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“Don’t you have orphans here?”
“Yes, we occasionally have orphans,” Horas explained, “but no bonded mates need to be paid to integrate a child into their family. To be entrusted with the care of children is a great honor.”
“Must be nice,” she murmured under her breath. She looked around. “Look, there’s a restaurant!”
Both males opened their mouths to deny her again.
“I’m hungry and I want to try it out,” she said, glaring at them, because she knew wheedling wouldn’t persuade them.
In that low range beneath human auditory capacity, Horas murmured, “If we deny her this pleasure, she’ll deny us.”
Sarus sighed and replied in kind, “I’d rather not take that chance.”
“I know you guys are talking to each other.”
They exchanged glances. Horas spoke, “Little flame, we fear for your safety.”
“It’s a restaurant, a dining establishment. The worst that will happen to me is indigestion.”
They winced at her caustic tone and could not deny that perhaps she was correct and they were overly worried.
“I could not bear it if she were harmed,” Sarus murmured, again in that low tone.
“Nor I,” Horas agreed. “But neither do I wish to deny her such a small pleasure.”
They both sighed.
“All right, little flame,” Horas conceded. “We shall go to this dining establishment, but you will sit between us and not speak to anyone.”
She smiled, white teeth gleaming and her expression suffused with joy. “Thank you!”
Sarus unwound the leash from his wrist and fastened it to her collar.
“What are youdoing?” she shrieked.
“Ensuring your safety,” he replied. “Do you wish to enter the restaurant?”
She nodded, her expression mutinous. Evangeline recognized an impasse when she saw it. If she were to demand they take her home, then they would have happily complied, satisfied with their success in keeping her isolated from any possible attention from other males. By accepting the leash, she gave in to their ancient traditions, but at least she got a little something of what she wanted.
It’s not fair.
The childish, petulant thought nearly made her laugh. She’d learned at a very early age that life wasn’t fair.
They entered the small establishment where the aroma of roasting meat made their mouths water. A server showed them to a corner table where the two big males positioned themselves with their backs to adjacent walls and their mate sat between them. They had to shift the table to accommodate their defensive positioning.
The waiter recited a limited menu of three meats: two roasted and one smoked. There was one vegetable, two imported fruits, and bread. Evangeline opened her mouth and drew breath to ask questions, but a warning squeeze on her thigh cut off the words. She glared at Horas who returned her look with a bland expression.
“I have questions,” she hissed under her breath.
“Ask me or Sarus. Do not speak to the server.”
“Why? Because he’s male?”
Horas lips split open to reveal pointed teeth. “Precisely. You belong to us and we will not tolerate any male of any species thinking otherwise.”
Evangeline could not help the furious growl that rumbled through her gritted teeth. “I hate you sometimes.”
“I can live with that,” he replied.
