Page 95 of Bad Demon

Lothar frowned. “You’re her male. What’s to be scared of?”

“First, she doesn’t know we’re mates. Second, females have minds of their own.”

Jag grunted again. “We know that. I listen when they tell me what they want, and I give it to them.”

“Not talking about the females you take to your bed, brother. I’m talking about their feelings and their thoughts beyond an orgasm.”

“That’s where you lose us.” Loth grinned.

“No shit.” I swung my leg over my bike as well. “I can’t fucking wait until you find your own mates.”

Loth grumbled and started his bike.

Jagger’s expression hardened. “I don’t need a female fucking with my head.”

“You don’t get a choice, Jag. It happens when it happens.”

Jag snarled, started his bike, and rode off. Loth followed, and I pulled out my phone and hit Fern’s number. I was done playing. Yes, Loth and Jag saw things in black and white, but they were also right about one thing.

Fern was safer with me.

* * *

FERN

My phone started ringing.

“It’s Relic.”

Phoebe gave my arm a squeeze. “You got this.”

She hadn’t talked to Rune—he hadn’t been around—but she’d found the book we needed in the library. I finally had the words to set him free. Phoebe gave my arm another squeeze and walked out.

Ignoring the pain in my chest and the sick feeling in my gut, I put the phone to my ear. “Hey.”

“I want you to come back to the clubhouse,” Relic said by way of a greeting. “I’ll swing by now and pick you up.”

I shot to my feet. “Whoa. Hang on a minute. What’s going on? What’s happened? Did you find something?”

He exhaled roughly. “We found where they’d been hiding, but they were gone before we got there. I don’t want you out of my sight—”

“I’m safe here. The wards are strong. There’s no way he can get through them.”

“I fucking love that you’ve found your people, baby—you have no idea how much I love that for you—but I need you with me, Fern. I need you in my den, in my bed. I know it’s fucking selfish—believe me, I know it. But I need to be the one to protect you.” Another rough exhale. “I just need you.”

This was killing me. Gods, this hurt. I wanted to believe it—I did. But I’d been right; Phoebe had found proof in the texts about unhealthy obsessions growing between those who did deals like the one I had. He wasn’t thinking clearly, and I couldn’t do this to him anymore. I knew what it was like to be held against your will. Keeping him tied to me would make me as sick and twisted as The Chemist.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because what you’re feeling it isn’t real. It’s just … not. This connection between us—it’s the deal I forced you into.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Relic, it is. You can’t see it right now, but there is nothing you can say that would convince me that you would’ve ever wanted me, truly wanted me, after seeing all you have. The compulsions—gods—what I did to myself, hurting myself, the vomiting, the selfish and reckless way I fed from you. Finding me on that gurney the way you did.” I shook my head, even more convinced now than before. “You wouldn’t be talking to me now, you wouldn’t be so … so concerned about me, and you wouldn’t have been with me earlier today if I hadn’t tricked you into selling me your soul.”

I felt sick to my stomach. I really was a fucking monster.

---