Page 8 of Arthur

“Can you respond in kind?” I asked.

“I dreamed about you. When I was a teenager. I think that’s why my parents left. They saw me lusting after you. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself. Every time I got near you, my body would become excited.”

I jerked at Patrick’s response.

“What? When?”

“Right before we left. The first time I…when I pleasured myself, I thought of you. I never thought you’d be mine though.”

I held up our joined hands and brought them to Patrick’s chest and gave him a tight squeeze. “You and I will never be apart. Love, about your parents.” There was no good way or time to have this conversation.

“Master Edison dealt with them, didn’t he?”

“I would imagine so, yes. Henry wasn’t going to let you go without a fight, and he’d hurt you. That’s unacceptable.”

“It’s all right, you know. I realize I should probably feel some sort of remorse, but I can’t. They weren’t nice people. They kept me there, forced me to do things that I know were wrong. Kept basic things from me. The world won’t miss my parents.”

I hurt for my One because I knew that deep down, he’d hoped for them to change, but sadly, some never did. Henry had once been deemed worthy of such an honor as being turned into a warlock, but somewhere along the way, the power had corrupted him.

“I’m your family now. As are Father and Dad. The rest of the coven too. You’ll never be without again,” I said before kissing Patrick’s temple. I was never letting him go. I’d been gifted a rare gem, and I knew it.

Patrick sighed. “It will be nice having a family. But can we maybe not talk about that just yet?”

I chuckled. He was right, of course. Now wasn’t necessarily the proper time to be discussing family. Not when we were naked in the bath and having just claimed one another. “You are, of course, correct, and that was insensitive of me to mention others after what we just shared. I should be asking you if you are all right. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I knew I had been rougher than I intended—especially toward the end.

“No. I enjoyed what you did very much and was wondering when we could do it again.”

I grinned as I ran my hands up and down Patrick’s torso. He was slender, a bit more so than I was, and I wondered if it was how he was naturally or if it was because he’d lacked for nourishment with his parents. From what I knew of Henry and Agnes, I wouldn’t put it past them to treat their son in such a way.

“We can do that anytime you wish. I, too, enjoyed it very much. Would you like to switch positions at some point?” I wanted to feel Patrick inside me. I understood already that he would be the one to carry our children, but I wanted things both ways with us. The joy and pleasure we would be able to find together was something I was looking forward to.

“I would imagine we could figure out other positions we can be in,” Patrick said. It took me a moment to catch up and comprehend what he had said.

“Yes, but that wasn’t what I was meaning. I was asking if you would like to enter me. We can use oils for lubricant since I won’t have slick.”

Patrick stiffened in my arms. “Oh,” he said quietly. He moved enough to turn to where he could see me. “You want me to…but I’m the carrier.”

I smiled. “Yes, but you are also my partner. Is it so wrong that I would want to feel the same pleasure I gave you?”

Patrick’s mouth opened slightly. When a smile started to form, I hoped it was because he was in agreement. Moments later, I discovered that he most certainly was.

Chapter 4

Patrick

Iwas mated. I had a One. And my One was the warlock of my dreams. The one I’d fantasized about as a teenager. The one I’d often thought about when things with my parents became intense. Arthur hadn’t known it, but he’d been my safe space for far longer than I wanted to admit.

And now, we’d claimed one another. I had vague memories of the night after we’d claimed each other, but Arthur was wonderful at sharing those memories with me. We’d had our bath, and although Arthur had been insistent that I be the one to take him that time, I couldn’t see myself doing that often. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy it, but something about it just felt off. After we finished getting clean in the bath, we had a small meal before turning in for the night.

Arthur’s bed was not only large enough for the two of us but was incredibly comfortable. It was the complete opposite of the hard mat I’d slept on above the tavern that my parents had run. Arthur and I found our satisfaction once more before both fell asleep exhausted.

When I woke up a sweaty mess a few hours later, everything I’d been feeling since we’d claimed one another made sense. Being near Arthur had thrown me into a fertile period. Thatnight and the following days and nights were a blur. My few memories were of Arthur, the bed, the bath, small sips of water and bites of food, and sex. Lots and lots of sex.

Through it all, the constant had been Arthur taking care of me. Arthur holding me. Arthur using a cool cloth to help me feel some sort of relief. I had never felt such love from anyone before. I hadn’t known it was even possible, but Arthur had shown me what love was. What a true relationship and mating should be.

That had been three weeks ago, and Arthur’s attentiveness toward me hadn’t lessened. I had thought it was possible he was being overly caring toward me because of my fertile period, but that wasn’t the case in the slightest. Every day since I woke after my fertile period broke, he’d seen to my every need. When he was able to fulfill my needs and desires before I could myself, it took me a moment to realize he was doing so because of our bond. He knew my every need and desire. And out of love for me, he happily got me the bites of bread that I wanted, the tea that I desired. And, of course, any and every sexual thought I had ended up being fulfilled completely. Every single one.

We’d explored each other completely and thoroughly. Arthur, I’d discovered, was possessive as well as attentive, but I had no complaints about either. Now I had a new issue though. I was pregnant. There was no way I wasn’t with the way I kept throwing up everything I tried to put in my stomach. But the constant nausea I’d been experiencing was starting to make me irritable. I tried not to be, but when one was having difficulty sleeping as well as keeping anything in their stomach, irritability seemed to be the result. At least with me.

---