Chapter Seven

Chirping Like A Nervous Hen.

"I've lived for five years amongst beings able to shift into spiders, scorpions, and other giant crawly bugs. It's going to take more than a snake to make me run." ~Rose

Steeling herself, Rose released his hand and took a step back, the distance giving her the ability to look around the opulent rooms that spoke of nobility and power. Polished black marble floors gleamed underfoot, the walls draped with vivid tapestries depicting epic battles and triumphant figures she assumed must be past rulers. Sconces held flickering candles which cast everything in a warm, intimate glow.

Her gaze was drawn to a massive four-poster bed on a raised dais, hung with emerald silks and plush pillows. The intricately carved wood frame was stunningly beautiful. She quickly averted her eyes, cheeks flushing. A wedding bed, where a husband and wife did married stuff. Okay, she needed to move on. No more focusing on the bed.

Instead, Rose focused on an antique desk stacked high with books and papers and tried to calm her racing heart. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm breeze suddenly whispered across the nape of her neck. Whirling around, she realized one wall opened onto a balcony overlooking a sprawling, unfamiliar city nestled in a lush jungle.

Rose drifted toward the balcony, the foreign sights and sounds temporarily distracting her from the handsome Talbot. An entire teeming city awaited beyond these walls. Her new home, if she followed through with what she had said she would do. Could she ever truly belong here? New Orleans was completely different from the northern California town where she grew up.

The scuff of a foot behind her made Rose start and turn swiftly. Her breath left her in a rush. While gawking at his home, she'd completely forgotten that Talbot was standing there. He watched her with an intense, but unreadable, gaze.

He was tall, with sharp, aristocratic features any mortal model would envy. Short, golden blond hair covered his head and contrasted with his tan complexion. Lean muscle was evident in the black fitted shirt he wore with loose-fitting gray slacks. But it was his eyes that gave Rose pause. They were beautiful and piercing green. Yet it wasn't the beauty or the color that made them striking. It was the evidence of an ancient wisdom in eyes placed in so youthful a face. They seemed like eyes that had seen kingdoms rise and fall. Would she ever understand such a man?

"Sorry," she said quickly. "Your home is much different from the mansion I lived in when I was with the Kingdom of Silk. Even with the dark fixtures, there's more light in here than the entire KOS home. If you can really call it a home. It never felt like it. And now I'm chirping like a nervous hen." Rose pressed her lips tightly together and rocked back on her heels. She bit her lip, cursing her nervous rambling. But to her relief, Talbot merely smiled gently and stepped closer.

"No need for apologies. I imagine this is all quite overwhelming." His penetrating eyes softened with understanding. "I wish we had more time before the ceremony for you to adjust. But know that you may ask anything of me, and I will grant your request if it is within my power."

Rose took a small breath. "Thank you." She gathered her courage. "Would you mind showing me around your home? I think I'd feel less intimidated if I could, at least, find my way around. I'd like to become familiar with my new surroundings."

Talbot nodded. "Of course. Please, allow me to show you the mansion." He offered his arm in a gentleman-like fashion.

Rose shyly tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. His arm was solid and warm beneath her light grasp. Strange to think this cultured man could become a snake at will, as Nico claimed, because of her.

As they walked slowly through opulent hallways and rooms, Talbot kept up a running commentary, telling her of the home's long history. Rose listened with interest, getting a glimpse into his world.

"Mind you, this isn't the actual nest in which the king and queen lived. The KOV headquarters was badly damaged in a fire recently. So we moved out while it's being renovated." He paused and shook his head after a moment. "We lost many treasured relics. The original mansion was centuries old and contained items brought from Damaria."

Rose hesitated, then ventured softly, "I heard about some of what happened with the Dire Wolf and your uncle." She glanced up at Talbot. "I'm sorry. Are you close to him?"

Pain flickered in Talbot's eyes before he masked it. "I appreciate your kindness," he said quietly. "Unfortunately, my uncle doesn't deserve it. He isn't a good male. He nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Venom. Once I am king, and our union blessed by Visata, we will restore our kingdom. It will again be a place of goodness, with members who have integrity. I won't have other kingdoms believing the worst of us."

His voice rang with conviction, and Rose believed him. Despite having been raised with a tyrant as a king, Talbot had maintained his own integrity. With him as their leader, surely no darkness could prevail for long.

