Page 5 of Love Bites Hard (Mated to the King #2)

five

IZZY

I managed to get out of the tub and change into a long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of boxers before Kim came back.

The clothes dwarfed me. Sirens didn’t come in alpha size. Or anywhere near it. Even male sirens were significantly shorter than Porter and Damian.

I was the tallest of my sisters, but still only came in at a cool 5’6”. Porter had to be at least six and a half feet tall. Maybe even taller.

But that meant I didn’t have to wear pants with his shirt, so it seemed like a win to me.

I sniffed my new shirt as Kim slipped into the room with a large tray of food in her hand.

“Everything in here smells like perfume,” I said.

“It’s the moth balls. Porter hasn’t been here in a long time.” She set the food down next to me. “How many sisters do you have? You mentioned them earlier.”

“I’m not supposed to talk about it.” I dug my fork into the large plate of pasta. “But if I did have sisters, I would probably have four of them.”

Her lips curved upward. “You’re technically my alpha, so I can’t break your trust without consequences. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks. I don’t know what Porter will do with the information, though.”

“He won’t put your family in danger. He wouldn’t do that after what he’s been through.”

Considering what I knew about his past, and his family being slaughtered without reason, I could believe that.

“So what are the dynamics like here?” I asked her, still working on the pasta.

“That’s a good question. Things were bad when Curtis was in charge. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. A lot will depend on how involved Porter decides to be.”

“He only agreed to challenge Curtis in exchange for mating with me,” I admitted. “He wanted a siren. I don’t know why, because he was furious when I drank from him.”

And honestly, I needed to feed on him again in the near future. Which didn’t seem to bode well for me, given the way everything was going.

“At least Curt’s gone,” Kim said, leaning back on the bed. “We’ll figure everything else out. If me and Evan have to step up, we’ll do our best.”

I nodded, though my true attention was fixed on the food I was just about inhaling.

She asked about my magic while I ate, and I explained everything to her. I had no reason not to. She seemed curious, and there was no way for her to use it against me. Not unless she talked Porter into refusing to drink from me. And considering his dislike, I didn’t think it would take any convincing.

If he wanted me to starve, I would starve.

Which was pretty damn terrifying.

“Is there any way to quiet the pack’s voices in my mind?” I asked her. “They seem to be getting louder. It’s making my head hurt something fierce.”

She gave me an apologetic look. “Porter’s parents trained him to take over for them, so he’s the only one who’ll know how to answer that. The rest of us can use the pack bond, but it goes through you guys when we do. That makes it a lot louder for you.”

“Great.” I bit into a thick slice of garlic bread.

“At least Curtis isn’t in charge anymore.”

And at least Clementine wasn’t at risk anymore.

I sent her a quick message.

Me

Is your mate mark gone?

Clem

Yes ma’am

My neck is freeeee

And begging to be marked by a sexy vamp dude

Me

Don’t go signing away your freedom just yet

Clem

I won’t

You already did that enough for both of us ;)

She wasn’t wrong.

As I finished eating, Kim stood up. “Evan said the bonfire’s starting. Porter’s looking for you.”

“He knows where to find me.” I lowered myself to my back on the bed, closing my eyes. “I could go for an early bedtime tonight. Do you think there’s any way I can convince him to leave me alone until tomorrow?”

She laughed. “No. I’ll tell him you’re not leaving without him, though.”

I would rather she didn’t tell him anything, but it was what it was.

“I know you’re not excited to be here, but thank you for making that deal with him. You saved us, even if you did it unintentionally. A lot of us owe you our lives.”

“The decision was purely selfish,” I murmured.

“It saved us anyway. I heard a few people talking about gifts for you, so don’t be surprised when they start coming in.”

I did remember hearing something about a gift through the pack bond, but I’d assumed it was going to be for Porter.

“I’ll be polite.”

The bedroom door opened, and a grumpy, gritty voice said, “Let’s go.”

“You would think a woman’s mate would know to ask politely if he wants to screw her in front of an audience, wouldn’t you, Kim?” I drawled.

She choked out a laugh when Porter growled.

A minute later, he’d tossed me over his shoulder again and was carrying me out of the room. Kim called out a goodbye, and I waved back.

“If you carry me everywhere, people are going to think I’m with you unwillingly,” I remarked. “Is that really the message you want your pack to get?”

“I don’t care what message they get. There’s a mark around my neck, so you were obviously willing.”

