CHARLOTTE

Despite Alexander's warnings, I can't stop myself from taking peeks at Gray and the woman as I'm led around the room like a show pony.

Not once does he look in my direction as he chats with her, his posture relaxed and an excited glint in his eye that I foolishly convinced myself was only ever directed at me. Apparently, I severely misjudged our relationship.

That's a mistake I won't be making again.

He leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head as she laughs and gestures throughout the room. His smile only grows as she places a hand on his thigh and leans in to whisper something in his ear.

Ignoring Alexander's order, I crane my neck and watch through teary eyes as he grabs her hips and pulls her onto his lap. She straddles him with ease, her pelvis rolling against his as she presses her chest against him and latches on to his neck.

Despite telling myself that I am done with Gray, the tears I've been holding back spillover on my cheeks at the sight in front of me, my pulse racing and body breaking out in a cold sweat. How stupid of me to think that he cared about me. I should have known better.

All he's ever cared about was getting fed.

Gray's eyes finally land on me as he wraps his arms around the woman, his eyes conveying an emotion I don't understand as his lips turn down in a frown and he looks toward Alexander. I watch as he continues to search the space around me, an almost panicked expression distorting his features as he stands.

The woman flails for a moment before finding her balance, her hand grabbing onto Gray's biceps before she tucks herself into his side.

Gray continues to stare, the woman seemingly forgotten as he begins to walk in our direction.

Alexander's loud sigh draws my attention, and I turn to look at him just as he grabs my arm and yanks me so Gray is no longer in my line of sight. I wince at the sudden tug on my shoulder and stumble into his chest as I lose my footing.

A couple of Demons standing nearby move out of the way at the sudden release of Alexander's essence, their eyes cast downward as he wraps his arm around my waist and connects his mouth with my neck.

I wince, trying to shove him off of me as his tongue darts over the hickies that Gray left on me earlier.

Alexander's grip tightens until my arms are trapped firmly between our chests and I can no longer move. The firm hold coupled with his overwhelming essence has me sagging against him, the fight leaving my body as I'm forced into submission.

Tears continue to pool over and pour down my cheeks as he sucks at my skin, the sensation making me shiver despite the hatred I feel for the man touching me. Is this why Gray gave me those hickies this morning? So that people would think that they were from Alexander and believe that we are closer than we truly are.

I flinch and shift my weight between my feet as the mouth on my neck is finally removed and slid up to my face. The feeling of Alexander's lips touching the shell of my ear and his stubble rubbing against my cheek makes me want to vomit.

"Stop fucking staring at Gray and I won't be forced to do this." He whispers. "Let me make this clear, every time you so much as look at him, I will be putting my mouth on you. It's one fucking hour. You can't get your head out of your ass and behave for even one hour?" Alexander continues, his voice hoarse as he tightens his hold momentarily before releasing me altogether.

I stumble back into another chest, my heart plummeting again as another unfamiliar set of arms wrap around my stomach.

"It's just me." Silas speaks up, his even tone an immediate comfort.

It appears as if Silas is the only person I can trust anymore. I try to rein in my sobs as I spin in his arms and bury my face into his chest. This is way more than I ever intended it to be. I thought I would be expected to sit silently at a table for an hour until I was taken home.

Instead, I've been forced to watch Gray practically fuck another woman in public while Alexander makes me walk around and constantly endure his disgusting touch. Silas is the only person who hasn't lied to or tricked me. The only one who's been genuine to me this entire time.

I don't fight with him like I did Alexander as he tucks my body up underneath his arm. If anything, I find the hold comforting. Taking care to continue breathing out of my nose, I allow Silas to lead me away from the watchful crowd.

The laughs and sneers make their way to my ears as Silas takes me back to our seats, his confident posture not once wavering despite the jeers that I'm sure are being made in regards to his connection with me.

I wonder if it's embarrassing for them to have me as their female. Given what I'm seeing here at this party, it doesn't look like they have the same limitation to women that the other realms are currently experiencing.

These men could have had their pick of the Demon litter.

My suspicions continue to rise the more I learn about their world. Why did they choose to purchase a female? Why me? There has to be something I'm not understanding.

I hold back my burning desire to voice these questions as Silas pulls out my chair for me but store them in the back of my mind to ask later. I refuse to look in Gray's direction as I take a sip of my drink, Alexander's earlier order to not drink it gone from my mind.

Despite my sheltered upbringing, I'm not going to get drunk off of one drink. Two's a different story, but I won't let myself get anything even remotely close to tipsy here. I don't trust any of these Demons enough to let my guard down around them.

Especially while in Lust.

"He may not have a good way of showing it, but Alex is trying to keep you safe." Silas speaks up after a couple minutes of silence. "He's just not used to being around women. It's been only the three of us for over a hundred years."

I scoff, shaking my head.

"Alexander's a dick." I snap, uncaring if my rude remark makes its way back to his ears.

Silas's loud laugh startles me, the abrupt noise very unlike him. His words, and even his reactions, always seem so calculated and thought out. A part of me just assumed that he wasn't capable of anything other than that.

I'm sure I look like a deer caught in headlights as I watch him laughing, his head thrown back and eyes squeezed shut.

Wanting to know where Alexander is and if he heard, I turn and scan the room until I spot the man in question standing along the wall only a few feet away. His eyebrows raise as we lock gazes, a lazy grin breaking out on his face as he lifts his glass in my direction and takes a sip of his drink.

My shoulders relax as I take in his unaffected reaction. I was worried that he would be angry with my words and try to punish me, but to my complete relief he doesn't seem to care. If anything, it looks like he finds it amusing.

"Alex is a bit of a dick, isn't he." Silas snorts, his laughter continuing.

