My mate is a saint.

The gods must be laughing from their seven heavens at the irony of me of all demons having a saint for a mate. I suck in a breath and pick up my daggers from the ground. The spider female is nothing but ash now. The snake is completely charred, but not so much that the meat can’t feed the villagers should I feel nice enough to take it to them.

“Hey!” Megan walks over to me and crosses her arms. I eye her and then turn back to pick up my daggers. No one told her to join in. I had it under control. The trap only required a few more steps and then I would have been able to have the female and the snake caught in my grasp. “What’s with that look on your face?”

“What look? This is my normal face whenever I deal with you.”

Megan huffs as she moves her hand in front of her as though she is grabbing something from the air. What a strange human she is. Or are all of them like her? “Listen here, fox boy.” She smacks her chest. “I just saved your life and you’re not even a little appreciative.”

“So, you being unable to use magic was a lie?”

She falters. “That wasn’t a lie. I thought I was just going to hit it in the head with the dagger.” Megan gives a little shrug. “Like in the movies. You know? Okay, you don’t know, but in my mind, the dagger was gonna hit the spider with a splat! And then it was gonna fall down, so you could swoop in, and give it the heave-ho!” She jumps and does this weird thing with her arms like she is trying to slice the air.

“That settles it. You’re just insane.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. Seven heavens, give me strength. This is the woman I am fated to spend the rest of my days with? I refuse to accept it. “Well, the beast has been slayed and we don’t know why it was stopping the villagers from taking as they pleased.” The beast would have been slayed regardless because it dared to convert what is mine, but I suspect there is more to this forest than what the villagers told us. For one, the heartbeat is louder.

The snake’s charred body sinks into the ground. My eyebrows raise. The forest is eating it instead of allowing the body to rot or to be picked apart by other beasts.

“Grass isn’t supposed to do that,” Megan complains. “That’s not…cool.” She slaps her forehead and then drags her hand down her face, pulling at her cheek. She looks ridiculous and yet my cocks stir at her antics.

This is beyond annoying.

“The forest is alive, after all.” I scratch at my chin. My mind buzzes with possibilities, but they all seem more outlandish than the last. “Perhaps the sacrifices were not because the spider was greedy, but to keep the forest appeased.”

Megan scoots closer to my side. “If that’s the case, then why not eat the beasts here or take the fruit?”

“A life for a life. Trees are alive. Flowers, fruits. All that you see is living.” I wave a hand in the air. “Perhaps a curse or a blessing, I am not sure.” Nor do I care what happens to the villagers after this. A flash of worry crosses Megan’s face and I want to bang my head on a tree. Why must she have such a weak heart? Why must I be so damn susceptible to her moods? “You want to find out if it is a curse or a blessing, I presume.”

“It would be bad if someone got hurt here and then the forest ate them. What if they have a family? That would be awful! Or other travelers like us.”

I sigh. “Let’s see this great power of yours, then.”

Megan wriggles her nose and holds a hand out. She squeezes her eyes shut as though that will somehow cause the power to flow faster. Seconds tick by and nothing happens. No sparks. No fizzles. Nothing. She opens her eyes and looks at her hand. Megan huffs and sticks her hand out in front of her once more, as though this time she will yield better results.

“So, you can’t wield it.”

“I can! I just need to figure out how to make it work.”

“So, you can’t wield it,” I repeat, cracking my neck. “Let us hope we do not need your services, then.”

Megan visibly perks up; her eyes lighten to the color of malachite. “Does that mean you’re going to help?” She smiles and my stomach tightens.

Damn emotions.

“The list of what you owe me continues to grow.”

Megan tilts her head from side to side and comes to a decision. She places her hands on my arm and squeezes.

“What are you doing?” If this is her trying to cut off circulation, her hands are far too small, and her touch is far too light.

“Giving you a massage,” she says, sticking her tongue out to the side as she attempts to squeeze harder, but instead of relaxing me, her touch ignites a flame that cannot be quenched by such soft touches. “Once we settle things here, I’ll ask to use the kitchen at the inn and whip something up.”

“I am the opposite of relaxed, nor do I wish to part with any more coin at that shit of an inn.”

Megan pauses. “Are you still pissy because I pointed out the tattoos on your cocks? I didn’t say they looked bad. I mean, they were nice and uh…I’m going to shut up now.” She pulls away and wriggles her fingers as though she does not know what to do with her hands.

