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

four

ZORA

It felt like forever, but the clock said it was only twenty minutes after my family left that Bane finally came back for me.

He’d shifted back to his human form and found a new set of pants, though they were definitely too small. The sweats looked like capris, and hid pretty much nothing. His shirt was equally small.

“Where are we going?” I asked, forcing myself not to stare at him as we stepped out of the conference room.

There was no ignoring the blood on the wall and floor.

Yikes.

“My apartment.” He cleared his throat. “ Our apartment.”

I didn’t think living together was a good way to avoid a complete mate bond, but from what I’d gathered, there was no longer any chance of avoiding that.

I was going to be mated to the monster king.

Which was a lot to wrap my head around.

“I spoke with Hale. He’s going to arrange for your sisters to bring your things over. Only the mated ones, of course.”

“I’m supposed to pretend all of them are mated,” I said, paying close attention to the turns we made. I was trying to memorize the route so I’d know how to get out of Monster Manor if I needed to, but I’d already gotten turned around on my way from the forced date with Oscar to the conference room. My anger definitely hadn’t helped me keep track of anything.

Bane chuckled. “There should only be one left.”

“Yeah. Avery’s the last woman standing,” I said wistfully. “I thought it would be me.”

“I can’t say I expected things to go this way, either.”

“How long have you been unmated?”

“A long time. I hold the record among all monsters at this point, much to my mother’s chagrin.”

My lips curved upward slightly. “She wants you mated?”

“Mated and popping out little gargoyles. She sends me photos of the only remaining unmated female gargoyle every week. They work together to make me as uncomfortable as possible.”

“What kind of pictures?” He officially had my interest.

“The naked kind.”

I whistled. “Ballsy.”

“I’d argue that I have evidence there are no balls involved.”

I laughed, and found him wearing a small, reluctant smile. “So you and your mom aren’t close?”

“No. We see each other once or twice a year, but we have very different views on certain things that make seeing each other often fairly tense. Mainly mating and families. She thinks it’s my duty to enter a loveless mate bond for the sake of continuing our species. I don’t.”

“So her and your dad are…”

“Enemies.”

“Wow.”

“Their relationship was never happy. Female gargoyles aren’t particularly fertile, but they managed three sons over the years and basically gave up afterward.”

“Where are your brothers?”

“Unhappily mated as well. Neither couple has any children yet, and my brothers live together, away from their mates. I’m not close with any of them.”

“Wow,” I repeated.

I was sounding like a broken record, but what else was I supposed to say? I’m sorry your brothers are trapped in loveless marriages? You did a good job of avoiding one yourself, until now?

We reached a door at the end of a hallway, and Bane scanned his fingerprint. “I’ll have you added to the security system,” he said, opening the door and gesturing for me to go first.

I stepped into the room and nearly whistled. Everything was cozy, in an old-fashioned style I loved. The rug was plush and ornate. The paintings were black and white. All of the furniture looked large, and sturdy.

Unlike the rooms back in Vamp Manor, Bane’s space had a large kitchen and living room as well as the bedroom and bathroom.

He gave me a quick tour, and we ended up back in the living room. We were both still on our feet. His hands were in the pockets of his ill-fitted sweats, and my arms were folded over my chest.

My gaze kept moving to the mark on his neck, but I tried to ignore it.

“Can we just agree not to beat around the bush here?” I asked.

“I wasn’t aware that we were.”

“We aren’t, and I’d like to keep it that way. So basically, we need to seal the bond. We need a plan to deal with Oscar. And we need to figure out exactly what the rules are here, because I can’t handle uncertainty to the level that this is.” I gestured between us.

“What rules?”

“Well, you don’t want a mate. I don’t want a mate either. But we’re going to have a mate bond, which is permanent. We need rules to make sure we can handle things. So we understand how we’re going to deal with this and what we’re both comfortable with.”

Bane didn’t respond immediately, and didn’t look entirely convinced.

I would be convinced enough for both of us.

“We need Oscar to see us together, consistently,” he said. “The more he sees us, the more likely his imprint breaks.”

“Then we can’t have rules while we’re out of our room. We have to touch, kiss, and make people think we’re screwing.”

“And when we’re away from everyone else, we are…” he trailed off, waiting to hear my thoughts. His voice was back to neutral again, which I kind of hated.

“Friends,” I said.

His forehead creased.

I knew I should ask how he felt about it, but if we weren’t on the same page, I didn’t particularly want to know. We had to seal our bond, but that didn’t have to mean anything else.

“I’ll have to feed on you,” I clarified. “The mate bond won’t let me drink from anyone else. Because of my magic, we’ll end up screwing sometimes. We can consider that a friends-with-benefits situation.”

The crease on his forehead deepened.

There was a quick, harsh knock on the door, and both of our heads snapped toward it.

