Page 19 of The Female

Gray shrugs.

“Aziel isn’t as bad as you think.”

“And a fate?” I continue.

“Yes, and I think you two will get along. He was quite intrigued by you, as was Aziel.” Gray wears a smirk I don’t want to know the reason for.

He continues to grin as the car comes to a gradual stop. Gray exits and walks to my side, his steps slow and steady. Once more, I contemplate running, but judging by how quickly he moved when the guard grabbed my neck, I have a feeling I wouldn’t get far.

Instead, I tug at the hem of my borrowed shirt as he opens my door and extends a hand for me to take.

I pause, hesitating, before reaching out and accepting it. The skin-to-skin contact affects me immediately, my muscles clenching as my need for him grows.

He releases an audible groan as he tightens his grip on my hand, his eyes rolling back and head lowering as he inhales my scent. As much as I know I should feel disgusted by it, I find myself aroused, my body warming and eyelids lowering as I meet his gaze.

I want him to touch me.

“Fuck, Charlie.” Gray groans and pins me against the car. I press myself against him without a care, not even noticing the chill that meets my bare legs. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you? You’re still so affected even with my scent suffocated.”

Nodding mindlessly, I let out a gasp as he grabs my hips, his palms covering the bone as his fingers dig into the flesh. My nerves feel on fire as he squeezes me, his body heat warming me through his shirt. I inhale, breathing in his scent.

It’s so good. I want to bury myself in his skin and live there forever.

“You smell so fucking sweet,” he says, squeezing me one last time before stepping away.

I want to cry as he releases me, my body overcome with agony as his skin no longer touches mine.

Gray’s chest expands as he sucks in a deep breath, his jaw slack as he works his neck side to side. Eventually, he clears his throat and spins around, turning his back to me as he gestures to the building the driver brought us to.

It stands alone, with nothing but trees surrounding it on either side, and honestly doesn’t look like anything special. There are many portals in the human realm, most of them used by the weaker breeds who are unable to teleport, and I assume this is one of them.

Several guards I somehow managed not to notice until now are in front of the doors, their backs stiff and posture tense. Their grotesque, uneven faces signal them to be nightmares.

We’re far enough away that I struggle to make out all the details, but what I can see at this distance makes me shiver. Their bodies look unnaturally long and thin beneath their dark cloaks, their faces hollow and broken.

An overwhelming urge to cry settles over me the longer I look, my shoulders hunching forward as defeat and despair fill my bones.

“Keep your eyes lowered,” Gray instructs, cupping the back of my head and easing it down. “You don’t want to look at a nightmare.”

I stare at my shoes, relieved as some of the anguish dissipates. While I may not know Gray very well, I’ll trust him just this once.

A warm hand settles on my back, urging me forward. My movements are clunky, and I clench my hands into fists as the effects of Gray’s lust wear off and I’m forced to face what I just did.

Is this what the rest of my life is going to look like? Overwhelming desperation and arousal followed immediately by crippling regret and self-loathing?

Gray curls his hand around the back of my shirt to stop me from walking.

“What’s your business?” The crackling voice sends shivers down my spine.

The closest thing I can think to compare it to is nails on a chalkboard, high-pitched and blood-curdling. My toes curl against the ground as I hold back a physical response. Gray mindlessly rubs my back, his attempt at comfort doing nothing to help my reaction to the nightmares.

“I’m taking Aziel’s female home,” Gray says, sounding eerily calm around these horrors. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the human auction tonight.”

I suppose I should be glad I wasn’t purchased by a nightmare.

The man who questioned Gray hums, sounding displeased.

“Why didn’t you teleport? Rumor on the block says Aziel is sharing his power with you.”

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