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I laughed deep from my belly. “Oddly fitting though, eh?”

Her lips twitched, and I swear-to-fuck I witnessed the shadow of a smile. She didn’t respond to my prodding, merely stared into me as if she could see right through my bullshit, then turned and walked off.

“I saw that, Meeky-Bo-Peepy,” I added, chuckling harder as she raised a middle finger over her head, swaying her pert little hourglass figure and walking out of sight around a corner.

Fuck me, it’s hard not to like her.

Freddy croaked a harsh scoff. “Too bad she’ll never like you in return.”

“Who’s to say? She is his mate after all,” Marv replied.

Freddy laughed, “Definitely not his mate.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what. I’m not letting either of your negative comments get to me today.”

They laughed and spoke in unison. “Sure, you won’t.”

I didn’t bother figuring out which demon had to have the last word; I meant what I said. My taloned toes clicked lightly against the hardwood floor as I dropped the glamor and followed closely behind her. Miko grabbed a discarded book from the study table she passed, an enchanting glimmer forming in her blue-purple irises and a small, closed lip smile transforming her features.

“Mate,” I growled. “Mine.” The words came from my mouth before I was even conscious of them, and I shoved away the resulting growl of irritation. “No, she isn’t. I won’t fall for your tricks, brain.”

Huff dropped his illusion of invisibility and smiled wide enough that his needle-like teeth showed through his overly fluffy face. “Yes. Fated Mate!”

I felt delirium creeping into my stare, guilt bubbling violently within me as his smile dropped, absorbed underneath his fluffy face once more. My gaze darted to the floor and I turned my attention back to Miko, noticing the way her fingers caressed the raised title of the book on the cover, then clasped it to her chest as she as she speed-walked.

Huff tapped a paw against my nose. “Baney,” he whispered.

“Hm?”

“She's heading into the fairytale section.”

My heart just about fell out of my arse. “Fuck.”

She scrambled up one of the built-in ladders but realized too late the shelf she required was still too far down the bookcase. She sighed, shoulders curling, and made to step down with the book still in hand. A half gasp, half yelp issued from her pink painted lips as her body started to fade, a hazy shroud coating her body.

“No!” I shouted, shoving hard off the floor and flying to catch her as she and the, now open, book fell. My hand wrapped around her ankle just as the remainder of her body dissipated into a swirling mist, sucking us into the book.

CHAPTER 8

Mean Muggin’ Lollipops

BANE

Icracked open one eye as the disorienting feelings of literally falling arse-over-kettle into a fairytale subsided, staring at a murky pink sky through a jagged hole in the roof above me. My eyes turned to slits as I noticed the deep ruby shade of whatever was used in place of thatch, woven together in the traditional way, pieces of it dangling like loose threads from the edge.

I sat up, wincing as a moan greeted my ears. My gaze tracked lower and I sucked in a breath, spotting Miko where she sprawled on top of me, her weight so slight compared to mine that I hadn’t felt her lying there.

My wings splayed awkwardly behind me, the long ends smooshed into the floor as I gathered a section of her blueberry sundae colored hair from where it cascaded messily around my thighs, groin, and lower stomach, then gently unwove the now messy, haphazard braid. I hadn’t the slightest notion what style of braid it was, but it looked sufficiently complicated and I had no hope of replicating her efforts.

I couldn’t stop the purr building within me, vibrating behind my ribs as I leisurely combed her long strands with my fingers. Still, I refused to acknowledge the reason behind the instinct. “So, soft,” I uttered too quietly for her human ears to detect.

She moaned again the sound combining with her light exhale breezing over my lower abs. I sunk my teeth into my lip, heedless of the resultant sweetly metallic taste as a swiftly stiffening erection twitched against the top of what must be her breasts. The breath stalled in my lungs and my entire body froze, well, aside from Mason, my delinquent cock, which continued to harden. Disobedient little shit that he was.

“He’s talking to his junk again,” Marv complained.

Freddy laughed, the obnoxious pitch grating against the inside of my skull. “So? That’s nothing new.”

Marv huffed. “I prefer to ponder about other more interesting things, like the fact that his mate is lying on him with her face basically pressed to his groin. Yet, he’s too chicken shit to accept the truth and take her.”