by Marian Tee
She said just for spite, “I want my own room.”
His eyes blazed even as he said calmly, “You will have your own room only on the day that I die.”
George punched him in the guts, hard enough to make Silviu wince. “Don’t fucking say things like that.”
“Then don’t say things that you do not truly mean either, milady.”
“Asshole.”
He tipped her chin. “Keep your head down, do not speak if Ilie says it is dangerous, do not look at anyone in the eye and for God’s sake, do not quarrel with him.”
And then he kissed her, sucking her lower lip in before his tongue thrust into her mouth, boldly inviting hers to mate with him. Her arms went around him as she let the warmth of his kiss wash over her.
Silviu barely managed to pull away. “Promise me you will do as I say.”
“I’ll do my best.” Before Silviu could tell her anything else, she opened the carriage door and took the werewolf’s hand, letting him guide her out. She did not look back, knowing that no one was supposed to know someone else had been inside the carriage with her.
She looked up at the werewolf, intent on thanking him for assisting them even though he was a marquis and Silviu was obviously just one of his many retainers or maybe a comrade from war.
But when their eyes met, George’s words died in her throat. Again, that look. “Well, that’s a relief,” she muttered.
Ilie raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“He says I should be worried about the other guests at the inn thinking I’m a free meal – but seeing how you look at me, I guess I don’t have to be worried. You look so hungry for me that you’ll probably kill anyone who even tries to take the smallest bite of my body.”
George nodded thoughtfully. “He’s really devious, that one, making you guard me.”
As she walked ahead of him, Ilie was left staring after her, unnamed emotions gripping his heart and body. How fucking ironic was that? What every word the human girl said was true, but not in the way she thought he hungered for her.
Fuck no.
He hungered for her in the way that a man could only be desperate for a woman’s touch. He wanted to fuck her, his hidden desire for her so strong it was beyond what was right. And yes, he would kill anyone who dared touch her in the inn, but in the end he would also do what he was meant to do, taking her to the man who already owned her.
Maybe she was right about that, too. The Duke of Brimstone was indeed devious, if he had chosen Ilie precisely for the reason the human girl had cited.
George stopped, looking over her shoulder in askance. “Well, milord?” she asked in a mockingly sweet tone. “Aren’t we going in yet?”
****
So far so good, considering how she still had all her limbs intact, George thought twenty minutes later as one of the kitchen maids served them their food, its mouthwatering scent making her stomach grumble so loudly it had the kitchen maid looking at her, startled.
Adopting a pitiful tone, she mumbled, “I am sorry. It is just that Master wears me out every night that I am in need of sustenance after.”
Ilie choked on his mug of wine.
The kitchen maid, who was also human, looked at Ilie accusingly. “That is against Chalysian rules for keeping pets, sir.” She spat the last word out before turning to George with a sympathetic look. “Just tell me if you are hungry for more, I will make sure to prepare it quickly, my dear.”
When the kitchen maid left, Ilie glared at his companion. “Nice work.” Didn’t she fucking understand they were supposed to be inconspicuous? It was why he had deliberately chosen a corner table in the darkest area of the inn’s dining hall. With their backs against the wall, no one would be able to sneak up on them from behind. His view of the area was also all-encompassing, allowing him to see any threat coming their way.
But all that fucking hard work – wasted.
George looked at him innocently. “Master, why are you so mad at me?”
“Yeah, man, why ya treating her so badly?” the vampire from the other table demanded. He was clearly a vampire, as the red-colored liquid in his glass mug could only be blood.
He was tall, old, and gnarly, but what surprised George the most was his language. Everyone she knew in Chalys, even her half-demon lover, spoke like Shakespeare. How in the world did this vampire end up here talking like a tough New Yorker?
At his words, George looked at Ilie again, this time with her best woe-is-me expression.
This time, he looked like he was just a second away from devouring her. He bared his fangs.
She jumped on her seat. “Master! What big teeth you have!”
The vampire laughed, as well as the werewolves on the table next to his.
“This is what you’re into these days, Marcovici? Some role-playing in the bedroom with Little Red?”
So she was right, George thought. The werewolves – and she had guessed they were by the color of their eyes – had indeed recognized the marquis and were suspicious of his presence.
She had taken a gamble, wanting them to think she was the marquis’ shameful secret, and George had a feeling she had succeeded, albeit not in the way she had originally planned.
Ilie’s expression smoothed as he raised his mug in greeting to the other wolves. “It was just a whim, but this new pet of mine is proving to be difficult to tame.”
The wolves leered at her.