I rolled my eyes. “Unless you threatened my life.”

“We both know I didn’t.”

“They don’t, though. No one’s heard from you since you abandoned the pack.”

“I didn’t abandon them. I left, after they quietly watched their new alpha murder my mother and sisters in cold blood without intervening.” His voice was flat.

The admission was so brutal, I didn’t bother trying to defend them. I hadn’t been there, so it wasn’t like I could disagree.

“Were you in love with Kim?” I asked.

“Of course not. I barely knew her. She followed me and Evan around constantly as kids, but we were never close. Given the situation with her brother, that will never happen.”

“What situation with her brother?”

His jaw tightened. “He was engaged to my sister, but didn’t do a damn thing to try to protect her when she was attacked and killed. If he hadn’t run away before I got back here, he would be dead already. I can feel him hiding out somewhere in the pack right now, but I can’t track him through the link. I tried.”

Oh, shit.

That was dark, and he was clearly still furious about it.

Time for a subject change.

“Are there any other people in the pack that I need to watch out for? Women you had relationships with?”

“No. An alpha screwing his pack is a moron looking for a challenge. Business and pleasure don’t mix.”

“Is our mate bond business, or pleasure?”

He didn’t answer, stopping as we reached a door that led out into the forest. Silently, he set me down on my feet.

Guess he’d listened to my comment about making people think I was unwilling after all.

“Which is it?” I asked mentally, brushing my mind up against his.

The man physically shuddered. “You can’t do that.”

“Why not? I’m your mate, aren’t I?”

He growled.

I flashed him a smile before striding through the door in front of us.

The gathering was utter chaos.

Wolves everywhere .

Monstrous bonfire.

Howls and cheers with every new item of Curt’s that was tossed in the fire.

I noticed a few people on the edges of the gathering, watching closely for anyone who looked angry that Curtis’s things were going up in flames.

Porter led me to a seat outside the bonfire the moment we joined the group. The bastard pulled me onto his lap, his arm around my waist in an iron grip.

I didn’t bother trying to get free.

Something told me it was another public claiming thing.

And as much as he was a bastard, he was a gorgeous bastard. His chest felt great against my back. His erection beneath my ass made me a little proud, too.

His nose or lips brushed my shoulder frequently. I wasn’t sure whether he was doing that for show, or just because he wanted to. Maybe some of both.

We’d only been sitting down for a short while when the first shifter woman came up to me with a gift bag in her hands. She was smiling brightly, and I couldn’t help but notice the thick, dark bruises around her throat.

I tried to sit up straighter, to get off Porter’s lap a little, but his arm didn’t budge when I pushed against it.

“Hi, Alpha,” she said, her gaze fixed on me. She didn’t spare a single glance for Porter. “Curtis forced me to keep his bed warm, and it was—” she choked on the words, her eyes brimming with tears and her smile faltering. “I heard from the vampires that you traded your freedom for Curtis’s death. Thank you. And welcome to the Mistwood Pack.” She wiped a few tears off her face and put the gift bag on my lap.

Unwilling to let her cry alone after going through what must’ve been literal hell, I took her hand, pulling her toward me. Kim had made it clear that wolves needed touch the way sirens did, and I never would’ve let my sisters go without a hug in a moment like that.

She threw her arms around me, ignoring the bastard underneath me, and I hugged her tightly. “Don’t thank me. I did it for selfish reasons.”

She laughed tearily. “Your selfishness saved my life, so accept the thank you.”

“I guess you’re welcome, then. What’s your name?”

“Nora.” She stepped back, staying where she was as I opened the gift.

My eyes widened “Are these gourmet chocolates?” I pulled one out, my lips parting when I saw that it was peppermint flavored. “You’re my new favorite werewolf.”

She smiled. “Just let me know when you run out. I have a friend with connections.”

“Chocolate connections? Can I mate with you instead?” I teased.

Her teary laugh made me grin, even though the joke made Porter’s arm tighten around my waist. I was literally sitting on his lap, so he could suck it up.

She squeezed my hand again before slipping away with a promise that other wolves would be bringing me gifts too, to express their thanks. Then, she rejoined a few other women nearby.

I expected to be growled at for my remark, but Porter surprised me by not saying anything.

Huh.

He even loosened his grip on my waist after she left.

