Page 20 of Love Bites Harder (Mated to the King #3)

twenty

CLEMENTINE

Kai held my hand as I spun in a circle in the parking lot for him, my chin-length hair bouncing like crazy. I was obsessed. Like, ridiculously obsessed.

The moon shone down over us, making everything feel magical.

It wasn’t full, thankfully.

Maybe I’d start staying home during the full moons.

…or maybe I’d find something new and fun to do. Only time would tell.

Kai whistled. “Yeah, that’s definitely the world’s most perfect ass.”

I laughed. “You’re supposed to be looking at my hair!”

“It’s nice too.”

I stepped up closer to him and swatted his arm as I teased, “What happened to Prince Charming?”

“Even Prince Charming wants to screw Cinderella. He wouldn’t go to all the hassle of hunting her down just to give her a shoe.”

“You’re terrible,” I said, but I was still grinning.

“That’s not news to either of us.” He pulled me closer and squeezed me. “Ready to go back to the Manor? We can check in on the realm in the morning. I haven’t been back to see the progress they’ve made in the city.”

He was never going to traverse realms without me again. We both agreed on that.

I gripped his shirt in my hands, wrinkling the fabric a little. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Well…”

“Spit it out, Five.” He kissed my nose, making me smile.

“I want to go dancing,” I admitted. “I haven’t gone out since Curtis started the bond by force. Going dancing with you would feel like fucking the patriarchy a little more. Proving that I don’t have to hide. I know you don’t like the reporters, and people would definitely take pictures of you, but?—“

“Let them take pictures. Mistwood should know that I’m obsessed with my mate. They can gossip about how attractive our children will be.”

A smile broke out across my face, and he kissed me.

Then took me dancing.

By the time we collapsed in bed together, we were so wiped out that we didn’t even screw.

It was one of the best nights of my life.

The next morning, we checked in with the guys who ran the Manor for us. Austin was already back to work, and refusing to keep resting.

When we were satisfied that they were fine, Kai portaled us back into the fae realm.

We spent the day wandering the city, talking to the fae. Everything was built with plants, so he threw his magic into the ring with nearly everyone we passed, helping them finish whatever they were working on quickly.

Though we had to take a quick break so I could feed on him to boost his magic partway through the afternoon, the man was barely winded by the constant flexing of his power.

By the time we got back to the castle, everyone else had called it a night. We collapsed in bed together, and Kai pulled me on top of his chest.

“I was going to take you to the beach,” he said, running his fingers through the short length of my hair. He never could’ve done that with it when it was longer, and I loved it.

Maybe I’d never grow my hair out again.

“After we finish rebuilding the city, we can go to the beach whenever,” I mumbled. “I’d love to swim in the ocean. Unless there are big spiders.”

“Big fish would be a bigger problem. And big jellyfish. And sharks.”

I shuddered. “Never mind. I’d love to look at the ocean.”

Kai chuckled. “I’ll clear out a pond for you.”

“You guys have that massive fountain in town. If we pull out the statue in the middle, it’s a perfect pond. You wouldn’t even have to fight any dog-sized centipedes.”

“That could work…” he considered it as I drifted off.

I loved the fae realm.

I loved my mate.

It didn’t get any better than that.

We spent a few more weeks helping fix up the city—though Kai did most of the work, and I just helped sweep dirt and stuff. He swapped with a few guys, and they took the fountain apart, putting in the labor to make it much bigger and deeper while Kai took care of fixing another chunk of the city.

By the time they were done, the fountain had been transformed into a large, community pool. It definitely wasn’t anywhere near as big as Blair’s, but the fae realm wasn’t Earth, and I didn’t need a twelve-story pool.

I just needed my mate.

…Plus, I technically had an ocean. One I was way too terrified to swim in, but still. You couldn’t really beat a man giving you an ocean, could you?

I was going with no.

We bounced back and forth between the fae realm and Earth every few days after we were done repairing the city.

