“I’m simply looking for ways to save money, and while these are the more obvious, I have a list of some very actionable changes we can?—”
“Perhaps your intentions are honorable, but,” the Horn of Finance said with an impatient sigh, “the humans have been a disruption we are all recovering from. It is not your place to come in and implement all yourhumanideologies when we have been running on our own since our arrival on this plane.”
Bull-fucking-shit.
Tarzul’s smirk was cruel. “If you want a little coin to play around with, might I suggest asking your sponsor for responsibilities?”
Shame and embarrassment curdled in Rose’s gut, and she willed her eyes not to succumb to the burning. Especially as Elliran flashed her a sympathetic smile.
Rosalind was on a cliff, toes hanging over the edge. Lost to the swooping feeling where she knew she was tipping into the abyss and there was no anchor to hold her in place. Nothing but endless depths below.
Somehow she was out of the councilor’s office. Argeth was saying something about shrubberies, no comment on what had just transpired. Probably hadn’t even been paying attention.
At the first sight of a door, Rosalind took it, seeing nothing as she stopped following the councilor and crashed into the darkness. Another storage closet. Good. At this rate, she’d probably hide in all of them at least once this week.
Her fingers curled into the wood shelving as she tried to suck in a breath. One, two…
Start over.
Air wasn’t coming fast enough. Deep enough. Her heart wasn’t meant to work this hard or live in her throat and feet at the same time.
Her head spun, teeth aching from how hard she clenched her jaw.
List something, anything.
Achreos.
Barrens.
Claws—
“Is it alphabetized?”
A gasp left her throat, cool air filling her lungs.
Davarox.
The next breath came easier, just as the memories did. Massive gray fingers holding her chin in a way that was gentle but also firm.
“Kiss him.”
Lazerath.
Rosalind’s fingers loosened on the shelving, blood flowing back to her fingertips.
Warm hands on her shoulders. Lips against her neck. A hand between her breasts, feeling the rise and fall of her lungs.
It was so inappropriate for her to be thinking of them right now. Thinking of that night when it was only meant to be a one-time thing.
Yet it was their faces, their words, their kindness giving her air. Reminding her that she was capable of shutting off her brain and calming her heart. There had been a quiet for the first time in her life, and so what if she had to imagine that evening just to get an ounce of it right now?
No one would ever know.
Her shoulders slumped, the burn easing from her lungs as she caught her breath. Guilt could come later. Guilt that had been festering in the three days since she’d fallen asleep between two beautiful and sexy and kind demons and then snuck out in the middleof the night.
But Rose had too much to do: the humans, her work, the hours of catching up on policies to make sure there were no surprises. She had no time or space for anything more, even if that thought was starting to sit funny since meeting Laz and Dav.
She blinked back to the present, shaking her head. It had been foolish of her to open her mouth with the councilors. To try. Maybe she should have asked Mozke to do it for her, but then that was just making more work for someone else. It meant she was failing.
