Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Lake

You know that saying lions, tigers, bears, oh my? Well, I'm changing it. For me it's vampires, dragons, shifters, oh my. Let's not forget there's also the Fae.

With so many different supernatural beings, I feel as if my head is spinning. I hold firm to Tucker's side, even when we step into the main room of the clubhouse. I need him in order to feel grounded otherwise I fear I'll fly away. But to do that, I'd have had to sprout wings, wouldn't I?

I mean what exactly do Fae people look like? All I keep thinking about is them looking like Tinkerbell and her friends. Or like the statues I've seen in stores. Anytime I see them, I've always stopped to admire the beauty someone created. My favorite one I ever saw and allowed myself to buy on impulse is that of a dark-haired fairy, wings the color of a white tiger's face with the cyan-colored eyes. The fairy sits atop a snow-covered rock with a tiger standing protectively around her. Protecting her from dangers to come.

Three weeks after I bought it, it was broken in my haste to run. I learned after that to not purchase anything that isn't necessary. I've been lucky not to break my night-light.

Tucker ushers me to one of the tables, the very same one Corbin, Karsyn, and several others were already seated at. He sweetly pulls a chair out for me to sit in. But he doesn't take the one next to me just yet. Instead, he leaves me sitting there and makes his way to the bar, where there are trays of food set up. He grabs two plates and starts piling food on top.

My jaw slackens at the amount of food he brings back. I lift my gaze to his when he sets one in front of me.

"There's no way I can eat all of that." The words rush out, and I suddenly feel like an idiot.

"What you don't eat, baby, I will," Tucker states, finally sitting down.

Once he plants a hand on the back of my chair, his hand stroking my shoulder, I release a breath I hadn't known I was holding. Granted, I wasn't really, but the tension leaves me.

Mostly.

I'm still feeling completely unsettled by the imminent arrival of the Vampire King.

And that unsettling feeling doesn't even phase the ones I have regarding my dream where I met the Drakon King. Technically, I didn't meet him, but he introduced himself to me.

The whole thing freaks me out.

Without waiting for me to take a bite, Tucker leans his body forward and shoves a large amount of food into his mouth. I might add he does this while still keeping his arm around my shoulders.

The conversation around the table flows. Karsyn engages with me a bit, but I'm guessing she knows I'm not really in a talking mood. I'm honestly not even in the mood to eat. However, I get the sense if I don't eat something, Tucker will see to it that I do. I'm sure whatever way he does it wouldn't be torture. It might even be pleasurable.

Just like . . .

Tucker growls at my side, and I jerk in his direction to find him giving me that same look he gave me a bit ago.

"What?" I snap, frowning at him.

"You know what," he states, his tone going intensely rough, near ragged.

"I don't." I didn't. Really. Honest to God, I didn't know what he was getting his panties in a twist about. "What did I do?"Maybe I should help him with his attitude like we were doing in his room earlier and then what we did last night in the woods. I would love to take my time and explore his body the way he's taken the time to do mine. Feel his shaft in my hand. To wrap my lips . . .

"Lake," Tucker growls, my name a warning in that tone. "Knock it the fuck off."

"What are you talking about?" I demand and glance around the table to see that all eyes are on me. "Why's everyone looking at me?"

"They don't know what you were thinking, but they can smell it," Tucker informs me, sounding more than a little pissed or frustrated.

"Even I can fuckin' smell it, and I'm mated," Corbin snarls.

"It's quite interesting," Karsyn murmurs, leaning forward to fake whisper. "It's almost as if you have the scent of desire itself."

"Oh my God," I whisper, eyes wide, attempting to bolt out of my seat, but Tucker foils my plans and instead pulls me into his lap.

"Easy, little Fae," he rasps, his arm going tight around me. "You need to learn to control it. Don't let it control you."

"I don't understand how my thoughts affected my scent?"

I don't understand. I'm completely confused by all of this.

"It's the nymph part of you," Karsyn explains. "I don't know much more than I've learned or in what I've heard. What I can conclude is whenever you have a certain thought," she stops to clear her throat, cheeks brightening, "those thoughts are projected to everyone close. Everyone, including females, it seems."

"It wasn't like that before Tucker mated her," Abel remarks.

"Abel's right, it was different, but still just as intoxicatingly sweet," Dane adds.

"Maybe it was?—"

"It was the scent of seduction," another man states from behind me. I nearly jump out of my skin. I probably would have if Tucker didn't have a hold on me. So rather than losing my skin, I twist in his arms to see who's spoken just as they continued speaking. "It's the scent that causes chaos among men. The scent of sexual pursuit."

"Orpheus," Corbin calls in greeting. "Want to elaborate on what you mean?"

So, this is Orpheus, the Vampire King.

"Interesting," Orpheus murmurs, eyes locked on me. "You are a beautiful creature, aren't you? Quite the mixture." His voice trails off as he inhales and releases a sigh. "Quite the unique beauty, for sure. A rare gem. A Fae that shares the blood of a nymph."

"You want to get to the point," Tucker growls, his emotions burning inside me in a way I didn't expect. He didn't like the vampire looking at me.

Interesting.

If I can feel him so easily. I wonder if I focus on him, would he . . .

"Damnit, Lake," Tucker snarls, tightening his arm around my waist.

"Okay, so that . . ."

"If you don't stop right now, woman, I'll fuck you right here and not give a damn who sees," he states, cutting me off before I can finish.

"And that right there is the scent of seduction," Orpheus announces, his gaze going to Tucker. "Your mate puts out a scent that can be used for several reasons. One, seduction, which is what it's known for. Two, destruction, to distract and eliminate. There's more than I want to get into at the moment. I have a book that I could lend you," he states more to me than to Tucker.

"I would like that," I find myself saying with a nod.

"Then I'll send for it." Orpheus gives a curt nod, clears his throat, then looks at Tucker, and then toward Corbin. "The threat you spoke of."

"The Drakon King," Corbin remarks.

"How do you?—"

"Let them finish, little Fae," Tucker orders softly.

"But—"

Tucker touches a finger to my lips, stopping me from speaking further. "There's more you don't know. We'll get to the dream last night."

"What dream?" Karsyn asks, sitting forward.

I quickly relay the dream to her and see her face pale.

"Zurri would want you because it's prophesied that he would claim his bride and she'd be both Fae and nymph," Orpheus declares.

Someone please tell me that he did not just say that I'd been prophesied to be the bride of a dragon.