Chapter 47

47

KILLIAN

I 'm nervous when I creep back into our quarters a few hours later. The room is dark, and the curtains are drawn.

Charlotte's sleeping form lies underneath the blankets on the bed, and my wolf instantly calms at the sight of her, upon hearing her calm, even breaths.

Much as I'd love to wake her up, her body needs sleep to heal.

I tiptoe quietly to the side of the bed and strip off the shirt and trousers that I donned to go downstairs.

The protracted meeting with the builders and the appearance of a number of repentant council members kept me away longer than I had planned. Apparently, the sight of me killing my future mate's grandmother and throwing her mother in jail has convinced them I'm not to be jerked around.

As if their dodgy dealings are top priority for me this week with a new mate to take care of.

Word is out.

I knew it would be the second the fire was extinguished.

The questions about the coronation have been coming thick and fast. I don't want to rush Charlotte, but I also need to stick to some of the well-established traditions, which include her crowning immediately after we mate.

I slide into the bed beside her, careful not to wake her. But when she moans softly in her sleep, and her fingers reach out to find me in the dark, I can't resist wrapping her up in my arms. I bury my nose in her hair, breathing in her scent, and press a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"Good night, my queen."

Charlotte nuzzles into my chest and slips one thigh between mine, hooking her ankle around my own, locking us together. Her scent is heavenly, and the feel of her warm body in my arms is everything I ever dreamed it would be.

I'm about to close my eyes and attempt to get some sleep, despite having my mate so close, when Charlotte shifts her hips just a fraction, but with my body so finely attuned to hers, it wakes up all of my senses. Groaning loudly, I hold still when she presses her lips gently to my chest, kissing the skin just above my heart.

"You're home," she whispers, and something about the happiness in her voice has joy welling up inside me.

"Did you have fun today?" I ask tentatively, not quite sure how the impromptu dress obsession would have gone down with my combat wearing, ass kicking, female.

Charlotte smiles against my skin and inches her hips a little bit closer to mine, using her grip on my ass to seal us together, from head to toe.

"It was fine, the dress has been picked out." She sounds about as enthusiastic as I expected, and I smile, knowing she's going along with it all to keep me happy.

I'm so grateful to her sister for stepping in and helping, given none of the rest of us really have a clue what to do.

"When's the coronation planned for?" she asks, and for a moment, I debate pretending that I haven't locked it in, and that I don't have a stack of invites in my office. That I'm not working off the assumption she'll accept my mark in the coming days.

"Provisionally, for Friday." I admit reluctantly.

I could have chosen Saturday, or even Sunday, but when I went downstairs this morning, I was just so excited about showing the world that she's mine, I may have gotten carried away.

"Friday. Hmm," she mumbles, her arms sneaking up my back, unwrapping themselves around my shoulders. "That's not far away, Killian. There's a lot to be done before then."

I nod. "Edmund has everything under control. This place is like a well-oiled machine. And of course, we can always push the date back, if you're not ready."

What I really mean, is if she's not ready to be mated. It's a lot. And exactly why she ran away from me in the first place. Maybe as soon as she's well enough, she'll run again.

"It'll be okay," she says, but I frown, not reassured by that response.

"Charlotte, if this isn't what you want, if you still want to live a quiet life somewhere instead of all this, I'll go with you. You have my word. Just tell me what you're thinking."

Her warm palms slide up my chest and onto my shoulders, her pert breasts pressing into me.

Somewhere along the way, she's managed to procure a satin slip nightdress that's too short to be decent. If she was about to bolt, she wouldn't be in my bed. Would she? I'm not sure whether my confusion is down to me misreading her signals, or the fact that all of my blood is rapidly flowing south.

"I'm thinking that I wish we didn't have to see any of them. That it was just the two of us."

Okay. Right now, I completely agree, but what is she trying to say? "Charlotte, are you telling me you don't want to be queen?"

Charlotte rubs up against me, her core grinding against my pelvis.

I can feel her wetness on my thigh, and her arousal perfumes the air. Between our bodies, my cock grows longer and heavier, trapped against her stomach.

"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. You just have to tell me." I demand, getting equal parts turned on and pissed off.

