Chapter 4: 3 - Adam

Claire looked like I’d just asked her if the sun would rise tomorrow as she said, “Well, obviously, I’m going to say the horses.”

I smiled. Her being excited was a good sign. It meant she might not run the first time she saw anything questionable.

“Great. Then come with me.” I turned and walked up the driveway toward the barn, feeling her eyes on my back. I knew this was hard for her, but in time, she would grow to love me. If my cartel business didn’t scare her away first.

“How many horses do you have?” she asked.

I chuckled. She had so many questions.

“What’s so funny?” I could feel her glare as she said it.

“You’re just so adorable. And to answer your question, there are fifteen.” I rolled my shoulders, hearing her breath catch. Glancing back, I offered her a smirk. She wanted me. She could deny it, but I knew it was true.

She frowned slightly, though I didn’t know whether it was from that. Finally, she opened her mouth to ask yet another question. “Do you keep them for business or pleasure?”

“A little of both,” I answered honestly. We’d reached the barn. “Have you ridden before?”

“You mean in the zero time when I wasn’t locked in my parents’ house or on their property?” she asked dryly.

Oh, she’s feisty. “If you keep it up with that smart mouth, I’ll show you what you can do with it,” I warned, and her eyes widened at my mild threat. I’d never hurt her, but she was testing me. I couldn’t have her questioning my authority or disrespecting me in front of my men. She’d been in my life for half a day, and she was already driving me crazy. I was sick for liking it.

Claire didn’t say anything after that, and I began to miss her constant questions. So, I asked, “Would you like to learn to ride?”

“Really?” she breathed as we entered the barn.

“Really,” I said.

She nodded emphatically. “I would love that!”

“Then I’ll teach you,” I promised, stopping at my pregnant buckskin mare’s stall. “This is Daisy. Would you like to pet her?”

“Can I?” Claire’s face lit up.

“Go on. She’s friendly.” I ran my hand over Daisy’s neck. “You can pet her here …” I touched her muzzle. “… or here.”

“She won’t bite?” Claire asked, her tone unsure.

“No.”

My mate reached out and slowly stroked the mare’s neck, relaxing with each stroke. “She’s gorgeous.”

“Not as gorgeous as you,” I murmured, and I watched as her cheeks reddened. She glanced up at me from under thick lashes. “What? It’s true.”

“I’d like to go inside now,” she said.

My brow furrowed. “Did I say something wrong?”

She shook her head. “Quite the opposite. But I’m kind of tired.”

I could see it now: the exhaustion on her face. “I’m sorry. I should have realized. You’ve had a long, eventful day, and here I am, keeping you out even longer. Let me show you to your room. It’s attached to mine, so if you need anything, just enter through the adjoining door.”

I turned and led her to the house, cursing myself for already neglecting my mate’s needs. I wasn’t off to a great start. Our rooms were on the second floor, so after we made it up the stairs, they were just down the hall. She gasped when I pushed open her door.

Inside was a king-size four-poster bed with a gold comforter and black sheets. Sheer ocher bed curtains hung from the canopy, and the bed was covered in pillows, both practical and decorative alike. The matching black-and-gold curtains were pulled back to illuminate the room with natural light, making all the gold accents sparkle.

And on top of the bed was a cat. My cat, to be exact. His tortoiseshell fur—rare for a male—nearly blended in with the covers. “Jasper, you know better than to be on the furniture!” I yelled.

Jasper opened a single eye and sneezed at me, then he closed it again, unbothered that he was taking up my mate’s bed. “I’m sorry,” I said to Claire. “My cat doesn’t listen.”

“I didn’t think any cat did,” Claire said, clearly holding back a laugh. “It’s fine.”

“I can move him if you’d like,” I offered.

“No, really. He’s fine. Obviously, he needs rest, too.” She cooed at the cat, “Don’t you, Jasper?”

Jasper raised his head, opened his eye at the mention of his name, and closed it again.

“Let’s not disturb him,” Claire said, yawning. “I can sleep later.”

“You can sleep in my bed,” I offered. “You’re clearly tired, and I won’t be going to sleep for a while.”

She seemed to ponder that for a while. Before she could respond, she yawned again.

“Okay, I’m no longer asking,” I said. “I’m telling you. As your mate, it’s my duty to make sure your needs are met, and you need sleep.”

“Well, someone’s bossy.” She yawned a third time. “But you’re right. When I fight sleep, I end up staying awake all night. A bed sounds nice.”

I opened the adjoining door and led her into my room. It had the same decorations as hers, but the colors were black and red instead of black and gold.

I could have offered her any of the other guest rooms, but there was nowhere I’d rather she be than in my own bed. It felt like claiming her in an entirely different way. It made the wolf within me want to howl.

I and my clan were all animal shifters, and my animal form was a wolf. Not all fae shifted, but the strongest of them did, which was why my clan and the Daniels clan had always fought for power. There was only room for one family at the top of the animal kingdom.

That was why this peace treaty was so important: we had nearly fought our clans into extinction. The other subtypes of fae had grown, while ours had dwindled due to the civil wars among the clans. We couldn’t afford to let the strong among us die out.

It was the shifter fae who ran the supernatural world, and if we fell, the fae government would, too.

As I gazed down at Claire when she climbed into my bed, I had new hope for the peace between our clans. A smile tugged at my lips as I left her to rest. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard with our union.

Thoughts of Claire in my bed followed me all the way to my office, where my right-hand man was waiting on me to discuss business with the fae drug runners. I knew then and there that she was going to be a welcome distraction.