Chapter 20
twenty
DAMIAN
“I’m happy for you,” Egan said, leaning back in his chair across from my desk. “You’ve obviously won the woman over, despite the shit that went down when you met.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but we’re getting there.”
And I fucking loved where we were.
Blair and Izzy slipped into my office before I could ask him about our newest guards, and he winked at me before he stood up.
“Good luck, Hale.”
He greeted them on his way out, and they mirrored the pleasantries.
There were two chairs in front of my desk, and the women each took one.
I looked at Blair, tipping my head toward her desk chair. I didn’t want my mate sitting across from me, as if she answered to me the same way everyone else did.
She shook her head, and I fought the urge to tighten my jaw.
The woman drove me mad.
Absolutely, utterly insane.
And I lived for it—but I thought we were past the point of her sitting across from me the way she was.
I leaned back in my chair. “Something tells me I should be concerned when you both come into my office like this.”
Izzy folded her arms. “I’m going to mate with Porter.”
My eyebrows lifted.
Blair grimaced. “We’re hoping you can talk her out of it, Damian.”
Her use of my first name eased my irritation at the distance she’d put between us.
“No one’s going to talk me out of it,” Izzy said bluntly. “I don’t want to be trapped inside any longer. I know the wolves have lots of land behind their portion of the Manor, so I’d have more space there. Getting rid of the threat to Clementine and the rest of my sisters is just a bonus. I’m doing it for me, not for them.”
I couldn’t deny that I liked her answer. She could ensure my mate’s safety. Porter had a damn good chance of beating Curtis. I wouldn’t lie to anyone by claiming I was absolutely confident he could win, but given the pack’s history, it was likely.
Overall, he was our best chance.
But he wouldn’t fight without the promise of a siren to mate with him.
If she was offering that, there was no way I could turn her down. Not from a leadership perspective, when it could promote peace with the wolves. And certainly not from a mate perspective, when I knew Curtis would be giddy at the chance to hurt my female if he ever had the opportunity.
“You’re not telling her no,” Blair grumbled, though she didn’t look surprised.
“I’m trying to think of a way to say yes without making you hate me again.”
Blair groaned. “Not you too.”
“It’s the best option, and we all know it,” Izzy said. “He’s not cruel, is he?”
“Porter? No. He’s distant, though. He probably wouldn’t try to bond with his wolves if he were the alpha. Truthfully, I don’t know that he would try to bond with his mate any more than he had to, either.”
“This just gets even better. Do you have a picture of him?” Izzy checked.
I glanced at Blair. Though she didn’t look happy, she didn’t look like she despised me the way she had when I all but forced her to agree to be my mate.
That was good.
Probably.
I pulled up a picture of me, Porter, and Bane when we were younger, turning the computer screen around so they could see it.
“At least he’s hot,” Izzy put in.
“You were all friends?” Blair asked.
“Yes. Power forces you to befriend others with similar strength, to avoid issues,” I said.
“What’s he like?”
“He used to be the wildest and most rebellious of the three of us. I’ve only seen him a few times since his family was killed, and he’s been very quiet and serious. When I try to spend time with him, he hangs up or goes off the grid.”
“So his baggage is heavy,” Izzy said, propping her feet up on my desk.
Blair’s eyes flicked to me, like she was worried I’d care about her sister’s feet, but I didn’t give a damn. It was just a desk.
“Very heavy.”
“Well, I’m in. How does it work from here?”
“I’ll call him back and let him know you’re willing. He’ll insist on sealing the bond before he challenges Curtis. I’ll agree, but ensure you stay with me until the bastard is dead for safety purposes. He’ll issue a challenge immediately.”
“How long until he comes for me after you call him?” she asked.
“He won’t want to give you time to change your mind, so I imagine he’ll be here within a few hours. He lives outside the city, so that’s as fast as he can make it.”
She nodded. “When do you want to do it?”
“That’s entirely your call, Izzy,” I said.
“You should give it a few days,” Blair put in, her gaze fixed on her sister. “So you have time to think it through. If he’s not going to let you change your mind, you need to make sure you’re positive.”
