Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Bokkan
Two days after I bonded with Leda, I still could not bear to allow her out of my sight for more than a few minutes at a time. I thought that my brand on her chest would settle my mating instincts.
It had not.
Though we had a bond, it did not feel complete.
I worried what this meant for us. Yet I was unsure how to bring it up to Leda. I did not want her to fret about something neither of us had control over.
Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to discuss it with her before the truth came out.
We were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Brelda knocked on the door and stuck her head inside. Her eyes went to Masu first.
“I’ve come to see how you are feeling, Masu.”
It was only after she spoke that she noticed Leda and I sitting at the table. She flinched but, to her credit, composed herself. “General. Lady Leda. Good morning.”
“Good morning, Brelda. Please come in.”
The daemoness entered the kitchen, closing the door behind her. A cold breeze followed her inside.
The winter weather had come in overnight, dropping the temperatures further. I would have to purchase Leda more clothing. Especially warmer trousers and coats. It would not be much longer before I would need a fur or a cloak to remain warm while outside. If I were too cold, she would be as well.
Brelda stood close to the door, her hands clasped in front of her. Looking at Leda, she asked, “How are you, My Lady?”
“I’m well. How are you?”
The daemoness blinked. As a member of the lesser social classes, the lady of a house would not have greeted her as Leda had. Brelda smiled tentatively. “I am well also, My Lady.”
Leda waved a hand and got up to pour more szite for herself. I had to bite back a smile at the annoyed expression on Masu’s face. The imp was constantly telling my mate to sit and let her serve because it was her job. Leda generally ignored her.
My little human also did not notice the way Brelda watched her with wide eyes as she served herself.
Yes, mating a human female was going to change my life and the life of those around me.
Masu took pity on the healer. “Let’s go into the parlor, Brelda. The master and his lady are finishing their breakfast right now.”
Leda had just taken a bite of fruit when Masu spoke. She chewed quickly and called out, “I’ve told you a hundred times to call me Leda. How many more times do I have to say it?”
“At least one more!” Masu replied, already marching down the hall.
I could hear the amusement in my housekeeper’s voice and had to bite back the smile that threatened to spread across my face.
Leda turned to me and scowled. “What do you find so amusing?”
“Nothing,” I said, shaking my head.
“Please tell me we’re leaving the house today,” she continued. “It’s freezing outside, and I don’t have a coat. Plus, as much as I enjoy the bedchamber, my pussy needs a break, or I won’t be able to walk.”
“Pussy?”
Her scowl intensified, but she lowered her voice when she answered, “You call it my cunt.”
It was my turn to frown. “You are supposed to tell me if I hurt you.”
Leda reached over and patted my arm. “Honey, I really enjoy sex with you, but I would be sore having it that many times a day with a normal human cock rather than a massive daemon one.”
At her statement, the red haze covered my vision again, and I clenched my hands into tight fists. I wanted to rip the hands off any male who had touched her before and maybe castrate them while I was at it.
“Down, boy.”
I blinked the crimson away and focused on my mate. “What?”
“I haven’t had that many boyfriends, but I don’t hate them, so you can’t kill them all.”
“You don’t hate them?”
She sighed and shrugged. “I don’t love them either. As far as I’m concerned, most of them don’t exist.”
Leda glanced up from her breakfast at the sound of my molars grinding together. “Am I to believe you haven’t had lovers before?”
Damnation. The tension leaked out of my body. She was right. We had both had lovers and a past. I could no more kill all her past lovers than she could kill mine.
“Very well,” I said.
“Anyway, I’ll be fine by tonight. Like I said, I just need a little break.”
“Very well. We shall go to the clothier and buy you some warmer things to wear.”
She nodded. “And I need to figure out what sort of job I can have here. I need a way to make money.”
I wanted to tell her that she had no need to work, that I would provide for her, but I knew my mate well enough to understand that she needed to feel productive in some way. I only hoped someone would offer her legitimate employment of some kind.
Before I could continue the discussion, we were interrupted.
The sound of horses and carriage wheels on paving stones came from the front of the house. Not just a few, but many. I leaped to my feet and moved to the front door of the manor, using the stained-glass windows on each side to peer out at the sweeping drive leading to the front of my home.
