CHAPTER 18
Zarreth
“Drink up!” My mother’s voice carries to where Macen, Ronin, and I are standing outside the tent.
A demon with bone spurs along his jawline stands on the other end of the table, shaking his head and pouring back a shot.
Frankie and Jess have been reunited for less than an hour and they already have a group of demons playing drinking games.
“My turn.” Beleth pushes the large demon out of the way.
“You’re going down, Anatha.” She holds the quarter between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes shifting between the shot glass and the coin.
She throws the quarter on the table, but instead of bouncing, it shoots off to the side and lands on the ground.
Frankie giggles, placing a hand over her mouth as she bends over to pick up the quarter. “I can’t lie…that sucked.”
Beleth playfully slaps her arm.
“Here let me help you.” Frankie grips the quarter, angling it slightly. “You want the back edge of the coin to hit first so it bounces better. She bounces the quarter and it goes right into the glass. “Like that.”
Ronin groans. “Oh Gods, They’ve only been reunited for an hour and they're already corrupting our mothers. We better hurry. I don’t know if I can handle four of them.”
I laugh. He’s not wrong.
Watching Frankie laugh with my mother has me hopeful. If she’s this at ease, maybe she’ll let me make up for being an ass earlier.
Her eyes light up the moment they find mine, and the pull between us slams into me like it did the first time. Fuck, I hope that feeling never goes away. If she can look at me like that, maybe she’s not angry with me anymore.
“Zarreth!” she exclaims, weaving her way between demons grinding against one another to the music.
“I’m happy to see you enjoying yourself,” I say as she leaps into my arms. I smell alcohol on her breath and am thankful it’s not demon brew. That stuff would’ve leveled her.
“It’s impossible not to when hanging around Beleth and your mom,” she laughs.
Her expression quickly changes. She must’ve remembered this morning’s fight. Dropping out of my arms, her hands fall to her hips. “Oh yeah. I forgot I’m mad at you.”
I give her the smile I know she loves but pretends to hate. “I can help you forget again.”
Her tongue slides over a fang, eyes narrowing, hitting me with the one thing she knows will undo me. “Oh you think so, huh?”
That mouth of hers has my fingers sliding to the side of her throat, right where she likes them. Her pulse jumps and the world narrows. All I want is her mouth. Her body. The way she folds for me when I tell her to. “Careful. If you want my focus on you, you’ll get all of it.”
Her lips part, already waiting. I tighten my grip enough to feel her breath shift.
“Seriously? Do you two ever quit?” Ronin scoffs.
Frankie steps back, but her eyes stay locked on mine. The tiny curl at the corner of her mouth tells me she knows exactly how fast I would’ve taken her behind the nearest tent if Ronin hadn’t opened his mouth.
Jess joins us, followed by an annoyed looking Graven. “I think we need to hand the title of Quarter Queens over to the moms—they’ve earned it.”
“Thank Gods.” Ronin jerks his thumb toward us. “These two are at it again.”
Frankie giggles and it’s fucking music to my ears.
“Also…” Ronin tugs a piece of Jess’ hair. “Are you corrupting my mother?”
She laughs. “Are you kidding? That woman is corrupting me…and I love her for it.”
Graven tips his chin toward the only space that has enough room for all of us. “Looks like that table’s free, unless you’d rather stand all night.” Unfortunately, the table he’s talking about happens to be the one where Sable is sitting.
I start to object when Frankie cuts in. “As long as she keeps her mouth shut and doesn’t start singing again, I don’t mind.”
Decision made, we drift toward the table. Frankie claims a spot on a bench without hesitation, unbothered by Sable’s glare. That’s my girl. Gods, my mate is attractive.
Voices falter when I sit, the same way they always do lately. Too many eyes on me, too much weight in their stares. It makes me uncomfortable. Frankie presses her knee to mine, grounding me, as conversations resume.
“…I heard they had some sort of chase-and-claim game at theirs.”
Jess perks up instantly. “Ooh, like a find-me-fuck-me game?”
Frankie rolls her eyes as the demon leans closer to Jess, his tail lazily swaying behind him. “Exactly like that.” He grins, clearly enjoying her interest.
Jess smirks, eyes dropping to his tail. “Careful with that thing. I may want to keep it as a souvenir.”
Graven cuts in before the demon can respond. “Humans wouldn’t be allowed to play, anyway. You’d last all of two seconds.” His tone is clipped, sharper than usual.
Jess only winks at him. “Guess you’ll never know, Gray.”
Sable leans forward, voice sweet but edged with acid. “Ignore her. No one’s here for humans…well, most of us anyway.” Her gaze snaps to me, waiting for a reaction I don’t bother giving. The flicker of irritation that crosses her face is satisfying.
