Page 28 of The Prince's Mate

I glanced up, meeting his blue gaze that seemed even bluer near the ocean. Unlike when he was in his true form, his eyes now were completely human, and I missed the cat pupils he usually sported. After all, it was Caelan in his true form that I'd first grown fond of, and he'd always be my favorite, but I understood why he had to stick to this form here.

"So, did Day manage to get you hooked to his Disney movies?" he asked, and I chuckled, glancing down at my toes before meeting his eyes.

"Some of them, yeah. I'm not a hardcore fan like he is, though."

"Trust me, no one is."

I laughed, completely agreeing with him. "I like mythologies more. Pops would read me a bunch of stories when I was younger, and I was fascinated by them, so now I like to read them whenever I can." I wondered if that came off as nerdy. I didn't care, honestly, but I was trying to impress Caelan, to make him see me as I was now and not the kid he'd left behind.

"I bet that makes Arty really happy."

"It does, yeah. It was something my grandpa got him interested in, and he got to keep that tradition going with me," I said with a shrug, thinking back to how proud Pops had looked the first time he'd found me in Dad's library paging through a book on Indian mythologies.

"Do you see him often? Your grandfather?" Caelan asked, and I shrugged.

"Not really. He and Kym's uncle have a life in Afterworld. We've visited a few times, but it doesn't truly feel right. They're in a different stage in their life, you know? I'll see them more when we're all in Afterworld, I suppose," I said, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"I know what you mean. I didn't go looking for anyone I knew when I was in Afterworld either," he said, and I raised a brow.

"Like your parents?" I asked, and his brows shot up.

"I guess. Hopefully, they spent enough time in the Redemption Center before they got there," he grumbled, and I blinked. Had Caelan's parents not been good to him?

My birth parents had been a couple of druggies who'd sold me off for their next hit when I was five, not that I remembered them, but the day they'd sold me off to a vampire clan to be their pet blood bag was seared into my memory—so I knew all about having those who were supposed to love you treat you like dirt instead. Dad had made sure to punish my birth parents, though. Why not Caelan's?

"Anyway, we should be talking about happier things," Caelan said, and I blinked, turning my eyes to the sand beneath my feet as I tried to get my mind back on track.

"You're right. It's just...we've known each other for so long, but we don't really know much about each other when you think about it. It's...confusing," I said, and Caelan sighed as he squeezed my hand.

"That's true. Like, I know you love hot chocolate, but I don't know what your favorite color is."

"Exactly. It's hard to decide what to talk about when first date questions sound stupid and there's already so much history between us." Turning to Caelan, I wrapped my free arm around his waist, holding him to me, and met his eyes. "Maybe we can do something other than talking. Get to know each other in a completely different way."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," I murmured as I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.

Ro'Shassz

I should've stayed at the apartment. What had I been thinking? They had a demon guarding their backs already, they didn't need me. And I didn't need to know what Walker sounded like when he was turned on. Why had I thought hiding in his jeans pocket would be a good idea?

Step Thirteen: Survive Walker and Caelan's first date.

Fourteen

Caelan

Things might have started out with us trading soft, gentle kisses, but they'd heated up quickly.

Walker's arms were like bands of steel around my waist, while his tongue tangled with mine, and his teeth nipped at my lips, claiming them as his own. I'd never felt this...owned before, and I'd never felt so good getting claimed by anyone either. But it wasn't just anyone. This was Walker. My mate.

Walker shifted until his leg was between mine, his thigh pressing against my erection, and I moaned, trembling under his touch. I could feel him everywhere. My lips, my tongue, my torso, my dick. He was everywhere, and he was driving me crazy.

"For the love of Otherworld, please stop!" I jerked back at the familiar voice, and both Walker and I glanced down between us, searching for the origin of the sound. From the left pocketof Walker's jeans, Ro'Shassz slithered out. He'd shrunk himself to fit there, and he stayed in that size, probably so he wouldn't startle the humans around us.

"What the fuck, Ro? When did you get in there?" Walker demanded.

"Before you put the jeans on," Ro answered sullenly, and my eyes widened.

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