“Shit, fuck, fucking shitty hell!” I swore as I sat back on my feet. “I need to talk to Woodrow. I didn’t even
consult
with him before dropping on Fabian and everyone that he was my legal father. He might not even
want
this.”
Torr growled and lowered his legs. “So much for morning make up fucking,” he bitched. Just to
be
a bitch, I leaned over and kissed his cock.
“Tonight when we get mated. We can hold off today and handle what we need to.” His dick twitched and practically tried to get itself into my mouth. “I know you’re sad, little guy. I’ll see you soon, and we will play and play—”
“Baby talk to my cock?
Really?
Are you just trying to put out my lust?” Torr blanched as I rolled off the bed and gave him a wink. “You just like to keep me guessing, don’t you? Always making me wonder.”
“Do you wonder if I love you?” I challenged as I threw on yesterday’s clothes. “Do you wonder if this is real?”
“No! You love me, the first person to really love me. I don’t doubt that. But the teasing you like to do with my dick is gonna—” He slowly met my eyes when what he said sank in. Then the brightest smile I’d ever seen formed on those soft lips. “I don’t doubt that.” He gave a squeal—a noise I’d never heard from him before—and jumped on me. “I don’t doubt that. I’m not worried you love me.”
“Now you understand why I tease,” I muttered against his lips after dragging him around to my front. “Not only is it fun and draws out the pleasure sometimes, but it shows you the difference between what’s real and just fun time. I
do
love you, Torr, more than anything.”
“I love you too, my Hadley. Only
my
Hadley,” he purred before mashing his mouth down to mine. We kissed for several moments, ignoring Abram.
Then I pulled away, not wanting my man any more wound up in front of Abram who wanted Torr… Alone in our bedroom. Right. Smart.
“I want to fuck you so bad, my love,” I growled as I lowered him to our bed. “Soon. I will fuck you so good we’re going to top that eight orgasm streak. I promise. Tonight, my love, my mate,
will
get
nine.”
“Okay,” he panted, squirming so beautifully under me. “I’ll have your mating gift ready for you too.”
“Well that’s not my mating gift,” I chuckled, a pit surging to my stomach, “that’s just a promise.”
He nodded and I just about booked it out of the room after that. Where was I going to find a mating gift by
tonight
fit for a mother fucking
King
?
I tracked Woodrow down, rudely interrupting his breakfast meeting in one of the private dining halls. “I wanted to find you and check if this treaty thing is okay, but I’m a bastard and pushing that to second. Torr says he’s getting me a mating gift.
Our first gifts as a couple
. What the fuck do I get the
King
of one of the most powerful shifter groups? I’m going to fail, and he’ll think I don’t really love him.”
“No, not in the slightest,” Lafeu Woodrow assured me, no longer my director in that moment but my father and friend. “This is only the fear when jumping into something. Do you love him?”
“Yes, with all my heart,” I sighed, kneeling down and thumping my head on his lap as I used to when I was a boy. “He’s my
everything
, Father. How do I show him that in a
gift
?” He ran his hand over my head and instantly I started to calm down.
“Don’t you dare judge,” Woodrow snapped. “My son had a very traumatic childhood before he came to me. Most shifters are very comfortable with touching and the emotional support it gives.”
“Yes, I know. Casters are not like that, and I found it shocking he barged into a meeting for a meltdown. Such a large man is the stereotype to have all the answers and provide the protection for his loved ones—”
I was up on me feet and by the strange woman in a flash. I picked her up in my arms and kissed her full on the lips. “You’re a genius.”
“So I’ve been told,” she chuckled. “Now put me down, Hadley, or my brother will get jealous.”
“Oh, hi, you must be Eliza. Nice to meet you.” I cleared my throat as I set her back in her seat.
“You as well.” She eyed me closely and smiled. “You care a great deal for the King. All I see in your heart is him.”
I nodded like a bobble head doll as I grinned as a loon would. “Yes.”
“What is this gift I led you to? As my coven’s gift for your mating, we will see it done given the limited amount of time before the ceremony.”
“Thank you,” I sighed, feeling a huge weight come off my person. “A vault room for the felines’ royal treasury. Torr was worried that nothing was in place as we transported some of it and it being out in the open would distract people from the actual tasks at hand.” I glanced at Woodrow. “Something like we had at the flock house. That’s not my area of expertise.”
“I will show Eliza exactly what we had and work with Samantha as to the perfect place for that,” he assured me. “Eliza already offered to transport the rest of the treasury here along with the flock’s since driving it here has shown to be too much of a temptation to the criminal element. We don’t need any more scrutiny.”
“We should assign a detail to the casters on the project,” Samantha suggested. “They’ve explained that wielding that kind of magic is draining and leaves them vulnerable.” It took me a moment to realize she was speaking directly to me. “Yes, you, your grace. The King was quite clear you are now in charge of the Royal Guard.”
“Well that’s an interesting turn of events. Winning your favor will become crucial for the best protection,” Director Fabian surmised. “There have been whisperings that you have improved some of the finest warriors we have as paranormals. I already wanted to speak with you about that. My vampires are good, but not as good as the Royal Guard, and they can always be better.”
I opened my mouth but Samantha cut me off. “We will discuss the matter with King Torrance, putting it at the top of our list. Since we are all allies and will be fighting together, there is no reason there cannot be combined training or some of our best Royal Guards not to lead training classes.” She shot me look that warned me to tread carefully.
I folded my hands behind my back and took a few beats of my heart before answering as well. “Agreed. I will think on that and get back to you. All I showed them was how nothing follows the normal rules of
fair
in war.”