Eventually, they looped back around to his bedroom. Talbot turned to her. "It's getting late, and I know you must be tired from your travels. We can speak more tomorrow, if you wish." He studied her intently.

Rose hesitated. The longer she was with him, the more fascinated she grew. It didn't hurt in the least that he was beyond handsome … whatever that was. She just knew that she really liked looking at him. She wanted to continue to listen to his warm, rich voice. Not to mention, the thought of being alone in unfamiliar rooms unsettled her.

"Can we just sit for a while? There's more I'd like to know about you." She peeked up at him almost shyly.

Talbot's expression softened. "Of course. It would be my honor."

He showed her to an elegant, but cozy, sitting room just off the bedchambers. A mix of nervousness and anticipation bloomed in Rose's chest at the intimacy of the setting. But she tamped it down. One step at a time.

"What would you like to know? You may ask me anything." He sat down beside her on the plush couch.

Rose chewed on her bottom lip as she sifted through the dozens of questions that erupted in her head. "Do you always talk so formally?" That's the question you go with? Yes, it was because the other question that popped right into her head was, "How many babies do you want, and have you heard practice makes perfect?" She inwardly groaned. Being with the Kingdom of Silk had warped her mind. Or at least that's the excuse she was going with.

"I'm much older than I look." Talbot's full lips turned slightly upward. "When I'm around some of my younger nest mates, I fall into their much more hip way of talking. But sometimes I revert to my past." He tilted his head a little as he looked at her. "Does it bother you?"

Rose quickly shook her head. "Not at all. It's just, you look my age, and yet you sound like you're from the sixteenth century."

"Not quite that old." He laughed, and his green eyes practically glowed with mirth. He was handsome when he wasn't smiling. When he smiled, he was breathtaking.

"How old are you? I realize that's not a polite thing to ask a lady, but considering we are mates, I'd like to know."

"I'm twenty-four. I'll be twenty-five in a month." Rose knew she looked closer to nineteen than to twenty-five.

"You also appear younger than you are," Talbot said, as if reading her thoughts.

She held up her hands as she felt her skin burn with the heat of a blush. "I'm not jailbait."

"Believe me, I am thankful for that. I wouldn't want you to think I was some creep attracted to young females. Truth be told, I've not been in any serious relationships."

Rose's eyes widened. He'd basically admitted he was centuries old. And in all that time he'd dated no one seriously or even married? "How?" she blurted before she could censor her tongue. "I mean, I've never dated anyone, and that's weird for a human. How can you have been alive all this time and not been in a relationship?" Did it sound like she was complaining? Because Rose was most definitely not. She found herself relieved. Granted, "no serious relationships" didn't necessarily mean "no bed partners."

"Why are you upset?" Talbot's forehead was drawn down into a deep V.

"Why do you think I'm upset?" Did she look upset? Was she really that bad at masking her emotions?

"I can feel it," Talbot said gently. "Not strongly, but it's definitely there. Like waves rolling off of you and onto me."

"Is that normal?"

Talbot nodded. "It's a mate thing. You will be able to feel my emotions as well. The bond will only grow stronger the more we are together and as our relationship progresses. I should probably warn you that Damarian males of any species are very protective and territorial about their mates."

Rose was still focused on the fact that he could feel her emotions. Did that mean he felt it when she was realizing her attraction for him? Please shoot me now.

A cool hand on hers drew her from her inner thoughts. Talbot's larger hand wrapped around hers where it sat in her lap. "Please don't feel embarrassed. If you focus on me, you'll feel what I'm feeling. Give it a try." He scooted closer to her until their bodies touched from shoulder to hip. She shivered, noticing that his body wasn't warm. He's a snake, Goober. Cold-blooded.

Rose's cheeks burned. Great, he could totally feel how flustered she was right now through their weird, new supernatural bond. She shouldn't have checked him out so obviously when they were talking. But she couldn't help admiring the lean lines of his shoulders and the way he moved so gracefully, like the serpent he could become. He was sensual and masculine at the same time.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled, embarrassed that he apparently sensed her not-so-innocent thoughts. "Didn't mean to objectify you or anything." She begged the universe for a hole to open up and swallow her. No such luck.

Talbot's voice was gentle when he replied. "No need to apologize. It's only natural to be curious about your future partner."

