“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you up to my rooms and in bed. You need to rest.”
“So do you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Maybe I should stay in a guestroom or something.”
“No,” he bit out.
“You have to sleep, Cole.”
“And I will. But I just got you back, and I’m not going to part with you again.”
Lexi sighed, but in truth, she didn’t want to be apart from him either.
Before she could say anything more, he swept her into his arms and carried her across the room. She draped her arms around his shoulders and settled her head in the hollow of his neck. As the warmth and strength of him enveloped her, she closed her eyes.
When he opened the door and stepped into the hall, she recalled the bag she brought with her. “Oh,” she said as she lifted her head from his shoulder. “My bag. I forgot all about it. I left it in the main hall.”
“I’m sure one of the helots has discovered it and taken it to my room. If not, I will locate it in the morning.”
“Okay,” she murmured and rested her head against him once more.
He didn’t seem to feel the weight of her in his arms as he strode down the hallway and up a set of stone stairs that twisted as they rose higher. His breathing never increased though the added burden of her in his arms had to be tiring.
When they arrived at his rooms, she wasn’t sure what floor they were on, but he’d never broken a sweat. He opened the door and kicked it shut behind him before carrying her into his bedroom. Her bag sat on his bed.
Chapter Forty-Five
A kisson her shoulder woke Lexi the next morning. She cracked her eyes open to discover Cole leaning over her. The first rays of the sun shining through the open window made his eyes sparkle and his hair shine.
The dark stubble lining his jaw made him impossibly sexier, and she lifted her hand to run her fingers over the hairs. She relished the feel of them beneath her fingers. It made him more real.
“You’re really back,” she whispered.
“If you think you imagined what we did last night, then I have failed you and will have to remedy that later.”
She chuckled as she sank deeper into the luxurious pillows and the sheets fell back a little to reveal the upper swell of her breasts. “I donothave that good of an imagination.”
His ravenous gaze raked over her, and he propped himself on his elbow before running his fingers across her forehead.
“I have to go help with the arrangements for today,” he said. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll return before the memorial starts. I’d like for you to be by my side throughout the day.”
Those words caused her stomach to lurch. Cole leaned back as she wiggled up from the pillows and tugged the sheet around her.
“They’ll talk,” she said.
“What are they going to say? That I had my mate at my side throughout my father’s memorial service and coronation? Good. There is no hiding what’s between us anymore, Lexi. I have marked you, you are in my rooms, and my bed… again.Nowoman can claim such a thing. This is my personal space; I’ve never brought another here. They’re already talking, and they have yet to see my mark on you.”
Her eyes widened at this revelation. He’d never brought another here? She didn’t question him further about it because she’d prefer not to have any more details of his past relationships, but it was intriguing.
“Are you sure about this? It’s going to be difficult enough for you to take over as king without having a half human, half vampire standing by your side. I’m not exactly a combination that speaks of power.”
“I don’t care. The sooner they come to accept you will be my queen, the easier it will be on all of them.”
Lexi gulped. He was so confident in his power and ability to rule. So confident he could make them accept her, and after surviving the trials, he had every right to his confidence, but she was not so sure.
“I didn’t bring anything to wear to events like that,” she said. “I doubt jeans and T-shirts are appropriate for either thing.”
