Page 12 of Love Bites Really Hard (Mated to the King #4)

twelve

ZORA

By the time we finally left the room, Bane’s entire body was stiff with anger. And I was feeling… well, nervous.

I knew he was just playing along, like I was. I knew we were trying to break Oscar’s imprint. I did. And I didn’t want him dead.

But something about having him ignore me while I touched him kind of screwed with my mind after the intimacy of our conversation on the balcony earlier. Logically, I knew he was just playing along, but my stupid heart couldn’t seem to figure it out.

Neither of us spoke through our ride in the elevator. His arm was around me, but I was leaning away, with mine wrapped around my middle.

My emotions were all over the place.

I felt lonely.

Uncertain.

Maybe even a little sad.

I heard a phone buzz, and Bane pulled it from his pocket. On second glance, I realized it was my new phone.

“Clementine wants to meet up for a late night swim,” he said, handing it to me.

I scanned the message.

Clem

Hey ladies! No worries if you’re busy, but my pool is open tonight and I miss you. Kai promises to kick everyone else out so it’s safe, and to provide spicy fae wine for any mates who tag along. Come swimming with me!

My lips curved upward grudgingly. “She was probably in the fae realm for a while.”

“Time passes differently there.”

“Yeah, a week there is only a day here. She misses us a lot more now than she used to. Want to go?”

“Not particularly,” Bane admitted, his voice low and gravelly.

My defenses rose, but he added,

“But I will for you.”

Oh.

That was… not sweet, but not rude, either.

“You can get drunk with the other kings,” I said, pressing the button for the lobby floor. The elevator reached ours, and the doors remained open for a minute before they closed again. It started descending.

“I won’t risk getting drunk. Oscar is waiting for any sign of weakness so he can take you from me,” Bane growled.

“Easy, I’m not the enemy,” I shot back.

He let out a slow breath, closing his eyes.

The elevator opened on the tenth floor, and we were face-to-face with two unmated dudes.

Bane said in a strained voice, without opening his eyes, “Wait for the next one.”

They waited.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, when the elevator was descending again. “The way my people were staring at you tonight… I wanted to kill them.”

“All of them?”

“They were glaring at you, Zora. They dared look at my mate like they hated you. Like they wanted you dead. Like?—”

“Like we’ve been trying to make them look at me.”

“Yes. I can’t stand it.” He had to grit the words out.

I eyed him, uncertain about what to do. Was I supposed to kiss him? Tell him everything was going to work out? Tell him to get over it?

I didn’t know.

I wasn’t the person who comforted other people. When Clementine needed comforting, I just hugged her. Our other sisters were the ones who would try to talk her through things.

Maybe a hug would work for Bane too?

It was worth a try, I figured.

I turned, ducking under one of his arms and pressing my chest to his as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

He lowered his nose to my hair and inhaled deeply.

The elevator landed on our floor, but neither of us moved to leave. Someone cleared their throat, and Bane said again, “Wait for the next one.”

When the doors closed, he pressed the button to lock the elevator, and hugged me tighter.

I knew it wasn’t going to be enough. He needed a real distraction. The kind of distraction that sex was.

But that couldn’t be the answer in the moment.

“What did you do when you needed a break before you met me?” I asked. “When you were overwhelmed like this?”

“I didn’t get overwhelmed like this before I met you.”

Ouch.

“That wasn’t an insult,” he added. “I just… could control myself better.”

“You’re not really helping, bud.”

“I’m not your bud, Zora.”

“Babe, then.”

“ Babe has to be the worst nickname there is,” he grumbled.

He’d turned it into a challenge. I grinned into his chest. “Whatever you say, babe.”

“We were having a discussion.”

“About how you kept yourself sane before.”

“I kept myself sane by not having a mate.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are the other mated monsters this out of control?”

“No. Most of them are perfectly reasonable. Their mates aren’t being threatened, though. And another man hasn’t imprinted on them.”

“Well, we’re in the process of fixing both of those things.“

“Our process has convinced them to hate you. Some of them may be thinking I’d be better off with you dead.” His voice was lower.

Almost feral.

He did have a point. A small point, but still a point.

“You said yourself that no one would dare hurt your mate,” I finally reminded him.

“Lex said that. And Lex is not all-knowing.”

Oh.