Yet, Rose felt there was definitely more than just "natural curiosity" awakened in her. Being near Talbot stirred up feelings way more intense than she knew how to handle.

"Focus." He quietly encouraged her to try sensing his emotions through their connection. Rose hesitantly concentrated on that new presence she could barely feel in the back of her mind. Her eyes widened in shock.

Raw, unmistakable desire flowed from Talbot's side of the bond. Not a mild crush, or so-called curiosity. This was an intense, bone-deep yearning echoing her own.

Rose's gaze flew to his, stunned. Talbot held her eyes steadily, his striking green ones burning with need.

"It goes both ways, Rose," he whispered. "I feel it, too. And when I touch you, it's even stronger. I will be honest and tell you that's not something that's totally typical of my kind. Visata saw fit to give me the gift to see into the minds of someone if I'm touching them. I mean, I can't read a person's mind," he corrected quickly. "I just get vague feelings or images. My uncle's mind has been full of darkness for some time now."

"And my mind?" Rose's voice quivered as she spoke. "What do you see in my mind?"

He shifted even closer on the couch until her bare arm rubbed against his. Rose trembled, her pulse kicking into overdrive. She should definitely move away, keep things PG until they were officially mated and had known one another longer than it took for a hot dog to be cooked in the microwave. But some reckless impulse made her stay put.

Talbot trailed his fingers down her wrist, raising goose bumps. "I won't cross lines, but I can't hide what you make me feel." His eyes seared into hers. "Touching you ignites me. I know it's the same for you because your mind is clouded in red, the color of desire."

Rose gasped as his fingertips glided along her skin. Her emotions were in chaos, her sensible side warring with a yearning for him. She needed to stop this, but, oh, she desperately didn't want him to stop. Everywhere they touched felt electric. She looked down and saw that he was tracing the snake tattoo, and the skin shimmered like iridescent scales. "Holy snapple babies," she breathed out. Rose wasn't cold anymore, and neither was his touch. She was hot. Everywhere.

"Talbot…" she managed weakly, body arched toward him against her will. They were so playing with fire right now.

His fingers stilled, though his gaze stayed locked on her. "Forgive me, Little Flower. I got carried away." He moved carefully away again, leaving Rose's whole body feeling sensitive and restless.

Their mutual longing still crackled in the air between them. One touch would break their control again.

"Why do people keep calling me flower?" she asked, realizing her voice still sounded breathless.

Talbot's eyes narrowed, and a dangerous gleam filled them. "Who else has called you that?"

"Nico," she said slowly, wondering if she'd just gotten the Chaos Shaman in some sort of trouble.

"He won't do it again." Talbot's voice deepened.

"Don't hurt him," she implored quickly, worried that Talbot was going to jump up and run out that instant and attack the shaman.

"Remember I told you Damarian males are territorial?"

She nodded.

"You have a name, and other males will use that name." His voice was calm, but there was a tempest building in his eyes. "Anything else is reserved for me, and me alone. Would you be okay with another female giving me a pet name?"

Rose tried to imagine hearing a feminine voice, not her own, calling Talbot something like "Babe," "Sweetheart," or some other endearment. Suddenly, she felt a different kind of heat, not the kind that made her stomach dance. This heat made her want to burn the imaginary female who dared have some sort of intimacy with Talbot. "Nope." She gave a definitive shake of her head.

Talbot seemed to find this amusing, and the irritation that had been on his face fled, replaced with that lusty longing. "Is it hot in here?" Rose pulled at the neck of her shirt.

"I'm burning up," Talbot said with absolutely no embarrassment whatsoever.

He stared at her, unabashedly, his eyes roaming over her face then down her neck to stop on her tattoo. "It's odd to see my mark, a perfect replica, on you. But I find it very satisfying."

"Where's yours?" She looked at his forearms where the sleeves of his shirt had been pushed up. Neither arm bore a tattoo.

Talbot grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted it until she could see his full torso. My, my, my. Her inner thoughts hummed with pleasure at the sight. Aside from the fact that he was chiseled like a statue, the same snake on her arm was tattooed on the left side of his chest, just over his heart.

Rose had no memory of making the choice to lift her arm, but before she knew it, her finger traced the lines of the snake, and, just like hers, the scales illuminated and shimmered. It was beautiful.

