She shivered.
Sometimes, she wondered what her mother would say if she could see Clara now. If she knew what Neros had done. Clara could still hardly believe it herself. Strangely, as devastating as the truth was, it had helped heal her guilt over being unable to save her mother’s life. Neros had even admitted it himself: helping Vita with any kind of medical intervention had been impossible while he was dosing her consistently with small amounts of poison.
Clara would always grieve for her mother, but never her father. In a way, he had done them all a favor by attacking her the way he had. Evander had been fully justified in killing him—saving his mate’s life in the process—and Arius had made sure she wasn’t confronted with the grisly sight of her father’s body; he and his men had taken Neros somewhere before she’d even been given the all clear by the medics and was able to leave the bedroom.
Neros Pitino, the man who’d considered himself so important and admired by many, had not had a memorial service. As his last remaining kin, the onus would have been on Clara to organize it, and she did not want to waste one more moment even thinking about the man who had so ruined her life before trying to take it. She was glad to be rid of him.
“Sweetness?” Evander’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Saskia just asked you a question.”
“Gods, sorry,” Clara said. “I was miles away.”
“I was just reminding you about the meeting we’re having on Tuesday,” Saskia said. “You said you’d come.”
“Of course. I’ll be there.” Clara smiled. Saskia was hard at work on her Omega Rescue project—she had already put together a group of both Alpha and Omega women from a variety of backgrounds, and they met regularly to brainstorm and discuss ways to discuss the Omegas’ future in society. Soon, they would go to the Facility and interview some of the Omegas there. Clara wondered what it would be like to return there now—as a mated Omega rather than a masquerading Alpha. She would find out before long.
“Have you had any more… incidents?” Arius asked politely.
“No.” Clara shook her head. The morning after Neros’s death, Arius had issued a carefully impartial, detailed statement to the press. Clara’s secret was out. Within hours, pretty much everyone on the Hill knew she was actually an Omega, that she was mated to Evander, and that her father had tried to kill her as a result—and had died in the process.
She had been terrified, expecting all kinds of backlash, but instead, she’d received an incredible outpouring of support from many of her friends and acquaintances, and even from complete strangers. She was able to return to work a few days after the attack (the medics had said strangulation could cause invisible internal injury and they wanted to observe her for a while) and the department heads at the medical research center had all expressed sympathy and understanding.
Still, there were those who felt she deserved to be punished for her deception, and she had the occasional insult hurled at her when she ventured outside. Evander was always quick to leap to her defense, and Arius insisted on being informed so he could make a note of those individuals whose ideology didn’t mesh with his own, or who might pose a risk in some way. Unlike his uncle, he wasn’t too quick to mete out punishment for wrongdoing, but he did like to keep tabs on his subjects. He believed protection and prevention were key.
Saskia yawned, and Arius helped her to her feet. “Gods,” she said with a chuckle, “I’m perfectly capable of getting up. You don’t have to treat me like an invalid!”
“Are you nesting yet?” Clara asked, curiously.
“A little,” Saskia admitted. “I’m told the need will get stronger every month.”
“And, surprisingly, other needs are getting stronger at the moment, too, aren’t they?” Arius said with a wink.
Saskia blushed. “They don’t need to hear about that.”
Clara rolled her eyes as she caught Arius mouthing I’ll tell you about it later to Evander, who grinned back.
“Take care,” he said, escorting the royal pair to the door. “Have a great evening. Whew,” he went on, turning around once they’d gone, and pulling Clara into his arms. “Alone at last.”
She went up onto her tiptoes to kiss him and he kissed her back, hungrily.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day. And more.” He winked down at her.
“Let’s go to bed.” A tingle ran up her arm when he took her hand and led her to the bedroom. And as he began to undress her, growling softly, the hum making her skin prickle and her heart stutter, Clara closed her eyes, still hardly able to believe her luck in having found such an amazing mate.
She knew he would do anything to make her happy, and she felt the same way about him.
“I love you,” he whispered, tugging her hair to tilt her head back so he could kiss her, his tongue slipping between her lips in that dominant, possessive way which made her melt.
I love you too, she thought, kissing him back with every ounce of the passion she felt. Forever.
The End
Tabitha Black
USA Today bestselling author Tabitha Black has been writing erotic romance for well over a decade, mostly in the age-play and historical genres. More recently, she's discovered the joys of writing more contemporary books with a greater emphasis on BDSM, as well as darker, edgier fiction. Her latest foray is into the fascinating world of M/f Omegaverse.
Having lived in four countries on three different continents, she likes to "write to discover what she knows."
She has a weakness for great coffee, strong, dominant men, and tattoos. At the time of writing, she lives in Germany with her Daddy/Sir, and a lilac cat who likes to sneeze in her face.
Tabitha loves getting mail, so if you want to drop her a line, please do so at [email protected]. You can also check out her website here, sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Twitter @BlushingTabitha, Instagram, BookBub, or join her Facebook page. Thank you for reading!
Don't miss these other exciting books by Tabitha Black and Blushing Books!
Taken in Hand
Estelana
Summer Camp
Little Tudor Rose
The Abbeyville Way
Historical:
Conquering Cassia
The Red Petticoat Saloon Series:
Sapphire's Surrender
Contemporary:
His Empire Series:
Restraint - Book 1
Denial - Book 2
Anticipation - Novella
Masters of the Castle Series:
Fulfilling Her Fantasy
Sharing Silver
Tempting Tasha
Undoing Una
Anthologies:
Confessions of a Spanking Author
Little Victorian Ladies
When the Gavel Falls (Sharing Silver)
Witness Protection Program (Tempting Tasha)
Dominating His Valentine (Anticipation)
Daddies of the Castle (Undoing Una)
With Eclipse Press
Alphas of Sandor:
Primal Possession - Book 1
Primal Mate - Book 2
Audiobooks:
Little Tudor Rose
Conquering Cassia
Restraint - His Empire Book 1
Sapphire’s Surrender
Blushing Books
Blushing Books is one of the oldest eBook publishers on the web. We've been running websites that publish spanking and BDSM related romance and erotica since 1999, and we have been selling eBooks since 2003. We hope you'll check out our hundreds of offerings at http://www.blushingbooks.com.
filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Prima Mate Page 15