Page 58 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

“When do I laugh at you?”

I cut my eyes at him, and he chuckles, holding his hand up before I can list the minor offenses.

“Okay. Ask me. I promise I won’t laugh.”

Do I really want to ask?

Yes. Yes, I do.

I’m nervous about the answer, though. What if Rin wasn’t joking?

“Is casual sex a thing here?” I blurt with absolutely zero class.

He smiles, surprise causing his brows to inch up as he blinks several times. Maybe he thought I was going to bring up his personality shift at the bakery again or what Rin was talking about before she left. But I have more pressing concerns at the moment.

“We’re not like… married, right?”

Imryll coughs. “You and who?”

“Talodus…” I wipe my hand down my face. “And Ecaeris… and Connak. Jesus. I’m really getting around.”

“Who is Jesus?” He narrows his eyes as the savage glint returns.

“Earth thing.” I wave it away. “Not a Mongrel. Not the point. I need you to explain how this works. Rin did, but I can’t tell if she was joking. I need to hear it from someone else.”

I watch him struggle to hold his composure, going from possessive to amused in a flash. His cheeks round, and he squeezes his lips together. His shoulders sort of bounce with the effort it’s taking him to not laugh at me, but miraculously, he keeps his word.

“We have causal sex here, Ada. Is that what you’re looking for?”

“Yes. No. I mean—”

“You’re confused.”

“No.” I shake my head quickly. “Isolde really freaked me out with her poly lifestyle. And then Rin said something else about being courted or claimed or staked—”

He pulls me closer, lifting me to sit atop the exam table so we’re almost eye level. “What do you mean by poly?”

“Uhm. Well, on Earth, a relationship between more than two consenting adults is called polyamory.”

“Understood.” His lips twitch with the beginnings of a smile. “And you’re freaking out about this poly lifestyle? Why?”

I run my fingers through my hair, ignoring the cool touch of his hands on the backs of my thighs. “Because it’s not something that I’m used to.”

“How do you feel about it?”

“Are you analyzing me?”

He shrugs, feigning indifference. “I’m curious.”

“You’re a terrible liar. Has anyone ever told you that?” I sigh heavily before answering his question. “I like them… and I like you, but the idea of being in a relationship with so many men feels wildly out of reach.”

“What if it isn’t?”

I throw my hands in the air. “That’s the part I’m failing to understand, Imryll. Why would any of you be okay with sharing me?”

“There are two main reasons why we live this way,” he says, holding up as many fingers. “Survival and population. They’re tied together. Survival is crucial here, and so are women. Without them, there would be no more Mongrels, or any other tribe. So, more men per family ensured that the woman in their life was protected. If one partner was lost during attacks or war—”

“There was at least one other partner left,” I finish.