Page 53 of Zodiac Demons

“Of course not.” I denied the allegation because I didn’t even want to think there could be truth to it. “There’d be no need to make such a convoluted pact. He’s a vampire. I’m sure his heart processed and dispelled your blood a long time ago.” We both knew that wasn’t true, but I hoped saying it would convince myself at least.

“That witch made it pretty clear that’s not how that works.” He snorted, while that revelation hit me in a way I hadn’t expected.

Is… is that what I had done? Had I only approached Lila because I picked up on her Sage scent signature? No, that wasn’t my intention, but that was an accidental consequence. Marcus was insufferable, and I shouldn’t have gotten that deeply embedded with him in the first place. I pushed him away as a necessity, and I continued to push him away because I didn’t trust myself. I had begged him to let me reject his mark because I was afraid of Omari’s part in that blood magic. But I made my distance from him because he was relentless.

Maybe I should have told Marcus that, but it was for the best. He always pushed too far. He wasn’t someone I wanted to be mated to. He was a wrecking ball in a house of glass, and I didn’t want that kind of chaos in my life.

But I liked what I had with Lila, and losing her would be a completely unbearable consequence of all this. However complicated my half of our relationship might be, she didn’t deserve to be collateral damage, and my day would be darker if she wasn’t in it at all.

“I’m not that desperate. And if I somehow was, shifters can’t normally take on multiple mate marks, so that couldn’t have been a real plan.” I inhaled deep, and I gave my head to my bolder twin. “But if this helps draw a better picture for you, yes, one of those pacts is mine. Lila is my permanent mate, on a completed bond, and you can’t separate shifter mates with some posturing and charisma.” I hoped he couldn’t, but Lila was the most confusing shifter I’d ever met, and while she was technically mine by magic, she could also potentially be his by blood debt as a result. I needed this bluff to be enough to get him to back down right now. “Madam Claudine can find you a worthy bride, as I’d hate for you to be stuck marrying worthless hybrids like us.”

Omari laughed, and I hated that sound. “Oh, I love it when you get a little fight in you. I’m so glad I stopped in.” He threw and arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him in an annoyingly friendly hug that I interpreted as more of a threat. “Yeah, I’m definitely going to stick around for a while. This is going to be fun.”

With that, he walked to the door, and with one last wave, the bell chimed over the entryway as he stepped out into the night.

I just stood there, gripping the countertop behind me, as if it would stop my whole body from shaking, while staring listlessly at the wall.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to run away and disappear into the ether…

Chapter 25

“So tell me about the Leo.” I said, as I laid on my stomach on Marcus’ bed, still kicking my feet after an extra-long feeding session. He said he wanted to help me learn to shift, but after being a little distant for a few days, it seemed more like he was missing the physical contact.

I still hadn’t figured out how to transform any part of myself at will, but we got a little closer every time. I just needed to tip over the edge of full Lamia once, and I knew I’d have it, but as it stood, I could only manage teeth and scales.

But I was happy to be here and keep trying with him. His birthday wasn’t far off—which he finally admitted to me—and I was looking forward to that, too. A lion sounded like a dangerous shift, but so did most of them.

“What do you want to know, Baby Doll?” He was still naked as he toweled off from his post-feeding shower, and I would not be complaining about the view. “Do you want me to go full Adrian and walk you through all the cute little quirks of the Fixed Fire Sign of summer?”

“Kind of,” I muttered, twiddling my thumbs. “I like learning about all the silly theories and made up personality science.”

Marcus snorted, because he always got my jokes, then he shook his head. “Let’s see, Leos are creative, confident, dominant, and difficult to resist. They’re the kings of the jungle, ruled by the sun in all its power and glory, and it shows in everything they do.”

“I take it they’re also incredibly humble and down to earth,” I grinned at him, and he responded with a playful eye roll.

“It’s hard being humble when you’re so good.” He tossed his towel aside as he started digging for his clothes, and this Leo also had a very nice ass to justify his ego. “You spend a lot of time with me. Why don’t you take a few guesses as to what else makes up a Leo.”

“Oh, dangerous offer,” I teased.

He looked over his shoulder as he pulled a pair of jeans from his drawer. “I have a feeling I’ll hold up to your evaluation just fine.” That Leo confidence definitely rang through loud and clear with him.

“Well, you asked for it.” I pondered for a moment, tapping my index finger against my lips. “If I were to guess your flaws…”

“Wow, straight to flaws.” He continued getting dressed, and I just had to laugh.

“You can be pretty pushy and domineering.”

“That’s called Leadership. Taking initiative is the word you’re looking for,” he corrected me with a curt smile.

“I think you’re generous and loyal and care a lot about your loved ones, which is why despite claiming to not get along, you still actively stay in touch with Adrian, and despite Ceto being an ex, you still made a point to keep him close last month instead of letting him suffer from separation sickness.”

That seemed to actually take him aback. “I… I guess you could interpret it that way.”

“So maybe your flaw is you give too much of yourself to people, because you think you’re what’s best for their lives. Like a mix of arrogance and approval seeking at the same time.”

“I’m not sure I like this game after all.” His brow furrowed as he slid his belt through its loops. “What would you guess are the good things? Maybe go back to that.”

“I also think you know your worth and how you deserve to be treated, and you actually are brave enough to make those demands, which I wish I could do,” I said, my cheeks heating at my admission of my own flaws. “You’ve been nothing but nice to me from the start, and even when I didn’t give you the attention you deserved, you still pursued me, because you saw something you wanted beyond what I could even see in myself. So you’re also focused and motivated and intuitive.”