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I’m siding with the monsters, and I’ll protect them all.
THIRTY-THREE
CATO
Iwatch Talia as her friend comforts her and they duck their heads together to whisper. I only drag my gaze away when I notice Akuji is watching me. Something in his eyes makes me lower my head with a blush, but he nods, and I follow him. We move far enough away so my mate and her friend can’t overhear us, but not too far so they are still within our sight.
My eyes still flick to Talia, my hands curling in with the itch to reach out and pull her close.
“I never knew that. Did you?”
Akuji’s words bring me back to our conversation, and I force myself to concentrate. He’s trying to protect his people and figure out what’s next, and I need to help him. We need to work together, but my sole focus is Talia. Every twitch of her hand has me glancing over to check if she’s okay.
She’s my entire existence.
Akuji is still waiting for an answer, and I am still a leader, so I need to answer as much as I can and help him understand. “No. For a long time, I have been trying to make sense of their research, hoping for an understanding of our race—”
“Which you did,” he interrupts.
“Enough to treat our wounds and help our women during childbirth, but not to this extent. It took her human brain to figure out the rest. She truly is magnificent. Her brain—” I shake my head, knowing I’m still blushing. “I didn’t know this, but are we really surprised? The humans did terrible things to our people when we were captives, so of course they would be exploring every opportunity of what our creation meant. They are correct though—we cannot let this fall into human hands. They will send others to retrieve it once they realise Talia and Aria aren’t coming back.”
“You’re right. I’ll double patrols and have eyes on the walls and tunnels at all times. We won’t let them get to the lab. We will protect our city and race, and nobody will be hurt by them again,” he promises, clapping me on the back in a friendly gesture I never really understood. The sound of footsteps has us turning to see Aria walking towards us. The fiery little human scares me. There’s something almost unhinged in her eyes, and she’s not soft like my Talia, but she suits Akuji perfectly, and it’s clear he loves her madness.
“You are right about the humans being magnificent,” Akuji rumbles at me, his eyes flashing as he watches the human walking towards him.
As soon as she is within reach, he grabs her and hauls her against him, touching every inch of her. I blush and look away, but my eyes land on Talia, and I notice she’s watching them too.
With…longing?
I force myself to avert my eyes before I do something stupid, like bend her over right here to prove I am as much hers as Aria is Akuji’s. Instead, I chuckle as Akuji purrs for his mate. “I never thought I’d see the great Akuji weak.” My worries resurface. Akuji is the strongest of us all, and she holds his heart in her tiny hands. “Remember that, remember you are his weakness just as he is our strength. Do not ruin something so pure and true, human.”
Without waiting for a response, I move to Talia, unable to be away from her any longer. She smiles warmly at me, all sadness gone from her gaze, and all is right in the world again. I hear Aria and Akuji talking, but I tune them out as I pull Talia into my arms and hug her tight. She sighs and buries her head into my chest, letting me hold her until Akuji’s voice interrupts us, making me want to growl.
“Cato, do you want to date?” he asks me, and Aria laughs so hard, she falls against him. Talia giggles against my side as I raise my eyebrows, sliding my tail around her waist and holding her tighter against me. “What? I like Cato. We could date sometime, no?”
I frown at them.
“You could if you want.” Aria wipes at her eyes and shares a look with Talia. “It’s usually reserved for partners—mates.”
“Oh.” Akuji shrugs, not the least bit embarrassed as he waves at me to dismiss his words. “Sorry, we cannot date.”
“Understood.” I shrug, knowing I need to learn what this date is so I can take Talia on one. I might not be as strong and wild as Akuji, but I would make a good mate, and I need to show Talia why she has to stay with me forever.
I watch Akuji and Aria go, lost in their own little world, and Talia grins at me. “They are so sweet together. She needed someone who could match her crazy.”
“Him as well.” I smile. “But thank fuck they are gone.”
“What? Why?” she asks, sounding concerned.
“So I can finally do this.” I grab her face, haul her up as I bend down, and slam my lips to hers. She groans against my mouth, curling her hands on my chest as I sweep my tongue into her mouth, showing her without words how amazing I find her. When I pull back, her eyes are closed and her lips are slack. She blinks her glazed eyes open, and satisfaction roars through me.
No, I may not be as strong as Akuji, but when Talia looks at me like that, she makes me think I can save the entire world.
Just for her.
“Cato.” The way she says my name, like a sigh filled with hope, has my heart swelling so much, it feels like it will burst. My entire body vibrates with purpose—to make her happy.
“Later, after we have finished researching, we will date as well.”
