The Prince’s Mate (Fate’s Gambit)

Fifteen

Caelan

I woke up warm and cozy, something I hadn't felt in a long time. While Otherworld was always warm, I still felt a little cold when I went to bed. I didn't know why, but maybe it was a remnant from my human days when I'd slept in less-than-comfortable places and rarely felt warm.

Carefully shifting back, I blinked my eyes open, only to find myself face-to-face with a sleeping Walker. I'd never noticed how long his eyelashes were, and I resisted the temptation to reach out and brush my finger over them.

Instead, I took a few moments to absorb this, to absorb everything that had happened since I'd gotten captured. I should've done this already, but after Walker had rescued me, he'd found out about us being mates, and then I'd felt like I needed to make the most of it before Walker changed his mind. He hadn't yet, and I was hopeful that he wouldn't, but I still wasn't completely sure.

The fact that Andras was alive and looking for me also added a wrench in my plans to have a quiet, safe life with Walker. We could go back to Otherworld, let someone else deal with Andras and the demons, but the thought that he might have more prisoners—or warriors, as he liked to call us—kept me from leaving.

I couldn't leave when others might still be suffering because of him. I had to get them out and make sure he never hurt another soul, human or otherwise.

I sighed and snuggled closer, and Walker instinctively tightened his arm around me. The last time I'd been held like this was around seventy years ago, when Damien and I had still been hooking up. Was it weird to think of Damien when I was in bed with his son? Probably. But I couldn't deny that I'd only ever felt this kind of comfort with Damien, though it'd been different in some ways too.

I felt comfortable around Day because I trusted him, because I loved him. After Walker, he was the most important person in my life, and he always would be.

Walker mumbled in his sleep and then turned on his back, removing his arm from around me. The sudden lack of warmth removed the last of my sleepiness, and I decided to cook him some breakfast. I wasn't the best cook, but I could whip up a breakfast.

Sliding out of bed, I tiptoed across the room. Once in the kitchen, I rested my hands on my hips and surveyed the counter. Spotting the coffee machine, I got to work. I'd watched Walker doctor his coffee the day before yesterday, so I knew exactly how he liked it.

While the coffee brewed, I grabbed a few eggs, settling on good old scrambled eggs since I was ninety percent sure I wouldn't mess that up.

Ro slithered up the counter as I worked, and I glanced over at him. "Hey, Ro. Sorry about yesterday."

I wasn't going to tell him I'd felt mortified when he'd slid out of Walker's pocket, knowing where Walker's leg had been seconds ago. Then again, it was Ro's own fault for sneaking in like that.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, and I chuckled softly.

"I still can't believe you were third-wheeling with us all that time," I said, and he hissed in annoyance.

"I'm your bodyguard," he said, sounding miffed, and I raised a brow at him as I stirred the eggs.

"I thought Ajax was our bodyguard."

Ro'Shassz scoffed, his tail smacking against the counter. "Ajax, my ass. I've been protecting Walker since he was a kid, and I'm going to continue protecting him until I no longer can."

I was surprised at the sincere words coming out of his mouth. Ro was rarely serious, and even then he couldn't resist being snarky. I knew he shared a special bond with Walker, but knowing and seeing were two very different things.

"I know. I'm really glad he has you, Ro," I said with a smile, and he hissed softly.

"I think the eggs are done." He slithered off the counter. I started plating up the eggs, and just when I thought he'd left, I heard him say, "I'm glad he has you, too."

I was still smiling when I walked into the bedroom with Walker's breakfast and coffee, and my smile widened when I found him sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning," I greeted as I approached the bed, and he glanced up at me, smiling sleepily. His eyes lit up when he spotted the coffee mug in my hand, and he reached out, folding his fingers in a gimme gesture.

Chuckling, I handed him the mug, and he took a sip instantly, humming softly. "Oh yeah, that's good coffee."

"I'm glad you like it," I said with a laugh.

I placed his breakfast on the bed between us.

"You made me coffee and breakfast!" he said with a grin, and I smiled.

"I did. I wanted to do something nice for you," I said as he took another sip, a pleased little smile on his face.

"Well, this is very nice," he agreed, placing the already empty mug on the nightstand before grabbing the plate of scrambled eggs.

He took a bite of the eggs as I bit my lower lip and waited for his verdict. When his eyes lit up and he started chewing furiously, I sighed in relief.

"How do you cook so well when you don't even eat?" he demanded, and I chuckled.

"I can't cook a lot, but I know the basics," I said with a shrug, and he rolled his eyes.

"Kitty, there's absolutely nothing basic about these scrambled eggs. Don't tell Da, but they're the best I've ever had," he said playfully, and I smiled, crossing my fingers over my heart.

"I won't. Do you want to visit one of the three demons today?" I asked, and Walker tilted his head from side to side.

