Chapter 42: Chapter 43

“So, that was our make-up sex?” asks Darius.

“No, that was an angry sex. In case you didn’t notice, I took whatever I wanted from you.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. A strange expression crosses his handsome face. “That was ummm..wow. Just wow. That never happened to me before.” He grows silent for a while before his firm lips curl up just a tiny bit and he says, “I’m feeling so…used.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining about it a while ago,” I reply, pulling the sheet up to my chest.

Indeed I took what I wanted. I was pissed. I took control and he let me. I did whatever I wanted to do to him. Finally, I took him in my mouth, and before he found his relief, I pinned him down and rode him. Hard. I’m surprised the bed is still standing.

Making love with him is always intense because of the shared bond. We let our feelings go. To feel his fierce hunger for me on top of my own is incredible. What we just had shared a while ago felt a bit different, though. We unleash passion and anger.

Lying here in the four poster bed full of white lace and frills with mountains of pillows behind him, he still manages to look very masculine. He looks relaxed with his head resting on top of his hands. The muscles of his folded arms bulge. His hard pecs, imposing abs and the deep v are on display. The black thin chain is around his neck and the medallion sits on his chest. The pure Egyptian cotton sheet sits low over his hips, barely covering his impressive length.

“Oh, I’m not complaining now. That was very hot, actually. As long as you’re using me and only me, I’m good with it,” he replies. “By the way, feel free to use me anytime you want.”

Despite his relaxed demeanor, I sense his anger still bleeding through our connection.

He removes his hands from underneath his head and angles his body to be facing me even more, not at all caring that the sheet has slipped even further down. “I have to warn you, though…don’t dish out what you can’t serve.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask him warily. I’m not trusting where this is going.

He places both hands on either side of me, caging me in. “That means, my little mate,” he whispers against my collarbone. “Since you have the privilege to use me, I have the same privilege…. anytime I want.”

“I don’t think so,” I try to growl out but that doesn’t come out the way I wanted it to. That sounds kinda husky and sexy. I blame his mouth on my neck. “I’m still pissed,” I inform him breathlessly.

“So am I,” he growls while nibbling on my skin.

“Why are you pissed?” I push him off even though what his mouth is doing to me feels terribly good.

He groans like I just took his toy away from him. His eyebrows turn down into a moody frown.

“Why do you think?” he asks me. “Why are YOU pissed? Wait, it’s that woman, isn’t it?” Yeah, his date! That was no woman. She was an octopus! Seriously!

“No, Einstein! Because there’s a red and green polka dotted elephant standing in the middle of this room. Because that old man in the bright red pajamas brought me a lump of coal instead of a pony. Because I just discovered that chickens are now endangered species. Because fries factory…”

“Okay, I get it, but you know I have to do that. The plans are to throw people off the scent of our bond and feelings for each other by being with others. We agreed to it so nobody would suspect anything.”

“Yeah, I know we agreed to it…but did she have to be all octopus-like on you? Her hands were everywhere!” I snap. “I bet you liked it too,” I can’t resist adding.

“Malyshka…” he says in a warning tone.

“And you’re alone for half an hour with that woman…Ms. Octopus hands, Mary, Susan, or what’s her face, doing god knows what.”

“No, I wasn’t alone with her for half an hour doing god knows what as you put it. I had to deal with my men and had a quick meeting with my informant. I ditched her and her octopus’s hands as soon as we got out of that reception hall. I got one of my officers to send her home.”

“Have you gone out with Ms. Octopus hands before tonight?” I demand to know.

“No, never, nor do I ever want to see her again. She’s my comrade’s cousin. Claude kept pushing me to go out with her for a while now. I thought it’d save me the time from finding a random woman. I didn’t know she’s going to be that way.”

“But she called you darling,” I huff.

“She calls everyone darling,” he grits out. “Do you honestly think I want to have anything to do with other women? That I want her hands anywhere near me? Don’t you get it? I’m obsessed with you, woman! Being with you is all I can think about,” he says, almost yelling now.

“What about you? You called Caspian darling…and a whole bunch of other sickly cutesy names.