This time, George didn’t need to pretend to be scared. She scooted close to Ilie. “Master, I’m afraid!”
The wolves laughed.
Ilie said in a cold sweet voice, “Now, now, my pet, they are just like me. What would you say if I were to share you with the others, hmm?”
Her eyes threw daggers at him even as she said, “No, Master. I only want to belong to you.”
Something in his body clenched at the words.
Her eyes widened.
Fuck. Whipping his head away, he looked at the wolves with a regretful expression. “I’m sorry. It seems my human pet only wants my touch.”
“Yeah, seems like it.” One of the older wolves looked at her curiously. “Is this your first time, being a pet?”
She nodded slowly, realizing that Ilie was not going to answer for her. In truth, her mind was still whirling at what she had seen in the marquis’ eyes. “Master acquired me on a bet.”
“Ooh, good win there, Marcovici.” The others nodded in agreement.
Since they were all looking at her expectantly, as if wanting to hear more about her experiences, George tried to think of something else to say. “I, umm, heard that…well, you see, I’m worried that you all eat humans?”
They nodded readily.
Ah fuck, so Silviu really did mean what he said!
The horrified expression on her face must have gotten to them, prompting a man with glistening skin from yet another table to tell her reassuringly, “Don’t worry. We won’t eat you. We’re civilized folks here, unlike the rest of Chalys. We only eat those straying into the Woods after dark.”
She tried not to gulp since last night she was one of those strays.
“Everyone else is forbidden. We make sure to stay on the Duke of Brimstone’s good side, being that he’s the only one worth following around here.”
“I am very happy to hear that, kind sir,” George said, meaning every word. She paused, trying to contain her curiosity.
Ilie sighed. “He’s a merman, darling. It’s why his skin seems wet.”
The said merman’s chest puffed with pride. “Is it your first time to see one?”
She nodded, her eyes wide as she took all of him in. “Do you, err, grow fins when you go back into the water?”
“Just one,” the merman answered.
“How about a bear shapeshifter? Ever seen one before?” The hulking man from the bar asked.
When she started to shake her head, he got off the stool with a grin and immediately transformed into a nine-foot bear, overturning tables in the p
rocess.
“Dammit, Morton! When will you fucking remember you always break things when you turn?” The bartender growled. “Go out and change back!”
The bartender, who had stubbed horns protruding from his head. And when he turned to face her, his long pointed tail curled up behind his back, so long that its tip reached the top of his head.
Seeing her staring at him openmouthed, he grinned. “Let me guess. You haven’t seen a lower level demon before? You’ve only seen the noble ones like Marcovici?”
Her head snapped to Ilie. “You’re a half-demon, too?”
Everyone in the dining hall groaned.
“That’s really foul play, Marcovici!”
“Yeah, dude, the rules are fucking clear. You gotta tell her what you are exactly before you make her your pet.”
“How about switching masters, girl? I’ll be good and honest!” The last offer came from a beautiful lesbian with a lilting voice.
The men booed at her. “Don’t cheat, Matilda. No using your siren song!”
Matilda laughed.
Seeing George was still gawking, Matilda winked. “Your first time to also see a siren?”
She nodded dumbly. “It’s my first time to see all of you.”
“I want to ask a question, little chick,” one of the wolves said.
George turned to him. “What is it?”
“Why don’t you seem afraid of us?” He looked at her intently. “You do not even seem disgusted. I have seen my share of human pets, and all of them were in it for the money. But mark my words. They thought we were disgusting and evil.” His voice dropped a notch. “You do not think we are monsters?”
She thought of Lady Beyotch, whose beautiful face hid the ruthlessness of a killer, the way she had so easily locked George and Desire in the attic.
Looking back at the wolf, George sniffed. “You are all a bunch of softies, if you ask me. Those fangs and horns and, umm, sharp fins don’t scare me. The human race has far worse monsters than you do.”
The crowd laughed at her.
“Puny humans,” another man hissed in disgust, and by his lisping voice she would make a safe guess that he shapeshifted into a snake.
“Yeah, so puny we created A-bombs that can destroy cities in the blink of an eye.”
“She has a point, lads,” a wizened man at the other end of the room cackled.
Ilie raised his hand, seeing that the questions would never end. “Enough, everyone. My pet has to eat as she still has another tiring night with me.”
“Showoff,” the vampire muttered.
Ilie looked at the crowd with a smug smile. “You all had your time with her. Now it’s my turn.”
