Page 75 of Her Males

Mammon brought up the idea of chipping every female so they can be tracked, but the shifters shut that idea down yesterday.

“And if Aziel doesn’t agree to pay?” the shamed elf asks.

I don’t like the way Mammon’s eyes dart to me, and neither does Kato if his shifting shoulders are anything to go by. Mammon looks me over before turning back to the men in the room.

“Aziel isn’t prepared for war, especially not one at such a large scale,” she says.

It takes everything in me not to flinch when Kato’s fingers touch the outside of my exposed thigh. Mammon had me wear a shorter dress today, and he casually pulls up the hem of it as she answers questions.

I tighten my grip on the tablet as my skirt fabric reaches my waist, and I stare intently at it as a piece of folded-up paper is wedged between my hip and underwear. Kato leans forward and uses his free hand to swipe to the next page as he pulls my dress back down my leg.

I saw how the man recoiled when Mammon reached for him yesterday, and even though Kato is a bit more forward-thinking than the other shifters, I know touching a female who’s not part of his immediate family is a big no-no.

The paper stabs into me, but I resist the urge to move it.

He was much smoother than I could ever dream of being, and I know I’ll draw unwanted attention if I move. I’ll wait until I’m alone to even think about the note.

“And what happens when Charlie runs back to Aziel and shares our plans?” the shamed elf asks.

The room falls silent.

“I doubt they’d bother listening to a word Charlie has to say before executing her,” Mammon says. “They killed her counterpart already. They made her watch as they slit her son’s throat, then they ripped out her heart.”

Did Shay have a son? I didn’t know that, and I especially didn’t know that they went as far as to kill him, too. Will they hurt my mom?

“You underestimate him,” the elf across from me says. “It’s not just Aziel we’re challenging, but the Prince of Lust and a fate.”

The group begins arguing about how much power Aziel holds, and I gulp as I realize I know something they don’t. They think Gray holds standing with Asmod and has the Kingdom of Lust supporting him.

My pulse races as the elves shut down good ideas because they think Asmod will counteract them, and I debate whether or not I should speak up. This plan is for money, and it’s not as if they’ve truly gone out of their way to look for other options.

Not once have they discussed paying for this endeavor themselves.

“Who will pay if Aziel doesn’t?” I ask, clearing my throat when my voice comes out squeaky.

Kato throws his hands in the air. “Shifters have no money. We live off our own means.”

Nobody seems too surprised. It’s been said before that the shifters are most helpful for their physical strength. Both Mammon and the elves remain silent, however.

“Yes, Mammon. You talk about the costs, but from what I understand, you have quite the hoard of wealth yourself,” somebody points out.

If it were possible for looks to kill, all of us in this room would be dead ten times over. Mammon’s face turns a light shade of red, and I watch her lips purse before she sucks in a deep breath and squares her shoulders.

“We will be receiving the money from Aziel. I am not concerned about it,” she eventually says.

Kato snorts, but the noise goes ignored.

“Let’s move on,” Mammon continues, changing the topic.

__________

Mammon storms from the room the second the last elf leaves. I know this meeting didn’t go the way she wanted, but the fact that the elves agreed to give their public support was a win.

They didn’t seem too keen to provide men or money, but they did offer technology.

Technology so advanced it makes me wonder how they didn’t discover the fix for the female decline before. Most breeds were thrown into a panic when the declines began. They invested their money and resources into facilities over science, but the elves didn’t have that issue.

Gray would say it’s fate, and Silas would awkwardly look away and avoid the topic. He does that every time fate is mentioned.

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