Page 12 of Love Bites Harder (Mated to the King #3)

twelve

CLEMENTINE

Just before we made it back to our room, Kai stopped abruptly. His chest was still to my back and his arm around my waist, so I stopped too.

He let out a slow, relieved breath as all of the tension in his body seemed to drain away. When I looked over my shoulder, his eyes were closed.

“The eclipse is over already?” I asked.

“Yeah. Two and a half days in the fae realm. Short, but not unusual.”

“Well, that’s good. Do we need to go check on the fae, or…” I trailed off, not sure what the next step was.

“No. Everyone will shut themselves in their rooms and sleep off the magic. It was short enough that the realm will be fine without me right now. I need to get back to my father’s journals.”

“Okay. Want me to help?”

I knew he’d been looking for some kind of answer about how to stop the constant eclipses. He thought his dad had done something to cause them.

“No.” His voice was harder than I expected. Hard enough to make me turn away.

“Great. I want to take a bath anyway.”

I pulled his hands off my waist and strode into our room.

Emotion had my eyes stinging again.

Honestly, I wished the eclipse hadn’t ended. At least he wanted me when the sky was screwed up.

His hands caught my hips just after I made it into the room. “Clementine…”

“What?” I bit my cheek to stop myself from saying anything else.

He let out a harsh breath. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’d let you help if it was something else, but my dad… he was a cruel asshole. His journals are dark. You don’t want to be in his mind. I don’t want to be there either.”

Slowly, some of my hurt leeched away. “Oh.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said in a low voice, then finally released my hips and cleared his throat. “After your sisters drop off your things, we should go back to the castle. I can spend days there searching the journals without losing much time Earthside.”

“Alright. Do you really think you can stop the eclipses?”

“I don’t know. I have to try, though.”

I bit my lip.

He didn’t have to.

He could’ve quit trying and spent all of his time screwing and killing with the rest of his fae. No one else wanted the throne. No one else was going to try to fix things.

And that was a lot of pressure on one man.

I made it to the bathroom’s entryway before I paused and closed my eyes as an idea struck me.

I shouldn’t voice it. I should be angry at him, and leave distance between us.

But I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “You can put your feet in my tub while you read, if you want. My magic will purify the water. It might help with the darkness, a little.”

I didn’t look over my shoulder.

I didn’t want to know if my offer annoyed him, or if he thought it was weird or something.

He didn’t answer right away. Apparently, he wasn’t sure how to turn me down.

“It was a stupid idea. Never mind.” I strode into the bathroom, my stomach clenched and my heart aching a little.

Served me right for being nice to my asshole of a mate.

I turned on the water and tugged the borrowed clothes off, ignoring the stickiness between my thighs that reminded me of what we’d done in the elevator. My cheeks warmed anyway. I still needed to ask Blair to erase that footage.

Perching on the edge like always, I plugged the drain with my foot. Kai’s tub was a gorgeous, freestanding soaker that would most certainly get too much use if I was living there. Both of us would fit without a problem, even though that would probably never happen.

The edge of it was ridiculously uncomfortable. His perfect tub back in the fae realm definitely had it beat.

I leaned my head against my shoulder—and snapped it to the side when I saw motion in the corner of my eye.

Kai slipped into the bathroom in a clean pair of gray sweats and a white tee. He had his phone in one hand, and one of his dad’s journals in the other.

His eyes met mine immediately, and I totally failed when I tried not to scowl. I could usually hide my emotions at least a little bit, but that wasn’t happening after everything we’d been through in the last however many hours.

I looked back at the water as he crossed the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub next to me. He turned the phone’s volume up before he tucked it in his pocket and rolled his sweats up to his knees.

My gaze went to the obvious erection still straining against the fabric. “I thought your desire disappeared with the eclipse.”

He snorted.

I had to bite back a smile.

“I’ve wanted you since the moment you fell out of that tree. It’s not going anywhere.”

“We screwed, though. I would assume that helped with the wanting.”

“Nothing helps with the wanting.” He opened his dad’s journal.

I didn’t mention that the tub’s thin edge felt like it would cut both of our asses if we kept sitting there.

“You said my idea was dumb,” I remarked.

“I never said that. You assumed that was what I was thinking.”

“It was an educated guess.”

“I’ve never insulted you, and I don’t intend on doing so now.”

“That’s bullshit,” I tossed back. “How many times did you say I was weak? Or that no one would want to mate with me? Or?—”

“Being weak is a feature, not a flaw. I wish I never had to learn how to fight, but here we are.”

My eyebrows shot upward. “You’re joking.”

“No.”

“Maybe you’re just insane, then. Knowing how to fight gives you power. You don’t have to rely on anyone.”

“Not needing to know means you have people who can protect you, and have protected you. It means security.”

“I have never had security, Kai. I’ve known since I was a toddler that I can’t trust anyone. My mother taught me to use my magic constantly, because the alternative was to let someone else take me. She didn’t know how to fight, so that was the only way she could teach me to protect myself. Not knowing how to defend yourself makes you a sitting duck, and that’s terrifying.”

Kai was quiet for a moment.

A long, long moment.

