Page 90 of A Soul to Guide

What was bothering him right now, though, was Jabez’s actions had made this woman cry. He also didn’t like that he’d had a part to play in her tears, and Merikh grumbled to himself.

He didn’t often tell himself off, but he was currently doing so as he looked away from her tear-stained face.

Actually, the adorable state of her inflamed cheeks was causing his heart to do this weird squeezing flip in his chest. One minute, his sight was flickering yellow in joy because she looked really cute, and the next, it was a reddish pink due to shame.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been ashamed.

“Why don’t you tell me more about your realm?” he offered, hoping to distract her.

Raewyn shoved the cloak up from underneath to rub her cheek, and then snapped her head away from him.

“No. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

Merikh bounced her lightly in his cradle, trying to stir her into being playful like she often was. “Come on. Why don’t you explain to me how Jabez was able to steal a portal crystal? I’m curious to know about that.”

Her arms folded underneath the cloak, and she lifted her chin even higher. “I don’t want to talk to a big jerk.”

His fangs parted in disbelief, before he shut them with a clipping noise. “What are you, five? Stop acting like a bratty child.”

“Make me,” she answered cheekily.

Those two words paired together, with her disobedient attitude, had the strangest heat shooting to his gut. Even his cock tingled, and his tentacles squirmed in reaction.

Merikh’s head shot back in surprise at himself, but heat continued to slowly spread throughout his body. He leaned forward with a small growl, unsure if it was in anger for her disobedience, or desire.

“I could, you know,” he rumbled.

She had the audacity to roll her eyes. “Oh, yeah. How?”

His fangs parted, before he shut them with another clip and a grunt this time. He didn’t know the answer to that question.

He could threaten her, but Raewyn would have to know it was empty, since she was a valuable asset to him right now. He could hurt her, but that would only make her trust him less, and they were already on strange terms..

What do the humans do to their younglings when they’re in trouble? Oh yeah, that’s right.

“Well, if you continue to act like this, I could spank you for being troublesome.”

He didn’t understand why she suddenly bit her lips shut, twitching like they wanted to curl in humour.

She finally loosened them and said, “Did you really just threaten me with a good time, Merikh?”

He jerked his head back in outrage. “How the fuck would that be a good time, Raewyn?”

From his knowledge, children hated being spanked! They would cry and scream, promise to never be naughty again, only to be a little shit ten minutes later.

The way she burst out with laughter at his expense wasn’t appreciated.

“Holy maiden, you really don’t understand the meaning behind what you said, do you?” Raewyn wheezed, trying to get her breaths under control before she bellowed out more laughter. She even kicked her legs and held her stomach like it ached. “Spank me, Merikh. I dare you!”

Is there some kind of joke I’m missing here?

The fact his orbs turned a reddish pink in embarrassment was just as humiliating as her laughter.

He practically dropped her to her feet, making her gasp in surprise, before he ripped his cloak from her.

“You will stop laughing, or else I will make you walk through the rain when it returns.”

The night sky was still grey with clouds, and the storm could either fade or return.

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