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Beck shrugged, his eyes straying to his wife. “I didn’t say she always used it intelligently. She adapted quite nicely. She’s making an excellent queen. This Kaja is never going to adapt. She’s practically feral. How is she going to live on the Vampire plane? Do you really think she’ll be happy in your penthouse, going to teas with other consorts and attending charity balls?”
He couldn’t see it. He struggled to see her sitting in the penthouse’s large, elegant parlor having drinks with his parents, sister, and her consort before the consorts were called in to dinner. He would sit with his father and sister and discuss business while she was led to the sumptuous dining room and did whatever consorts did while they ate. More than likely they talked about fashion and the latest DLs. She wouldn’t know what a DL was. He wasn’t sure she knew what clothes were.
“You see my point?” Beck asked, not unkindly. “Look, Cian talked to me about what Uncle Alex is doing to you. You might not like to hear this, but I think he’s right. You do need to find a consort. It’s far past time, but this isn’t the right one. I’ve discussed the situation with Rhys, and if your family will pay her fee and put a hefty down payment on the next suitable consort to come through, Rhys will give you the first look. He’ll make it a private sale contingent on your father’s acceptance of the female. I’m sure your father will agree to it. It isn’t a deal Rhys would make with another vampire family. I’ll take Kaja and find a place where she’ll be happy. You’ll get your consort, and Kaja will be free.”
Dante actually felt his claws pop out. His hands twitched with the need to wrap them around his cousin’s throat. A righteous sense of possessiveness swept across Dante. “I bought Kaja. I paid her full price. I used my own fucking money to do it. I signed the paperwork not ten minutes ago. Is Rhys threatening to revoke her sale?”
Beck took a step back, his eyes wide as he looked down at Dante’s hands. “No, Dante. Look, cos, no one is telling you that you can’t have a consort. One comes through every couple of weeks. You just need to wait. Be patient.”
His cousin patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, and without a thought, Dante batted his hand away. Beck held his fisted hand by his side, but Dante could see the impulse to fight in his cousin. Part of him hoped the big Fae gave in to it. He was sick of being treated like an idiot. “Stay out of my marriage, Beck. If you won’t accept Kaja, then get your ass back to your little kingdom. I’ll take care of my consort.”
Dante turned and noted Meg’s white face. She watched the confrontation with a worried air. Kaja’s eyes had come open, but she didn’t look worried. She was watching Beck with narrow eyes, as though prepared to attack should he take a step toward Dante.
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” Dante said, feeling himself calm a bit. He noticed that the gnomes were coming in with the second tub. The water she’d cleaned herself in was grimy. She needed a bath from her bath. “Beck isn’t going to hurt me. He’s leaving.”
“We’re leaving?” Cian asked, walking in with a bucket of hot water.
“No,” Beck replied with a frown. “Dante is just being unreasonable.”
Meg got up and fetched a towel as the wee ones made the clean tub ready. Kaja stood.
“Hey,” Dante said, quickly covering her in the towel. He hadn’t thought much about her nudity before. She’d been covered in filth. Now that her pale skin was clean and glowing like a pearl, he had problems with it. “We have guests, Kaja.”
She nodded. “Yes, I can see them. Meg, Cian, and Beck.”
She smiled as she pointed to each and seemed pleased to have remembered their names.
“Yes, and the men have no need to see what belongs to me,” Dante muttered. “They should leave.”
“You see what I mean?” Beck asked, looking at his brother. “Unreasonable. He won’t listen to me, Ci. Talk to him. She’s wild. She needs to roam. She needs a place with lots of land and places to run. I was thinking of the woods outside the village. As long as she promises not to attack our villagers, it would be perfect. There is plenty of game in the forest. Would you like that, Kaja? Would you like to be alone in the woods?”
Dante felt her small hand slip into his. She clutched the towel around her. Her smile had disappeared. “The First does not want me?”
“First?” Beck asked.
She inclined her head toward Dante. “Yes. I thought the First wished to mate with me. He allowed me intimacies. Do I not understand? Does he already have a mate? Our First is allowed to mate with any of the women. I am clean now. I will stay clean if that is what you require.”
Her big eyes were killing him. What was it about this petite woman that got him in the gut? And the cock. Damn, she was beautiful. She was utterly different from any woman he’d met before.
He put his hands under her arms and lifted her out of the water. The gnomes immediately took the filthy tub away. The new tub was ready. Dante could see everything he had asked for, including his Scotch. There was a glass of water for Kaja. “I do have a mate, though we use the word consort where I come from. You are my consort, Kaja.
I signed the papers a few moments ago. You legally belong to me. Do you understand?”
Her smile was back, and this time there was a bright happiness to her face. Her chestnut brown hair was starting to curl up, and Dante couldn’t help but stare at the graceful line of her neck. “You claim me?”
Dante gave into the temptation, touching her porcelain skin lightly. “I claim you, Kaja. I’ll take care of you.”
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Beck interjected.
“Leave it, brother,” Cian said in a firm, authoritative voice. “Dante knows what he’s doing. If he doesn’t, he’ll figure it out. He’ll take care of her.”
There was a long moment between the twins. Dante was surprised to see Beck back down. He nodded briefly. “All right, then. We’ll leave you to your wedding night. We’ve been given a tent next to this one. You only have to call out, and I will come, Dante.”
“I don’t need you to save me from a woman, Beck.” Dante winced. It sounded whiny even to his own ears.
Beck studied Kaja carefully. “I hope that’s all she is, cos. Come on, let’s go settle our wife in for the evening.”
Cian grinned brightly. “Aye, she definitely needs some settling.”
