Page 85 of The Female

“Your real name isn’t Gray, is it?”

Instead of responding, Gray laughs and digs his fingers into my sides in a sad attempt to tickle me. It hurts, and I grunt and wiggle until he stops. He’s been trying to figure out how to do it since learning humans are ticklish, but he hasn’t quite figured out that jabbing his fingers between my ribs isn’t how it’s correctly done.

Not that I’m going to correct him, though. I hate being tickled, and I’m thrilled he doesn’t know how to do it.

“It’s not, but I’ve grown to enjoy the name,” he whispers, bringing his lips to my ear. “I associate it with your screams of pleasure.”

My body warms, but I refuse to give him the upper hand as I look away and pretend his words aren’t affecting me. Cheeky fucker.

“What about Silas and Aziel?” I ask.

Gray’s smile grows as a result of my interest in his friends. He practically beams as I scowl at him, the man loving attention even if it’s not good.

“Aziel and Silas are their real names.”

“Why have you told me to call you ‘Gray’?”

Every time I feel like I’ve got him figured out, he turns and hits me with another bombshell.

“My name is foreign to your kind. I picked a new one when we decided to go to an auction in the human realm, and I used Aziel’s computer to send out a message informing everybody of the change a few weeks before the auction. I thought it would make my female more comfortable,” Gray explains, his chipper mood remaining despite my rapidly souring one. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m old, and it’s fun to change things up.”

I’m going to kill him. “What’s your real name?” I demand.

Gray rolls his eyes. “That’s none of your business. I like Gray. It’s both a color and a description.”

He beams, his eyes soft as he watches my anger grow. I can tell I’m not going to be getting my answer today, but I store this information in the back of my mind to dig into further at another date.

I don’t want to get too distracted. “I came in here for a reason, you know?” I tease, changing the subject. “I wanted to ask you about demon female births.”

Gray hums, but he doesn’t look surprised. “Silas mentioned you were reading up on it.”

I force myself to keep my expression calm. Silas wouldn’t have mentioned anything if he weren’t hiding something from me. It wouldn’t have been a big enough deal for him to bother.

“I know you’re keeping something from me,” I say.

Gray’s eyebrow quirks. “What makes you say that?”

I clench my jaw, unsure how to answer. There isn’t anything concrete I can point to that backs up my accusation. It’s just an inkling that something isn’t right. Maybe Silas is correct in his claim that my obsession is unhealthy and illogical.

I was annoyed when he said it, but I know there’s something off about this situation.

“There were so many women at the party, and the men weren’t surprised.”

Gray slides his hands from the tops of my thighs to my hip bones. I wiggle as he wraps his fingers around my sides, his large palms encompassing them completely.

“Would you rather we leer at and molest our women just because they’re rare?” Gray retorts, his eyes surprisingly hard. “Our customs encourage us to treat our females well, especially in Lust. You continue to compare us to the humans and hunt for signs that we’re lying to you, but we’re nothing like them.”

His grip tightens, and I lick my lips as I absorb what he’s just said.

He does make a good point. I’ve been hammering Gray and Silas with endless questions without ever truly considering that maybe they’re just trying to be good people. Guilt worms its way into my chest, but Gray pulls me close and runs his lips across my forehead before it cements.

“Stop fretting, my love,” he whispers.

My lungs expand as I suck in a deep breath, and I force my body to relax when I exhale. He hasn’t given me a reason not to trust him.

“Have you had a chance to think about our conversation yesterday?” he asks, changing the subject.

I curl my fingers into his chest, enjoying the feel of his smooth, muscular skin. He’s so soft, and I can’t hold back my smirk as his body reacts to my touch. The growing appendage in his pants digs into my butt as I continue my exploration, but Gray remains patient.

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