All those whisperings and giggling. Made me feel sick as fvck!” he exclaims. “I missed you and all I wanted to do was to touch you and just be with you. All night I watched all those men looking at you and wanting what’s mine. All night I’d been fighting with my lycan from taking over and rip their heads off. All of them.

“I wanted to tell the world that you’re mine, yet I had to sit there and listen to the King announcing that you’re mated to the crown prince. You are my mate! My mate!” he growls, jabbing a finger to his chest.

He looks away and grows silent after the outburst. His chest is rising and falling and his jaw is tense. His hands are now gripping the sheet. I can hear his thundering heartbeat. He’s still agitated and angry.

I was so focused on my own jealousy that I didn’t realize how it is from his end.

“I know we agreed to do this, but this is harder than I thought,” he says quietly, looking down at the bunched up sheet in his hand. “I want you safe and I’m trying not to be jealous. I really am.”

I slowly crawl up to sit on his lap, straddling him and he raises his head to look at me.

I thread my fingers through his hair while my other hand caresses his cheek. I can feel the beginning of the stubble against the palm of my hand. He closes his eyes, rests his head on my shoulder, and takes a deep shuddering breath.

“I know you are. So am I. My brain is telling me one thing, but my heart is telling me something else. My lycan is possessive of you,” I tell him. Well, so am I, but there’s no need to tell him that.

“I know.” His arms slide around my back and he gathers me closer to him, burying his face in my hair. “In my head, I know you and the prince are like siblings. I trust my pack and you, but my lycan and my heart can’t stand others claiming and touching you. The only person that ever belongs to me. You are MY mate.”

“Well, my heart and my lycan can’t stand that woman’s hand all over what’s mine! My mate.

Mine!” I whisper fiercely, gripping his glossy fair hair tighter. I sense that my outburst makes him feels lighter and happier. I can sense it through our bond. I love it when we don’t have to hide our feelings like this.

He nuzzles the side of my face and drops a kiss my cheek. “We can’t go on like this, baby,” he says. “Especially tomorrow night. We’re going to blow it. Neither of us can deal with our feelings and possessiveness when it comes to each other.”

He’s right. We’re both very possessive but we can’t blow it. We have to make this work.

“Would it help if….” I whisper slowly half to myself, thinking. “…we have our own secret code or signs…just for each other when we’re among other people. Like when I touch your mark just over my heart like this,” I say as I put my hand over his bitemark on my chest. “That means, I have you on my mind and for you to remember that I’m all yours.”

“I like that,” he says. His lips curl up into a smile. I love making him smile. He has a beautiful sexy smile. He rarely smiles when we’re out there among other people. “I would be walking around all night tonight with my hand over the mark.”

“Such a charmer,” I tease him and he chuckles.

“That’s another first. Nobody ever accused me of being a charmer.” He kisses my cheek and caresses my hair. “Or when I touch my nose like this, it means I want to rip the head off the guy who’s talking or staring at you,” he adds. See? My mate is such a charmer.

“Oh, such sweet romantic things you say, Mi amor,” I whisper back. “Or when I touch my ear like this, it means I want to rip your clothes right off you and have my wicked ways with you,” I tease him, biting and tugging the shell of his ear with my teeth.

His smile grows wider, showing his straight white teeth with those prominent canines. His glacier blue eyes glinted mischievously. “Speaking of which…I believe it’s my turn to have my

wicked ways with you, my naughty little mate.” Suddenly I’m being flipped to be lying on the bed. My wrists are captured and forced over my head, his body pins mine down against the soft white lacy and frilly bedding behind me. His sinfully sexy mouth covers mine in a searing, demanding, and hungry kiss. Uuummm…Oh, yessss!

The subdued early morning light is sneaking in through the sheer white curtains. I smile as I feel small kisses being pressed along my bare back.

“I have to leave now. You go back to sleep, Malyshka,” he whispers against my skin.

I roll around to face him. “Do you really have to leave now? I pout and trace my fingers over his chest and up to his neck to play with his silky hair. I run my foot slowly down his leg.

He leans down rests his forehead against mine. “Yes, I do…and you, my little temptress, isn’t making it easy,” he says. “I promise you when this is all over, we’re going to go away, just the two of us. We can stay in bed all day and do…whatever.”

“Sounds good. I love doing whatever with you.”

