6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

A s the fan meet wound to a close, Storm felt on top of the world.

After the initial interest in his new mate, the conversation had gradually and organically shifted to the upcoming series. Once that topic had been exhausted, he and Damien had fielded a series of questions about their likes, dislikes, future plans, and all things Otherling.

All in all, it had gone better than he'd expected. Still, he knew this gathering of fans was only a small sampling. He hadn't had a chance to check his social media accounts, but he was well aware that not everyone would be happy about the announcement.

He just hoped King hadn't seen any of the nasty comments.

Glancing over his shoulder to the edge of the dais, his brow furrowed, and his lips pressed together in a straight line. King stood next to Arlo, but he wore a blank expression with glossy eyes that didn't seem to be focused on anything in particular. He didn't appear worried or upset exactly. He just looked…blank, like he had completely checked out from what was going on around him.

"King!"

His head snapped up at Storm's summons, his expression cleared, and a sweet smile stretched his lips. Twisting around, he grabbed something off the table behind him before hurrying up the steps and across the stage.

"Matcha latte with oat milk," he said as he presented the drink with both hands. "If you prefer coffee, I can go get it, but I didn't think you'd want that much caffeine this late."

"This is perfect." Taking the drink in one hand, he hooked his index finger into the breast pocket of his mate's jacket and pulled him down for a quick kiss. "Thank you."

The row of girls waiting to have their picture taken with him squealed and giggled as King blushed an adorable shade of red. Part of Storm felt bad for embarrassing him. That honestly hadn't been his intention. In fact, he hadn't really thought about it at all.

Still, there was another part of him that thought his mate looked stunning with his soft smile and pink cheeks.

"Um, can we get a picture with both of you?" One of the young ladies from the group stepped forward and waved her phone. "Please?"

Storm rose from his seat at the small folding table and reached out for King's hand. "It's up to you."

King considered him for a moment, then took his hand and moved to stand beside him. "Sure. I don't mind."

This created another bout of giggles as the four girls rushed to huddle close for their photo.

A few members of the hotel staff had been co-opted to help out with the event. Mostly cleaning, refilling water pitchers, and the like. Some, however, had been assigned to the stage to maintain some kind of order and keep things moving smoothly.

The poor female positioned in front of his table suddenly found her hands full of four different cell phones with strict instructions of how to take photos with each. To her credit, she never showed an ounce of annoyance or displeasure. In fact, she looked eager to be of service.

Still, Storm refused to let his fans mistreat anyone in front of him, even unintentionally.

"Thank you," he told the female when she had finished with the last picture. "I really appreciate all your help."

"Yes," King added. "Thank you, Nita. You're doing a great job."

Her dark ponytail bobbed as she clasped her hands together in front of her and rocked up on her toes. "Oh, I'm happy to do it. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"These are amazing," one of the girls said as she surveyed the photos. "Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome!"

Satisfied with the interaction, and that credit had been given where due, Storm signed the headshots they had brought of him, and smiled as they exited the stage. In his heart, he truly believed that most people were inherently good. Sometimes, they just needed a little reminder.

While he waited for the next person to approach, he leaned sideways and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Instead of an immediate dismissal, King sighed and shook his head. "I'll tell you about it later. Let's just get through this."

Although worried about what had happened to upset him, he respected that King didn't want to talk about it in such a public setting. "Is there anything I can do in the meantime?"

King reached over and grasped his hand firmly but briefly before pulling away again. "Thank you, but I'll be okay. Just some family drama."

That could mean a lot of things, but judging by his tone and demeanor, Storm didn't think the issue constituted an emergency. As such, he let the matter drop, adopted a camera-worthy smile, and turn to greet the next person in line.

His smile slowly morphed from practiced to genuine when he recognized the male approaching his table. They weren't friends or even friendly , but Owen had made several appearances at different fan meets over the years.

They had only spoken twice, but the interactions kind of stuck with him. The guy's bright pink mohawk and thick black frames definitely left an impression.

He stepped forward with his hand outstretched. "Hey, Owen. Thanks so much for being here."

Obviously pleased at being remembered, Owen's eyes widened behind his glasses, and his lips curved as he took Storm's hand in a firm grip. At the same time, there was a reservedness, a stiffness that made Storm uneasy.

"Congratulations on your mating."

Everyone he'd spoken with had said the same thing, but there was something disingenuous about this interaction. Maybe it was the flatness of Owen's tone. Maybe it was the way his gaze cut to King and narrowed. Maybe it was the subtle surge of energy Storm had felt when they'd touched that triggered something inside of him.

Whatever the reason, his posture shifted from relaxed to guarded, and he sidestepped to place himself between Owen and King. Thankfully, the rational part of him not ruled by instinct butted in, reminding him that disapproval didn't represent an actual threat.

He had known this could happen. He'd understood that not everyone would be pleased to learn that he was in a relationship now. On the other hand, it could have been a lot worse. At least Owen wasn't being outright hostile, despite his disappointment.

"It's good to see you again." Benign as far as lies went. "Do you live near here?"

On the surface, it probably seemed like a regular question, typical small talk. Consciously, he might have even meant it that way. Subconsciously, however, he couldn't shake the innate need to protect his mate, and he wanted to know if this stranger posed an ongoing danger.

"Oh, no." Owen laughed. "I'm from Tucson. I'm just here for the week."

"That's quite the trip. I appreciate you coming out to see us."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I'm so excited about the new drama." As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and held it up. "Do you mind if I get a picture?"

"Sure thing." Seeing that Nita was busy managing the rest of the crowd, Storm looked to King. "Do you mind?"

Without hesitation, his mate hurried forward to take the cellphone. Once they were all in position, he counted down from three, then repeated the process twice more.

"Here you go," he told Owen with a grin. "Check them out and let me know if they look okay."

