He draped my scrap of a top over the toilet while I took the skirt off, stuffing it in the laundry basket, and grabbed a washcloth, stepping into the shower, pulling the curtain shut a bit, being careful not to get my hair wet, but I saw his hand reach for his own washcloth before he started cleaning himself off—a Shifter, Brann, would smell sex on him…but no animal scent—at the sink, and he asked casually over the shower’s spray, voice gravelly, while I scrubbed my skin furiously with the lavender soap, “So…what did your mate,”
“My One, not my mate.”
“—what did he say to you through your bond at breakfast that had you looking at him like that?”
Ah. My lips pinched as I debated my choices. Some things were…private, while other things had been obvious. “I’d rather not say. He is a man, and I imagine he wouldn’t like his private thoughts voiced, and I respect that. But I will tell you,” I cleared my throat, not sure where we stood, but it felt like I should tell him, “I promised him I’d sleep in his bed tonight.”
Instantly, I felt a flare of Shifter magic, wild and animal, as his wolf growled loudly, and he yanked the curtain back, navy blue eyes narrowed, rumbling, “You’re doing what?”
“I promised him I would sleep in his bed tonight.” Oh…another flare of furious magic…and an expression that would have definitely told me he was violent without any added flare ups. I kept scrubbing, pretending I didn’t notice. “I’m not going to sleep-sleep with him. I’m just going to comfort him. Give him the connection he needs right now.”
His nostrils flared with a heavy inhale. “You do realize you just fell for the oldest trick in the damn book men use to get into a woman’s pants?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Sympathy.” His tone was growly, but he wasn’t yelling…yet. “If he asked you to sleep in his bed with him because he needs comfort, he will undoubtedly try to fuck you while you’re holding him.”
I snorted. “No, that wasn’t what he did.” My brows slowly scrunched as I washed my stomach. “I don’t think so, anyway…” More scrubbing. “He’d better not have used my fondness for him like that…” Scrubbing my right leg, I felt a shot of anger I might have been one-upped by him. “If he tries anything, I’ll slap him silly.”
He grunted, and left the curtain open as he turned to the sink, his wolf growling quietly while he finished cleaning off. “I don’t like it.” He resituated himself in his black boxer briefs before grabbing a spare toothbrush out the drawer, lathering it with toothpaste and started scrubbing his teeth—which, belatedly, I realized was damn smart. He flicked me a glare. “He will try to touch you.”
Rinsing off as he spat, then starting to wash his face, I asked carefully, “Does that mean you’re putting some kind of claim on me?” My heart was in my throat with nervousness, and I undoubtedly still hated him…but possibly with the option of forgiveness in the far future…and not minding so much if he did want to “claim” me, riding an utter hate-your-fucking-guts-but-can’t-get-enough-of-you roller coaster pull to this man. I washed my arm off, studying my work…my shit sorting a bit in my mind…but it didn’t mean he felt the same. “Like…being exclusive, or something?”
I peeked over when he didn’t instantly answer. He was drying his face off slowly, staring at himself in the mirror, his expression stony and guarded. Gradually, he lowered the towel, placing his hands on either side of the sink, staring down into it, his posture stiff, but his voice was steady when he asked, “Is that something you would like?”
I hesitated, already having taken the plunge to ask the question in the first place, but with him having that damn nose I couldn’t exactly backtrack because of nerves, so I stated quickly, and quietly, “Yes.”
He was silent for long moments. “Alright, I…would like that, too.” He nodded once, straightening. “We’re exclusive.” Hooded, cautious eyes flicked to mine. “However, I still hate you.”
My lips lifted a bit in relief I hadn’t been the only one wanting—or willing—to do this. “Same to you.”
He grunted, staring at me for long moments. “This should be interesting.”
“It usually is with me.” I grinned cheekily, turning to wash my back off. “Us spirits are just so much fun.”
He choked on a chuckle. “I’ll reserve the right to my opinion on that.” A slow blink, then his lips twitched. “Although, against my own good judgment, the “Castrator” filled many an evening for me.”
My eyes widened. “You did not.”
His wolf huffed. “You were drunk. Wearing damn near nothing. Slathered in mud. Fighting equally scantily clad women.” His brows lifted. “Yes, I did.” A roll of his finger, appearing ticked. “Multiple times, instead of finding a Shifter bed partner.”
