me.
I know the likelihood of seeing him again is thankfully small, so I’m able to return my complete attention to my call without any further worries or interruptions. By the time I have my coffee in hand and am headed back out to my car, I’ve hammered out a game plan with my client and have a revised list of houses to see today that are a better fit with what he’s looking for. Just a small annoyance in the greater scheme of things… much like the demon-unicorn man.
At just the thought of him, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief.
I still can’t believe he tried to sell me on that load of shit.
I admit it’s a shame that unicorns aren’t real. If they were, it would be every childhood fantasy come true. I can almost imagine how they would look, galloping freely outside to the delight of little girls and grown women everywhere. They wouldn’t be a seven-foot-tall horned man, built like a god, trying to get into my pants. I snicker to myself and open the car door.
Gods only know, if he is a unicorn, how I would explain that one to my eight-year-old niece.
Chapter 3
Eliph
I give the werewolf at my side a doubtful look.
“Are you certain?” I ask slowly, just to make sure I heard correctly.
The male who had introduced himself an hour earlier—or was it two—as Eral grins, his expression wolfish despite his human guise. Of course, I knew what he was the moment he introduced himself. A werewolf is hard to miss.
While it is common for unmated werewolves to take on the appearance of the dominant species in a given population during the full moon, little can completely hide their true nature from those who know what to look for. Every inch of him barely contains that powerful nature. In fact, with the scars raked down one side of his face from some sort of past battle, he looks fiercer than most. A dark lock of hair falls over his amber eyes as he lifts his cup to me.
“Perhaps I should ask for another opinion,” I mutter as I glance around hopefully.
A solid thunk of the cup hitting the table snaps my attention back to Eral. The male gives me an irritated look and gestures to the other males crowded within the establishment. Few of those who were unoccupied at the moment were human and even fewer were female.
“You wish to try your luck with one of them? I doubt many of them have even so much as been within touching distance of a human female, since they avoid this part of the city now. I think I know better than most here. After all, my brother is mated to a human. If you want to know what human females favor, then take my word for it. I have seen him return with many love tokens for her. If you wish to gain the favor of your female, then sweet things and flowering plants are necessary. Whenever my brother gifts his mate love tokens, the entire clan is awakened by her ‘appreciation,’” he chuckles.
“It seems a little too easy,” I hedge. “I find it hard to believe that a human will agree to be my mate with so little effort.”
But then again, what do I know? My kind relies on little more than our beauty and magic to convince our mates to mount us and be carried off. That Steph resisted my attempts to engage her is confusing and an obstacle I didn’t expect.
Eral shrugs and takes another deep gulp of his beer.
“I don’t think they are terribly complicated,” he replied. “Don’t misunderstand. Anna is a powerful female. I have great affection and respect for her. But she enjoys simple pleasures and has an easy disposition.”
“I don’t think I can say the same of my female,” I observe. “She is very resistant.”
The male chuckles into his cup, eyes glinting with humor.
“That is what the sweets and flowers are for. It proves your desirability as a mate by giving her little things that she longs for.”
I blink at him in confusion because this is still not making sense.
“If she longs for them so much, can’t she just buy some for herself? That seems to be the easiest way to get them.”
The werewolf huffs as if I’m being deliberately obtuse and leans forward in close.
“It’s obvious to see that what everyone says about your species is true—that your species breeds no females among you. I