Chapter 120 Two Mates?
Adrian’s POV
The SUV rolled to a smooth stop right under the hotel’s glowing awning. I didn’t wait for the driver to open the door. I just scooped Kira up…still in that flimsy white sundress, still warm from the car…and kicked the door open with my foot. Bridal style. Full princess carry. Like she weighed nothing.
“Adrian, put me down!” she hissed, thrashing instantly, legs kicking, one small fist bouncing off my chest. “I can walk! I’m not broken!”
I grinned down at her, not loosening my grip even an inch. “Yeah? Your legs are shaking like a newborn deer’s. I felt it when you shifted back. Muscles are still screaming from the change. Not letting you face-plant in front of strangers.”
She kept wiggling, face scrunched in pure stubborn fury, until my hand slid lower…deliberate, slowly…and gave her ass one firm, possessive squeeze through the thin fabric.
She froze. Went statue-still. Those pretty ears flushed bright red in half a second flat.
I bit back a laugh. Goddess, she was adorable when she was mortified. And the best part? She didn’t start fighting again. She just tucked her face into my neck and stayed there, breathing fast. Like she was finally…finally…starting to tolerate my touch without wanting to bite my head off.
I smiled against her hair, content in a way I hadn’t felt in years. My wolf rumbled low in approval. She’s letting us in. Bit by bit. Our mate.
But something was still wrong. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. It sat in my gut like a splinter…sharp, annoying, impossible to ignore. I just…couldn’t name it yet.
Why wasn’t I attracted to her before? Why did it take her almost dying for me to realize I would die without her? Why didn’t her scent drive me crazy before? Why is she defiant now? Why does she feel different?
Of course, there was no answer yet.
I carried her straight through the lobby. Past the wide-eyed receptionist and guests. Into the glass elevator. Up twenty floors. Never once set her down. Every time she tried to protest again, I just squeezed that perfect ass a little tighter and watched her ears go redder.
By the time the elevator dinged at our suite, she’d given up and was just clinging to my shirt, muttering curse words under her breath that made me want to kiss her senseless.
I kicked the suite door shut behind us, the lock clicking like a promise. Floor-to-ceiling windows, city lights sparkling below, king-sized bed already turned down. But I didn’t head for the bed. I headed straight for the bathroom.
“I’m helping you shower,” I said, voice low, no room for argument.
She blinked up at me, still cradled in my arms. “I have hands, Adrian. I’m not a child.”
I didn’t argue. I set her down gently on the marble floor. The second her bare feet touched it, her knees buckled. She pitched forward like a felled tree…face aimed straight at the tiles.
I caught her around the waist before she could kiss the floor, hauling her back against my chest. “See?” I murmured, lips brushing her temple. “Your bones are still adjusting. Shifting that first time wrecks you. Let me take care of you, princess. Just this once.”
She huffed, but her body stayed soft against mine. No more fighting. I took that as a yes.
I carried her the last few steps, lowered her into the massive marble tub, stripped her and turned the water on hot…steaming, just shy of scalding. I wanted every inch of every nightmare she’s faced today washed off.
I kicked my boots away, and stepped in behind her fully clothed from the waist down. The short could handle it. I wasn’t leaving her alone in here.
“Permission?” I asked softly, crouching so I was eye-level, voice gentle so I wouldn’t spook her. “Let me wash you. Nothing more. I swear on my life.”
Her cheeks went pink. She bit her lip, eyes flicking away, then gave one shy little nod.
That nod undid me.
I grabbed the hotel body wash…something expensive that smelled like vanilla and honey…and poured it into my hands. The second my palms touched her shoulders, she closed her eyes tight, like she was bracing for something awful. Her arms came up automatically, trying to cover her breasts, her stomach, everything.
“Princess,” I said, voice rough, “let me see you. Let me take care of you. I’ve got you. I don’t bite.”
She exhaled shakily and let her arms drop.
Fuck.
Water cascaded over her skin, turning it slick and gleaming. I started at her neck, thumbs pressing slow circles into the tight muscles there, working down her back, over every knob of her spine.