A smallish man with bright red hair came up to me next, holding a gift of his own. It was in a smallish, square box that made me a little nervous. If he broke out jewelry, I was pretty sure Porter would want to kill him.

“Curtis had me locked up for refusing to join the group that attacked your sister and the vampire king,” he said, and I noticed the ashen tone to his pale skin. “I would’ve died in prison if not for your deal. Thank you, Alpha.” He handed me the box.

I gave him a quick but genuine smile as I opened the lid.

Relief washed over me when I found what looked like a large bath bomb inside.

No jewelry.

Porter’s grip tightened a little more anyway.

“My sister made it with peppermint oil and leaves,” he explained.

I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, and he slipped away.

Porter’s grip didn’t ease.

“It’s just a bath bomb,” I whispered.

“He was picturing you bathing with it,” Porter gritted out. “Loudly. I need to claim you.”

“You already did.”

“I need to claim you better .”

He was talking about sex.

I couldn’t help but flush a little.

“I don’t have to use it, but I’m not going to refuse a gift. Sirens are targets. The more your people like me, the more protection I’ll have,” I whispered.

“You don’t need their protection.”

“Like hell I don’t. I’m mated to someone who doesn’t even want to feed me.”

His grip tightened even more. “Of course I’ll feed you. I just don’t want you catching me off guard with it.”

“When I get hungry enough, I literally can’t control it.”

“I won’t let you get that hungry. You need to feed twice a week, right?”

“To stay strong, yes.”

“I’ll put it in my calendar.”

“Romantic.”

“More romantic than watching me kill someone for lusting after you.” He grabbed the gift box and set it down on the dirt next to our chair.

“People are going to lust after me, Porter. It’s the nature of my power, and it’s unavoidable. You’re the one who wanted a siren.”

“For your magic.”

“That’s exactly what every woman wants to hear.”

Someone else came up to us with a gift, ending the conversation abruptly. Nora winked at me, and I realized they were friends.

When I unwrapped the lumpy, odd-shaped present, my eyes widened and my lips curved wickedly.

It was a vibrator.

A very large vibrator.

Porter snarled against my shoulder as the woman grinned at me. “I know arranged matings often aren’t enjoyable for sirens, but I hope this makes it just a little more fun.”

When she winked at me, I couldn’t help but laugh.

She walked away, but I saw other people holding gifts throughout the party. It was far from over.

“I’m not waiting any longer,” Porter growled, dropping that box on the ground next to the bath bomb. My chocolates went with it.

“Wait, don’t—” I began, but Porter cut me off when he shifted into his wolf form as he tossed me over his shoulder yet again. I landed smoothly on his back and buried my fingers in his fur, holding on tight as he streaked into the forest.

Howls followed our departure, and he loosed one of his own. I felt his power roll through the pack’s bond, and shuddered.

The man was insanely strong.

But the wind against my face felt amazing. I liked the feel of his body moving beneath me, too.

I lifted my head just a little. Enough that I could see the trees around us as he ran through the forest thanks to the moonlight shining through. The moon was only half-illuminated above our heads, so I didn’t know how long I had until it would be full. One of the few things I did know about wolves was that the full moon affected them, somehow.

But for the moment, I focused on where I was.

On the back of a massive wolf, in the middle of a beautiful forest.

Not trapped with the vampires—not even a little.

Sure, being a part of a pack was another kind of cage. But at least it came with fresh air and trees.

Porter ran for fifteen or twenty minutes before I finally saw a rustic, wooden gazebo in front of us. There were large, rectangular cushions set up on one side of the space below it, with blankets in a basket next to them. On the other side, there was a large, comfortable-looking chair.

“No one in my family has ever taken their mate without the curtains down,” he said into my mind. “I won’t be the first. I’ll kill anyone who sees your pleasure.”

“Assuming this is going to be pleasurable for me?” I drawled.

His chest rumbled with humor. “When you’ve climaxed on my cock, you’ll realize how completely your body belongs to me.”

I couldn’t help but flush a little. “That’s a bold promise when you have no idea the heights the vampires have taken me.”

“If a vampire could satisfy you, you would never have bound yourself to me. Some part of you knows you need my knot.”

I heated further. “Like hell I do.”

“We’ll find out tonight, won’t we?”

I gripped his fur even tighter.

“Are you on birth control?” he asked.

“Yes. I have an implant.”

He growled in approval.

