temptress best step back and watch herself.
To my surprise, the unicorn eases away, his ears flattening against his head as he shies back from her. If anything, he seems to be tucking himself behind me as he mutters little one-line responses as if desperately hoping that she’ll go away and leave him alone.
It’s strange that this tall, strong fae male needs saving, but hey, I’m up to the job now that I’m awake. In fact, with all the bizarre things that have happened lately that have threatened my confidence, having him look to me to defend him against a persistent female… well, I’ve dealt enough with catty women looking to one-up me to feel in familiar territory. My lips curling into a merciless smile, I cross my arms over my chest and pin the female with a hard look.
“I’m sorry, but who exactly are you, and why do you think it’s okay to make eyes at a male who is with me? I don’t believe you know either of us well enough for any kind of familiarity, so step off.”
Frowning unhappily, the female’s head whips in my direction with an audible hiss. I blink at her in surprise, taking in the abnormally long fangs as she sets down her lamp and straightens, rising higher than any body ought to. In fact, instead of a lower body, her torso disappears into a long, thick snake’s tail. She spits furiously at me, and I stare back at her, wondering how deep I’ve put my foot in it.
I’m not sure if she’s just irritated or wants to genuinely tear me apart, but regardless I’m mentally girding myself to fight however dirty I have to when the door slams open. It’s loud enough to draw every eye in the room, and when I see who it is a relieved laugh escapes me. Never have I wanted to kiss anyone more than I want to kiss that damn goblin waltzing into the room.
He takes one look at me and Eliph, and then over at the snake woman—dragon lady?—I’m not sure what the correct terminology would be actually… and then he grins as if our standoff is the most natural and wonderful thing in the world.
“Splendid! Looks like we’re all busy making friends here,” he says brightly. He raises a thick eyebrow at me in particular, his smile widening. “I can’t say that I would advocate making friends with a naga quite this way, but I admire your pluck. Not many fae—much less humans—would go toe to toe with a being that would make a snack out of them before entertaining a cordial thought. Bravo! If you females are determined to fight it out first, I can perhaps suggest a few scenarios that might be entertaining.”
I stare at him, uncertain of just how serious of a situation I’m in and whether or not I can sacrifice the goblin to the naga in my place, when a loud sigh draws my attention to back to the naga female. She gives the goblin a disgusted look, her eyes rolling as she lowers back onto her coils.
“As if my purpose here is to serve as your entertainment, beast,” she hissed haughtily.
My eyebrows fly up because the snake lady has a huge fucking attitude. Normally, I would applaud it, but she’s looking at me as if I’m something she would rather scrape off her boots—provided she had boots or feet. The only one she isn’t looking at with complete disdain is my unicorn.
“I told you to back off,” I growl, reiterating my position before she gets it into her mind to attempt to cozy up again to him.
Eliph’s arms circle around me, drawing me against him and his entirely unsubtle erection brushing against my ass. I admit that my mind swerves right into the gutter, and I get so thoroughly distracted that it takes me a moment to remember that there is a spitting-mad female in front of me.
“Do not worry, Ahandral. My eyes and horn are only for you,” he whispers into my ear, his breath fanning my skin erotically.
I wonder if “horn” was an innuendo for something more than that pearly bone jutting out of his forehead, because the other horn is giving me ideas that makes it all too easy to forget what we are doing here. I open my mouth to ask when he rolls his hips, and I let out an undignified squeak of surprise as my insides are bathed in a hot wave of