Free Oak, Sophie - Beast [A Faery Story 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Sophie Oak

clothes dirty. He didn’t mention this to his warrior cousin.
    “I agreed to pay a measure of gold equal to ten tourney fees,” Dante assured him. “Rhys will be able to give the demon a proper cut. This solves the problem for everyone. Stop worrying.”
    Beck’s mouth tightened. “I wasn’t worried about Rhys. I’m worried about you. You can’t seriously believe she will make you a fit consort. She didn’t even know what a bath was.”
    “Meg wasn’t from this plane, either,” Dante pointed out. He was rapidly getting irritated with his cousin. It was irrational. He should be thrilled. It was exactly the reaction he was hoping for. She was spectacularly unsuitable. He couldn’t have dreamed up a less suitable candidate if he’d tried. Yet Beck’s assessment of her rankled.
    “Meg is highly intelligent,” Beck said in a wholly lofty voice to Dante’s mind. His arrogance was setting Dante on edge. “She might have come from a different plane, but she had a working knowledge of the creatures around her.”
    “Yes, that’s why she nearly let a kelpie eat her,” Dante shot back. It had taken Meg a while to get used to her new home.
    Beck shrugged, his eyes straying to his wife. “I didn’t say she always used it intelligently. She adapted quite nicely. She’s making an excellent queen. This Kaja is never going to adapt. She’s practically feral. How is she going to live on the Vampire plane? Do you really think she’ll be happy in your penthouse, going to teas with other consorts and attending charity balls?”
    He couldn’t see it. He struggled to see her sitting in the penthouse’s large, elegant parlor having drinks with his parents, sister, and her consort before the consorts were called in to dinner. He would sit with his father and sister and discuss business while she was led to the sumptuous dining room and did whatever consorts did while they ate. More than likely they talked about fashion and the latest DLs. She wouldn’t know what a DL was. He wasn’t sure she knew what clothes were.
    “You see my point?” Beck asked, not unkindly. “Look, Cian talked to me about what Uncle Alex is doing to you. You might not like to hear this, but I think he’s right. You do need to find a consort. It’s far past time, but this isn’t the right one. I’ve discussed the situation with Rhys, and if your family will pay her fee and put a hefty down payment on the next suitable consort to come through, Rhys will give you the first look. He’ll make it a private sale contingent on your father’s acceptance of the female. I’m sure your father will agree to it. It isn’t a deal Rhys would make with another vampire family. I’ll take Kaja and find a place where she’ll be happy. You’ll get your consort, and Kaja will be free.”
    Dante actually felt his claws pop out. His hands twitched with the need to wrap them around his cousin’s throat. A righteous sense of possessiveness swept across Dante. “I bought Kaja. I paid her full price. I used my own fucking money to do it. I signed the paperwork not ten minutes ago. Is Rhys threatening to revoke her sale?”
    Beck took a step back, his eyes wide as he looked down at Dante’s hands. “No, Dante. Look, cos, no one is telling you that you can’t have a consort. One comes through every couple of weeks. You just need to wait. Be patient.”
    His cousin patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, and without a thought, Dante batted his hand away. Beck held his fisted hand by his side, but Dante could see the impulse to fight in his cousin. Part of him hoped the big Fae gave in to it. He was sick of being treated like an idiot. “Stay out of my marriage, Beck. If you won’t accept Kaja, then get your ass back to your little kingdom. I’ll take care of my consort.”
    Dante turned and noted Meg’s white face. She watched the confrontation with a worried air. Kaja’s eyes had come open, but she didn’t look worried. She was watching Beck with