Chapter 14 #2
He needed to meet with Braddock and smoke out whoever wanted Fawn dead before they tried again. “Aren’t I in more danger in your kingdom?” Fawn had asked. The fact that she had to question her safety in her rightful home was enough for Dean to exterminate everyone in it.
“You’re in danger everywhere that I’m not,” he’d replied . “The sooner we are home, the sooner I can eradicate our kingdom of the suicidal person who decided to harm their queen.”
He needed to speak with Lilith, too. She knew Fawn lived and told Dean to marry another. Could a Fallen Fate die? He wasn’t sure, but he’d find out. “No. We leave in four hours.”
Both women moaned and grumbled the entire way into the small, quiet inn in the tiny roadside village.
After getting their room keys, Dean led the girls upstairs and unlocked one of the doors. “Naomi, you’re in here.” He handed her an overnight bag and pushed open the door to a small, single bedroom. “Here are your things.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled and trudged inside, shutting the door in his face.
Fawn yawned behind him, and he led her to the next door and opened it to usher her inside. She looked between the two single beds. “Why are there two beds?”
Dean hadn’t told her they’d be sharing a room, and he didn’t know how she’d respond.
Setting their bags down, he turned to her with all the innocence he could conjure.
“We can push them together, darling. You need only ask.” He pretended to inspect the small bed.
“If you’d rather share one, you’ll have to be on top. ”
Color flushed her pretty cheeks, and her slightly crooked front teeth dug into her bottom lip. “Why are we sharing a room?”
He opened her bag and dug around for the things she’d need to bathe and get ready for bed.
“Someone tried to kill you.” A shift nightdress made of fine silk and bordered with lace unfolded as he pulled it from the bag.
His blood heated at the short length and thin material.
For fuck’s sake, how am I supposed to sleep next to her in this?
Fawn snatched the nightdress from him and put it back in her bag. “That’s not an answer.”
Dean’s brain battled between answering her question and asking her to put on the sexy shift. Logic prevailed, and he grabbed fresh, fitted undershorts from his own bag. “When I said I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, I meant it.”
She retrieved a smaller bag and a bundle of fabric and searched the room, stopping on the bathtub and sink next to a slim door. “Why are those not in the bathroom?”
Dean crossed the room to open the small door to reveal a toilet. “This is just a water closet.” He closed it and turned back to her. “It seems our room is the bathroom.”
The look of shock on her face shouldn’t amuse him as much as it did. Noting his enjoyment, she scowled and pointed to the main door. “Stand in the hallway so I can bathe.”
He nodded to the window behind her. “I’m not leaving you alone in a room with a window.”
Her head whipped around to the window and back to him. “I’m not going to jump out!”
“You’re not going to be able to stop someone from climbing in, either,” he retorted. “I’ll turn my back.”
With a huff, she stomped to the large, porcelain tub, turned on the faucet, and waited for him to sit on the bed with his back to her.
Knowing his mate stood naked on the other side of the room tortured him more than he’d realized it would.
Stepping into the hall would’ve been better, but he couldn’t bring himself to be away from her.
“Tell me about your friends,” Dean said conversationally. Anything to drown out the small splashes of water against her bare skin.
“You met Naomi,” Fawn responded. “She’s really the only one I have.” Another small splash. “Amelia was a friend of sorts,” she added, “but we didn’t know each other long. I think she just needed someone who wouldn’t judge her for her rounded ears.”
“She genuinely likes you,” Dean attested. “The morning we left, she was upset to see you go.”
“I hope so. I liked her.”
“You’ll see her again soon,” he promised. “We can travel whenever you’d like, and if we don’t see them before, we’ll see them at the Tropical Prince’s coronation in a little less than a year.”
The sound of water cascading off her body as she stood was a test of Dean’s strength. He wanted nothing more than to see his darling bride in all her glory. Not yet.
A minute passed, then, “Your turn.”
He gathered his things in his hands and turned around. She may as well have taken a battering ram to his chest with how hard his breath expelled at the sight of that thin silk sticking to her damp body.
He closed his eyes and muttered a hurried prayer for strength. Fawn’s hand lay on his arm, and his nerves lit up like a lightning storm. “Are you okay?”
I’m trying not to break my cock against its enclosure. “I’m fine.” Dean forced himself to open his eyes, keeping them firmly on her face, “There’s a chill in the air, and you should get under the blankets quickly. I don’t want you to fall ill.”
He could tell she wanted to argue, but she mercifully relented and climbed into bed.