I blinked. “I’m glad.” And…I was.
A black brow lifted, but he didn’t comment, and started fixing his black cargo pants, hand on his zipper when suddenly Sin’s voice could be heard not far from the bathroom, and coming closer, “Love?”
Cain froze for a moment, going predatory still, his head cocking like he was listening to something, nostrils flared, then he glanced to me, eyes flying down my naked frame. He pivoted, placing himself in the doorway, shoulders damn near as large as the wide entrance, and he zipped his pants in full view of the room, the sound cracking, then stated on a gravelly rumble, “She’ll be out in a second.” Reached a hand, stepped back, and slammed the door shut.
His wolf huffed quietly as I blinked slowly, watching him stare down at his work on his belt.
A confident knock on the door, two raps. “Love, Elder Farrar’s fixing the mess you made from your temper tantrum, and I’ll put the bed back to rights and air the room out.” A pause. “And I won’t shred him as long as he doesn’t hurt you.” Soft footfalls as he walked away.
I turned the shower off gradually, even as Cain’s wolf huffed again, grabbing me a towel and handing it over, then he started cleaning up his mess on the sink, the action appearing to keep his hands busy since he had never been the tidying type, and he stated gruffly, “Farrar obviously knows about us. I’m pretty sure he did in the past, too, since he asked to speak to me that day at the boxing ring instead of Jacobs, and you’ve said Sin knows,” another huff from his wolf as I dried myself off, trying to remain casual since he seemed…irked, “and,” another huff, “I know you and Sin are close, and mean a lot to one another, but exclusive to me does not mean other men seeing you naked.”
Oh. “Alright. I can do that.” My lips twitched. “Can you?”
He blinked slowly, and navy blue eyes turned to me with a careful expression, stopping his cleaning. “That…I hope was a joke?”
I grinned. “Yes, it was joke.” I waved a hand. “Shifter, naked, normal. It goes hand-in-hand.”
He hummed, his shoulders instantly relaxing, resting a hip against the counter. “What is this shredded business you two keep speaking of?”
I shrugged, stepping out of the shower. “He shredded a Shifter who abused us, and used his bits for fertilizer in our garden one year.” I waved a hand grandly. “Big, damn beautiful flowers came up, too.”
His brows raised a smidge. “As hard as I keep trying to hate the man who sleeps with you every night, I keep ending up liking him.”
“He has that effect on most everyone.” I dropped the towel and tried tying the top around my breasts. “You should know, King Zeller also knows about us.”
Instant. “How?” He moved behind me, and started quickly tying it for me when I couldn’t.
“He was right down the hallway with the other Rulers that evening we had sex. He hasn’t said a word, but I could tell he heard us.” I shook my head. “I don’t think he’ll say anything.”
“I don’t either.” His palms landed on my bare hips, and he bent, pressing a gentle kiss where he had bitten me earlier, making goose bumps pebble on my flesh. “But considering the risks, our Laws, it would be best to be more careful in the future. We weren’t exactly discreet that
night. That shouldn’t happen again.”
“Agreed. Wholeheartedly.”
“Good.” Another gentle kiss in the same place, silken lips brushing softly, then he smacked my hip lightly, and moved toward the door, ordering gruffly, “I’ll get your bag.” And I swear, he easily, and deftly, moved out the door, but he didn’t open it very far to squeeze out…so absolutely no one could see inside, then I waited half naked for my bag, feeling damn good about the decision we had made, even in our love to hate situation.
Chapter Twenty
Smack.
“Ahh!” Leric shouted loudly, the ground and walls shaking as he rolled on the bed with the force of my powered slap to his face. “What the hell?”
“Goddammit, Leric!” I yelled, my own power shaking the ground as I rolled the other way, out of the bed, waggling a glowing finger at him. “Your hand on my breast does not constitute comfort!”
He glared, resting up on his elbows, but drawled on a purr, “Kitten, that is comforting.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Ugh!” Whirling, I marched through the vibrating room of the airy hotel room toward the door. “You are an ass.”
Another purr. “And your ass looks perfect in those tiny shorts, so please, shake it a little more for me while you storm out of…our…room.”
