Chapter 12
LOTTIE
My handheld mirror lights up and I reach over to grab it, already reasonably sure about what I'm going to find waiting for me.
A smile spreads across my face as I find a message from Archie letting me know that he's waiting outside the flat.
I set my mirror on the desk and do a once-over of the room before I invite him in.
Thankfully, Sophia's door is firmly closed. She's aware I'm dating her brother, but I still don't want to draw too much attention to it when I'm inviting him right into my room.
I pull open the front door and find him on the other side, both of his arms full of bags. He doesn't hesitate and reaches out with his tail, hooking it around my back and pulling me to him so that he can kiss me hello.
"What's with the bags?" I murmur against his lips.
"It's the stuff I got for tonight."
"I thought you'd bring a couple of things, not an entire cupboard's worth."
"That was too many decisions to make," he responds with a mischievous grin. "And no one to tell me no."
"What if we don't eat it all?" I ask.
"It'll keep."
I step back and let him into the flat, leading him down the corridor and to my room.
Nerves flutter in my stomach as I push open my bedroom door.
He's been here before, but somehow it feels different.
Maybe because this time I'm deliberately inviting him into my room rather than just going with the flow.
I shut the door and turn to watch him setting everything up.
I'm not really sure exactly what he's got planned, but I'm happy to be having a relaxed date with him, especially if it means avoiding having his bodyguard in tow.
I know there's nothing that can be done about that, it's just part of dating a prince and what it means, and I'm okay with that.
"Sparkling wine?" I raise an eyebrow as I spot the bottle.
"You seem to like it."
"I do." I'm just surprised because I haven't drunk it that much in front of him. I suppose this is an advantage of dating a demon prince, sparkling wine is part of the date repertoire.
"I also brought chocolates. Mum sent them from the demon realm. I didn't know if you have any favourites, so I got her to send a selection."
"You got your Mum to send you chocolates for me?" My heart skips a beat at the insinuation. I take a seat on my bed.
He continues to unpack, but seems to delegate a lot of the doing it to his tail so that he can face me. "They don't make them the same here."
"Does that mean you've told your Mum about us?" I shouldn't be too surprised about that, and yet a part of me is.
"Why wouldn't I?"
I take a breath, knowing we have to have the what-are-we conversation.
I surprise myself with how relaxed I feel about having it.
There are a few nerves within me, but they're not uncontrollable, and I know they'll be gone the moment he kisses me again.
"Maybe you wanted to wait until after things were more official between us.
Or when you're with them in person or something. "
He raises an eyebrow. "More official than agreeing that we have a mate bond?"
"Well, when you put it like that, it makes sense." Not that I've told my parents yet. I'm not even sure how they'll respond. No doubt Mum will say something about there being even less reason for me to need to study. She's wrong, but I'm already dreading the conversation.
He shuffles closer to me on the bed, and reaches out to take my hand in his, rubbing his thumb against my skin in the most reassuring way. "I should have made myself clearer."
"We can talk about it now?" I suggest. "I know that isn't what we planned, but it seems as if we need to have the talk."
"Why is it always so ominous when someone else says it?" he jokes.
"It wasn't meant to be."
"I know. And you're right. I should have talked to you before telling Mum about us."
I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "It's okay, I'm not mad about it or anything. It just took me by surprise. But I'll definitely have one of the chocolates she sent." I hold my hand out for the box, kind of curious to find out what chocolates from the demon realm taste like.
He hands it to me without a moment's hesitation. I pull my hand out of his so I can lift the lid and look inside.
"Oooh, seashells. They're my favourites." I pick up one of the swirled white and milk chocolate treats and bite into it, enjoying the rich taste of the praline inside.
"Mine too."
"Maybe that's why we have a mate bond," I muse.
"I think it takes more than a similar taste in chocolate for that to be the case," he counters.
"I would hope so. This isn't going to work if that's the only thing we have in common."
"Luckily, we do have more than that," he says. "You like me, I like you, and we have fun together."
