Page 30 of The Prince's Mate

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Caelan was already in bed, only the lamp on his nightstand lighting up the room in a yellow glow. He was dressed in a soft-looking T-shirt, the blanket pulled up to his waist.

I climbed onto the bed, settling beside him and turning on my side so I was facing him. He met my eyes, his blue ones almost glowing in the dim light as his ears twitched. I was glad to see he'd switched back to his true form, and I reached out, slowly brushing the tip of my index finger against the top of his ear. He shivered slightly, and I pulled back, placing my hand on his open palm instead.

"What are your thoughts about cuddling?" I asked, and his eyes shot to mine. He blinked once and then shrugged. Did he really believe I couldn't see through him?

"It's okay, I guess," he murmured, and I widened my eyes dramatically.

"Okay? Clearly, you've never been cuddled by someone who knows what they're doing," I huffed, and Caelan smirked.

"Clearly," he agreed, and I shook my head mournfully.

"That will not do. I need to rectify this. Right now."

"Is that right?"

"Yep." I pulled my hand away from his, instead wrapping it around his waist. I tugged him closer, and he came easily, throwing his arm over my hip, his fingers digging into my back as he slid closer.

We were almost the same height, so I had to adjust us a little. Caelan's head was tucked under mine, the tips of his ears tickling against my skin, and if I hadn't been so focused on him, I would've missed the contented sigh that left his lips once I had him situated perfectly.

I ran my palm up and down his back, in slow soothing strokes, and he hummed against the base of my throat, his arm clinging to me a little harder.

"I had fun today.”

"Me too," Caelan replied in a hushed voice, his lips brushing against my skin as he spoke.

"I'm really glad I found out, Kitty. I want you to know that."

He pulled back a little to glance up at me. "You really mean that? You don't regret it?"

"Not at all. Caelan, no matter what happened, no matter how I treated you, not that I'm trying to excuse my behavior, you are and you always have been one of the most important people in my life. That's never going to change. Ever."

Caelan stared at me for a long moment, and I could almost feel his eyes digging into my soul, trying to make sure I wasn't lying. I let him have his fill, hoping he could see that I meant every single word.

After a while, Caelan simply tucked his head back under mine, and I held him to me. His leg slid between mine, as if he couldn't bear to have any space between us, and I held him tighter still. I'd never actually had someone in my bed all night, sans Ro'Shassz, and I wasn't counting the other night since neither of us had actually slept and it'd been awkward as fuck.

Whenever I'd thought about dating, I'd always hit a wall. For some reason, I could never quite imagine what it would be like for me, but now I could imagine every moment, every milestone with Caelan. Maybe some part of me had always known I had someone waiting for me, and that was why I'd never bothered to go looking for someone.

Holding Caelan in my arms felt as right as deciding to stay in Otherworld had, and I knew even now that I wanted to do this every night for the rest of my life. If I hadn't grown up the way I had, watching my dads so in love with each other, I might've felt I was being too hasty, but I knew better.

I knew without a doubt that I was going to fall in love with Caelan, that I would build a life with him, and nothing was going to change that. Not me, not Caelan, and certainly not the asshole who wanted to take my mate away from me.

Ro'Shassz

So, I'd survived. Barely, but I did it. I didn't think Walker and Caelan needed any more meddling from me, but I was going to stick close. Day had told me a little bit about the asshole called Andras, and I'd promised Day and his men I'd watch out for Walker and Caelan. I intended to keep my promise.

Step Fourteen: Keep Walker and Caelan safe while they insist on acting like a couple of lovesick puppies.

Fifteen

Caelan

I woke up warm and cozy, something I hadn't felt in a long time. While Otherworld was always warm, I still felt a little cold when I went to bed. I didn't know why, but maybe it was a remnant from my human days when I'd slept in less-than-comfortable places and rarely felt warm.

Carefully shifting back, I blinked my eyes open, only to find myself face-to-face with a sleeping Walker. I'd never noticed how long his eyelashes were, and I resisted the temptation to reach out and brush my finger over them.

Instead, I took a few moments to absorb this, to absorb everything that had happened since I'd gotten captured. I should've done this already, but after Walker had rescued me, he'd found out about us being mates, and then I'd felt like I needed to make the most of it before Walker changed his mind.He hadn't yet, and I was hopeful that he wouldn't, but I still wasn't completely sure.

The fact that Andras was alive and looking for me also added a wrench in my plans to have a quiet, safe life with Walker. Wecouldgo back to Otherworld, let someone else deal with Andras and the demons, but the thought that he might have more prisoners—or warriors, as he liked to call us—kept me from leaving.

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