“Who do you think it is?” I asked, eyeing it warily.

“I don’t have my phone, so it could be anyone.” Something in his voice made me think he had a theory. One he didn’t like.

The person knocked again, louder.

Bane let out a slow breath. “It’s my mother. She probably has Sierra with her. She lives in the Manor, so it’s probably a miracle she didn’t get here sooner.”

Sierra must’ve been the unmated gargoyle.

The one he had received many naked pictures of.

A wave of vicious possessiveness and some other emotion I didn’t want to consider hit me, hard.

Bane had imprinted on me . I’d given him a mate mark. And I’d been literally sitting on his huge, stone cock less than an hour ago.

We were going to be mates.

So I couldn’t let his mother or the woman he’d seen naked run the show.

I would make my first impression count, and mark him as my territory the way a dog marked a tree. Minus the urine.

I took a step toward the door, ready to go in guns blazing, but Bane blocked my path.

His eyes met mine. “The imprint won’t be enough proof for them. We need the bond sealed.”

My chest tightened, but I dipped my head in a nod.

He lifted his hand to my neck, and my eyes closed.

“Look at me, Sweetheart.” The command in his voice was strong enough that I didn’t try to fight it. I opened my eyes, and met his again.

His grip on my throat wasn’t light. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t gentle, either.

“I’m not your sweetheart,” I said, though the words were quieter than before. Less certain, too.

“You are mine, Zora.” He stepped closer as the magic rolled through us, then pulled me to his chest, his grip iron and his body just as hard. His lips brushed my ear. “And if I want to call you Sweetheart, there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me.”

The words and the dominance in them made my toes curl.

And pissed me off at the same time.

His mother banged on the door again, harder and louder.

I forced myself to step out of Bane’s arms. He released me—but followed close at my heels as I headed for the door.

If his mom wanted a confrontation, she was going to get one.

I tugged my t-shirt over my head on the way, tossing it to the floor before I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. The navy lace of my panties would show through, but that wasn’t enough. We needed to make a statement.

“What are you doing?” Bane asked.

“Monsters have strong senses, right? Better than vampires?”

“Yes.”

“Then give me your hand.”

He held it out.

I took his wrist, using it to push his hand into my panties. His chest rumbled as I pressed his fingers over my clit, and neither of us mentioned how wet I already was.

The guy was gorgeous, and we did sort of have sex, even if we hadn’t really gone all the way. Being a little horny seemed like a given.

His mother banged on the door again, and we were close enough now that I heard her yell Bane’s name.

I pulled his hand out. “Rub your fingers on your lips. We want them to think they interrupted us.”

His eyes burned into me as he slowly lifted his hand and dragged a slick finger over his lips—before slipping it into his mouth.

My entire body tensed.

His cock throbbed visibly against his borrowed sweats.

“You’ll have to stand behind me. I don’t want them seeing your erection,” I said, before I could stop the words from coming out. I wasn’t going to let myself think too hard about my possessiveness. “And you should take your shirt off.”

“Are you going to do that for me too, Sweetheart?” He didn’t reach for the hem.

Something in his eyes was enough of a challenge that I grabbed the bottom hem and tugged it over his head. He had to bend a little to help me get it off, but he didn’t seem to mind.

After a beat of uncertainty, I pulled it over my own head and stepped out of my jeans. My panties followed them to the floor.

He ran his fingers through my hair, making the curls frizzier and wilder, before dragging his thumb over my lips roughly to make them look swollen. They’d already recovered from our makeout session earlier, which was a damn shame. “That’s better.”

I stepped away from him, and he let me go.

But his hands landed on my waist as I reached the door, and his erection pressed against my ass when I pulled it open.

His mom’s fist stopped in the air, and I took a moment to look at her.

She was gorgeous.

Bane had the same tan skin and dark, wavy hair that she did. The same gorgeous, deep eyes, too. Had he gotten anything from his father?

Maybe that sexy jawline.

There was a stressed-looking woman next to her. She was nearly as tall as Bane, with light skin and smooth, platinum-blonde hair curled in perfect waves that almost matched the pattern of his. She had a tiny waist, big tits, perfect makeup, and lips painted a striking shade of red.

Sierra was stunning.

So freaking gorgeous, I couldn’t for the life of me understand why Bane hadn’t agreed to mate with her. If he was getting naked pictures of her , I didn’t have a clue why he would’ve even been attracted to me .

Other than my magic, of course. But I’d been careful to keep that under wraps outside of when I fed on him.

Whatever his reasoning, I couldn’t let either of the women see my uncertainty. Our bond was sealed. There was no going back from that. He was mine.

I leveled Bane’s mother with an annoyed look. “Stop banging on our door. We just sealed our mate bond, so obviously, we’re in the middle of something.”

