Page 1 of Her Males

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CHARLOTTE

I’M IN WAY over my head.

Aziel pushes his dark hair out of his face before grabbing his drink and leaning back in his chair. It’s clearly been a few days since he last shaved, and I eye the stubble along his jaw with a frown.

What’s he been doing since he parted ways with Gray?

Aziel’s black eyes meet mine as he brings the glass to his lips, and I look away as he begins to drink. He never returned home after his fight with Gray, and his absence has not made my heart grow fonder.

Gray sits on my right, and I watch a thin bead of water trail down his neck from where his hair still drips. He’d just gotten out of the shower when Aziel called, and the curly black strands are yet to completely dry. They drip into the collar of his navy-blue shirt before disappearing underneath the fabric, but he hardly seems to notice as he rolls his sleeves up his muscular forearms and glances at Silas.

The Fate is on my left, his thigh pressing against mine, and he’s the only one of the three who looks entirely composed. He always does, though, and I swallow past the lump in my throat as his black eyes meet mine. It takes everything on me not to look at the full lips that were on me just yesterday.

Silas shoots me a sly smile, and I mindlessly fiddle with the hem of my shirt before pushing my messy brown hair over my shoulder and turning away.

I tap my foot against the ground and look around the stuffy boardroom we’re currently sitting in, my anxiety making me fidgety. I’m not used to leaving the house, and I didn’t have any time to mentally prepare for this last-minute meeting.

It’s probably not accidental that Aziel waited until the last minute to inform us about it.

Aziel was radio silent for almost twenty-four hours after Gray returned and told us Aziel was going to Envy to speak to Levia, and he didn’t reach out until late in the night to tell Gray and Silas to meet him in Envy within the hour.

He didn’t say anything about bringing me, but I’m glad Gray woke me up and let me come along.

I want to be included in this.

Gray drops a hand to my thigh, his touch comforting. He must smell my unease, and I bring my hand to his and squeeze around his fingers as I sneak a glance at Levia.

He’s already watching me, and I don’t like the look of his cocky smirk as he mindlessly flips through the pages of the female report. It’s thinner than the one I found in Gray’s office, and I assume Aziel removed anything too incriminating.

Levia shoots me a sickly-sweet smile as he drops his elbows to the table and rests his chin in his hand. His black eyes narrow just slightly as he looks between Gray and me. This is the first time Gray’s ever shown me public affection, and I’m sure Levia’s heard rumors about our relationship.

Aziel clears his throat.

“Well?” he asks.

Levia continues to stare at me. I’m not sure what I imagined the King of Envy would look like, but this isn’t it. He’s got the typical black hair and black eyes all the demons seem to share, but Levia is thin and borderline gangly, whereas most of the others I’ve met have been full of muscle.

He also has this air of awkwardness to him that’s impossible not to notice.

I fight the urge to look to Silas for direction. Our close contact felt awkward at first, considering we still haven’t addressed what happened between us, but now I’m grateful.

“Look away from Charlie.” Aziel’s voice is full of poorly restrained tension. “My female is of no interest to you.”

That finally catches Levia’s attention, and my shoulders relax as he finally looks away.

“Yourfemale?” he asks, chuckling slightly. “There’s no need to continue that lie in here. I have no interest in outing Gray’s relationship to Asmod.”

His words are met with silence, and the unbearable tension in the room grows.

“Besides, I know you intend to bond with my niece,” he continues. “Shay’s quite excited.”

I grind my teeth as Aziel gives a noncommittal hum and takes another sip of his drink.

“We’ve long since been allies, Levia, and we’d like your help in taking over the Seekers’ facilities and enforcing new regulations across all the realms,” Aziel says.

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