His lips curl up into a devilish smile. “Last night…whatever.. was great. I have to thank Caspian for this arrangement. It’s brilliant.”

Being able to spend my night with my mate is more than what I expected. He’s right, we do have to thank Caspian for this, though I have a feeling I’m going to be tortured by the prince’s endless teasing.

“I’m bored!” moans my best friend beside me. We’re currently sitting on a sofa in hers and Constantine’s bedchamber in front of a big screen tv. We can’t be running freely around the palace now since it’s full of guests and workers. The security is tight.

Darius left after a quick shower in the ensuite bathroom this morning. He told me that he’s got an idea on how to make tonight bearable for me even when he has to bring a date. I truly hope that tonight is going to be better than last night. I don’t want to be ripping some woman’s head off in the middle of a party.

Constantine, Lazarus, and Caspian seem to be busy with their duties today. Serena has gone for a morning of pampering with Lazarus’s aunt. Genesis and I politely declined their invitation to join them.

“Let’s watch Doctor Strange again,” Genesis suggests.

“Nope, we’ve watched that like ten times already.”

“What about Table 19?”

“Nope, twenty times.”

“You’re exaggerating. Ender’s Game?” she asks again. She’s right, I just pick random numbers out of thin air.

“Forty times,” I announce. “I know what we can do!” I jump up excitedly. “Make sure to bring your phone with you,” I add, pulling the reluctant Genesis off the sofa. Really, my friend needs more exercise than just eating and her nightly painting sessions.

We enter Caspian’s bedroom and I lead her right to the fireplace. We’re checking out the tunnel!

We discover that there are two main passages with a few smaller ones that branch out everywhere. Some of the openings are so small that we have to crawl to go through it. Genesis absolutely refused to check those ones out. One of the main tunnels leads down the steps and finally end up in the kitchen’s pantry. Another one leads to the back garden shed where we are currently standing and arguing in. There are more to discover, but Genesis refuses to go exploring further. She’s scared of spiders! Gah! Who’s scared of spiders?

“Spiders are scary,” she says. “Besides, we’ve been doing this for an hour. I just want to go back.”

“So, let me get this straight, you’re a powerful lycan who’s scared of itty-bitty spiders.” I shake my head in disappointment.

“You’re a badass lycan who’s scared of scary movies,” she returns.

Whatever!

“Your idea of fun sucks, Penny,” she continues as she drags her fingers through her hair to dislodge some cobwebs. I have to admit, her hair does resemble a cobweb duster. I bet mine does too.

“I think you look gorgeous with cobwebs in your hair,” I tell her and she glares at me.

Sheesh…some people really can’t get over their fear of the eight-legged creature. “Think of what a badass monkey ninja you are going to be when you’re able to use these tunnels to creep up on people.”

That idea seems to appeal to my ninja monkey DNA obsessed best friend, but she still refuses the explore any further.

Oh well, I thought that was fun.

When we emerge from the tunnel, Serena is already waiting for us in our drawing room. The look of horror on her face when she sees the both of us convince me just how bad we look.

“What happened?” asks Serena when she finally manages to find her voice. I have to bite a laugh when my bedraggled best friend shoots me a glare. She looks like a very grumpy Oscar the Grouch….with soots on her face and cobwebs in her hair.

Genesis put her hands on her hips and glares at me when I start laughing. Serena bursts out laughing too after a little while. That’s when the door opens and four figures step in.

Constantine, Caspian, Lazarus, and Darius.

Wait, what? Darius? He can’t see me like this! Suddenly it’s not funny anymore.

Darius gives me a once over and his eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t say anything. His usually unreadable eyes now seem troubled. Even Caspian seems oblivious to our appearance. He just drops himself on the nearest chair and put his head in his hands.

“Okay, what’s going on?” asks Genesis.

Silence fills the room when nobody says anything.

Lazarus clears his throat and says, “Girls…”

“My father wants to hold my coronation ceremony tonight. I’ll be announced King and you, my queen,” interrupts Caspian looking right at me.

“Okay, this is not funny, guys! It’s not ha ha funny. At all! It’s really REALLY not funny!” I announce, tugging some cobwebs off my hair. “In fact, this is the opposite of funny.”