Everything within me went still when I saw the sleek black carriage with the gilded royal crest of the reigning daemon king affixed to its side.
“What is it?”
I glanced down at my mate, who was standing beside me, craning her neck to try to see out the windows as well.
“Do you have a royal family where you are from?”
She shook her head. “No. But other countries in my realm have monarchs.”
“Well, you are about to meet the king of Penumbra,” I said.
Her eyes widened and she looked down at her body. “Should I change clothes or something? This is a big deal, isn’t it?”
I shrugged. “I know the king fairly well. But, if you would be more comfortable in something else, you can meet us out front when you are done changing.”
She smacked my arm.
“What?”
“Do you not dress up to meet the king of your realm?” she asked, her voice high and thin.
I shrugged. “If I were traveling to the castle, I would wear my military uniform. But since he has arrived at my home without an invitation or issuing an announcement, he will see me as I am dressed.”
“That isn’t taboo or anything? Meeting the king without your shirt on?”
I shook my head. “No. Is it in the human realm?”
Her head snapped around when one of the horses out front whinnied. “You know what, we’ll talk about it later. Right now, you need to tell me exactly what I need to do when I meet your king, so I don’t embarrass you.”
“Be polite. Be yourself. And remember that he is your king as well since you are now mated to me.”
Her face paled as she stared up at me. “Do I need to bow or curtsy or anything?” she asked.
“Formalities such as that are only required at court. Call him Sire or King and bow your head when you are introduced. That is all.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice cracking on the question.
“Of course,” I assured her. I took her hand in mine, squeezing it lightly. “I promise it will be fine.”
With that statement, I opened the front door and walked out onto the steps, bringing my new mate with me.
The footmen climbed off the back of the carriage, one heading toward the door to open it, but the king did not wait.
He shoved the panel open and climbed out.
As most daemons did this time of year, he wore a pair of heavy trousers.
Unlike me and several of my soldiers, he wore boots on his feet.
He also wore a thick wool coat over his bare torso as a concession to the cool air.
Though the material of his clothing was much finer and more expensive than mine, he was dressed a great deal like me.
That was part of the reason I enjoyed the king. He held himself as a peer of the daemons around him rather than the ruler. He listened and believed his role was to be of service to his citizens. As far as rulers went, he was one of the best to rule Penumbra in centuries.
Once the king was on the ground, he turned back toward the carriage and held out a hand.
My eyes widened as a tall, slender human female appeared on the carriage steps.
She wore a long velvet dress and held herself with incredible poise.
She also stood at the king’s side as though she were his equal rather than his servant or pet.
“Holy shit,” Leda whispered next to me.
I moved at her words, guiding her down the steps but stopping once we stepped onto the pavers of the drive.
Still holding the human female’s hand, the king approached. “General Stonesword, it is good to see you again.”
I bowed my head toward him. “You as well, Sire.”
“This is my companion, Cora.”
The female smiled at me briefly, her gaze glancing off mine before it focused on Leda. Her smile brightened when she looked at Leda. “Hi.”
She lifted her hand in a small wave. The king smiled at her with an indulgent expression. Though I did not know him well, it was clear he was smitten with her. I understood his predicament all too well.
“This is my mate, Leda Voight,” I said.
Leda stepped forward, holding a hand out to Cora. “Hi, Cora. It’s nice to meet you.”
The other human took her hand, and they shook.
“Oh, the custom of shaking hands,” the king said. “So, this is what it looks like.”
Leda grinned up at him, which set my possessive instincts on edge. Though I knew she was my mate, and I felt the partial bond, I wanted to grab her and drag her away from the king.
I had a handle on it until she held out her hand to him. “Would you like to try, Sire?”
He chuckled and lifted his hand to take hers.
Before I realized what I had done, I closed the distance between us and wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her away.
“Mine,” I snarled.
The king’s guard moved to surround him, but he lifted a hand, halting them. “It is fine,” he called. “I forgot that the general is newly mated, that is all.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t,” Leda said, smacking my forearm where it was wrapped around her ribs. “Put me down, ya big goon!”
I realized I was holding her a couple of feet off the ground. Carefully, I lowered her, and as soon as I released her, she turned on me, shaking a finger at me.
“Don’t do that again!”
“I am sorry.”