Page 77 of Her Males

The harmonic pitch of the voice tells me she’s speaking to an elf.

“I agree,” another elf adds.

What’s going on? Why’s she meeting in private with the elves? I doubt Kato knows about this secret meeting.

“I thought he’d be more opposed to the idea of war. The Trio has gone out of their way to avoid it in the past,” Mammon says. “It’s not ideal, but Charlotte is the only leverage we have.”

What?

“How so? They want her dead.” An elf laughs.

“Not exactly. They’re demanding regular updates on her health, and the incubus has gone as far as to send me a list of food she likes.” Mammon huffs. “I’ve been speaking with the ogres, and they’ve agreed not to kill her until we have what we need from Aziel.”

She’s met with silence.

What’s that supposed to mean? I thought Mammon hated the ogres. They’re one of the cruelest breeds, and they burned their bridges with Mammon when one of them forced themselves on her daughter.

I shove my hair out of my face and do my best to steady my labored breathing. The last thing I need is to grow all panicked and be overheard.

“I disagree with this. We want to help the females, and sending one off to be raped and tortured directly contradicts that.” The elf’s voice grows cold.

“We sacrifice one female to save thousands. It’s an easy decision,” Mammon argues. “I don’t like it, either.”

“Aziel will kill us.”

“Aziel will be too distracted trying to save Charlotte. He doesn’t have the bandwidth to fight the ogres and us, and he will choose her.”

I take a step back. I’ve heard all I need to hear, and I need to get out of here before I get caught. My arms flail as my back comes in contact with a rigid body, and a hand covers my mouth before I get any noises out.

My eyes practically bulge out of my head as I’m dragged down the hallway, the person moving so quickly that the walls blur. I curse my decision to wear only socks as my heels make no noise against the floor, the entire kidnapping silent.

I try to bite the fleshy palm covering my mouth as I’m pulled into a dark room and spun around. My body instinctively relaxes at the familiar face of the shadow, but my brain remains on edge.

Rock puts his finger in front of his mouth, signaling to be quiet before releasing me. I suppose that answers my question about whether or not he’s solid beneath his hazy form.

The small closet he’s pulled us into reeks of stale bread and cleaning supplies, the unpleasant smell making me scrunch my nose. Rock hardly seems to notice as he bends so his mouth is directly next to my ear.

“It’s time for you to come home,” he whispers. “It’s not safe for you here.”

I shake my head. “It’s not safe for me in Wrath.”

“Yes, it is. I promise you.”

I clench my jaw, not believing it. I heard what they did to Shay.

Rock looks panicked as he cups my cheeks. It’s the first time he’s ever truly touched me, excluding the occasional hair tousling and back pat when I’m walking too slow, and it’s weird. He seems to feel the same way as he grimaces and moves his hands to my covered shoulders.

“I stole this from Gray,” he says, holding up a gold ring. “It will give me enough juice to teleport you.”

I run my hands through my hair, panicked. I can’t stay here, but I can’t go home.

Kato.

I rip up the bottom of my dress and grab the note he shoved in my underwear. Rock looks disgusted as he takes it from me and unfolds it.

“Where is this?” he asks.

I shrug. “Not sure. A shifter gave it to me. Take me here.” I point to the coordinates.

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