Page 35 of The Prince's Mate

"Come on," Walker said, tugging me toward the couch. "We're going to watch a movie, remember?"

It took me a moment to remember what Walker was talking about, and I let him lead me to the couch, where I sank into the cushions while he grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

"Horror, huh? How about this one? It has a creepy clown," Walker asked, turning to raise a brow at me.

"Sounds good." My mind was buzzing with a million worries. What if Andras tracked us down? We'd sent Ajax home, and while wecouldtake on a few vampires, we were vulnerable against black magic, and Andras already knew that. The last thing I wanted was to put Walker in danger.

Walker started the movie before turning to me. "Get up for a moment."

I frowned, but did as he'd asked, and he lay down on the couch facing the TV, then patted the space before him. "Come on. I want cuddles."

Shaking my head, I settled in front of him, and he quickly wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him. His body was warm and steady behind mine, and I sank into him, letting out a soft exhale.

The movie started, and as it rained on the screen, I let the sound wash over me and quiet the buzz in my mind. Walker's touch and his warmth kept me anchored to the here and now.

"Are you watching a movie without me?" Ro demanded, slithering into the room from wherever he'd been.

"You can join us if you want," Walker offered, and Ro hissed before sliding onto the couch. He slid over the armrest near our feet and reached the backrest, curling up on it so he could see the screen.

"Horror, nice. I thought you didn't like horror," he said, and I glanced back at Walker.

"You don't like horror?" I asked, and his cheeks turned pink as he glanced away.

"Uh, it's not that I don't like horror. I just haven't found the right movie yet, you know," he explained, and Ro'Shassz scoffed.

Something warm and pleasant filled my chest at the thought that Walker was only watching this movie because it was a genre I liked. People in movies made these grand romantic gestures, but I'd always found little things like these to be more romantic. What could be better than having someone who liked you enough to do something they didn't like just so they could spend time with you?

I was lucky to have Walker, and I was luckier still that he'd accepted our bond, acceptedusso easily. I still didn't quite understand how he'd gotten over his dislike for me so quickly, and while I was curious, I was also irrationally afraid that asking would somehow remind Walker of how he'd felt about me before.

"If you say so," Ro piped up, and I smiled as I snuggled closer to Walker. His arm tightened around me, and together, the three of us watched the movie, Ro hissing delightedly every time Walker jumped at the scary parts. I sent up a silent prayer to anyone that might be listening that every day forward would be full of moments like this.

Ro'Shassz

Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad, spending time with the new couple. They could manage to not be sappy shits every once in a while, and watching a movie with them had been fun. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Step Sixteen: Decide if this plan needed any more steps, or if it could now be calledMission Accomplished.

Seventeen

Walker

"Will you tell me more about this? About Andras and why he's so obsessed with you?" I asked Caelan, and he turned on his side to face me. Reaching out, I brushed my finger over the edge of his ear, making it twitch.

We were in bed, and both of us had been too restless to sleep. This wasn't exactly a pillow-talk conversation, but I hadn't been able to find the right time to ask Caelan, and I needed to know more before our next encounter with this Andras.

"It's not a pretty story," he warned, and I took his hand, holding it in the space between us.

"But it's yours," I said, and he sighed. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me, though. No pressure."

"I want to tell you, Walker. I want to tell you everything," he promised. "I just...I'm just having trouble finding the right words."

Pulling his hand up, I pressed my lips to his knuckles and quietly waited for him to gather his thoughts.

"In my human life, my family was poor," he started, and I focused on his warm voice, my grip on his hand steady. "We lived in a leopard shifter pride that was barely managing to hold on, and we were all struggling. Andras, he owned most of the land in our village, and then he came for the pack land."

"And he was human then?" I asked, and Caelan nodded.

"Yeah. But he was rich and powerful. Our pride leader brokered a deal with Andras, where he would leave them alone in exchange for, well, whatever Andras wanted," he said, and a lump formed in my throat as I realized exactly what that bastard had decided to take.

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