Chapter 203
Liv sighed as she headed into the cabin via the kitchen entrance.
Tiana was putting drops from a bottle into a cup of tea. She closed the bottle and shoved it into her pocket.
“Hi,” Liv said, watching the other woman jump at the sound of Liv’s voice. Didn’t shifters have super hearing or something?
Tiana turned, a smile pasted on her face, her eyes frantically glancing around. “I was just making Keliana some tea.”
“What kind of medicine is she taking?”
“Medicine?” Tiana looked at Liv like she was crazy.
Liv nodded at the pocket Tiana put the bottle in. “The drops you used in her tea. Antibiotics?”
Tiana smiled. “Yes, medicine.” She turned back to the counter, not saying anything further. That felt a little weird.
“Okay. Do you want me to take it to her?” she offered.
“No!” Tiana said and gripped the cup. “I’ll take it. I need to make sure she gets her afternoon bath if she’s feeling better.”
“If you’re sure. Karel said you worked in the castle before you came here?”
Tiana nodded. “I was in charge of various guest rooms.”
“No wonder you keep this place so spotless,” she smiled. “Were you one of Bella’s assistants?”
Tiana’s lips pursed into a thin line, her gaze turned cold enough to make Liv shiver. “No. I wasn’t good enough for Her Highness. I attend the king’s cousin when she resides in the castle.”
Shit. She’d pissed her off. Guess she didn’t really like Bella. Weird, because Bella was a sweetheart. “Let me take that. You look exhausted.”
Tiana was working too hard. Or she could be really stressed. Taking care of someone on the verge of death was probably straining. Liv would make an effort to help now that she and Karel were there. That morning, Keliana had sat up and looked better than the previous night. She wondered if she had good and bad days.
Tiana turned away. “No. I got it.”
Liv watched her walk around her with the cup firmly in hand.
That evening, with Keliana doing worse than before, they decided to sit by her bed and talk. She appeared to want to listen in on their conversation and would comment every few minutes.
“You left to live at Alyx’s castle at what age?”
“When I was a teen. I was groomed to be the head of security by Alyx’s father.”
“It was one of the hardest things,” Keliana said softly. “To see my only child go and not know if he would be okay.”
“Mother,” Karel grinned, lifting Keliana’s hand to his lips and giving her a kiss on her palm. “You knew I was fine.”
That small move was enough to melt Liv’s heart. This was a man who knew how to cherish his mother.
“Knowing and not seeing my son daily are not the same.” She glanced at Liv from her bed, her pale yellow eyes dull with pain. “Would you not worry if your only child left you?”
Liv nodded fervently. “Hell yes! I’d probably spend a few weeks making sure he wasn’t in any danger before I felt confident leaving him far away from me. Even then, I’d probably nag him to death with phone calls and text messages.”
With her family history of having lost her parents, she’d probably never leave one of her kids alone with anyone. Talk about serious separation anxiety.
Karel laughed and shook his head. “Don’t give her ideas, Mother.”
Keliana smiled and for a moment she looked much younger than before. “She’s good. I like your mate. She’ll be a good mother to your children.”
Liv’s face heated with embarrassment. She’d be that nagging mother who never left her kids alone for fear of something happening to them and her not being there to help. “I don’t know about that.”
Keliana’s smile widened. “You’ll be a good mother. Good mothers worry and never forget about their children’s welfare, even when they are far from them.”
Keliana’s brows furrowed in pain. She closed her eyes and took shallow breaths. “I think I need some time alone, son.”
She opened her eyes again, caressing her hand over Karel’s cheek. “Take care of your mate.”
A knot formed in Liv’s throat. She watched Karel bend down and place a kiss on his mother’s forehead before standing. He took Liv’s hand in his and guided her outside, heading for the porch at the front of the cabin.
“I’m sorry,” she said. The words weren’t enough to express how badly she felt for him.
He pulled her onto his lap, cradling her and watching the sunset. “She’s right. You’ll be a great mother to our children.”
She hadn’t even given herself the chance to think too much about the future, but watching him with his mother had sealed the deal. This was a man who knew how to treat a woman. He’d shown nothing but love and care for Liv since he met her. How could she even consider for a second not taking a chance on love.
Men on Earth didn’t appreciate the woman inside her curvy body. They’d been too stuck on her curves to really get to know her. Karel had gone straight for the woman hidden beneath the surface and pulled her out.
“I love you.” Once she said it, she felt her heart fill with love for him.
He tipped her face to meet her gaze. “You do?”
She nodded. “Yes. I didn’t want to admit it, but it’s true.” She curled her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his stubbly jaw. “You have wanted the real me from day one. There was never any expectation of me changing to suit you. You didn’t want me to be something I’m not. And you didn’t think of only trying to get into my pants.”
“I love you, Liv. Every single inch of you.”
She smiled. “I know.”