I bite my bottom lip, not wanting to bring up one of the only concerns I have about this. "What about all the royal stuff you have to take into account? Don't I need to be vetted and approved and all kinds of stuff?"
He shakes his head. "Mum and Dad trust my judgement. They do with all of my siblings."
"But your father is King."
"He still doesn't get that much of a say in who I date. And when mate bonds are involved, it's a whole different situation."
I swallow hard. I know he's right. Mate bonds do change things. They're recognised throughout the realms, and they have to be honoured by others. To some extent, it's not going to matter what his parents think.
"I'm not going to let anyone stop us from being together," he says firmly, reaching out to take my hand in his. "Not even my father."
I'm not really sure how to respond to that, especially when his gaze is boring into me and making it clear that he means every word. I should be scared about how serious he's being, but I can't help but like it.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't say things like that yet," he says, looking away.
"You don't have to be sorry, Archie," I promise, smoothing my thumb over the back of his hand. "It's just a lot to take in. I like being with you, and I want that more. It's more that this isn't what I expected when I came to Rosewood."
"Me neither."
I trail my fingers up his arm. "I do like it though. I want more of this. With you, just to be clear."
He chuckles. "I would hope not with anyone else."
"No. I've never felt anything like what I did the first day we met."
"Not even with the dragon you were flirting with?"
I snort. "I was not flirting with him. I'll show you flirting."
"Oh, really?" He lifts his tail and uses it to push my hair behind my ear.
I suck in a breath, feeling my whole body tingle. Not just at the contact, but at the reminder of just how much control he has over his tail.
I reach out to touch it, smoothing my hand down the smooth, deep purple skin of his tail and up to the slightly pointed end. His breathing turns shallow in response.
"I'm going to need a break from you touching me like that," he murmurs. "Or we won't be able to go further."
I raise an eyebrow. "Is your tail really that sensitive?"
"Not normally. But no one's really touched it like you do. It's a new thing for me. It's making it hard to think."
My mouth goes dry at the implication. It's a weirdly powerful feeling to think that I have this kind of power over someone. Especially a demon prince.
I removed my hand from his tail, wanting to respect his boundaries even if there's a part of me which is tempted to keep going and push him further. Instead, I look down at the box of chocolates still sitting on the bed. A selection of small purple cone-shaped sweets catches my eye, and I frown.
"What are these?" I ask as I point at them?
"They're Hell Noses."
I blink a few times. "What?"
He shrugs. "That's what we call them. They're traditional in the demon court. Mum always sends some for Sophia, but she must have figured you'd never tried them and sent some in our box too."
"That doesn't tell me what they are," I point out.
"You could try one and see?" He grins at me in a way that makes me worry this is going to be like the fire rum Sophia likes.
"Or you could tell me what I'm putting in my mouth, and then I will. You did just call it a nose."
"Fair point. It isn't the most appetising name. But they're delicious. It's a raspberry jelly type sweet in a hard candy case."
"Oh, that sounds tasty." I pick one up, trying to push the name of the sweet out of my mind. Couldn't they think of anything more appetising to name it?
Then again, sugar mice were one of my favourite childhood treats, and it's not like they're named any better.
I bite into it, almost surprised to find it's exactly what he described it to be.
The raspberry flavour explodes on my tongue, rich and recognisable.
These are probably the highest quality ones available.
I don't see a queen sending her son anything but the best, especially if she thinks he's trying to impress me.
"They're delicious," I admit. "But I still prefer the seashells."
"Then I'll make sure I ask for more of them next time," he responds.
I pick up one of the chocolates and hold it out to him. He eats it in one go, his lips brushing against my fingers as he takes it. The gesture heats my entire body, and I shuffle forward, not able to stop myself from leaning in to kiss him deeply.
He thread his fingers through my hair, his thumb brushing against the base of my antennae as he does. It's a surprisingly sweet gesture given the intensity of his kiss, and it makes me sink into it even more. Looking forward to where the night is taking us.