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Yurst tucked Devile into his new throne and pushed him closer to the table. “Sisip and her enforcers have been here for weeks with considerable resources. I’m not sure what she’s spending all her time doing.” Oblivious, he ignored the agitated flicker of Sisip’s tawny ears, a carbon copy of his own.
Sisip gripped the edge of the table in front of her. “Let’s reconvene in half a sun?” She spat the words through clenched teeth. “A few of us need a break.”
Mayor Yurst had just overtaken Devile on my shit list.
While D’irk chased after Sisip, the weight of a pair of eyes burned into the back of my neck from the front of the room.
“What else do you have here?” JayJay thumbed a seam on the helmet I’d customized for D’Argon.
“A couple of things I just completed for D’Argon.”
When I turned, crouching to reach the chain mail that had slipped from my hand, Devile’s gaze focused like a laser, raising goose bumps on my skin.
Devile pushed back his chair and strode straight to me. I avoided his hard gaze.
“Inmate 141, who is this lovely female?” Devile spoke to JayJay, but his creepy gaze stayed entirely on me. When he shot a quick glance at JayJay, a greedy expression passed over his face.
Inmate 141. Seriously? My mental shit list now had Devile’s name at the top again, triple-underlined. I’d disliked this Rock Dweller before I met him, but he’d just leveled up in the hate department.
JayJay slid a possessive hand around my waist, pulling me to his side. All but growling, he said, “This is Ginger.”
“Ginger. A name like music on my tongue.” His sour breath puffed against my cheek, leaving a smear of icky heat while he fingered the chain mail in my hands.
As I pressed deeper into the shelter of JayJay’s arms to get away from Devile, the urge to roll my eyes grew overwhelming. But I couldn’t offend this asshole. He held the answer to our oversized, razor-toothed, rancid-breathed worm problem.
In a tenor voice, much higher pitched than any of the Rock Dwellers’ on Tern, Devile asked, “And what species are you?”
“She’s human,” JayJay grunted. “C’mon, Ginger, let’s get something to eat.”
“Not so soon.” Devile tugged on the chain mail in my arms.
JayJay growled, squeezing me closer while Devile’s smirk froze me like a rabbit in between them.
“You’ve gifted this clothing to Inmate 141?”
His cold, dead eyes made me want to run, but I nodded. “I made them for JayJay.”
JayJay’s low voice turned to a growl. “She’s made many clothes for many people. Mine are not special.”
What’s going on?
I patted JayJay’s chest to soothe him. “Only the best for this badass warrior.” JayJay groaned and stepped away from me while his green eyes twitched with something—apprehension? If I could raise this asshole’s opinion of JayJay, I would. Not that I gave a rat’s ass about what Devile thought.
“You compliment Inmate 141?” Devile leered at me.
Why’s JayJay stepping away from me? Now was not the time for another worthiness crisis. We needed to show a united front.
“Sisip’s explained that you’ve been caring for Inmate 141 these past few days?” The chain mail ran over his stubby fingers, and he stepped closer. “To be sure I have this straight…I would like to confirm that you willingly gave him a gift, complimented him, and cared for him?”
What the fuck, dude?
JayJay’s chest rattled, but not with the soft purr I’d grown to love, more like King Kong trapped in a cage. Yurst scurried to stand next to Devile, the tips of his wispy ears bent forward like a horse about to bolt or bite.
“This is remarkable.” Devile sifted the chain mail through his three grubby fingers. “It would make a fine gift.”
“Then you must have it.” Yurst pulled it from my hands and placed it in Devile’s greedy fingers. “For the male that will save Tern, anything.”
“That’s for D’Argon and certainly won’t fit you.” Or your fat head. I removed it from Devile’s reluctant grip. JayJay’s rattle-like growl agitated me. Why isn’t he helping?
