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“So,” began Archer, his eyes narrowed on Teague, “I’ve never been branded, but I’m pretty sure it happens during sex, right? Does that mean you fucked Larkin?”
“We weren’t having sex when the branding was done,” replied Teague. “Like I told you, it wasn’t an act of possessiveness on her entity’s part.”
“Which answers my first question, not my second,” Archer noted.
Saxon narrowed his eyes at Teague. “You fucked her, didn’t you?”
Teague only twisted his mouth.
Slade let out a soft curse. “You said she wouldn’t want to get close to you.”
“And she doesn’t,” Teague assured him. “Sex is just sex. She made it clear that though she has no regrets, she only wants it to be a one-time thing.”
“What about you?” Slade challenged. “Are you good with that?”
“No, as it happens. But it’s not a matter of whether I’m good with it or not, is it? It’s a matter of us having secrets to protect. So I’m not going to push for more than one night, which means you can unclench. Our secrets will remain secrets.”
Tucker sank into the empty deck chair. “I wouldn’t recommend that you tell Khloë you slept with Larkin. It’s not something the imp needs to know. And it’ll only make her mad.”
“Why would she be mad?” asked Archer.
Leo dropped his spoon into his empty bowl. “By sleeping with the harpy, Teague went back on his word. Some people are weird about stuff like that.” He shrugged, not getting it.
Gideon slipped off the table and crossed to Teague. Taking a closer look at the brand, he smiled. “It’s actually pretty cool.”
Teague couldn’t hold back his grin. “I know, right?”
Saxon carefully braced his plate on the armrest. “You’re entirely too smug about that mark. How does your beast feel about it?”
Truthfully . . . “It wants to bite her really, really hard. At least twice.”
Leo’s mouth twitched. “So it’s feeling a little territorial?”
“And frustrated, because she’s seriously against being bitten.” Archer frowned. “Why?”
Leo looked at him. “She’s not a hellbeast, so his venom would hurt her.”
“It wouldn’t kill her, though,” said Archer. “She’d be fine after an hour or so. Maybe longer. I’m not seeing the problem.”
“But it’s best that Teague’s demon doesn’t bite her—the beast would feel even more possessive if its venom was flowing through her veins,” said Saxon before sliding his gaze back to Teague. “It might be better to quit playing the role of her boyfriend.”
Teague couldn’t stop his expression from hardening. “Not while her psi-mate is being a pain in her ass. And it’s not like bowing out would change anything, is it? My demon was slightly possessive of her before now. Keeping my distance wouldn’t alter that. Seeing the mark fade will likely do the trick, though.” Because it would symbolize that her entity had lost interest in them.
Slade folded his arms. “What if it doesn’t fade?”
Teague felt his forehead crease. “Of course it’ll fade.” And no, he wouldn’t like it much.
“Don’t be so sure,” Slade cautioned. “Harpies have similar tendencies to birds like magpies and crows. They collect shiny things. If her demon collects you, that brand will go nowhere irrespective of whether you two part ways.”
Unable to envision that ever happening, given Larkin’s comment that her demon was very distant and tended to avoid attachments, Teague shook his head. “No, the mark will fade eventually. As will my demon’s possessiveness.”
“Let’s hope so.” Saxon grabbed his plate and then stood. “I’m hitting the sack. Unless there’s an emergency, don’t come knocking on my door. I need sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.”
“What you need is to wash your hands,” Tucker snarked.
Saxon gave him a dismissive look. “Back to that, are we, little man?”
“My name is Tucker.”
“Really? It’s not Frodo? Hey, don’t growl at me, short-ass.”
“I’m not short! And you might have a few inches extra on me in height, but my extra inches went on my dick.” Tucker gave him a cocky smile. “So, guess who wins here.”
“The little guy with the Napoleon complex?”
“I’m not little!”
As Larkin stepped into the busy bakery with Piper, making the bell above the door chime, a familiar male mind nudged hers. A mind that hummed with agitation.
Keenan’s voice then rushed into her head . . . Tell me it’s bullshit.
She felt her brow furrow. What?
Tell me your demon didn’t brand Teague.
Larkin sighed, which caused Piper to raise a questioning brow. Larkin tapped her temple and mouthed ‘Keenan’. News traveled fast in the demon world, so she’d known the incubus would hear about the brand relatively soon. She’d also anticipated that he wouldn’t take it well. How did you find out?
Wait, so it’s true? asked Keenan, the pitch of his telepathic voice shooting up a notch.
Yes, it’s true. Rolling her eyes at the string of curses he let out, Larkin joined the long queue with Piper as she scanned the shop. Unfortunately, there were no vacant tables or booths as of yet. It was no shock, given that this particular bakery within the Underground was often crowded in the mornings.
