Page 6 of Fritillaria

An abrupt giggle burbles out of my mouth and I struggle to hold it in in case he can still hear me.

What the hell was that?

He may be hot, but that guy is a weirdo. I amnotgoing down that make believe route with him the way so many of the other Humans have.

Chapter 6

Aspis

The door shuts firmly in my face and with it a crushing weight fills my chest.

What did I do wrong? I know I came across as excited, but that’s to be expected when someone meets their mate for the first time.

I thought that she would be delighted, and that we would go and tell Matilda together. Maybe we would have gone back to mine…

Except my place is a dump.

No wonder she shut the door on me, I don’t have anything to offer either of these beautiful females. I’m not prepared to be a good mate.

I can barely feel my tail as I slither back into the party space and look around. There’s no sign of Matilda, and a quick sniff of the air tells me that she might have left already.

That’s probably for the best.

Who knows if I would have made even more of a fool of myself had I the opportunity to speak to her.

I keep close to the wall as I make my way to the exit and call an Uber. I only had one beer but I’m not feeling up to driving right now, my pulse a racing thumping sound in my head.

It doesn’t take long for the car to pull up. At least I had the sense to check the box for a special assistance chair. Car seats that haven’t been modified are a bit of a nightmare for us Nagas. Luckily, we’re not the only Monsters who lack legs, and it’s enough to make this a normal thing.

The drive to my apartment building is over in a blink. I silently make my way up to my place, locking the door behind me and heading to the kitchen.

A glass of scotch is poured quickly and I sit in the darkness for a moment, contemplating everything that has happened tonight. So many fundamental things have changed.

I know who my mates are. I should be happy.

Yes, things didn’t go to plan, but that doesn’t mean that I should give up on them.

What has happened to Ivy to make her so ready to reject a mate?

I could tell by the shift in her scent that she was attracted to me. So I don’t understand her push back. It makes my heart break for my mate. Why is she rejecting love so easily?

Then there is Matilda.

A part of me is smug that I had been suspecting her. Clearly the bond had been waiting for all three of us to be close enough before allowing me to scent Matilda.

God, she is incredible. I have wanted nothing more than to sink my hands into her luscious waves and bring her mouth to mine. Her soft blush when I compliment her on the work she does makes me wonder how strong it would be if I were to actually complimenther. To actually treat her to things.

I can, I realize.

I can spoil my girls like Finnegan gets to spoil Rosie.

Ivy will be hard work to come around to things, but Matilda should be receptive. She’s shown interest in me before, I think.

The second pour of liquor coats my tongue as I take my laptop out and log into the company files. Is this questionable decision making? Most definitely. But I can’t seem to care right now.

A scroll through the company database quickly gives me what I need, my phone in my hand before I can change my mind.

Hey, Aspis here. Can we grab a coffee in the morning? Meet you at Rosie’s?

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