Page 49 of The Female

“What is it?” I give in and ask.

Gray’s smile grows.

“I’ve hired you a tutor.”

Without meaning to, I turn toward the library windows and peer through them in search of Silas. I never mentioned wanting a tutor to Gray, meaning Silas must have told him on my behalf.

I spot Silas almost immediately, and my eyes widen as I take in his current state. The book he was once reading is long forgotten, haphazardly thrown onto the table next to his chair. His legs are spread as he stares at Gray and me, his hands clenched into tight fists on the top of his thighs.

I refuse to look at or acknowledge the noticeable bulge in the front of his pants.

He seems relaxed, but I know without a doubt he watched the entire scene unfold between Gray and me. I can’t believe I forgot so quickly that he was able to see us. We’re sitting directly in front of the window, for fuck’s sake.

I hope he knows my begging is just a product of the lust Gray seeps.

Despite it being what I was purchased for, it’s one thing for others to know it happens and another for them to see it themselves. My parents raised me to believe intimacy should be kept private, and I need to do a better job of being discreet.

“Oh, don’t be shy,” Gray says. “He likes to watch.”

“I’ve gathered that,” I snap.

Silas has made that quite obvious, but Gray fails to realize that just because somebody likes to watch doesn’t mean the other person wants tobewatched. Despite my inappropriate and secret attraction toward Silas, I know better than to try anything with him.

He’s kind and friendly toward me, but it’s clear he has no interest in a romantic relationship. In some twisted way, his viewing me only as an acquaintance makes me even more desperate.

Gray heads toward the back doors. I follow silently behind him, intrigued as he leads me past the library and down the hallway where all their offices are.

I tense as we pass the library, but Silas remains inside.

My muscles relax as we halt in front of Gray’s office doors, and I turn toward them before realizing Gray is looking at the room opposite it.

“We don’t have a formal fourth office, but we have a pretty large supply closet I decked out for you.” Gray pushes open the door.

My eyes widen as I take in the space, pleasantly surprised at what he’s done. Whatever was once stored in here is long gone, and you’d never be able to tell this was a supply closet. A desk sits directly opposite the door, and a small seating area is in the corner directly to my left.

The shadow sitting in the chair opposite my desk captures my attention, and I instinctively lean into Gray’s side as he turns and stands.

“This is…” Gray pauses, hesitating. “Uh, he has a fairly traditional demon name. You can call him ‘Rock.’ It’s the closest translation. He’s in charge of the grounds and has volunteered to be your tutor.”

Gray places a hand on my back and gently nudges me forward. My heart thunders in my chest as I offer Rock a small smile. I can’t make out any part of him beyond the vague shape of his body and the blurry outline of a face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.” His voice is quiet.

The lips that meet my forehead tickle, and I turn toward Gray just as he pulls away and announces he’ll be in his office. He shoots both Rock and me a wide smile before leaving, and I’m happy to see he keeps his door open.

I don’t like being left alone with males I don’t know.

Turning back around, I face Rock and try not to let my discomfort show as I walk around him and sit behind my new desk. It’s smaller than Gray’s, but I’m not offended by that.

This fits me perfectly.

A large stack of papers sits on top, and I look them over with a hum. Rock gives me a minute to adjust and peek through the desk drawers. Gray’s decked out the top two with brightly colored office supplies, and I excitedly sift through them before moving to the very bottom drawer. My jaw drops as I take in the contents of it, shock turning into excitement as I note the pile of human junk food inside.

Not wanting the shadow to see and ask for any treats, I force myself to remain calm and carefully shut the drawer. I will be munching on these later.

Grabbing a pencil from the holder in the top corner of my desk, I politely make eye contact with Rock. It almost appears as if he’s smiling at me, but it’s hard to tell through the dark haze that blurs his form.

“I figured we’d do most of your learnings in the language you know best and slowly shift to universal as you grow more comfortable with it,” Rock says, grabbing the stack of papers off my desk. “Gray’s requested you also learn to read, write, and speak demon, but there’s no rush on that.”

---