Page 77 of His Fate

She shakes her head and smiles wide. "You do. I mean, not completely. I taste blood when I bite you,"—she grins evilly—"I taste your cum when I suck you like you're my favorite treat but there is a distinct chocolate flavor along with the spicy, smoky one."

"You are a vulgar little thing, my sweet Josephine." Then I smirk. "I quite like it."

She stretches up and kisses me slowly, licks at the remnants of her blood in my mouth, and giggles when I do the same.

"You know what I want now that I had you one of the many times I intend to have you today?"

"That's easy, I don't even have to search your thoughts," I say as I sit us up and kiss her lips. "You, my beautiful mate, want a shower complete with more sex, and at least a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream covered in chocolate and caramel sauce topped off with raspberries and white chocolate chips."

Her face beams as she nods.

I get to my feet, Posey still wrapped around me like a koala in a tree, then head toward our en-suite. Then I almost drop her when she blurts, "Would you be against the idea of foregoing the bowl and allow me to eat that ice cream off of you instead?"

I laugh, loud and hard, my mate joining in and it's that moment, that second in time that I know without a shadow of a doubt we are no longer in limbo and everything is going to be ok because my Josephine is back.

Cut the Shit

"Are you sure you're ready, my beloved?"

I continue staring at the door to our wing, as Kai calls it, basically burning holes into the ornate wood while I muster the strength to throw it open, march down the two flights of stairs so I can confront my father and my new family about everything they haven't told me.

Everything I already know because I seem to be a fucking psychic.

Kai knows I know.

Knows I pretty much saw everything they were shielding me from, whether it was my father and his glamour or my mate and his walls. I know why they did it, why I was left out of the loop. I understand the motive behind it, the love and protection... I get it but I have also remembered and dreamt enough to know I'm no wilting flower, that I could have handled most of it if they'd told me and that having it come to me through dreams or memories was more detrimental than anything.

I know who my mother is.

I know where she came from.

I know what that makes me.

I know I'm in danger, that everyone I love is in danger.

And I know that if I can figure out how to wake up my apparently sleeping dragon I can pretty much save us all.

I nod and smooth the front of Kai's t-shirt I have tied off at the side. "I'm ready."

"I can feel your anxiety, your hurt." My lovely mate places his hand on the small of my back and waits for me to meet his eyes. "You do not need to do this, not now if you still feel so raw."

Instead of responding I just push up on my bare toes, cup his cheeks and kiss him.

Kai has been amazing the last ten days.

Supportive, patient, understanding and so comforting that I don't even have the right words to describe how that makes me feel.

I'm just so fucking thankful for him and his love that I have no idea how I've gone so long without it.

Which is exactly why I have to do this now.

I need to do it for myself but also for Kai. I need to get downstairs and confront the people I love most so I can move forward, so we can move forward and do what we need to in order to eliminate the threat hanging over all of us.

Thankfully, when we reach the dining room, it's only my brothers-in-law—or brothers-in-mating?—Karel, and my dad.

They all get to their feet as we enter and bow their heads out of respect, but I can feel the hesitation, the concern, the guilt and the great relief. There's even a touch of fear and I won't deny the little bit of joy I get from knowing these men know I'm still pissed.

My dad stays standing as the others sit, barely meeting my eyes as he takes an uneven breath, "Posey, I—"

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