A deep hum rumbled from Talbot, and Rose's eyes lifted to find that he'd closed his eyes, and his face had relaxed. "Your touch is going to be addictive." His voice held no shame.

"Why are you so comfortable with expressing your…" She paused, searching for the word.

"Desire, yearning, need," he offered.

"Mm-hmm." Her lips were tightly pressed because she was pretty sure she was going to squeal like a girl over his blatant want for her. Her. How could someone who looked like Talbot, was about to be the king of his species, and could have probably any woman he desired, be interested in her? Rose wasn't usually a self-depreciating person, but as she'd told Nico, she'd never been in a relationship, and she'd certainly had no one as hot as Talbot interested in her.

"Whatever it is you're thinking"—Talbot wrapped a hand around her wrist and lowered his shirt—"stop. I don't like the way it's making you feel." He didn't release his grip on her, and when she looked down at his hand, she noticed it was covered in scales. Green, black, and brown, all mixed and yet distinct. He gave her wrist a little squeeze. "Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Will you tell me what made you feel like that?"

She immediately shook her head. Her eyes jumped up to his.

He blew out a breath, his firm jaw clenched briefly. "One day? Will you tell me?"

Rose considered it and then finally answered. "Yes." One day, she would feel comfortable enough to share all her thoughts with him. Or so she hoped. She'd seen the way mated pairs were in the Kingdom of Silk, the devotion they had to one another. Rose wanted that. She'd never seen it until she'd been taken by the Damarians. Her own parents had divorced when she was young.

"Thank you."

They spoke long into the night, covering everything from treasured childhood memories to dreams for the future. The longer they talked, the more Rose relaxed. She was startled to realize hours had passed while enjoying easy conversation with this man who would be her mate.

Every now and then, she'd catch him looking at the tattoo on her arm. And he was doing it again. "May I touch you?" He motioned to the snake. "I've never felt anything as soft as your skin."

She nodded and offered her arm. Talbot traced it reverently with one finger, causing Rose's breath to hitch at the contact.

Before her eyes, his hand shifted again, taking on a scaled texture. Rose looked up to see patches of smooth green and black scales speckling his neck above his shirt collar.

"Can I?" she whispered, fascinated. At his nod, Rose gently brushed her fingertips over the scales on his skin. They were cool and supple, gliding under her touch.

Rose jerked her hand back, cheeks flaming. But Talbot only watched her with an unreadable intensity that made her heart race.

"Sorry," she stammered. "I've just never touched a —"

"Snake?"

"Man," she said at the same time. "Or snake, for that matter."

"There is nothing to apologize for." Talbot captured her hand, scales fading back to normal flesh. "You are my mate. I welcome your touch. And I like knowing you've not touched another man. I'm going to risk the assumption that it means a man has not touched you either?"

Rose shyly met his gaze, the air suddenly too warm. "You'd be correct." There was an attraction between them she could not deny. She saw the answering heat in Talbot's green eyes. "I'd rather not even risk assumptions because then I'll feel dumb, so I'm just going to ask, what about you?"

"No, a man has never touched me either," he said with a completely straight face.

Rose couldn't help but laugh. She'd totally walked into that one. "That's fair."

Talbot chuckled, the stoic face dropping away as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "I will not lie to you. I have been on some dates over the years. I've had a couple of serious relationships, but I ended them both as soon as it was clear to me that neither was my mate."

Rose felt the green-eyed monster of jealousy attempting to settle in her gut, but she didn't want it there. Talbot was a supernatural being who'd been alive for a long time. What were the chances in all that time, however long it was, he'd never find a woman attractive and act on those feelings? Zero. That's the answer. Zero chances. Unfortunately, reminding herself of this only helped a little. She wished she hadn't asked because now she'd constantly wonder if he compared her to anyone in his past.

"I've upset you." Talbot's deep voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"No," Rose answered quickly, but then shook her head at herself. "I mean, I'm feeling things I'd rather not, but that's not on you. I can choose to let your past make me insecure, or I can choose to let it go and give us a real chance."

"I hope you'll choose the latter."

"Me too," she said softly. She stared at him long enough for it to become awkward. Quickly clearing her throat, she managed, "I should get some sleep before I do something embarrassing."

