Chapter 18 - Alexei
Alexei
I’m not hard of hearing. The creak of the guest bed doesn’t sound like something Blair is making on her own.
“What are you doing?” Clark steps between me and the door, but I’ve already turned the handle. The two of us tumble inside the room.
By the time I untangle myself from Clark’s legs, Blair and Grayson are glaring at us. His hand is in her hair, and her lips are plumped.
“Alexei,” Grayson growls. “Did you need something?” He’s got that look.
I know he thinks I’m interested in Blair for more than our pod.
That being mated to a human would help me study at the university.
He’s not wrong, of course. Maybe I am pulled toward her because she’s human? But she’s like a magnet to me.
Blair’s cheeks have gone pale coral, and it’s adorable. “I should—” she says softly.
“Rest,” Grayson says.
“You should get some sleep,” Delmar says from the doorway.
“Rest, yes.” Clark rounds the bed to the opposite side of where Grayson hovers over Blair. “But sometimes rest doesn’t mean sleep. Don’t you think?”
“I . . . I suppose.” She nods, her eyes wide, forehead momentarily furrowed.
A wailing alarm rings from Grayson’s tunic. “The hospital,” he says, irritation hanging in his tone.
“You should go. I’m fine.” Blair holds up her hand.
Grayson grabs Delmar’s arm. “I left my solo at the hospital. I don’t have time to swim.”
Delmar glances at Blair. Delmar, the male of endless smiles, isn’t hiding his disgust about leaving. “I’ll take you. Be back soon, Blair. Let’s go.” The two hustle out, and the door closes before Blair can reply.
“I’ll . . . well, I guess I should wait for Delmar to come back from dropping off Grayson?”
“That’s a good idea,” Clark says.
Blair reaches for her cup. “Oh, I already drank it all.”
“Do you want me to get you some more?” I ask.
“No, that’s okay. Maybe later. It was the best tea I’ve ever had in my life, though. I’ll have to get the name of it.”
“Of course,” I say, and move to the spot Grayson vacated. Two . . . there’s just two of us here now. It wasn’t planned, but it would have been the plan I made had I been listened to. She’s human, and we’re very much not. “We can get you something more substantial if you need more than a biscuit.”
“I’m good, but thank you.”
My eyes flick over to Clark. Because anything more than opening a packet of crisps and I’m completely useless. Clark, however? His Papa was a chef, and he taught his sons to make some amazing things.
“Say the word, and I can whip up something. I’ve spent some time in Greece, and I know how to make a few Greek dishes: calamari, gardouba, and moussaka,” Clark says. Though I’m sure she wouldn’t want lamb intestines.
“Moussaka I’ve heard of, but not the rest. But no, I’m not hungry.” She pushes herself up with her injured hand and gasps.
“Are you okay?” Clark and I say together.
“Just foolishness. I want to sit more upright, and I forgot about my hand. I’m not used to people fussing over me. I’m used to being the one who does the fussing.”
“Everyone needs to be fussed over now and then.” I place my hand lightly on her blanket-covered leg.
“I can see the benefits. But it would be nice to not have a meltdown—”
“No meltdowns needed for you to be fussed over.” Clark places his hand on her other leg.
My eyes flick to her neck. Is she okay? Are we pushing too hard? Because damn, I want to taste her.
“You’re special, Blair, and you deserve to be treated like a queen,” Clark says.
“I . . . I . . .”
My thumb rubs circles on her leg through the blanket. “There are a lot of things Dorian society does that you may find barbaric. For example, we take swift action against those who have done wrong.”
“Like the teenager at the market?”
“Yes, like the teenager at the market. Though there have been some changes recently.” I’m convinced Annabelle said something to the king.
Something that kept him from eradicating all the Braesen domes from Doria.
I don’t know for sure. But other kings would have.
Then again, Atlas isn’t like other kings.
For better or worse—only time will tell.
Blair cocks her head at me. Her bandaged hand is on top of the blankets now. “Change isn’t always bad.”
“No, but one thing that won’t change is that Dorian males treat women with respect and reverence,” Clark says.
Reverence and respect. He’s right. But are we doing that now? Crowding her when she’s recovering from shock and an injury? Clark’s eyes are dilated. I’m sure mine are the same.
“We should give you some space. Let you get some real rest.” Even as I say it, I want to pull her into my arms and take the taste I’ve wanted.
“Is that what you want?” Clark asks.
“No, I don’t want to be alone.” She places her right hand with the bandage on Clark’s leg and her other one on mine.
My heart takes off like a podlet. Clark and I both move in closer, heading for her lips. It’s been too long for both of us. Our intuition is gone. He gets to her lips before I do. Her grip on my leg tightens.
Clark tilts their kiss, leaving her neck exposed.
My lips hit her skin. It’s so soft. Her lavender scent surrounds me.
She’s mewing under Clark’s control. He lifts his head from hers.
The thudding of her heart echoes in my ears, and then my lips are on hers.
It’s better than I could have ever imagined.
She’s my new favorite taste, exploring her mouth my new favorite thing to do.
My pod mate puts his hand on my knee, a subtle pressure to urge me to get the hell off the blankets.
I maneuver myself to the side, freeing Blair from her cocoon, my hand never leaving her soft hair.
The noises she makes drive me deeper into need.
I slide my lips from hers, down her neck.
I could kiss her forever, but being part of a pod has its downsides.
My fingers skim down the front of her tunic to the hem. I lift my head and stare into her sparkling blue eyes. “I’d like to take this off.”
Her hand moves from the top of Clark’s head to the bottom of her tunic. Together, we pull it over her head.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful, Blair,” Clark says.
Her lips purse for a moment, like she’s going to complain. Or disagree with us. My heart stops, because I’m not going to let anyone, even Blair herself, talk bad about her. There’s no way.
“Blair,” I growl. “It’s true.”
“If you say so.” She laughs.
“I say so.” My hand lands on her waist.
“Oh.” Her eyes dilate.
I kiss her, hard, demanding. Clark’s hand is right below mine.
“Pants?” Clark asks.
She lifts her hips. Clark and I pull her leggings down. I toss the soft fabric to the floor. Her pale skin glows in the yellow lights.
Clark rolls her nipple between his index finger and thumb.
And I reposition myself between her legs.
She groans, and her hips fly up even before I have my mouth on her core.
I grab at her hips and get into position.
I’ve wanted this moment since I saw her at the docking non-ceremony.
I lick down her center and back up, circling her clit.
“That’s it, Blair. Take it,” Clark says.
Her hips lift into my hands. I grab her bottom, holding her to my mouth. My fingers sink into her flesh. My sensitivity to her humanity has drifted away on the current. She’s so wet, and the noise escaping Clark’s kiss tells me she likes the pressure.
“You’re doing such a good job, Blair,” Clark growls.
I push a finger in, sliding it in time with my tongue. It won’t be long until she shatters. And Athena, I want her to last longer. I’m an ass because I want to hear the noises she’s making longer.
Her fingers sink into my scalp, making me forget about drawing it out. Another finger in, I curve my fingers and find the rough spot. It’s in the same place as a mermaid’s. It’s only Blair now. Just her.
Her thighs contract, and she twitches. “Don’t stop. Please.”
“He’s a little ass, Blair. You better keep begging or he might stop.” Clark laughs.
There’s a piece of old me that slows. Fuck, I’ve lost that male. The one who likes to play with control. I’m lighter, kinder. I should be, with her. She’s been through so much . . . I want it back. I slow, releasing the pressure.