The man took one look at the fury on akri-Thorn’s face and quickly scrambled away.
Simi arched a brow. “Should the Simi ask?”
“The Simi shouldn’t talk to strangers. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. Or the thoughts in his head where you are concerned.”
Smiling, Simi licked the sauce off her forefinger. “It okies, Thorny-man. Akri says the Simi’s allowed to barbecue any human man who tries to puts his hands on the Simi without her permission.”
“Good.” He took the seat beside her. “Nice to know Acheron has some sense.”
There was a peculiar note in his tone that made Simi curious. “Akri-Thorn … you’re not jealous is you?”
“Of course not.”
“You sound jealous.”
Again, he scoffed. “I just worry about you.”
“If you say so. But it didn’t sound like worry to the Simi,” she teased. “Sounded like jealousy.”
To her amazement, he actually blushed. “Don’t talk to strangers, Simi.”
Before she could ask him about that, he excused himself and headed toward the stairs where a parlor was set up for card games.
Dev-bear came over to her. With long, curly blond hair he wore pulled back in a queue, he frowned at Simi. “You know Thorn?”
“I do.”
“Is he all right? He seemed a little flustered.”
Simi held her hands up and shrugged. “Guess he didn’t like the Simi teasing on him. Weird, right?”
Dev-bear tossed the white hand towel he was holding over his shoulder. “You want me to order you more food, Miss Simi?”
“Thank you, but the Simi’s finally getting a bit full.”
“I’ll let the kitchen staff know they can slow down now.”
Simi sat there for a few more minutes, thinking over Thorn’s strange reaction. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.
They’d been such good friends for so long.
But then akri was the same way. He never liked for unknown men to approach her. He got extremely testy whenever someone new came around, especially now that she was looking more like a young woman.
Simi wasn’t sure what she thought about growing up. Charonte were very different than other species. Asides from being so slow to age, there were other things, too.
And it bothered her that she was the only one of her kind. She kept asking akra-Apollymi about her sissy and brother, but the goddess wouldn’t tell her anything other than she was unique and akri’s guardian.
Whenever she went to visit the goddess, there were never any other Charonte there like they used to be.
Simi was all alone.
Your job is to watch over Apostolos, Simi. He’s your family.
But it was lonely being the only one of her kind. She missed being able to speak Charonte and laughing about silly humans with her demonic brethren.
While akri and akri-Lexi were wonderful and she loved them, she did want to see other Charontes. Though akri could look like a Charonte sometimes. He just very seldom did it and it wasn’t the same as all time Charonte.
Simi turned her hand over and curled her fingers so that she could study her nails. They were actually more akin to claws. Thicker than human fingernails. Stronger.
