Page 23 of The Demon's Pet

Then he walked out of my line of sight, and I heard and felt whooshes of air as his feathers rustled, probably carrying him up and into the sky to torture someone else.

I listened until the swishing couldn’t be heard anymore, meaning he must be gone.

And for some odd reason, my heart twinged painfully at the thought.

I was alone once again.

But as I sat there, my body was still oddly as hot as he’d made it when he kissed me. He’d left me with an odd sort of energy that I’d never felt before. I didn’t know if it was because I was so gods-damned angry at him or because he’d turned me on so hard, so instantly, that my body had yet to catch up.

Even now, I realized that what he’d done was wrong. I was in the stocks. He didn’t even ask.

Then again, I’d probably been eye-fucking him. Maybe he pitied me.

And what did he mean he’d be back if they didn’t manage to kill me?

Alphas and betas would be throwing huge rocks. Yeah, I was going to die.

But as I hung limply in the stocks and tried to imagine what Sam had looked like flying in the sky below the full moon, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him for long.

After all, his kiss had felt so good that my blood was still dancing inside me.

I might be about to die, but thanks to him, it felt like, at least for one moment, I’d lived.

6

My anger only built as I knelt there in the stocks, listening to the cheers as the ceremony proceeded.

I wondered if any alphas had chosen multiple mates and gotten away with it yet.

Probably. They got away with everything.

I jerked against the stocks again, only succeeding in getting more splinters in my skin, which was ragged and bleeding from struggling.

It was hopeless, so I finally slumped down, accepting my fate. For now.

The stocks carried the same enchantment as the collars the celestials had given the alphas to prevent shifting if a shifter was unruly.

They would probably put one on me when they came and got me.

I stared out at the empty park, the bench where Sam had sat, and scented the air, which was full of incense, smoke, and celebration.

The omegas who had been picked were probably drinking wine with their alphas to symbolize sharing a union.

Then tonight…

I shuddered to my core as I thought of the thing my mother had described.

Was that truly how celestials condoned sex?

Deep down, I knew the answer. We were broodmares and scapegoats, so who cared if we ever felt pleasure?

The only pleasure I’d probably ever had was what Sam had given me, and I wouldn’t even live long enough to taste it again.

Or read another romance novel.

Or run in the woods.

My heart felt wrung out by despair. I half regretted fighting back, due to everything I was about to lose.

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