Page 109 of The Female

“Don’t rush me,” Charlie snaps, spinning to poke at my chest. I frown and lift my hands in surrender. “Nobody asked you to follow me around like an oversized poodle all day,” she continues.

I frown, unsure what a poodle is and whether or not I should be offended. At least she used the word “oversized.” I like that she thinks of me as being large.

“I follow you because I like you,” I say.

Charlie grins as she spins back around, her scent transforming into one I love to smell. My female is happy.

She doesn’t need to know I’m lingering because I’m scared of Shay hurting her. Aziel seems to think he’s got the woman wrapped around his finger and she’s going to listen to his every command, but he fails to realize demons from Envy don’t play house with the competition.

Shay is sneaky, and I don’t trust her not to hurt Charlie when our backs are turned. If that means following my female around, then so be it. Aziel will be forced to scramble and complete all the work I’m unable to get done, but that’s on him.

Plus, this allows me to keep her so distracted, she doesn’t think about the females.

I’ve come to regret the part I played in encouraging Silas and Aziel to keep the information we learned a secret. I’d just gotten back from a dinner with my family and was feeling wildly insecure after listening to them rant about how Aziel had made a mistake with me.

I thought it’d impress him if I gave additional support to Wrath, and I pushed him to keep the findings a secret. How fucking stupid of me. Charlie’s not going to be happy to learn I condemned her entire gender just because I felt self-conscious.

It was only supposed to be for ten years. Just long enough to give Aziel’s people a head start in upping their population numbers, but then ten turned to twenty, and twenty turned into fifty. Dozens, if not hundreds of breeds have gone extinct in that time.

Humans are next in line. They’ve already lasted longer than anticipated, and they’ve produced just enough females to keep them afloat.

I have to tell her. She’s bound to find out eventually, and I’d rather it be from me. I can’t change what’s already happened, but I can work to fix it now. We can do what we initially should’ve and share the findings. Charlie can spearhead it if it makes her happy.

Charlie continues her slow walking until she reaches the back patio doors, and I eagerly rush to open them. Rock told me it’s considered polite for human men to open things for their females, and even though he laughed as he shared the information, he seemed to have been telling the truth.

A demon woman would probably punch me in the balls if I tried to open a door for her, but Charlie flushes and nods her head in thanks.

I grin and flick on the patio light so she can see. We don’t spend much time out here, so it’s scarcely decorated, and Charlie walks right past the small sitting area and down the few steps that lead into the yard.

It’s a bit chilly out tonight, and I watch small bumps rise on Charlie’s arm as we approach the small garden bed where she planted her human seeds. I’m not surprised to see nothing’s growing, but I refrain from making any comments as she bends to inspect the soil.

If she’d told me what she’d been planning before planting them, I would’ve purchased some better dirt for her to use. I’ll have to order some for the next planting season.

Charlie groans and sticks her finger into the soil as if it’ll give her answers, and I tilt my head to the side in confusion. She’s not a very good gardener.

“I’m sorry your plants aren’t growing,” I say.

“I don’t know what I did wrong.”

I perk up. If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s gardening. Silas told me to let her do it herself and not to nitpick, which I’ve been careful not to do, but I can’t contain my excitement as she asks for help.

“Well, you planted them off-season and in dirt that doesn’t contain all the good bits they need to survive. This part of the house also gets a lot of shade, so even if they did have enough nutrients, they probably wouldn’t get very big. You’ve also watered them four times a day since planting them, which is way too—” I start, trailing off as I realize she’s not listening.

Charlie’s body is rigid as she cranes her neck and stares through the library windows. The blinds are lowered, so I can’t see anything at my height, but from where she sits, she has a perfect view through the tiny crack left open at the bottom.

I resist the urge to sigh.

Which of the two fuckheads is she staring at? My money’s on Silas.

When I sent her after him, I genuinely thought he’d accept. Silas hasn’t had sex in years, and it’s always been the way to his heart. Get the man to submit and he’s putty in your hands. She did and whispered all the right things, and the scent of his arousal was strong enough for me to know he loved it, but I didn’t expect the man’s integrity to get in the way.

If my female wants him, who cares how old she is? She may live a short life compared to us, but that doesn’t mean she’s some child. She’s more than capable of making her own decisions, and I don’t appreciate him treating her like she can’t.

Crouching, I peer through the window in the direction she’s looking. My lips flatten as I finally see what she’s staring at, and I gently reach out and grab her hip in what I’m hoping is a comforting gesture.

I know Aziel’s aware of Charlie’s attention on him, and he pointedly avoids looking in our direction as he pushes Shay against the bookcase and slams his body into hers.

Charlie flinches, her breathing shallow as Aziel kisses his way down Shay’s neck. The anger and hurt Charlie’s body emits is suffocating, and I grab her arm and yank her to her feet before she can see any more. Aziel will stop when he senses our eyes are off him, but Charlie doesn’t know that.

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