Page 96 of Beauty's Monstrous Demons

“I’m sure you could tie her to your body the way they do kids,” Samael says with a wry grin, having followed me out.

“No!” I groan. “Please don’t give him any ideas.”

Bast chuckles under his breath as he shakes his head.

“We should go, I have food in the truck,” he says. “I’ll have her back by like six-thirty. I have a private music lesson right after.”

“You still do those?” Phenex asks.

“Contrary to popular belief, a private music lesson is not code for a hook-up with a student,” Bast complains.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Let’s preface this with the fact that I don’t sleep with my students,” he says. “You’re very different, Lorelei. As my omega, it just is. I offer private lessons for voice students struggling to hit certain notes or my orchestra students who are having trouble with a piece of music. It never goes beyond the music.”

“However, there are other music and theater teachers who use private lessons as an excuse to bang their students,” Phenex says, amused. “Just making sure you’re taking care of our girl.”

Lord save me from overbearing boyfriends, though they’re adorable.

I’m not even jealous, because while I’ve seen people stare at Bast like he hung the moon, he treats everyone the same.

“I’m sure he plans to,” I say, waiting on Bast.

“Absolutely,” he says, his hand on my shoulders as he guides me out of the apartment.

“Bye!” I call over my shoulder as we walk out.

“Have fun,” Phenex says, smirking as he closes the door behind us.

“Are you upset about what he said?” Bast asks.

“Not in the least. I’ve seen the way you interact with students,” I explain. “You don’t seem like the type of professor who would use private lessons as an excuse to have sex with them.”

“Good,” he breathes. “I thought I’d need to give you an orgasm to get it out of your system if you were.”

Laughing, I toss my hair over my shoulder. “So you’re saying that’s off the table?”

“Minx,” he mutters.

We pass by Valaria as we walk across the lobby, her eyes heavy on us as Bast opens the main door for me.

“It’ll just have to wait until I can make you scream in the woods,” he says, his lips full as he smiles.

Yes, please.

BAST

Lorelei has her head in my lap after lunch, gazing up at the sky as she lays out on the blanket I brought with me. While she looks up at the fluffy clouds, I stare at her. The sky is a darker shade of blue than her eyes, her blonde hair curling over my lap.

“I never have the time to just look up,” she murmurs, “and enjoy the day.”

“I think every hour tends to be spoken for,” I tease her, lifting a curl to watch the way the breeze drifts through it. “Do you think of yourself as a perfectionist?”

“Me?” she asks. She sounds so surprised, I can’t help but laugh in wonder.

“Of course you,” I murmur.

“I don’t think I’m a perfectionist. I don’t think anyone really can be when they’re in survival mode so often,” she explains. “I work ahead in case my life is hijacked, because it inevitably is.”

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