Page 19 of Aching for His Mate (The Wolves of Luven #5)

Domitia was going to make that stubborn ass wolf a deal. One that had him healing in bed, no complaints, until he was ready to resume normal life. Because as much as Domitia didn’t mind taking care of Iota, hell, she wanted that first week of doting as much as the next wolf mate. Tella and Phaebe spoke about it like some sort of heaven and after the last three years of her life, Domitia needed a little bit of heaven.

She carefully cleaned up the rest of the glass, then wiped the floor down with a wet cloth to catch any stragglers. Then she poured herself a beer and enjoyed it while tidying up the kitchen. There was a stew simmering for lunch, some rice soaking for dinner, and a mess of chopped herbs on the counter. She finished her preparations for both meals, downed the rest of her beer, and headed up stairs.

Oh, Iota. What was she going to do with him?

He was awake, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I know it sucks staying in bed.”

“The last thing I want to do is make life harder for you,” he started. “No matter what I do, I feel like you end up with more work.”

“I don’t mind the work. But this isn’t forever, so stop treating it like it is. Does it suck we’re not three days into the mating frenzy? Sure. Does that mean we’re never doing it? Of course not.” Domitia took a deep breath. “I know you’ve probably been out of sorts because I’m not smelling turned on.”

Iota’s cheeks pinkened and he looked down.

“It’s not that I am not attracted to you. I am. You are very handsome. I obviously remember how good you are with your hands and mouth. This last week has been packed full of big, bad things, and I haven’t been able to turn my brain off unless it’s to sleep.” Domitia sat on the foot of the bed and stretched her bare legs out alongside him. “Throw me a pillow.”

He did, and Domitia tucked it behind her back. “From now on, we’re doing this. I’m going to get to know you. You’re going to get to know me. I’ll go downstairs to get us food or cook, but no more cleaning. I’m going to leave the kitchen an absolute disaster for you. You’re going to feel better and immediately spend six hours doing all the dishes I’ve created.”

A huge grin splayed across Iota’s face. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to hear I have to clean the kitchen.”

“You’re going to regret saying you’d do it forever. I make a huge mess.”

“I’ll never regret it. Not when the tradeoff is eating all the meals you’ve made. Best food I’ve ever eaten.”

“Really? What was your favorite?”

“The bread pudding. Hell, that was better than anything Chi has ever baked. You truly have a gift when it comes to food.”

“I appreciate that. Thanks.” Domitia bumped his upper arm with her foot. “So, you’re friends with Epsilon and Lambda?”

“Yup. Sigma and Rho, too.”

Domitia nodded. “I hope Millonia is doing okay out there with him. Poor girl. Captivity hits us all differently but it hit her like a brick in the head.”

“How did it hit you?” Iota asked. He moved his hand to wrap it around her calf loosely.

“Some days were worse than others.”

Iota motioned to her arm. “Was that a bad day?”

“Oh yeah. Probably the worst. Massie—she was with the four of us, Vallie, Tella, Millonia, and I—she escaped, about a year before Tella did. Cade was pissed as hell. Like a wasp whose nest had been kicked. After looking for her all day, he came back to take it out on us, try and get out of us which way she’d gone. We had no idea. Massie hadn’t breathed a word of her plans before she left. That didn’t matter to Cade though. He thought he could beat it out of us. Well, I saw him take a real big swing, like he was going to knock all my teeth out, so I put my arm up to block him.” She shuddered. “That hit rang through my entire body. Definitely broke my forearm. Tella goaded him to come after her for a while then, Vallie tried to tie my arm so it would heal, but it never did properly.” Domitia sighed. “Saved my face, but fucked up my arm. At least it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“It was still hurting?” Iota pressed.

She forced a laugh. “Yes, very much. Dr. Tau rebroke it, reset the bone, and now I’m working on getting my strength back. It’ll probably never be back to normal, but hell if this isn’t a lot better than it was.”

“Cade is the dragon Epsilon killed, right?”

