Page 55 of The Slayer Seduction

“I’m almost thirty,” she replies.

“What does your age have to do with anything? Wait, Adam, how old are we?” I ask the man I share a vessel with. “He says we’re twenty-six. Are you alright with being with a younger man?”

Iris’ lips part and then close. “Yes, Slayer, I’ve kissed other men.”

I stand taller. “What are their names?”

“I’m not telling you their names,” she says defensively.

“Why not?”

“Because you literally just turned this vampire into soup. I’m not giving you the names of the men I kissed. Thank you for helping Ember, by the way, and controlling yourself with Warin, I know it probably wasn’t easy for you.”

“Of course, anything for you, back to the kissing. Will you not tell me their names because they are better kissers than me?”

“No, they’re not…what? I’m not telling you who I kissed, Slayer. It’s not a big deal, but if it really matters to you, I’ve never had a boyfriend or anything truly romantic. Nothing like what Ember and Warin or Violet and Silas have.”

I contemplate her words, and I swear there’s longing in there. My Iris is a complicated creature. She doesn’t like me to push too much, and she insists that I’m just her friend, which is just lunacy. We’re mates and I’m working on proving that fact to her. I can’t be pushy, Scarlett told me so.

“Silas is the big wolf shifter?” I question and she nods.

“Yeah, do you have an issue with them, too?” she jests as she continues her magic, cleaning the surrounding space with a beautiful effortlessness.

“The shifters? No, I actually quite admire them.”

She arches an eyebrow, her cute little nose scrunching, showcasing the golden hoop in her nostril. I need to buy her more jewelry to adorn her body, I remind myself.

“They are born the way they are and they look out for one another. They are a true community, I envy that.”

Iris looks away from me, more blood disappearing from sight.

“You’ve been alone all this time?”

“Alone in the void, alone in the mortal lands, yes.”

“That’s sad, Slayer, I’m sorry.”

I give her a warm smile. I’ll accept her pity. Whatever makes her more endeared to me, I’m willing to use to my advantage, which might include letting Adam take over the body once in a while.

As much as I’m loath to admit, I felt how enamored he was with Iris’ kiss as well. Part of me hates him for even considering my mate in a romantic way, but we also share a body.

No one’s lips but my—our—lips will ever touch hers.

Maybe it can be like a prison, where I treat him like an inmate and he gets an hour of recreation time. I snicker, liking the sound of that.

“Stop being a prick. Ask her if we can stop by my place here and get some of my things,” Adam says and I groan.

I don’t like feeling like the man's puppet, not one bit.

“Adam is asking if we can go to his apartment in the city and collect his things.”

Iris looks contemplative as she continues her work. “Right, so…you’re both coming back with me?”

“Yes. There’s no other option.”

If she doesn’t let us in her apartment, I’ll set up a bench outside and spend all my time there. I have no belongings. Nothing on this plane matters to me, nothing but Iris and Scarlett.

“Yeah. It’s going to take me some time to clean all this up, it’s everywhere. I could meet you in a half hour or you could wait.”