Page 18 of Love Bites Really Hard (Mated to the King #4)

eighteen

BANE

After I made a call to arrange for a lake house, we got dressed and went down to my office. I taught my assistant how to deal with a lot of the more routine paperwork and assignments, and he was absolutely beaming with pride.

I was making sure everything synched from my office computer to my desktop when there was a quick knock at the door. It opened a moment later, and my nose told me immediately who was there.

My eyes narrowed as my mother stepped inside the room. There was a basket full of chocolates in one of her arms, and a few fancy bottles of some kind of water in the other.

She ignored me entirely, putting a smile on her face when she looked at Zora. “How’s my new daughter doing today?” she asked, forcing cheer into her voice.

Zora’s expression was one of complete bewilderment.

“Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot,” my mother began, crossing the room. She set the basket of chocolates on Zora’s lap. “But I just saw Sierra, and she looks… happy. Thank you for that. And I think we might be able to produce even more gargoyles with this avenue of mating. I’ve been researching sirens, too, and they do seem truly remarkable. I heard about the glitter, as well. That’s unique. We can?—”

“You brought me peppermint water and siren chocolates?” Zora asked, her voice surprised.

My mom nodded quickly, clearly relieved that Zora had put an end to her rambling. “When I asked about sirens, someone mentioned that the Manor’s wolf pack was big into gifts for sirens. I messaged a friend there, and she gave me the address for the woman who makes the chocolates. I found the water in a specialty shop, afterward.”

She took in a steadying breath before lifting her chin. “I apologize for interrupting you so soon after you mated. That time is supposed to be sacred. I wasn’t aware that you had sealed the bond, and I do respect your connection with my son. When you have children, in the very near future I hope, I will be thrilled to be their grandmother. Whether they’re sirens, or gargoyles. Though I will probably try to convince them to mate with Sierra’s children, assuming they aren’t all demons.”

Zora stared at my mother for a long moment, and finally stood up. She set the basket of chocolates down on her chair.

I watched, curious about what she would do. My mother had very clearly overstepped her boundaries when we were first mated, and I knew the photos she had sent me of Sierra still grated on my mate’s mind.

Instead of acting on her prior anger or discomfort, Zora threw her arms around my mom and hugged her.

My mom’s gaze jerked to mine, her eyes wide and slightly alarmed.

I shrugged.

When she didn’t respond, or look away from me, I lifted my arms in a hugging motion.

Her eyes widened further.

She finally hugged my mate back, looking away from me. A moment later, I smelled salt in the air. The tears weren’t Zora’s—I would notice her scent mixed with the salt if they were. I knew the way she smelled too intimately not to.

“Thank you,” Zora said, finally releasing my mom and stepping back. My mother let her go, and made no move to wipe away her tears. Knowing her, she probably wouldn’t acknowledge them at all. “Bane said you were an amazing mom. I’m sure you’ll be an amazing grandma, too, whenever we decide to have kids.”

I hadn’t exactly said that, but it was sweet of her to say that I had. I was sure it meant a lot to her, and I knew she had always done her best in the situation she was in.

The scent of salt thickened, and my mother finally wiped her eyes daintily. “I’d prefer to be called Nana.”

Zora’s lips curved upward. “Nana it is.”

“My son smiled at you yesterday,” she said. “One of my friends told me.”

“He smiles at me a lot.”

My chest warmed.

Maybe I did.

“He never smiled, before. When he did, it never met his eyes. I thought Sierra could fix it, but I guess he was waiting for you,” my mom said.

“I guess he was.” She looked over at me, her lips still curved slightly. “We’re leaving on vacation in a few hours, but the three of us could have dinner when we get back in a few weeks, if you want?”

My mother’s shoulders lifted. I didn’t need to see her face to know she was happy. Not just happy— ecstatic .

“I would love that. I’ll see you soon. Maybe you’ll be pregnant, by then?” The hope in her voice made me cough to hide a laugh.

Zora just snorted. “Maybe if you pray for a miracle.”

A laugh escaped my mother. I realized it was the first I’d heard in a long time. She had never been someone who laughed often. Maybe I should’ve tried harder to give her reasons to. “I’ll get right on it,” she promised.

