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This was what he wanted from a girl, at least on paper.
Why, now that he could have it, did he want to turn into a caveman?
She stretched against him. “Oh, I can move.”
“Yeah,” he said, uncoiling. “You going to leave now? Is this when you go home to him so that he can smell my come all over you and he fucks you?”
Her expression froze.
“I didn’t say that out loud.”
“I just need to go to the bathroom, and I did not actually want you to have to… carry me, so I…”
He uncoiled entirely, slithering off to one side the bed, gesturing. “I’m sorry. I’m really—”
“No, I don’t want to leave.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “But if you want me to—”
“I don’t,” he said.
She eyed him, unsure. “Briars, I have to pee.” She scurried down the ladder.
He sank down into the bed, hating himself. He lay down with his arm flung over his eyes, wishing the mattress would swallow him up.
Below, he heard the toilet flushing, and then she was climbing back up.
He moved his arm. She was naked, and there were her wings. Sort of. They were burnt, like she said. Just nubs of wings, scarred, tattered, blackened, as if they’d been burned away. He knew better than to touch them again. Was she, like, part phoenix or something?
He didn’t really know much about phoenixes. She was clearly part elf, anyway. He decided not to say anything about it. He’d already stuck his tail in his mouth enough.
She hesitated on the ladder, looking at him. “You know about me and Tommy.”
“I do,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I did…” She hunched up her shoulders. “It did turn me on that he had sex with me after you that night, that he scented—”
“You told me you weren’t going to tell him.”
“I didn’t tell him.” She made herself even smaller, and her wing nubs moved. If she’d had wings, they would have covered her from view. “I mean, he didn’t want details.”
Niles laughed a low, bitter laugh.
“You and I, we don’t have anything, and you don’t even know me,” she said fiercely. “So, you don’t get to be possessive—”
“I know.” He shook himself. He patted the bed next to his body. “Come here?”
She hesitated.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She crawled in next to him and stretched out against him.
He wrapped his arm around her. “Let’s pretend I didn’t say it.”
She eased a thigh over his snake body.
He curled it around her. “Can we do that?”
“Another bargain?” she murmured, running her fingers over his chest.