“You were the one Curtis wanted. The reason all of your sisters moved to Vamp Manor,” he finally said.

“Yes. I used my magic to keep us safe when we met him while we were out feeding. He decided he needed me because of it.”

Kai let out a harsh breath. “I wish he was alive so I could be the one to kill him.”

“You can spend the rest of your life killing people for me.” I patted his knee, then slipped into the water. It wasn’t full, but I couldn’t handle the tub’s sharp ledge any longer.

“I don’t know if we can go back to Vamp Manor,” he said, his gaze on me as water sloshed around my belly, never reaching my breasts. “If anyone else looks at you like that again, they’re going to die.”

“Hale and my sisters will spread the word that I’m mated to you. People will talk about what happened with your vines. No one will make that mistake again, regardless of any lingering feelings any of them might have.”

“You think they have lingering feelings?” His voice lowered again. There was intensity in his gaze that I didn’t expect.

“Colby obviously does. It was only a week ago for him. You heard him earlier.”

Kai tensed.

“That won’t happen again,” I said quickly. “I should’ve moved. I wasn’t sure what to do in the moment, but now I understand.”

“You’re not going to…” He trailed off, still tense.

“I’m not going to what?”

“Seek out other partners?” He had to grit his teeth to get the words out.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you going to withhold sex or turn me down when I’m horny?”

“Fuck, no.” The words were a growl.

“Then why would I need to seek out other partners? I told you, most of them couldn’t satisfy me anyway. You obviously can.”

My response only seemed to settle him a little.

It was time for a joke.

“Is the edge of the tub biting into your ass yet? Maybe all the muscle on yours makes it less sensitive than mine.”

He barked out a sudden laugh that made me smile. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, good. Then you don’t have to read in here, with me.” I made a show of sprawling out.

He studied me for a moment.

A long moment.

I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he finally said, “What if it is?”

I shrugged. “It’s a big tub. I might be convinced to make space.”

Something in his gaze changed. Softened, maybe.

He handed me the journal. My hand was still dry, so I accepted it without hesitation.

He stepped out long enough to peel his shirt over his head. His sweats and underwear followed.

I tried not to drool at his erection as he slipped into the tub and sat down with me, but totally failed.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re huge?” I asked him, still eyeing his cock.

He couldn’t stop his slow, sexy grin. “You should see me in the fae realm.”

Ohh.

Everything was bigger there.

Yes, please.

How had I not seen him naked before we mated?

That was basically a crime.

“You’re going to kill me if we have sex there,” I said, settling back against the tub as he settled in and took the journal back. My arms went around my knees. “Death by giant cock. What a way to go.”

He laughed, and I smiled.

Something about the sound was so carefree—and so different than anything I’d heard or seen from him before. He had never really looked calm before. Not that I’d seen. Maybe that was my fault somehow.

Or maybe he just wasn’t calm very often. Only time would tell.

He opened up his journal, and I watched him closely as he started reading.

The humor in his eyes faded out quickly.

So did the calmness.

His body tensed a little more, and I pushed some of my magic into the water, to purify it faster.

His eyes closed, his jaw clenching.

Oops.

Maybe a little too much of my magic.

Rather than pointing it out, he opened his eyes after another minute and refocused on his father’s journal. I could see his cock jerking beneath the water, but didn’t bring it up.

He wanted to focus.

I sank deeper into the tub, making sure to put my legs on one side so I wouldn’t accidentally bump his erection with my feet. My head slipped under the surface, and I settled on my back. His forearm rested on my knee, and it felt kind of good.

It wasn’t exactly the sex-and-chocolate filled bath of my Prince Charming dreams… but sharing a tub with King Grumpy wasn’t so bad.

Maybe it was even nice.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been beneath the surface of the water before Kai squeezed my knee.

Part of me wondered if he was ready to have sex yet, but when I peered up at him through the water, I saw his phone in his hand.

My sisters must’ve been ready with my things.

I sat up, and his gaze lingered on my breasts for a long moment before meeting mine. “Your sisters are headed over.”

Looked like I was right.

I slipped out of the tub, reaching for the soft, white robe that hung up between it and the shower. My fingers paused before I could grab it, and I looked back at him. I hadn’t seen any other towels.

“I’ll use it after you. You’re smaller than me, anyway,” he said.

“Thanks.” I pulled it on, drying myself off quickly so we could get down there before my sisters had to wait too long. I passed it back to Kai, and noticed in passing that he inhaled my scent off the fabric before pulling it on.

Part of me was positive I’d imagined that, so I shook my head and made my way toward his closet. It was massive, and not even almost full. I had a lot of clothes, but even I wouldn’t fill that thing up.

He caught me as I was pulling another one of his shirts over my head, and his hand skimmed my bare waist as he stepped past me on his way to the built-in drawers.

He put on a pair of jeans and a button-down, and it didn’t surprise me at all that he’d forgone the casual clothing he’d met me at the tub with. I had never seen him in sweats before that, so I knew he never dressed that comfortably around his people.

Just me.

Which made me feel kind of special.

“I can’t decide if I’m excited to wear my own clothes again. Yours are more comfortable,” I said, as we slipped out of the room together. I eyed the fae berry bush again, but didn’t pluck one off. I still didn’t know exactly what they were, or if they were safe to eat.

