Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ken looked down at his mate, crying quietly in his arms. She was shivering, and she looked broken.
Damn fairies and their premonitions. He wanted to rip the fairy right out of her, to take that piece of her away.
With her body flush against his, he ran a soothing hand through her hair.
He looked up at everyone, who was anxiously watching Alexa.
They wanted to know what she’d seen. Behind them, Shiva stood watching over Bella, who was keeping Mikah calm.
Alexa didn’t need to play twenty questions right now.
Mikah, I’m signing her out on the sign-out sheet. I’m going to help her. Do you want to head back to the dragon kingdom?
No, I’m not going anywhere without her. Mikah met Ken’s gaze. His eyes flickered slightly but instantly returned to normal, thanks to Bella’s calming touch. His eyes rested on Alexa as his lips curled down. Please … help her.
Ken nodded his head at Mikah and curled his arms around Alexa tightly as he took her away from everyone.
Alexa felt the air change around her, and then she was hoisted up in her mate’s arms. She opened her eyes as he carried her to a chair in the familiar log cabin she’d visited before.
He sat down, keeping her connected to him.
He held her head against his chest as his other hand rubbed her thigh in a soft caress.
She remembered the way her mother’s touch could calm her father no matter what he was feeling. Now she understood it. When she was cocooned in Ken’s arms, there was no evil in the world. As if this was the real world. She lived on Planet Ken, where it was warm, safe, and she was loved.
She curled into him and breathed in his amazing scent.
He just quietly held her, rubbing her in soothing motions.
He didn’t talk or try to make her speak.
It was as if he knew exactly what she needed.
Maybe he did. They were soulmates after all.
And after they marked each other, they should be able to know each other’s feelings and thoughts clearly.
“Ken …” she whispered. He dipped his head, his nose nestling in her hair. She felt his lips lightly brushing against her.
“I’m here, my love.”
“I’ve never … I’ve never felt that afraid before. It was horrible.” She felt his hand run through her hair, his cheek resting on her head. His touch sent light, sweet tingles over her body.
“I’ll never let anything happen to you. There’s nothing you need to be afraid of.”
Alexa trailed her finger absentmindedly over his chest as her mind wandered over what she’d seen.
That future was frightening. This is something that would never happen with her father around, and now Ken.
Unless they couldn’t fight in it. Was the lycan she saw a member of her family?
And were the sword wielders like Raine, Justice, and Destiny?
She had so many questions, but there were no answers.
“There is a terrifying future. It was awful. A village was massacred by creatures I’ve never seen before. And there was this man with a red, glowing eye …” Alexa let out a shuddering breath. “What happened to the world? It looked completely different. And—”
“Shhh. Lex, this isn’t your burden.”
“Premonitions are shown to us for a reason. So we can change the outcome.”
“The future is something that continually changes. But you can be certain that your future is by my side. I’ll be here to take care of you.
” He brushed his lips against her head again and buried his nose in her hair, taking whiffs of her scent.
“I’m going to love you for eternity. And when humans become fairytales that are told to unicorns at bedtime, I’ll still be by your side, giving you my everything. ”
Alexa sat up and looked into his green eyes. “And what about now? Will you be around to take care of me now? Or are you going to continue staying away from me, chasing Erebus?”
“Lexi—”
“You’ve been looking for him forever, and you haven’t caught him yet. You know what he’s after. He’s after me. So let him come for me and you can catch him then.” Alexa watched his eyes grow dark, and a low growl reverberated from his throat.
“Are you suggesting I use you as bait?” His voice raised slightly as his gaze remained fixed on her.
“I’m suggesting we work as a team like the one we’re meant to be.” She watched as he shook his head, his lips pursed tightly.
“Not a chance. I am not allowing you to be bait for that psycho. I’ll catch him.”
“After how long?” Alexa reached up and cupped his cheeks. She softly brushed her thumb over his skin, making his eyes close in response. “Please don’t leave me alone again. Ken … I need you.”