She shivered, but not from the cold obviously. My hands slid around to her front…careful, reverent…cupping the soft weight of her breasts, thumbs brushing over her nipples until they pebbled hard under my touch. She gasped, head falling back against my shoulder, eyes still squeezed shut.
I was rock-hard in my shorts. Painfully hard. Every inch of me screamed to lift her up, press her against the tile, and bury myself inside her until she forgot every bad thing that had ever happened to her. My wolf was howling for it. Claim. Mark. Mate.
But I didn’t. I punished myself instead. I kept my touch clinical on the outside while my blood boiled on the inside. I washed her stomach, her hips, the dip of her waist. Slid soapy hands down her thighs, between them…gentle, never pushing, just cleaning the dirt and sweat and leftover fear off her skin.
She trembled when my fingers grazed her inner thigh, a tiny whimper slipping out that nearly broke my control.
I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached. This was torture. Sweet, beautiful, self-inflicted torture. Because she wasn’t ready. And I’d rather die than take something she didn’t freely give.
When every inch of her was clean and pink from the heat, I rinsed her off, wrapped her in the biggest, fluffiest towel I could find, and carried her back out to the bedroom like she was made of glass.
I laid her on the bed, grabbed the lotion from the nightstand, and went to work again…soft, slow strokes over her arms, her legs, her feet. She watched me the whole time through half-lidded eyes, sleepy and trusting in a way that made my chest ache.
Then my gaze snagged on it again.
The black rose on her inner forearm. Dark, intricate, almost glowing against her skin. My eyes locked on it and darkened.
Thomas still hadn’t sent me shit about what the hell it meant. I’d instructed him to investigate. Why is it taking so long?
Kira noticed me staring and turned her arm, frowning. Her fingers brushed over the mark, confusion and curiosity flashing in her eyes.
Then she muttered under her breath…so soft any human would’ve missed it—“Isn’t this the mark that the Outland king guy talked about?”
My whole body went still. “What Outland king?” I growled.
She startled like I’d shouted, eyes flying wide in defense.
I forced my voice to be calm, even though my wolf was already snarling. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just…what are you talking about, princess?”
She swallowed, looking suddenly small in the big towel. “When I was lost in the Dark Zone… days ago. The man who took me. He saw this mark and said… it means I belong to him.”
Sebastian? The leader of the rogues.
The name exploded in my head like a grenade. My wolf slammed against my ribs so hard I had to lock every muscle to keep from shifting right there.
Rage…white-hot, blinding…flooded my veins. What the fuck did that rat mean by my woman belongs to him? My mate. Mine. I’m wearing her mark on my neck. She chose me. Not him.
But the questions wouldn’t stop.
The attack on the human camp flashed behind my eyes. The message in blood that the princess should be handed over or more would die if they didn’t get her.
Sebastian’s scent all over her when I found her in her heat.
Was this mark his? Does Kira have two mates? Was that even possible? She’d marked me. Claimed me. But this black rose… What if it meant something darker? What if that bastard had laid some kind of claim on her while I was busy doing everything else but notice her?
Anger. Confusion. Frustration. It all churned in my gut like acid. I felt sick to my stomach that I would have to compete for her with a rogue. I was terrified in a way an alpha king should never feel.
Kira’s small voice cut through the storm. “Adrian? What’s wrong?”
I forced a smile…tight, but soft for her. “Nothing, princess. You’re exhausted. Get dressed and try to sleep. I’ve got things to handle.”
I turned to leave before I would lose my mind in front of her.
Her hand shot out and grabbed mine. She looked away, cheeks pink again, voice shy and small.
“What about the Summers? What are you going to do to them? They… they need to pay, Adrian. For everything.”
I squeezed her fingers, brought them to my lips. “Leave it to me. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
I dropped a kiss on the top of her head slowly, lingering for a second too long…then forced myself to walk out before I lost it in front of her.
The second the door clicked shut, my mask cracked. That black rose burned behind my eyelids. Why the hell would Sebastian lay any kind of claim on her? What game was he playing? What game is the moon goddess playing? And why did every instinct in my body scream that this was bigger than some rogue grudge?
I yanked my phone out, thumb already scrolling to the only number that could give me answers. Or help me find answers.
Thomas.
I hit the dial button and waited, jaw tight, heart hammering like war drums.