She covered her eyes, pacing in a circle. “Oh God, Charming. I don’t know what to do.” Kat lowered her hands and looked at him guiltily. “What if he called? I’m down here rolling around in the dirt and—”
“Taken care of,” he assured her. “My phone is in my pocket, and I can guarantee if anyone had contacted the house, my men would be down here faster than you could catch your breath.”
“I can’t just sit here. It’s not in my nature.”
The sound of water trickling from the ceiling above and splashing on the stony floor muted out small noises.
Kat wiped a rogue tear away before Prince saw it. She knew she needed to rest or she’d be useless, but during the quiet moments, her mind wouldn’t stop thinking about Nadia. Patience was necessary in her line of work and had always been something that came naturally to her. But this was personal, something that made time her enemy. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and her body weak.
The room spun when Prince lifted her off her feet and carried her toward the stairs. His strength was unmatched, and she felt silly for feeling so protected in his embrace when she needed no protection.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder.
He headed up the stairs, breathing a little heavier. “You try so hard to be strong, but sometimes you need to be weak.”
“That makes about as much sense as eating soup with a fork.”
“It’s the only way someone can take care of you the way you deserve to be.” Prince kicked open the door and moved quickly down the hall, ascending another flight of stairs. “I want you to let me take care of you. Give me one night to protect you and see that you’re fed. Let me bathe you until you’re clean and then put you to bed.”
Kat chuckled quietly. “My bad habits are rubbing off on you, Charming. You rhymed.” She curled against him, warming to his soft words and generous offer. “And then?”
“And then my wolf will guard you until dawn.”
“What if someone tries to come in?”
He answered without hesitation. “Then he’ll die.”
She believed him. This wasn’t about seduction; Prince was wooing her the way a Shifter pursued a mate. It was an honor to have a wolf guard your bed while you slept or bring you food from a hunt. It was an instinct and tradition among mated couples that dated back as far as anyone could remember.
When he entered his bedroom, he closed the door and leaned against it, still holding her in his arms. She felt at home when she looked into his mismatched eyes, deciding she couldn’t pick a favorite between the two. They each were different, but both looked at her with the same affection.
“Charming?”
“Yes?”
“I’m probably going to cry a little bit, so I need you to let me do that without any judgment, or else you can leave the room. I know how men freeze up like a pipe in a snowstorm when women get emotional.”
His words were nothing but a gentle breath. “I’m not going anywhere.”
CHAPTER11
Prince checked on Kat for the fifth time since shifting back to human form. Morning light crept up the balcony and made the bedroom look as if it were spun from gold. The night before had surpassed any he’d spent with a woman in all his lifetimes.
Kat let him bathe her and rub scented oils on her skin. She shared small talk with him while they ate a meal together—tomato-basil soup and fresh-baked bread. But her appetite wasn’t what he’d grown accustomed to, and after finishing only half her meal, she wanted to lie down.
Sleep didn’t come quickly, so he made her a glass of warm honey water with cinnamon. She protested at first, claiming it looked like puddle mud after a hard rain, but a sip was all it took to convince her otherwise.
In the secrecy of darkness, Kat had wept in his arms. Wept for what he imagined was the fear that she might never see her twin again. Prince offered no words of comfort because therewerenone. He knew the emptiness of losing a sibling, and sometimes the only remedy is to grieve. Once her tears subsided, she fell asleep in his arms. Kat had a peculiar habit of kicking all the covers off. It seemed that the only thing she wanted covering her body was him. He stayed that way for a while to make sure she felt his protection, because the power emitted from an alpha wolf was all-encompassing, like a blanket. After what seemed like an hour, he finally shifted. Prince remained aware for as long as he could stay awake, and when he chose to sleep, his wolf took over the duty of guarding his love.
Hislove. Not someone else’s; not an abstract idea, but a woman he wanted at his side, in his bed, leading his pack, and sharing his meals. A woman he would kill for. A woman he barely knew and yet felt a timeless connection between them that he couldn’t ignore. That was love, wasn’t it?
Prince had acquired respect, power, and wealth over the years. He possessed more sway with the Councils and higher authority than most, and damn if he was going to sit idly by while Vlad ripped apart lives once again.
When Kat finally awoke, she was herself again. Strong, determined, resilient. Despite her claim of being shy, she approached the balcony nude and opened the doors, her body suffused in sunlight.
Prince was seated quietly in his chair, memorizing every line, the subtle way she would shift her hips, her dark hair blowing back from the gentle breeze, the sublime way sunlight touched the edges of her body until it glowed, and the regal way she turned around and settled her luminous eyes on him like a lover to a mate.
“I love watching you,” he said offhandedly, resting his head against his closed fist.
