Page 91 of The Female

“I’m not sure if you could ever break Gray and Aziel apart. If you wanted Gray, you’d need to accept Aziel,” Silas says. “Aziel’s clearly taken a liking to you, so I’d say it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

Is there no way to have Gray without Aziel? The Wrath is cruel, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with him.

“And where do you fit into that?” I can’t stop myself from asking.

Silas looks mildly uncomfortable. “I intend to bond with the same female as them. Since I have desires unique to men of my status, most expect we’ll pick a succubus from Lust. Valentine and I had a brief relationship many years ago, and Asmod has been pushing her on us ever since.”

Gray appears in the doorway, and I offer him a weak smile before turning back to Silas.

“Why don’t you get your own female?”

Silas shrugs. “I like sharing.”

I’m learning more about Silas’s kinks this afternoon than I ever imagined I would.

“Do you plan to bond with Gray and Aziel, too? Or just the female?” I ask.

“I don’t know. It depends on what she wants, but I imagine Gray will push for it to happen.” Silas waves over Gray.

Gray’s footfalls are quiet as he approaches, and I stare at my hands.

“Why haven’t you explained anything to Charlie?” Silas scolds.

“The conversation hasn’t come up,” Gray argues, his voice quiet. “You’d be open to bonding with me, too?”

Silas ignores the question. “You shouldn’t keep her in the dark on the details of our relationship. You’re putting her in a position to fail. Imagine if Asmod or Valentine had caught on to her confusion. They’d have preyed on that, and you know it.”

Gray scoffs. “Thereisn’ta relationship between us, remember? You fucked my sister!” His tone indicates this isn’t the first time they’ve argued about this.

Not wanting to listen any longer, I jump to my feet and wrap my arms around Gray’s stomach. He’s quick to return the hold, his stiff posture softening in my arms.

“Let’s watch a movie,” I whisper, wanting nothing more than to sit in a dark room and worry.

“Good idea,” he agrees, his voice cold as Silas stands and leaves the room.

There’s clearly some unspoken, hidden tension between these two men, and I don’t want to be here when it finally explodes.

Gray throws me over his shoulder and carries me upstairs when I get lost in thought and slow my steps. I don’t want to think about this any longer, and I refuse to allow myself to ponder the possibility of being with all three of these men.

I’m going to tuck that information deep down inside and wait until it bubbles up and erupts out of me—like a normal person.

22

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CHARLOTTE

ISTEP TOthe side and wait for the shadow to finish his business while I glare at Gray. He visibly flinches beneath my heated gaze, and I hope my anger feels thick in the air.

The shadow must sense the tension as he snatches the broom sitting in the corner of Gray’s office and leaves. His speed blows my hair back slightly, but I ignore it and continue to look at Gray with what I hope is a threatening stare.

If there’s anything I’ve learned these past few weeks, it’s that Gray’s especially sensitive to negative emotions. Silas wasn’t kidding when he said the incubus is desperate to please, and I fully intend to use that to my benefit.

Gray’s throat bobs as he gulps.

“What have I done?” he asks.

My feet carry me farther into his room, and it takes everything in me not to crack a smile. “I woke up to an empty bed this morning.”

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