It was too soon.
And it was. Shit, he wanted to claim her and make her his permanently in the worst way. Just as much as his tiger did. But it’d barely been an hour since she stood in front of him, giving him a list of reasons why they couldn’t be together.
He wanted to give her time to get used to the idea of them being together. When he claimed her, he wanted her to want it, not just give in because he wore her down and she couldn’t argue it. He needed her to need it like he did.
And the last thing he wanted to do was jump the gun and give her a reason to try to run from him and what they shared again.
She turned her head, pressing a kiss to his chest, and he smiled as his heart swelled. Damn, what she did to him. “You okay?”
He felt her cheek move against his chest and he knew she was smiling, too. “You fishing for compliments?”
He laughed, pulling her in closer. “Not at all. Just want to make sure you’re good is all. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my life. I hope it’s the same for you.”
He heard her breath catch as she looked up at him. “It’s exactly the same. I’ve never felt so good.”
Kissing her hair as she settled back against him, he grinned, satisfaction and happiness welling up inside him. His stomach growled and he laughed, rubbing it with his free hand.
“You’re hungry,” she said softly. “We should go eat.”
“I’m okay with just holding you.”
Shaking her head, she smacked his chest lightly. “You need food. Besides, I’m getting hungry, too.”
That did it. He couldn’t care less about him being hungry, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her feeling that way. “Don’t move. I’ll get you cleaned up, then we’ll eat.”
Easing his arm out from under her, he quickly went to her bathroom and wet a cloth with warm water. Returning to her side, he gently cleaned his stickiness from between her thighs, and then they both dressed before heading into the living room.
“It’s probably long cold. I don’t mind, but I have a microwave we can warm our plates in if you like.”
He didn’t relish the idea of waiting longer, but it sounded more appetizing warm, and he wanted Jessica to enjoy it, so he agreed to it. After they were done, they sat across from each other, and he smiled as he saw her eyeing her food hungrily.
“Let’s dig in,” he said, gesturing for her to eat. But he didn’t start his yet, too busy watching her as she twirled her spaghetti around on her fork and took a bite.
She glanced up and caught him staring, blushing adorably as she finished swallowing and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “What?”
“Nothing. You’re just cute when you eat.”
Shaking her head in exasperation, she balled her napkin up and threw it at him. “Shut up. No one’s cute when they eat, especially if they’re eating spaghetti. Quit watching me and eat your food.”
He grinned, spearing a meatball with his fork. Popping it into his mouth, he frowned as he chewed. “This doesn’t taste like any meatball I’ve ever had,” he said, talking around his food.
She instantly frowned, stabbing a meatball with her fork and bringing it to her nose as she smelled it. Alarm crossed her face as she reached out and knocked his fork from his hand. “Don’t swallow it! Spit it out, now!”
But the warning came just an instant too late. He’d just begun to swallow it when she spoke, and he knew the second he did that something was wrong with it. His throat felt like it was on fire, and he tried to spit the rest of it out, but his tongue didn’t want to work. He looked up at her while he weaved drunkenly on the chair, but she was too blurry and he couldn’t focus.
“I’m so… sorry,” he whispered, trying to force the words out.
He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her he thought he loved her and wanted to spend forever with her. But before he could get another word out, he slumped in his chair, the world going black.
Chapter Nine
Jessica watched in horror as Kian’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell out of his chair, his body hitting the floor with a thud. Shoving her chair back, she screamed, falling to her knees beside him. He was still breathing, but it was far too shallow.
Her mind blanked for a moment, and she called out again in desperation, praying someone would be walking by. Then she rolled him onto his side and did the only thing she could think to do. She shoved a couple of fingers to the back of his throat, hoping to make him vomit the meatball up.
There was zero guarantee that it would work. Absolutely none. It could be an action that would make no difference regardless, or it could be too late. But she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.