“Well, you can make sure everyone knows the truth after Sierra does her thing.”

“Assuming she goes through with it.”

“Bane.” I smacked him on the chest, tipping my head back to meet his dark gaze with my narrowed eyes. “Stop panicking. We’re going for a swim, and you’re going to drink fae wine until everything feels easier.”

“Numbing myself won’t accomplish anything.”

“It will give you a break, which you clearly need. Afterward, we’ll talk about how we can make the next few days more manageable. Okay?”

“Fine,” he gritted out.

“Thank you for being so helpful, Sweetheart,” I corrected, making my voice low like his as I pulled myself from his grasp and turned around. “You’re the bee’s knees, Sweetheart. I’m so lucky to have you.”

“What happened to not being my sweetheart?”

“That went out the window after you screwed me on a desk. With the blinds open.”

His chest rumbled as I hit the button to open the elevator. “I should fuck the snark out of that pretty little mouth.”

My body flushed.

Thankfully, the people who’d been waiting outside the elevator had taken a different one and were gone. “You like my sass, babe. If you were with anyone more easygoing, you’d get bored.”

He captured my hand, lacing his fingers through mine and holding on with a death grip. His attention was focused on the hallway around us, his gaze sharp as he watched for threats.

Our conversation was officially over.

I stayed quiet as we made our way to the fae portion of the manor, mentally working through our situation again.

Things had obviously changed.

Me playing seductress while Bane acted like he wasn’t interested was no longer an option. We had sold our story well enough to prevent all of the unmated men from attacking us immediately, so that was good.

After I texted my sisters to let them know I was coming, I sent a message to Layla.

Me

I hear you’ve been assigned to put together a sex bag for Sierra

Layla

Yeah

If that woman wasn’t a gargoyle, one of us would’ve strangled her by now

Me

LOL

For real

Any chance you can get a date out of her? I need to know when she’s going to be ready

Layla

She’s getting ready to move her stuff to his apartment as we speak

I don’t know how he’s going to react to it, but she’s doing it

She actually seems excited about it. She’s wanted a mate more than the rest of us, but she’s been holding out for almost a century for Bane

Me

Wow

Layla

Right?

I’d put money on her wanting to get on with it tomorrow

Me

Yessss

Okay

Bane thinks someone’s going to try to off me to save him from my evilness if we keep up the seductress thing, so that’s off the table now

Layla

Yikes

We don’t need the king going on a killing spree

Do you know anyone I can text about getting the keys for Oscar’s apartment and sneaking her stuff in? Nessa isn’t on board with this plan, so we need to be sly about it.

Me

Ooh, I love sly

Text Lex, he’ll be on board

Here’s his number

I sent her his phone number.

Layla

Is he mated?

Me

No

I don’t know any cool mated people in Monster Manor

Layla

They get boring after they’re mated, this is true

I’ll just wear a ski mask or something so he doesn’t imprint on me

Me

Oh shit I forgot about that

This is why I’m in this situation

Don’t be like me

Layla

Yes ma’am

Ski mask plus hat it is

Me

Wear something that makes you look like a paper sack, too

You have nice tits

They could set him off

Layla

Good point

Ski mask, hat, and paper sack it is

Should I worry about him imprinting on Sierra?

Me

I just snorted so loud

No

Lex is Bane’s best friend, I’m sure he knows about the gargoyle chick problem

Layla

Okay

Wish me luck

Me

You don’t want my kind of luck right now

Keep me updated

Layla

Good point

Will do

“If someone else gets accidentally imprinted on, someone’s going to die,” Bane grumbled.

I glanced up, and realized he’d been reading over my shoulder.

“And if anyone asks, I had no idea that was going to happen.”

“I used my seductive, siren wiles to cause it,” I agreed

He growled. “Never mind. Pin it on me.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and he pulled me closer, his hand on my hip.

“You don’t think Lex will imprint on Sierra, right?”

“Not a chance. Layla is a much bigger risk.”

I flashed him a curious look. “You think he’ll like her?”

“I think she’ll be the most reasonable unmated female he’s ever met. And none of us who are old and unmated don’t want mates. We just want to choose the right mate.”

“Well, I like her. If he imprints on her, they’ll be good together. Any idea what kind of women he’s attracted to? Blonde? Brunette? Curvy? Athletic?”

