The Prince’s Mate (Fate’s Gambit)

Fourteen

Caelan

Things might have started out with us trading soft, gentle kisses, but they'd heated up quickly.

Walker's arms were like bands of steel around my waist, while his tongue tangled with mine, and his teeth nipped at my lips, claiming them as his own. I'd never felt this...owned before, and I'd never felt so good getting claimed by anyone either. But it wasn't just anyone. This was Walker. My mate.

Walker shifted until his leg was between mine, his thigh pressing against my erection, and I moaned, trembling under his touch. I could feel him everywhere. My lips, my tongue, my torso, my dick. He was everywhere, and he was driving me crazy.

"For the love of Otherworld, please stop!" I jerked back at the familiar voice, and both Walker and I glanced down between us, searching for the origin of the sound. From the left pocket of Walker's jeans, Ro'Shassz slithered out. He'd shrunk himself to fit there, and he stayed in that size, probably so he wouldn't startle the humans around us.

"What the fuck, Ro? When did you get in there?" Walker demanded.

"Before you put the jeans on," Ro answered sullenly, and my eyes widened.

"You've been spying on us since the beginning?"

"I was not spying. I was doing my job, just like that lug over there," he hissed, glaring behind us to where I imagined Ajax stood.

"Ajax had it covered, Ro," Walker said, and I decided to stay quiet because this was clearly between Ro and Walker. Those two had been joined together since Walker came to Otherworld.

"So, you don't need me anymore?" Ro asked, and Walker's eyes widened.

"No! That's not what I meant. I just need you to not be so close to either of our dicks," he grumbled, and Ro shook his head.

"Trust me, I don't want that either. I'm scarred for life," he said, his tiny body shuddering.

"Why didn't you just magick away?" I asked, and he turned his eyes on me, blinking slowly.

"Because your horniness melted my brain, that's why," he grumped, and I realized with a chuckle that he'd actually forgotten he could do that.

"Maybe we should head back, anyway. It's late," Walker said, and I agreed. Even though I didn't want this date to end at all, I knew it was time to head home. Ajax must be itching to go home too, and we'd already taken up quite a lot of his time.

The drive back to the apartment was uneventful, and Ajax dropped us at our doorstep with the promise to be back whenever we needed to go out. He insisted on giving us his number before he left, and Walker shook his head fondly as he closed the door behind him.

"I bet he and Max would become instant friends if they met," Walker said, and I chuckled.

"Yeah, they'd probably spend hours talking about the best ways to keep someone safe," I said, and Walker grinned over at me. His lip gloss was all but gone now, his eyeshadow a little smudged, and he looked even better now if that was possible.

"You're looking at me like that again," Walker said softly as he stalked over to me where I leaned against the back of the couch.

"Like what?" I asked in a breathy whisper that was very unlike me.

"Like you want to kiss me," he replied, leaning closer until our lips were millimeters apart. "Like you want to do it again and again."

"I'm outta here," Ro grumbled, but all my focus was taken up by the man in front of me. Because that was what Walker was. A man. He wasn't a kid any longer, and I was free to love him in all the ways I wanted to.

Suddenly, I needed something more than I needed the kiss he was offering, and I wrapped my arms around his middle, tucking my face into the crook of his neck. His arms came up around mine almost instantly, and a soft sigh slipped past my lips as I sank into him.

"I'm here," he murmured, and I wondered if this was okay. Did Walker expect me to be stronger, to act like I wasn't losing my shit? Because I didn't know if I could do that.

"Sorry," I mumbled against his skin, unwilling or rather unable to move away.

"Trust me, holding you in my arms is not a hardship," Walker said, and I smiled against his skin. Maybe it was okay to let him take the lead, to follow instead of lead.

If I was being really honest with myself, I could admit that I'd always yearned to let someone else take the reins in some matters. Maybe it was a product of my upbringing, or maybe that was just the way I was. It was why Day and I hadn't worked out in the long run. We were both too submissive to have a fulfilling relationship together, not that we'd ever considered what we had a relationship.

Trusting Walker was easy, though. Despite the fact that he'd hurt me in his own way quite a few times over the years, I knew it was only because he'd been hurting too. I knew he wouldn't do that to me again, not now that everything was out in the open. I could trust Walker, trust him to be myself around him, to know he would take care of me, no matter what.

I pulled back slowly, chewing on my lower lip as I met his eyes. Walker smiled, a wide and free smile, and took my hand in his, leading me to the bedroom. I followed without a word, awed by how much had changed since the last time we'd shared this bed the night before the last. Then, the silence had been choking, sucking all the air out of the room. Now, it was comforting, like nothing bad could penetrate this bubble of silence.