I stopped for a moment. Shit. I didn’t have a goddamn room at this stop. After a moment, I shook my head, and kept moving. “I’ll sleep with my Lajaks.” I jerked the door open, glancing over my shoulder, and bared my teeth at him. “You are a damn pig.”
His lips curved slightly. “Grease me up.”
“Argh!” I shouted, then slammed the door behind me, and came face-to-face with most of said Lajaks in the hallway, all appearing to have been rushing to “our” room, halting directly in front of me, still in their dark, black attire. I shook my glowing hands in the front threes faces. “Men. Are. Shit!”
King Zeller’s brows rose. “You’re just now figuring that out?” Wide lips quirked. “Or pigs, as you put it?” Standing between King Collins and Cain, he slapped his hands down on their shoulders. “I told you she was alright.” Of course, he had. He had probably heard…“It sounded like she whacked him when he went for first base.”
My eyes narrowed on King Zeller, his eyes twinkling merrily, even as he grinned a bit sloppily…because I could feel the gentlest brush of Vampire power, the barest bit I might not have felt if I wasn’t standing so close…my glowing gaze flicked to his hands on their shoulders, realization dawning he was sending some type of emotion. King Collins didn’t appear affected, just glaring at the door behind me, like he wanted to punch the pig behind it, but from Cain’s relaxed, unmoving posture…well, that told me enough, especially when he didn’t move out from under King Zeller’s hand, letting himself be calmed with Vampire power.
Instantly, I inhaled heavily and shook my head, trying to gain control, my glow dimming a bit. “I’m more pissed at myself than him.” I waved my hands at the group behind them. “There’s no emergency, but,” I waggled my slightly illuminated pointed finger, “I do need a place to sleep tonight, so you’re all going to have to make room.” The hotel was booked with the planned arrival of the One and the Chosen, so much so, they were all sharing a large suite.
As one…every single Lajak appeared standoffish, pensive, except for Cain who was still standing relaxed. My brows slammed together at their reaction, but I inhaled slowly, still trying to calm myself…and froze. My eyes narrowed as I inhaled again, sniffing the air a bit. Leaned toward my King, and sniffed once. Leaned toward King Zeller, sniffed. Tilted toward Cain, sniffed.
My eyes found Sin over King Zeller’s shoulder. “What the hell did you rope them in to?”
“Me?” he asked innocently, even though he continued to glance over my head at the closed door, a silent calculation I knew all too well in his gaze.
I snapped my fingers above my head, drawing his attention back down to me. “Only you or I can ever put that look in someone’s eyes.” The look of someone afraid of being caught. My finger flicked to my King, but kept my gaze steady on Sin. “Vodka.” Finger flick to King Zeller. “Whiskey.” Finger jerk to Cain. “Beer.” A twirl of my finger. “And lots of cigar smoke.” Waggling of my finger at Sin. “I know you’re behind my Lajaks getting wasted.”
Elder Farrar chuckled quietly from behind King Collins, and it sounded a bit slurred. “We’re just having a little fun.” A shrugged shoulder. “We’re off duty.”
I blinked, and turned my attention back to Sin. “A boy’s night?”
And…he shuffled on his damn feet. “Um…”
Another slow blink. “Talk.” My brows lifted. “Now.”
Instant. “There may be a few spirits Elementals involved in our poker game.”
He was shoved from behind by Brann, who wobbled, grumbling, “Goddamn tattle-tale.”
I continued to hold Sin’s gaze. “How many, and who?”
“None of those Upper family snobs,” Elder Samson muttered. Then burped behind his fist. “Just a few of the elite Guardian representatives.”
I closed my eyes. “Are they as drunk as all of you?”
“Even more so,” Sin murmured, his tone vague, a touch of a pause. “They’re trying to keep up, but…well, you know.”
Yeah, I did know.
“Have none of you been listening to me?” Sighing heavily, glow firmly diminished by now, I opened my eyes, calmed. “What all of you don’t seem to understand yet, is the way life works around here. They are probably sober, only pretending to be drunk, waiting until all of you are.” Take Leric for example. He resorted to spirit long honed, cunning tricks to the point I wasn’t even sure who he was on the inside. “These people are masters of manipulation and subterfuge. Their peaceful life, also means they are bored, so they resort to games.” I grabbed King Collins’s and Cain’s arms, tilting my head toward their door, two down behind the group. “Come on. I want in on this game.” Somebody needed to take control of this situation.
