Page 8 of Scales and Seduction

I nearly hiss at him but decide it’s best to control my temper. Right now, Ruby’s safety is most important.

“Little lady, you want something to drink?”

Ruby shakes her head. “No thank you, I think I’ll pass.” Her arms wrap around her chest, pushing her breasts upward to allow a more direct view of her cleavage in the sexy sundress she has on.

My brain short-circuits. Since the moment I knew she was here, my mind has been on her alone. I can’t seem to get it out of my mind that she is meant to be my mate. She is impossibly small standing next to us, and fragile. My only thought is how will I keep her safe when everyone here will salivate at seeing such a little tasty thing here in the Vale?

While we may have moved past using humans as food sources, entertainment or being their objects of worship, I can’t be certain what others might choose to do with her. That alone frightens me beyond belief. Most of our population probably doesn’t even know what a human looks like, much less believe one would be here. Still, our history books tell us humans were ruthless, vile creatures who turned on us the moment they realized we weren’t gods. It’s why the barrier was created for our protection. If someone saw Ruby and knew what she was, I’m not sure how she would be perceived.

Regardless of how I crave her, I must be careful how I approach things with her. I am unsure she can handle the concept of mates just yet, but I feel there’s no way through this without explaining it to them both.

Once my drink is in hand and we’re all sitting in the living room, Silas finally asks, “What about you, sugar, how did you get the app?”

A snarl rises in the back of my throat at the endearment, though I swallow it down, knowing it is unbecoming of me. I taste the bitter flavor of venom coat my tongue; my inner beast is out for blood, it seems. It’s a meaningless thing for Silas to say and yet—using a pet name formy mate, my Rubypisses me off.

Silas pins me with a questioning look, and it’s then I realize the snarl was more audible than I intended. I clear my throat as if it was only a slight tickle before pressing my whiskey glass to my lips to swallow something other than my pride.

“I got it from this creepy phone repair shop guy named Burney. He told me if I downloaded it and used it, then I would get my repair cheaper,” she says slowly. “It was a really great deal. He took three hundred and fifty dollars off the price.”

Silas gives an amused huff, shaking his head with disbelief. “So, you didn’t find it odd that he wanted you to install a dating app?”

Ruby narrows her eyes, clearly annoyed. She plants a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side. “Obviously it was weird, but if you were as broke as I am, you’d care more about the discount he offered than whatever random app he told me to download,” she shoots back. “And anyway, I thought it was a dating simulator until the part where I blacked out and woke up here.”

Silas raises an eyebrow, giving us both a half smirk that’s caught between amusement and disbelief. “So, let me get this straight. You thought this Burney guy was giving you a roleplaying game...in exchange for a discount on a broken phone.” He then looks at me, continuing, “And you let your fiancée talk you into a dating app.”

Ruby shoots a look at me that makes my stomach plummet. Her nose crinkles upward, and her eyebrows knit together as if she can’t decide if she’s disgusted with me or not. It’s unusual, I will give her that, but she doesn’t understand. Neither of us wants to get married, not really, but it’s our duty. It had to be a match worth making, and Avalon’s family is the best suited for the job.

Ruby crosses her arms to match, fixing him with a sharp glare. “Judgmental much?” she snaps. “Not all of us have theluxury of being skeptical about every single weird thing that happens to us. I needed my phone fixed, and I got a good deal. It’s not like I knew I’d be signing up for a crash course in... monster dating etiquette. Or, I don’t know, losing my entire life to get dumped into a magical town with monsters.”

“We’re not monsters,” Silas says sharply. “Don’t call us that.”

I shoot him a warning glare. “Ease up, Silas. She doesn’t know.” I can certainly agree that it was risky for Ruby to trust a stranger so easily, especially letting him install something on her phone. That kind of thing opens you up to all sorts of cyberattacks. But, given Avalon’s nudge about this new app, I can’t exactly criticize her... since I downloaded it too.

Silas shrugs, his eyes settling on us both with mild curiosity. “Alright, alright, don’t get your tail in a knot.” He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “It’s just entertaining, that’s all. You both downloaded this app, and now, here you are, acting like a coiled-up viper guarding its treasure.”

I narrow my eyes at him, but the remark hits closer to the truth than I want to admit aloud. Glancing at Ruby, I notice she still has her arms crossed over her body, closed in on herself, likely anxious about what’s happening to her. I draw in a breath as I realize the sight of her calms down my own hesitation. I know what I’m about to say will shift the dynamic between us.

“There’s more,” I hesitate to say. I give Ruby a soft smile before gazing at Silas, knowing what I say might change things for us both. “The app isn’t just for hookups or casual dating. It’s for finding your true mate.”

Silas freezes mid-smirk. For a moment, he stares at me as if I’ve just told him the funniest joke before he barks out a laugh. “It can’t do that—that shit is made up for children. It’s a bedtime story.” He stares incredulously at the phone in his hand. “So, this app promises to deliver you a fantasy. What else?”

“I barely remember what the terms mentioned when I opened it. It promised a perfect match in every way. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It was a gimmick at best.” My voice dips a moment before I add, “Avalon mentioned it in passing. She made it out to be like any other app, maybe a bit more tailored.”

Silas raises an eyebrow, and his eyes drift to Ruby, who’s bent forward looking at my phone screen as if there’re answers there. She rubs the edges of her fingers over and over in what I would guess is an anxious tic.

“When I opened the app, it mentioned that too, but I ignored it. What is a fated mate; is that like soulmates?” Ruby asks, her eyes bubbling with curiosity as she chews on her bottom lip again.

I nod, feeling emotions well in my stomach as I think about all I know of mates and what it might mean for her. “Yes, it’s similar to soulmates, but the bond is unbreakable. Books often explain it as if there’s a deep magic that forms between the two who are mated together.”

“You downloaded a magical soulmate app, and it dragged a human here...” Silas says with faint amusement as he points toward Ruby. “I can’t tell if this is the stupidest thing that’s ever happened to you or the best.”

Ruby looks up then, her voice steady as she asks, “But does it really work? Like—really?” Her eyes flick to mine for a heartbeat, wide and questioning.

I want to tell her no, this is a misunderstanding, and she’ll be home tomorrow before dinner, but I doubt that is the case. When I meet her gaze, when I feel the pull that tugs at the very center of my soul, I know I can’t lie.

“I think this might be real,” I breathe, the words more for her than anything.

Silas’s demeanor shifts, and his eyes soften slightly. His smile fades as he explains, “Unicorn magic might be stronger than most, but you know I can’t send her home. You’d need more than just me to manage that kind of power.”

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