“My love, I’m not going to leave you alone. I’ll stay with you every night. I’ll be beside your bed, protecting you.”
“Only beside my bed and not in it?” Alexa quirked a brow up at him as a light flush crept over his cheeks and down his neck. Even his ears were turning red.
“I don’t want to be presumptuous. I know we have a lot of things to talk about.” Ken cleared his throat as she continued to pin him down with her captivating eyes.
“We have a lot of things we need to do, and they don’t involve just talking.
I’ve had to wait until I was twenty for my first kiss, Ken!
All because I’ve been waiting on your stubborn butt to show up.
You aren’t making me wait for everything else.
And that includes sharing my bed.” Alexa watched the shade of red that covered his face darken as embarrassment washed over him.
“Lex …” Ken whispered, closing his eyes. “Don’t think for a minute that … I mean, the thoughts I have of you … but we do need to talk. I want you to know about me and my beast—”
“You talk, Ken, and I’ll listen.” Alexa let a sly grin spread across her lips as she leaned forward.
She nuzzled her nose into his neck and began to lightly nibble and tease his skin with her tongue.
A low growl of approval rippled through him as his hands wandered over her body.
“So talk …” she whispered against his skin as she began to suck on his marking spot.
“Mmm, Lex …” His chest heaved as his breathing became ragged.
“Lex … wait.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and gently held her away from him so she couldn’t make contact.
He at least wanted her to know what his other form looked like.
He wanted her to know about his past. But he listened to her seductive purr as she tilted her head to the side to grin at him.
“You like to pull hair? We can add that to our bedroom routine.”
He growled loudly and abruptly stood up, carrying her to the bed.
He eased her down onto the mattress and brought his own body down on top of hers.
He supported his weight with his elbows as he hovered over her, gazing into her eyes.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she tried to bring him down to her face.
He panted heavily as he battled against himself and everything he wanted to do.
He needed to be in control of this moment.
He didn’t want to risk accidentally marking her.
His mate had just had a very frightening premonition, and he didn’t want to take advantage of her heightened emotions.
He also really wanted her to know about him.
“Alexa, there are things about me—”
“I don’t care.” Alexa tugged on his neck, trying to force him down to her.
“But my beast—”
“I don’t care!” she insisted.
“Everyone cares!” Ken finally blurted out.
The words escaped before he could stop them, and they hung there between them, two words carrying centuries.
Shiva had called his other half grotesque right in front of her.
The council had called it worse. Everyone who had ever seen what he truly was had looked at him differently afterward. Every single one.
He watched her gaze soften as she traced his lips with her finger, slow and unhurried, like she was smoothing his worries away.
“I love you. I’ll love your beast because it’s you.”
Ken closed his eyes, his shoulders rising and falling unsteadily. She said it so simply, as if it cost her nothing, and it landed somewhere in him that had been hollow for so long he’d stopped noticing the ache. He wanted to believe her more than he’d ever wanted anything.
“You don’t know that,” he said, his voice barely audible.
“Yes, I do, Ken. You’re mine. Is there anything that would make you not want me?”
“No!” His eyes flipped open. The answer was out of him faster than thought, and he watched a smile spread over her lips as she caught it.
“Exactly.” Alexa rose up on her elbows, her lips feather-soft against his.
All those nights she had shouted at an empty darkness, certain he didn’t want her, and here he was, warm beneath her hands, unable to say anything but no.
“So what’s the problem? Unless you don’t want me …
” Her mouth brushed over his as she spoke.
To her surprise, he kissed her back gently, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth as he leaned her back down onto the bed.
“Lex, I don’t want to take advantage of the moment. After everything you’ve been through, I don’t want to cause any emotional—”
“Damn it, Ken! Do I seem like the type of woman who gets taken advantage of during a weak moment? I’m all but seducing you! Not you seducing me. But it seems like I’m doing a poor job at it—”
This time, his mouth crashed into hers, all that gentleness gone. He growled into the kiss, a sound from somewhere older than language, and every year of holding himself away from her broke at once.
“Your wish is my command, princess.”