Page 36 of Demon Shock

Bram nodded and clapped Gyrik on the arm. “I’ll get you a shirt.”

My gaze drifted over Gyrik’s bare chest, which I’d had my face pressed against the entire way back. He really had a nice chest.

After tearing my gaze from the muscle display, I opened the truck door to tuck the binders behind the seat and pet Pete. Repeat hopped out of the truck and high-stepped his way through the snow to Gyrik, calling loudly the whole way.

Gyrik scooped him up and nuzzled Repeat’s face with his nose. It was so cute. Bare from the waist up, buff as sin, and loving on a cat.

He glanced up and caught me watching with a dumb smile on my face.

I flushed and looked away as Bram returned with a new shirt and the map. Bram went over the route he wanted to take and asked for my input on towns along the backroad he chose, which pretty much headed straight south, as Gyrik covered himself.

Once we had a plan, Gyrik opened the passenger door for me.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive after all the running you did? You could take a nap.”

His answer was to help me into my seat and set Repeat on my lap.

The next several hours passed rapidly between interesting conversations and the occasional driver switch to navigate through small towns. Gyrik never seemed to get tired or bored. However, by the time he found us a house for the night, he was out of clean clothes.

For Gyrik’s sake, I hoped the ranch-style home with solar panels would have heat and running water.

We followed the previous day’s routine. While the others carried in supplies, I went to the basement with Gyrik and tried to light the furnace. Unfortunately, the gas didn’t seem to work. However, the water heater was an electric-type tankless unit, and we’d travel far enough south that snow hadn’t covered the solar panels.

“Well, at least there’s a fireplace upstairs. We should be able to light a fire so it can warm it up in here a little before attempting a shower or laundry,” I said.

Gyrik grunted and followed me upstairs. When I moved toward the fireplace, he redirected me to sit on the sofa.

“Sit and stay warm. I’ll start the fire and bring more wood inside,” he said.

I watched him disappear outside after he started a small fire. Zach grinned at me as he set a tote on the table.

“You should decide if you like the princess role or not and tell him. He’ll respect whatever your answer is.”

“Princess role?”

“Yeah. My sister, Brenna, is…married, I guess, to one of them. Thallirin’s a great guy. Patient. Kind. He was just a little too overprotective for Brenna’s taste. She had to put her foot down to keep doing what she liked to do, which was archery. The fey are all a little like that when it comes to women. Overprotective. But they’re not suppressive if you know what I mean. You just need to say when it’s too much.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said.

He nodded and left, and I turned to study the fire.

Was I imagining things, or had the back of Gyrik’s black sweatpants looked wet?

CHAPTER TWELVE

GYRIK

We’d leftthe city hours ago, but I could still feel Ava’s warm breath on my chest. Each exhale had sent little shocks straight to my cock. It stirred at the memory but went dormant again as I listened to Zach suggest that Ava tell me she does not want to be treated like a princess.

Bram caught me frowning in the direction of the house.

“I take it Zach is running his mouth again,” Bram said.

“Yes.”

Zach emerged from the house and grinned and waved at me. It was a good thing Thallirin had patience.

“Do I need to talk to him?”

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