Kai and I worked together on the stuff he usually handled for the Manor while we were there, along with spending time with our family, and going out into Mistwood together. It felt incredible not to have to hide anymore, even if the reporters were a little annoying.

I boxed up my sexiest clothes and started looking for things I actually liked. When I was out with people, it felt weird to know that they weren’t looking at me because of my body, or my magic. But because of who I was. And who I was mated to.

Weird, but good.

When Christmas Eve came around, Kai and a bunch of other fae had worked together to turn a ballroom in the neutral territory into a tropical paradise. They’d given the grounds around the Manor the same treatment, since much of Mistwood would participate outside. We never got much snow, so it hadn’t taken the monster volunteers with fire magic long to melt it.

Zora and Avery met me at Fae Manor in their swimsuits, with the plethora of guards they’d been assigned for the night. The guards stayed in the hallway while the three of us filled up my tub with water, chlorinated it a little, and took turns taking dips.

Kai joined us as I was climbing out of the water, and eyed it with something that looked like interest.

“What does that look mean?” I teased, wrapping my arms around him as soon as I was out of the water. He didn’t care that I was getting him wet; he liked hugs as much as I did.

“I’m wondering something,” he said, dropping a kiss to the top of my head.

“Wondering what?” Zora asked, her arms folded as she sat on the edge of the bathroom countertop. She had been warming up to Kai bit by bit, and when she saw our room, seemed to like him even more. It was hard not to like the gorgeous space filled with pretty, overgrown plants. Or the way my mate had told me to do whatever I liked when I mentioned putting a soft, pink duvet on the bed, and fun, funky paintings on our walls.

“If Siren magic interacts with chlorine, and you hit me with it while I’m in the water, will it cover me in glitter too?” Kai asked.

None of us answered for a minute, considering it.

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

“Usually, the reaction only happens directly on our skin,” Avery said, curiosity in her expression too. She was leaning against the cabinets, right next to Zora. “If we could make it happen on you, it could theoretically work the same.

“Want to find out?” Zora asked, and Kai shrugged.

“The party can always use another siren.”

I grinned, and he tugged his shirt over his head before stepping into the bathtub, pants still on.

The man was smart enough to realize I didn’t want him stripping to his underwear in front of my sisters.

I stepped up to the tub and stuck my hands in. He waited for my signal, and when I nodded, dipped his head beneath the water. I pushed an assload of my magic against his skin, and my lips slowly stretched in a smile as a light dusting of glitter appeared on his skin.

Kai resurfaced, lifting his arms and studying the shimmer. “Guess I can throw my Prince Charming costume away.”

I ran a hand through his hair, spreading glitter through the strands. “Nah, keep it for next year.”

The masquerade ball was gorgeous, and thankfully, everything went smoothly. Seeing the monstrous ballroom absolutely packed full of glittery magical beings made me smile so widely, my face hurt.

We danced.

We talked.

We drank fae wine.

The kings and their mates had our own balcony area, so we mostly hung out there, to avoid any potential problems.

Zora and Avery wanted to stay in the crowd, though, so I kept an eye on them throughout the night.

Toward the beginning of the party, Zora met some hunky monster and legitimately flirted . It had to be the first time in her life. She hung out with him for hours, with Avery staying close to her but off to the side, clearly less enthusiastic about the guy than Zora was.

Her guards stayed close as the party neared its end, and she headed toward the exit with him. I couldn’t stop a victory cheer. Kai grinned, pulling me closer, though he’d been in a conversation with Bane so he hadn’t seen what was happening.

Bane shot me an amused look. “What are you so excited about?”

“My sister is hooking up with a monster!” I exclaimed, so happy I was almost shaking. “She doesn’t ever even talk to guys. This is?—“

“Which monster?” Bane’s voice was sharp.

Kai was scanning the crowd, too. “Zora?”

“Yeah. Why aren’t you cheering?”

“Curly brown hair. Moving toward the exit, on the south side,” Kai told Bane. “The guy is a demon. Big, curved horns.”

