Chapter Four
King
Mate, Beast chided.
Wet mate,I whispered back with an internal laugh.
Flinging Marinah into the pool satisfied something inside me that had been missing these past days.The sheer joy of her sputtering indignation brought a rare moment of lightness.Unfortunately, I had all of two seconds to enjoy it before I was attacked from behind.
Claws sank into my back and wrapped around my face, aiming for my eyes.A three-hundred-pound mountain lion, or at least that’s what it felt like, was out for my blood.By the time Marinah broke the surface of the water, coughing and spitting, I was in the fight of my life.
The noise coming from my throat wasn’t Warrior-like in the slightest.A claw raked across my forehead, and teeth latched onto the side of my face.
“If you hurt Callie, you’re a dead man!”Marinah shouted between choking coughs as she expelled pool water from her lungs.
“She’s the devil!”I shouted back, my voice strained and pitched higher than I cared to think about as I tried to save my left eye from being gouged out, or worse, eaten.The hellcat clung to my head like a furry vise, wiry body somehow carrying the strength of a feral beast.She probably weighed no more than three pounds.Where did this demon creature come from?
Callie hissed, a sound that could curdle blood, just as Marinah surged forward to rescue me.Or maybe she was rescuing the cat from me before I lost my patience and used my fangs to end her reign of terror.As Marinah peeled the feline off my face, I gingerly touched my forehead, checking for damage.That’s when a heavy kick hit me in the back of the knees, and Marinah threw her weight against my shoulders, sending me into the pool with an unceremonious splash.
By the time I surfaced, sputtering and thoroughly drenched, my mate and her ferocious furball had vanished.
A gruff laugh rumbled from my throat.Maybe, just maybe, this little scene would bring whatever was bothering Marinah to the surface.The entire citadel had been walking on eggshells while she stormed through the halls in those ridiculous boots, yelling at everyone like a queen at war with her kingdom.
I knew this was all new to her.I also knew she didn’t want the alpha title, not until the moment quick action was needed, and she slipped effortlessly into Queen mode.It came as naturally to her as breathing, and still, she fought it every step of the way.
I rubbed at my face, feeling the faint sting of Callie’s scratches.Maybe the day wasn’t a total loss.If nothing else, I’d earned a little leverage against Marinah.After all, who could resist teasing their mate when her demon cat made you look like you’d lost a fight with a hedgehog?
With a small grunt, I realized I was turned on and needed the cold water.My loud laughter echoed off the walls, and I felt better.Too bad my handsome face was forever damaged by that hellcat.
Chapter Five
Marinah
King arrived just as I was halfway through my evening meal.Normally, we waited for each other, but after my sudden and unplanned swim in the pool, I wasn’t in the mood to deprive myself of food for the extra ten minutes it might take him to join me.
The anger from earlier had dissolved, but I had no intention of admitting to King that his little stunt might have been the catalyst for my improved mood.Honestly, it wasn’t the water itself.Seeing Callie coming to my rescue had lightened my spirits more than I cared to admit.She now lounged on the bed, grooming every inch of her fur with the lazy confidence of a creature who knew she owned the world, or at least our room.A small smile tugged at my lips as I glanced in her direction.
“Do you want to talk about it?”King asked, his deep voice pulling my attention as he sat next to me.
His sharp blue eyes locked on mine, their usual intensity cutting straight through me.They only softened in the privacy of our chambers, when it was just the two of us.Right now, though, they were probing and assessing my mood.King’s adult life had been filled with death, destruction, and betrayal.Trust came hard for him, and his Beast side didn’t trust at all.Was I becoming the same way?
I pushed the thought aside, stood, and closed the short distance between us.Without a word, he opened his arms, and I sank into his chest.His hands shifted to cradle my back as he pulled my legs across his lap, holding me like I was the only thing anchoring him to the earth.
Mate.
The whisper came from deep within, and like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place, something inside me settled.That internal, primal part of me that claimed this man as my own relaxed into the calm waters he provided.The bond between us tightened, locked into place, even stronger than before.
Why did I fight this so much?
His warmth surrounded me, melting away the last remnants of my earlier fury.His hands moved across my back, leaving trails of energy that danced on my skin.My voice came out muffled against his chest, tinged with self-pity I couldn’t quite suppress.
“The women hate me.”
His hand continued its soothing rhythm on my back, grounding me in the moment.He didn’t offer a solution; didn’t tell me it would get better or that I was wrong.He just held me, letting the silence speak for itself.
King rarely had to deal with the women on the island.His fierce, no-nonsense demeanor had shielded him from their day-to-day grievances.I wasn’t that lucky.Leadership had landed in my lap, and no one seemed to care that I hadn’t asked for it.
Finally, King tilted my chin so our eyes met.“They don’t know what you’re capable of, and they don’t fear you as they should.”
