness, I remind myself sternly.Gratitude. Sure, this is a weird situation but it could be so much worse. You could have died. Krav could have literally killed and eaten you… or not been quite so strikingly attractive… or so focused on your pleasure. Yes, the food is strange, but at least you can eat it, and some of it is even tasty. You can understand what the aliens are saying—and speak their language. You can still do yoga.
I should just try to take things one day at a time, and be grateful for the silver linings in the meantime.
With fresh resolve, I rise up off my mat and take stock of the room Krav had prepared for me. It’s so freakingbare. It needs pictures, pillows, rugs, throws, scented candles…
It needs to be welcoming. Right now, there’s just a big bed with a metal frame that looms high above it and makes it look like a cage, a bare floor, and a window with what a realtor might call:a picturesque view of the surrounding lava lake.
Spinning on my heels, I set off in search of the demon.
Krav is in his library, peering intently at a set of scrolls. When I enter, he looks over and the corner of his mouth quirks up, revealing his dimple. “Pet. What can I do for you?”
“My bedroom. I need… things to make it nice. To make it pretty.”
His mystic topaz eyes flash with interest. “Is that so? Do you know why you want these things?”
“Is it important?” As it happens, I have no idea where this sudden urge has come from.
“No. I am happy to give you anything your heart desires.”
Aside from answers, I think savagely, but I favor him with a smile. Better to bring him around slowly. Wear him down over time. Cooperate. He doesn’t react well when I stamp my feet and demand things. “Thank you.” Then, when he makes no move to get up, “Er… d’you think we could do it right now, please?”
“This very moment?”
“Yeah. If that’s possible. Please.”
Setting his reading aside, he lumbers up out of his chair and I tense as he prowls in my direction, bracing myself for his scent to hit me. The bitter, musky chocolate rolls up through my core and I clench my thighs around the sudden longing. Like he can read my thoughts, Krav shoots me a wink as he strolls past me. “We could do other things in your bedroom, if you prefer.”
“I’m okay, thanks.” I can’t say I’m not tempted, but weirdly, the urge to spruce up my room is stronger than the pulsing in my clit. Besides, I do need to give my nether regions a break. We’ve done nothing but fuck, eat, and sleep since I arrived.
I follow Krav as he prowls along the corridors of his vast castle. Ajynxwhooshes by in a blur of shadow, making me jump. Will I ever get used to those creepy things? Krav says they’re harmless but they startle the crap out of me.
“Here we are,” he announces, rather unnecessarily, when we cross the threshold to my room. “Tell me what you need.”
“What do you have?” I counter. “Is there a storage closet somewhere?”
He lifts his huge, talon-tipped hands, as big as bear paws. “Tell me what you need, my pet, and I will make it for you.”
I say the first thing that comes to mind. “A big, purple pillow with tassels.”
His hands move so fast they’re a blur and then, a shower of silver sparks later, he hands me a gorgeous cushion.
“Holy fuck. That is a serious talent.”
He gives a shrug, his tail flicking out behind him. “You already knew I could do this.” I follow his gaze to my yoga mat, which I left spread out on the floor.
“Yeah, but it’s still taking some getting used to. Can you makeanything?”
“Not people. Nothing that can be ingested, like food or drink. And I need to be able to see what I’m making in my mind before my hands can follow.”
“So if you can’t imagine it, you can’t make it?”
He gives a little huff of impatience. “What else do you need for your nest, little Omega?”
“Nest? Weird choice of word. I just want to make my room pretty.”
