Page 79 of Plug and Tame

“Think twice before you leave the room, pet,” he warned.

Kira slowed her steps, but she did not stop. Instead, she continued towards the bathroom, humming as she swayed her hips and strutted away without so much as a backwards glance.

Except when she reached the bathroom door, she stopped, tossed her thick mane of hair, and then slowly, ever so slowly, she glanced back at him over her shoulder.

He gave her a warning look that made her squeal and disappear into the bathroom.

He chuckled, pumping his aching cock once before sliding off the bed and prowling after her. The hunt was on.

The bathroom was steamy, but she was easy to find, and when he grabbed her, he found her willing. He made her kneel to suck his cock, and her eagerness to service him made it almost impossible not to come in her mouth.

A sad thought held him back. When all was said and done, Kira would be his lover, his friend, and his companion.

But not my wife.

Those were the words that haunted him, even as he pulled Kira to her feet and opened his mouth to devour hers.

Not my wife.

No matter how passionate their kisses were.

No matter how deep he moved inside her as he made love to her against the slick wet tiles, he could not rid himself of the melancholy words that repeated themselves over and over again in his mind.

Never my wife.

And he realised then, though he did not have the heart to tell Kira, that there was an alternative to the plan. One where she could still become the ruler they all needed, and more importantly, one where she wouldn’t have to suffer any abuse as his father’s sexual plaything: he would destroy his father.

It was not a new idea, but it had not seemed feasible until now. The thought of being cursed to walk the earth as a mere shadow of himself had always chilled him to the bone, just as it did now.

But I will do it for Kira.

He had to. Because what kind of partner was he to send her to do his dirty work for him? What kind of vampire did that make him? Not an honourable one, like his ancestors had been, but a cruel one like his father. He exhaled through his nostrils. Henrikk was his father, he was his responsibility.

“Is everything all right?” Kira asked as she sponged herself with soapy water.

They had been standing beneath the water—set to a lower temperature to cool their hot skin—washing each other.

Nathaniel took hold of Kira’s chin and lifted it to meet this gaze. “You are mine, Kira. I’ve said it before, but I was a fool to think that I could ever give you up. No one else will ever touch you again except for me.”

This time, he would not let her talk him out of it.

She blinked. “But what about your father? The whole point of grooming me was so I could kill him.”

“We’ll find another way. I will hide you and keep you safe.”

“You can’t hide me,” she said softly. “Who will kill your father?”

I will, he thought to himself. Once I have married Gloria and become king, my father will forfeit the magic that protects him…and I will kill him. Even if it means I will be cursed, for at least then you will be safe. Living a cursed life will be better than knowing I allowed you to do my dirty work and be harmed by my father.

Kira could not hear his thoughts, but she must have sensed something in his countenance, because understanding flashed in Kira’s eyes.

“Nathaniel, no.”

“No?” he tried, feigning ignorance.

“You can’t.”

“I didn’t say anything.”