Love Bites Extra Hard (Mated to the King #5)
Chapter 17
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seventeen
AVERY
I found myself watching Talon, after he marked me.
During the tour, I tried to see if he acted any different. Prouder. More cruel.
He seemed the same to me.
When he shared his secret about Stella, my emotions got the best of me, and I shared my history with Wendell too.
It felt like I could breathe deeply for the first time since everything had happened with that bastard.
But I still watched Talon.
Watched him interact casually with the other dragons as we made our way to the back of the room with the hot springs in it.
Watched him hold my hand proudly, without any obnoxious signs of dominance.
Watched him relax as we slipped into the water together, him in his boxer-briefs and me in my bra and panties.
He’d blocked me from everyone’s view while I stripped, but my sisters had done the same thing. So that wasn’t too possessive.
Even when the water engulfed us both, and I put space between us, he didn’t argue. Or tell me to come closer. Or stay obnoxiously close. He just let me do my thing.
I swam down a slight curve toward the bottom of the spring. It made a good little resting spot, so I got comfortable there, staring up at Talon’s legs far above me.
He hadn’t acted differently.
He seemed… the same.
Which was weird. But in a good way.
I would’ve liked to know the truth from the beginning, but I really wouldn’t have given him a chance if I did. Everything would’ve been more complicated. And more emotionally charged.
Because I hadn’t known, I’d had the chance to get to know him normally. To become his friend. With benefits, but the benefits didn’t particularly matter in our situation.
His secrecy had given us time.
And I didn’t regret that.
I didn’t resent him for it, either. Not genuinely
Maybe I was even glad about it.
I wasn’t ready to admit that, of course. But it did still seem true.
Eventually, I swam back up to the surface. Talon had his arms draped over the ledge of the spring, and his eyes were so close to shut, I could tell he was about to fall asleep.
He still hadn’t caught up on all the rest he’d missed when he was sitting outside my room every night. That wasn’t my fault. But I was still the only one who could make sure he got enough sleep.
I climbed onto his lap, and his arms immediately went around me. He pulled me close, but his grip was relaxed.
When I peeked over his shoulder, I realized that everyone else was gone. We were alone.
“What time is it?” I murmured.
“Dunno.” Talon’s voice was thick with sleep. He was fighting to stay awake, but clearly pretty close to losing.
It couldn’t have been later than six or seven at night, but when you’d missed as much sleep as he had, that didn’t matter.
I pressed my lips to his cheek. “Let’s go to bed.”
His chest rumbled, and he pulled me closer. I hugged him back until he finally climbed out of the spring, carrying me with him.
I didn’t offer to walk as he grabbed our clothes and headed out.
His chest was still rumbling. He was happy to have me in his arms, and to know he was taking me back to his bed. Our bed.
It would take time to get used to sharing such an intimate part of my life with him, but the small amount of experience we had with it told me I’d enjoy it.
After a quick detour to grab food—the dining hall was packed, so it seemed safe to assume that was where everyone had disappeared to—we made it back to our room.
I only bothered pulling on a pair of clean panties, some warm socks, and one of my new sweatshirts before sitting down on the couch with Talon. He’d found a clean pair of boxer briefs before leaving me in the closet, and when I found him, he’d already started on the food.
The way his hooded gaze took me in told me he approved.
“You’re so fucking sexy, Ave,” he rumbled, and my lips curved upward.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Not so bad, huh?” He lifted a bite to his mouth.
“Nope.” I sat down next to him, picking up my own plate and grabbing my fork.
We fell into a comfortable silence while we ate.
Talon was struggling to keep his eyes open before he’d even cleared his plate, for the first time I’d ever seen.
“Come on, Tal. “ I slipped his arm over my shoulder and helped ease him to his feet. He mumbled something incoherent, and I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling.
We shuffled across the apartment until I helped him get comfortable on the bed. Just before I stepped away, his arms went around my waist, and he pulled me right into bed with him.
I laughed against his chest, and his lips brushed my cheek.
“Now you’re right where you should be,” he said into my hair, his voice slurring lightly with sleep.
“I guess.”
“You’ll see.” He kissed my cheek again. “Love you.”
My throat swelled.
The easy, calm way he said it made breathing feel difficult.
He couldn’t actually love me, could he? We’d only known each other for a month.
Then again, we’d spent a lot of time together.
And my feelings for him were strong enough that I couldn’t say I wasn’t in love with him. I was just… unsure.
Not unsure enough that I didn’t fall asleep quickly, though.
Talon was still asleep when I woke up at the sound of my phone buzzing. He was snoring lightly. I couldn’t stop a sleepy smile from curving my lips at the gentle sound.
The man had to be exhausted.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I managed to reach it without pulling away from Talon entirely. He adjusted his grip on me in his sleep without missing a beat of the next snore.
I bit my lip, trying to stop myself from grinning as I opened my sisters’ messages and read the few I’d missed. More came in while I was reading, too.
Zora
What are we doing for Clem’s birthday bash this year?
More glitter?
Izzy
Please no
Clem
Yes to the glitter
So much of it
There are so many possibilities now that we know we can make other people sparkle too!