Spoilsport. Selfish bastard. Damn marquis. Those were just few of the words thrown good-naturedly at him, making George smile as she sipped her soup. She had never been this popular with human folks before. But with this crowd, it almost felt like she belonged, making her wish she was non-human, too.
Maybe, maybe now that she was heartkeeper to a half-demon, she would finally belong.
“Are the others half-demons, too?” George blurted out, unable to stop herself from asking once again as her mind recalled Silviu’s two other companions.
Choosing his words with caution, he said, “The Galeré are all half-demons, yes.” He made no mention of Silviu being the Duke of Brimstone, knowing it was imperative that she remained unaware of exactly who Silviu was. There was always the danger of her being kidnapped before Silviu obtained her guardian’s blessing and in the event that she was forced to drink a truth serum, the girl would not be able to reveal just who she was heartkeeper for.
“So you will all need heartkeepers as well?”
He nodded.
“Have you found yours?”
He looked at her, just looked at her.
She froze.
He said harshly, “I hope not.”
****
Leaving behind the crowd, whose whistles and well wishes had George’s cheeks burning, Ilie escorted her all the way to the fifth story of the inn, pausing in front of the last door at the end of the hallway.
As she reached for the knob, she stopped, turning to look at him with a discomfited look on her face. “My name is…George, by the way. Just in case you didn’t know.” It was the best she could do as a peace offering, a way to make things less awkward between them.
Ilie said evenly, “Let’s go in.” It was clear that he did not want to talk about what he had just revealed in the dining hall.
She nodded, determined to follow his example.
Ilie opened the door, saw Silviu inside, and moved aside to let George enter.
Tension was etched on Georgina’s face, and Silviu knew exactly what it was about. He did not need to eavesdrop on their conversations, did not need to be a fly on the wall to know how his heartkeeper felt or how one of his closest friends struggled.
But for now – neither of them needed to know that he was aware of exactly what was going on.
Ilie Marcovici would never betray him, and neither would his beautiful Georgina. But even knowing that, it did not mean Silviu was impervious to the jealousy that raged in his blood. If he had a choice, he would never have let his heartkeeper spend the evening alone with another man – especially one who so clearly desired her.
George finally glanced up at him, her eyes unconsciously pleading for him to fix things.
Silviu calmed himself with that look, and his voice was pleasant as he said, “You had a pleasant dinner with Ilie, ma threa?” While George had her dinner below with Ilie, Silviu had used the time to spell-proof the room and ensure that even the smallest sound wouldn’t be able to escape its walls.
Seeing her hesitant look, Silviu said gently, “It is okay to speak now, milady. Nothing will escape this room.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the fuck.”
Ilie and Silviu’s glances met, the tension in the room breaking as they shared a moment of sheer exasperation.
“I don’t envy you with this stubborn little piece of baggage, Silviu.” Ilie’s words were half meant. “You’d have to wash her mouth with soap every second.”
“Werewolf humor is so not fucking funny,” she retorted.
He winced at her words. “You can just refer to me as a wolf, milady.”
“Werewolf is a term that’s derogative to their kind,” Silviu explained. “It’s similar to…calling a purebred a mongrel.”
Her eyes lit up and she said to Ilie with unholy glee, “Werewoooooolf.”
Ilie scowled. “Are you sure this brat is someone you want to be your heartkeeper for eternity?”
Silviu sighed. “Ilie---”
She scowled right back. “I am not a brat! You’re the one who’s being all bratty! Just because you’re a marquis and he’s not doesn’t mean you can pressure him into not making me his heartkeeper!”
He sighed again. “Georgina---”
“I’m over 900 years old, little girl. You are the brat here.”
George opened and closed her mouth several times.
Fuck, Ilie thought, seeing the shock that leeched the color off George’s face.
Silviu said grimly, “That is your cue to leave, milord.”
I am sorry, Your Grace.
It is my fault. I did not broach it with her in fear of how she would react.
Ilie opened the window, turned into a wolf, and jumped out.
Silviu walked towards the window and as he reached to pull it shut, he heard Georgina ask in a halting voice from behind, “Are you as old as he is?”
“Yes.” He turned to her.
Instead of fear in her eyes, there was…excitement.
“When you told me you didn’t want me staying mortal, I thought it meant you just wanted me to have some kickass powers like those wings and that sword and my own Granite.”
“Granite is the only one of his kind in the world,” Silviu said heavily.
Her eyes widened. “For real?”
<
br /> He nodded.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She bit her lip. “But going back to what I said…does that mean I’ll live as long as you guys when you get Lady Beyotch’s blessing?”
“Yes.”