"I guess we should do what we came here to do," he said, grinning cheekily.

I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't help smiling fondly. Damn, I was smitten for this man.

Walker

Caelan made me breakfast in bed when he didn't even need to eat. How sweet was that? How had I ever been anything but nice to this guy? I was never going to forgive myself for acting like a dick to Caelan, no matter how easily he'd forgiven me.

"Do you think Ro told the Dads about us?" I asked curiously, and Caelan scrunched his brows up thoughtfully, his ears twitching.

"It's possible. Ro and Day rarely keep things from each other, especially when it comes to you," he said, and I had to agree.

"Yeah. Then again, Pops was here yesterday, so it's not like they wouldn't already know," I said, and Caelan raised a brow.

"Did you not want them to know?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Nah. I would never think I could keep something like this from them, and I don't want to," I assured him as I scraped off the last of the scrambled eggs off my plate. "So, the demons," I said, dragging us back on topic, and Caelan hummed.

"We already met Ajax, so we can cross him off the list. Two more to go in this city and then we go north." I had no idea what was in the north. Geography had always been my least favorite subject, and since I didn't have too much use for it, Pops had let me drop it after I knew the basics.

"Sounds good. Do you want to leave right away?"

"Sure. Unless there's something else you want to do first," he said, and I hummed.

Placing the plate on the nightstand, I freed myself from the blanket tangled around my legs before shifting closer to Caelan. He turned so he was facing me properly, and I placed my palms on his cheeks.

"How about a good morning kiss?" I asked, and he blinked, his dark pupils dilating as he focused on me. He licked his lower lip and nodded, pressing his face harder into my touch.

Smiling, I brushed my lips against his teasingly before retreating. I did that two more times before Caelan growled and pressed his lips to mine hard. My breath caught in my chest at the intensity of his kiss, at the hunger behind it, and I moaned as I kissed him back, opening my mouth and inviting his tongue inside.

We kissed for what felt like hours, and when we finally pulled away, Caelan was on my lap, straddling my thighs with his knees pressed against the mattress on either side of me. I didn't even realize when he'd done that, or when I'd wrapped my palms over his firm asscheeks.

"Fuck," Caelan mumbled, and I chuckled softly.

"Sounds about right. Okay, how about I take care of these dishes while you get ready?" I suggested, and he nodded.

I kissed his nose before he could move away, and he huffed, making me grin. He climbed off the bed and walked over to his bag, rooting around until he found the clothes he wanted to wear. Once he was in the bathroom, I climbed off the bed, grabbing the empty mug and plate and taking them to the kitchen.

"Who would've thought Caelan would bring you breakfast in bed?" Ro said, and I glanced over at him as I placed the dirty mug and plate into the sink.

I didn't even realize I was grinning until Ro rolled his eyes, and even then I couldn't stop doing it. "I know, right? I never realized how sweet he actually was."

Well, maybe I had. When I was a kid, all I'd wanted to do was play with Kitty. I loved my dads, but other than them, I'd only ever felt completely at ease around Caelan. It hadn't been weird in any way, and no matter what he feared, he'd never ever looked at me the wrong way. I'd always felt utterly safe when I was with him, just like I did now.

"Eh, he's always been a softie. It was probably why he and Damien didn't work out as anything more than best friends. They're too alike in some ways."

If someone didn't know them both, they'd roll their eyes at the thought that Caelan and Dad were alike in any way, but it was true. While outwardly they appeared as different as two people could, they were both kinda alike on the inside. They were extremely sweet, adored all kinds of touches—I couldn't count the number of times I'd cuddled up on the couch with Dad while we binge-watched Disney movies because he'd had a bad day—and when they trusted someone, they were ready to lay down their lives for that person. I was a lucky man to have them in my life. A day didn't go by where I didn't thank the powers that be for giving me the chance to choose Otherworld, for bringing me to my dads, and now to Caelan.

"Yeah, they are," I murmured as I started washing the dishes, and I wondered if I should be weirded out by the fact that my mate used to hook up with my dad, because I wasn't. They'd ended things long before Da, Pops, or I came into the picture, and it wasn't like they'd been in love. Sure, they loved each other, but I knew that was only as friends. Caelan might have been with Dad once upon a time, but he was all mine now.

Ro'Shassz

When I took on this project to get Walker and Caelan together, I hadn't realized what it would be like once they did get together. I certainly hadn't foreseen all the sappy smiles and breakfasts-in-bed and moony eyes. If I had, maybe I would've left them alone. Alas, what was done, was done, and now all I could do was sit there and take it. I was hoping things would mellow out after a while, but given the fact Day and his men were still as sappy as day one, that hope was barely holding on.

Step : Try not to puke rainbows and glitter at all the cutesy shit Walker and Caelan do for or around each other.