Page 29 of His Human to Chase

“We give him five days,” Ralleth says before turning to his brother. “You wanted to speak to me about something the new human wants?”

We listen to Rallan tell Ralleth Simone’s plan of going to the tribe where all of the males have been coming from to either ask for them to return Alice or to show them that we are willing not to be so secretive with our females. Ralleth likes the plan about as much as everyone else does, which means he hates it. Simone glares at him as he picks apart the plan piece by piece, but Rallan always has answers for him about how he will ensure everything goes as smoothly as it can.

“I will be honest with you because you were honest with me when you showed me your mate,” Rallan finally says as he sits back in his chair, a crease of worry marring his scales. “We are going. I will escort the insufferable female to my tribe along with Marron. I am offering you a courtesy since you are my brother, but that courtesy ends when you deny her what she wants.”

“You are sure?” Ralleth’s lips pull back in a snarl.

“I am,” Rallan glances over to Simone, who only glares at the both of them.

“Fine,” The word is spat like it tastes bad in Ralleth’s mouth. “I ask that you wait the five days so we at least give Toron time to find his mate and bring her back home before you tell the world of the humans we have in this tribe.”

“Of course,” Rallan agrees eagerly. “My leader is an honorable male. He will not come to battle for your females. If anything, he will want to know what you have done here to be blessed by the goddess so that we might find the same blessings. The females in our tribe are dwindling each generation. Those near my age are enough in number to sate the needs of the males they bless with their companionship, but most have already mated by now. Those who remain unmated are wooed incessantly and would probably enjoy reprieve.”

Simone’s jaw ticks as she grinds her teeth together, her eyes narrowing on Rallan when he talks about being sated by a female. He notices her and works hard to keep his face neutral instead of making it clear to her that he has seen her jealousy. We all have because we’re all only paying attention to them. I’m more surprised than anything because I really thought Simone didn’t want anything to do with Rallan, but apparently, she doesn’t want anyone else to have anything to do with him, either.

Ralleth ignores the two of them and instead rubs at his eyes with the pads of his fingers. “We will need to start preparing the housing, farms, and trades again if we are to tell others of our females.”

Yril stiffens underneath me, and I squeeze his neck tighter, a reminder that I am there with him. He’s not supposed to talk right now. That’s been made perfectly clear by Ralleth. All we can do is sit and listen, hoping that someone else asks the questions we want to ask.

“You expect them to want to send males?” Almaac is the one who asks, and the growl in his voice vibrates the air around us. “After all that they have done, you would still offer them a place in our tribe if they asked?”

“It will be expected.” Ralleth tenses in his seat, his fingers grabbing the arms of his chair tightly as his claws scratch into the wood. “We can postpone them for a while, but if we do not offer at least one or two a year to reside here to see if they can find a mate, they will begin to question if we truly have good intentions or not.”

“Our mason is still out searching for his mate and will not be able to repair the homes until he has claimed her,” Dath says. “That will buy us some time, especially if we mention the males who came seeking to steal our females.”

“My leader will not expect this of you immediately,” Rallen adds. “A year or more, he will offer you to get residences completed, farms running. We have not been unaware of the status of your tribe in mine. He might even be willing to send some tradesmen up if it would please you to allow us to help you.”

Every reassurance Rallan and Dath give Ralleth only has him tensing more and more. “I will discuss this with my mate and with each of you individually. At this time, Rallan, yes, you may take your female—“

“Not his female,” Simone interjects.

Ralleth sighs before continuing. “You may take the female to your tribe in five days. I will have a letter completed by then and will have had a chance to discuss the details with everyone.” He pauses before retracting his claws and running a hand down Olivia’s back. “Are there any other questions before I take my mate to bed?”

Ralleth looks around the room once, skipping over Yril and me even though Yril is making sure to keep his head down. He gives everyone one final nod and starts to stand. I know I should just let it be and not say anything because I don’t want to get my demon in trouble, but I really need to know that he’s not in any trouble, or if he is, he can repent and make up for how he behaved.

“Are…” My voice comes out too soft, but everyone hears it since no one is talking. My fingers fiddle with one another in an attempt to soothe my nerves. I dare a glance up and see that Ralleth’s eyes are on me, and since they are, Yril is staring right back at him with fury coursing through his veins.

“Speak if you are going to speak, Yril’s mate.”

I swallow hard. “Are you going to punish Yril?”

Yril tenses underneath me, his hands moving to hold me tight against him. I don’t know if he thinks he needs to protect me right now or if he’s offering me gratitude by asking for him. I can feel his heart beating rapidly where our bodies touch, and his breathing is deep like he’s trying to keep himself calm.

Ralleth’s face softens when I look back up at him, but he doesn’t immediately answer me.

I chew on my lip as I feel tears welling in my eyes, and then I start to beg. “Please, just whatever you do, let me go with him. I know you guys banish people here, so like, if you do that, can I just go with him and make sure he’s okay?”

More silence as Ralleth stares down at me, more silence that allows me to hear nothing but the rapid thumps of Yril’s heart. My gut flips as the silence lingers. If he’s not agreeing to banish Yril, then that leaves physical punishment, imprisonment, or killing him. I can’t deal with any of those unless they’re willing to let me share a cell with him.

“Please, I can’t bear to watch you hurt him, and I can’t live without him.” I don’t bother wiping away the tears that are staining my cheeks. Maybe it’ll make me look more pitiful, and Ralleth will be encouraged to agree with me. “Banish him and let me go with him. We won’t bother the tribe ever again, and I’ll make sure he never comes close to it. Just don’t separate us, and please don’t hurt him.”

I look around the room to see if anyone is listening to me. Ralleth is staring at us, his eyes red and watching, but he doesn’t speak. The others are all either pointedly looking away from us or looking down at their hands. The only one who watches me beg for my mate is Dath, whose nostrils are flaring as he stares up at Ralleth, waiting for him to speak as well.

“Please—“ I go to start again, but Yril places a soft hand against my mouth, causing me to sob instead of finish my sentence. Yril wraps me up in his arms, pressing my face against his chest so I can sob against him.

“Shh,” He says softly above me. “They will do what is right for the tribe, but I will always be with you. Always in your soul, yes?” When I only cry harder against him, he rises slowly from his chair and carries me back down the hall to the room we’ve been staying in. “It’s okay, Skylar. I will make sure you are taken care of.”

“I don’t want to be taken care of!” I scream through the next sob that tries to tear itself through my throat. “I want you.”

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