Owen flipped through the pictures with an unreadable expression. Eventually, he looked up with a small but authentic smile. "They're perfect. Thank you." Then he glanced between Storm and King. "Congratulations on your mating."

And this time, he sounded like he meant it.

It gave Storm hope that the tides would turn, and those opposed would also come to some level of acceptance in the future. He wished he could invite them all to meet King in person, to encourage them to have a single conversation with him. Sure, he was biased, but he doubted anyone could dislike his mate after spending five minutes in his presence.

King radiated love and kindness, and he had such a generous soul. All he wanted was for those around him to be happy, giving everyone and everything priority over his own needs. In fact, he was so selfless, Storm worried he would give until the well ran dry, and he had nothing left for himself.

And that barely scratched the surface—just information he'd gathered from casual observations over the last thirty-six hours.

"Thanks for your time." Owen chuckled as he backed away toward the stage stairs. "I'll see you at the next meet."

A frown tugged at King's lips, and his brow wrinkled. "Does he mean the one on Saturday?"

Storm shrugged. "Probably."

"They sell tickets for it, right?"

"Right."

"A limited number?"

Again, he shrugged and waved a hand toward the mostly empty rows of chairs. "About two hundred or so. Why?"

"Huh?" King shook his head. "Oh, nothing."

Yeah…no. "Tell me."

"Really, it's nothing. I was just thinking that he must be a dedicated fan."

Only, it sounded like he meant something else. "I suppose. He's been to a few events."

"It's impressive that he managed to get tickets to both fan meets this week."

"He probably had a whole group of friends helping him." As crazy as it sounded, he'd heard plenty of stories about the lengths people went to for the chance to attend these gatherings.

"Hmm." King sniffed. "He doesn't seem that interested in Damien." He glanced toward the other end of the ballroom, where Owen stood with a small group by the catering table. "He didn't even get in line to meet him."

"Maybe he's planning to next time." The guy had stood in line for over an hour just to take a picture with Storm. If he had two tickets, splitting his wait time made sense.

"Maybe."

King sniffed again, and he held a tight grip on his left wrist near his waist. His shoulders tensed, drawing up near his ears, and his jaw jutted at an obstinate angle. He wouldn't look at Storm, but his nostrils flared, and his heart was pounding loud enough to be heard over the other noise in the room.

"Wait…" Fighting back a grin, he shuffled closer. "Are you jealous?"

"No." His mate practically spat the word.

Losing the battle, his face split into a wide grin. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course, I'm sure." His head jerked toward Storm, then back to face forward. "Don't be ridiculous."

This was good. Not that he ever wanted King to have a reason to doubt him, but he couldn't deny he liked knowing the guy felt possessive over him. Plus, his sweet mate was kind of adorable while battling the green-eyed monster. He didn't have it in him to be a real hellcat. Instead, he looked more like an indignant kitten.

Yes, he'd shown his claws—sort of—but they weren't big enough to do any real damage.

As fun as it would be to tease him, Storm decided to take his mother's advice. She loved to tell him that he'd catch more flies with honey than he would with vinegar. In his experience, she'd been right.

"We're almost finished here." Only two more groups of girls waited at the edge of the stage, but Nita was expertly stalling them to give him a small break. "Are you hungry?"

In answer, King continued to stare straight ahead and shrugged.

"Do you have any plans for dinner?"

He shrugged again.

Changing tactics, Storm asked a question he knew the guy couldn't ignore. "Do I have any obligations after this?"

As he'd expected, King sighed but finally looked at him. "I made a reservation for you at Matchstick. I wasn't sure if Priya, Damien, or—" His eyes cut to Owen again. "—anyone else would be joining you. I reserved a table for four, just in case."

Then he went right back to ignoring him.

Too. Fucking. Cute.

"Damien is meeting with Oliver after this, and Priya is having dinner with her husband."

King nodded sharply.

Tucking his fingers into the pocket of King's jacket, he jerked him sideways, causing him to stumble into him.

"What the hell?" he demanded in a hissing whisper.

Storm wrapped an arm around his waist, preventing his escape, and leaned closer to nuzzle his temple. At the same time, he was careful not to cause his mate any further embarrassment. To onlookers, it would look like he was simply telling him something private.

"How about we cancel the reservation and order room service?"

King's breath caught on a quiet gasp, and a visible shiver rippled through him. "If that's what you want."

"I want to spend time with you," he clarified. They still needed to talk about this family drama situation, but he didn't mention that. "What do you say?"

"O–Okay."

"Is that a yes?" He knew the answer, but he would never tire of hearing it.

"Yes." King sighed again, though this time it sounded more exasperated than annoyed.

In a surprising move, he turned his head and smacked a quick kiss to Storm's cheek. Apparently, he'd surprised himself as well because his eyes rounded when he realized what he'd done, and his mouth fell open in a little O.

"Go on," Storm told him with a chuckle. "You can hide backstage while I finish up here."

He shook his head quickly. "No. I can stay."

"Now, that dog don't hunt."

"Really, it's not—what?"

It took him a minute to work out why King looked so confused, and when he did, he had to laugh at himself before translating. "Not a good idea."

"Ah." King arched an eyebrow, and one side of his mouth pulled up into a sexy smirk. "Careful, Tex. Your roots are showing."

The slight purr in his voice wasn't helping the situation going on in Storm's jeans. "You like that, huh?"

King's tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, and Storm had to fight back a groan as he tracked the motion.

"I don't hate it."

Fuck, the guy was going to kill him. He was about three seconds away to saying the hell with the rest of the meet and dragging his mate up to his suite.

"Go." He coughed to clear the gravel from his voice and gave him a push between his shoulders. "I'll find you when I'm finished."

If he survived that long.