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Mananan’s hand dropped to his dick. He needed to calm down so he could think straight. He began to stroke himself, one hand braced against the wall.
Gods, Ella had been so fucking responsive and sensitive just from him kissing her breasts that she’d come. He could smell her arousal, had wanted to bury his face between her thighs and lick her over and over. He had left more than one red mark on her chest, needing to know he’d been there, to warn others that she was his. He wanted to watch her face glow from pleasure. He wanted to come all over those sweet, soft…
“Fuck,” Mananan groaned, biting his lip to keep himself from shouting as his orgasm roared through him. His knees went weak, and his whole body shook.
What the actual fuck? He rested his forehead against the cool stone and tried to get his breath back. When Mananan could finally think straight, he washed away the mess and got out.
Now that the problem of his dick was taken care of, he had another one to consider. Ella was human, and unlike Chrissy, she had no idea about fae mating rituals. How would he break it to her?
Mananan toweled himself off and pulled on a loose pair of sleeping pants. He needed to get his sword from the vault and get back to the human world. He couldn’t claim her as his mate until the threat to her from the Fomorian monster was dead and his part of the prophecy fulfilled.
Mananan stepped out of the bathroom on silent feet. Ella was still asleep, her arms and legs spread out on the bed. She was still wearing the necklace to stop her from picking up on his emotions or memories. He’d never been happier that he’d gotten Taranis to make it. The last thing he wanted was to freak her out with the intensity of what he was feeling for her.
Mananan slipped into bed beside her and rolled onto his side to face her.
“My mate. How could I have been so blind?” he murmured. He dared to bend down and press his lips lightly to hers, silently promising her to do whatever he needed to make her his forever.
* * *
The next morning,Mananan woke to Ella’s arms and legs wrapped around him and her face pressed into the side of his chest. He didn’t move, hardly dared to breathe. She trembled a little and sighed as she woke. She moved her head and looked at him with sleepy gray eyes. Then they widened, her smile vanishing as she scrambled off him.
“Woah, it’s okay, Ella,” Mananan said gently.
“No, no… I fell asleep beside you… I could have…” Her hand clawed at her throat. She touched the necklace, and realization rushed over her features. “Oh, thank fuck.” She fell backward on the bed, her hand clutching the pendant.
“You fell asleep on the balcony, and I couldn’t leave you out there,” Mananan said, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s not you. Really. I don’t sleep in the same bed as other people. I tend to walk into their dreams and not know who I am when I wake,” Ella replied, rubbing at her face. “It scared me. Just…give me a minute.” She got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.
Mananan knew better than to follow her, but he didn’t like that she’d woken afraid of him.
He had hoped to pick up where they’d left off the night before. He wasn’t going to even suggest it after that awakening.
Mananan heard the water running in the shower, so he summoned the closest servant and asked them to bring her clothes and some breakfast. They were grinning when they hurried away. He had never had a woman in his chambers before. When he used to be in the mood for that kind of cavorting, he did it in places in Faerie where he wasn’t recognized.
Mananan took the breakfast tray and the clothes when they returned. He didn’t want anyone in his space right now except for Ella. He tapped lightly on the bathroom door.
“Ella? I’m placing some clean clothes outside the door. Breakfast is on the balcony when you’re ready,” he said.
“Okay, thanks!” Ella sounded too bright. He hated it because he knew she was still trying to calm down from her fright. He wanted to force his way in and comfort her.
Mananan’s teeth ground together, and he forced himself to go and sit outside in the morning sunshine. He tipped his face to the warmth, shut his eyes, and tried to breathe.
He would give her space. He wouldn’t be an overbearing asshole. Ella would let him in when he earned it and not a second before.
He didn’t dare move when he heard the bathroom door open and her footsteps coming closer.
“I’m sorry,” Ella said, and he opened his eyes. She was dressed in loose purple pants and a shirt. The color was so rich, it made her pale hair shine.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Mananan replied. She was staring at her feet like she expected he would yell at her. He couldn’t handle it. “Ella. Look at me.” Her stormy eyes lifted, and he saw the conflict in them. What fucking asshole had hurt her so badly that she held that kind of panic in her eyes?
“Baby, please, come here,” he said, the words leaving him in a rush. He held out a hand to her. She bit her lip and then hurried over. He tugged her into his arms, and she went willingly. “I can’t help unless you tell me what’s wrong.”
“I should’ve told you about the sleeping thing. I forgot about the pendant. I freaked out on you, and I feel like I’m…like I’m never going to run right.” Ella clung to him a little tighter. “I’m going to fuck this up, and I’m going to regret it forever.”
Mananan’s mating rune burned and burned. He tilted her chin so she couldn’t look away. “Ella, you are not fucking anything up. You had a fright. I’m not mad at you, so please stop acting like I am. I would never hurt you. Do I look angry?”
“No, you don’t, but I don’t understand why,” she replied.
