Page 30 of The Female

Aziel’s too old to be continuing to hold out on taking a bonded mate, and Silas is growing angsty with each passing year. It’s clear we’re all desperate for some genuine intimacy. That’s exactly what Charlie can provide.

Silas and Aziel think she is to be nothing more than a short-term fling, something to keep me busy for a while, but I’m ready to settle down and I’m hoping they come to feel the same way once they’ve grown comfortable with having Charlie around.

I bite my bottom lip and turn away from the mirror as I feel my want for Charlie growing. I’m still hungry, and it’s hard to resist the urge to seep into either her bedroom or her dreams.

Fighting the impulse to do those things is hard. I promised I’d stay out of her mind tonight, and I’ll be damned if I turn back on my word. She needs to trust me. I made a mistake in telling her I couldn’t have her unless she consented. I’d only meant to make her more comfortable around me because Iwon’ttake her until she consents.

I hadn’t expected Aziel to reveal the truth so quickly.

I step into my bedroom and wander toward the small desk in the corner. The auction house gave me so much paperwork and documentation on Charlie, and I skim over the pages until I find the information about her home and family.

This will be the perfect thing to cheer her up.

Forcing my body to relax, I summon all the strength I can manage and teleport to her home. I’m not as strong as Aziel and Silas, and my muscles ache at the effort it takes to move myself. It’s going to be worth it, though.

A second later, I’m standing in Charlie’s living room.

I’m unable to get my bearings right away, my mind discombobulated as I stand in a space I’ve never been in before. I don’t need my eyes to know there’s a decomposing corpse in here, though, the smell of rotting flesh overwhelmingly potent.

I look around until I spot the body in question. Some man lies on his stomach in the center of the room, his arm outstretched and face buried into the yellowed carpet. He’s wearing pajamas, but it’s hard to tell much beyond that.

He’s been here for a while, his body already beginning to liquify into the floor below. This must be Charlie’s father. The Seekers don’t take kindly to men who hide their daughters, and I wouldn’t put it past them to have left him here to rot.

I reach up and pinch the bridge of my nose, angry they left my female’s father here. She’ll be crushed when I share the bad news with her. A small part of me debates not saying anything, but as I turn and look over the photos hung on the walls, I know I can’t do that.

I’d want to know if I were her.

What’s the human tradition for death? I purse my lips as I try to recall it, and I feel my shoulders round as I remember the burials. This would be so much easier if I could burn him as the demons do.

Fuck.Humans burn their dead too, don’t they? I’m not quite sure, but I’m confident they bury.

I’ll work on him later.

Stepping over the man’s body, I turn and head down the narrow hallway leading to the bedrooms. The first door on the left is open, and I take one look at the floral curtains and gray bedsheets before continuing my journey.

I may not know Charlie very well, but I sure know there’s no way she’d decorate her space so poorly.

I pass by a small bathroom before reaching the last, cracked open door. My eyes widen as I peek inside and scan the messy chaos. It’s safe to say Charlie’s a bit of a hoarder. She’s done a good job keeping the space relatively clean, but the clutter is unreal.

It’ll take me all night to bring this junk back home.

My chest expands as I suck in a deep breath. I’m going to be exhausted once this night is over. Aziel is going to kill me for using all my energy, but it’s for a good cause.

I’m doing it for my female.

There’s an open shelter door built into the ground, and I peer into it before crinkling my nose and kicking it shut. It reeks of fear in there, and I have no interest in knowing what’s inside.

This must have been where Charlie hid.

The door blends in with the floor when it’s shut, and there’s a rug pushed to the side that must have lived over it to hide the few subtle seams. Smart.

I move to the other side of her room and open her bedroom window to let some of the stale air out. Her dad’s decay has permeated throughout the entire house. Heading to her closet, I dig through it until I find two large suitcases.

They’re old and dusty, probably having sat here since before she was born, but they’ll do. I plop both on the bed and begin packing anything of Charlie’s that looks important. She has a lot of items, and I find myself struggling to understand why she has the things she has. I can’t think of any use for the small, rubber squeaky duck that lives on her dresser, but I pack it anyway.

She can throw out whatever she doesn’t want.

It doesn’t take long to fill the cases, and I rock back on my heels as I zip them up and travel back home.

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