Page 68 of A Monstrous Claim

Insane amounts of jizz must be normal for some monsters.

“You’ll probably need another shower,” he says, leaning down to kiss me.

Agreed. Definitely agreed.

ChapterSixteen

Devyn

After a second shower and lots of kisses, Elio and I get dressed and head downstairs to find something to eat. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and after all that energy we just burned, I’m starving.

Elio forages through the kitchen before throwing something together, and we head to the dining room to eat. Azarius is there, sitting alone at the table with a half-eaten plate of food in front of him, and his eyes snap to us when we open the door.

“Hey, when did you get back?” I ask, taking a seat across from him. Elio sits next to me.

“A while ago,” he replies, his voice dry. He takes a bite of the food on his plate, which looks like meatloaf but I know is some unusual monster concoction. “You two were fucking in the shower, so I didn’t expect you to notice.”

The blood drains from my face before I quickly remind myself of Elio’s words. Azarius said he wouldn’t mind if I decided to claim other mates. He shouldn’t be upset.

But, obviously, that’s not the case.

“Azarius, I—” Elio starts, but Az holds up a hand to cut him off.

“I don’t want to hear it from you,” he says before locking eyes with me. “I want to hear it from her.”

I swallow hard. Everyone’s eyes are on me, waiting for my answer.

Azarius looks dejected, soft lines forming between his brows as they near one another.

Elio’s eyes are flitting between us, his mouth hardened into a line.

I decide not to beat around the bush. After all, drawing it out isn’t going to change anything.

“I claimed Elio as my mate.”

The silence in the dining hall is deafening, and tendrils of panic crawl their way through me. My heart is racing, and my appetite has been replaced by nervous knots in my stomach.

“He said you were okay with me choosing other mates if it came to that,” I explain without breaking eye contact. “If that’s not the case, then I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t think he was talking about himself,” Az snaps.

“Yeah, well I wasn’t trying to—” Elio starts, but Azarius glares at him to shut him up.

Fuck. Elio might have been right.

What if being my mates tears their friendship apart?

“In his defense, Elio didn’t want me to claim him because he was worried it might upset you,” I point out quickly, words spilling from my mouth like word vomit. “All of this is my fault, but I don’t want to choose between you. I want you both.”

Azarius’s gaze falls to the table, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. I probably should have told him differently—maybe when we were alone—but what’s done is done. I can only hope that he’ll forgive me and not resent Elio after this.

“It’s your decision,” he finally says, briefly meeting my gaze before shoving his chair away from the table. “If that’s what makes you happy, so be it.”

“Azarius—” I say as he walks around the end of the table toward the door, but Elio places a hand on my arm.

I turn to look at him as the dining room doors close behind us, and he shakes his head.

“Let him go,” he says. “He’ll be fine.”

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