Page 52 of Enchanting Her Monsters
That upsets me more than I would have guessed. Only weeks ago I might have reveled in giving her a fright, but I don’t wish her to flinch away from me in fear again.
I’m sitting at the edge of Amira’s boundary, and it gives me a view of the neighboring valley.
Jade picks through the brush and leaf debris as she comes slowly closer. When she’s fifty feet to my right, she calls out in question, “Maxum?”
“Come.” I wave her over.
She still appears skittish. “I understand if you need some alone time. We’re a bit on top of each other in that cabin.”
“And some of us are on top ofyouquite a bit,” I joke.
My flirty smile eases some of the tension in her shoulders, which eases my heart. When she gets within arm’s reach, I can’t resist and pull her into my lap.
Jade lands with a surprised yelp.
I curl my body around her as we both face the view. My chin rests on the top of her head and my arms snake over her waist, caging her to my body.
She squirms a bit.
“Don’t,” I hiss.
“Am I hurting you?” she asks with alarm.
“No, but if you wiggle your sweet ass over my cock anymore, I might explode all over your back.”
She chuckles, then sighs. “I thought I might be crushing you with my weight.”
“Never. You’re perfect.”
We sit in a comfortable silence after that. My hand slips under her shirt, and I stroke my thumb over her soft belly.
Finally, she breaks the quiet. “Out of this bunch, I think you’re the most like me.”
“A psycho demon?” I ask with a smirk.
She shakes her head, and I pin her with my chin to make her squirm again.
“You aren’tthatpsycho,” she argues. “Besides, if I lived eight hundred years dealing with dumb douchebags, I’d probably be even more murderous than you.”
“Yes, well then, I’m quite restrained when you think about it that way.”
“And you’re usually coming from a place of love, protecting your pack.”
“I could see you protecting, killing for them as well,” I say, knowing her electric magic seems to awaken with the need to keep her pack safe.
“Forallof you,” she counters with emphasis, squeezing my arm.
I sigh, thinking of the people I’ve failed to keep alive—most recently, Osen. “Maybe, but I’m not always good at protecting.”
There’s another lull in the conversation, and she breaks it again. “So, what happened back there?”
Here it is. I knew she’d call me on it.
I could just try to ignore her question, and she’d probably let me slide. She’s good at giving us space to work things out. She’s being a fucking saint with Osen’s and Calder’s baggage.
“I don’t want to see you hurt,” I say. It’s the truth… just not all of it.
“Yeah, but in the scheme of things, it was about testing for a minor burn. I could easily get hurt worse in my kitchen.” She tilts her head back on my shoulder and looks up into my eyes, her jade irises shining with magic. “It feels like there’s more to it than that.”
