Page 21 of Her Males

Aziel interjects. “No. Levia honors his agreements, even if they’re merely spoken.”

I’m not the biggest fan of Levia, but I have to admit he’s historically been true to his word. I think that’s why he and Aziel have gotten along so well. The two aren’t necessarily friends, but they don’t hate one another and that’s a big thing for Aziel.

Silas and I are the only people he gets along with. It’s quite sad.

“And we’re still meeting with the shifters tomorrow, right?” Charlie asks.

She glances at Aziel before sliding her gaze to Silas. The fate nods, but he doesn’t look pleased. He doesn’t have much faith in the shifters and has made his reservations about involving them quite clear, but I don’t think it’ll cause any harm.

It’s not like we’re planning to tell them outright what we know. This is just to start a conversation and test the waters between us.

“Yes,” I answer, confirming we still plan to meet with the shifters.

“You can’t come,” Aziel blurts out.

Charlie jolts. “And why not? You promised to let me participate, and now you want to go off and have secret meetings without me?”

She scrambles out of my lap and spins around to face Aziel head-on. He hardly seems intimidated by her stare.

“The shifters hate me, and I don’t need them trying to steal you while we’re in their territory,” Aziel says, his words trailing off as he spins in search of something.

He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he approaches his desk and hunts through the drawers. What the fuck is he doing?

“Nobody’s going to steal me,” Charlie argues. “Besides, you said yourself that they’re kind to females.”

That’s the problem.

“The Wrath kingdom has a horrible reputation, and I’m sure they’ve made many assumptions about our relationship,” I say. “They very likely think we’re abusing you, and they’ll probably feel inclined to ‘rescue’ you.”

I run my hands up and down Charlie’s arms to try to curb some of her growing anger. It seems to work, and she leans back against my chest.

Aziel continues rooting through his drawers, an action I think is simply because he felt uncomfortable and needed something to distract himself, and Silas lowers himself into the chair opposite Aziel’s desk.

“You can invite them here?” Charlie suggests.

Aziel shakes his head, not even taking a moment to consider her suggestion.

“No, Charlie,” he says.

He slams his desk drawer shut, and Charlie stands as anger erupts from her. She wavers on her feet before sitting back down with a huff.

I wish to speak up and argue for her, but I want her to have her own voice. I want her to feel at ease in this house, and a small part of me likes seeing her argue with Aziel. It’s good that she feels comfortable enough to do so.

“It’s ‘Charlotte’ to you,” she decides.

Silas drops his head and looks away to hide his laughter. Aziel’s back stiffens as Charlie’s words filter through him, and I can’t help but let out a quiet snort. She’s feisty.

“I’ll be staying home with you,” I say, reaching for her hands.

“We won’t even be discussing the females,” Aziel says. “This is just to open up a conversation and see if there’s a possible relationship to build.”

Charlie gulps and pulls her hands out of mine. “So you lied to me?”

What? I shake my head, confused, but Charlie moves to the other end of the couch. We never lied to her. What is she talking about?

“I agreed to humiliate myself in front of Levia and Shay because I thought you would support my plan in return,” she hisses. “I thought this was a give and take. I support your idea, you support mine.”

Wearesupporting her idea. None of us is particularly excited about going to the shifters, but we’re doing it because Charlie is adamant. Aziel clears his throat and leans against his desk while Silas and I exchange glances.

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