Izzy flashed her a small smile. “I’ve been trying to come up with a way to leave that doesn’t risk my life since we got here, Blair. I’m not going to change my mind.” She looked at me. “Call him. I want to see how he responds.”
“You can’t give orders to a king,” Blair warned. “And don’t deny that you’re the king, Damian.” She shot me a warning look that had me lifting my hands in surrender.
“Technically, I’m about to become a queen. So we’re equals,” Izzy pointed out.
I chuckled.
Blair sighed, sitting back in her chair. “You’re going to make that wolf regret his decision, aren’t you?”
“Probably,” Izzy’s voice was upbeat, as if she liked the idea.
I turned my computer back around and hit the button to start a video call.
The women slipped out of their chairs and came around my desk. Though they stayed far enough to the side that they weren’t in the video, they could see the screen.
Porter picked up at the last second.
“If you’re not calling to tell me you convinced one of your mate’s sisters to be mine, I’m hanging up,” he said flatly.
“My mate still doesn’t have any sisters,” I lied smoothly.
He would know it was a lie, but acknowledging the truth would give him leverage. And power. Which I wasn’t going to allow. If Izzy wanted to let him meet her sisters, that was a decision she would make for herself.
“Fuck off.”
Before he could end the call, I said quickly, “But another siren has come to me requesting protection. She’s agreed to mate with you in exchange for the same.”
Porter’s eyes narrowed slightly. “She’s willing?”
“Yes. And hungry.”
“I’ll be there before the sun goes down.”
“You’ll challenge Curtis before she’ll leave with you, of course.”
“I’ll send the message to set up the fight on my way to the city. It’ll happen tonight. Let the other leaders know.”
With that, Porter hung up.
“Well, that told me absolutely nothing about him,” Izzy grumbled. “He didn’t even bat an eye when you said I was going to mate with him.”
“He was calm the whole time. He doesn’t seem to have much of a temper, at least,” Blair offered.
“He’s subdued his personality to the extent that I doubt you’ll see much emotion from him,” I agreed. “You’ll be safe.”
Izzy’s expression said something along the lines of, “fuck being safe”.
“I’m going to go pack my stuff. Thank you,” she said, her gratitude pointed to me. It seemed genuine.
She closed the door behind herself, leaving me alone with my female.
“So,” Blair said, leaning her hip against my desk.
“So,” I repeated, turning my chair so I could study her.
“Should I be worried about Izzy?” she asked.
“No. Porter will respect her, when he’s with her.”
“You don’t think he’ll be with her often?”
“I think he wants her magic to try to find some part of himself that disappeared when he lost his family. And until he does— if he does—he’s going to put as much distance between them as he can.”
Blair grimaced. “If she realizes he’s doing that, she’s going to push back.”
“Then maybe she’ll be able to break him out of his funk.”
“Or maybe he’ll break her heart.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Either way, it’s their decision to make.”
“I guess. I just don’t like knowing she could end up hurting and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. But she made her choice.”
“Just as you made yours, when you walked in here and sat across from me, like you aren’t my queen.” I stood, stepping up to her so our chests nearly brushed.
“I wasn’t going to sit across from my sister like I was in charge,” she tossed back. “You think I’m the queen, but no one else does.”
“ Everyone else does.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it.”
I took a step closer, pressing her front to mine as I leaned over and hit a button on the phone on my desk. It rang once before a male voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Charlie. It’s Hale. My queen requested peppermint brownies with dinner tonight.” Our gazes were locked with hers as I spoke.
“I’ll make it happen,” Charlie promised, not missing a beat. “Tell Blair to send me her preferences in the future. We’re happy to adjust our menu for her.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“Of course.” He ended the call, and neither of us looked away.
“You never call yourself the king,” she finally said. “You don’t even let anyone else call you that.”
“It’s unnecessary. But you will always be known as the queen.”
“That’s unnecessary too.”
“Not to me.”
I lifted a hand to her face, and she closed her eyes as I cupped her cheek. Tilting her head, I lowered my lips to her ear. “This is our office. The next time you come in here with anyone, you sit in your chair or on my lap.”
