Page 8 of Love Bites Really Hard (Mated to the King #4)

eight

BANE

When the apartment was secure again and I had a plate full of food for my female, I finally started to relax.

Not a lot—just a little.

I would never be entirely comfortable until things were settled with my mate.

Everything with Oscar needed to be done.

I had to get to know Zora, and convince her that loving me wouldn’t be as bad as she seemed to think.

And I needed all of Monster Manor—all of Mistwood—to know that she was taken. That she was mine. That I was fucking obsessed with her.

I needed a plan.

Plans kept me sane.

I’d make one while I showered, I decided, and padded into the bathroom.

Zora was face down in the bathtub. Her skin had been covered with glitter when Oscar imprinted on her, but it was gone after the weeks since then. That was the first time I ever saw her. She was pretty with the glitter, but without it, she was fucking stunning. It took a lot of effort to pull my gaze from that perfect ass.

The protective part of me wanted to put my hand in the water and feel for her heartbeat, but I couldn’t allow myself to do that. She was a siren, so she was obviously fine underwater.

Her phone lit up on the floor next to the tub, and my gaze went to it immediately. I shouldn’t have read her message—but I found myself kneeling next to the tub, picking up the device and tapping the screen to make the message appear again.

Oscar

I’m going to get you back

I swear it

I saw red.

My lips twisted in a snarl, my hand tightening around the phone until the metal crunched and folded.

Zora belonged to me.

That fucker was going to die.

I dropped the broken phone and stormed across the apartment, flinging the door open on my way to the hall. It slammed into the wall, probably leaving another hole for me to repair.

I didn’t care.

I’d nearly made it to the elevator before Zora called behind me, “What are you doing?”

I halted, then went still.

I could smell water on her skin. She must’ve just gotten out of the bath.

My gaze lifted to the camera above me, and I snarled again.

“Bane?” she prodded.

I turned around slowly, and sure enough, found my female standing completely naked in the hallway. Her hands were on her hips as water streamed down her skin.

Mine.

She was fucking mine .

I barreled down the hall, grabbing her by the waist and stepping back inside before slamming the door behind us and pinning her to the wood. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I clawed for the control I’d once had an iron grip on, but it was gone.

“You broke my phone,” Zora growled. “And put a hole in our wall. What happened?”

“He texted you.”

“Oscar?”

I gritted my teeth at his name on her lips.

“What did he say?”

“He thinks he can take you from me.”

“Look at me, Bane.” She pushed my face away from her neck and the door. I let her move me until her eyes were locked with mine. “I’m wearing your mark on my throat, remember?”

My gaze lowered to the sensitive skin, and the mark I’d put there. Declaring her mine. Permanently.

“I’m your mate. It doesn’t matter what he said. You’re not going to let him take me, and I’m not going to leave. Okay?”

I didn’t respond. My jaw was still clenched too tightly.

She let out a harsh breath. “Can you take me to our bed? Does snuggling help monsters? It helps sirens, but I don’t know anything about gargoyles.”

Snuggling didn’t help monsters.

Not that I knew of.

But in my primal, uncontrolled state, taking her to my bed and holding her there sounded like a damn good way to mark her as mine further.

So I carried her back to our bed, her delicious bare body pressed against mine. Though my cock was hard, no part of me was thinking about sex.

I held her to me as I settled on my back, my wings wrapping around her to keep her safe. She moved a little, making me throb as she tried to get comfortable.

I tightened my grip, and she let out a huff. “Your erection is stabbing me, Bane. Let me move.”

I reluctantly eased my grip.

She moved higher on my body, until my erection was nestled between her thighs. Sex was still far from my mind.

“That’s just going to have to work,” she mumbled.

My arms tightened again, and I stayed where I was, holding her close. Her breathing evened out after a while, her body growing warmer and softer against mine.

Eventually, I managed to fall asleep too.