Chapter Three #2
“What about the kid at the beach? Am I in trouble for that?”
“No, of course not. How long will your mark remain on him?”
“Less than two weeks. His healing was simple—” She clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Wait. Healing? You heal while you bring back the dead?” He leaned forward eagerly.
“Shit.”
“This isn’t known?”
“No. It’s an abomination. Life and death should never mix.”
“How long have you been hearing that?”
“Since I was five. My mother was a necromancer and began training me, but I liked to make things grow and thrive. Lots of beatings followed.”
He frowned in concern. “So, you ran from Suura?”
“I walked away once there was no one to fear. The magical purge did wonders for my options. I enrolled in a mage program a few towns over but had to wear Suura on my uniform so folks knew to be wary.”
“Have you experienced genuine welcome?”
“Yes. I have friends, coworkers, and a young woman who is almost an adult who calls me auntie.” She shrugged.
“Are all of your inoculations up to date?”
“Yes. If you saw through the glamour, you know what you are looking for.”
“Yes. I saw the marks. I would say I was sorry I cheated, but you took my breath away.”
“I am sure I didn’t.”
“Which of us has had more experience?” He arched a dark brow.
She pointed at him.
“Precisely, so I know what happened to my lungs.”
She blinked. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Amori.”
“That feels weirdly wrong, sir.”
He chuckled. “You called me sir exclusively when I was dying. Why did you ask if I wanted to live?”
“If you don’t, then the healing doesn’t work. The magic delaminates. If you want to live, I am much more aggressive with tethering the layers of power together. I will fucking make it stick. Shifters are weird. I had to catch both parts of your soul and hold them down while I wrapped you up.”
His lips quirked. “I am sorry to have been so difficult, but I am glad for your efforts, as is my mother.”
“The queen is still around?”
“She’s on her annual pilgrimage on the high seas.”
“Oh. Good.”
“She feels she owes you a debt for saving me.”
“No. I did something stupid that had a favourable result.”
He smirked. “Like last night?”
“Oh, zip it, Your Majesty. I understand why folks aren’t supposed to remember details.”
“Do you have memories?”
“Yes. Not of your appearance, but why did you use opener spells?”
He laughed and rocked back. “You recognized that? Well done.”
“Yes. The reasoning still escapes me.”
“Well, beauty, I wanted to make sure that when you are in the mood for a lover, you could manage any position and any size with very little effort.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why? I have no plans to return to the club.”
“Good. Come to me. Whatever you need, whenever you need, come to me.”
There was an undercurrent of sex in his offer. “I don’t generally have need.”
He smirked. “Then, when I have need, I will summon you.”
Val stared. “What?”
“I haven’t had a sexual partner that sang to my soul before.”
She muttered, “You said I could make noise, and no one would remember.” Heat was flagging her cheeks.
“I lied. I remember everything, including the way you curled against me as we came down from our exertions.” He smiled.
She exhaled. “Great. Not humiliating at all.”
“Ah, no humiliation, just enjoyment.”
“I am not finding that to be true.” She was confused and replayed every moment when she had been unsure, and his hands had guided her with his amused words explaining things.
“Ah, Val, come here.” He smiled softly. “That’s an order.”
She grimaced but got to her feet. She moved around the desk slowly, glancing toward the door.
“You are remembering the three peacekeepers plus my guards out there?”
She sighed and came around to his side, and he scooped her up and settled her on his lap.
“Come here, beauty.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly.
She was shocked and tried to wait him out. He simply moved his mouth over hers, stroking softly with his tongue until she opened for him.
She felt a tug at her hair, and then it spilled loose from the elastic, and she smelled her shampoo. His fingers slid into her hair and gripped it, taking control of her head as he had done so often during the hours they were together.
She opened her mouth, and he surged in, his tongue stroking hers, and she felt the curl of arousal starting.
She thought he would stop, but he continued.
He continued kissing her until she met him stroke for stroke and pressed her hands to his chest. Her body filled with warmth, and she twisted for more contact.
Just as she was starting to shift on his lap, he drew back.
Val fought to get her breathing under control. She focused and slowed her excitement, calming herself.
He was watching. “You get under control quickly.”
She nodded. “What were you testing?”