"Good," she says sweetly, a smile on her lips as she slides her hand under my arm and drags her nails gently from my shoulder, all the way down to the top of my ass. The sting of the scratches she's left behind mingle with the pleasure from her touch, and I curse, knowing she's toying with me, but not caring one bit.

"But not if you're being a brat. Tell me what you want." I growl, deciding enough is enough. I roll on top of her and grip her hands before she can claw me again or distract me with her exquisite touch. "Because you're not running away from me again. I won't let you. I'll follow you wherever you go. You're mine, Charlotte. We're never spending so much as a night apart, ever again, and I don't care whether that's here, in Ireland, or in the middle of fucking nowhere."

Growling, I clamp my hand loosely around her neck and force her to look at me.

She needs to see how serious I am about this.

I've never had this life. It wouldn't cost me a minute's sleep to hand it all over to Zane or whoever, and walk away. "So, tell me what you're thinking."

Charlotte's eyes flash as she squirms underneath me, but finds herself pinned down, my legs on hers, my weight and strength, too much for her to shift.

"I want you to make it official. I don't want to go to another fitting or meeting about the coronation without your mark on my neck. It makes me feel like a fraud."

Fuck.

My vision goes dark, and lights dance in front of my eyes as my wolf surges forward, needing no convincing to claim her right now.

"But you're still healing," I grit out, my mouth already full with my elongating teeth.

Charlotte nods. "Yes, I am still healing. But the wound is nearly gone now. Even since this morning, you can see the difference. And your bite would speed up my healing even more."

I look down along her stretched out body and release my grip on her neck. Keeping my eyes locked on hers, I skim my palm down over her waist and hip before running it back up under the delicate material. Her creamy skin twitches as I brush over it, running my thumb over the tiny, puckered dent in her perfect body.

"You saved me." I marvel. "You threw yourself in front of a bullet for me."

The memory of her wolf sailing through the air and then taking the impact to the side hits me like a punch in the gut.

I'll never get over seeing that.

"I'm not some delicate flower, Killian. And you told me, you'd give me anything I want."

With her hands still trapped by mine, she stretches her neck forward and nips at my chest playfully, before swirling her tongue over my skin to soothe the pain.

"And what I want is you. Now. Tonight. No more waiting. I'm yours, Killian. Take me."

My cock punches forward, my hips thrusting ever so slightly, of their own accord.

She rocks her hips up against mine, and I release her hands to hold her still. But instead, I find myself positioning my cock right at her entrance and using my grip on her waist to keep her right where I want her.

"I want you to take me and claim me as yours." She fights my hold and moves her pelvis just an inch, but it's enough to smear her juices across the head of my cock, and I growl; the scent of her wetness mixed with my precum is absolute perfection.

Her hand snakes down between us and wraps around my steel length. Charlotte gives it a firm, agonisingly slow stroke.

"I want to feel you pounding into me, claiming me as your own. I want to feel you spray my insides with your cum."

Fuck. I hang my head, trying to fight against the urge to do just that. But I can't be rough. This should be love-making, gentle and tender, not fucking feral like I feel.

"Charlotte, I need to be gentle, don't…"

With a devilish smile, she strokes me again, bringing her other hand down to cup my balls, driving me wild inside.

"I want to feel the burn as you bite into my neck, and we become one. I want to feel you in my head, and in my heart for the rest of our days." Her voice is sultry and seductive, as my mind goes completely blank, nothing but fucking Charlotte hard into this mattress, on my mind.

I freeze, barely breathing, and stare down at her.

She looks up, our glowing eyes locking in the darkness.

Both our wolves are in charge here, stroking the fire and connecting through their shared desire to get this done. She gives my cock another hard stroke, inching her hips higher, and slinging one leg around my hip, positioning the head of my cock dangerously close to her dripping wet entrance.

"Fuck me, Killian." She begs, her hands clamping the back of my neck as she pulls me down for a devastating kiss and pushes her pelvis forward until the tip of my cock is nestled just inside her tight channel.

Sweat beads on my forehead as I fight the primal urges rising up within me.

"I need it. I need you. Hard."

