Page 44 of The Female

I scoff.

“Would she say the same thing?” I argue.

The muscle in his jaw twitches. It’s clear by his expression that he regrets whatever he did to her, but I’m not going to let him off easy. She’s fragile, and he can’t just sweep his actions under the rug.

“I told her she needs to fuck Gray or I’m going to send her to an incubi den,” he admits. “I’m not going to do it, obviously. It was just a way to inspire her to act.”

I close my eyes and shake my head as I try to rein in my anger. Being around these two makes me feel more like a parent than a friend. I don’t know what’s going on between Aziel and Gray lately, but whatever it is, they need to sort their shit out.

We tend to go through phases where things are tense and uncomfortable, but this is getting out of hand.

“Gray’s going to be upset when he figures out what you’ve done,” I warn him.

Aziel shrugs, his mask of indifference returning. “I don’t care.”

I resist the urge to strangle him. It’s his stupidity that’s landed him in this position. He’s the one who bought the female, and he doesn’t get to go around acting like an asshole now that she’s here.

“Threatening Charlie is only going to make Gray retaliate,” I say.

“Maybe, but it will sure keep her the fuck away from me.”

Keep her away? I thought he wanted to keepGrayaway. Does Aziel have a little crush? The thought alone has me holding back laughter. I knew Gray purposefully chose a female Aziel was attracted to, but I didn’t anticipate she’d have him frazzled so quickly.

She’s only been here for a day.

Aziel’s frown deepens as he watches my attempts to hide my laughter.

“Contrary to popular belief, being mean to a woman isn’t a good way to express your soft emotions toward her,” I tease. “I’d recommend apologizing if you want to feel her body on yours.”

My laughter continues as Aziel turns and storms out of the room, and I watch him leave before shifting my attention to the book he attacked earlier. He’s an idiot, but I’m sure he’ll figure it out eventually. As long as he’s not physically harming her, I don’t want to get involved.

I crouch and slide my finger over my book’s rough edge, grimacing at the sight of the ripped corner. Aziel’s anger is always getting the best of him, and it appears today it got the best of my book.

My old, incredibly expensive book.

It’s not every day one has the opportunity to acquire a spell book from one of the oldest witch covens, and I wonder how long it’ll take before I have the chance again. They may have ripped out most of the meaningful spells, but it’s still interesting to read through.

Or at least it was.

I straighten out the pages and stick them neatly between the book cover. I’ll have to glue them back together later. Sighing, I push myself off the ground as Gray’s shouting reaches my ears.

I knew it was only a matter of time before he made his way to Aziel’s office, but I figured it would take a bit longer than this.

Wanting to make sure neither takes things too far, I stroll out of the library and down the hallway that leads to our offices. Aziel has the first one on the left, and their shouting grows louder with each step I take.

Neither man pays me attention as I enter and make myself comfortable in the chair along the far wall.

Aziel sits behind his desk, his attempt at appearing relaxed painfully subpar. Gray doesn’t look much better, his chest heaving as he stands in front of the large, wooden desk.

“What the fuck did you say to her?” Gray shouts, shoving a finger against Aziel’s chest.

Aziel dips his chin and looks at the finger with disinterest. He makes no moves to answer and wanting to hurry up and get this argument over with, I lean forward and answer for him. “He told Charlie he’d send her to an incubi den if she didn’t feed you.”

The heated glare Aziel shoots my way doesn’t bother me much. I ignore it in lieu of watching Gray’s face redden.

“And how do you know that?” Gray asks. “Did you sit back and watch him threaten my female?”

I blink, unhappy with the accusation. Reminding myself he’s blinded by his anger and not thinking clearly, I force my body to relax. “Of course not. He came storming into the library afterward and told me.”

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