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Made of copper and iron, the mage pots and pans clattered and clinked. Thick wood served as the handles, forcing Leeta to wear gloves to protect herself.
What is she cooking for us?
I tried to consider the many things that she could make.
Blood Pudding would have been nice. The mage had pigs in the village. Leeta could have gathered fresh blood from one of the dominas and mixed it in with pork fat, oats, and spices.
My stomach growled.
Suddenly, Xander broke the unsteady silence in the kitchen. “Camille, what were you thinking?”
She cleared her throat. “I had a dream with the gods that—”
“Damn the gods!” Xander slammed his fists on the table. “You are to always remain by my side and never leave!”
Camille flinched.
Xander hissed. “Should I chain you to me this dawn? Force you to be right by my side?”
I scowled at Xander.
Careful. Do not upset her too much.
She placed her hands on the table. “I am sorry, Xander. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, but I thought I could simply go to the Mystic Market and—”
“Get yourself killed!”
I stiffened and turned to her.
Sizzling sounded from one of the copper pans. Leeta was definitely frying something.
I sniffed the air.
Yes. Blood sausage.
The aroma of spices filled the space. It was a heady mix of cinnamon, ginger, and onion.
My mouth watered in anticipation.
Xander yelled, grabbing my attention. “Should I chain you or not?”
I put my view back on her.
Camille whispered, “Again, I am sorry.”
“I don’t want apologies, Queen!” Xander’s voice rose in the kitchen. “I want you by my side and safe! At all times!”
She pursed her lips together.
Tension gathered in my shoulders.
I could see the worry etched on Xander’s angry face. I also knew he was right. We couldn’t afford to ever lose Camille. This meant that she shouldn’t venture by herself while we slept away from the sun.
Plates clinked, letting me know that Leeta was probably almost finished with cooking.
Xander continued, “And I will not compromise on that!”
Me either.
Camille let out a long breath. “King. . .I understand your concern, but I am your queen, not your servant and in some moments, I will do what I think is best for us.”
Camille. . .
I tensed, knowing what would come next.
Had I not been a fiercely protective king in my day?
More than once I had irrationally roared at Phinova for being too far away.
A low growl escaped Xander’s lips. Slowly he rose, looking more deadlier than ever. Black pointed horns emerged from his skull while razor sharp claws burst from his fingers.
With a predatory stare, he locked his gaze on Camille. “What did you say?”
It was subtle, but I could hear her heart pounding faster in her chest. Hopefully, Xander couldn’t hear it. That would only drive him more wild.
Okay.
I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath. It was time to calm him down before things got out of hand. I spoke in a firm but level voice, “Xander, put the horns away.”
“Leave us, Ian!” His fangs burst out. “I am having a conversation with my queen.”
The king inside of my core did not like the way he worded that sentence, even though he was fully correct.
But I could also see the fear in Camille’s eyes. I would not leave her alone. She was already on edge and Xander’s behavior was only making it worse.
I stood up and kept my voice steady. “Xander, she is scared. We need to calm down and talk this through.”
Xander snarled. His gold eyes flashed to red. “She should be scared! She put herself in danger! If that heart mage wanted to kill her, she could have.”
Camille spoke, “But Seraphine did not. She was only trying to get rid of me so she could escape.”
Xander glared. “And you were not leaving which means that she could have exploded your heart or anything, and we would have never known.”
I took a step around the table. “What is done is done. We need to focus on moving forward and keeping everyone safe.”
“I don’t care about everyone else.” Xander’s fangs pushed out further. “I only want my queen and her daughters to be safe.”
Camille looked at him. “Today. . .I was thinking that we should re-establish the blood bond.”
I blinked.
Xander widened his eyes.
Good play, queen.
She continued, “Surely, that would ease your mind, and if I am in trouble I could talk to you in my head.”
I looked at him and held in my smirk. I bet his cock was getting hard in his pants.
Oh, the power of a queen’s blood.
Xander swallowed and softened his glare. “When would we. . .put the bond back in place?”
“As soon as this conversation is done.”
Very, very good play, queen.
Camille was slowly learning how to tame her king, and I was happy for it. Only Ambi knew if I could truly hold Xander back when he was in battle form and trying to possess her.
