Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Ember

I wake up briefly when Veryn brushes a kiss over my forehead and tells me he’s running to grab clothes and necessities for both of us. The wolfsbane or the tonic still has me knocked on my ass, so I mumble a quick thanks and snuggle back into Anders.

For a guy who turns into a lion, he’s not overly furry. Then again, I’m not either, considering I change into a wolf regularly.

“I swear to fucking God, you keep her safe, or I’ll rip your head off before removing your heart to make sure the murder sticks,” Veryn growls, sounding dangerous and slightly unhinged.

“I will,” Anders says softly as he runs his fingers through my hair.

“I am perfectly capable of protecting myself and Anders, for that matter,” I mumble.

“Yeah, baby,” Veryn says, patting my ass. “We all know you’re a badass.”

“She really is,” Anders says.

“Suck-up,” Veryn mutters. The sound of his booted feet hitting the wood flooring echoes as he moves toward the door.

If I was more coherent, I would feel really strange about sticking my nose in Anders’s armpit. As it stands, I’m just grateful his scent is settling my tender stomach.

I pass out again and wake before the sun has even fully risen. It’s that dusky time when everything is hazy, and no one wants to be awake just yet. My job requires a lot of late nights and going to bed in the early morning hours.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Lorcan lies on his stomach, keeping his top half up with his forearms and looking entirely too handsome for whatever ungodly time of the morning it is. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, where are Veryn and Anders?”

The druid runs his fingers over my cheek. “Veryn left a little less than an hour ago to retrieve your belongings. Anders went to locate Sofia to have the females gathered for some sort of meeting he said you wanted orchestrated.” Lorcan shrugs. I knew Veryn was leaving, but I expected him to be back by the time I woke up. “I made breakfast, but you’re still covered in dried blood. You might want a quick cleanup before coming down to eat.” A lazy smile crosses his face. “I’d be more than happy to help you into the shower if you’re still feeling unwell.”

Goodness.

He’s delectable.

My wolf stretches lazily in my mind and her ears perk up. It feels a little like she’s waiting for something, but I don’t know what.

“Ahh.” Lorcan grins mischievously. “There you are. Feeling better after the wolfsbane poisoning?”

My eyes light, and the glow reflects on his skin. His gaze dips to the bed, offering deference. It allows her to feel dominant in the exchange. Dammit, he really is smooth. He knows exactly how to win her over. His fingers slide into my hair, giving a playful scratch behind my ear.

“She much prefers that when we’re partially shifted,” I tell him, rolling my eyes. “Also, you better not out all of your tricks about how to seduce a shifter. Otherwise, she’ll start to wonder how many came before her.”

Lorcan chuckles softly. “I’ve seen many shifters wooed throughout my lifetime, but I’ve never done the wooing, little wolf.”

I quirk an eyebrow, but he simply shrugs.

“Now, would you like some help to the bathroom? Or can you manage on your own?” His fingers dig into the back of my head, reminding me that he asked a question.

Holy shit.

Lorcan might just be stubborn enough to go toe-to-toe with my wolf.

I hurry through the shower and grab the towels I left out for myself, wrapping one around my head and the other around my body. Maybe I’m spoiled. Part of me expected Veryn to meet me at the door with my clothes.

The door opens slowly, and instead of my sexy dragon, Lorcan stands. His eyes glimmer with something.

“Come have a seat.” He gestures to the small bench in front of the mirror. “We’re going to make sure you look fierce when you address your wolves for the first time.”

My wolf perks up.

And she turns cocky real freaking quick.

I stand, blinking, like a total goofball for way too long.

“Ass in the seat, Alpha,” Lorcan growls.

My body snaps into motion with the sound of his low chuckle as the backdrop.

Lorcan is good with his hands. At least, when it comes to tackling my mane of hair. He gives me a sexy scalp massage that sends goose bumps erupting down my arms. He intricately braids my hair and ties each side with a tiny hair band at the bottom.

“You do have an exceptional amount of hair,” he muses, fluffing up the sections.

“Is this a French braid?” I ask, studying myself in the mirror as his hands come to rest on the top of my bare shoulders. “My hair never looks this full when I French braid it.”

“It’s a Dutch braid. Similar idea, only the hair is passed under, not over the braid.” He smirks, shrugging a lithe shoulder as I study him in the mirror. “One of my fathers was quite fond of plaiting my mother’s hair. It was one of his favorite ways to gain an extra few minutes alone with her.”

My arm wraps around the top of my towel as I squirm in my seat.

“You said last night that you thought there was a possibility we’re mates…” I’m unsure how to finish that sentence without sounding insulting. Questioning if he was being truthful seems like a terrible impression to leave when talking about something so important.

“Lovely, I didn’t say it was a possibility. I assure you, we are fated to be together.” He stretches around me, grabbing my right hand and running his finger over my inner wrist. “Hopefully you’re open to body art because, as soon as you place your half of the claiming rune on my skin, we’ll both permanently have the mark you saw in the bar.” He flips his wrist over, showing me the blank space in his otherwise expansive ink. “I’ve saved this for over a millennium.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re old,” I whisper with wide eyes.

My wolf isn’t deterred by the massive age gap. If anything, she’s fascinated by Lorcan. He’s kept himself alive for an extremely long time, meaning he will make an excellent addition to our family pack.

“Indeed.” Lorcan’s hand comes to rest on my stomach over the towel, and he leans very close to my ear. “The benefits of age are many. I’ll be happy to show you them in depth whenever you’re ready.” He winks at me in the mirror and snaps. “Accept the clothing as my first courting gift. If it’s not up to your standards, let me know. I’ll be in the kitchen making your breakfast plate.”

I blink, and he’s gone.

Whoa.

My eyes fly down, taking in the tight-fitted leather jacket and gray tank top. He also put me in a pair of dark jeans and combat boots. The towel I had wrapped around me now lies tossed over the counter.

Holy shit.

That really is a neat trick.

Anders watches me carefully as I shove my plate back. The dark jeans and plain white T-shirt he’s wearing aren’t anything special, but the way the material stretches over his broad chest makes me shiver.

My wolf wants to see his lion again.

Like a lot.

A lot, a lot.

To the point, it’s all she focuses on while he explains that Sofia gathered the remaining females for the meeting I requested.

“That sounds…official,” I choke out, wiping my mouth with my napkin.

“You are their alpha,” Lorcan calls from his spot standing in front of the sink. “There’s really no such thing as a friendly request. If the alpha orders all females in attendance, it becomes a mandatory meeting…”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I hiss, my eyes darting between the two men.

Anders shrugs. “It’ll be a good first step. There are only four female wolves, outside of Sofia, who you’ve already won over after saving my life and releasing her.”

My eyes fall to my lap. “I regret not being around to save her mate.”

One of Veryn’s dads is a djinn, so I’ve learned not to toss the word wish around frivolously, but I do wish I could fix that. I know people die every day, but in the supernatural world, where most either have the anti-aging or undying type of immortality, it just seems so…needless.

Not to mention, Kent. He’s so little to have lost one of his dads. My heart aches even thinking about it.

Anders stretches a hand over the table, grabbing one of mine. “You did more than the rest of us could.”

I nod, meeting his ambery-gold eyes. It feels like I’m supposed to say something, but as his thumb brushes over my inner wrist, I lose the ability to think properly.

“If you’re ready, we can head to the council building,” Anders says, studying my face. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Your eyes still have dark circles?—”

I move my hand and give his a squeeze before shoving myself out of my chair. “I’m solid. Let’s do it.”