Chapter 31
“And this is my room …” Lucie’s voice trailed off as she looked inside. A set of bunk beds and a sleeper couch had been moved into her room. On top of that, she saw Jasper’s luggage in there. She turned from her doorway to see Aedan trying to slink away. “WHAT IS THIS?!”
“Oh yeah … about that. Well, you see, we’re going to be bunking with you. It’s a safety measure for all of us. I knew Jasper was planning on staying with us anyway, so Justice and I thought it would be fun for us all to stay together.” Aedan chuckled, giving her a cheesy grin.
“By invading my privacy? Look at it. And now it’s going to smell … nope. No no no.” Lucie shook her head angrily.
“Lucie, I’m not about to leave you alone for a second. And this way, it isn’t weird having a guy sleeping in your room,” Jasper said quietly.
“No, I’m going to have three.” Lucie folded her arms over her chest and glared at Derrick.
He raised his hands innocently. “I honestly didn’t know a thing about this. However, I can’t say I disagree. I think this is a good idea.” He watched her gaze darken. “In a safety-in-numbers kind of way.”
Lucie gave him a poisonous smile. “I see. So it’s okay for me to change my clothes in front of Jasper then?”
“If he looks at what is mine, I’ll burn his eyes out,” Derrick growled.
“Hey!” Jasper said, shielding his eyes from Derrick.
“Oh, Lucie, don’t be dramatic. You have a bathroom attached to your room. You can change in there,” Aedan said, shaking his head. She was trying to play mind games with her mate. But that wouldn’t work on Aedan. He was her brother, and he knew her too well.
“Do you guys think I’m going to sneak out in the middle of the night or something?” Lucie arched her brow and frowned.
“Lucie, I just want to be close to you. I’ll feel better.
And honestly, it makes the whole scenario better if Justice and Aedan are in the room too,” Jasper said carefully, hoping not to anger her further.
“You almost made my heart stop once already. Please? It’ll be like old times? A campout, only inside.”
Lucie lowered her shoulders in defeat. “Fine. But it’s my room, which means we watch only Lucie-approved movies.” Her poisonous, sweet smile reached Aedan.
“Oh no,” Aedan groaned. “Maybe we can have a competition for a special slasher day?”
“Oh Aedan, we won’t be here that long. We’ll be leaving for the welcoming ceremony in a couple of weeks. And after that, we’ll be leaving again … wait, you don’t plan on bunking up with me everywhere we go, do you?” Lucie watched as Aedan grinned and rubbed the back of his neck.
“No way. I’ll bunk up with Alexa and Raine. That’s where we’ll be heading next, right? The West Dragon Kingdom?”
Aedan sighed. “Yes, that’s the plan. I think it’ll be fun to hang out with our cousins there. Plus, Mikah can help Justice complete his training as a guardian. He knows how hard it is to control those powers.”
Lucie turned and looked back at her room. Her lips were curled down and she sighed sadly. Warm hands landed on her shoulders and slowly pulled her into a rock-solid chest. Soothing tingles spread over her body as his arms moved from her shoulders to around her waist. He held her gently.
“It’s all temporary, Lucie. All of this.
Just a small hiccup to get past.” Derrick’s voice was low and soothing.
“I’m sorry about all of this. If I could just stay by your side now …
” From the corner of his eye, he could see Aedan giving him a thumbs-up.
He then smirked and slowly backed away with Jasper.
At least he wasn’t completely oblivious to giving the two of them some time alone.
Derrick leaned in close to Lucie’s ear. His breath beat against her skin and he smiled as he felt her shudder. “What do you prefer, Lucie?” His lips hit the tip of her ear. He dragged his bottom lip over her earlobe. “Top … or bottom?”
He smiled, dropped his arms, and ran into her room, hopping onto the top bunk. He grinned mischievously at her and watched a smile spread over her lips. She walked into her room and plopped onto her own bed.
“Neither,” she said, looking at her fingernails, acting uninterested.
“I find both boring. I like to experiment and see what works best for me.” Her eyes flashed up at him, and she watched as he gulped.
“I’ve tried waterbeds, memory foam, gel …
but it’s my adjustable bed that I love the most. I can always change the position to suit my mood.
” She let her fingers trail over her bed, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She heard Derrick’s deep throaty chuckle.
He hopped off the bunk bed and walked over to her slowly, his eyes fixed on her like a predator.
“You win. I can’t win games like this against you.
” Walking up in front of her, Derrick pressed Lucie backward onto the bed, covering her body with his own.
Their lips crashed together as he greedily attacked her mouth.
One hand wandered over her side while the other reached up to hold her head captive.
A moan escaped him as she pulled on his bottom lip with her teeth.
“I really can’t win against you.” He panted against her lips.
“I love you, Lucie,” he said between kisses, his fingers trailing over her neck.
Derrick suddenly threw himself backward.
He backed up a few steps, his hands squeezing into fists.
Not only his want and desire, but Lucie’s was flashing in.
It was almost too much to handle. In fact, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to control it.
He really didn’t want to control it, but if he was going to mark her, he wanted to do it right.
It had to be a time when she hadn’t just recovered, when he would be able to stay with her afterward. Now, unfortunately, wasn’t the time.
He panted heavily as Lucie sat up. “Soon, Lucie. I’ll be back to finish this very soon.” He took in a deep breath. “Baby, I don’t know how this is going to work after we mark each other. This is already intense. Feeling your feelings, even in fragments, is driving me insane.”