Dean removed his shirt, tossed it to the ground, and started to unbutton his pants.
He saw the instant she registered the scars littering his torso.
Fawn made a choking sound and climbed out of bed.
“What happened?” She crossed the room and held out her hand to touch them, but stopped. “Gods, Dean. Is this from training?”
His tight smile didn’t go unnoticed, and her face fell. “In a way. They’re from my father’s idea of punishment.”
“Your father deserves to be run through with a sword.” Her eyes caught on his serpent familiar tattoo. “This is beautiful.” She did trace the dark lines on the left side of his chest. They trailed down and ghosted over a few scars. “I hate him.”
Most would say that in solidarity, but she meant it. He felt her hatred and her empathy made him fall a little more.
“Those days are long over, darling.” He covered her hand with hers. “One day I’ll explain it all, but for now, I want to bathe dust and grime off of my spectacular body.”
His mate chuckled, and she returned to her bed. He unbuttoned his pants, but she twirled around. “Wait!” He dropped his hands and lifted a brow in her direction. “I forgot to drain the tub and wipe it out. Let me do it so you don’t have to stick your arm in my dirty water.”
He glanced back at the full tub and grinned wickedly at her. “You think your bath water bothers me?” Trying to keep a straight face, he added, “I’ll just bathe in it to save time.”
The look of absolute horror on her face broke his resolve, and he barked out a laugh. She huffed and walked to his side. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.” That you think I wouldn’t gladly drink your bath water, he silently added.
Fawn leaned over the porcelain, but he held her back with one arm and grabbed the drain topper with his other. “ Dean ,” she admonished.
He set the drain stopper on the shelf next to the soaps. Looking her dead in the eye, he scooped a handful of water and brought it to his mouth.
Fawn yelped and threw herself at him, spilling his precious cargo. “That’s disgusting!”
“But darling, I’m thirsty,” he purred and grinned, trying to scoop more, but she caught his arm.
“Stop trying to drink my dirty bath water or I’ll drown you in it,” she threatened.
The water disappeared from the tub, and he looked ruefully at the empty porcelain. “That drained faster than expected.”
Fawn’s breath came hard like she’d done something strenuous, though restraining a fae king couldn’t be easy.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” She grabbed a clean cloth from the stack on the shelf and wiped the inside of the tub.
He wanted to stop her, but figured she’d try to strangle him if he didn’t let her do this.
“If you think I’m bad, you’re in for a hell of a surprise when you meet my friend Braddock,” he told her instead.
She straightened to dispose of the dirty cloth, then said, “Tell me about him.”
Dean turned on the water to refill the tub and replaced the drain stopper.
“I’ve known him since we were learning to walk.
His father is a nobleman and friends with my father.
” Braddock’s father wasn’t on the council, but his brother was, and they were both friends with Dean’s father.
“Braddock’s father often brought him to the royal nursery. The rest is history.”
Fawn’s mouth tightened. “Noblemen? I thought they were from storybooks and novels.”
Dean stopped the water and gripped the waist of his pants to push them down.
Fawn spun around and hurried to her bed, earning a laugh in return.
“Unfortunately, they’re real.” Freed from the confines of his clothes, he stepped into the warm water, lowered himself, and lounged back.
“Only the Garden Kingdom has them. They’re descendants of the oldest families in Eden. ”
Fawn burrowed under her blankets and turned on her side to face the wall. “If no other kingdom cares who comes from what family, why does yours?”
“Ours,” he corrected. “There is a lot about our kingdom you’ll learn with time. I don’t want to overwhelm you with everything at once. I’d rather get to know you better first.”
A brief silence, then, “Braddock isn’t like the others.” Not a question.
“No.” Dean grabbed the soap and a cloth from the shelf. “He was my friend because he wanted to be, not because of my title. I hope our child has a friend like that.”
She yawned, and the blankets rustled. “Do you want children, or do you feel obligated?”
“I want children,” he said instantly. “I wish we could have more than one.” Dean wanted to be the father he never had.
“We can adopt more,” she suggested, and he couldn’t internally contain his excitement. “You like the idea.”
“I like the idea of raising children with you, biological or not,” he admitted. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted. The joy you used to bring me is something I want our children to experience, too.”
“I’m not that person anymore,” she whispered, her words a little broken.
“Then let me be the one to bring you out of the darkness, Fawn. Let me in so I can make you happy.” The quiet felt heavy, and he held his breath.
“Okay,” she replied finally, and Dean felt hope trickle down the bond.