Page 31 of Finding Love with the Fae King

“I can’t believe you! You can’t announce something like that without talking to me!” she continued to speak in hushed tones.

“Darling, a month is a long time. Traditionally, I should have taken you the first night. I thought things were going so well.” I held out my arms to comfort her, but she walked away. My heart ached to see her so angry.

“I’m human, Osirus. Humans sometimes take years before they get ‘married’ or have some sort of ceremony. We just met!”

The anger radiating off her was clear, but my own pride was getting the best of me. No one just tells me no; no woman has ever told me no to any advancements I have made.

“A month is slow around here, Melina. I’m sure some shifters are already talking about us not being marked yet. I suggest you calm your bratty attitude,” I growled.

“I’m human, and I understood about your concubines. Now you need to be more understanding of my traditions.”

A stab to my heart. My heart stopped for a few moments, only to feel the pain of that statement. She was right. Humans took time, and she had been thrown into this colossal mess of a world she knew nothing about.

“Darling,” I softened my voice. “I do not want to do anything you do not wish.”

Her eyes looked up at me, begging me to listen to her, and my heart wanted to comply. This time I couldn’t listen.

“Finding your destined one is a beautiful bond, a gift, and many take that gift and make sure that no one else will take it away. If I lose you and someone tries to mark or make you theirs, I will die of heartache. Literally. I must protect you. Many would kill at the opportunity to see you and I hurt.”

Melina’s eyes softened, and she slowly dropped into her arms. “I love you, Melina. I know you don’t understand the bond yet, and you don’t have to tell me you love me back. We must do this for both of us. Let’s plan it and see where it goes, hmm? If you are that opposed, then we can talk about it.”

Her eyes were down, and disappointment and sadness were written all over her aura. I walked up to her and held her close; she didn’t wrap her arms around me. I knew she was angry, but this was the best way to protect her. I’d always be able to find her if she was ever taken from me. Petting her hair softly, I gave it a quick kiss. “How about we go back to dinner? You won’t be able to see them in the morning, so we need to say our goodbyes tonight.” She kept her head lowered. I knew she was upset. I’d have to explain more later.

The rest of dinner was somber. Even Clara looked sad for Melina. Clara was born human. The Gods refused to give her a wolf since the Goddess Charis blessed her with other gifts. Clara was only gifted a wolf after her mate, Kane, marked her. She understood what she was going through. However, Clara embraced the bond more so than Melina. Clara didn’t have trust or abandonment issues. Elm continued to glare at me as Rose petted Melina’s hand. Often, she would whisper in her ear, and she would smile a bit.

All the while, Kane sat silently as he finished his steak. The brooding Alpha always had a scowl on his face unless he was addressing his mate. We all stood up and said our goodbyes while a few tears were shed. Her family reassured her everything was going to be fine and to not fight the bond. I was sure she was going to fight even more now.

“Melina,” Kane spoke up, which shocked everyone. He glared at everyone to leave, but I stayed close to the door to watch. Clara grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle pat.

“Being a strong supernatural is hard,” Kane mumbled. “I had a hard time with Clara in the beginning. I had to go slow. I was fortunate that Clara didn’t resist the bond. When you are troubled, I want you to think of Clara or your friend Tulip. They may not have had troubles like you did growing up, but they are both now happier than they ever were. Their souls are completed now. You will eventually feel whole. I’m not saying give in, but give him a chance. He’s holding back a lot for you. He’s also a king, which comes with tremendous possessiveness for you, but he only wants to protect and love you. He isn’t lying. He will not play with your heart.” Kane gave a tight-lipped smile as he patted her shoulder. “And he is okay, for a fae,” he mumbled.

I swelled in pride, thinking that Alpha Kane would say that about me. We never got along, he was doing this act of kindness more for his mate than me, but the words of encouragement made me thankful. Melina smiled and gave Kane a hug, surprising him. He patted her head, and she walked over to me and held my hand. Smiling, I mouthed a “thank you” to Kane, and we went back to our room.

Melina

Osirus led me back to our room, and I shut the bathroom door while he was talking about our plans for tomorrow. We had such a wonderful afternoon, and he had to go and ruin it by making decisions without talking to me. Sure, I knew we were going slower than what his kind was used to, but hell, I gave him my first kiss on the first date. That was something, right?

While I’d been stewing, I’d been sitting in the bath. The steam continued to come off the tub, never losing its warmth. It must be some fairy magic. I leaned back on the headrest of the tub; every once in a while, Osirus would knock to check on me. Another reminder of how he was way up my butt and always wanted to know where I was.

Raising my hands, I knew they were pruned, but I didn’t really care.

If he had just said, “Hey, we really need to show that we are a couple. Can we do this in a month?” I would have been cautious at first, but I would have agreed. I’m not going to put out because of some bond; no one tells me when I’m ready to further a relationship, even the Moon Goddess. Continuing to wash my hair, which now smelled like that honeysuckle drink, I stepped out of the tub, and I heard shuffling on the other side of the door.

Seriously? Has he been listening to me breathe? Ilet out a huff and heard footsteps walk away. That’s a bit better. You know, I could be ready in a month, be ready to commit because I know this bond is holding us together. However, he didn’t ask. I squinted my eyes at the mirror, talking silently to myself. “You got this. You don’t give in. Even if he is extremely hot. You hold your ground.” I nodded my head to myself and pointed my finger at my reflection for extra effect.

I turned around and smirked at myself. If I were to be Queen and always have someone at my side, whether Osirus or a bodyguard, I should have one last hoorah, right? I was going to ask him to visit Tulip tonight to be nice and considerate, but that was out the window. He didn’t ask me if I wanted a bonding ceremony, so I won’t ask him for me to go out alone.Insert evil laugh here. I giggled.

Once my hair was dry and my joggers were on, courtesy of Tulip, after I told her my embarrassing moment of wearing a skimpy thing to bed the night before, I threw on a sweatshirt for good measure. I walk out of the bathroom, steam blowing behind me as I saunter to the bed. Osirus was sitting with his back against the headboard, watching my every move.

“Have a good bath, darling?” His voice was soft, like velvet, and almost made me want to go weak in the knees. Almost.

“Yes, thank you. I’m tired now. I’d like to sleep.” I rolled over so my back was to his face.

He slithered closer to me until I could feel his breath down my neck. Now that I knew what his breath did to me when we kissed, it made me shudder. Osirus wrapped his arms around me and whispered good night,and it took everything within me not to turn around and snuggle in closer to him, but I was a strong, independent woman. I could take care of myself.

Osirus’s breathing evened out. His rapid heartbeats were now not as fast. The small twitches in his fingers let me know he was out cold. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was close to midnight. Tulip would be at the front door any minute.

Gently picking up Osirus’s arm, I slid out, only to replace his arm with my pillow. It smelled like me from the night before, so I hoped he didn’t have any strange wolfy smells, so he wouldn’t know the difference. Mentally high-fiving myself, I slid out the door, not even bothering with shoes.

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