“The funny thing about soundproof rooms … they don’t work if the door is open,” Jasper said with a smirk.
Lucie looked at her open door, mortified. She closed her eyes, bit her bottom lip, and felt the heat rush over her face. Derrick glared at him angrily.
Jasper raised his hands. “Easy there. I’m doing you the favor. I mean …” He motioned downstairs, insinuating there were other people around.
“Well, they know what mates are and what naturally happens. I won’t be ashamed of wanting my mate,” Derrick said confidently.
“Of course not. Though I’m sure Aedan doesn’t want to hear you defile his sister either.” Jasper winked, giving Derrick a crooked grin.
“Hey, Jasper?” Derrick’s voice was serious as he looked into his brown eyes. He glanced over at Lucie, who was now looking up at him curiously. “Thank you for looking after her for me. I know you want to be able to fight too, but—”
Jasper waved him off. “Are you crazy? This is where I want to be. Who wants to get splattered in the blood of unknown creatures? Besides, if Lucie is being kept out of the battle, I guess it’s only fair that I should be as well.
” He tipped his chin at Lucie with a knowing look.
It was nice having a sense of camaraderie.
They both wanted to fight. It was actually killing him that he couldn’t be next to his prince’s side when he needed him most. But he understood.
When it came to protecting Lucie, there was no one else better to be by her side.
Only Derrick himself would be better. And as Ryan, the leader, that couldn’t happen.
Not this time … not in the middle of this mission.
Trust was vital, and the elite soldiers were a close-knit group.
Lucie turned and looked at Jasper, a small smile resting on her face.
She hadn’t thought about that. She was only thinking about having babysitters.
She didn’t stop to think about how Jasper would actually want to be fighting, too.
And honestly, she didn’t see why not. She was going to be well-protected.
She would be tucked safely in the dragon kingdom.
There was no reason Jasper needed to stay with her there.
“When I get to the dragon kingdom, can’t Jasper join you then?” Lucie asked, looking back at Derrick. “It isn’t like anything will happen to me there.”
Derrick shook his head but Jasper spoke before he could.
“Lucie, as the future vampire princess and queen, it is customary to have a guard. You’re important to the vampires now.
It’s quite rare to have a royal pairing.
And instead of keeping a stranger around you who you don’t know …
” Jasper shrugged. “Besides, it’ll be fun spending time in the dragon kingdom.
And there will be other fights I can join in on. ”
“Shouldn’t you also have a protector then?” Lucie tilted her head toward Derrick.
“That’s a different situation. It’s his job to prove himself worthy of the position he’ll be taking. Double standards, I know, but when you think about how far vampires date back, these old-fashioned traditions make sense.”
“I don’t think that seems very smart to do.” Lucie furrowed her brows. “That isn’t how it’s going to be later. No son of mine is going to get put on some dangerous trial just to prove himself an adequate leader.”
Derrick grinned. “You going to give me a son?”
“I don’t know. Not sure if you know how to make babies or not. I was talking about my son. Not sure who the father will be yet.” Lucie smiled, biting her bottom lip.
“Okay, I’m shutting the door before another x-rated sound show starts.” Jasper quickly closed the door.
Derrick chuckled and shook his head. “You planning to shake up tradition?” Derrick asked, lifting Lucie to stand against his chest.
“Well, isn’t taking me as a mate already breaking tradition?” Lucie raised a brow, a challenge in her eyes.
“Mmm … it is.” Derrick leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.
He then moved lower and claimed her mouth, savoring her like she was something sweet he’d been craving.
His tongue dipped slowly past her lips, stroking against hers, and Lucie captured it, sucking gently, keeping him a willing prisoner.
“Mmmm.” Derrick growled against her mouth. He bit her bottom lip and pulled it into his mouth, gently nipping and sucking it.
He pulled away and looked down at her, his fingers tracing over her face. “It’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it? The mate bond … soulmate bond … our bond. It just feels so perfect.”
Lucie gazed into his eyes. “It does. I never thought I would ever get to have this.”
“I need to do something real quick,” Derrick said. He smiled and pulled her out of her room. “Jasper!”
“You raaaannnggg?” Jasper said from the floor below.
Derrick led Lucie down the stairs to where Aedan and Jasper were sitting. “Can you watch her for just a few moments?” His eyes glazed over as he had a private conversation with Jasper.
“Alright. But when you get back, we’re going to hook up the game system. Let’s race,” Jasper said, his grin daring Lucie to say no.
Derrick chuckled. He looked down at Lucie’s disappointed face, inwardly smiling. He loved that she didn’t want him to leave her side. “Baby, I won’t be but a few moments. I promise.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.
“I’ll walk with you,” Aedan said. “You’re new here. I don’t want pack members to get jumpy.”
Derrick nodded, and the two men headed out the door. Lucie walked over to the couch and sat down.
“Aww, don’t pout Luce Luce.” Jasper chuckled and tossed a small bag of chips at her.
“Where is he going?” Lucie continued pouting, not bothering to hide it.
“He’s checking on our soldiers, Lucie. You know … responsibilities and all. He’ll be back soon, princess.”
“Come on,” Lucie said, tossing a controller over to Jasper. “We might as well get a few warm-up sessions in.” She grinned and waved her controller in the air.
Jasper laughed. “I won’t go easy on you. Your status means nothing to a vicious competitor like myself. Bhahaha!”
“Good. So, when I beat you, you’ll really understand the difference in our skills.”