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“It doesn’t surprise me because she’s clearly not his mate,” Freddy countered.

“Eh, I think she is, otherwise he would have killed her by now,” Marv responded.

I growled low. “You both realize you switch sides on the whole mate bullshite every time you force your opinions into my conscious?” I insisted, then slapped my cheek hard, accidentally biting my tongue but thankfully loosening the demon’s hold.

“Huh? What did you say?” Miko asked, a cute sleepy slur drawing out the words, and lifted her head. My muscles flexed as she pushed a hand against my quads, her little nails, digging in.

I squeezed my eyes shut and constrained myself not to react farther than I already had, then gritted my teeth and peeled my lids open. My legs crossed and I resettled her ass on my thigh rather than laying on my throbbing hard-on. If she looked at my lap there would be no mistaking the stressed material.

“Honeybee? You alright?” I asked, retracting my thick claws and running the slightly rounded pad of my thumb along her cheekbone.

Her glazed eyes cleared and she blinked, flinching away from me, but I tightened my hold on her waist with my other hand. I held my smile in place, making sure it wasn't too wide and give away how truly unhinged as I was.

Miko’s muscles relaxed quicker than I hoped. “You,” she uttered and toyed with her medusa piercing.

“Where are we?” she asked, appearing to be, at least for the moment, not aware of my physical and mental struggles.

“I’m not sure, Lass,” I replied. “But it appears to a newly forged cage inside a cottage.

“Fantastic,” she responded flatly, however, I didn’t miss the way she rubbed her collarbone and fiddled with her necklace, betraying her nonchalant demeanor.

My protective side hated the worry her fidgeting displayed. I clenched my jaw and eyed the enchantment around us, searching for a flaw or any way to dismantle it.

“Could someone so lovely really be an enemy?” I mumbled under my breath.

“Yes,” Marv scoffed. “Don't be a fool. If you grow feelings for the woman, it'll be that much harder to kill her.”

“I'm not going to kill her,” I hissed near silently and rolling my eyes.

Miko tilted her head and I smirked, several pieces of her unbound hair falling into her eyes. The gesture seemed curious in nature rather concerned, as if she was already growing used to my constant on and off conversations with myself or just didn’t hear what I said. I reached forward and tucked them behind her ear, that worrisome spot next to my heart threatening to cave in on itself if I didn’t touch more of her, groaning at the way her lips parted.

My not-mate’s heartbeat sped up, her pulse akin to a pair of hummingbird’s wings as she swallowed audibly, her eyes roaming everywhere but my face, but she didn’t try to climb off my lap. Yet.

“I’ll find us a way out of this. I always do. No one can keep me in a bleedin’ cage for long.”

She huffed. “Except that giant.”

“That’s not fair. I wasn’t really in there for so long, at least I don’t think so. Plus, I hadn’t really tried all that hard to escape, especially when there was an adorable honeybee bumbling about and distracting me. Just ask Goosey if you don’t believe me.” I inhaled deeply and grinned. It was clear Miko didn’t mind long silences, only speaking if she truly wanted to, but I had to continuously spew word vomit in order to keep focus on something other than how my brain constantly frayed at the seams.

She raised her eyes until they met mine, holding my stare unwaveringly. “Is that why you gave me that nickname? Honeybee?”

I nodded, leaning closer to her. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Miko looked away, only for her gaze to land on my lap and still very present erection staining against it confines. Her sent deepened, stronger notes of honey mixing with undeniable arousal.

She raised her chin as her eyes narrowed and thighs pressed together. “Not at all, Bane. But be warned, eventually I will come up with a pet name for you too.”

I chuckled darkly, then bent my head until my lips hovered a breath away from hers, “Oh? Consider me terrified.”

Miko’s eyelids fluttered as I trailed a hand to her throat and collared her, my long, thick fingers overlapping at the base of her neck. Her breathy pants hitched, warm breath ghosting across my cheeks. I moaned as a thought spiked into my brain. I bet it wouldn’t take much convincing to have her on her knees, my cock buried deep in her throat. My wings shivered, knocking into the glowing bars.

At once, reality popped our carnal bubble, both of us quickly drawing back. Miko grabbed my hand with both of hers trying to pry it from her neck. I let her, for now, giving her a gentle squeeze, then dropping my hand onto my bent knee. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop my tail from winding over her hip, causing my not-mate to yelp and try to scramble away from me but only succeeding in pinning her upper back between the magical enclosure and the edge of a wing.

My eyes widened, and I used my tail to right her, it’s prehensile state endlessly useful. It was like having another limb.

My honeybee’s nostrils flared as she fought to stabilize her breathing. “I forgot you had a tail.”

I gasped with mock outrage. “How dare you forget about my tail? It’s too majestic to be missed. Not to mention endlessly handy.” I demonstrated by moving it to line up with her spine. “Lean back, it’ll hold you.”