Forbidden Hunger by R.L. Kenderson

Eighteen

Siya finished combingher wet hair and exited the bathroom. On her way to the main room, she walked by Ram’s bedroom. He was on his phone, and his computer was open.

He didn’t notice her, and she didn’t try to get his attention because what she really wanted to do was talk to Demi. She did notice that the makeshift bed she had lain on last night was now a pile of folded items in the corner of the room before she continued on past.

“Hey, Siya,” Demi said with a smile when Siya walked out of the hallway. Demi was in the kitchen, cutting what appeared to be a fresh loaf of bread.

“Don’t hey me.” Siya narrowed her eyes and tried to sound mad, but it was hard to be angry with her best friend. “You were supposed to protect me. Not put me in bed with Ram.” She walked over and took a stool at the counter.

Demi put her knife down. “I am so sorry. Saxon came home early, and I was still next door, finding you that bedding. He moved you without asking me first. And when I went to check on you, I thought about waking you up, but you were sleeping so soundly. I didn’t have the heart.” She stuck out her lower lip. “Do you hate me?”

“No.” Siya snagged a piece of bread from the cutting board. “I am a little mad at your mate though.”

Demi put her hand to her chest. “Whew. I was worried.”

She laughed. “You’re not at all concerned that I am upset with Saxon?”

Demi picked up her knife and shrugged. “Eh. He can take care of himself.”

Siya scanned the kitchen and living room for signs of other life. She noticed they were the only two in the room, but that didn’t mean others weren’t in the house. She didn’t want anyone to eavesdrop when she told Demi what had happened last night. She also had a question for her friend.

“Where is Saxon? And everybody else?”

“Um…let’s see. Most are working, but Reid is in his room on his computer, like always. Saxon is sleeping.” A glint shone in her eye. “He’s a tired boy after this morning.”

Siya snorted.

“And Ram’s in his room, I assume,” Demi finished. “Why? Did you need something?”

“I just wanted to talk to you alone.”

Demi grinned. “Ooh. Let me put this bread away, and then we can grab coffee and go outside to sit on the porch.”

“Works for me.” Siya really needed that coffee.

A few minutes later, they stepped outside with their mugs and sat down.

Demi took a drink of her coffee, watching Siya over her cup. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Can you smell when I’m fertile or when I’m on my period? Stuff like that?”

Demi blinked a couple of times. “That is not what I thought you were going to ask me.”

“I like to surprise you sometimes,” Siya joked. “We can’t have our relationship getting stale.”

Demi laughed. “True, true.” She took another drink. “To answer your question, yes, I can tell those things. I guess I kind of thought you knew because I would sometimes say stuff to you about it.”

“I thought you were just noticing how much of a bitch I was before my period.”

Demi laughed again. “You are not now and never have been a bitch.”

Siya lifted her mug. “Cheers to that.”

“Why are you wondering this?” Demi asked.

“I probably don’t need to tell you this since you have a super sniffer, but Ram and I had sex last night.”

Demi’s eyes widened.

“You didn’t know?”

“Okay, first, I am only half-shifter, so my nose isn’t that good. It’s nothing compared to Saxon’s and the other shifters’. It’s not even as good as the vampires’. And when I said I can smell when your hormones fluctuate, I mean, you, as in you, Siya. Not as in all people. I need to be physically close to someone to notice those things, whereas Saxon knows I’m in heat before we’re in the same room together. Part of that is because I’m his mate, but it’s also because his sense of smell is amazing. And two, you just got out of the shower. You smell like body wash and shampoo.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”

Demi wiggled her eyebrows and leaned close. “But tell me…was it good?”

Siya stuck her nose in the air and took a sip of her coffee with her pinkie out. “My dear, I do not kiss and tell.”

“Bullshit.”

Siya laughed. “Yes, it was good. Not that I would expect anything less from Ram.”

“I knew it.”

“You’d better not let your mate hear you talk like that, or he’s going to be jealous.”

“Saxon?” Demi asked sarcastically. “Are we talking about the same individual? Surely, you must be speaking of some less contemporary male.”

“I know it’s not very modern of me, but I love how possessive he is of you.” Siya shivered. “It’s so sexy.”

Demi cocked her head. “Hey now. That possessiveness goes both ways.”

“Noted.”

“But why did you ask about the hormone stuff?” Demi asked, moving on. She knew that Siya didn’t really want her man.

“Oh yeah. I brought up birth control, and Ram said we didn’t need to worry about it. That he can smell if I’m ovulating. I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. Or if it was the vampire equivalent to I’ll pull out. You’ll be fine.” Siya held up her hand. “Not that I think Ram is like that, but I didn’t know if he’d overestimated his skills.”

“Nah, it’s true.” Demi looked off into the distance. “Can you imagine all the unwanted pregnancies that could be prevented if humans had a better sense of smell?” She wrinkled her nose. “Mother Nature really fucked that up, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“So, what does this mean for you and Ram?”

Siya rubbed her head. “Nothing, I’m sure. I don’t know if I want it to mean anything. When I think about it, my head hurts.”

“Are you going to sleep with him again?”

“Sleep with who?”

Both women jumped in their seats and turned to see Saxon standing in the doorway in only a pair of shorts. Siya hadn’t even heard it open, and while she would never try to steal her friend’s man, she wasn’t blind, so she obviously noticed how attractive he was without a shirt.

“Never you mind,” Demi said teasingly.

Saxon walked outside and over to his mate. He easily lifted her off her seat and sat down with Demi on his lap. Once she was cuddled up to him, he took her mug and drank out of it.

Siya tried not to sigh at how cute they were together.

“Demi was referring to Ram.” Siya narrowed her eyes. “Thanks for putting me in bed with him yesterday.”

“You’re welcome.”

“That was sarcasm. I didn’t mean it.”

Saxon shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You two are going to end up together anyway.”

“That’s a pretty big assumption.”

“Saxon’s good at that though,” Demi pointed out. “He knew that Phoenix and Dante were going to be mates before they were.”

“Hmm,” Siya said doubtfully. “No offense, Saxon, but you didn’t see you and Demi together until it smacked you in the face.”

Demi’s mouth dropped open like she couldn’t believe Siya had said that.

Saxon tugged Demi closer and pointed a finger at Siya. “I like you, human. I can see why Demi keeps you around.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Saxon laughed and nuzzled Demi’s neck.

He must have said something because Demi smacked his arm. “Not right now.”

Siya raised her brow at her friend.

Demi shook her head. “You don’t want to know.”

Siya was about to signal to Demi that she could tell her more later, after Saxon wasn’t around, when they heard a sound coming from the main house.

Vance walked out the back door and headed in their direction.

Saxon gently moved Demi off his lap and stood.

“Morning, Saxon. Morning, ladies,” Vance said.

“Something we can help you with?” Saxon asked.

“Reid called. He asked me to come over.”