We reached the steps up into the gazebo, and Porter shifted back. My nails dug into his human skin as he caught my knees easily, carrying me piggy-back style and setting me on the chair.

He was bare-assed and insanely beautiful. His cock was hard, jutting out proudly, and it had good reason too.

I couldn’t stop myself from staring at him as he strode around the outside of the gazebo, untying curtains and letting the dark green fabric fall around us sheet by sheet.

I noticed a few wolves gathering around before the last curtain unrolled, cutting out the moonlight entirely and surrounding us in darkness.

“I can’t see anything,” I said into Porter’s mind, not wanting his pack to hear me. They were supposed to think I was strong and sexy, so I didn’t want them to realize I’d been blinded by their curtains.

“You don’t need to see.” His hands landed on my knees, and I sucked in a breath as his gorgeous, dark eyes met mine.

He was kneeling in front of me.

Hot damn.

“I’m going to taste you,” he said, his voice rich and gravelly in a way that made goosebumps break out on my arms. “And then I’m going to fuck you. When I come, my knot will tie us together. Understand?”

“Guess I have the answer to my business or pleasure question.”

He hooked his hands in the waistband of my borrowed boxers, but didn’t pull them down yet. “If you want out, this is your only chance. I won’t stop after I have you on my mouth. The beast in me won’t hear reason.”

“The pack won’t respect me if I back out, will they?”

“No.”

I let out a long breath. “Then do your worst.”

He chuckled, and I felt like I finally got a small glimpse of the wild guy Hale had mentioned he used to be.

In one rough motion, he pulled me to the edge of the chair, tugged the boxers down my ass, and dropped the fabric on the ground.

My legs were spread wide a moment later, his nose brushing my clit as he inhaled deeply.

I saw his eyes close, just barely.

And I nearly arched myself right out of my chair when he dragged his tongue slowly over my clit without further warning.

“Fuck,” I gasped, as he pinned my hips down with his hands and licked me again, slower. His mouth was so much warmer than the vampire’s I’d been with last, and it had been ages since anyone screwed me before that.

The feel of his mouth on me was intense.

Intimate.

Insane.

But Porter was in absolutely no hurry at all.

I gripped the chair’s armrests like they were anchoring me, struggling to breathe through the pleasure as he ate me out like I was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.

Like he was savoring me.

Like he didn’t want it to end.

My desperation rose as he didn’t pick up the pace, just licking me slowly.

The sounds I made grew louder.

Needier.

Greedier .

I tried to arch my hips, but he held me down firmly.

I grabbed his hair, but he didn’t respond to my tugs and pulls on the strands.

Every time I neared my climax, he slowed even more.

When I could feel myself on the brink of pleasure, he pulled back.

“Give me your cock, now,” I breathed, arching harder as I tried to take what I needed from him.

He chuckled roughly. “You think you’re ready for me?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” He pressed the tips of three of his fingers to my entrance, and I sucked in a breath as he sank them inside me. “Fucking drenched for me.” There was approval in his voice, and his eyes—shit, they were hotter than anything I’d ever seen.

I tried to move against his hand, to use it the way I needed it, but he pulled out and licked his fingers clean, rumbling again.

My chest rose and fell quickly, my abdomen twisted with need.

Finally, Porter pulled me off the edge of the chair and turned me around. My ass met his bare thighs, and my lips parted when I felt the thick bulge of his cock between my legs.

My slickness coated his length, and he leaned me forward, pressing my covered tits to the chair.

His fingers brushed my clit, making me suck in a breath as he opened my thighs.

The head of his cock met my entrance—and in one rough motion, he filled me.

I cried out desperately as he stretched my body in ways I’d never imagined.

He was so much thicker than anyone else I’d ever been with.

So much .

I could barely breathe. All rational thought was so far gone, it may as well have never existed at all.

The pads of his fingers pressed against my clit as he gave me a moment to adjust. I moved my hips a little, trying to find the most comfortable position, but there wasn’t one.

He was just too huge.

I panted, lingering on the edge of my orgasm. I was so close—but he wasn’t giving me what I needed.

And I couldn’t ask for it, because I couldn’t even get my brain to work properly.

Slowly, he pulled out and sank back in.

“Your pleasure is leaking through to my side of the mate bond,” he said, the words gritted out in a way that made me think he was struggling to form thoughts almost as badly as I was.

“Can’t control it.” I panted, my fingers digging into the chair’s cushion as he pulled out and sank in deeper. Our bodies were as connected as we could possibly get.