“Did the Air Force teach you that?” Seattle Niska joked. I knew full well how other military branches felt about all the Air Force
dorks
, even the PP guards acted that way since most of them were trained like the US Marine Corps.
“No, they taught me how use drone planes and several military guidance systems. The Marines taught me how to fight at all costs even if sometimes it’s considered ‘fighting dirty.’ The SEALs taught me other tactics. The Army more still. I’ve been an officer in all branches, starting as a grunt and working my way up each time I change my identity so no one noticed my lack of aging.”
“Holy shit,” someone gasped. I didn’t know them but they appeared to be fae of some sort. “Does the King know that? You’d make a powerful ally and now he’s
mating
you. His survival is all but assured.”
“Um, no, actually, we never talked about that,” I admitted, wincing as I glanced at Samantha. “Should I have? I didn’t think it factored in really.”
“No, but it might change the terms of the treaty with the birds,” she hedged as she rubbed her temples. Whoops. Didn’t mean to give her a headache. Then again, this whole treaty thing came out of the blue, maybe they should have
asked
. “The King’s advisors already approve of and like you so, no.”
I glanced at Woodrow then. “Are you okay with this? We never even discussed it before I just blurted out the idea. I don’t even know if you want to
be
an elder.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Fabian ribbed, shaking his head. Mine wasn’t the only hand that went up in the room. “Never mind then. Apparently I’m the only power-hungry bastard in the room.”
“No one’s saying that. Some simply don’t have the drive to lead and accept that kind of responsibility,” I countered as even the idea of having to take on a whole people as my charge made me start sweating. I glanced at Woodrow again.
He gave me a warm smile that instantly soothed my raw nerves. “Yes, I aspired to be the bird elder one day. Not sure I ever saw it coming in this way, but I welcome the treaty. I’m honored you thought of me, and I will explain what this treaty means.”
I shrugged. “If you’re good with it, and Torr approves it, then I don’t care. I trust you both. Just make sure it doesn’t have something in there about them getting our first born and I don’t need to know the details.”
“No, but there is a clause that the King must have an heir within the year to stabilize his rule or the bird elder can take over the felines if you both die, even if there’s an heir later,” Woodrow replied, slowly, carefully.
Not carefully enough because I almost fell over, grabbing onto the table in time to stop myself. “I’m sorry, did you just say we need to have a baby in a
year
, in the midst of a coming
world
war
? Is he
out of his mind
? It’s like he doesn’t want—” I snarled and met my father’s eyes. “That dickhead. He just gets into power and he’s pulling shit like this? Just say he doesn’t want the treaty!”
“No, it’s smart,” Samantha argued gently. “You guys are tying your tribes together. If one goes down, the other can too. Without an heir and the coming shit, Torrance will have an even bigger target on his back. An heir stabilizes the felines and
his
rule because there’s not just him to take out for everything to pass to another line. The bird elder is an ass to put it in the treaty when this is all new to you, but to be honest, if the situation were reversed, I might do the same.”
My vision swam as I grabbed my stomach, trying to not toss my cookies. “You offered to be our surrogate but not officially. I don’t know any other felines I’d trust with Torr’s baby. I mean, how—when—a
year
? To
have
one. That means making one almost
now
.”
“If I may?” Fabian asked, glancing around the room. I waved him on, seeing he had his scheming cap on and vampires knew how to make deals, that was for sure. “Counter with fertilizing a surrogate in a year,
if
and when we’ve been able to prove the strongholds were an effective play. Taking a royal baby on the run could cost countless lives to keep it safe. That also gives Hadley time to familiarize himself with more felines.
“Samantha, you are needed as an advisor and a warrior. If things are calm, of course you want to do this for your friends. But they need to find options as well.”
That and Fabian was alluding to the possibility Samantha could get killed in the whirlwind of shit coming our way.
“And if I croak you don’t want the bird elder taking over the felines that you’re tight with and fucking shit up when he’s a new elder and birds are prey to felines so that wouldn’t go over well,” she drawled, flicking the man off.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Not how I would have put it, but yes, there is truth in that statement.”
I plopped down on the closest chair when they all started debating and arguing. I must have sat there awhile because Torr was there kneeling before me sometime later.
“You okay?” he asked gently as he took my face in his hands.
I sighed and leaned my head against his. “I just want to
mate you
. I don’t want all this political bullshit ruining it. This seems so insane given the fight ahead. And honestly, I don’t know how you turned out as wonderful as you did if this is how you have to make a decision to wipe your ass living at court.”
“I choose when to wipe my ass. That’s not a matter of state,” he teased and kissed my nose. “What was it that had you sitting down and tuning this all out?”
“Having a baby,” I admitted. His face fell and I hurried to explain. “I want us to have lots of little monsters, Torr. But on
our
terms. Our timetable. And it hit me, it would be your feline child. What about me?”
“Oh, my love, don’t you think your smarty pants mate thought of that?” Torr raised an eyebrow at me as he leaned back. “Samantha was already discussing the possibility of a surrogate from your flock with Director Woodrow.
Our
feline child would have to be born first, but there’s no rule they can’t be a week apart? Have twins basically, so the little
monsters
as you call them always have a wing man or girl?”
“You really did think about this,” I gasped, tackling him to the floor. “I love you, I love you.” I peppered his face with kisses. “Yes, we can have lots of monsters, our own nursery wing of them. I just don’t want to set the timetable with another leader. It seems cold. We’ve both had enough family shit and coldness, Torr. I want warmth. Have a baby because we’re bursting inside to have a monster and love them fully. Not an obligation.”