“What if I want your chair?”
I chuckled. “Then I perch on the armrest, making it clear who you belong to.”
“The mark on my throat does a pretty good job of that, don’t you think?”
“I do.” I tilted her head further, so I could drag the tip of my tongue slowly over the sensitive mark. She shivered, and I sucked lightly on her skin.
One of her fists clenched in my shirt. She’d wrinkle it, but I liked walking around with evidence of the way my female had grabbed me.
The scent of her arousal made my erection thicker, and I lifted her onto the edge of my desk. She sucked in a breath as I pressed the base of my palm against her core.
“I’m supposed to be meeting Kara and Lou for my last injection right now,” she breathed.
“I haven’t tasted you yet today.” I kneeled between her thighs.
She bit her lip.
“You’re the one who wanted me addicted, woman. No taking it back now.” I peeled her pants down her thighs, tossing them across the office.
“Alright, make it quick.”
I lifted my gaze to hers, finding her cheeks pink and her eyes bright. “You don’t want it quick.”
“Yes I do.”
I leaned in and dragged my tongue around her clit slowly. She moaned so loudly, my assistants could probably hear it down the hall. I repeated the motion as her hips moved, her hands burying in my hair as she pulled the strands harder.
“Faster,” she panted, and I slowed down even more. “Fuck you.”
“You will, little siren.”
She kicked my side halfheartedly, and I dragged the tip of my fang over her clit, making her gasp. “Damian!”
I resumed my slow tease, making her moan and arch as I worked her body.
“I need you,” she said, her voice growing desperate.
I filled her with two of my fingers as I finally picked up the pace like she wanted, and she came hard around them, her channel tightening with her pleasure in that way I fucking lived for.
My computer started playing the tune that meant someone was video calling me, and I growled against her core. It was probably my next financial meeting—but they could wait.
Blair’s face was flushed as she pushed me toward my chair. “You have meetings.”
“They’ll wait.”
I wasn’t going to stop before I’d had my mate again, that was for damn sure.
“No, Damian.” Her insistence surprised me. She pushed me toward my chair, slipping off the desk and tucking herself beneath it.
My cock nearly broke through my zipper when I realized what she was saying.
What she was doing.
Some part of me couldn’t stand the idea of letting her control me that way while I was on a video call.
But there was a challenge in her eyes—and ultimately, I trusted her.
And wanted her.
I wiped my face on my sleeve and sat down in my chair, wheeling it up to my desk as I hit the button to answer the call.
My greeting was automatic, though every cell in my body was focused on the woman beneath my desk.
She unbuttoned my jeans, and I gripped the armrests on my chair as she undid the zipper.
My jaw clenched as I fought to stop myself from reacting when she wrapped those pretty little lips around my cock.
My female was in no hurry, having her way with me slowly throughout the meeting.
My responses were clipped as I tried to end the call quickly, but it droned on as she licked me.
Sucked me.
Teased me.
Took me deep enough into her throat to make me choke back a snarl.
Fed from me, just to make me lose my mind even further.
But she pulled away every time I got close to coming down her throat.
When the meeting finally ended, I snarled loudly, hauling her sexy little ass out from beneath my desk and dropping her on the edge as I slammed into her, making her cry out as I took her.
I bit her as I pumped my release into her tight channel, making her come with me once, then again, until we were both panting as we came down from the high.
“You drive me insane,” I growled into her hair.
She laughed breathlessly. “You love it.”
“So much it hurts.”
I kissed her hard, tasting myself on her tongue the way she probably tasted herself on mine.
“How many of those pointless financial meetings do you sit through every day?” she asked.
“Too many.”
“Maybe you should tell them to email you a summary, and spend the time on something else instead. You always have a million things to do.”
“Maybe I should.” I kissed her again, slower.
“I really do have to go,” she said against my mouth. “I’ll meet you for our early lunch afterward, though?”
“Alright. Let me know if you want me to join you for the injection.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think I can handle it.”
I knew she could—but I didn’t want her to have to.
She made sure her clothes were on right, then slipped out of our office with a wink over her shoulder.
I was so fucking in love with her.