Page 49 of An Unending Claim

“Definitely unusual,” Peyton murmured before eating a little more. When the plate was empty, she pushed it away and swiveled on her stool to face me. “Watching their story unfold will definitely be interesting.”

I murmured an agreement as I took both of our dishes and walked over to the sink.

“So why is Jude sending this slayer? Some stranger he wants you to trust?”

That’s when it hit me.Fuck.I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten. Dimitri’s pet witch.Sapphire.

“What is it?” Peyton asked, obviously picking up on my emotion.

“My friend, Dimitri—”

“The former vampire king?”

“Yes. He has a witch working for him. I spoke with him not long ago and she asked him to tell me to ‘trust the stranger.’ I ignored it at the time because Sapphire can be…”

“Her name is Sapphire? Does she have blue hair?” Peyton’s tone was teasing.

“Actually, it is,” I informed her, laughing at her shocked expression.

“Like Emerald with the green hair? Are they sisters or something?”

“No. Just a coincidence. Anyway, Sapphire is a bit… we’ll use the word ‘eccentric.’ And a bit flighty. She likes to speak in riddles, which is why I don’t pay much attention when she speaks. However, she’s never wrong.” I stared at Peyton as the memory of Sapphire’s visit returned.

Peyton put her elbow on the counter and leaned into it, her weariness appearing on her face for just a second. I frowned, irritated with myself for forgetting about the stress of her afternoon. She was already more tired than usual because of the pregnancy, then to have that phone call…she had to be fucking exhausted.

“Go to bed, baby,” I told her.

She narrowed her eyes at being ordered around. I’d fallen into the habit of commanding, but that was overshadowed by the thought of Peyton and bed, which had my libido rushing to the surface. It took a concerted effort, but I beat it back. I truly hoped this insatiable need for each other would lighten up, though I was confident that Peyton and I would always have an incredibly strong attraction. Perhaps the best I could hope for was a little more control over it.

“Stop it, King,” Peyton grumbled.

I glanced at her and one corner of my mouth lifted when she squirmed a little in her seat. “Go on, baby,” I encouraged. “We’ll deal with the phone call tomorrow. ”

Peyton stared at me for a moment, her expression puzzled. I waited silently for her to say whatever was on her mind. “You’re very confusing sometimes.”

“Oh?” I’d rarely been accused of that considering I was so direct.

“You really are trying not to be so pushy and overbearing.”

“Were you really questioning that?” Again, I hadn’t been subtle about my intention to try to change, so I didn’t understand her perplexed state.

“No. I didn’t word that right. I guess what I should have said is that you really are changing. You’re retraining yourself. Not to be someone else, just a different version of yourself.”

I finally picked up on where her mind had gone. “People tend to believe that changing something about themselves means giving up who they are and becoming someone else. Sometimes, it’s about finding a balance between extremes and finding who you really are.”

Peyton studied me for a few moments and looked as though she might speak again, but then she yawned. “Okay. I think you’re right. I’m going to bed.” She scooted off her stool and walked toward the hallway, but stopped after a few steps and turned back. “The stranger wasn’t the only thing that hit you when you spoke about Sapphire. What else surprised you?”

I smiled as I stood and sauntered over to pull her into my arms. “You, baby. She told me you were coming.” I laughed and placed my hand on Peyton’s rounded stomach. “That little witch even predicted our pup. I dismissed it at the time, partly because she had other information that was incredibly important, but also because it seemed so ridiculous.”

Peyton hummed and laid her head on my chest. “I wouldn’t have believed her either. You weren’t anywhere in my plans, Nathan King. I’m pretty annoyed over the whole thing.”

Her tone and mood were light, so I knew while there was some truth to that, she was teasing me. I grabbed her ass and boosted her up so her legs wrapped around my waist. “What do you want to bet I can make you forget all about being annoyed?”

Peyton smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Put your money where your mouth is, Nate.”

Heat exploded inside me and I leaned forward until our mouths were only a whisper apart. “I think we’ve established the fact that I’m far more convincing when I put my mouth where your pussy is.”

My wolf rumbled in my chest, feeling the shift in mood and extremely interested in the new direction. Peyton’s eyes flashed with gold, her panther responding to the thick sexual tension as well.

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