Primals (Reverse Harem 1)

“I’m fine,” she says. “I’m ready.”

But am I? What if what she finds out here in Africa drives a wedge between us? What if it creates a chasm that can never be crossed?

What if this is the last time I get to be by Clarissa’s side?

“WE THINK IT’S BETTER if you stay here at the hotel,” Sebastian tells me moments after we’ve arrived, having gathered at his room.

“You want me to stay here in the safety of the hotel while Clarissa goes somewhere dangerous?” I shake my head. “No way.”

“That’s actually the point,” Toshi says from where he’s perched on the desk. “We want you to stay safe. Our priority should be protecting Clarissa.”

Why he can’t sit in a chair like a human being is beyond me. Oh wait...forget I said that.

I scowl. I’m not some fragile flower that needs to be kept in a crystal vase. Why is everyone so sure I’m the one who would need protecting? I’m fit. I work out. I’m just as qualified to take care of her as anyone here.

“How many times do I have to say I don’t need protecting?” Clarissa asks, rolling her eyes as she sits on the edge of the bed.

I ignore her, my attention still on Sebastian and Toshi. “Really? And since when do the two of you agree?”

They don’t answer.

“Well, I don’t need protecting, either,” I tell them. “In fact, I’m coming along to keep an eye on Clarissa, too.”

“I don’t need protection,” Clarissa repeats.

“Really?” Sebastian ignores her as he steps forward, arms crossed over his chest. “And how exactly do you plan on protecting yourself and Clarissa? Are you fast? Are you strong? Do you even have combat training of any kind?”

“I may not be a primal or a superhero,” I answer. “And I admit I’ve never been in a fight before, but I can use a gun.”

“And do you think guns work on us?” Toshi asks, fidgeting with the pen that’s on the desk. “Do you think you can fire a gun accurately before someone like us can take it away from you and point it at your skull?”

My jaw and fists clench.

“Clarissa, Toshi and I have the advantage of being able to heal when we’re injured,” Sebastian points out. “If you get hurt, we have to carry you out there. If you survive, that is.”

He doesn’t say it, but I hear it clear as day, and I can’t even read his stinking mind. I’d be a liability. A threat to the whole expedition.

I grit my teeth. “Clarissa needs me.”

“That’s why you’re here,” Sebastian says agreeably. A little too agreeably. “And that’s why you’ll stay here. She’ll need you when she gets back, not when she’s going there to that facility. There’s nothing you can do for her there.”

I glance at Clarissa, who takes a deep breath. “I hate to say it, but they’re right, Kyle. You might get hurt and you know I don’t want that to happen.”

My temper rises. First, the Dog and the Cat join forces. Now, Clarissa is taking their side, even though she’s known them for days and me for years? Unbelievable.

“Well, I’m sorry for being the only weak human on this team.”

With that, I storm out of the room. The door slams hard behind me.

I RETURN TO MY ROOM hours later, around evening, after getting a few bottles of beer to drink at the bar and spending a lot of time staring out into space to think.

Taking off my shirt, I lie down on top of the bed, running my hands through my hair.

“Kyle?” Clarissa walks into the room in the hotel robe.

I forgot that her room was adjoining mine. I notice belatedly that the connecting door is propped open.

“Hey,” I greet her.