Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Well, Viper didn’t appreciate her going near his woman, so …
“What’s this about?” she demanded, trying for indignant.
Twisting on his stool at the not-yet-open dive bar, he arched a brow. “You can’t guess?”
Neta sighed and pulled a face. “I wasn’t a bitch to the incantor or anything, I just talked to her.”
His entity narrowed its eyes, annoyed that she’d attempt to downplay it. “You told her that our kinds have secrets.”
“It’s not like she won’t have already picked up on it.”
“And how would you know?” he challenged. “Do you spend a lot of time around Ella? Is she someone you’ve spoken to before yesterday?”
She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder in a nervous gesture. “I just think it’s unlikely that she isn’t aware you keep things from her.”
Which wasn’t the point at all. “You basically prompted her to ask me uncomfortable questions. You wanted her to think that anything with me is a dead-end.” That infuriated his entity most of all, because they weren’t yet in a position to make Ella the kind of promises that would prove otherwise—she wasn’t ready to hear those yet.
“You can’t exactly claim a mate outside of your own kind. Not when you have secrets to protect from outsiders.”
“Why? Your kind does it sometimes. What’s the difference?”
Neta blinked. “Wait, so you’re saying you will claim the redhead?” It wasn’t a question, it was a query that demanded justification.
Viper gave her a hard look. “Tell me how anything I do is your fucking business,” he said, the words rough with a faint growl.
She licked her lips. “I just … ”
“My guess is that, for whatever reason, you want to leave your lair. You thought joining our club would be as good as joining another lair. You wouldn’t have to hide the curse, and you wouldn’t have to keep secrets from whoever you took as your mate. But you, Neta, wouldn’t be content with mating one of my brothers. You want to have status. And that would mean being taken as my mate. That’s what this is about.”
Her eyes flickered.
“I made it clear to you more than once that I’m not interested in what you’re offering. That hasn’t changed. It won’t ever change.”
“Viper,” she implored, “can we—”
“I definitely wouldn’t have any interest in a woman who’d try to come between me and what’s mine.” His entity wanted to ring her neck.
“Okay, so I went about things the wrong way. You’re right, I want out of my lair—and for real good reasons. Tell me what I have to do to earn a place in your club, and I’ll do it.”
“That ain’t gonna happen.” She was fucking high if she thought differently.
Her brow pinched. “But—”
“You fucked with my woman, Neta. You think I want anyone near her who’d do that?”
Her eyes drifted shut, and her shoulders slumped. “I really messed up, didn’t I?”
That was putting it lightly. “There are other descendant lairs; other groups of fallen angels. If you’re really that desperate to leave your own lair, switch to one of those.”
She swallowed. “Are you going to tell Maddox about this?” she asked, not quite masking the dread from her voice.
“Don’t see the point—I made myself clear, you listened, and I’m gonna assume you won’t fuck up like that again. But if you do, or if you tell anyone about my involvement with Ella—and I mean fucking anyone—I will call him. It’ll only be fair I let him know that I tortured one of his demons.”
Fear washed over her face, pleasing his entity.
“From now on, you’re barred from every premise I own. You stay away from my businesses, you stay away from my brothers, and you stay away from my woman. You got that?”
Her eyes went wide, and she took a fast step forward. “Please don’t bar me from the Red Rooms. The only other place I’ll be able to feed is my lair’s club. I don’t like being there.”
“Not my problem. I told you, I don’t want anyone around my woman who’d fuck with her.”
Neta pressed her lips tight together, resignation flitting over her features. “Right. Okay.” She paused, looking from him to Dice. “I’d like to leave now.”
Viper tipped his chin toward the door. “Go.”
She didn’t hesitate to spin on her heel and scamper.
He looked at his VP. “You have any idea why she’d so badly want to leave her lair?”
Pursing his lips, Dice shook his head. “Not one.”
“Look into it. I wanna know just how likely she is to push back at me for not offering her a place in our club. Demons are good at holding grudges.”
Dice grunted his agreement. “So are we.”
Yeah, very true.
Having finished drawing symbols on her kitchen floor, Mia rose to her feet and set the chalk on the circular black, glass table. Rubbing her hands together to brush off the powdery residue, she looked at Ella. “I’m ready when you are.”