“That you could still respond if you knew it was me.”
“Well, it still works. Do you have anything else to ask me?”
He frowned. “No, I suppose not.”
“Nice. I have a date with a pizza.”
His fingers were still threaded in her hair. He nuzzled her cheek. “Have dinner with me.”
“This wasn’t a date. This was a summoning.”
He chuckled against her ear. “Perhaps, but it brought you to me.”
“And I have to go, or I won’t get my pizza. So, no torture?”
He leaned back. “No. Why?”
“It is what happened when I was growing up. My healing saved my mother the trouble of having it done, so she did it more often.”
The king looked appalled. “This is why Suura fell.”
“Suura fell because twin rights are vicious, and one thought the other was weak. She was very wrong.” She chuckled. “It was fun to watch.”
“You were there?”
“It was broadcast. I saw it from my cell.”
“Cell?”
She patted his chest. “Common for Suuran apprentices.”
He frowned. “Pain is common?”
“Pain is the constant threat to keep the powerful in line. I learned early that if you can remove the effectiveness of the threat, all that is left is confinement.”
“So, you don’t fear pain.”
“Not really. It is uncomfortable, but it heals.”
“So, last night, you were braced for pain. Is that why you put it off so long?”
She shrugged. “Not much gets me hot, if we want to be frank. I didn’t need it, so why would I want it?”
“I am having a problem matching that with the woman in my arms last night.”
She snorted. “You woke my body, we had sex, and now things return to normal.”
“What if I don’t want things to return to normal? I have been seeking you for a decade.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I have a job. I have friends. I have a life before you arrived in it with all your parts attached.”
He chuckled. “So, what will it take for you to spend time with me, aside from sending peacekeepers to abduct you daily?”
“You wouldn’t.” She was appalled.
He smoothed a hand over her spine. “It is tempting. If I have a need, will you come to me?”
“Does that happen often?” She eyed him warily.
The king shrugged. “Often enough. So, will you come to me if I have a need?”
She gritted her teeth and nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
He kissed her softly. “When you are in my bed, you will call me Amori. Do you understand?”
“It feels odd to call you by your name.”
He slid his fingers along her scalp. “Tough. We couldn’t exchange names last night, but now, I want to hear my name on your lips.”
“Why?”
“Because there is a lot of power in a name, and I want you to wield it.”
“Power? I have enough.”
“You work in a bakery.”
She shrugged. “I like to keep busy, and since Bailey is on her own with no other partner and a child to raise, I try to support her as best I can.”
He was pulling her close to him, and she ended up with her head against his shoulder, and he sighed happily. Val muttered, “Did you lose your dolly at a young age? Maybe a teddy bear?”
He snorted. “Would it make you be quiet for a while if I said yes?”
“Possibly.”
“Give me a few minutes of silence to just hold you.”
She nodded and leaned against him as he rubbed her back, massaged her scalp, and held her against a very warm body. She felt herself dozing and jerked awake, but nothing happened, and she relaxed as the clock ticked onward.
She smelled pizza and lifted her head. “Oh, fuck. How long was I out?”
The king grinned. “Two hours. Your peacekeepers were shocked when I carried you out and were going to wake you, but I threatened them with maintenance duties, and they remained quiet.”
She struggled to sit up and saw four stacks of boxes in front of her. “What are these?”
“I contacted your friend Bailey at her shop and asked her where you get pizza. She said it would be one of these four depending on your mood, so I got your favourite, my favourite, and from all four.”
She blinked as she tried to pull herself from the nap. “Did you put me under?”
“No. You were exhausted and physically drained from the previous night. I just took advantage of it and held you. It was the pizza that woke you?”
Val blushed. “Yeah.”
“Don’t fuss about it. Your scent has kept me alert for hours.” He kissed her cheek.
“Um, maybe we should just eat.”
He laughed and turned her so that she was seated on his left leg, with his left arm around her for support. She grabbed the hot rolled towels and scrubbed her hands, folded the used towel, and got one for her perch. “Your Majesty?”
He cleaned his hands, and she set the towel aside. Then it was time to grab the boxes and pull them all closer.
“Now, Valhay, we are going to taste test from the left to the right. I can keep them heated, so don’t worry about rushing, but you are in charge of the servings.”
