Chapter 36

Keir

The twins were already in the kitchen by the time I got there. I figured they would be in bed, but without a certain little temptress in their sheets, they had no reason to stay in her room. They stared at me as I walked straight to the fridge, pulling out what I needed to make Lillian breakfast.

I didn't engage with them as I placed the pans on the stove, whisked her eggs, or washed the fruit I planned to cut up.

"We aren't just going to act like nothing happened, right?" Aiden asked the room. "Because I, for one, can't."

I looked at him with a brow raised. "Didn't know I needed to talk to you about everything, little brother," I teased. "But if you must know, she looks so fucking adorable when she moans my name. I wouldn't mind giving you a demonstration today if you need it."

Aiden frowned and rolled his eyes, but Nicholas laughed.

"Is she better?" Nicholas asked, a hint of concern tainting his words.

I continued to make her breakfast as I talked. "Yeah, she's great. You should see her." Aiden stood from his seat. "Once she wakes up and has breakfast, Aiden." He sat back down without a word.

"Are you okay?" Nicholas followed up.

I was more than fucking okay. I was on top of the world. The most amazing girl was in my bed last night, and I bonded with her. I felt like I was floating, but there was a nagging feeling that wouldn't relent.

She'd mentioned that our exchange was more intense than it had been with the twins, but I didn't tell her why. I wasn't sure why I didn't tell her. I'd become too accustomed to keeping it a secret; I wasn't sure if it was the right moment to tell her that not only was she bonded to me forever, but she was my destined love, the one the fates had picked for me and me for her.

She seemed so happy, I was afraid to ruin the moment with that bomb.

What if she changed her mind? What if she decided she didn't want it? Now that the deed was done, I wasn't sure I could let her go, no matter how hard she begged. She was mine, and I needed her just as much as I wanted her.

"Keir?"

"I didn't tell her," I admitted to my brothers.

As if synchronized, the twins sighed dramatically.

"Come on, Keir…" Aiden muttered.

"Why not?" Nicholas asked at the same time.

I shrugged, focusing on stirring our girl's scrambled eggs. "It didn't come up. I was so focused on… on her. After it was done, she said it had been way more intense than she'd expected, but I didn't want to risk ruining the moment."

"So when are you going to tell her?" Aiden prodded.

I shrugged again. "I don't know. I'll think of something." I glanced at them with a serious expression. "Don't say a fucking word to her about it."

Nicholas put his hands up and nodded.

Aiden rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Whatever."

I plated the eggs and fruit, and the toaster popped up with her toast at the perfect time. Once her breakfast was ready, I left the twins in the kitchen, their whispering not going unnoticed once I was gone.

When I opened the door to my room, I tried my best to be quiet, but the fork hit the door and fell to the ground with a clatter.

"Shit, sorry," I said as her eyes blinked open.

She'd been lying on her side, facing the door, as if waiting for my return. She looked so sexy in my bed, the sheet lying at her waist, her breasts on display just for me. The light coming through the windows reflected off her hair, making her auburn hair appear more red than brown.

Once her eyes landed on my plate, a lazy smile crept across her face. "Is that for me?"

I nodded, my heart thumping hard in my chest as I walked over to her. Not many things terrified me, considering who I was and what I'd been through, but I wanted this woman's approval more than anything. The thought of being subpar in any category was unnerving, even if it was just breakfast.

She sat up, not bothering to cover herself from me, and took the plate from my hand.

"I'll go get another fork."

"No need," she replied, picking up a piece of egg with her hand, plopping it into her mouth, and chasing it with a bite of toast. "See?"

"Here, allow me." I took the plate from her hand, and she watched me curiously as I carefully topped her toast with some of the eggs and then held it up to her mouth. She started to raise her hands to take it from me but stopped when my eyebrows hitched. "Let me feed you, Lillian."

She gulped before nodding, like she was in a trance, opening her mouth and taking a bite of the food I held out to her. I watched her chew and enjoy the food I'd made for her. Even the way she ate was bewitching.

