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I narrow my eyes at Dev, who has never let me walk away from him from the second we met. The overcontrolling bastard would prefer that I inhale his every exhale—and yet, he's sending me off into the forest? Suspicious.
He turns his attention to Tesq. Clearly, he has words for the other monster he doesn't want me to hear, which only makes me all the more curious. I don't know if my newfound monster abilities include extra-sensitive hearing, but I send out a wish that they do. And then I stalk off toward a stand of pines, grumbling about shithead asshole monsters under my breath.
It takes me a few minutes to find Em, who has wandered off farther than I expected. He's sitting on a boulder, breaking a twig into tiny pieces when I approach. Though his clothes are a hodgepodge from our brief visit to Tesq's lair, a random T-shirt and some jeans, he looks better than he has in recent days. Except for his expression. That's as downcast and dejected as I've ever seen on a monster.
"Hey," I call out, not wanting to startle him.
He doesn't even glance my way, though he nibbles on his lower lip. He sighs and tosses a bit of twig at the dirt. "What?"
The defensiveness in his tone immediately makes my hackles rise, and the snarky side of myself wants to snap at him. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that I've not only hurt his ego, but our mate bond is a permanent thing, and something tells me I don't want to damage that.
Instead of simply summoning Em back to the fire, I sigh and lean against the trunk of a nearby tree. My fingers automatically peel at the bark, mimicking Em's destructive little style of contemplation. "Look. I want you to know it's not you."
"It's not you. It's me. Really? You're going to try to use that line?" Em snaps.
"I was going to sayit's Chase,you invisible asshole," I retort. "I don't think it's fair to him. I mean, would you want someone to invade your body and make you kiss someone you've loathed your entire life?"
To my shock, Em bursts out laughing. "Loathe! You think he loathes you? He's been fuckingpining over youfor years!"
His right fist balls up and socks him right in the jaw after that proclamation. It's hard enough that his head twists sideways, and his eyes gape in shock.
I bite down on an amused grin as Chase goes to war with Em. His hands batting at the air and the growls and grumbling threats streaming from his mouth are fucking hilarious. Somehow, he ends up on the ground, rolling around as the two souls inside one body battle it out for control.
I wait.
Finally, Chase spits out a mouthful of dirt and rises onto an elbow. I can tell it's Chase immediately by the way his eyesnarrow as he gazes up at me. We've thrown each other enough loathing looks over the years that I know exactly what that intense stare of his feels like. The way his eyes try to cut right through me.
The stare continues.
He doesn't blink, and neither do I. Slowly, that hot anger flushing my cheeks and neck, an instinctive reaction to his gaze at this point, cools. I swallow hard, wondering why Chase isn't arguing with Em's last statement. Why isn't he thanking me for saving him from experiencing all the unhinged things I'm certain Em wants to do to me?
Because he's a horny guy. That's why.
But those words don't feel true. Chase hasn't been like that since I rescued him. Actually, he hasn't been like that since we were captured and auctioned off.
He's actually been decent.
But there's no way what Em said is true. Pining? For years? Impossible.
"We've always hated each other."
"You always hatedme." Chase's response is soft, and his emerald gaze is so intense that I can't meet it. "I deserved it. But I never hated you."
I scoff and snort, trying to make light of the situation. "That's still a far cry from pining. Tell Em to get his human emotions straight."
Silence, as loud and unnerving as a thunderclap, fills my ears.
Finally, Chase says, "He's telling?—"
"We need to get back! Creep's bringing in some monster that Tesq knows so we can plan." Words gust out of me, a nervous whirl of sound. I spin on my heel, heading back toward the cave and the campfire.
The entire way there, my head is a confused riot of sparks, and my heart thuds wildly.
A monster battle for a kingdom? Four mates? I'm a fucking monster or part monster or who knows the fuck what?
My life doesn't need another complication.
But it seems like I've got one.
