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The king closed the door behind him, then plopped his large body onto the bed, lying on his stomach. It rattled the bed frame slightly, triggering a grimace from his bride-to-be.
“Fletcher,” she said, stifling a giggle. “What on earth has gotten into you?”
He crossed his arms in front of him on the bed, next to Madison’s bare feet. He was truly amazed by how every part of her made his wolf groan with desire. Even the soles of her feet were decadent and precious to him.
He smirked, then shifted his upper half over to her side. She watched him with curiosity as he planted a kiss on her ankle, inhaling her natural sage and vanilla scent like it was his oxygen.
“I know you’ve been down lately,” he muttered as his lips moved up her shin. “I want to help you feel better. Let’s have dinner tonight with my aunt and uncle. It will be a change of scenery. I’ll have my mom and sisters join us, and we can talk about the engagement party.”
The king found his way down the arch of Madison’s foot, kissing the padding. She was only remotely ticklish, so when he circled his long, animalistic tongue along the ridge of her foot and back, then looked up to meet her stare, she only trembled a bit.
He saw that violet glint again, which made him feel positively giddy. He then replaced his mouth with his hands, trickling from her soles to her ankles, the gentle sprinkles of spider silk.
Madison tucked her lower lip beneath her teeth and made the most glorious sound. It echoed through the king’s mind of their first few unions together, almost like a squeal of surprise with sensual undertones.
He grinned up at her with his fangs pointed out of the cave of his mouth, and she placed the book down on her legs while attempting to shield the blush that had emerged on her lovely cheeks.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so … depressing,” Madison said, her eyes fixed on the thread she fingered on the bed sheet. “That store means everything to me and my family. I don’t know who I would be without it.”
Her eyes flickered up at him, a shooting star rising from the depths of her sorrow. It made Fletcher’s heart flutter.
“I am incredibly thankful for what you’ve done about it. I really am,” she continued, staring up at him. “I suppose I’m a bit worried about what the future holds. What if this Turk shifter or someone else comes back? What if they do worse?”
Fletcher sensed the fear rising in her body language, so he sat up and crawled next to her, tossing the book aside. She let out a puff of laughter before nestling into his chest, her clean and flowering bouquet wafting up from her hair.
He stroked her from her shoulder, all up the length of her slender, swan-like neck. Her breathing began to slow, which simultaneously calmed the king himself.
He whispered into the shell of her ear as a clamor of thunder rocked against the windows, accompanied by a thin vein of burning, lilac lightning.
“I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen, Madison. I promise you, no one is going to lay another finger on that store. You have the king’s word.”
Her demeanor changed for the remainder of the day, the two of them managing to sneak in some quick and stress-relieving lovemaking in the shower before attending dinner that night. The king felt his future queen returning to her excitable, contented self, which allowed considerations of any threats to wander to the back of his mind.
They traveled on their own that evening through light smatterings of rain. Fletcher drove with his hand ever-present on Madison’s thigh, the lovers bathing in the post-climax afterglow.
Fletcher’s aunt and uncle’s estate was of a similar size and luxury as other members of the royal family. Neither of them was particularly interested in participating in anything that had to do with their homage, but Fletcher didn’t mind. It was easier not to involve every single family member when it came to making big decisions.
His mom and sisters, on the other hand, loved adding their two cents. They gathered around his future bride like a gaggle of geese a few minutes after arriving, circling her at the bar and asking about her ideas for the engagement party.
His uncle Callum elbowed him with a drink in hand as he watched Madison be pulled away by the women. She wore a long black dress with long sleeves and a scoop neck, with a layer of sheer material that fell over the opaque black material. Her heels tapped against the floor rhythmically, mimicking the pacing of his heart.
“She’s a good one,” his uncle said, handing him the drink.
Fletcher had barely heard him. He was mesmerized.
“Hmm? Yes, oh, indeed she is.”
He chuckled, his aunt Dahlia arriving next to him in the living room to do the same.
“She’s absolutely gorgeous, Fletcher. What is she doing with a twit like you?”
Fletcher was transfixed still, watching Madison interact fluidly with the four women she had only met a few times. It was stunning to him how flawlessly she was able to be herself and show off the most beautiful aspects of her personality. Everywhere she went, she glowed. She floated. Her smile made him tingly inside, his wolf whimpering for a chance to sink its teeth into that exquisite neck.
“I have no idea,” he muttered with a grin.
Dinner was immaculate, with Fletcher's mom, sisters, and aunt dominating the conversation with considerations of decorations, venue, and the invitation list for the engagement celebration. He and his uncle continued to exchange looks as all six women spoke over one another, chattering playfully with a lightness Fletcher couldn’t get enough of.
“What about the gardens, Fletcher?” his sister Emilia asked.
