Chapter 117 Chapter 117
“I want you to bear my mark when we go back.” Those plump lips pouted, “but I don’t have the sharp teeth to do it.”
His whole body shuddered at the image that gave him. Her marking him. Him carrying her scent permanently. Swallowing, his mouth suddenly dry, he ran his finger lightly over her bottom lip. “We’ll figure out a way.” He’d never meant something as much as he did then. If he had to claw up his own neck so she could lick it and fill his system with her scent, he would do it.
She blushed again and smiled up at him. “Okay.” Fanning her face, she blew out a breath. “I get so hot when I…”
Moving fast, he placed a finger over her lips. “Please…” The lust in her eyes was killing him. “Don’t say or do things like that until we’re there.” He titled his head and looked her up and down, “I’m already having a hard time keeping my hands to myself.”
She nodded, her cheeks flaming.
He straightened up and stepped back, motioning for her to walk. “More questions?”
“Only about a thousand.” She answered quickly.
Chuckling, he nodded. “Ask away.”
“I think I should maybe avoid some that might be related to…” she fanned her face, “some things. Let me change subjects here.” She stopped briefly to look around, and check their direction.
He loved that she knew direction in the middle of nowhere, oddly, he found that a turn on. Wrong topic. Focus.
When she started moving again, she gave him an apprehensive glance. “Are you planning on being back in the morning when they get your men out of there?”
He nodded, not voicing how much vengeance he had inside him. When Devin had told Calum that his father had ordered that they were to hold until the alliance got there, he was not happy. It was agreed they could try to get their men out, not having them on the inside would give Leroy no hostages to use against them.
“I can’t believe Earl and Morris have done the job for this long and don’t agree with any of it.” She shook her head, “I mean, it’s good they don’t agree, and if anyone can talk them into helping the men escape it will be my aunt, but, how could they do it for so long?”
Taking a moment to contain the emotions he was feeling, he spoke quietly. “Like your mother, they only did what they had to do to survive.” He reached for as much as he could remember, with all the tranquilizer in his system. “They only struck out at me, when I went for them first… from what I can remember.”
“I suppose, they were only doing their job,” she looked him up and down, “and defending themselves, but still…” she lifted her hands then dropped them again. “I couldn’t do it. I didn’t make it two days before I broke all their rules.”
He laughed, “If it helps, I agree with all the rules you broke.”
She chuckled, “of course you do. You are the rules I broke.” Sobering, she sighed, “As terrifying as all this is, I’m glad it’s going to be ending. I could not have done my job and treated innocent men that were being held against their will.”
“Speaking of that, Nona told me you will be the next Nona when she retires.”
“Hmm,” she exhaled a sharp breath, “Nona-Shae. It still sounds so wrong to me. There will only be one Nona to me, and that’s Nona-Eve.”
It had been plaguing him since Nona had told him, his mind struggling to process the details, with everything else going on. Stopping, he looked down at her, then dropped the blanket on the ground. “We need to stop here, while we’re out in the open, and talk about some things.” He winked at her, “Once we reach the retreat, I won’t be talking.”
“Oh.” She nodded and sat down.
He could see the second he said it, she had closed herself off inside. “It’s not bad. There’s just some logistics we need to discuss.” His cat wasn’t at all happy with this pause in motion. Calum had seen what had happened between Devin and Rayne when he wasn’t upfront, and he was not going to go through that. He studied her face, that beautiful face. Sitting down, far enough away, so he couldn’t grab her, he looked at her again. “Sometime I’ll explain the alliance and how it works, and everything else you don’t know, but what you need to be aware of right now is…” He loved how she watched him, so focused on what he had to say… Shaking his head, he smirked. “I’m really struggling to keep my hands off you.”
“Talk faster,” she whispered, as her eyes flicked to his mouth for a moment.
Closing his eyes, he reined in his thoughts, then opened them to continue. “Devin will be the next alpha of his clan, but also the leader, or king, of the entire alliance of clans.”
She nodded. “You briefly told my aunt that, I believe.”
“Gage and I are his seconds…” he paused to see she grasped the concept of the word. “Not all the time, but there will be times I will have to be with Devin, for his protection, or in an official capacity.” He had spent his whole life supporting this notion and now, for the first time ever, he was feeling doubt.
“I understand that.” She huffed out a breath. “A king, it’s a whole world I don’t understand, but I’m looking forward to learning more about it.”
She actually looked excited about learning. He found that endearing as well.
She inhaled sharply. “Oh. I get where you’re going with this. I’m going to be my clans’ Nona and you’re the King’s second…” She rubbed her forehead with two fingers. “I guess long distance relationships don’t work in the shifter world.”
Running his hand down the length of his jaw, he gave his head a quick shake. “I can honestly say I’ve never seen a mated pair apart for longer then a day. Except in extreme circumstances, when it couldn’t be avoided.”
“Oh.”
He watched her face and could actually see how fast she was processing thoughts. She was something to watch, his mate, smart and beautiful... Cursing silently, he fought to focus again. “Once the alliance is involved in your village, and they will come in and help in any way needed, you’ll have more freedom but…”
She nodded, then stopped and looked at him. “I don’t know.” She shrugged, “this is so far from my experience, the alliance and how things should be, I don’t know where that will leave me when it all settles.”
Calum, didn’t like to see the uncertainty in her eyes, he slid closer and drew her into his arms. “We don’t have to decide anything right now. I just wanted to be open with you about my position and responsibilities.”
She hugged him tight. “You have no idea how much your honesty means to me.” She tilted her head up and look at him. “There hasn’t been a lot of that in my world.” She stopped and pushed her nose into his throat and inhaled slowly. “I love the way you…”
Growling, Calum dropped his arms away and leaned back from her. “We have to go.”
Frowning, she sat there looking at him. Then she smiled a slow smile, her eyes sparkling, cheeks flushing. Without another word, she stood up and shook out the blanket.