Love Bites Extra Hard (Mated to the King #5)

Chapter 9

nine

TALON

I was living a fucking dream.

After the night in the hot springs, we fell into a routine.

Breakfast was in Avery’s room. On the best days, she was breakfast. After I walked her down to the prison, she spent most of her day using her magic on Sylvester, with Stella, while I worked. I brought lunch down for both of them halfway through, and carried dinner down when the day was finally over.

When we got back to her room, we fucked until we were both too exhausted to keep going. She always kicked me out afterward, but I didn’t care.

Eventually, she’d let me stay the night.

Nights were the worst part of every day. Even though her room was just down the hall from mine, I couldn’t sleep when she was out of my sight.

So, I spent every night sitting against her door, grinding the sharp edges of my scales down for her.

Eventually, I’d lose all of those fuckers and be done with it.

And eventually, I’d get tired enough to actually manage some sleep in that damn hallway.

When two weeks had gone by since I took her from the vampires, she reminded me that I’d promised to fly her out so she could text her sisters. She’d already bundled up in a few layers of clothes to protect herself from my scales, and her expression was so bright, I couldn’t have turned her down if I wanted to.

I didn’t tell her she didn’t need the layers anymore.

Or that she was the reason my scales were falling. Or that they grew in smoother after they came out.

That conversation would’ve required admitting what we were, and she obviously wasn’t ready to be anything more than friends with benefits.

Which was fine with me. Minus the part where I couldn’t sleep.

But I could survive without sleep.

We stepped out on our balcony, and I pulled her onto my back before shifting forms. She didn’t scream in terror, like she had the first time—she just laughed when my body grew.

I carried her out to the place where the cell reception started, and flew in a slow circle to give her time to message her sisters. It had only been a minute or two when she raised her voice to let me know she was done.

Satisfaction set in as I carried her back to the castle.

She didn’t want to stay and chat with her sisters.

She wanted to go back home with me. Back to our life.

Which, yes, she still thought was temporary.

But eventually, she’d know the truth.

I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret forever. Stella was already threatening to tell her, and she did deserve to know.

I was just too fucking selfish.

Because as soon as she learned what we were, she was going to want to go home.

And I couldn’t fucking lose her. Not anymore.