Blair
Not gonna lie, I kind of want to see Damian covered in glitter
Clem
There’s something extra fun about sex when your man’s dick is sparkly, I promise ;P
Zora
Hmm
I don’t know if Bane will go for it
Izzy
Yeah, there’s no way Porter’s going to let me cover him glitter
Clem
You don’t have to warn them that it’s going to happen
If they want to be mated to sirens, they need to get in on the sparkles
Blair
I think it’s a little too late for them to get out
Izzy
Except Talon
That might be the best plan to get rid of him
Threaten with glitter
Me
It’s worth a try
But I don’t think it’s going to work. Scales kind of sparkle
Clem
He’ll love it after it’s on his skin
They all will
I say we tell them it’s a rite of passage
Izzy
Or we just tell them we always do it for your birthday, and they have to participate if they want to be part of the family
Blair
I’m on board with the plan that doesn’t involve lying to the men we’re spending the rest of our lives with
Zora
Agreed
Clem
Thirded
But we’re doing the glitter!
Izzy
Fine
Friday night?
Clem
Yessss
Blair
If we do it in my pool, I can talk Damian into wheeling the soft serve ice cream machine to the elevator so we can bring it up;)
Izzy
Me and Porter can pick up tacos and burritos
Clem
YESSS BEST BIRTHDAY EVER
Zora
I have nothing to offer
Clem
YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE IS ENOUGH
AVERY’S TOO
Me
LOL
We can bring the decorations
Zora
Oooh perfect
Clem
I can’t wait!
We’re headed to the fae realm for a bit, but talk soon!
We all told her to have fun, and I put my phone down for a minute. It buzzed again pretty quickly, though.
Zora
How are things with the dragon?
We can still kill him
I snapped a picture of the mark on my throat and sent it into the group chat.
Me
I think we’re officially past the point of potential murder
Izzy
Hot damn
Blair
Wow
Did you seal the bond?
Me
No
Not there yet
Zora
Are you planning to get there?
Me
Yet to be determined
But probably
Izzy
That was faster than I expected
Me
We’ve been together in all but name for a month
It created too many feelings
Blair
Love feelings?
Me
Idk
I don’t really want to think about it
Zora
I think we’ve all been there
Blair
Definitely
Zora
You know we’re here for you if everything goes wrong
Izzy
Wow, Zora
Zora
*Or if everything goes right
I bit my lip, fighting another smile
Me
Do you all like having mates?
I know you do, but… would I like having a mate?
Izzy
Yes
Zora
If you like hot sex and having someone to snuggle with at any given time, you’ll like having a mate
Blair
I love it
It means you have your best friend around all the time
Nothing is better
My teeth dug deeper into my lip.
Me
What if they change over time, and you fall out of love?
Izzy
Then you hang out more until you fall back in love
Have enough fun together, and you’ll remember why you liked each other in the first place, or find new reasons to
Blair
Everyone changes over time
Having a partner just means that you change together, and agree to love whoever that person becomes
Me
What if they become abusive?
We’re basically prey, and they’re kings
Zora
No one can see the future, but if something like that ever happened, you know we would stop it
And the rest of the kings would take down anyone who hurt one of us, even if he was one of them
My throat swelled.
Honestly?
I believed her. And I believed that the kings really would.
Zora
Does Talon seem like that kind of guy?
Me
No
The only time he was really pissed at me was when I almost got myself killed
Blair
Being as strong as they are means they’ve had to learn insane amounts of control
Zora
TBH, I’m glad I’m not a king
It seems exhausting
All that time and effort spent trying to stay calm
I’m always trying to get Bane to quit being neutral and embrace his emotions
Me
Talon isn’t neutral
I’m not sure what he is
Blair
Sexy? ;P
But Zora’s right, the guys keep everything in
Damian is always worried he’s drinking too much from me. If I ever get pregnant, he’s going to try to starve himself again, and it’s going to be a whole thing
Izzy
I’m sorry
Blair
Oh, it’s fine. He’s worth it
And we’re not interested in having a baby anytime in the near future, unlike someone ;)
Zora
Let’s just pretend Clem’s the one doing that
Blair
Clem is in a hurry to start her family :P
Zora
Yup, she’s always wanted a few babies
Izzy
Hey, Porter’s heading out to deal with some pack stuff and I want to go with
I’ll talk to you guys soon
Love you
Blair
I have to go too
Be safe, love you!
That left just me and Zora in the conversation, so I knew her next message was for me.
Zora
If you’re not going to leave him, you might as well forgive him
Forever is a damn long time to hold a grudge against someone, even for me. At that point, all you’re doing is hurting yourself
Me
Love you
Zora
Love you too
Good luck!
I put my phone back down on the table and turned in Talon’s arms. He was still snoring softly, and my smile grew just a little bit.
She had a point.
I dozed on and off until Talon finally stopped snoring. His hand slid lightly over my back, under my sweater, and I felt him kiss the top of my head.
“Hey,” I murmured.
“Hey.” His lips brushed the side of my head. “How are you feeling?”
“Still fine. I was fully healed yesterday, remember?”
“I remember. I just also remember watching you nearly bleed out.”
Right.