“Let’s go.” I walk past her, allowing my instincts to lead my feet. Megan does not need to remind me of the markings adorning my cocks. Markings that are her doing. Had she been a fox female, she would have presented herself accordingly. But Megan is human and knows nothing of my kind’s customs.

I know nothing of human customs other than how much of an annoyance their kind tends to be. They are weak, react without thinking, and ravage the lands with their wars. And yet they multiply like insects. I slant my gaze at Megan, who walks by my side.

This human is my mate.

The irony of my mate being a saint is not lost on me. Though for a saint, she has quite the mouth on her, and she is quite bloodthirsty when she wants to be. At the same time, her heart is easily deceived and leaving her alone to her own devices may be a problem. I want to keep her close and throw her far away from me.

“So, is it like forbidden to talk about your tattoos? I mean, you’re the one that dropped your pants.”

I pause. “You are awfully interested in them. Did you want a closer look?”

She bites her lip and shifts her weight to one side. “Kinda? I thought you were bullshitting about the two cocks, but that is so inappropriate—Hey!”

I settle her in my lap as I lean against the truck of the tree. Megan looks down and then snaps her attention back to me. Heights appear to be a sore spot for her, though being on the ground with cocks out is not ideal in this forest.

“You wanted to see them, and I am not shy.”

“…. Right, but you can’t just pick me up without warning. Nearly died of a heart attack.” She blows out a breath and brushes an unruly curl back. “You could have just whipped them out there. Not sure what your obsession is with trees.”

“I like the height advantage and you wish to look at my cocks. I would rather we are not interrupted.”

“I’m just looking. It’s not like I’m going to give you a hand job.” She bites her lip again. “Are you going to…”

Hand job? Why is she discussing giving her hand a job? I mentally shake off the question and unfurl my cocks from my pants. Her sharp intake of breath has my cocks twitching. Her tongue darts out. My eyes flicker to hers. Megan is so transfixed; she does not appear aware of her actions.

I bite down on my tongue until blood fills my mouth. This is a horrid idea. Her scent calls to me. Her fingers twitch and I want to take her hand and place it over my cocks. To feel those soft hands on me. Megan leans in closer and yet she still does not touch me. Seven skies, is this woman truly going to sit here and only stare at my cocks? I shift and twitch the longer cock. It jumps, pushing it and the smaller one closer to her face.

“Why are they different sizes?” She asks, slightly breathless, though she’s been sitting on my lap. Her eyes are as dark as the leaves, and yet more vibrant than any emerald.

“The top one is to sire young, and it could be difficult for my mate if it is as large as the other.”

Megan rears back. Her hands flap in front of her. I reach for her, grabbing her before she topples to her death, and bring her flush to my chest. “What the hells are you doing?”

“You have a mate and you let me see your cocks!” she shrieks. “That’s cheating.”

I rub my forehead. “You asked why they were different sizes and I explained why. I do not have young running around, nor do I have a mate.” A lie. My mate is in my arms, but she’s so blind to what the tattoos mean. If she could read the language, she would have more of an inkling as to what is going on.

On second thought, she’d sooner attack me with her pitiful fists and demand to know why her name is written on my cocks. My tail brushes against her side and curls around her. We are wasting time, but I cannot find a morsel of care to give. My mate is in my arms. Her clothed heat is so close to my cocks, the warmth seeps through.

I turn my head to the side and look at a flower on the ground. This is dangerous. I have no need for a mate, especially one as fragile as she. “You have had your fill. Let us carry on before we waste any more light.” With my tail, I move her back and off of me as I tuck my protesting cocks into my pants.

“Had my fill? There’s so much I want to say to that, but I’ll leave it alone.” Megan sneaks a glance, though I see it as though she were staring. “Is it like a power source? This curse or blessing we’re tracking down?”

I shrug one shoulder. “How should I know? You killed the beast I wanted to question further.” I move her closer to me and wrap my arms around her. “We’re jumping now.”

She blinks and this time she does not scream my ears off. She blows out a breath as if to calm herself. What is it about heights that scare her so? I let her go, though my hands linger on her waist for a second too long. There must be a way to reverse this. The gods have it wrong. Megan cannot possibly be my mate.

“So, what do the tattoos mean?”

“Must they mean something?” I walk at a pace that is comfortable for her, though we will probably have to camp in this forest for the night because of how slow her pace is. She walks as though she needs to take everything in.

“Even simple tattoos with just a number mean something. And you have them in such a sensitive place.”

I sigh. “Perhaps one day I will tell you.”

If the gods have any pity on me, that day will never come.

 

Thanks for reading and have a great week!