I don't think what I said was really that funny, but don't question him on it. I'm sure that people don't outwardly insult the Demon often and make a mental reminder to hold my tongue next time.

The last thing I need is to catch him in a bad mood and end up punished for my words.

Alexander's threat to send me to the Incubi den still lingers in my mind, and despite Gray and Silas's assurances that that's not going to happen, I can't help but worry. I bet it wouldn't be hard for Alexander to sneak into my room while I'm sleeping and pull me away before the others even notice.

With an inaudible sigh, I turn and survey the room again, my interest peaked by the hundreds of Demons that stand around and chat amongst themselves. I'm surprised that Alexander isn't making any effort to converse with them, but figure that he plans to do so after Silas takes me home.

As I continue looking, I note that there are a couple of other breeds here. All look to be of powerful lines, which isn't surprising.

What looks to be a group of Wood Elves stand around near the bar, their dark, spiraled hair and deep purple markings a clear indicator of what they are. I even see what looks to be a vampire or two meandering about, their dark red eyes standing out against their pale, nearly translucent skin.

From what I can tell, I'm the only person here with any Human in them, the realization bringing up a slew of insecurities. I clearly don't belong here amongst the elite.

Their prejudices for Humans are the reason that we were one of the last to join their worlds. If we hadn't had accidentally stumbled upon a portal, we likely still wouldn't even know of their existence. It makes me wonder just how many other breeds are out there that are considered too weak to be worthy of the knowledge of the other realms, but know that that's information that will never be shared with me.

I watch the bartender making drinks as I get lost in my thoughts, amazed at how quickly he can pour and serve out the intricate concoctions. He hardly even seems affected as over a dozen Demons stand around and shout orders at him, his focus never wavering on the task at hand.

And to think that I felt so fancy when making my parents a simple mojito.

The bartender smiles as he picks up two glasses and slides them across the counter, his head nodding as he gestures for the person waiting to take them. I gulp as I follow his gaze to the man in question, my throat going dry as I realize that it's Gray and his new female.

I lock eyes with the woman for a brief second before quickly dropping my head down towards the table. I didn't even realize that I was unintentionally watching them, my attention captured by the bartender.

Silas is grabbing and pulling me up out of the chair before I have the chance to react, his arms wrapping around my waist as he holds me to the front of him.

I gasp in shock, struggling to get my bearings as I'm pressed against his chest. What's going on?

"Fuck off, Shay." Silas spits, his words taking on a venomous edge I haven't heard from him before.

I blink and curl into Silas as I realize that the woman that Gray's been with all night is barreling her way towards us. I open my mouth to explain that I didn't mean to look at them and that it was a genuine accident, but the murderous expression on her face renders me silent.

It'd probably be best to let Silas do the talking here.

"I want to know why this fucking," Shay starts, her gaze narrowing in on me. "Human keeps looking at Gray." Her sneer turns into a sickly sweet smile as she continues to watch my fearful reaction to her. "If you want him, baby, all you need to do is ask."

"She's looking at Gray because she's nosy and we all live together. You know she's Alexander's." Silas smoothly responds, his voice calm despite the crowd that begins to circle us.

Gray approaches Shay from behind, his expression giving away nothing as he wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his chest in the same way Silas is holding me. The bulging of his bicep tells me that he is using a considerable amount of force to keep her held back, though.

"Stop being so jealous, babe." Gray laughs, a smile spreading across his face as her cheeks redden in anger. "I don't want her."

I try not to wince as his words cut through me, but I'm sure that my pained expression and watering eyes give me away nonetheless. My jaw clenches as I will myself not to let my feelings be shown.

I've never had to hide my emotions before. My parents were always eager to know how I felt and wanted to hear my frustrations whenever they arose. I don't know how to hold back tears or keep my face expressionless as the Demons before me do.

My gaze snaps to Lust and Nicollette as they approach, pushing their way through the ever-growing crowd until they are standing directly in front of us.

"Where is Alexander? You think he'd be eager to come to the defense of his female." Lust speaks up, his voice uncomfortably loud.

The question is one I have myself, and I take a moment in search of him. The last I saw, he was standing against the wall only a couple of feet away, but now that space is empty. I'm willing to bet this was his plan all along.

He's probably hiding out in a corner somewhere watching this all go down, happy to finally be rid of me without having to take any of the blame himself.

Silas's grip tightens before he's pulling me out of the way, his actions too quick for me to follow as I'm shoved away from a lunging Incubus. The man barely misses me, his fingertips grazing against my skin as Silas hurls him to the side.

The Incubus falls backward into the crowd of Demons, his body making painful contact with the ground before he's back up on his feet. His eyes narrow as he looks between us, sizing Silas before locking eyes with me.

I'm back in Silas's arms less than a second later, safely wrapped in his hold as he snarls a threat at the others. He turns me so I cannot look at anybody, my face smashed into his shirt.

"I would refrain from trying that again. You don't want to bring out Alex's wrath, do you?" Silas tuts.

Despite his words, the intoxicating scent of the Incubi nearby reaches my nose with my next inhale. I stiffen before melting, my body warming as their lust paralyzes me. It's so good.

I hardly care if they can smell my arousal for them as they continue to entice me, and in a fit of desperation I try to wrestle out of Silas's hold.

"Oh, this is my favorite part. I loved when they used to lure me in this way. It always made me so wet." A feminine voice that sounds an awful lot like Nicollette rings out.

I don't bother to listen any further as I continue struggling against Silas, my arms pushing against him as I try to break free and seek out the Incubi that are calling to me.

Silas shoves me to the ground before stepping over my head and landing a punch on another lunging Incubus. Blood spews out of the man's nose and lands on my hands before he's shoved away and Silas is pulling me back to his chest once more.

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Gray's about to get my fist 👊🧑🏻

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