“All women in general. He avoids mating by avoiding emotional connections, not physical.”

Ah.

“So if he likes Layla, he’s fucked?” I checked.

“Pretty much.”

Lovely.

I sent her one last text.

Me

Bane thinks Lex will like you, so be careful

Layla

So if I like him, I should just take my ski mask off? ;)

And the paper sack

And the hat

Me

LOL

But seriously, don’t do it

Layla

I would never, just messing with you

Thanks for the warning, though

I liked her message, slipping my phone in my pocket as we made it to Clementine’s pool.

Kai was sitting on a lounge chair with a corked bottle of wine next to him, and a book in one of his hands. Clem was in the pool with Avery.

Guilt hit me, hard.

I’d abandoned her.

I should’ve been trying to spend more time with her, despite the drama of my current life. I needed to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone just because I had to mate with Bane.

“Hey!” Clem waved me over. I’d never seen her pool before, but it looked like something straight out of a Billionaires in Nature magazine.

It was large and spacious, and the pool’s tile was covered entirely by plants. The room was full of them, too.

Flowers, vines, bushes, and who knew what else were all growing wildly, without rhyme or reason.

It was gorgeous, but I was glad I didn’t have to swat plants away every time I went swimming. Considering Clem’s relationship with vines, I knew she didn’t mind them at all.

I ditched Bane with Kai and dove into the water, joining my sisters. We swam around, and Clem gave us a proud tour of her pool. When we relocated to the far side, she turned some music on within five minutes.

Then, her and Avery were both staring at me, waiting.

I sighed. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“We need the gossip!” Clementine whisper-shrieked.

Kai must’ve had a chat with her about how well the monsters could hear, because she was usually louder.

I glanced at my mate, and watched while he took a long swig of the wine.

Hopefully it would help him relax. I could probably get him to stay in our room for a few days, but I didn’t want him to feel stressed the whole time.

“It’s a long story,” I admitted, leaning back against a plant-covered wall of the pool. The plants cushioned it a little, which was nice.

“We don’t have anywhere else to be,” Avery reminded me with a smile.

I gave them a rundown of the drama with Oscar and Sierra. And an update of Layla’s plan to ask Lex to help her move things into Oscar’s room.

“Ohhh, Lex has to imprint on Layla,” Clementine said with a sigh, leaning back next to me. “That would be so romantic.”

“I don’t think that’s the word the monsters would use, Clem,” Avery said, a faint smile on her face.

“Come on, it would be adorable!”

“If you think trainwrecks are adorable.” I dragged a hand through the top of my wet curls, tugging them off my face. “There’s usually a process. They date in the rooms where they can’t see each other. Things move slowly, to keep everyone safe. Random imprinting does happen, but not to female monsters. If it did happen, I’m not sure how Layla would take it.”

“What did she say, exactly?” Avery asked.

“She joked about it happening,” I admitted.

“So she’s interested?”

“She totally wants him!” Clementine exclaimed.

“She’s never seen or met him, as far as I know,” I countered. “If she really wanted him, they would probably already be mated. I don’t think he dates anyone, though.”

“So she was holding out for the perfect man, and tonight, she’s going to meet him. I wish we were there to watch,” Clem said.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not really going to happen. She’s wearing a ski mask, a hat, and loose, unflattering clothes.”

“He’s going to see past it,” she declared. “They’re meant to be.”

“Now you’re just making things up,” I protested.

Avery laughed. “How’s the fae realm, Clementine?” You could always count on her to change the subject when necessary.

Clem smiled. “It’s great! I don’t like knowing I might be missing the excitement here while I’m gone, but the city there is finally done, and Kai is in the process of turning the fountain into a pool. That’ll be fun. I’m so glad I got myself abducted.”

I snorted. “Of course you are.”

“I’m serious. Eventually, you’ll be glad you accidentally made Bane imprint on you too. Things are just more fun when you have a big, sexy friend around all the time.” She looked at Avery, and Avery already started shaking her head.

“Don’t even start. I don’t want a mate.”

“Come on, Avery. Talon still needs a siren for something,” Clem sang.

“He can find a different siren, because I’m not offering my head. All of us can’t be mated to the kings. That would be suspicious,” Avery said.

“Messy,” I corrected. “Not suspicious.”

