Page 123 of The Female

The sound of splashing water has me walking toward shore, eager to get away before he tries to touch me again. The closer I am to Gray, the harder it is to stay angry.

I want to stay angry.

“Then I don’t see a reason for you to be here,” I say.

Sand sticks to my feet as I leave the water, but I don’t care. I need to get away before I let my feelings get the best of me and do something I regret. If I give Gray an inch, he’ll take a mile.

“Charlie,” Gray starts, but he pauses when I shake my head.

I turn back toward him, wanting him to see how serious I am.

“You came here to feed, didn’t you? You’re full now, so you need to leave. You don’t get to use your dream manipulation to force me to hear you out,” I snap, wincing as my voice cracks.

Gray’s mouth snaps shut. I cross my arms over my chest as I wait to see whether or not he’s going to argue, and I sigh in relief when he gives a jerky nod and disappears.

I wipe at my cheeks and lie on my back. Sleep’s my only peace, and Gray’s ruined even that for me tonight.

30

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AZIEL

SHAY COULD TALKto a brick wall for hours without growing bored. She’s been trying to discuss the Lust drama for thirty minutes now, and I don’t think I can handle much more of it. I tap on the wood of my desk, resisting the urge to turn away from her and return to work.

Shay’s cheeks redden as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, her heart fluttering loudly in her chest. She rarely, if ever, gets my undivided attention, and it’s clear she doesn’t know what to do with it. I nod and pretend I’m invested, but my focus is on Charlie and Gray. They’re fighting again.

I’m not sure what about, probably something involving the way to save females, and I’m a little surprised with how nasty she’s being.

The entire manor echoed with her moans when Gray fed on her last night. I thought that meant all was forgiven, but as Charlie spit her insults, I realize how wrong my assumption was.

“You’re pathetic,” Charlie says, her tone venomous. “No wonder Nicolette chose the den over you.”

Gray’s response is too quiet for me to hear through the wall.

Shay stutters as I accidentally push out more power than my body naturally emits, my heightened emotions causing more to seep out. I worry she’ll recognize it to be a result of the fighting happening just down the hall, but as she uncrosses her legs and the scent of her arousal hits me, I realize she believes it to be caused by her.

Good.

I don’t want anybody to know how much it affects me when Charlie and Gray fight, the bickering making my stress levels rise.

I force my lips to curl as I lean back in my chair, pretending to be a tempted male. My curse gives me the perfect excuse not to be intimate with her, but I still choose to pretend I’m excited. A small part of me worries Shay will hurt Charlie if she discovers how deep my attraction toward the human goes.

Even when she’s fighting with Gray, an action I’d expect to provoke my wrath, I still want Charlie.

I wonder if Gray’s attachment has forced me to view her, by extension of him, as one of my bonded. I’ve never felt particularly close to any of his lovers before, and I usually end up wanting to kill them more than anything else, but Gray’s also never been so invested in one.

Silas claims I’m attracted to Charlie because I like her, but he doesn’t know anything.

He admitted he finds her outspoken tendencies to be enticing. Despite her physical weakness, she still screams and yells at us as if she has the strength to back up her words. It’s a human trait. The sad things are inclined to ignore power imbalances when they grow comfortable.

All I know is that she wasn’t like this when we first got her. She was a bit snarky, sure, but she never raised her voice or so blatantly defied us. Now she’s running around snapping at everybody like a fucking banshee.

I both love and hate it.

Most breeds can’t see past the power imbalance. It’s a miracle if they can even get a word out around me, choosing to either gape and stare or tuck tail and run away. Then there are the few who do nothing but cry.

I’m not sure what’s wrong with humans that they can ignore the part of their brain that screamsdanger. It explains why they were so foolish before the decline, constantly getting themselves into trouble and dying from reckless behavior.

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