“She will,” I promised, meaning every word, as Cas remained rigid, every muscle locked as he worked to push back the monster. After Brummy nearly dying, we all needed a break, so I took a page from Zane’s book and tried to lighten things up. “I will say this for her, though. Because of her, we foundyou.AndBrumous.” I paused, making sure I had Seri’s attention. “Not only that, but her trick with the antifreeze gave me an idea. A way to let you participate in the hunt tomorrow without endangering you.”
“Really?”
She dropped her arms from Cas, who was just starting to loosen his hands, and launched herself at me. I fell back on the bed, pulling her with me, chuckling as she straddled my waist and lay down on top of me, her arms around my neck as she kissed my chin.
“Yes, really. Do you want to hear my genius plan now or tomorrow?”
“We haven’t discussed this,” Cas said slowly, still recovering.
“There’s nothing to discuss. I’ll take along some spy eyes that will relay feed to the holo table. Beloved, you can be our bonus eyes and ears wearing the VR headset. It will be like you’re right there with us. If you see something we don’t, you can alert us. If it works, I’ll order some three-sixty helmet cams for us and—”
“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Koko!”
She wiggled excitedly on top of me, causing a predictable reaction down below. She was so light, still too thin despite our constant efforts to feed her, but the way she pressed against me was exactly how I liked it.
As for Cas, my words had dissolved the last of his anger, probably because it gave him a new area to focus on. I could almostseethe calculations happening behind his eyes. The risk assessment, the contingency planning, all the ways he automatically protected those he cared about. Finally, he nodded.
“Spy eyes. Modified holo feed. VR headset integration. She monitors from the security room,” he summoned up. “Directs via comms. We rig the eyes with motion sensors. Thermal overlay. We’ll need protocols. For comms especially—”
“So it’s a go?” I smirked at him, knowing it was.
“Yes. A very solid and reasonable idea,” he conceded, which was high praise from him.
“Thanks,” I replied dryly. “I’m known to have some.”
Then his shoulders finally relaxed, most likely because of our girl’s ass wriggling around since that’s where his eyes were fixed, and he climbed on top of us, careful to keep most of his bulk off of Seri, but still squashing her between us.
The change in pressure, in both her core against my growing erection and Cas’ weight, pulled a groan from deep in my chest. Cas leaned down until his lips brushed her ear, his voice dropping to a silky purr that never failed to make her toes curl.
“Does that please you, little wife?”
Sure enough, she shivered as she arched back against him while still pressed to my chest. Her eyes, when they met mine, were dark with a hunger that I’d missed seeing this past week.
“It does.” She rolled her hips in a deliberate motion that made me bite back another groan. “Now let me please you just as much.”
That set a whole different mood to the moment. Her words triggered an automatic response from both Cas and me as we spoke at the same time.
“You don’t have to—”
She cut us off with a shake of her head, curls bouncing around her shoulders, the braid Cas had barely started coming undone.
“I’m sorry I haven’t felt like doing much lately.” Her cheeks flushed pink as she stared at my throat. “I forgot how miserable periods were.”
The hesitation in her voice broke my heart a little. Even now, months after we’d claimed her, she still worried about disappointing us. Still carried the weight of Arabesque’s conditioning that her only value was in what she could do for others. What others couldtakefrom her.
“Are you referring to the rapid depletion of chocolates from your personal cupboard?” Cas leaned in to kiss the side of her throat, making her hum. “Because I find that quite reasonable.”
She giggled, and I smiled, relief washing through me at the return of lightness between us.
“Zane will be happy to hear it wasn’t because you were punishing us,” I teased, my hands running up and down her hips.
The smile vanished from her face so quickly, it was like I’d slapped her.
“Punishingyou? Why would I— I would never—” She struggled to get the words out, looking horrified. “Did hereallythink that? That I was… Because you wouldn’t let me come on a hunt?”
“No.” Cas shot me a look that clearly read,Fix this, idiot. “None of us thought that.”
“I was joking, beloved,” I rushed to explain, mentally kicking myself. “Weallknow you’d never use sex as a weapon.”