Walker

Caelan was a…sweetheart. I'd been right about his love of touching, because that hug had us pressed together from shoulders to toes. I'd felt so close to Caelan that I wouldn't have been surprised if we'd somehow melded together.

Pressing a kiss to his cheek, I dropped his hand, pointing my thumb over my shoulder toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna go clean up, okay?"

"Sure. I'll...get ready for bed," he said, sounding lost in thought, and I nodded before grabbing a pair of pajamas and heading into the bathroom.

I brushed my teeth and washed the sand off me, then threw the clothes into the laundry. I couldn't believe Ro had snuck into my pants, or that he thought I didn't need him anymore. Sure, now that I had Caelan, I wanted to spend all my time with him, but that didn't mean I actually would.

Ro'Shassz was my best friend, had been since I was five, and that would never change. I just had to make sure he knew that too.

My thoughts turned back to Caelan as I dried myself and pulled on my pajama pants and shirt, wondering if maybe he'd be up for some cuddling. I had a feeling he'd resist the idea even if he really wanted it. He seemed to have a hard time letting go, even though the more time I spent with him, the more I realized that was exactly what he wanted. If he didn't feel ready to ask me for what he wanted, I was going to offer it until he felt ready enough to do so.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Caelan was already in bed, only the lamp on his nightstand lighting up the room in a yellow glow. He was dressed in a soft-looking T-shirt, the blanket pulled up to his waist.

I climbed onto the bed, settling beside him and turning on my side so I was facing him. He met my eyes, his blue ones almost glowing in the dim light as his ears twitched. I was glad to see he'd switched back to his true form, and I reached out, slowly brushing the tip of my index finger against the top of his ear. He shivered slightly, and I pulled back, placing my hand on his open palm instead.

"What are your thoughts about cuddling?" I asked, and his eyes shot to mine. He blinked once and then shrugged. Did he really believe I couldn't see through him?

"It's okay, I guess," he murmured, and I widened my eyes dramatically.

" Okay ? Clearly, you've never been cuddled by someone who knows what they're doing," I huffed, and Caelan smirked.

"Clearly," he agreed, and I shook my head mournfully.

"That will not do. I need to rectify this. Right now."

"Is that right?"

"Yep." I pulled my hand away from his, instead wrapping it around his waist. I tugged him closer, and he came easily, throwing his arm over my hip, his fingers digging into my back as he slid closer.

We were almost the same height, so I had to adjust us a little. Caelan's head was tucked under mine, the tips of his ears tickling against my skin, and if I hadn't been so focused on him, I would've missed the contented sigh that left his lips once I had him situated perfectly.

I ran my palm up and down his back, in slow soothing strokes, and he hummed against the base of my throat, his arm clinging to me a little harder.

"I had fun today.”

"Me too," Caelan replied in a hushed voice, his lips brushing against my skin as he spoke.

"I'm really glad I found out, Kitty. I want you to know that."

He pulled back a little to glance up at me. "You really mean that? You don't regret it?"

"Not at all. Caelan, no matter what happened, no matter how I treated you, not that I'm trying to excuse my behavior, you are and you always have been one of the most important people in my life. That's never going to change. Ever."

Caelan stared at me for a long moment, and I could almost feel his eyes digging into my soul, trying to make sure I wasn't lying. I let him have his fill, hoping he could see that I meant every single word.

After a while, Caelan simply tucked his head back under mine, and I held him to me. His leg slid between mine, as if he couldn't bear to have any space between us, and I held him tighter still. I'd never actually had someone in my bed all night, sans Ro'Shassz, and I wasn't counting the other night since neither of us had actually slept and it'd been awkward as fuck.

Whenever I'd thought about dating, I'd always hit a wall. For some reason, I could never quite imagine what it would be like for me, but now I could imagine every moment, every milestone with Caelan. Maybe some part of me had always known I had someone waiting for me, and that was why I'd never bothered to go looking for someone.

Holding Caelan in my arms felt as right as deciding to stay in Otherworld had, and I knew even now that I wanted to do this every night for the rest of my life. If I hadn't grown up the way I had, watching my dads so in love with each other, I might've felt I was being too hasty, but I knew better.

I knew without a doubt that I was going to fall in love with Caelan, that I would build a life with him, and nothing was going to change that. Not me, not Caelan, and certainly not the asshole who wanted to take my mate away from me.

Ro'Shassz

So, I'd survived. Barely, but I did it. I didn't think Walker and Caelan needed any more meddling from me, but I was going to stick close. Day had told me a little bit about the asshole called Andras, and I'd promised Day and his men I'd watch out for Walker and Caelan. I intended to keep my promise.

Step : Keep Walker and Caelan safe while they insist on acting like a couple of lovesick puppies.