“He is. No need to avenge your mate. I have been avenged.” Domitia sighed. “And I never really felt like Balaur was forever. I was never resigned to the place. I don’t know if the Moon Goddess buried some seed in my heart, but I knew I wouldn’t die there. Too much of a wild wind in me.”

“It sounds like you’ve made your peace with it all.”

“I think I have. I’ve never been one to squander good fortune. I’ve found that here. In this house. With you.” She smiled. “The past is past, not erased from me, not gone, but away. Every time I try to lift something, I’ll be reminded of Cade’s cruelty, but there’s no need to let it consume me. Just as you will probably be reminded of this attack any time someone asks you when we met. You’ll have to say, I had a beautiful twenty-four hours with my perfect mate before I was whisked away to fight wild wolves and nearly lost my life at it.”

Iota snorted. “I don’t think anyone could whisk me away.” He shook his head. “I’ll tell them all I was injured protecting the city I love which held the woman I’d die for.”

“Hm. I think I’d rather you stay alive, but thank you for the sentiment.” She nudged him again. “So what do you do for fun?”

“For fun?”

“Yeah. You live in a relatively safe city in the middle of a bleak world. You must have some fun.”

“Well, I really like to swim in the lake. If I weren’t all beaten up, I’d be going there every day.”

“I love to swim!”

Iota grinned now. “Nothing beats the feeling of floating on a hot day and staring at the clouds.”

“Is there a river around here? With a strong current?”

“Yeah, a couple not too far away. One that’s within the borders of Luven.”

“You know what we should do?” Domitia began. “Once you are healed, we should ride the current. Pick a real hot day and float down the river for miles.”

“That sounds amazing.”

Domitia nodded. “Maybe someday I’ll get you to the sea. Then you can ride a wave to shore with me.” She smiled. “Now. I’ll bring up some food, would you like a beer?”

“Am I supposed to be having a beer mixed with my pain meds?” Iota asked.

Domitia shrugged. “Dr. Tau said it was unadvisable for you to mix alcohol with your medication but also that it would just make you super drunk.”

“I think I’ll hold off for now. If you want one though—”

“I’ll be having one. Second of the day.” She winked.

There. This was better. If she wanted Iota to stay in bed, she simply had to stay there with him. There were worse fates available in this life.

*

Four beers and two meals later, Domitia laid with her legs entirely draped over Iota’s body.

“Why on earth have you never been to a human settlement?” she asked.

“No interest? No offense, but I like it in Wolf Territory.”

“Yes, but don’t you ever wish you were somewhere a little more…dangerous?”

“I think we’ve proved that twenty miles outside Luven is pretty dangerous.” He squeezed her knee. “Plus, the closest human settlement to Luven is Maidenhead and no one has ever made that sound like a place to visit.”

“Sure, but Becnal or Sava? Or Charles’ Port? Those cities are fantastic. A little dangerous. You can’t walk around alone after dark, but with a herd of shippers? Nothing safer.”

“You are not selling me on the southern cities. That and the fact that I know you were captured by the dragons there.”

Domitia dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “That was a fluke.” She hiccupped. “Dragons come down south every couple of years. Usually you only have to worry about men.” She laughed and covered her mouth. She caught his eyes twinkling with amusement and her breath rushed out of her.

Damn, he was good looking.

A week without a shave had his beard looking a little wild, and his hair, which often was slicked into a bun on top of his head, had escaped its tie and lay against his shoulders. His t-shirt was mussed and the neckline a little stretched out, giving her a view of his collarbone.

“Fuck, you’re hot,” she breathed.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Iota answered quickly.

Domitia laughed. “You sound so serious. You can say nice tits or something.”

Iota chuckled. “While I do find your tits…which I assume are your breasts…very nice, I am serious. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. All the best parts of the world are reflected in you, Domitia.”

“Charmer.” She stretched her arms overhead and looked at the ceiling. “I’m going to get another drink and your pill. Then we can both be a little drunk together before we go to sleep.” She got to her knees and leaned over him. “Try to get better soon. Okay?” On a whim she pressed a kiss to his mouth then jumped off the bed to rush downstairs.