Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TALIANA
My cheeks warm at Oros’s obvious approval, his eyes roaming over me with stark interest as he prowls toward the bed. “I want you to knot me,” I blurt out, causing his gaze to snap up to mine.
I wince.
“That… that didn’t come out…” I bite my tongue, irritated at my faltering. I want to be confident. Sexy. Seductive. Not babbling. Yet I also don’t want to lose my nerve. Which means it’s imperative that I say everything I want to say as fast as possible. “You’re the Gold Sector Prince.”
He unfastens the top button of his black pants. His torso is already bare, thanks to his penchant for only wearing cloaks.
I very much like his wardrobe choices.
“Yes, I am,” he confirms. “Does that bother you?”
I considered that very question while sitting in my nest. And I realized there was really only one aspect that upset me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Oros holds my gaze as he replies, “Because I wanted you to trust me.”
“By omitting the truth?” I ask, frowning. “That seems like a poor way to gain trust.”
He nods. “You’re right. And I almost told you my identity when you asked if I was Onyx’s Second. But then you told me you could never be worthy of a prince, and my priorities shifted.”
My frown deepens. “What do you mean? What priorities?”
“It became imperative to prove to you that you’re more than worthy of being a prince’s mate.” He sits on the bench rather than the bed and draws up one of his knees. “I also needed to determine your motives for desiring me.”
“My motives?” I stare at him. “My father brought me here to find a mate. What other motives could I have?”
“Your scent is like a drug to me,” he replies. “And from what your father has told me, your mother’s was a drug to him, too.”
My mother? I swallow, not liking the thought of me being anything like her. “I’m not Helena. She used my father to procreate, then ran off to seduce another Alpha.”
Some Omegas were bred to do that, their minds conditioned to accept their fates.
But my mother—Helena—liked her role. She wielded her sexuality like a weapon. And I would have been just like her had I been born with the right combination of genetics.
Because she would have taken me under her wing and trained me in her shadow.
Alas, I’m all wolf.
My mother may be a mixed breed, but she can at least shift into a dragon.
However, it’s her unique genetic blend that allows her to seduce different types of male shifters.
Shifters like my father, I think.
“You thought I meant to entrap you,” I realize out loud, my gaze on Oros. “That’s why you questioned my motives. But I had no idea you were the prince when we first met. And I’m not one of the Omega seductresses. I was never trained in that art… because of my wolf.”
I elaborate a bit, telling him about Helena’s role in Obsidian Sector and how I thankfully never qualified to learn from her.
Which leads me to reiterating that I am not her.
And finally admitting, “I don’t want your knot because you’re a prince.
I… I like you.” I pause for a beat, swallowing.
Then finish what I need to say. “I’m close to going into heat, and I know you need my consent.
Please know that you have it. If… if you want to help me through my estrus, I would like that. ”
He’s silent for a beat, his gaze evaluating. “So you’re not cross with me?”
My brow furrows. “For not telling me about being a prince?”
He nods.
“I… I’m disappointed that you couldn’t trust me. It hurts. But I had some time to think about it before you returned, and, well, I understand why you didn’t tell me,” I admit. “You made me think you’re that Rumpelstiltskin guy instead.”
His eyes widen, then he releases a low laugh, one that does funny things to my insides. “Because I gave you gold?”
“To impress the court, or the prince, or whoever,” I say. “Yes.”
He chuckles again. “I guess I am your Rumpelstiltskin, then, hmm?” He glances down at my nest, then back up at me. “I suppose I do want your firstborn,” he goes on, causing my heart to skip a beat. “Because I want to create that firstborn with you. When you’re ready.”
My breath catches in my throat. “An heir.”
“Our heir,” he murmurs, his head canting to the side and causing some of his long blond hair to fall across his face. “I’m not really Rumpelstiltskin, remember? The gold was a gift without strings. A token of my affection. But I will eventually want a whelp. With you.”
I swallow. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he echoes. “Okay, as in you’ll want a whelp, too?”
I nod, my lips curling a little. “Does that mean you want to knot me?”
His golden irises flicker with fire. “Oh, I’ve wanted to knot you since the moment we met in that royal chamber, little diamond.”
I’m confused for a moment, not following what he means.
Until it dawns on me…
“You were the gold dragon.”
