Page 53 of Conquering the King of Storms

“I want you in that bed, clean and fed and snoring with your head on my shoulder.” He didn’t mince words, and damn, I appreciated it.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“Okay?” He blinked, like he didn’t think it would be that easy.

“Yes, okay. You’ve been carrying me for weeks, why wouldn’t I—”

His lips crashed into mine, hard, and then he pulled away. “Don’t leave the bathroom without clothes. I’ll take Dove and find some for both of us.”

He must’ve seen my eyes narrow.

His lips curved upward slightly. “With a towel around my waist.”

My shoulders relaxed at that.

“Need help getting to the floor?” he asked, as he stepped out of the shower.

“No. Come back fast though; I’m exhausted.”

The backs of his knuckles brushed my cheek, and then he stepped out, wrapped a towel around his waist, and was gone.

I sagged, the back of my head meeting the shower’s wall. Everything was spinning a little.

Was I actually going to climb into a bed with Sirus, like we were really mates?

The guy clearly had strong feelings; he’d ripped a tree out of the ground on our first walk. And he’d never taken those feelings out on me, but neither had Steven, at first.

When he was with me, I felt safe. I felt cared for, and maybe even a little bit loved.

I trusted him like I hadn’t trusted anyone in a long, long time, even though I hadn’t really known him that long.

But what if I was making another bad call?

What if there were red flags I was refusing to see?

What if I was literally pushing Sirus to become the exact man that neither of us wanted him to turn into?

What if it was my fault Steven had become abusive, too?

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I’m too tired to be thinking about serious life problems,” I whispered to myself. “I just need to breathe. Everything is going to be okay.”

Though saying the words didn’t make me believe them any more, it gave my mind something to focus on, and I needed that.

I washed quickly, and my heartbeat calmed down when Dove practically bounced through the door, beaming at me and holding a soft-looking dark blue dress in her hands.

I wrapped a towel around myself, and asked, “Is that for me?”

“Yep! They don’t have anything in wind fae colors, so Storm said I could pick a color for you. There was only dark blue, light blue, and white, and the dark blue is closest to purple, so it’s better,” she said, holding out the dress for me.

I took it, flashing her a thankful smile.

She frowned. “Your legs are shaking. Should I get Storm? He said if your legs were shaking that he needed to come in and help, but I didn’t know if he was allowed.”

“He’s allowed,” I assured her. “And that would be great.”

“Okay.” She gave me another big smile before bouncing out of the room, leaving the bathroom door open behind her.

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