Her gaze lifted to Bane’s throat, where he wore the marking I’d given him. I had yet to see mine, but it was safe to assume it matched his. Mated pairs almost always had matching marks, and his possessiveness would push him to want that.

His mother’s face went red. “What did you do, Bane?”

“Found a woman I wanted, and claimed her.” His voice was calmer and more casual than I expected, and one of his thumbs moved slowly over my skin in a way that made my toes curl again.

Both women’s nostrils flared.

Shit.

They must’ve smelled my arousal.

That was… awkward.

But good for the show we were putting on, I guess.

“You’re supposed to be mine, Baney,” Sierra said, her gaze somewhere between crushed and desperate.

“I belong to Zora, and she belongs to me. You see my eyes, the clear evidence of my imprint. You see the markings that declare us mated. If either of you say otherwise again, I won’t fight the instincts telling me to tear your heads off for challenging my bond with my mate.” For once, the neutrality in his voice made him more terrifying than annoying.

He wasn’t threatening me , though. I wasn’t scared.

Both of them paled.

His mother’s face contorted with anger anyway. “Your children won’t carry our gifts. Their blood will be impure. They?—”

“They will be sirens or gargoyles, two of the rarest and most sought-after types of magical beings in our world. And if I hear one more word about their blood, you will never meet them.” His voice was lower, and angrier.

It was time for me to intervene again. And no, I definitely wasn’t going to let myself consider anything about us potentially having children. Not even maybe.

So I lifted my voice again. “We’re going back to bed. Screw off.”

I stepped back, and Bane moved with me so I could shut the door and lock it.

Tense, I waited for them to knock again…

But they didn’t.

One minute passed, then another.

“They left,” Bane said, and I looked over my shoulder at him.

“You can hear that well?” I didn’t bother hiding my surprise.

“Unfortunately.”

“Were they angry?”

“Furious. My mother, more than Sierra. She was just sad.”

I made a face. “Don’t make me feel bad for her.”

“When you feel bad, you can look at the pictures on my phone to reignite your anger.”

The words alone were enough to make me scowl fiercely as I spun around in his arms. “You kept the pictures?”

His lips twitched slightly. If I were any further away from him, I wouldn’t have noticed. He was set on acting neutral, and he played the role too well.

“Of course I didn’t keep them. If I was interested, I would’ve mated with her long ago.”

“Are you trying to make me jealous?”

“No. Is it working?”

I smacked him on the arm. His biceps were so thick, it hurt me more than him. “Of course not. But give me your phone.”

He chuckled, his hands never leaving my waist. “It’s still in the pocket of my jeans down in the conference room. As soon as I get it back, it’s all yours.”

I scowled at him anyway. “That gives you way too much time to have someone delete them for you.”

“I imprinted on you , Sweetheart. The last thing I care about is the way another woman looks. I’m just as obsessed with you as Oscar is, even if I can control it more.”

“You and I are just going to be friends,” I pointed out.

“We will never be just friends .”

“You said you agreed with me.”

“You didn’t ask if I agreed with you, Zora. I don’t. We can start as friends and keep things as casual as possible while we get to know each other, but you’re going to fall in love with me. I won’t settle for less, and I have all the time in the world to make it happen.” He was calm as he said the words.

Too calm.

Way, way too calm.

My eyes widened, my uncertainty tangling with some other intense emotions I couldn’t identify. “I’m not agreeing to that.”

“That’s fine. Resist me as long as you want. Argue with me until you’re blue in the face. Refuse to accept the truth, if you decide that’s best.” He dragged his thumb lightly over my skin again, his hands still on my hips.

I shuddered.

It felt too good. Way too good.

He tilted his head down, lowering his lips to my ear. “You taste fucking delicious. I want you on my mouth again, as soon as possible.”

Goosebumps broke out on my skin. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Your scent says otherwise. You want me more now than you did in the conference room.”

“That was a dare. I didn’t think you would even fit inside me. I still don’t know if you could actually get me off with that thing. You’re huge.”

“Is that a challenge, Sweetheart?”

Panic and desire wrestled in my chest. Part of me wanted to say yes. To get him naked again. To climb his body.

I had to strangle that part back into submission.

He wanted to be real mates, and he wanted me to fall in love with him.

I couldn’t give him what he wanted, and I didn’t want to give him what he wanted.

I didn’t even like the bastard. We were only in this situation because he didn’t keep a close enough eye on Oscar to make sure he wasn’t trapping some poor, unsuspecting siren with an imprint. And because he couldn’t control himself well enough not to imprint on me, either.

“No, it’s not a challenge.” I pulled his hands off my hips, and he released me.

There was another knock on our door, and I huffed silently.

If that was another one of his scorned lovers, someone was going to die. Probably him. Killing a gargoyle was going to be a challenge for a siren, but I’d figure it out. It wasn’t like he’d fight back. Monsters were known for protecting their women, and I definitely qualified as that now.