She saw the pile of plates and shrugged. “Sure. Let’s begin.”
She got her meaty meat with extra meat pizza, and she set it aside on a plate before opening the box under it and being hit with chilli-based gas. “Whoa. You like a lot of spice.”
He chuckled. “I am not in a rush.”
Val glared at him as she put two slices on his plate. He chortled, and she got her slice and took a heavy bite. She hummed happily and turned to watch the king eat fire-flavoured pizza.
He grinned between bites. “You seem surprised.”
“My eyes are still watering. That stuff is deadly.”
“Want to try a bite?”
“A very small bite.”
His eyes glowed softly as he held the slice up for her. She took a bite from where he had taken his. She chewed slowly, and the fire bloomed in her mouth just as slowly. “That’s actually really nice.”
“You have no idea how happy I am that you took a bite.”
“Does this have a hidden meaning?”
“Perhaps. It depends on how you feel about the rest of the pizzas.”
She finished her piece and pulled the next set of boxes to her. She opened the lid and coughed delicately. “Found yours.”
He chuckled, and she served him two pieces again.
Her single piece was soothing, and when she felt a slow stroke on her back, she turned her head and took a bite. Her toes curled in her sandals as she chewed lava and swallowed.
She cleared her throat. “That was just mean.”
He chuckled. “Goblin peppers.”
“Right. Should have looked closer.” Her voice was hoarse. “Next.”
She pushed through to the next pizza and got hers and took a bite to scour the taste of his goblin peppers out of her mouth. This round went better as she served his two slices, and when he rubbed her back, she turned and stared at the peppers and then at the king’s calm face. “How bad is it?”
He grinned. “These are sweet. Promise.”
“Sweet and hot?”
“Just sweet. No more heat than the pepperoni.”
“If you are lying, I will portal my butt out of here.”
“You have portal skills?”
“How do you think I got away when they hunted me?”
He nodded. “It’s safe.”
She leaned down, slowly opened her mouth, and took a bite. She closed her mouth and chewed. She wrinkled her nose happily. “Good.”
He laughed and exhaled.
“Not that I can taste much after the goblin peppers.”
He winced. “Right. I should have kept those for last. I didn’t count on you eating in ascending preference.”
She snorted and went for her final slice. “My favourite makes all the badness go away. Perfect crust, perfect ratio of pepperoni to sausage. You can definitely have too much sausage.”
He paused. “Noted.”
She grinned and bit down on her perfect slice. She groaned happily. “I do appreciate a nice crust, but the right toppings just bring it all together.”
She handed him his plate, and he let out a sound close to a growl.
She pivoted to watch him eat, and a fox with a lot of tails was eating pizza with her. She blinked. “Huh. It explains the statues, I suppose.”
He grinned, showing a lot of sharp teeth and a narrow muzzle. “I thought it best to get it over with.”
“Right. I had heard you were a fox spirit, but it wasn’t something that concerned me.”
“Please be concerned.” He chuckled and resumed his more socially normal form. “It is easier to eat pizza this way.”
She smiled. “You were doing fine.”
“The narrower features are better for other things.”
She ate and tried to think, and then she remembered the brush of soft fur against her inner thigh. She lowered the crust. “Oh. Those other things. So, you...”
“I did.”
She exhaled. “Right.”
“The tongue is better for—”
She covered his mouth with her hand. “Yup. Got it. I remember.” He raised his brows, and she yanked her hand away. “Sorry, Your Majesty.”
He chuckled.
She finished her pizza, ate a second slice of her favourite, and then smiled. “What do we do with the rest of it?”
“Well, I am going to continue to eat for a bit, so come and cuddle with me so that I don’t have to eat alone.”
“Um. Cuddle?”
His left arm dragged her up his thigh against his chest, and he tucked her against him and made a happy sort of sound. She leaned against him in a pizza-scented haze with a full belly and relaxed. “Your fault if I nap.”
He mumbled, “Not a problem. What time do you have to get to work?”
“Five in the morning.”
“Ouch. Right. You will be there, no matter how much you sleep.”
She inhaled, and he smelled warm and masculine and like spice and pizza. She turned her head against his shoulder and curled up against him. She would get to work on time. She was sure of it.