With a desperate growl, I rise up, so I can see her properly. I cradle her head in my hand, kissing her hard, pouring every ounce of devotion I have in me into that moment. Because I have a feeling the rest of tonight will be more animalistic than cute and tender.

"I'll protect you, Charlotte. I'll love you, and honour you, for the rest of our days. I'll never let anything happen to you or our pups."

Her eyes fly open, locked on mine, stunned by the force behind my words, right before I drive my hips forward and bury myself deep inside her, sheathed right to the hilt inside her tight channel. She gasps, her eyes rolling back in her head, as I fill her completely, and she pants, taking short, unsteady breaths.

I freeze, waiting for her to adjust to the intrusion, stroking down her side, over her hip and up her ribs, letting my touch relax her tense body.

"Shhh, that's it, Charlotte. Breathe, breathe."

She takes a couple of shallow breaths, and I feel her melt underneath me.

"Fuck, Kilian. That's a lot."

I pepper kisses behind her ear, along her jaw, then take her lips in another bruising kiss, pouring every ounce of my adoration into it before I travel right along her neck, across her shoulder, and lick her marking spot.

Slowly, oh so slowly, I move my hips, trusting in and out, letting her adjust to the sensation.

Her nails claw my shoulders as she pulls me tightly to her, my big body pressing down over hers.

I hook one knee over my elbow, lifting her leg higher, the angle letting me go even deeper, as I continue my relentless thrusts in and out, in and out, claiming my mate's body as mine.

"Fuck, Killian. Fuck!" She shakes, louder and louder, as I thrust harder and harder.

"That's it. That's it, Charlotte. You feel so fucking good." And she does. This is heaven. I've never known pleasure like it. Every cell in my body sings.

"Fucking mine. I'm gonna make you the happiest woman on earth." Reaching between us, I stroke her clit, hard and fast, using the juices that flow out of her, to lubricate her swollen nub. I shift positions, inching my hips higher, so my pubic bone now rubs her clit with each hard thrust in, and she cries out.

"What the? Oh my God, Kilian. Just like that. Yes, yes, yes."

Faster and faster, harder and harder, I pound into her, loving how vocal she is, loving how she screams my name, and tells me how amazing this is. How she claws at me. How she scratches my skin.

"You're mine." I snarl, but despite the harsh edge to my voice, Charlotte nods along enthusiastically.

"Yes. Yours."

I tug her hair, forcing her to look up. "Eyes on me, mate, eyes on me. I want to see you when you come."

She's losing control. Her pussy walls quiver around me, nearly sending me over the edge, as her climax overtakes her.

I stroke her clit harder, rolling my hips on each pass, to deepen the sensation.

Her body tells me how much she loves that by clamping down around me, even harder. She whimpers, her hands clawing at my skin.

"That's it, Charlotte, yes. Come for me. Come for me, baby."

Her breath hitches, her entire body going taut, when I press down hard on her clit and slam into her. Just as she falls over into the peak of her orgasm, I strike, biting down hard on her shoulder, burying my teeth into the soft muscle and holding down, even as she bucks and writhes beneath me.

I hold on, letting my scent embed itself under her skin, and grit my teeth, waiting as she shudders below me. With one last rough thrust, I let out a deep roar. My balls tighten, and I shoot jet after jet of creamy white cum deep inside her, spraying her walls with my seed, marking her as mine.

Charlotte rears up as another orgasm slams into her. She pulls my head to the side, and with a possessive growl, buries her teeth deep into my shoulder with a vicious snarl.

Euphoria swirls around us as the bond snaps into place, and I feel her presence deep inside me, deep in my very soul.

Her emotions are mine now, and I feel an overwhelming sense of joy as we're bound to each other for all eternity.

It feels so right.

"My queen," I think, testing out our new mind-link abilities and pushing the words toward her with as much love and genuine elation as I can gather. "All mine."

Charlotte retracts her teeth and kisses my neck with care to seal the small puncture marks. She kisses and licks her way up my throat to my lips.

"My king." She gasps, her pussy clenching around me once more. "All yours."

I thought I was done, but to hear those words falling from her lips breathlessly, and the ecstasy from the mating bite still flowing in my veins, I realise why new mates disappear for days on end.

And we're only getting started.