He could die. Tears blurred her eyes as it hit her that she could lose him. So soon after truly finding him. So soon after they’d made strides toward being together like they’d both wanted, but hesitated to do.
Shit, she was about to fall apart, but he needed her to be strong. He began gagging and she quickly pulled her fingers out, but he did nothing else. She called out again in the hopes that she could get some help, then, fingers trembling uncontrollably, she stuck her them back into his throat.
A moment later, the door crashed open. “What the fuck is going on? What are you doing to him?”
Zane. Thank God. Before she could answer him, Kian heaved and she removed her fingers just in time, watching in relief as he threw up the rest of the meatball. It didn’t miraculously make him open his eyes and suddenly act fine, but it was something.
“Poison,” she told Zane, glancing at him as she snatched a fallen napkin and wiped Kian’s mouth. “The meatball. I was trying to make him throw it up, but I don’t know if it did any good. Wait, where are you going?” she cried, panicking as Zane turned on his heel.
But he just walked to the door, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed Noah’s name a few times, not coming back until they both heard footsteps pounding down the marble floor.
“The Enforcer, Noah, is here. He has experience with poisons. He’ll know what to do.”
Before she could reply, Noah and Luke, the Enforcers, burst into the room, Karis hot on their heels. Noah rushed to Kian’s side and she stood up to give him room. It physically hurt her to move from his side, but she’d just be in the way if she stayed where she was.
Noah raised one of Kian’s eyelids, looking closely, before feeling for his pulse and measuring his heartrate. He looked down before glancing over at her. “You made him throw up?”
She nodded, shrugging. “Yeah. I don’t know if that was right or not. It was just all I could think of to do.”
He nodded at her before turning back to Kian. “It was the right thing to do. I think I know the poison used. Your fast actions probably saved his life.”
She smiled tremulously even as Zane growled out his displeasure over Noah’s wording. “Probably?”
Noah exhaled as he glanced over, taking all of them in with a glance. “I can’t promise anything. This is a man-made poison, and one there’s no known antidote for. I wish I could give you better news, but I can’t. The good news is that while it’s fast acting, it was put into meat that needed to digest. The fact that Jessica forced him to vomit means he didn’t have a chance to absorb all of it. There’s hope in that.”
“I bet it’s the same stuff in the vial that Vihaan drank,” Karis said quietly.
Noah glanced over. “Vihaan?”
“The one we called you and Luke here about. The one who tried to abduct Jessica and swallowed poison when he was caught.”
Karis walked over to the table, glancing at her after he looked it over. “You said it was in this food?”
“Yeah. Just the meatballs, though.” They looked at her in question and she shrugged. “I had a bite of the pasta and I was fine. Kian ate a meatball first and was poisoned.”
Her gaze strayed to him as she said it, and she swallowed hard, wrapping her arms around herself as she began to tremble. Maybe it was her imagina
tion, but she thought his color looked closer to normal. Maybe Noah was right and she’d done the right thing. She prayed that was so.
Zane walked to the table, frowning as he looked between their plates. “Maybe it was just Kian’s that was poisoned.”
She immediately shook her head. “No, it was both. When he had it in his mouth, he said it tasted funny. I immediately smelled one of mine and I knew it was off, and told him to spit it out. Mine are the same. It’s only the meatballs that were messed with.”
Karis nodded absently, brow furrowed in question as he glanced at her. “Why did you two request spaghetti and meatballs?”
“What do you mean?” she asked with surprise. “Isn’t that what Pari served tonight?”
Karis’s head whipped toward hers. “No. She made curry. No one else got this.”
Jessica stood frozen as she stared at him. “I thought the meal was strange, but I just assumed… I called and asked for a tray to be brought to me. Isla delivered mine on a tray, and Kian was with her, holding his own tray. Any time I’ve had my meal brought to me, it’s been what everyone else ate.”
Zane and Karis shared a charged look and then Zane spun on his heel, heading to the door. “Pari and Isla. On it.”
