Lilith
I am awake.
I have been for a bit, but I don’t want to open my eyes.
If I do, it will confirm that the last few days weren’t just some bad dream, and were, in fact, real.
Maybe if I lie here a little longer, I can keep living in a fantasy where Casper didn’t reject me again, and my mother is still alive.
Movement beside me makes my eyes fly open.
I am not on the couch in Kael’s safe house, where I fell asleep.
No.
I am in his bed.
I turn my head slowly to see him looking at me with a mischievous grin on his face.
“Good morning, Sunshine.
How did you sleep?”
My mouth drops open.
How can he be so cavalier about sharing a bed with me?
“Why am I in your bed?” The words come out shaky.
Kael falls onto his back and sighs.
“You stumbled in here last night, don’t you remember?”
”I most certainly did not!” I hiss at him.
There is a soft twinkle in his eyes that makes me want to punch him in the throat.
“Weird.
You must have been sleepwalking, but I am flattered that you are drawn to me, even in your sleep.”
”You are a terrible liar,” I seethe.
“I don’t sleepwalk, and I am certainly not ‘drawn to you.'”
He smiles again, and I realize just how wickedly handsome he truly is.
Now that he isn’t on the brink of death, the color has returned to his skin, and it is infuriating how beautiful he is.
“You have your story, and I have mine,” he continues.
“But I didn’t take you for a cuddler.”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment.
“I don’t cuddle.”
Kael props himself up on his elbow. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“With me, you do.”
He runs a finger up my arm, and a spark of tingling follows it.
It is the kind of feeling that makes me want to curl into his chest and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist, but those kinds of feelings are dangerous, especially when it comes to a member of the royal family.
Instead of giving in to my baser urges, I hop out of bed and away from his touch, but I don’t move fast enough.
Before I can round the end of the bed, he has wrapped an arm around my waist and tugs me back beside him.
My back his the mattress with a soft thud, and I swear my heart will pound out of my chest.
“You don’t have to be tough,” he whispers against my skin.
“Not here, not with me.”
I try to wiggle away, ignoring the way his words make my stomach flip, but he holds me to the bed.
His face is inches from mine, and his lips part in a way that tells me he is going to kiss me, and I can’t think of anything else that I would rather do.
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips, and his eyes track the movement, but then, my phone rings.
Kael growls but doesn’t let me go.
His breath fans against my cheek, and the phone rings again.
“I should probably see who that is,” I say in a voice that is too small.
“Is that what you want?”
I nod, afraid that my voice will betray me.
Kael lets me go, and I sit up, but I feel dizzy.
I grab my phone from the table and see Casper’s face on the screen.
I look between it and Kael as if I am being forced to choose between them, but the truth is, Casper already chose someone else, and so should I.
Still, I answer the call.
“Hey.”
His voice booms through the speaker the moment the call connects.
“I have been calling you all fucking night.
Where are you?
And who answered your phone in the middle of the night?”
My brows wrinkle.
“I…”
”You are MY mate,” he screams.
“I won’t have you running around and fucking someone else.
It makes you look like a whore, and it makes me look weak.”
”I…”
”Are you even listening to me?”
”I…” I try to speak again, but he continues to rant.
He only cares about himself and Serene.
There is nothing left for me to do but end the call.
Before he can call back, I block his number and stare at my phone.
I wait for the familiar feelings of sadness and despair to creep in again, but they don’t.
I don’t feel anything.
I am just done with his bullshit.
Done with the Moonclaw Pack altogether.
Once I am finished blocking his number, I turn to Kael and sigh.
“Why did you answer my phone?”
He doesn’t show a bit of remorse.
“It was ringing.”
”Obviously,” I roll my eyes.
“But it is mine.
If this is going to work, I need you to respect my space and my things.”
Kael’s lips purse together, and I can tell that he has never been told that by any woman in his life, probably not even his mother.
“Fine,” he grumbles.
“But in my defense, it was two in the morning, and it was loud.”
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him.
“So, you thought that answering a call from my ex-mate would be the perfect thing to do?”
”I didn’t check the caller ID,” he admits.
“But I will say this.
I don’t like the way he talks to you.”
”He is my problem.”
”Yeah, and I can make him go away.”
I cock my head to the side.
“Are you serious?”
”Yes.
I can make him disappear.
Hell, I can get rid of anyone who bothers you.
Just say the word.”
I swallow hard when I see the seriousness in his gaze.
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Kael gets up and plants a kiss on my forehead.
“Just say the word.”