Page 35 of The Demon's Pet

“She isn’t afraid of much, this one. Sam and I met her yesterday before the ceremony, when she was mouthing off to an entire group of alphas and betas.”

I just glared at him, unsure of what else to say.

Iwasn’tafraid of them. I didn’t really know why. I supposed that because I didn’t know them, there was no way they could hurt me the way I’d been hurt my whole life by people I loved.

When you loved someone, it hurt so much worse when they attacked you.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.

“That’s Helios,” the black-haired one said. “Our diplomat.”

“Helios? Why?”

“It’s a codename,” Os said. “Call me Os, though. Helios is too long.”

“She won’t be calling us anything,” the dark-blond angel said. “She’ll be dying.”

I heard atskfrom Os.

“Gabe, stop,” the black-haired one said. “There’s no need to taunt her.”

“I don’t need your help with etiquette, Mor.”

Mor shrugged and went behind the desk to bother Sam, poking him in the shoulder and seeming to tease him about something quietly, while Os and Gabe moved in front of my cell, blocking my view.

They couldn’t have seemed more different. Os with his warm smile and Gabe with his severe frown.

The only thing they had in common was being good-looking and masculine, along with their outfits.

Os was slightly shorter than Mor. They still all towered above me. Probably all six feet or over.

Os gave me a sunny smile. “I’m sorry about Sam,” he said carefully. “For whatever he did to put blood there.”

“No need,” I said bluntly. “He saved me.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no need to intervene. It’s forbidden—”

Sam held up the pack book of precepts. “What I did was perfectly legal.”

Os shrugged at Gabe like he should have known better.

Sam stood, walking over and shouldering them both rudely out of the way to stand in front of my cage himself.

Gabe looked ready to kill Sam, but he allowed Os to pull him back.

Sam put his hands on his hips, and I’d never seen him look more handsome. I hated that I had to die at this beautiful man’s hands.

“I’m going to keep her.”

“What?” Os turned to face him as Gabe and Mor gasped in shock.

“I’ve looked at the by-laws. It’s perfectly legal.” He held up the book. “The stupid idiots in this pack decided that any alpha can claim any omega. An angel, like me, is higher than any pack alpha. I can claim her.”

I wanted to yell at them that I would never be claimed, but for once, I kept my mouth shut.

I’d seen what it was like on the end of Sam’s sword. I had no desire to experience it if it could be avoided.

What did he mean by “keep me,” though?