Page 9 of Sin and Salvation

It also gave me a new understanding of Maxime’s bitter hatred for Crow and his people. He was not an Alpha, and never would be; nothing marked him as particularly special or powerful.

In a toe to toe battle between the two of them, Maxime wouldn’t stand a chance. He armored himself with money and men, rather than his own physical and magical strength.

And an Alpha always bred true, knotting their mates and passing on the bloodline to their children. Maxime’s cock was not only lacking a knot, but it was sub-par by any non-Alpha comparison.

Surprisingly, I had to stifle a giggle.

Maxime wasn’t just pissed over the power he lacked here; he had penis envy.

But the fact didn’t change that I had somehow caught the eye of two Alpha demons and a hellhound, and none of them seemed inclined to let me anywhere out of their sight now that they had me with them.

I’d assumed that if I managed to finagle a job out of this meeting, that they would cast me aside; I’d become yet another working cog in their territory.

The hands on my hips were an unprecedented complication.

But the waitress finally returned, cutting off my line of thought. Aeron took the glass she offered, and slid it to me. “Drink up, sugar. You look like you’ve had a rough night.”

It was a cranberry vodka, and though I wasn’t much of a drinker, he was right.

I’d had a hell of a night so far, and I gulped the drink like a practiced alcoholic.

“Slow down, there.” Zane sounded amused as he watched me drain the glass. The tartness of cranberry made the interior of my mouth feel like it was shriveling; I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was, and this wasn’t going to cut it. “We’ve got all night.”

“Need another?”

Crow’s breath was warm on my shoulder, his lips caressing my skin as he spoke. He tilted his head towards my neck, drawing my sheet of long hair aside…

Was hesmellingme?

He let out a rumble that made me feel like my panties were suddenly far too constricting.

I nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. “Yes, please. And water, if that’s okay with you.”

Zane and Aeron exchanged quick glances, unreadable to me, but they apparently managed to have a whole conversation in the span of five seconds with their eyes alone.

“Of course that’s okay.” Aeron leaned back in his seat, draping an arm over the top of the booth and tearing his eyes from Zane. “Do you have to ask permission to drink water, where you come from?”

I froze for a moment, the wordyespoised on my lips.

But they couldn’t know that. If they knew, they’d kick me right back out.

And with vodka in my stomach and Crow’s warm arms around me, I was feeling far too comfortable to go back to the street now.

“I’m unsure of the rules on this side,” I finally muttered.

“Drink whatever you like, sugar. For you, it’s on the house tonight.” A small crease remained between Aeron’s brows, belying his casual posture.

The waitress brought another cranberry vodka and a glass of water. I drank all the water before sipping on the next drink, and without warning, Aeron pulled one of my feet into his lap.

I tensed, letting out a gasp before I could stop myself, but Aeron froze as well.

“Fuck, sugar… I didn’t see this.”

I’d managed to get the dirt off in the bathroom, but my feet were still torn and scraped. I’d been running on adrenaline from the moment I crashed through Giraud Tower’s kitchen window; only now, when I’d finally begun to relax, did the pain truly settle in.

“Move,” Crow grunted, and both the VP and Sergeant at Arms complied. The prez moved out of the booth, somehow managing to accomplish that while cradling me against him, and still made it look graceful.

He picked me up like a bridegroom, carrying me to a dark door set in the shadows behind my new stage.

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