“Feels so fucking good.” The grit in in his voice, in my head, paired with the way he filled me?

It was so damn intense.

I moaned as he pulled out and drove into me again. The base of his cock started to swell, and he worked my clit harder.

The feel of his body in mine was all-encompassing.

I forgot about the gazebo.

The curtains.

The pack.

There was just Porter, and me.

And even though my feelings for him were far from pleasant, he felt absolutely incredible.

I shattered on his erection with a cry, my fingers digging deeper into the cushion as he slammed into me once, then again.

The heat of his release flooded my channel as he roared his pleasure. The base of his cock swelled bigger, and I choked out a strangled cry as the pressure of it grew otherworldly.

“You take my knot so fucking well.” His teeth skimmed my sensitive shoulder, where he’d bitten me earlier. “Tell me how it feels.”

“Unreal,” I managed to get out.

Intensely erotic—and somehow, even more intimate.

He pressed my clit hard, and my hips rocked in desperation. My climax had ended, but I was so close to another one.

“The magic of our connection will drive you wild until it eases.” His voice was pure gravel. “Let it. Don’t fight it. I’ll feel every shred of pleasure you do while we’re connected this way. Every time you climax, you’ll take me with you.”

I cried out again as he eased the pressure over my clit. I moved my hips a little, desperate to chase the release I could feel building, and cried out at the light but sharp pain that answered.

“I’m going to lose my mind,” I moaned aloud, unable to think clearly enough to have to conversation mentally.

“That’s the point, baby. Let yourself feel it.” The hand he didn’t have on my clit slid under my shirt and found one of my tits, gripping hard.

“I’m not your baby .” My nails were so deep in the cushion, it hurt. I could feel his wild, reckless magic threatening to consume me entirely, but I didn’t want to give him that power over me. I wanted to stay in control. “I can’t let go. I—ohh, fuck,” I hissed, as he pinched my clit.

“You’re close. Stop fighting it.”

There was power behind his command, and I shuddered against him. With his cock buried inside me and his body wrapped around mine, I was afraid I was going to lose the battle.

“How much longer?” I gritted out.

“The first time, at least thirty minutes. Up to an hour, based on power.”

Logic told me we were in for the hour.

“Surrender to my magic, Isabella.”

He did know my name.

I didn’t know how—but he knew.

“Your body belongs to me. Your pleasure, too. You’re going to spend the next hour climaxing on my cock, so close those sexy green eyes and let go.”

The command was so fierce, so hot, that I didn’t even want to fight it.

I forced myself to back off, to stop fighting the sensations I was feeling. To let out a slow breath and let myself sink into the pleasure he was offering me.

And slowly, the untamed magic within him took over entirely.

I screamed with pleasure at the first, heightened climax as my body squeezed his knot.

Porter swore and snarled filthy things into my ear as he filled me with his release again. His power pushed me higher before I came down from the high.

He worked my clit, and I pushed back on his cock, forcing his knot deeper into me and shattering my control again.

And again.

And again.

The orgasms were incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before—and Porter’s repeated declarations about me being his only made the releases even more intense.

When his knot finally started to soften, I was soaked with sweat, and sticky with both of our releases. The insides of my legs and my entire ass were drenched, and the whole gazebo smelled of me and Porter.

Shock, heat, and exhaustion set in as I finally started to catch my breath.

“The pack will have no doubt that you’re mine.” Porter’s voice held carnal satisfaction that made goosebumps break out on my skin.

“I don’t even want to think about what they just heard. Who told you my name?”

“I asked Hale before I met you.” He slowly slid his hand down from my breast. It moved over the curve of my waist and around my ass, before he dragged his fingers over the place we were connected. My skin was hot and tender, but his touch was gentle enough that it felt good.

“That was…” I trailed off, not sure what to say.

Honestly, I was starving again. Both for emotions and real food.

But I wasn’t sure when Porter would be willing to let me feed on him again, after the drama of the last time.

So, that was a little scary.

He slid his finger deeper inside me, testing the space between his knot and my walls. He was just trying to see if he was soft enough to pull out, but his cock throbbed inside me anyway.

“How can you still be horny? My vagina is going to be sore for days.”

“Our magic will help you recover much faster than that. And I’m not horny. It’s just a fucking turn-on to own you like this.”

“I noticed.”

He chuckled.

