Page 26 of Scales and Seduction

His lips twitch in amusement, but he doesn’t argue with me. Instead, he peels his body back from me so he can look me in the eyes. “I know, it’s unexpected.” His eyes hold a tenderness as he listens to me ramble.

My anxiety threatens to overwhelm me entirely, my speech coming out in a long spew of words. “Unexpected?” I huff,shaking my head against the pillows. “It’s insane! Creatures live in my world and have this entire time, and you didn’t tell me. I thought that all of your kind live here, and now I find out that vampires and mermaids exist,” I dig my palms into my eye sockets. “What else don’t I know? Is my hairbrush secretly plotting world domination too?”

Gideon chuckles softly, the sound low and rich. “If it is, then I’ll protect you from it too.” His fingers trace absentminded circles against my hip, grounding me despite myself.

I allow myself to let out a slow breath, leaning my head against his chest again. “So, what now?”

He hums thoughtfully, his hand continuing its little circles nearly driving me wild. Gideon’s touch might ground me, but it also stokes my lust for him, even though hours ago, he fucked me so thoroughly that I should think twice about wanting more.

“For now, let’s focus on the dinner with Avalon and my family.”

Groaning, I shake my head. “Oh God. I forgot about that. I can’t go with you, Gideon; it isn’t okay. Parading me around in front of your fiancée and her family as if they won’t think the worst of us.”

His grip tightens just slightly. “I can’t leave you here if there are forces coming after you, sweetheart. I know it might feel awkward, but we have no choice in the matter, and…” He pauses as if gathering the rest of his thoughts. “No one will harm you. I’ll make sure of it.”

There is an edge of finality that sends warmth through me. They aren’t just words. He means it.

Tilting my head up, I study the sharp angles of his face and the way his golden eyes glance down at me softly. “You really think this is the best idea?”

His thumb brushes along my jaw. “If whoever is behind the attacks knows you’re with me in the castle, then they mayhesitate to strike again. There’s far too much security there for them to dare. And I need you close, where I can keep you safe.”

The last part of his sentence sends shivers through my body. I swallow hard as my heart flips and flutters. I’m growing fond of him protecting me. “You’re annoyingly good at doing that whole protective mate thing, you know?”

Gideon laughs as his lips curve into a breathtakingly toothy smile. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“I’ll let you know after I survive this dinner.”

The next morning,the warmth of his body is gone. I reach across the bed, fingers grasping at empty sheets. His body heat has long faded. My eyes blink open to the sight of him standing at the edge of the room, half-dressed in a barely closed tunic. There’s something wrong in the way his eyes are hard and focused on the phone in his hands.

Slowly, he crosses to my bedside, holding out the phone to me. “Call Silas.”

His voice is calm, but there’s an edge to it and an urgency that make me nervous. “Why? What’s wrong?”

I push myself upright, still groggy, and take the phone from his hands. My fingers are clumsy as I press his name at the top of the call list.

The call rings once and then—voicemail.

“I’ve called him all morning to put the glamor back on before we go to the castle. He always picks up, Ruby.”

I frown and try again. Straight to voicemail. A prickle of uneasiness crawls up my spine. “Well, we have a few hours, right?”

“Try Loran.” Gideon’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t answer my question. I do as he asks, even as my fingers tremble against the phone.

There’s one ring and then voicemail. It’s the same thing.

My stomach twists as a heavy silence settles between us. I look up at Gideon, hoping for reassurance, but his expression is tense. He’s worried. His tail coils behind him in slow deliberate movements but his body language is tight, filled with concern. I can’t blame him because now what do I do to hide from all these monsters who might hate me?

“What do we do?” My voice is quieter than I intend as a sinking weight hits my stomach. “Do you think they’re okay?”

“I think they’re fine. If they weren’t, the council would have called here immediately to get me. Noodles and I think this is part of the attack last night,” Gideon says, unwavering. “We are going to the castle tonight without the glamor.”

“Just walk in asus?” I drop the phone to the bed as a wave of fear roils in my stomach. “You have to be kidding!”

A sharp, dangerous smirk crosses over his face. “Let them see you. They’re playing with us, but you’re under my protection, Ruby.”

I should be used to it by now, how effortlessly he claims me and his unshakable confidence. Hearing it now, though, makes me feel conflicting emotions. After being intimate with him, somehow, I feel more appreciation for him and for what being his mate might mean. It’s hard to grasp it all or even my feelings when I still want to go home.

Running a hand through my hair, I exhale slowly, letting the tension inside me release. “And what about the zombies? Shouldn’t we tell someone?”

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