Page 139 of Heimlock

I shake my head, eyeing her like she’s my next meal. “Absolutely not. I’m tired of moving slowly, and this deserves more than a bathroom.”

She raises a dark orange eyebrow. “Are you saying I wasn’t worth more months ago?”

“No, that is not what I’m saying,” I growl. Leaning in close, I whisper, “It means I need more space and time for all the things I’m going to do to you.”

She leans forward, our faces almost touching. “I’m going to gobble up that meat log.”

I jerk back, barking out a laugh as I ruffle her hair. “Only you would ruin a sexy moment with some weird joke.”

She waggles her eyebrows. “You won’t be saying that when—”

“Kyrielle?”

She freezes, blood draining from her face. I’m dismayed to see a large Gargoyle staring at her.

North.

Instantly, possessiveness roars from my Fyre. Knowing he's probably the most recent person she slept with pisses me off. My brain taunts me with the image of her riding him at the club; my tail flicks in fury. His dark eyes scan me, taking in my body language, which is decidedly not friendly, then looks at her. Dismissing me.

“Where have you been?” he asks. “You’ve been ignoring my texts.”

Because she’s in my bed, I want to snarl. Kyrielle looks between us nervously, wings flicking with anxiety. “Um, yeah, I’ve been busy.”

“Busy?” North says flatly. “We’ve been dating for months and you’ve just been ‘busy?’”

Kyrielle shifts in her chair. “We weren’t dating North. We were …”

“Fucking?” he supplies, giving her a look of disgust.

They both look at me when a warning growl rumbles in my chest. While picking a fight with a Gargoyle isn’t on the agenda, I’d be willing to try. “Watch it.”

North looks away, dismissing me again, asking her, “You couldn’t give me the courtesy of informing you’ve moved on?”

“I was going to,” she says with a guilty expression. “I’ve been busy—”

“Fucking someone else?” he supplies in a cruel tone.

I stand, not willing to let anyone speak to her like that. “She’s made it clear she isn’t interested; take the loss and move on.”

He sneers. “Loss? That’s no loss.”

My hand is around his throat before he can shift into his impenetrable scora form, squeezing. Something crunches between my fingers. Kyrielle gasps, but says nothing.

Looking him square in the eye, I snarl, “You will never text her again. You’re not worthy of speaking to her right now. Get the fuck out of my sight before I decide Gargoyle would make a good dessert for a Dragon.”

Tossing him back, I’m satisfied to see him stumble. It’s not an easy feat, unbalancing a Gargoyle. His skin shifts to become impenetrable, but it’s too late.

Giving her one last furious glare, he stalks away. I’m impressed with his restraint.

“Thank you,” Kyrielle says quietly, bringing a hand to my arm.

I sit back down, struggling to control the raging jealousy and possessiveness. “It’s fine. No one is allowed to speak to you like that.”

She beckons me closer with a finger. Pulse still echoing in my ears, I lean in so she can whisper, “I’m going to suck the Hells out of your cock tonight.”

All the blood throbbing in my body shoots straight to between my legs. “Firefly, I’m going to fucking consume you.”

I pull out my wallet while she grabs her purse. Tossing too many corals on the bar top, I practically drag her outside. While I shift, I catch North standing outside the restaurant, watching her fly onto my head.