Page 5 of Arthur

“Oh.” How did one respond to that? “The answer is still yes. I’d love to get clean. Mother didn’t allow for use of powers, and Father went along with her wishes. I’ve done my best to clean up as often as possible. And I did use my magic when I could.” I decided it was probably best to stop talking while I was ahead. A glance at Arthur showed him smiling fondly at me.

“Well, here, magic is very welcome and encouraged. As are baths. We can bathe nightly if you wish. I have a large tub in the other room. Shall we?” Arthur asked while holding out his arm. Surely he didn’t mean for us to bathe together. Did he? But…wait. He’d said I was his. I was his One. Did that mean…

“Arthur?”

“We’ll discuss everything as we get clean. Then we’ll see where things go from there, all right?”

I could only nod because teenage me seemed to be in control—the teenage me that had first found self-pleasure after seeing Arthur shirtless in the barn tending to the horses that were kept there. I followed Arthur to the other room and saw it was a bedroom. There was a comfortable-looking bed in one corner and a tall wardrobe against one wall, and on the other side of the room was a large tub that was filled with steaming, fragrant water.

I took a deeper whiff and smiled. “Lavender.”

“Yes. It is quite calming, and I figured the more relaxed the both of us were, the better.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Arthur as he started to undress. His warm outer coat came off first, leaving him in his doublet and hose.

“Not that I mind you watching, but the bath works better if we’re both naked.”

I stood there staring but nodded and got to work undressing. I unfastened the warm outer coat I’d been given and placed it on the chair with Arthur’s. I had just removed my shoes and was working on my shirt when I happened to look up. I lost my breath.

Arthur was naked, and fates be, he was more stunning than I had imagined. And I’d imagined a lot.

“I’m pleased you like what you see, as we’re going to be together for all of eternity.”

Together? He’d mentioned that before.

“Do you understand what’s happening, Patrick?” Arthur asked as he closed the distance between us. When he was standing next to me, my body went crazy.

“What is that?” I whispered.

“By that, you mean the vibrations?”

I nodded.

“That’s your aura. It recognizes us as fated to be together. You’re my One, Patrick, as I’m yours. That means you and I belong together, and if you so choose, we’ll claim one another and then start our lives together.”

Surely it wasn’t that easy. This was Arthur. The coven master’s son. The coven master who was the very first created warlock. The only created one, as far as any of us knew.

“Patrick?” Arthur reached out and placed a hand on my cheek. It worked because I was able to focus, and I saw something I never thought I would in Arthur’s eyes: desire.

“I want that,” I said quietly.

Arthur closed his eyes briefly before he opened them and focused on me. The intensity of his gaze was enough to have me shivering in anticipation.

I was given no warning before Arthur cupped my face with both of his hands, and then he lowered his lips the scant couple of inches that separated us. I gasped when the connection zapped us. I suddenly found myself pulled tight to Arthur’s very naked and incredibly hard body. His arms wrapped tightly around me while his tongue sought out mine. I hesitantly returned the movement and was rewarded with a moan from the man in front of me.

His lips were softer than I imagined they would be, but when they pulled away from mine, I wanted to protest until they started moving down my cheek toward my neck. I closed my eyes and let my head fall backward, giving Arthur all of the room I could. He didn’t disappoint.

My sexual experiences were very limited, and I’d never been with a man, but I was quickly realizing that Arthur was quite skilled when it came to lovemaking. The sudden surge of jealousy was something new, something I didn’t quite know how to control.

“What just happened? You’re buzzing with energy and not in a good way,” Arthur said. He looked at me with concern, and I could only shake my head. There was no way I wanted to admit that I was feeling jealous about his past lovers. The man was over two hundred years old. I was twenty-six. He’d had a long time to live before I was even born.

“Nothing. I’ll…I’ll calm down,” I said instead.

“I don’t believe you. What’s bothering you? The energy is dissipating, which tells me that you’re calming down. Are you nervous about making love? We don’t have to claim one another yet. We can wait until you’re more comfortable with me. I apologize for pushing. I’ve been looking for you for quite some time though.”

I shook my head. “That’s not it. It’s silly and therefore nothing. I want this. Us. I know a little about mates and Ones and how it works. Obviously, I know it’s possible that one of us will get pregnant. Master Edison had you, I’m told. And George. And I remember Oliver being pregnant before we left. I think that might be one of the reasons why my parents wanted to leave.”

“They’ve had yet another son since then. That makes eight for them,” Arthur said and smiled fondly.

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