I didn’t appreciate being ignored, but the look on his face told me it was more serious than I realized.

“Fuck,” Bane swore. “That’s Oscar. He hasn’t imprinted yet. He’s strong. Keep your eyes on him. I’ll grab Hale.”

“Wait, why do you need Hale?” I asked, my voice rising. “What’s imprinting?”

“Hale’s fast,” Kai said.

“I’m fast too. Why do we need someone fast? Is she in danger?”

His arms tightened around my waist. “A monster imprints on the first person they’re physically and emotionally attracted to. It’s like a soulmate for them. If they’re separated from the person they imprinted on, they grow increasingly violent and dangerous until the mate bond is sealed or the object of their affection is dead.”

My eyes widened in horror. “That’s why we’ve never fed on monsters before?”

“Yes. They typically mate young and are careful about who they spend time around.”

“But if he realizes Zora is a siren…”

“He could absolutely imprint with her on purpose in an attempt to force her hand. The three of us claiming you certainly hasn’t decreased society’s idea that sirens make great mates.”

Shit.

Shit.

Shit.

“If this goes badly, she’s never going to look at another man again, Kai.” I ran a hand over my hair, panic swelling in my chest.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” He pulled me tighter to him, and we both watched Zora.

She and the guy neared the doors.

Kai already had vines growing over the exits, prepared to block them as much as possible.

Thankfully, Hale stopped the guy with a hand to his shoulder.

He said something to Zora, and she jerked away from him immediately, stepping behind Hale.

The demon’s body seemed to grow larger.

I saw Bane cutting through the crowd. People moved for him without warning—he was that big, and his presence was too.

Hale said something to the man, his expression severe as he walked Zora a step backward.

“What’s going on?” Blair called out to me, hurrying to my side and grabbing my arm.

I clutched her hand, and she held mine tightly. I didn’t have to point out Zora. She saw her too.

Kai explained imprinting really quick.

The demon took a step closer to Hale and Zora.

Kai’s vines seemed to thicken over the doorway.

“Do we need to intervene?” Izzy demanded, her and Porter seeing what we were looking at and joining the rest of us.

“We can’t,” he said, holding her close. “Hale is the one who gave her sanctuary. The demon is one of Bane’s. They have to work it out together.”

“That’s bullshit,” Izzy snapped.

“Politics are always bullshit,” Kai said, his eyes narrowed. “I’ll block the exit as soon as Hale’s through. He’s seen the vines moving. It’ll buy him a few minutes, at the very least.”

“That’s all he’ll need,” Blair said, though her grip was still tight on my hand.

“Why did no one tell us about imprinting, or warn us about monsters?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“They keep to themselves. It’s not common knowledge. Most are trying to mate with a female monster, so they’re not usually a threat,” Kai said, squeezing my hips lightly.

Finally, the demon lunged for Zora.

Hale dragged her through the doorway at vampire speed, and the vines closed around the entrance, blocking the demon from my sister.

The demon slammed his shoulder into the wall, and fire blazed over his skin. The vines regrew as he burned through them, but he continued ramming them, determined to get past.

The rest of the party didn’t care.

I wasn’t sure anyone even noticed.

I supposed that was just part of the territory, when it came to spending time with a variety of magical beings.

Bane finally reached the demon and yanked him away from the vines, clearly snarling something at him.

Blair’s phone rang, and she pulled it out of the pocket of the fluffy vest she wore as part of her sheep costume.

“Is she okay?” she demanded.

All of us turned toward her.

Relief crossed her expression, but she closed her eyes after a moment. “Shit. We’ll be there soon.”

“What happened?” Izzy demanded, as Blair ended the call.

“She’s fine. He didn’t touch her.”

“But?” I asked.

She shook her head. “He already imprinted. Hale says it’s permanent.”

“We need to get to her,” I said, and everyone agreed.

We made our way out together, leaving Talon draped over his throne, wearing a stony expression.

As much of a bastard as the dragon was, he’d make sure no one died.

Hopefully.