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Because the only thing worse than being audited by a monster is one that breaks your house.
“Ladies are allowed pleasure. I was raised that all women are ladies, and not in the way that puts societal restrictions on the term. Rather, one where men show women respect—you are the backbone of society and that position demands everyone’s highest regard.”
Cripes, you pseudo-piss your pants one time, and suddenly, you can’t take of yourself.
“I'm sorry,” I whisper, sick to my core that he had to witness that. He blinks his large golden eyes. “What are you apologizing for?” “My mom, Chet, and…for what happened before.” I point between our two bodies, unable to look up at him. “That's a dangerous habit,” he rumbles. “What is?” “Apologizing for others. You don't control another adult's actions, and you clearly have disassociated yourself with them—so why should you be taking the responsibility of what they say or do?”
“Come on a date with me and find out.” “A date? Like a real one?! I’m not sure—” “I’ll make you come again, even harder.” Shit, why didn’t he lead with that?
To Anubis, offspring are sacred—a privilege, not a right. A parent’s role is to nurture their cub into their happiest self.
She’s a queen, holding her head high and exuding sunshine from her soul. I want to bottle it up and carry it around with me forever.
When an Anubis male picks a mate and marks her, he imparts a piece of himself onto her. Imprinting is just part of the process that bonds mates together. If I stop now, the mark on Fern's neck will only itch occasionally, especially if I'm nearby. As a human, I don't think it will affect her as strongly. She'll be able to live her life with the freedom she deserves—especially after being married to someone like Chet. But me, on the other hand, will forever be tethered to the beautiful redhead that somehow managed to steal my heart in less than sixty minutes.
By the time I drive away from Cedar Peak Heights, Fern will know her worth. I’ll be damned if she doesn’t act like the goddess she is.
She rolls her eyes. “It’s not you. It’s me. Everyone knows me and talks.” I crouch down until I'm at eye level with her. “Tune them out. Their gossip isn't your truth.”
It’s like we have this connection that defies reason, and I’m torn between respecting the woman I just met by giving her space or spending every waking moment with her until she realizes we were meant to be. Psycho monster alert—even I think my thoughts sound unhinged.
“Are other Anubis as muscular and handsome?” Now, I shift, ducking my head. “We’re all built similarly, ma’am. Nothing special, just your typical death god monsters.”
“Listen, your mom's voice isn't your own. I've heard her words often enough to know the poison she feeds you, and it's not right, Fern. You’re not fat, and you’re not ugly. You’re absolutely stunning, inside and out. I know it’s hard to hear this, but your mom is…not a good person. She's just masking her cruelty as concern.”
“You deserve happiness. You deserve to feel good about yourself and to be treated with dignity and respect. More actually—you deserve to be treated like a queen. How many people are as kind as you? It pisses me off that your mom uses your greatest strength against you because you’re one in a million.”
“They always say the deepest wounds are the ones you can’t see. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s going to take time to completely get over the hurtful things Chet said and did. And I think Ahnou is a great way to continue the healing process. Orgasms are like miracle workers, I swear. Get him to give you as many as he can—Dr. Sera’s orders.” “When did you get your medical degree?” “I was born with a PhD in Sexual Gratification.”
New things can be scary, but mostly because you’re projecting your past fears on them.
There's a lot of mystery surrounding my kind, mostly about death and a secret, mystical power we supposedly hold, but it's not true. We don't have any sway over who lives and dies. That actually belongs to another set of monsters. And, for sure, if I had some kind of magic, I definitely wouldn't be working for the IRS.
The woman is a stunning vision—like a sacrificial offering to the ancient gods. If only I were the one she was being offered to. Maat’s feather, I would gladly give myself as an offering to her just to worship at her temple like the goddess she is, and I can’t decide which I prefer more.
And yet, my heart yearns to be something else. Alphas are dominant, omegas are submissive. Yin and yang, we complement one another to make the perfect whole. Not all omegas are females just as not all males are alphas, but I've never heard of an alpha who wanted to be submissive. It goes against what's ingrained in our DNA, yet here I sit, wanting nothing more than for Fern to push me on my knees, drag me around, tell me I'm her good boy.
Arousal doesn’t equate to acceptance,
Fern struggles to read—and I feel her struggle in the depths of my soul. Anubis are blessed with unique neural chemistry that gives each of us the remarkable abilities that humans often envy, but it also comes with a downside. Because of our heightened perception, Anubis are more susceptible to sensory overload from our environment. Since our brains process information at an accelerated rate, it leads to difficulties in decoding written language or understanding symbolic representations like letters. On the one paw, this allows many of us, including myself, to detect subtle details that others
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“No, making you realize that your body size isn’t something shameful, but something to be celebrated. People come in all different shapes, and one is not better over another. But for the record, I love every curve and dip that graces your beautiful frame. You’re perfection in human form.”
“Sometimes fantasies can reveal the truth,”
It took me a small eternity to read the contract fully on my own when Jep first emailed it to me—a week, in fact—and I barely succeeded. The legal jargon was barely legible to my brain. The letters swim on the page, twisting and dancing like mischievous sprites, and panic anchors into my chest sharper than a knife.
We all have painful secrets.
“Sera, whoever and however you are, I celebrate. I will always support you, no matter what.”
“Looks like we’re both a little broken,” she jokes, but tears glitter in her crystalline eyes. “Maybe we can be one another’s glue to help seal the cracks.”
This is an A-B conversation you can C your way out of, I snap.
“There’s nothing wrong with sex or feeling horny. If the man turns you on this much, jump on that ride.” “He’s not a carnival attraction!” “Didn’t you tell me his dick is pierced and has ridges decked out in gold bands? If that doesn’t scream ‘fair food’, I don’t know what does.”
“Cock is not food!” “Hell yes, it is. That and cum are one of the main blocks of the food pyramid. I’m sure of it.”
“Pretty for sure one hundred and forty-four orgasms might kill me.” “Don’t know if you don’t try.”
“No, thanks. The Veil messes with your mind.” “Not if you don't have one.” I smirk. “That explains so much about you.”
“Minds are highly overrated.
But my heart is too battered to care—what difference does a little more pain make?
“And that's what?” “That you're in love! Good grief, do I need to get Megara to sing her song for you?” “Who?” “Uh, the leading lady from Hercules.” “Hercules?” “Honey, I think you mean Hunkules!” “What is going on right now?” Seraphina shakes her head in disgust, disapproval stamped on her features. “I'm quoting the movie.” “What movie?”
The only abs I’ll ever have is the abs-olute lack of control I have around food—and apparently, this man.
There’s no one in this world like you. Keep being the light those around you need but don’t forget to shine the brightest for yourself.
The thought of you leaving breaks my heart. Not because of the bond but because I don’t think I can breathe without you by my side. You are my air, and I love you so much it hurts.”