"It's nothing fancy, but I figured you'd be hungry after last night." I held a strawberry to her mouth, nearly moaning as she sank her teeth into it.

"It's perfect, and I was starving after last night," she said with her mouth full.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel good. Amazing, actually." Hesitation swept across her face. "You don't… regret it, do you?"

"Hell no. I don't regret a thing, princess," I kissed her forehead. "Not one bit. I promise."

That seemed to assure her. "Good."

I continued to feed her breakfast then handed her the juice I'd brought.

"Ida is coming over this morning to check on you." I stood, placing her empty plate on the side table, sitting with my legs off the bed.

"Keir!" She practically jumped up, moving to look at my back. "How did this happen?"

Shit .

I hadn't meant for her to see my back yet, not until it was fully healed. I scolded myself for not wearing my shirt this morning, but I was in a hurry to prepare her breakfast before she woke up. Several healing whip marks still covered my skin, though they were nearly gone.

"I'm fine, princess. It looks much better than it did." I tried my best to play it off, hoping she'd drop it.

"It looked worse than this?" she exclaimed. Her cool hands on my back made me sit straighter as she examined my injuries. "Who did this to you, Keir? Who hurt you?"

She waited for my response, which I wasn't planning to give her. I was ashamed of the answer, embarrassed she'd see how weak I truly was, that I wasn't actually worthy of her. That I didn't deserve her, that I never would.

Her body slid around mine until she was facing me in my lap, straddling me. "Keir," she said gently as she took my face in her hands. "Who did that to you?" Despite the tender attention she was showing me, I could see the fury behind her eyes as she searched mine for an answer.

"I'm fine. Nothing I couldn't handle." I tried to kiss her, but she pulled away. "I'm a big boy, princess. I can fight my own battles," I joked.

"Wait a second," she said like she remembered something. My body went rigid under her. "Your father said it had been handled between father and son…" She was too fucking smart. She'd fucking pieced it together just like that. "One of the nights you came home late. Your dark energy filled the flat. I was scared to come out…" Her eyes filled with tears. "Keir…" She brought one hand to her mouth, gasping. "He hurt you…" She choked on her words. "He hurt you because of me." She tried to stand, but I wouldn't let her.

"Stay," I pleaded, holding her hips, needing to be close to her, needing to feel her against me. "Please."

Tears cascaded down her cheeks in rivers of sorrow. "This is my fault."

"I'd gladly take it all again a hundredfold if it meant having you here with me." I pulled her to me, hugging her naked body against my bare chest, her skin on mine having an instant effect on my anxiousness. "Especially naked," I teased her.

She swatted my arm but then wrapped herself around me. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

I smoothed her hair down her back. "If anything, I deserved it for the way I was with you."

"No one deserves to be treated like that, especially by their parent." She whimpered toward the end, softly crying into my chest.

I held her tight, letting her cry, my heart breaking that her tears were for me. No one had ever cried for me. I'd caused her tears many times myself, so I definitely didn't deserve them.

"I will kill him," she said slowly, wriggling out of my grasp so she could hold my face. "I will fucking kill him for hurting you," she growled through clenched teeth.

And she meant it. The look in her eyes told me she meant every last word. Our once fragile, broken, human girl was a confident, demon essence-filled woman ready to take on all of Hell if she had to. The thought of her covered in the blood of her enemies was extremely arousing.

She kissed me, a simple, innocent kiss that pulled me from my thoughts. "I'm not the only one worth saving."

I opened my mouth, not sure what was going to come out of it, but a knock at the door grabbed our attention. The door opened, and Aiden peered in.

"Ida's here."

Lillian wiggled off my lap, her nakedness catching my brother's attention. "Damn," he whistled. "Hell really does look so fucking good on you, little one."

She blushed and took the robe he handed her, practically running out of the room to see her visitor as she wrapped the fabric around her body.