That would be hard for me to forget if he had been the one bleeding, too.
“I think I already apologized for that,” I said against his chest.
He rumbled. “You didn’t.”
“Didn’t I?”
“I specifically recall you not being sorry.”
My lips tilted upward. “It was a good plan.”
“It didn’t work, and it nearly got you killed. If that’s a good plan, I don’t even want to imagine how a bad plan would look.”
“It would’ve been a bad plan if Sylvester got out. We prepared for the worst. I just overestimated how strong my magic was.”
“It’s not your magic that’s the problem. It’s the fact that he’s fucking disturbed.”
“Right, but I’m thinking that if I keep wearing him down before trying again, we might?—“
“If you’re planning to try that again, I’m not letting you anywhere near that cell,” Talon said bluntly.
“It’s our best chance,” I argued.
“Then he’s going to stay in there for the rest of his life. You don’t get to risk yourself again, and it’s not just because you’re my mate. If you were any female dragon, including Stella, you wouldn’t be allowed inside again either. Because you’re mine, you’ll have an obnoxious, scaly guard any time you step through that door into the prison at all.”
I wanted to argue, but he did have a point. Stella had mentioned that he didn’t want her inside the cell, even if he couldn’t keep her out. And I had rarely even seen any female guards there.
Talon wanted the women safe.
Because I was his woman, even if we weren’t officially mates, he cared even more.
“Alright, fine. We’ll try another plan. He was seriously affected by my magic, though, so I don’t think stopping altogether is necessary.”
Talon rumbled again, but didn’t disagree.
His hand resumed its motion over my back, making me close my eyes and let out a soft breath.
“What did Stella say about his behavior that night?”
“He was acting erratic. It seemed like he had gotten used to feeling my magic, and without it, he was unsteady. Neither of us had ever seen him get shaken like that before, except when I hit him hard with my magic those first few days.”
“Did you try doing that again?”
“Of course. We didn’t go straight to the nuclear option. He was so out of it, I thought I could just hit him with a bunch of magic and force him to shift if I was in the same room. Seeing me should’ve pushed him to do what I wanted even more. I guess I should’ve woven the magic into my words like Clem always used to, but…” I trailed off.
Weaving magic into my words.
Why hadn’t I thought about trying that before?
Probably because I had no idea how to do it.
“But what?” Talon asked.
He still seemed calm, but my heart rate was picking up.
“But I never learned how. It’s more difficult than it sounds. You can’t just figure it out.”
“Weaving magic doesn’t sound easy.”
“I guess not.” I bit my lip. “I can ask Izzy to teach me. She won’t want to, but she would probably do it anyway. Clem’s in the fae realm right now, otherwise I could ask her. She’s the best at it, by far.”
“How hard is it to learn?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’ll call Izzy and ask.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
I nodded against his chest. “We need to take him down so he can’t hurt anyone else.”
“As long as he doesn’t hurt you again.”
I grabbed my phone and hit the button to call Izzy, remaining pressed against Talon as I held the phone to my ear. It rang a few times before she answered.
“Hey, Avery. Is everything okay?”
“Yep,” I said. “Quick question—how hard is it to learn to weave magic?”
There was a moment’s pause.
I’d probably caught her off guard.
“Not easy,” she finally said. “Are you in trouble? I’m sure we can find a way out of it without you needing to learn that shit. It’s… dark. It feels dark, at least. It always made me feel fucked up. Are you sure you want to deal with that?”
I bit my lip.
She had a point.
I did have a slight problem with the power-high I felt when I was in control of people, sometimes. I’d definitely been humbled when Sylvester nearly killed me, but still.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to learn how to manipulate anyone.
“Maybe not,” I finally said. “I don’t think anything else would work, though. The thing we’re trying to do isn’t something you can manage with brute force.”
“Clem has never had a problem with her magic. You could ask her to do whatever it is,” Izzy suggested. “Or you could have her teach you. She sees the power differently than I do, anyway, so she’d be a better teacher.”
“I’ll talk to her,” I agreed. “Thank you.”
“No problem. If it becomes a brute force thing, just let us know, okay?”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
We hung up, and I sent Clementine a quick text, asking her to call me when she was back from the fae realm.
Dropping my phone, I lowered my face to Talon’s neck. “I probably shouldn’t learn the magic. I like being in control of people too much. It’s not healthy.”
“Some people are just control freaks, Ave. Welcome to the club. It’s shitty here.”
My lips curved upward. “We’re not in the same club. I never would’ve been able to sleep outside your door for a month the way you did with mine.”
He chuckled. “Maybe I’m not as much of a control freak as I could be. But I did keep everyone else away from you.”
“With the strength of a truly stubborn asshole.”
His chest rumbled with humor. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I think we’re going to have to let Clem come here to use her magic on him, if we want to kill him without risking anyone’s life. My power is stronger than hers, but it’s raw and wild. Hers is a weapon. With the combination of both, and the way we know he reacts to my power, we should be able to finally take him down.”
“I’m sure none of the dragons will have a problem with her and Kai coming to help. Everyone wants him dead.”
“Then it’s a plan,” I said.
A shitty plan—but maybe one that would actually work.