My eyes narrow. If that’s how he feels, then why do I feel like I would rip someone’s hand off and shove it up their ass for touching him? “Do you have more than one mate?” My tone isn’t accepting like his. Modeus pauses just as he’s about to take another bite, and his eyes lift to mine.
“No, princess, I believe I am well and truly owned by only you.” He lifts the arm of his free hand and twists his wrist, showing me the golden cuff along his arm that matches the one around his neck. The words he chose could be taken as offensive, but it’s clear by his sultry tone and the heated look in his eyes that he doesn’t feel enslaved, or maybe he does and he’s happy to be.
“Good.” I push the plate over to him with two more slices of toast, and then I make myself more.
* * *
It’sstrange moving around my house with someone else in it. It’s not that I’ve never had an overnight guest, I just usually send them on their way once we’re done with each other. It’s even stranger to me that I don’t want to get rid of Modeus. I mean, I understand his appeal and grasp the fact that we’re matched for a reason, so in theory, it all makes sense, but my mind is still trying to wrap itself around the fact that I could accept him so easily and like it.
Added to that is the fact that he’s still moving around me like we’re polarized magnets. He’s never too close but never too far either. “Modeus.” He jerks his head up at my call, meeting my eyes. I don’t even know what I want to say to him until that moment. “I’m going to the club.” It’s one of the last things I want to do, but duty tells me that’s where I should be, and I feel like I’m about to climb out of my skin with the need to do something.
“Before we go,” he starts. Thewepart catches my attention. It seems my shadow may be a permanent fixture. “I would like to speak with you about Harlow.” Now he really has my attention.
“Okay?” I lean my ass against the counter and cross my arms, preparing for whatever this could be.
“How often did he return to that property?” he inquires.
“I don’t know.” It hurts me to say that, but I tell him the truth.
“Neither do I, but I do know he visited Sacred City. If he was going to…stop existing, wouldn’t it make more sense if he were there with her?” Yes, it would. It’s the same reason I went there first. The piece of Harlow that lived within the walls of their home died when my mother did, which is why he moved us to the city and the clubhouse.
Modeus continues, “Harlow was formidable in all things. It never crossed my mind someone could have kept him from you, so I jumped to a conclusion when I heard he was missing, but I can no longer stand behind that notion without question.”
I take a moment to absorb Modeus’ words. “You don’t think he went there with the intention of giving up and joining his mate?”
He shakes his head infinitesimally, but it’s enough that I notice. “I owe him more than an assumption,” he says in lieu of a direct answer.
My heart skips a beat, and I have the urge to kiss the hell out of the demon, and not just because I know he can deliver orgasms that make me forget my name. It takes me a second to form a response, and my throat feels tight, but eventually I admit, “It never crossed my mind that he would do something like that until Salvador put it in my head.”
Modeus makes a grunting sound. “The vampire is posturing for dominance as well.”
I snort. “Thana is a bitch who would slice anyone’s throat if it meant she could use their blood as lube to fuck others over.”
“I always wondered why Harlow allowed her to be his sergeant,” Modeus discloses.
“He has a soft spot for orphans.” I slip my cut on over my shirt. It feels necessary to claim my colors and my place today, even if it’s not a position I wanted to be in. The rocker on my back feels heavy, but I know it’s just my head fucking with me.
Modeus admires me from my heavy boots up to my dusty violet hair. His gaze is more weighted than the vest and definitely hotter. When the tip of his tongue peeks out from between his full lips, I can’t help but think about what that tongue felt like inside me last night.
Modeus stalks closer with loose limbs and heavy-lidded eyes. I realize I’m breathing faster before I register the rise in my heart rate. He’s deadly. I wonder if this is how his presence affects everyone.
I absolutely hate admitting a weakness, but I feel like I don’t have a choice here. “Can you simmer it down?” My voice is husky, belying my words but proving my point.
“Lore.” He’s close enough that I feel the whisper of his breath stir my hair. “It’s not my demon affecting you. I would never,willnever, take that choice from you.” His lips touch the side of my face near my temple, and my eyes fall closed.
Gods, he smells divine, like new leather and sweet cigars. My mouth waters, though it’s not food I’m hungry for. “You’re telling me…” I have to actually think about what I want to say before I can finish. “That you’re not doing this?”
“Doing what exactly?” he asks, but he doesn’t play dumb well.
I grit my teeth, even though I would like nothing more than to bury my nose against his throat and taste his skin. “You are the Prince of Lust, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.”
“The only thing I’m doing is answering your call.” He doesn’t refrain from touching me. I feel his fingertips on the outside of my hip as he secures his hold and pulls me closer. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.
“The first time I saw you, I thought I’d been replaced by a queen of lust or bewitched.” His hand kneads my ass, and all I can think about is him sliding his fingers a little lower. “I assure you, I’m not doing anything to fan the flames.”
“That’s almost more concerning.” I shift my hand up and settle my palm on his side. The relief I receive from giving into the temptation to touch him eases some of the tension in my back and shoulders. The overwhelming desire to connect with him seems to be sated in more than one way. That’s reassuring, because while fucking him every few hours might be more favorable, this is much more reasonable. Apparently, I have a lot to learn about being mated, or at least being mated to him.
“My brothers would find it fitting that I am burdened with the very thing I caused in so many. I now have a true understanding of why they would be willing to give up so much for just a small taste.” Modeus chuckles darkly, and I actually shiver at the sound.
