Chapter 16

Sixteen: Natalie Natalie's p.o.v.

After collecting myself, I tried to leave the room, only to find the door sealed shut. Joselin was surelythe culprit, and I mentally cursed the witch.

I could flick the lock back and forth and even turn the knob, but the door wouldn't budge.

When I knocked on it and received a rhythmic tapping in return, I knew Tobias was at least outthere, guarding me still. It helped me to feel like I wasn't completely alone.

After the first two hours, I accepted that it was going to be a long night. I wasn't sure when dinnerwould be arriving or if it would at all, and I could only hope that Killian would at least make it homeat a reasonable time.

After a long, hot shower, the sound of the bedroom door being slammed shut made me jump, and Iwrapped the towel around me in a hurry. I could hear things being thrown around the room, and Itiptoed to the door, peering out through the crack into the bedroom. Killian stood with his handsgripping the edge of the dresser. The muscles in his back were moving, coiling, and tensing as heappeared to be fighting off the shift.

I had seen him angry before, but not like this. His reflection in the mirror showed that he wasabsolutely livid. His glowing red eyes were burning into the wood of the dresser top. I flinched as hisarm swung out, and he knocked the candle from the wooden surface, the glass shattering as itcollided with the wall next to my side of the bed.

The loud roar of anger that followed shook me to my core, but I wasn't scared. I was deeply worriedfor him. All rational thought to escape the violent and angered beast vanished from my mind, and Ipulled the bathroom door open and rushed toward him.

"Killian," I called out softly, only an arm's length away.

He didn't have to say anything as he turned to face me. I stood there in my towel with my hairdripping on the floor, but he never looked away from my eyes. His chest was rising and fallingrapidly, and his hands were clenched in fists.

I could see it clearer now that I was so close. He wasn't just angry. He was hurting It was all I needed to swallow back my last bit of hesitation, and I moved forward to wrap my armsaround him. Killian raised his arms as he stiffened further, but I tightened my hold.

My cheek pressed against his chest, and I could hear his heart start to slow the longer I held him. Isqueezed my eyes shut as I waited for the moment he would shut down and push me off him.Instead, I let out the breath I had been holding as his arms dropped down around me, and he heldme just as tightly to his chest as I held him to mine.

"What happened?" I whispered, scared that I would ruin the moment if I spoke too loudly, but hedidn't let go.

"There was an attack on one of my men.’ His voice dropped as he picked me up, my feet swayingbeneath me as he moved. I pushed my chest against him harder, hoping to keep my towel up as hemoved to the armchair by the balcony doors. He sat down, pulling me into his lap.

My hand shot out to fix the bottom of my towel as he turned me sideways with my legs over thearm of the chair. But I paused as Killian adjusted it for me, pulling it over my thigh and placing hishand on top to keep it from moving. He wasn't even looking at me, and the unconscious move tookme by surprise "Is he okay?"

The cruel and dark chuckle I received in response was unexpected, but I placed my head on hischest while my hands rested over his on my leg." He's dead. The venom was too strong. They hadbitten him too many times, w My eyes widened as my hand tightened on his forearm.

Vampires.

We had all thought they were extinct. The Great War and the aftermath of the battle had made sureof that. Those poisonous leeches sucked the life out of everything they touched They had kept buildings filled with bleeders of all species, chained up for their clans to feed fromfreely. The pleasure of being fed from them was rumored to be addicting, but the poison that sankinto their victim's bloodstream would kill them within a matter of days or months depending on thestrength of their species. 1 The last I heard, they were still discovering the remains of those establishments as the abandonedcities were explored by curious souls.

"They're back?" My question was followed by a shiver, and Killian pulled me in tighter as hedropped his head against the back cushion.

"It would seem that they never left." He grumbled, and I could feel his body shaking as he closed hiseyes. My right hand released his arm, and I found myself placing it over his heart. The poundingbeneath his ribs was soothing but far too fast. As I rubbed my palm over his peck in an unhurriedup-and-down motion, his heart began to slow.

I never expected I would be able to do that to him, but I also never expected that his touch wouldbe able to keep me calm. It was something Jake had never been able to do.

His hand began to move in time with mine, sliding up and down over the towel on my thigh in shortbut soft movements.

The want to ask him if that was what he was searching for on the map when I went into his office,but I bit my tongue, knowing that I had annoyed him last time with my questions. I didn't want toruin this moment. Whether he admitted it to me or not, he needed someone, and I was going to bethere for him. He had taken me from my shitty existence and quite literally made me the nextqueen.

I had everything I could ever ask for material-wise, and I owed him for that. But now that he wasopening up to me and seeking comfort from me, I felt like I may one day have the companionship Iwas wanting as well.

"I am really sorry that they got to one of your men," I whispered, tilting my head up to look at him.His jaw was clenched, and my hand moved up to run the tip of my pointer finger across it.

"He is with the Goddess now." His voice was firm as he lifted his head from the backrest of thearmchair.

I watched him for a moment longer as his eyes began to drop, and the defeat became visible inthem. "Come on," I whispered as I slid off his lap, holding my hand out to him. "Let's go to bed.There will be a lot to do tomorrow.”

Disappointment flickered in my mind when he stood without taking my waiting hand, and I turnedto the dresser to grab my pajamas from the new collection of clothes that had been provided to me.When I left the bathroom, pulling the drawstrings on the pajama shorts to tighten them, Killian waswaiting in bed with his forearm thrown over his eyes. I stepped carefully over the glass from thecandle, knowing I would need to clean it up tomorrow before one of the servants saw it andassumed he and I had been in another argument. The first one had been embarrassing enough forme.

As I curled up under the blanket, Killian turned on his side, wrapping his warm arm around me andpulling me into his chest. The familiar position caused a smile to stretch over my face, and I closedmy eyes as he brushed his nose against my neck.

I wished we could stay like this forever. But I knew to enjoy these fleeting moments with him whilethey lasted. In a few short hours, he would wake, and the cold king who had killed two of my packmates, and thousands of other creatures would be back.