Frankie turns to me. “Chase-and-claim? Sounds fun!”
Sable speaks up once again before I can get a word out, eager to steal the spotlight. “It only happens during mating ceremonies. Usually they have one of those trashy S&M stations. It’s so barbaric.”
Ha, she never knew what I wanted in bed, and clearly still doesn’t.
Frankie’s eyes flick to mine. Holding back a smile, she walks her fingers up my thigh under the table.
Fuck, I am a lucky demon. The rest of the table fades to the background—Jess teasing the demon’s tail, Ronin off doing Ronin things.
None of it matters, not when Frankie’s looking at me like that.
But then Sable’s voice cuts through, too loud to be anything but deliberate, dragging me out of the moment, as she launches into some story about the ritual she and I once attended together.
“I’m trying to remember who caught me last time,” she says, tapping an index finger against her chin like she didn’t know it was me. I’m about to step in, but she snaps her fingers, looking directly at Frankie. “Oh, of course…it was Zarreth. How could I forget?”
Gods, I want to wring her fucking neck. What the hell did I ever see in her? Was she always this conniving?
Frankie’s nostrils are flaring, fingers curling until her knuckles turn white, the faint shimmer of smoke beginning to stir in the gem at her neck. I know she can handle her own, but I’ve fucking had it.
I slam my hand on the table. “Shut the fuck up, Sable. That was so long ago, I barely remember it. I’m surprised you do, given the number of partners you’ve had.”
Her head pulls back, in shock, but she still doesn’t have the sense to shut her mouth. “Oh puhleeze, like you’d forget our first orgy together. Stop acting all innocent in front of Frankie. She’s a big girl, she can handle it.”
My voice drops low, the warning clear. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
She leans in, eyes gleaming as she prepares for a snide remark, but Frankie beats her to it.
“You must be really hard up if you’re pining for someone who’s basically forgotten about you,” she says sharply.
“I suggest you move on, unless you can’t handle it.
Maybe you’re the one who’s not a big girl. ”
A ripple of laughter moves down the table, more than a few demons smothering their grins.
Sable’s face tightens, purple eyes flashing.
Before she can spit something back, Graven cuts her off.
His hand closes around her wrist, tugging her back.
“Enough, Sable. Don’t mistake Zarreth’s restraint for weakness.
” His gaze flicks to me, a subtle nod of respect before sliding away.
Jess tilts her head, eyes flashing with mischief as they settle on the two of them. “Cute. Your little boy toy’s keeping you on a leash tonight.” Ha! For once I don’t mind her mouth running. I catch her eye, giving her a quick nod. Her lips twitch, proud of herself.
Graven’s shoulders tighten, the only sign he’s holding back. Beside him, Sable slumps, lips pursed in a pout because the conversation didn’t go as planned.
Frankie leans in, a hand half-covering her mouth as a giggle slips free, light but wicked. Her lips brush my ear as she whispers, “Is it wrong to wish my necklace would stop working long enough for me to make her bleed.”
I love when she’s feisty. Sliding my hand up her thigh, I respond. “Is it wrong that the thought of you making her bleed turns me on?”
“We can hear you,” Sable cuts in, voice sharp.
I’m thankful when Graven lifts a finger, tilting her chin back to him. “Then why don’t you focus on me instead?” His gaze flicks Jess’ way, then settles on Sable. “You know I’ll keep you entertained.”
That’s all it takes for Sable to finally shift her attention as she leans into him, a smug smile on her lips.
Jess coils the demons’ tail around her fingers, her smile a little dimmer than usual.
The mood around the table changes as the others draw closer to one another, their movements slower, more deliberate. Frankie leans into me, and that’s all it takes for my hand to slip higher, brushing the damp heat between her legs. My voice lowers. “Ready for me so soon?”
Her fingers run through my hair. “Always,” she purrs, gently tugging as my eyes sharpen. I need to get her out of here before I pin her to the nearest wall and tear through anyone stupid enough to watch.
The urge to trace her away is too strong. I can taste her already, imagining her cries echoing in the dark. I wrap an arm around her waist, but she plants a palm on my chest. “What are you doing? I want to stay.”
My eyes cut straight to a demon who's been watching Frankie since we sat down. Despite the female grinding on his lap, he doesn’t look away. Not even when she slips her shirt over her head and lets it drop to the ground.
Ha! Not a fucking chance. These guys can fuck out in the open all they want, but not my mate.
The look on her face tells me she’ll fight every step of the way if I drag her out.
And fuck if I don’t want exactly that, but somehow I find enough sense to remind myself that I need to compromise.
“Shadows then. You can watch, but don’t forget who’s making you scream. ”