Page 56 of Cryptic Dreams

“Okay… ”

“After breakfast, as well as clothing that will hide your nipples I want nothing more than to bite, we are going out.”

I squeeze my thighs together and squirm in my seat. “Out?”

“Yes. Out. Shopping, to be exact.”

I frown. “But—”

“No buts. We are shopping. I may have two motives for it, but I would like it very much if I could take you out and spoil you the way I plan to do every day for a very long time.”

“Wraith, I appreciate it but I don’t need much. You should know that by now.”

“I do, and while I adore how low maintenance you are, there is a little more to it than that.” He pushes my coffee toward me with a nod. “First, I should like to get you fed, then you must get dressed. The car will be here in a half hour.”

I lift a brow. “Wraith… ”

“I will explain over breakfast.” He gives me a sweet smile and I melt.

“Ok.”

“Smashing.” Then he grins wickedly. “Now, if you’ll excuse us for a tick, Excalibur and I have some business to tend since it would be very ungentlemanly to escort my mate on a night out with a raging boner.”

My eyes all but pop out before I giggle and blush harder than ever.

“Get used to it, love. I’m essentially in a constant state of arousal and now that you know why, that you’re the cause for it, I’ll be less discreet in sharing when I’m about to have one hell of a wank in order to proceed without mounting you.”

Then he disappears down the hall, up the stairs, and intentionally jerks off louder than he has every other time.

I don’t understand hardly anything that’s going on but I can’t say I’m upset about it. Not when my mate confirmed that he accepts our bond, that he loves me and wants to be with me, but is letting me run things in regards to how fast or how slow we go.

I may still have little tiny doubts, but I’m almost 99% sure Wraith is being truthful and he means what he says. Just like I’m almost 99% sure that he is the prince that saved me from the tower, the one that will give me my happily ever after because he wants to, not because he has to.

I’m almost positive that Wraith is my fairytale come true, and yet somehow, I can’t shake the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop.

17

Spoiled Rotten

ZEPHYR

“Come now, love, let’s have a look.”

I bite my lip as I twist back and forth in front of the full length mirror, my nerves at an all time high while I take in my reflection.

We should have started with the food.

As promised, Wraith explained our impromptu shopping trip over breakfast and while the inner nerd in me, the one studying everything and anything about our kind and how our government runs now vs. how it did before I was born, was ecstatic about the Counsel meeting and dinner I get to be apart of. The other part? The female that can barely wrap her head around speaking to a Descendant let alone being fated to one? The female that hasn’t thought much more of herself than what most of the humans she runs across, specifically the one she lived with for years, thinks of her? Yeah,thatfemale is freaking the hell out.

I was so focused on meeting the High Elder and his mate, so fixated on seeing the Great Counsel in action and getting to watch one of their meetings take place, that I totally ignored everything else it meant to be around so many vampires of noble blood.

Especially since I’m definitelynotfrom a line that holds any significance to anyone outside of me and Orion.

Will I know how to conduct myself at this meeting? Absolutely.

Head always lifted, eyes always on whoever is speaking. Even better if I make eye contact so long as it isn’t defiant or disrespectful.

Do not speak unless spoken to, keep answers short and to the point. Do not blatantly disregard or challenge an elder’s decision unless it is up for debate, and even then, one must tread lightly.