Page 4 of Her Males

I do have to admit he’s been good about giving me space these past few days, though. I half-expected him to hammer me with questions about what happened between Silas and me the first chance he got, but he hasn’t pried. I’m grateful, and I have no idea how to tackle that situation.

I can’t believe I called Silas “my male,” and I’m still shocked that he reciprocated.

After all this time, I thoroughly convinced myself it wasn’t going to happen between us. Silas made it clear he had no interest in being in a relationship with me, and I’m struggling to understand what’s changed his mind.

Fuck, I mean, he’s never once treated me as anything other than a slightly annoying roommate. He even rejected me when I first tried to deepen things between us.

My mind continues to race as I step in the shower and wash yesterday’s grime off my body. It makes me feel significantly better, and by the time I finally make my way downstairs, I feel about half ready for this conversation.

I head into the dining room, expecting to see them eating breakfast, but the space is empty. Gray usually insists on everybody eating meals together, but I suppose there’s enough going on that he’s not pushing it.

“Gray?” I call out, making my way to his office.

Silas pops his head out of Aziel’s doorway and gestures for me to enter. My palms grow clammy, and I wipe them on my pants as I step inside Aziel’s office.

Aziel is sitting behind his desk, and I’m glad there’s a physical object between us as I make my way to the couch Gray’s currently occupying. He moves over so I have room to sit, and I lower myself onto the cushion before awkwardly clearing my throat.

The room looks the same as it always does, and I’m happy to note that Shay’s nowhere to be found. I haven’t seen her since before Gray and Aziel got into their fight, but I’m not going to complain.

She makes me uncomfortable.

Silas shuts the office door and sits in one of the chairs directly across from Aziel’s desk.

“We haven’t spoken about anything important,” Gray says.

I nod, happy to hear it.

Aziel is the first to speak. “We need Levia as an ally. Wraths are strong, but we don’t have the resources to support this ourselves. Most breeds tolerate the Seekers because they’re a neutral organization, but they won’t like having us on their land. I can guarantee the ogres and dragons will see this as an act of war.”

“The humans will probably fight back, too. They don’t like you,” I add.

Aziel shakes his head and grabs a pen off his desk. He fiddles with it while Gray turns to look me in the eye, and I can’t help but find myself annoyed by Aziel’s lack of interest in what I have to say.

“The humans will complain, but they don’t have the means to fight us,” Gray says. “There are only a few breeds that pose a threat. The other demon kingdoms are our biggest concern, hence why we want to get Levia on our side before going public. My dad is notoriously neutral, so he’s not a worry, but Mammon could be a problem. She’s the Queen of Greed, and she’s been looking for an excuse to wage war with Aziel for centuries. Having Levia on our side would mitigate that risk. She doesn’t have the means for a fight against both Wrath and Envy.

“We’re also worried about the ogres,” Gray continues to explain. “They don’t compete with us in strength, but they outnumber us four to one.”

I nod. Good to know.

“There are also the shifters and the elves, but they’re notably kind to females, so we’re not worried about them fighting against any regulations we put in place,” Silas adds.

I’ve heard of the shifters and elves. They’re blessed breeds, born with fated mates they spend their lives searching for. Rumor has it they’ve never had much of an issue with females, which I suppose makes sense, considering they cherish mates so deeply.

“Five years is too long,” I say.

Aziel stands and paces the length of the room. He looks stressed, and I’m beginning to understand why he hesitated to tackle this problem. I’m sure it was easy to make changes within his kingdom, but doing so at this scale is more politics than anybody wants to deal with.

He’s infringing on territory and laws that aren’t his, and I’m sure people aren’t going to take kindly to that. Demons are already feared because of their strength and power, and this isn’t going to make it any better.

“Five years is not long for us,” Aziel says. “You are young, but when you live for thousands of years, it’s nothing. Envies and Wraths have gotten along for decades, and what Levia asked for reflects that. He would have demanded triple the time if it were anybody else.”

I lean forward and rest my forehead on my knees. Gray rubs my back, his hand sliding from the base of my neck to the bottom of my spine. It feels good, and he does it again as I groan into my legs.

“Silas?” I ask, wanting confirmation from somebody other than Aziel.

Aziel scoffs.

“I agree with him,” Silas says. “We can try to get it down to a year or two, but I don’t think five is unreasonable.”

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