Karis lifted her fork, sniffing at the meatball still speared on the end, and she looked back to where Noah was sitting back on his heels. He was staring at Kian, a look of contemplation on his face, so she figured she wouldn’t be in the way if she joined them. She had to be next to her mate. It was a need inside her she couldn’t ignore, and her tiger, usually so docile, was pacing inside her, shredding her chest as she urged her to get closer.
Moving to them, she knelt down, placing her hand gently on Kian’s chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat through her palm. The fact that she could feel it, that she could see the rise and fall of his chest, sent relief washing over her in waves that almost knocked her over. But the fact that he was so still, his color slightly better but still off, was killing her, and the worry almost overshadowed the relief she felt that he was still alive.
“Jessica,” Noah said quietly, looking from her hand to her face. “Are you and Kian mates?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw Karis’s head jerk toward her, and she glanced over at him. He looked interested in her answer but not surprised, and she wondered if Kian had told him already.
Looking back at Noah, she nodded. “Yeah. We’ve known for a while, but neither of us said anything to anyone, not even each other. We just talked about it and decided to pursue it for the first time tonight.”
Her voice was quivering at the end, and a few tears spilled out, trailing down her cheek before falling, splashing on the hand she still had pressed to Kian’s chest. She took a stuttering breath, trying to rein her emotions in. But with her mate lying still beneath her hand, hovering at death’s door, it was an impossible task.
Noah placed his hand over hers briefly, giving it a quick squeeze. “Hey. I think he’s gonna be okay. Like I said, I can’t give guarantees, but I have a gut feeling. And I know a lot about poison. I really do think you did the right thing, and you acted quickly. I think he’s gonna be okay because of you.”
“I hope so,” she whispered. “I really do.”
“I think we just need to wait this out. We should get him to a bed.”
Jessica bit her lip, glancing toward her bedroom. She wanted to keep him close, but who was she to ask for the alpha to stay in her humble suite? Mate or not, it wasn’t official, and until it was, she had no say.
Karis walked over to join them, glancing from Kian to Jessica, and his voice was gentle when he spoke. “He should be in his own rooms. Nothing against yours, but his is more heavily guarded. We’ve had a patrol in your wing, but the security is more solid in his. But I’m sure no one would object if you stayed with him. Pack a bag and come with us.”
The thought of staying in Kian’s room without his conscious consent made her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn’t bear the thought of being away from him. And what Karis said made sense. The security was better over there, and another attacker getting to Kian would be a disaster.
Nodding, she stood and walked to her room, quickly packing a bag with her essentials. When she got back, Vynn was there, talking quietly with Karis and Noah. They saw her, Vynn nodding a quick hello, and then they gingerly picked Kian up, carrying him out of the room with her following. Kian was a big guy, bigger than all of them, and even with their shifter strength, it was only done with ease when there were three of them carrying him. That was impressive.
Rolling her eyes at herself and her ridiculous train of thought, she shifted her bag to her other hand. The things running through her mind were stupid and pointless, but they distracted her a bit. And she needed that. If she stopped to think about what was going on and why Kian was being carried to his room instead of walking there on his own, she’d break down.
It seemed like they walked forever, the hallway and surrounding rooms becoming more opulent as they went. In all her sixteen years of living here, she’d never been over on this side. It was the family’s wing, and no one else was allowed. At least, it’d been that way when Kabir was still alive.
They reached what she assumed were Kian’s rooms, and she was glad she walked in last. She stopped dead in her tracks as her mouth popped open, eyes darting around the room as she struggled to take it all in. The sitting room alone was bigger than her whole suite. The floors were marble, with luxuriously plush Persian rugs scattered about, and there were antiques and priceless paintings everywhere the eye could see.
It made her a tad uncomfortable. Her suite was much less grand, and she’d always thought it was too much. This was way over the top.
