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My nose wrinkled. I loved the idea of my sister having normal social interactions, but I did not love the idea of my sister being wooed by some dignitary I hardly knew who seemed to be a womanizer.
Then again, I trusted Ayla not to help a predator or a creep woo my littlest sister. If anyone had discerning taste, it was my witchy mate who didn’t like people.
“And how did that go?” I asked, again trying to keep a neutral tone.
“Honestly, it was funnier than it should have been. I had no idea he’d be so, uh, how do I say this?” She took my hand, then led me deeper into her quarters. “I guess anal retentive would be the politest way to put it. Normally, he’s so suave, but I swear, he was one color-coded binder away from being ready for a scholastic lecture.”
Okay, that was pretty amusing, even if I wasn’t entirely sure what to think about it.
“I suppose I should have expected as much from a fae,” Ayla continued. “They are so particular about their word choices.”
“Isn’t that a stereotype?”
Ayla raised one of those pale eyebrows. “I assume you have talked to an actual fae, right?”
“Fair enough.” I smiled despite my worries. It was almost nice, even if it was stressful. The situation made me feel like a real big brother instead of an errant one, belatedly returning to the position I’d abandoned years ago.
All I hoped was that Aodin didn’t just see Seraphina as another pretty face to flirt with, or as a means to political gain. When my sister eventually chose to pursue a romance, I hoped she was able to fall both safely and without reservations.
Because, although I wouldn’t give up my romance with Ayla for anything, I also wouldn’t wish a curse, a war, or an inappropriate relationship with a superior on anyone else. Especially not on my baby sis.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Ayla’s hand was cupping my cheek. I hadn’t noticed that my own grip had left her chin, the broad expanse of my palm now resting at the base of her neck, feeling the alluring pulse just below the skin. “There’s a lot coming through our bond right now, and it’s all jumbled.”
“Just thinking. I never really contemplated my sister being old enough to have an actual romance, but she is at that age. I’m both happy for her and worried. Protective but also, I dunno, maybe feeling guilty… for not being there for her for so long, even though I know how my family treats her.”
“That sounds complicated.” She stood up on her tiptoes and ghosted her lips over my own. “But it’ll be okay if you just let the fae bumble his way through wooing Seraphina. He’s a good guy. He helped me find the answers to save Mad Dog.”
“I think at my heart I know that. It’s just taking a while for my mind to catch up.” I kissed her again, and my hackles relaxed, allowing me to melt into her. I was rapidly getting carried away, but I forced myself to let her go. “I suppose the other half of it is, I can’t stand that I won’t be able to wake up next to you tomorrow.”
A gentle sigh escaped Ayla’s perfect, peachy mouth. I wanted to trace my thumb across those petal lips of hers, but that’d mean removing my palm from where it was resting, and I wasn’t willing to break contact with her for even a second.
Gods, I was so hard up for my mate. Even a simple touch was enough to make my teeth sharpen and my blood rush.
“I feel the same.” I sensed the pulse of her longing through our bond, and it settled in alongside my own, echoing each other in a synergistic melancholy. Fuck, she was so perfect: my mirror, my compliment, the other side of my coin in so many ways. “But maybe it would help if we had something with each other’s scent on it? I know I’m always covering it up, but I’m sure I could figure something out.”
Now, wasn’t that an idea and a half? My mouth watered at this. Although Ayla and I had spent quite a bit of time together, I rarely got to fully enjoy her scent. I understood why, as we didn’t want my family to know she was a half-shifter, but I still wanted to bury my nose in the crook of her neck and inhale without interference.
“Well, you don’t use scent blockers on your panties, do you?”
Ayla stared at me like I’d just suggested she fly, and I watched with plenty of amusement as a deep, red flush began to spread across her face, then down her pale neck. “Kai…” she hissed in a half-whisper, like she was afraid someone would overhear us.
“Kai, what?” What could I say? I loved when my mate got all flustered and squirmy. It was always a thrill to turn such a powerful force of nature into a flushing mess. “I’m just trying to provide a helpful solution.”
Her teeth found their way to her lower lip, biting into the flesh there. This time I raised my thumb up to gently pull that bit of skin away from her bite, pitching my voice low when I spoke.
“Hey, that’s my job.”
I didn’t miss the way her breath changed: the tiniest little hiccup of sound, yet it ricocheted through me in a rush of desire. I could feel myself rapidly growing drunk on how easily I affected her, forgetting all measures of decorum.
“Do you really want a pair of my underwear?” Her voice was barely audible, but my shifter ears were more than able to catch her words, as well as the warble that came with them.
“I want whatever you want to give me,” I answered honestly. My hands moved on their own, sliding down the front of Ayla’s loose nightshirt. I could feel her vibrating beneath my fingers, full of so much energy, so much potential. “I want all of you, Ayla. Every single part.”
“Then, you have it. All of me. All yours.”
We didn’t have time, especially not with Yvonne currently missing, yet none of that mattered now. I had Ayla in my arms, and I intended to make the most of it.
I kissed her harder, the sweetness from before trickling away, leaving the raw heat. The desire. Gods, I wanted Ayla just as much now as the first time, and I couldn’t imagine that feeling ever decreasing. My body, my mind, and my soul all cried out for her, a beautiful cacophony of want, admiration, and pure, unfiltered love.
