Page 62 of Her Males

Mammon laughs. “I don’t expect you to. We’re meeting with Aziel later this week to discuss.”

I’m going to vomit.

I swallow past the lump in my throat, horror rendering me silent. I didn’t anticipate her wanting to discuss it with him. I was under the impression they didn’t get along, and I assumed that meant they wouldn’t want to meet.

I thought she’d take this information and create a plan separate from Aziel’s.

“Don’t look so frightened, Charlotte,” Mammon says, giving my wrist a quick squeeze. “I’m not going to let him kill you.”

Oh, my god.

“Killme?”

Mammon nods. “Yes, but don’t worry about that. He knows you’re under my protection. You’ve given me the upper hand, and once I’ve secured our alliances with the shifters and elves, Aziel will be forced to submit and face punishment.”

I’m sure I’m failing to keep hidden just how panicked I am, and I shove my hands underneath my thighs to hide their shaking. I never wanted to hurt Aziel with this.

“We’ll be meeting with the shifters over dinner, and I’ve arranged for us to meet the high elves tomorrow morning. They’ll be excited to meet you,” Mammon continues, politely ignoring my growing anxiety.

“I’d like to move quickly, and I assume the blessed breeds will also. We’ve worked together on several issues, so a decent level of trust has already been established. The Seekers are the largest agency for female collection, and I believe we’ll want to start there.” Mammon pauses to wave over one of the shadows standing along the wall.

The man stumbles over himself to get to her, and he skids to a halt to her right.

“Bring Charlotte something to eat,” she says, turning to me. “Your stomach is loud.”

I instinctively cover my belly. My body’s gotten used to Gray shoving food in it first thing in the morning, and it isn’t happy with the sudden change.

The shadow returns to the room with a plate of demon breakfast. It’s some grain and meat dish I don’t necessarily love, but it’s better than nothing.

“Thank you,” I say, accepting the plate.

Mammon returns her attention to the document while I eat. It feels awkward, and I hurry to empty my plate as quickly as possible. There’s no water or anything to wash the food down with, but I refuse to ask.

I’d sooner drink out of the bathroom sink than ask Mammon’s shadows to get me a glass of water.

“Taking control of the Seekers should be relatively easy,” Mammon says, resuming our earlier conversation. “The organization is disorganized, and I doubt they’re interested in fighting. They’ll disband quickly.”

I nod and push my empty plate aside.

“The real issue will be with imposing regulations on stronger breeds, specifically the ogres.” Mammon pauses when one of her children screams.

I turn, panicked, only to relax as I watch the younger boy jump on the couch and punch his older brother. The older boy hardly looks fazed as he palms the younger one’s face and pushes him onto the floor, the action eliciting another scream.

Mammon excuses herself to take care of them.

The little boy giggles as Mammon scolds the older one, his eyes wide as he grins up at his mother. It’s endearing, and for a brief moment, I wonder what it would be like to have my own little demon babies.

Gray and Silas would make excellent fathers. Gray would be an absolute pushover, bending over backward to make them happy, and Silas would be the one they come to when they’re in trouble and need advice. I’m not sure if Aziel would be good with children, but I’m sure he’d tolerate them.

I lick my lips and turn to the female report.

I gave up that option when I chose Mammon.

“What will happen to me once this is all over?” I ask when she returns.

She squeezes my shoulder and sits in her chair. “You’re free to stay here. In full transparency, I don’t see a world where the Wrath Trio welcomes you home.” Hearing that hurts. “As a thank you, I’d be willing to bond you with one of my sons so you can live here in Greed with an extended lifespan. Most of my sons are very handsome, and I’m sure you’ll find one to your liking.”

I blink once, twice, three times before shaking my head.

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