“Come on, if we’re all mated to kings, at least some people are going to think we seduced our way into the roles,” Avery protested.

Clem considered it. “Technically, I did seduce my way in. Blair and Izzy didn’t really, but Zora…” she eyed me.

“I yelled at someone. That’s hardly seduction,” I said.

“He found it sexy, so I think it counts,” Avery said. “But all that aside, I don’t want a mate. Especially not a pissy, secretive dragon king for a mate. I’m going to keep spending my time relaxing on the roof, no matter what anyone else says, and I’m going to adopt a cat.”

“Oh my gosh, I want a cat.” Clementine’s gaze jerked to Kai, who seemed to be in a discussion with Bane. “Seven!” she called out.

He looked at her.

“Let’s get a cat!”

He shook his head slowly.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!

He shook his head a little more emphatically.

“I’ll convince you later!” she said, giving him a thumbs up.

He sighed heavily, but his lips curved upward.

He was so damn in love with her.

And she was totally going to get him to adopt a cat with her if she really decided to. Considering how much they went back and forth between the fae and human realms, I hoped she decided against it.

Izzy and Porter walked in. His arm was over her shoulder, and her hands were tucked in the pockets of the sweats she’d paired with her sporty black bikini top. She grinned when she saw us, kissing him on the cheek before she gave him her sweats and dove into the water.

He joined the other guys, and thankfully, it didn’t look awkward. I was pretty sure him and Bane had been friends for a while, so I hoped that made it easier for him.

“Izzy!” Clem dragged her in for a hug as soon as she surfaced—and pulled the rest of us in too.

As soon as I finished my recap of the Monster Manor drama, Blair and Damian showed up too, and I had to do it all over again.

“But the sex is good, right?” Blair checked. “I wasn’t sure exactly how that would work, what with him having the…” she gestured downward with her hand.

“Monster rock dick?” Clementine added helpfully.

“That one,” she agreed.

My face flushed. “We haven’t really gotten around to the gargoyle sex, but the regular sex was amazing.”

“ Was ?” Izzy’s eyebrows shot upward.

“Go easy on her,” Avery warned, looping her arm through mine.

“There was a… small mishap,” I said.

Everyone stared at me, waiting.

I sighed. “Apparently, monsters’ imprints can work around birth control. If you don’t want to get knocked up, you have to drink some weird tea from the leaves of a fae plant they gave the monsters.”

“And?” Izzy checked.

“And we kind of screwed once without drinking the tea.”

They were all still staring.

I huffed. “Fine, we kind of screwed a bunch of times without drinking the tea. And I don’t know what it will do to the, you know, if I’m… you know.”

“Baby?” Avery whispered.

“Right.”

“Pregnant?” Blair asked, her eyes wide with horror.

She definitely didn’t want a kid anytime soon. Definitely not.

But me?

Well, I wasn’t against it. Not entirely.

“That,” I agreed. “So I can’t drink the tea. No other birth control works. And if we do the deed, we risk pregnancy even more than we already have.”

“So you can’t have sex?” Clementine asked, shock in her voice.

“And they might be having a baby,” Izzy said, running a hand over the top of her hair. “Hot damn.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, pressing my lips together. “It’s supposed to be unlikely. The baby thing. His imprint would have to be like, super strong to work around my implant.”

“But he’s a king,” Clem pointed out. “If the question is whether their magic is strong enough, the answer is usually yes.”

“Mmhm. So, what’s new for you?” I looked at Izzy.

“Shit. Wow.” She looked at Blair. “Are you pregnant too?”

Blair snorted. “Fuck, no. I haven’t even been on my first vacation with my mate. We live and breathe the Manor. I’m nowhere near ready for kids.”

“Same,” Clem agreed, nodding.

“Are you?” I asked Izzy.

Her face reddened. “No. Not yet, at least. We want a big family—but not yet.”

“Let’s just cross our fingers that Bane doesn’t have super sperm,” Avery said, tugging me closer.

But honestly, some insane part of me kind of hoped that he did .

“When did you reschedule your vacation to?” Clementine asked Blair.

“Two weeks from now. You’d better get all this Oscar drama figured out before then,” she warned me, looking over.

“Yes ma’am.” I saluted her.

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

It was good to be with my sisters again.