Even if the idea of our connection made me nauseous.

“It’s probably just Lex,” Bane said, crossing the room again.

“You’re still not wearing a shirt.”

“I didn’t think you were ready to take it off, though I certainly wouldn’t protest.”

“Fuck you,” I tossed back, my fists clenching.

I was off balance.

So insanely off balance, I couldn’t even think straight. I needed time alone. Time to figure my shit out and get myself under control again.

He opened the door, immediately blocking the entrance with his gigantic body. I couldn’t even see past him to know who was on the other side.

“The inner circle wants to meet her,” a male voice said. I was pretty sure it was Lex.

Not wanting to be left out of a conversation that was clearly about me, I crossed the room.

“Not yet. We just sealed the bond, and I need time to work through my possessiveness,” Bane said.

I ducked under his thick arm, stepping out in front of him. When I left plenty of space between our bodies, he immediately wrapped that gigantic arm around my waist and pulled me backward until my ass rested against his cock.

He was still hard, of course.

“Hi,” I said.

Lex grinned. “Hey, Zora. Nice to officially meet you.”

Bane growled and moved me with him as he took a step backward, to put more space between me and the friendly blond. Now that we had sealed our bond, no one else would be able to imprint on me. That wouldn’t prevent his possessiveness, though. Not even a little.

“You too, I guess,” I said.

His grin widened as he looked at Bane. “I’d love to give you more time, but Oscar’s got a lot of friends, and they’re all out for your blood right now. Perks of being the nicest guy in Monster Manor. The circle wants to meet her so we can all figure out how to get out on top of this.”

I grimaced.

Guess there wasn’t time to wrap my head around everything.

“She’s mine,” Bane said, his neutral voice lowering slightly.

“No one can deny that at this point,” Lex agreed. “And they’re not going to. They just want to help keep the peace, and with Oscar shouting that she’s his, that’s getting difficult.”

Bane said, “She’s not ,” at the same time I said, “I’m not .”

“You two are so adorable, it brings a tear to my eye.” He feigned wiping away a tear. “And what a way to pop that cherry, too. I’ll be hoping for an equally dramatic entrance into the world of the mated myself if I ever give in to nature,” Lex said, patting the center of his chest.

My forehead creased. “I was not a virgin. I don’t know why you would think that.”

“I wasn’t talking about you, Zor. Can I call you Zor?”

“No.” I put together what he had been saying, and tried to look at Bane over my shoulder. The king was holding me to his chest so tightly that I couldn’t see his face.

“Are they already gathered?” he asked.

“Yep. In the conference room that has now become legendary for what Oscar walked in on.”

He didn’t take the bait Lex set with that little joke. “Alright. Give us a minute to get dressed, and we’ll head down.”

Lex agreed. He winked at me, then walked away. Bane barely suppressed a growl. I heard it, though. He wasn’t as neutral as he wanted everyone to believe.

“Is Lex always like that?” I asked.

“Yes.” Bane pulled me back into the room and shut the door. “He’s not actually interested in you. He’s just trying to piss me off.”

“Thanks. That makes me feel desirable.”

Bane turned me around, and my back collided with the door a moment later. He tilted my head back, lowering his mismatched eyes so I could look into them. “Sweetheart,” he said.

“What?” I probably sounded exasperated.

I felt exasperated, and lying was not a skill I possessed. Or wanted to possess.

“My balls hurt so badly I can barely walk straight. If you’re not feeling desirable, open those thighs and let me fix that.”

My face flushed, but I ignored the heat. “You didn’t tell me you were a virgin. I wouldn’t have sat on you the way I did if I’d known that you were saving yourself. I?—”

“Having sex or anything close to it would have created an imprint. I wasn’t saving myself . I wouldn’t change anything about what happened in that conference room.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re infuriating?”

“No. Usually, they say I’m the calmest monster in my Manor.” He finally released me, stepping back and picking my pants up off the floor.

I stayed where I was, watching closely as he grabbed my panties, lifting them to his nose and inhaling deeply. His chest rumbled, and I squeezed my thighs together.

No way.

I was not going to let myself get any more attracted to him than I already was. I was a steel vault. I?—”

He dragged his tongue over the thin lace, then tucked it into his pocket.

I bit my cheek.

Steel vault.

“I’m going to need those,” I said, taking my pants when he handed them over. We both knew I was referring to the unmentionables he’d put in his pocket.

“They’re mine now. You’ll be fine without them.”

I bit back a curse. Something in his eyes told me he wanted me to challenge him again, so I couldn’t do that. Not unless I was ready to have sex against the wall, which sounded amazing—but obviously couldn’t happen.

So, I just scowled at him again and yanked my pants on.

It was going to be a long meeting.