Page 39 of Tortured Royals

“I found him in here about three hours ago,”Shade comments.“Who knows how long he was up before that.”

I’m still gaping when firm arms wrap around me from behind, and Nate squeezes me before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Mmmm, what’s smellin’ so good?” He scans the room, and when he spots the spread, he grins widely. “Well, damn, Callan, you have been holdin’ out on us.”

Pulling me along, Nate gracefully slides into a chair at the table and drags me onto his lap.

Dante, Alaric, and Mason, come down the hallway, and Dante brushes his fingers against my cheek before taking a seat opposite me. “Sleep well, princess?”

Before I can answer, Alaric drops into the seat on my right. He grabs me from Nate’s lap, pulling me onto him instead.

Mason shakes his head at the possessive assassin, and Shade gushes in my mind.“Hold on, what’d I miss? Because that’s not the grumpy Alaric I know.”

I smile.“Let’s just say, my assassin has finally come around.”I wiggle on Alaric’s lap trying to get comfortable, and he grunts, growing hard beneath me.Oops.

I can practically feel Shade pouting in my mind.“What? You guys are too cute! This is so unfair. I need my own harem of sexy men.”

“I’m sure your bird mate is out there somewhere,”I assure her.

“Yes, but I don’t wantonemate. I swear, if I was human?—”

“If you were human, I never would have rescued you from the human realm,”I interject.“And I’m pretty sure humans only have one mate.”

“Actually, they have husbands, not mates, and there are some who choose more than one partner,”Shade corrects, and then she squeals in my head.

“What, what is it?”I snap, surprised at her outburst.

“He’s trying to feed you, girl. That is next level adorable.”

I frown, but when Alaric lifts a forkful of venison up to my lips I realize what she’s going on about.

I make an unimpressed face. “Okay, being carried around is one thing, but this is too much.”

Alaric doesn’t lower the fork. “You wanted me to treat you like my mate, so eat, enchantress.”

“And I will,” I say forcefully. “But I can feed myself.”

“I’m sure he knows you can, princess,” Dante drawls, “but if you don’t start eating something soon, I’m going to be tempted to feed you something else, and we wouldn’t want all the archangel’s hard work to go to waste.”

My cheeks heat as Dante’s midnight blue gaze holds mine. The only empty seat is next to him on the other side of the table, and he slides it closer to him like he’s making me a promise, one that is all too tempting. But he’s right about not wanting to waste all the delicious warm food.

I force myself to ignore his seductive stare and look over at Prince Callan who’s now seated a few chairs from me. “This is amazing,” I tell him, and before I can close my mouth, Alaric has shoved a forkful of food in there.

I glare at the assassin, but I’m soon distracted as layers of flavor explode on my tongue.Merciful Lady.My eyes shoot wide with surprise.

Nate’s chest rumbles as he swallows his own forkful, and gives the archangel a lopsided grin. “Definitely holdin’ out on us, brother.”

I don’t complain as Alaric continues to feed me, but then I slip from his lap and make my way over to my seat, because there’s no way I’m not getting my own plate. Dante watches me with a hawkish gaze, but he doesn’t pounce on me like he’d teased, though his tail does wrap possessively around my leg, pinning me to the chair.

Shade goes straight for the bowl of seeds and nuts that’s on one side of the table, clearly left there for her. There’s also a large selection of prepared fruit.“Mmmm….have I mentioned that I love this archangel?”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure you were anti-Prince Callan the last time we discussed him. You’re swayed that easily then, huh?”

“I’m just saying, I could get used to this,”Shade says.“Besides, don’t pretend you weren’t easily won over as well. I heard all of you last night.”

I can’t really argue with that, and the others don’t say much as we devour the food. It’s only when we’ve eaten our fill, that I realize all eyes are on me again.

Dante is the first one to speak. “So princess, now that we’re home, where do we go from here?”

“I’d like to know that, too,”Shade chimes in.“What have the crows been telling you?”

---