Chapter 86

Killian:

I smiled when I woke up to Eleanor connecting her lips with mine.

I kissed her back, and the two of us smiled into the kiss before she pulled away to rest her forehead against mine.

The smell of food filled my nostrils, and I sat up to see the trolley tray with a silver cover on two plates, two glasses of orange juice and two coffee mugs.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled her on my lap before connecting my lips with hers. She laughed as I ran my finger over her waist, and I smirked, watching as she pulled away to look me in the eye. 

“I am guessing that today is my lucky day considering that my mate chose to spoil me this early in the morning.” I said, and she smiled, biting her bottom lip as she blushed.

“Considering that it is nearly twelve in the afternoon, I doubt that we can consider it early, can we?” Eleanor asked, teasing me, and I chuckled. I ran my finger over her lower back, and she got up from my lap before turning to the tray. “I made it with Natasha and Liana.”

“Without burning the kitchen down? Now that is something that…” I chuckled as Eleanor playfully slapped my chest, and she rolled her eyes on me, making me smirk. 

“You are mean,” she said, and I smirked.

“Am I?” 

“Not so much,” she said, and I chuckled before tightening my arms around her. “What are your plans for the day?”

“I love how you actually knew that I would have something planned.” I teased, and she laughed.

“Well, I am considering the fact that you already got out of bed yesterday, one way or the other, you are going to find a way to manipulate me into leaving the room again. I might as well know what you have planned so I can say no from the very beginning.” Eleanor teased, and I laughed, shaking my head at my beauty. She bit her bottom lip before I leaned in to connect my lips with hers. She smiled into the kiss and I pulled away to look her in the eye as she handed me the tray of food.

“I am going to go down to the office. Vladimir and I have a few things to talk about and discuss. And I have a few papers to check on considering that I have a beautiful mate who has me under house arrest.” I said, and she winked.

“Oh, I wonder why?” She asked, winking at me and I shook my head as a small smile made its way to my lips. I opened the lid from the plate and couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips at the sight of the plate. The fact that it was a simple sunny side egg wasn’t a big deal to others, but the way that she presented it on toast, adding a small fruit salad on the dish by its side. I couldn’t help but find myself loving the effort that she was making for me no matter how small others might be seeing it. 

“I am thinking that the two of us can go down to the garden again tonight?” I asked, knowing that she might have something to say about it. “I want to go and see the stable.”

“Alright,” she said, and I raised an eyebrow. “You are going to find a way to tell me that you want to go either way. Stopping you is not going to be doing me any good, might as well join you. Plus, as I told you, it is your sister that you are choosing to connect to in that garden. The last thing that I am going to do is stop you from doing so.”

“And you wonder why I love you.” I said, and she blushed.

“And I love you,” she said, making me smile. The fact that it flowed so easily off her lips made it all the more special, and her strength was something that I couldn’t help but find myself loving every single day. “Now, how about we start eating for you to manage getting out of bed? We both still have a lot to do for the day,”

I smiled, knowing that she was going to be checking on the pack. It was something that she’s been doing with Vladimir on a daily basis, especially when I was on bedrest. And the fact that she was learning a lot from my beta was one thing that I was grateful for. The man was by her side when I couldn’t be, and that was something that I found myself owing him more than I could describe for. 

“Alright, malyshka. I am guessing that we will be sitting on one dining table tonight?” I asked, and she smiled.

“Tonight and every other night for as long as we live.” She said, and I smiled. 

“Forever and always, my beautiful malyshka…”

****************************** 

“So, no one has been going to the clubs and yet, he managed to find us?” I asked, and Vladimir shook his head. 

“The girls said that no one out of the ordinary came to any of the clubs, I mean, as a regular to ask questions. Plus, Eleanor isn’t the type to go to clubs to begin with.” He said, and I nodded in understanding. “Do you think that it is one of the girls that arrived with Eleanor that day?”

“They would have told them on the very first day. Last I checked and understood, Elton seemed to be looking for her for months before he managed to get anything on her. The man had someone on the inside, it is just that we don’t know who it is.” I said, and he nodded. 

“What about Lorenzo?”

“Del Gardi?” I asked, and he nodded, making me frown in confusion. “What about him?”

“He is a close associate to us, why not have him investigate who would be approaching the Italians. The man might be a traitor to his own people, but he did prove to be on our side more times than once.” Vladimir suggested and I shook my head. The last thing that I needed was to be associated with the man. 

“The one thing that I would associate with Lorenzo is selling the island that he had us buy.” I said, and Vladimir took a deep breath. “I doubt that Eleanor would want to go there anymore, and considering that it isn’t even safe for her to be there; the two of us know that it would be best to just get rid of it. A hotel there is not going to be doing her any good. He could always find us something different or we could choose a whole different thing for her to run, something that SHE might want to do.”

“I doubt that she would have run the island to begin with.” He teased, and I winked.

“She is my mate and Luna, and you know that we don’t have our women raising a finger that would exhaust them.” He chuckled and nodded. “On a fair note, you do know that mom, dad, Aunt Lena, and Lev are coming to see us this weekend.”

“Finally ready to introduce your Luna to the family?” He asked, and I nodded. It was about time that she met them.

“Yes,” I said, opening my desk drawer before pulling out the ring box. “I want to marry her, Vladimir.”

His eyes softened, and I opened the box, showing it to my beta. “She deserves a lot better than what she lived and I want to be able to give it to her. But we both know our rules and traditions, and I want to do things right with her. I want her to meet the family and I want them to see her the way that I do.”

“Believe it or not, they will, more than you will imagine.” He said, and I smiled.

“And I want you to be the man to walk her down the aisle to hand her to me.” I said, and his eyes widened. “You are my best man, and what I owe you is not something that I can repay. But I know that as much as she loves me as a mate, she loves and respects you as a brother, and if you are willing, and if she does say yes to being my wife, I want you to be that brother that she leans on when she needs it.”

Vladimir’s eyes were fixed on mine for a few seconds before he nodded.

“It will be my honor, Alpha Killian.”

“And that is why you are forever to be my trusted man, Beta Vladimir…”