Talbot chuckled. "I'm sorry I kept you up. I find the idea of being separated from you, even by a wall, displeasureable."

Rose bit her tongue to keep from pointing out that if they stayed in the same room, she just might allow him to do pleasurable things. What the hell is wrong with me? She stood up so quickly that she felt dizzy for a moment. Talbot balanced her as he stood, too. She had to tilt her head back slightly to look up at his face. "Thank you for a nice evening."

Every visible piece of skin shifted briefly, scales covering him. She blinked and his human flesh returned. "Apparently, strong emotions make my beast want to come out and play," he teased her. But she also heard an eagerness in his tone.

"Nico mentioned that you'd be able to fully shift now into your snake form."

"You and Nico talked a lot," he said, his tone a little chilly.

"Don't be jealous of Nico. Surely, after this evening, you can tell I have no interest in anyone but you."

"Jealousy is new, and I find it a difficult emotion to curb. I won't promise that I can keep it under control at all times, but I will promise not to kill Nico. Unless he does something that warrants it."

She waited for a chuckle or something to indicate he was joking. It didn't come. "Son of a brick, you're for real?"

Talbot slid his hand down her arm to her hand. His eyes never left hers as he lifted that hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Then his tongue darted out and touched her skin, so fast she wondered if she'd imagined it. "Yes, my Little Flower, I am for real." He kissed her hand again. "Rest well … My Queen." Before she shut the door, his voice followed her. "Oh, Rose, what's your last name?"

"Corra," she answered. "Rose Corra." She paused and looked over her shoulder at Talbot. He hadn't moved from where he'd been standing when he'd kissed her hand. "What will my last name be once we're mated?" Until now, she hadn't considered the fact that she'd be giving up her own name. Not that she was particularly fond or overly attached to her father's last name.

"I don't have a surname," he answered, the look in his eyes knowing as he stared at her. "You will simply be Queen Rose, mate of King Talbot. And put even more simply, you will be mine."

The possessive tone on his lips followed Rose back to her new room, a sweet ache blooming in her heart. She found that she rather liked the idea of being his.

Sitting in one of the chairs, Talbot stared at the closed door to his chambers long after she had retired, warring with himself. Every instinct screamed at him to pursue his mate, to bring her back to the rooms they would soon share as a mated pair. He did not like her being so far from him, out of his immediate protection. It mattered not that they had only met hours ago; she was his, and his beast rattled its cage to claim her fully. Talbot hadn't attempted to shift to his beast form, despite the fact that he'd met his mate. Though he could feel the animal in him pushing to be set free, he was worried that if he gave the animal control, he'd go straight for Rose and scare her to death. Talbot only held himself back through sheer force of will. Rose did not understand their ways yet. He would honor her modesty until vows were exchanged, no matter how his blood heated for her. There would be time enough for passion later.

Still, as he lay in his empty bed, the scent of her lingered faintly to taunt him. Possessiveness coiled tight in his gut. She was his mate. He should be the one watching over her as she slept, guarding her dreams. Not alone in this cold, barren bed while she was sequestered away in the guest suite at the opposite end of the hall.

He had not anticipated how fiercely the mating bond would take hold almost instantly. He thought he understood when Nico described it, but nothing could have prepared him for the primal urgency sweeping through him. It was as though his long-dormant beast had awoken within, and it recognized Rose as its missing half.

In her eyes, as they had sat close, he had seen the answering echo of that same unsated craving. It pleased the male in him to know she felt the same, though he regretted testing her restraint with his bold touch. He had not been able to stop himself from caressing her soft skin, needing to feel their connection.

Sighing roughly, Talbot shifted in the rumpled sheets. He must master himself, or he'd risk driving her away. Patience had never been his virtue, but he would walk through fire before dishonoring her trust.

Throwing back the covers, Talbot rose from the bed. Perhaps a breath of night air on the balcony would cool his heated blood. Whatever this mating hunger raging through him was, he would leash it until Rose was ready. For her, he would find restraint.

But once she was fully his, as fate decreed, all bets were off. The beast within would finally feast to its contentment. And if the longing in her eyes was any indication, his mate, in time, would welcome its hunger. For now, he would endure this sweet torture. Soon, very soon, the Queen of Venom would surrender to the claiming of her king. Patience, beast. Their time would come.