“Dammit,” Sin muttered under his breath. “I knew something was wrong.”
Cain grunted, still under King Zeller’s power, and his lips lifted a bit. “I’ve only had two beers, pouring water into my bottle the rest of the time.” He chuckled quietly. “The spirits have been doing the same.”
I blinked up at him, my head tilted way back, while my other Lajaks glared.
He shrugged his shoulder under King Zeller’s hand, navy blue eyes peering down at me peacefully. “I believed it would be better for one of us to be on duty at all times while we’re traveling, which I was going to mention earlier, but spirits,” a glance to Sin, then back to me, “just started showing up in our suite.”
Mmm. I…was thinking he had stayed sober for another reason entirely, but it worked, and it might have actually been the truth, anyway. “So, you were going to take every one of my Lajaks money once they were sloppy drunk, too?”
He chuckled quietly, his tone gravelly, pleasant and deep. “And the spirits, eventually.”
King Zeller muttered a curse under his breath, and dropped his hands from Cain’s and King Collins’s shoulders, muttering, “Not happening, asshole.” He turned on his heel, turning his fingers in the air at my other Lajaks. “It’s time we got our damn heads in the game.” He bowed his head. “If anyone knows deception and maneuvering, it sure as hell isn’t them.”
Manly grunts all around with even a few fists pumped in the air.
I kept a tight grip on Cain’s arm that had turned rock solid, his muscles fairly vibrating, King Zeller’s power now gone from him. I tightened my grip, glancing up at him, where his head had instantly swung to the door behind me. Jiggling his arm a bit, letting go of King Collins when they all started moving back down the hallway toward their room, I shook my head when he glanced down to me, his jaw tight, muscles ticking on the side, nostrils flared, eyes glowing the slightest bit. I barely breathed so no others would hear—even though those who could were too drunk
to listen. “Even though he tricked me, it was my own stupidity which allowed that to happen.” Another slow shake of my head. “No one else’s fault but my own, since it was my choice to get into his bed, even with your warning.” I rubbed my thumb soothingly on his arm, staring steadily into his gaze. “You and I have an agreement, and I plan to stick to it.”
His gaze flicked back to the door, muscles still ticking on his jaw, his own voice a mere breath. “You hit him?”
I nodded once.
“Hard?”
Another nod.
“Answer aloud.”
My lips quirked as he inhaled for the truth. “I slapped him damn hard.”
He grunted, eyes flicking to my Lajaks disappearing into their room, then back to me, his gaze flicking down to my breasts, staring possessively. “Exclusive means those are,” his wolf huffed quietly, “mine until one of us ends this, so unless you want someone dead, I would suggest you aren’t foolish enough to slip into another individual’s bed who wants to fuck you.” Navy eyes to mine. “You are young, but you’re not stupid…so try to fucking remember, men are mainly shit, and will tell just about any pretty little lie to accomplish their goal…but…most importantly,” he bent low, leveling his glowing gaze on mine, “you chose to enter into an exclusive relationship with me, one of the deadliest fucking men on this planet, and considering the fact I don’t do fucking exclusive…and the fact that I now am means…I am,” his eyes narrowed, growling on a breath, “possessive as hell.”
I stood very still, holding his gaze as steadily as I could, truly grasping the fact—hell, I had read his file—what he said was very true, and the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t lying about the never “doing” exclusion and possessive bit.
Navy blue’s flicked between my eyes, and his lips curved cruelly. “Ah, I believe what you’re having are what others call an epiphany.” My jaw clenched at his taunting, and a soft, deep chuckle reverberated from within his chest. “Want to change your mind now, my spirit bitch?”
My lips thinned as I actually thought about it, because this was a very dangerous boundary to step over with this man, but I eventually shook my head slightly. “No.” I knew I wanted to be exclusive with him, even the ass that he was currently being. “I hate you, but I want you to myself.” I tilted forward, our noses touching, and breathed on a hiss, “And you should also remember I have one hell of a possessive streak. What’s mine, is fucking mine. Anyone takes it, and they’re fair game.”
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