After a moment’s hesitation, she gave Zora a quick, awkward hug, then padded toward the door. She set the water bottles on my desk and patted my hand as she passed me, then slipped out of the room.

The door shut behind her, and Zora studied me.

“What?” I asked her.

“She’s not that bad,” Zora finally said, leaning her head back against the back of her chair. “She thought Sierra could make you happy.”

“There hasn’t been a shred of evidence in any of our families’ lives that arranged matings make anyone happy, so I don’t know how she could’ve gotten that idea.”

“Her arranged marriage produced you, and I think it’s pretty clear that you make her happy. She wouldn’t have been that excited about having dinner alone with me.”

“Maybe not.”

“ Definitely not. She loves you, even if you don’t like the way she shows it.”

My chest ached. “I should’ve tried harder with her. She doesn’t have anyone.”

“You did the best you could with what you could handle. Now that things have changed, you’ll do better. We’ll both do better.” Zora stood, walking across the office and taking a seat on my lap. She set her hands on my chest. “ Partner .”

My lips curved, slightly. “If I’ve knocked you up, she’s going to be unbearable.”

Zora’s smile grew playful. “I can handle her.”

If anyone could, it was my mate.

“If you haven’t knocked me up,” she said, her smile fading slightly. “How do you feel about not using the tea?”

My body stilled. “You want to have a baby?”

“I want to have a big family,” she admitted. “We can use the vacation to learn everything about each other, so things will be easier when I do get pregnant. And if my period comes, we can try again. For real, this time.”

My chest burned. “I’d like that, Sweetheart.”

“Just like ? I don’t want to pressure you into it. We can wait, if you want. I can be flexible. Or flexible-ish. I?—”

“I would love that.” I took her face in my hands and kissed her, deeply. Intensely. Until we were interrupted with a text message that lit up both my phone and hers, as well as made my computer ding with the notification.

We were both breathing hard when she pulled away and lifted her phone. “Looks like we’ve been invited to a meeting with the other kings and queens tonight.”

“They can do it without us.”

“Or we can leave afterward, since we’re going to be gone a few weeks, now.” She flashed me a playful smile, daring me to challenge her on it.

“You just keep extending this vacation, don’t you?”

“I need time to really dig my claws into you with no one else around,” she said, curving her fingers into feigned claws.

I couldn’t suppress my grin. “We’ll stay as long as you want, Sweetheart. The inner circle can keep this place running well enough, and I can fly us back if they can’t.”

“Good.” She leaned in and kissed me. Before I could get my tongue in her mouth again, my phone and computer went off once more.

Zora pulled away, and picked it up.

Her eyes narrowed. “Sierra sent you a picture.”

My forehead creased as Zora typed my code into my phone. It buzzed as she got the code wrong, and she frowned too, lifting her eyes to mine. “You changed your code?”

“You told me it wasn’t secure. When you sent me a nearly nude photo afterward, I took the lack of security seriously.”

“What’s the new code?”

“9876.”

She laughed, hard, but typed it in and pulled up the picture. The frown in her eyes vanished entirely, and she smiled as she turned the phone around to show me the picture. It was a photo of Sierra and Oscar in bed together, both of them red-faced and grinning, with sleepy eyes and messy hair.

And matching mate marks.

There was a message with it.

Sierra

We’re happier without you guys

Zora snorted. “They’re assholes, but they’re cute together. Here, scoot in.”

I leaned closer, and when she poked me, I grinned for her picture. She sent it to them, and texted back for me.

Me

We’re glad you two hit it off

I kissed her cheek, and she turned to kiss my mouth. The phone went back to the desk, and she buried her hands in my hair.

She pulled away again before the kiss became anything else. “Now that you’re done with your work, but we’re still stuck here until after the meeting, what do you say to a day full of swimming?”

“It sounds like an excessive amount of time in the pool for a gargoyle. How about a half a day full of swimming?”

“How about every time you start getting bored of the water, I let you do something else to me? Naked. In one of the caves in my new pool. With both of us being able to breathe underwater, there are an infinite number of possibilities, babe.”

My erection throbbed beneath her. “I guess that would make it easier to handle.”

She grinned. “Don’t pretend you’re not fully invested in my plan now. Come on.” She pulled me to my feet, and I didn’t protest.

She was right.

I was invested.