The men, minus Noah, came out of what she assumed was the bedroom, and Karis caught the look on her face as he walked closer. “These are the alpha’s rooms. Kian felt tradition said he had to take them over when he assumed the position. But he left this room as his father had it. This isn’t Kian. He had the bedroom and bathroom redone, but he left the rest as Kabir decorated it.”
She forced a smile as she nodded. She was glad this wasn’t what Kian surrounded himself with, but she honestly should have known that. The room she was standing in just didn’t jibe with the man she knew.
“Good job, by the way.”
Glancing over in surprise when Karis spoke again, she raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“It’s two-fold. The obvious answer, the one that matters most, is your quick thinking and saving Kian. You have my eternal gratitude for that, and most everyone in the tribe, when they find out about it, are going to feel the same. But look at you talking to all of us without a problem. You haven’t been shaking or looking at your feet. I don’t mind either way, but for you, I think it’s nice.”
Jessica felt her eyes widen as she realized what he said was true. Maybe it was because she’d been so panicked about Kian, so heartbroken, but she hadn’t thought twice about it. Her submissiveness had been nowhere to be found, and she was grateful. She couldn’t imagine how bad it would have been if she hadn’t been able to answer their questions.
She had no idea how long this newfound boldness would last, but she’d cherish every second of it.
Vynn walked toward the door, speaking for the first time since he’d shown up. “Noah’s getting Kian settled, so we’re gonna go see if we can help Zane. But before we leave, are you okay?”
Brow furrowing as she glanced at him in question, she suddenly realized she was rolling her shoulders, trying to relieve the fierce itch on her tattoo. She hadn’t even realized it, too preoccupied with the crisis, but now that she was aware, the itch and burn was almost unbearable.
Forcing a smile, she made herself stop rolling her shoulders. That never worked anyway. “Yeah, I’m okay. Or I will be, once I know for sure Kian is. Thanks for everything, guys.”
Karis nodded as they moved to walk out. “Of course. He’s our alpha, and we owe everything to him.
Congrats on moving forward with your mating, by the way. We’ll see you later.”
They left the room and Jessica exhaled heavily, dropping her bag to the floor at the same time she let her head drop. Exhaustion was settling over her shoulders, but the day wasn’t anywhere near over. She needed to get instructions from Noah, if he had any. And she knew she wouldn’t sleep a wink until Kian was awake and on the mend.
But there was nowhere else she’d rather be than by his side. No matter what.
Blowing out a breath, she made her way to the bedroom so she could be by her mate’s side again. Where she’d stay glued for as long as it took.
Kian blinked, trying to get the room into focus. He was disoriented in a way he couldn’t remember being before. His brain felt as unfocused as his vision. He was groggy as all hell, too.
What the hell had happened? Something had, because this wasn’t normal.
The last thing he remembered was sitting down to eat with Jessica. That perked him up, and he looked blearily around, hoping to see her. He was in his room, so he sank back down onto the pillows. He doubted he’d find her there, since she’d never been in his room.
Frowning as he suddenly wondered over the absence of his tiger, he dug deep inside, searching for him. He was just beginning to panic when he felt his cat stir deep within him, the exhaustion and weakness his tiger was steeped in rolling over Kian in waves.
What. The. Fuck.
“Yeah, he’s still the same. Hasn’t woken up yet.”
That was Jessica’s voice, sounding like it was coming closer. Relief that she was near washed over him, stronger than he would have expected. And his furrowed brow turned into a full out frown when he realized that he’d been sick with worry about her from the moment he became conscious.
What the hell was going on?
It was enough to have him pushing himself up on his elbows so he could sit up. Or at least, he tried to. But he was weak as hell, and just getting to his elbows had his arms trembling like he’d just bench pressed a thousand pounds for thirty minutes. He glanced down to find his chest bare, pajama pants riding low, and then he closed his eyes as dizziness hit him hard.
Kian (War Cats Book 5) Page 12