“I was the gold dragon,” he confirms, smiling. “My brother, Onyx, did all the talking. That’s how we usually run our introduction sessions. My sense of smell is stronger in dragon form. And one of my skills is the art of sniffing out lies.”
He moves on the bench, angling himself toward me a little more.
“Your scent overwhelms me, making me question my ability. But I don’t think you’re here to ensnare me, even though you quite clearly have.” His gaze dances across the nest. “And I really want to crawl in there with you, printesa mea. However, I need to know what your rules are.”
“Rules?” I parrot back to him, my voice a little breathless at the thought of him finally joining me in my nest.
Part of me realizes I just made it, yet I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
“Knotting you may encourage you to go into heat,” he tells me. “Are you okay with that? Do you feel ready?”
I bite my lip. Am I ready? No. Probably not. But… “I trust you to help me,” I reply. “So, because of that, I think I’m ready. I just don’t really know what to expect. I mean, I’ve seen others…” I don’t finish the statement because I don’t want to think about anyone else.
I only want to think about Oros.
About this.
About us.
“There’s a part of me that’s nervous,” I admit. “But I’m also… excited.” Because I want to feel his tongue again. His hands. His mouth. And I want to explore him, too.
To finally touch his knot.
I’ve seen it in the shower. Saw it while naked on the beach. But I haven’t been able to stroke him. To squeeze him. To taste him.
I want all those things and more.
“I’ll check in with you the entire time,” he says, his eyes holding mine.
“Okay,” I whisper. I know it’s going to hurt. I’ve heard the screams. But I hope he’ll also make me feel good. Like he did the other day.
“Do you want me to use protection?”
My brow crinkles. “Protection?”
“It’s a pill,” he says. “One that’ll ensure we don’t create a baby. During your heat, I mean.”
“Oh. I… I didn’t know that was possible.”
He smiles. “I’m going to assume there are a few things you don’t know, little diamond. Things I can’t wait to teach you.” His smile dims a bit. “But I need to know how you feel about procreating first.”
“I… I don’t know. I just assumed…”
“That it would be required when you took a mate?” he guesses.
I nod.
“Hmm, that tells me your answer, then,” he says softly. “I’ll use protection. We still need time to develop our bond anyway. And honestly, I don’t think I want to share you just yet.”
“Sh-share me?” My stomach flips at the notion. “I thought—”
“Share your attention with our little heir,” he interjects, his words instantly soothing me.
Because that was not what I assumed he meant at all.
“Yet another reason to take the pill—you still need time to understand how things work here.” He reaches forward to catch my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
I weave my fingers through his, desperate to hold on to him. Or maybe to drag him into the nest.
Gods, it feels like there’s an ocean between us, his body still seated on the bench while I kneel in the middle of his bed.
“Next question,” he says, his thumb drawing a path along my hand. “Can I claim you?”
The inquiry steals my breath, making it impossible to answer.
“I know it’s fast,” he goes on, his golden irises captivating me right along with his smooth tones.
“You don’t have to claim me back, printesa mea.
I’m okay with extending our courtship, but I need to know if I’m allowed to bite you.
It’ll help me decide how much control I need to assert over my dragon. ”
I shiver at the thought of him biting me. I always assumed my claiming would be violent. Cruel. Unwilling.
But Oros is unexpectedly gentle about it, asking for permission, telling me how he feels, and trying to ascertain my needs before acting.
“I feel like I’m living in a dream,” I admit, my gaze searching his. “Why are you so kind?”
His lips curl. “Oh, I’m not kind, little diamond. I’m thorough. Now tell me how you feel about biting.”
“I… I’m okay with biting.”
“Good.” His thumb draws another shape against my skin. “And how do you feel about me being in charge of your heat?”
My stomach clenches at the thought of relying on him while I’m in estrus. “I want you to knot me,” I tell him again, this time in a more sultry voice. It’s not perfect, but I see the way his pupils dilate in response to my words.
“I know, little diamond. But how do you feel about me making decisions for you while you’re lost to your heat?”
I swallow. “I trust you to make decisions on my behalf.”
He grins again, and there’s something decidedly wicked about that look. “That’s what I needed to hear. Now there’s just one question left.”
My nipples tighten at the promise in his words. “What is it?” I ask, my voice a breath of expectation.
His sinful gaze dances over me before coming up to rest on my lips. “Taliana, may I enter your nest?”