“I’m not going to heal if you don’t let me feed on you, though,” I added, and his humor disappeared. “Your pack link’s magic seems to have drained mine.”

“Fine. Do it before my knot is gone so I can fight it.”

Well, that was rude.

Most people would be thrilled to feel siren magic, and he wanted to fight it?

I turned my head to the side, and he leaned forward, kissing me lightly.

I buried a hand in his hair, pulling him a little closer, and put my tongue in his mouth as I tapped into my magic.

His emotions hit me like a freight train.

Pure, unbridled lust.

Endless desire.

Fierce need.

Those more surface-level feelings were gone quickly, though, replaced by the same dark feast I’d tasted on him earlier.

Self-hatred.

Fear.

Despair.

Loss.

Grief.

Guilt.

I wasn’t entirely sated when he ripped his mouth from mine, but I was getting there. And I’d been expecting him to pull away, that time.

He eased his knot out of me, and my entire body seemed to groan at the loss. With his expression dark, he grabbed the boxers I’d borrowed off the floor and put them in my arms, then stood up and strode out of the gazebo without looking back, leaving me in complete and utter darkness.

The curtains fell smoothly into place, and I lowered my forehead to the chair’s cushion, taking a deep, shaky breath in.

Howls rang through the forest around me.

Being mated to a werewolf was wild. Absolutely, insanely wild.

But I was starting to think I might be a huge fan.

I gave myself a minute to catch my breath, then finally stood up. My legs were shaky, and I was sore between my thighs, but I felt good.

Really good.

I slipped the boxers on even though the last thing I wanted to do was soak them with Porter’s release. And there was a lot of it, so there was no way around that.

As unpleasant as it was to feel his pleasure dripping down the insides of my thighs, there was some amount of pride, too.

We were permanently mated—and I could obviously please him. That felt good.

I slipped out of the gazebo a minute later, moving through the curtains like Porter had.

There was a wolf sitting at the bottom of the steps that led up to the structure, which caught me off-guard. It was so dark that I couldn’t make out the fur color, and could barely tell what size it was. It seemed a lot smaller than Porter, but I couldn’t be sure.

A mind brushed against mine through the pack’s bond, and it felt like a request. I let it in, and realized it was Kim.

“Porter asked me to take you back to the Manor,” she said into my mind.

So she was the wolf in front of me.

“It’s weird that he ditched me here after screwing me, don’t you think?” I asked, stepping closer to her.

Her humor curled through my mind. “Wolves are always very snuggly after sex, so yes.”

“I don’t know if he qualifies as a normal wolf, given the situation.”

“He’s watching us closely from the trees, so I think he’s feeling the normal things. He’s just fighting it.”

“Lovely.”

The wolf made a sound that reminded me of a laugh, and my lips curved upward.

“I’m not getting on your back while I’m covered in his release. That’s disgusting,” I said, sitting down on the bottom step of the gazebo. Not only was it gross, but I was possessive enough not to want anyone else smelling like his pleasure. Wolves had an amazing sense of smell—every other wolf in the pack would notice his scent on whoever carried me.

“I’ll take a dip in the lake afterward to erase the smell. Evan is off doing something for Porter, so he won’t care.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll wait for him to get angry enough to carry me back himself.”

“Of course.” There was something in her tone that I didn’t understand. Disappointment, or annoyance? Maybe she was just worried Porter would be angry with her.

She took off into the trees, and I scanned the dark forest around us, looking for Porter’s dark eyes. There were at least a dozen wolves around, but I couldn’t tell which was my mate.

I reached for Porter through the pack’s link. “I’m not letting anyone else carry me back. You have five minutes to take me yourself, or I’ll walk back alone. My feet will end up bloody and I’ll probably get myself lost if I try, but I’m proud enough to do it anyway.”

He growled into my mind, but a moment later, he was storming up to the steps. He looked even bigger after I’d seen how small Kim was.

When he lowered himself to the ground, I slid onto his back again.

We were both quiet as he slipped through the trees, headed back to the Manor. It wasn’t until he ditched me in his room that I finally spoke into his mind again.

“If you ever screw anyone but me, I’ll kill you.”

He snapped invisible teeth at me. “If another man ever touches you, I’ll dismember him and lock you in my room.”

“Glad that’s settled.”

He tried to shut me out of his mind. Though the bond didn’t allow that, I withdrew anyway. The bastard could have his privacy.