“If the rest of your clothes are anything like the top you had on when you fell out of the tree, I’m not excited for you to wear them either.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re supposed to like it when your mate dresses sexy, Seven.”

“If you were doing it for my eyes only, I would.”

We ran into Paul and Austin in the elevator, and Austin immediately stepped next to Kai, bringing up something related to the Manor. Paul ended up on my other side.

He wasn’t staring at me, but he wasn’t avoiding looking at me.

That seemed like a good sign.

“I’m so sorry about what happened in the castle,” I said quietly. “I had no idea Kai was going to do that. I didn’t mean to lead you guys on.”

“Don’t worry about it. We all knew he wasn’t going to let you mate with any of us.”

I blinked. “You did?”

Paul grinned. “He made you sleep in his room and wear his clothes, and gave you a nickname. Glared at us any time we made you smile or laugh, too. The man usually doesn’t look twice at anyone, even during an eclipse. And even the cleaners don’t go in his room.”

Something within me warmed. Maybe it was my heart. “Oh.”

“We knew you were his from the beginning, so really, don’t worry about it.”

“But you guys were totally ignoring me earlier.”

“Looking too closely at the king’s mate during an eclipse would insinuate that we were thinking about you in a way that would get us killed.”

“I didn’t consider that.”

He nodded. “Don’t overthink it. We like you. You’re good for him.”

I bit my lip.

The elevator doors opened, and Kai’s hand met my lower back as Paul and Austin waited for us to step out first.

“Let me know if anything happens that you can’t handle, and we’ll come back sooner,” Kai instructed, as we walked out.

“Of course,” Austin agreed.

We made our way down the hall, and Kai didn’t remove his hand.

Why was he touching me?

After we turned a few times, I glanced backward to see if anyone was following us, but the space was clear.

Hmm.

Maybe he just wanted to?

I liked that idea. A lot.

My sisters were all sitting on couches and chairs just inside Fae Manor, each of them holding a suitcase and a duffel bag.

“This can’t all be mine,” I protested, after hugging all of them to say hello.

Zora snorted. “Like hell it can’t. You have a shopping problem.”

I glanced at Kai, wondering if he’d be irritated, but found him watching me with something that looked like curiosity.

Maybe even a little humor.

“We can help you get them up to your room if you want,” Avery said, smoothly changing the subject. She winked at me when I shot her an appreciative look.

“I’ve got it,” Kai said.

“We’re going to the fae realm for a bit, but we’ll be back in a day or two,” I said, looking back to him for confirmation. He nodded, and I refocused on my sisters. “I’ll text you when we’re back.”

“That reminds me…” Zora pulled my phone from her pocket and handed it over. “I’m sure you’ve been missing this.”

“I did at first, but not having it was kind of nice after a while,” I admitted, starting to tuck it in my pocket—and then realizing I wasn’t wearing pants, and therefore had no pockets.

Kai held a hand out for it, and when I gave it to him, put it in his.

We chatted for a few more minutes before my sisters headed out, leaving me with my mate. We went back to our room long enough to put some of my stuff away in his closet and repack some of it for the fae realm.

After we were ready, I pulled my phone out long enough to send Blair a quick text.

Me

Can you erase the security footage from the south elevator for today?

Pretty please?

Blair

Already did

News of your mate’s possessiveness has spread far and wide already

Me

As it should

Blair

Lol

Are things any better now?

Me

Getting there

Talk soon

Blair

K

Love you, and be safe

I sent back a kiss-blowing emoji, then shut my phone off and took it over to the nightstand Kai always left his on. His was already plugged in again.

“Ready?” he asked me, one massive duffel bag over his shoulder and another in his hand.

“Mmhm.” I stepped up in front of him, and he slid his free arm around my waist. “You never told me how you found me in the realm.”

“Fae with lesser magic can’t choose where they’re portaling to. The realm always puts them there.”

“What if I’d been taken by someone with more magic?”

His expression darkened slightly. “Then I would’ve tracked you down, and killed him.”

He made it sound so simple, but I knew it wasn’t.

“Thank you for doing that. You saved my life, even if I don’t like to admit it.”

“It was only in danger because I couldn’t control my fae.”

“You’re not a dictator. You don’t force them to do anything. I was the idiot who decided to swim with them during an eclipse.”

“In your defense, the water shielded them from the moon’s magic for the most part. The bastard who took you made a decision to do so with a clear mind, and he died for it.”

My eyes widened. “He did?”

“Of course he did. He dragged a non-fae into the realm, tried to force a woman to mate with him, and nearly started a war on top of it.”

When he put it like that, I supposed it made sense.

Kai hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “I’m sorry I left you in our room. And locked you up downstairs. I wasn’t thinking straight, but I should’ve taken the time to come up with a better idea.” The words were stiff, but genuine.

“It’s okay. It’s not going to happen again, right?”

“Probably.”

I rolled my eyes, and his lips twitched like he was fighting a smile. Kai pulled me closer, then portaled us right into our other bedroom.

Though I couldn’t believe that had become my new normal, somehow it really had.