Page 54 of The Crownless King
“I can just sleep in my room.”
“Please, baby doll.”
Her eyes softened and she nodded. “Be careful with your business.”
He smiled and kissed her collarbone. “You worried about me, my baby?”
She mushed his forehead. “Where are my clothes?”
“The middle of the bed. You’ll be here when I get back?”
She moved out of his arms and leaned over to grab the underwear and gown that had been left for her. He growled as her towel lifted, giving him a small glimpse of her ass. Gods above, he was seconds from jumping on this woman. He needed to leave before he fractured all the good will he’d gained.
“I’ll be here, King,” was her sarcastic reply.
He chuckled, headed towards the door. “I had your dinner brought up. Eat, and then rest, baby doll.”
Her impish smile buoyed him on the way out. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, the lightness of his interaction with Amaya was gone. In its place, the anger that he’d tried to set aside flared. Bas and Lucas met him at the door.
“Do you feel different?” Bas asked as they slipped into the armored SUV.
“Hell yeah,” he answered his friend.
“Then maybe there is something to kidnapping your mate,” Bas joked. Lucas laughed from the front seat.
Levi shook his head. “I’m in a good mood, so fuck both y’all.”
Bas snickered as they drove away from the compound.
Less than an hour ago, Levi was in a place where not even aggravation could touch him, and now, as they pulled up to the Archive where the meeting was taking place, he prayed he could hold on to his temper. His mate was going to sleep in his bed and he wasn’t there to enjoy it. His hand slipped into his pocket and he caressed the ridges of the antique watch Amaya had gifted him. It was inexpensive, but the gesture…it pleased him. It meant that she was thinking of him, even when they were separated. One more sign that his effort was paying off despite their bad start.
“How we doing this?” Lucas turned and asked, his face back to serious.
“I don’t care what the fuck they want, I’m not letting baby doll go.”
Bas sighed and pulled down his balaclava to obscure his features. “Okay. We matching energy then.”
Levi nodded and looked at the looming building of the Archive. It was considered neutral territory since none of the leadership in the Collective trusted the Bayi on their compounds.
He scoffed. Fucking cowards.
Sophia, the director of the Archive, met them at the door. She nodded her head. “Your Highness.”
“Ms. Sophia,” Lucas said. “How you doing this evening?”
“Don’t start your shit, Lucas.”
“Not you recognizing your baby under the mask,” his friend taunted.
Sophia’s light skin flushed. Levi could only shake his head. She led them to the conference room on the ground floor where they were meeting.
They entered the windowless room and it was already full. Slatted wood panels covered the walls, matching the décor in the atrium of the Archive, while the room was filled with tall green plants in the corner to soften the starkness of it. A long oak table in the middle of the room was polished to a bright sheen, reflecting the warm light from the sconces floating over it. Leather chairs lined both sides of the table, and all seven on the right side were full, leaving the entire left side reserved for Levi.
It seemed he was in the hot seat tonight. Lucas and Sebastian were behind him as he sat and faced the stern looks of the elders gathered.
The Collective was comprised of the heads of the oldest families in the South. There were representatives for the Chawi tribes, one for the witches, the other representing the warlocks. Four elders from the Mujaji were seated, the storm godselecting one representative for each element. Fire, air, water and earth were all present. Raven’s father, Oliver, was the head of the fire Mujaji and that motherfucker already had a grudge against the Bayi, thanks to her mating with Sebastian. The last representative was from the Border Mages and his warden. The mages were in charge of securing the borders of the entire Southern United States and operated in pairs for some reason.
None of these bastards liked him, but if asked, he would say that the Border Mage representative, Lucian, hated him most. It could be as simple as the two of them butting heads at the docks or maybe that bitch had a personal beef with Levi. He didn’t know and he didn’t care. Fighting with Lucian was tiresome, and were it not for his spot on the Collective, Levi would’ve been buried him somewhere in the woods. Their various staff members stood scattered behind them and around the room, some taking notes, some looking bored.
