Page 67 of The Crownless King
And she was. For now, at least. Tomorrow, when the rest of the supernatural community found out what they had done, was another separate problem.
Chapter twenty-five
Amaya had thought she’d been ready for the world to know about her mating, but realistically, she hadn’t been prepared. Luckily for her, she worked alone for the most part, so while she’d had to answer questions at every stop along her day, it hadn’t been so bad. What had given her pause was the way people she’d worked with for years had looked at her. Some had outright treated her like a pariah, while others had given her a wide berth.
Some part of her could understand their wariness. Punishment would come from what she had done and no one knew what form it would take. Keeping away from Amaya kept them safe from any fallout and she couldn’t blame her co-workers. Still…it had been uncomfortable.
She was used to spending her days being unperceived. No one outside of the sacred garden staff knew she existed, but now, just walking through the Archive, all eyes had been on her. Being who she was, she didn’t let it faze her. She kept her chin up and her shoulders back, but now that she was home, her body wanted to collapse from the stress.
As she passed the foyer, she frowned. The house was quieter than usual. The staff was usually setting up for dinner this time of night. Curious, she rounded the corner into the dining room and gasped.
The whole dining room had been transformed. The lights were off and the only illumination came from the table. Thin gold candle holders covered the surface from one end of the table to the other, the small candles giving the whole room anintimate vibe. Flowers were set up in every corner, roses in shades of red and pink scenting the air. There were only two place settings set with heavy crystal dinnerware and a plethora of silver cloches in middle of the table. The smells were heavenly. Her day was forgotten as she moved further into the room. Levi stepped from the shadows, holding out a glass of wine for her. She happily took it, dazed.
“What is all this?”
He stepped closer to her and pulled her into his arms. “I realized that our mating was something that happened more as an accident and I wanted to replace it with a new memory. One where we choose each other.”
A lump formed in her throat. “Levi,” she whispered, her eyes trying to take it all in.
“Come sit, beloved.” He guided her to the head of the table, sitting her in the chair on the left.
He took her bag from her shoulder and placed it in the chair next to her before sitting at the head of the table. Amaya was speechless. This was her first experience with romance and it left her breathless. She looked up to find Levi’s eyes on her.
“This is beautiful, King.”
He smiled and his pleasure filled their connection. “I wasn’t sure if you would like it.”
Her shoulders relaxed for the first time today and she stretched out her legs under the table. “This is just what I needed after the day I had.”
“What happened?” He grabbed her hand, nibbling on her knuckles.
“Well, it’s safe to say that news of our mating is out.”
“Does that bother you?” His gaze traced her face, his eyebrows bunched in concern.
Amaya shrugged. “I don’t care who knows about our mating. But I feel like the world is holding their breath to see what our punishment will be.”
Levi growled. “I look forward to the first person that tries to step to me about you.”
She pulled her hand back and brushed the top of her hair with a sigh. “No one would dare approach the King of the Bayi. Me, on the other hand…”
“Do you honestly think I would allow anything to happen to you?”
“It’s not about what you allow, King. You can’t watch me twenty-four seven,” she pointed out.
“That’s what Bronx is for,” he assured her. “They would have to get through him to get to you, and trust me, that shifter is good at his fucking job. It’s why I entrusted your safety to him.”
That comforted her and she adjusted in her chair, ready to put the whole topic aside.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Pot roast.”
She busted out laughing. “That’s not romantic, King.”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling. “But I asked Ms. Anita what your favorite meal is and that’s what she said.”
Her cheeks hurt from how wide she smiled. Giddy happiness filled her and Amaya wanted to dance in her seat. Itwas hard to imagine they would’ve gotten here from the way they started their relationship. He winked at her as he opened the cloche closest to him. The smell of the garlicky goodness rose, and her mouth watered as he uncovered the lamb chops inside.
