“I should have known to leave that thing alone. I’m going to humiliate myself just like before. You’ll end up sleeping with Maggie, too.”
I stiffened all over. Her sister did what? Grabbing her face, I peered deep into her eyes. “That will absolutely never happen. This is the beginning of you and me. My bear knows it and I agree. I will win your heart even if it takes a Goddess and a bakery full of cakes to do so. In return, I will give you mine without hesitation or reservation.”
She blinked up at me. “And I should just trust you? You’re just going to hand me your heart? You might be cute and cuddly but you’re a big unknown with a stupid fated mates trick.”
“There’s no trick, Evie. Trust me, I wish there was because I’m already burning for you in ways I never thought possible. It isn’t comfortable to have my bear so in control but I will show you, one Devil’s Bell at a time if I have to, that I deserve your trust and I will keep yours in return. I just want you to try.”
My bear had been a hidden part of me for so long, what I said was true. He overwhelmed me with his confidence as he assured me the work of convincing her we had bonded would be worth it. Being mates wasn’t necessarily a choice, but love definitely was.
“Do you have to try with a mate? Aren't I supposed to fall in love with you, no matter what?”
“I get the feeling fated mates just tell their love story that way because they don’t want to reveal how they really got together. I expect I will have to protect, spoil and fuck my way into your life until neither of us would have it any other way.”
Even covered in Devil’s Bell saliva, I hugged her closer.
“Do you really mean that?” she asked.
“With every fiber of my being,” I said.
“I have a request, then.” Her serious expression stilled my heart with tense anticipation.
“Anything.” I didn’t have the power to portal us to Vinguard, but my coffers were open to her and my strength and magic were at her service. I would pull the moon from the sky if I needed to.
“I need a bath.” She grimaced. “What am I covered in?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Can I get it off now?” Evie said.
I stood with her in my arms. “Of course. The river should be warm by the bank.”
She squirmed. “I can’t take it if something else lives in the water and tries to slurp me like a noodle.”
My bear stumbled against my mind in his haste to want to fix it. He flooded me with power until it lay against my tongue. I opened a channel and whispered the structure of an enormous bathtub in front of the fire. I set her down to spill a few drops of blood into the tub and convert it into steaming water mixed with clearwood. The scent enhanced her natural orange flavor.
“Did you just…” Her mouth snapped closed. “Nevermind.”
I came back and tugged on her sticky clothes. She hesitated to lift her arms so I could pry off her blouse.
“Your charms are potent, mate, but shaking and slime aren’t the most arousing of combinations. Your virtue is safe for tonight.”
“Just tonight?” she asked.
“I did tell you I was going to win your heart.” I winked and her shoulders eased enough to let me help her take off her blouse.
She took off the rest and didn’t rush to the tub like I thought she would. It was only a small white lie that she wasn’t arousing, even covered in goop. Her ample, heart-shaped ass was perfect for the spread of my hands, but my bear didn’t push with her safe and warm in the tub.
She looked back at me, waiting. “It’s going to get cold.”
Her statement snapped me back from unsafe thoughts. “It’s perfectly warm, viper.” I knew the spell like the back of my hand. Ruby had asked for warm baths often enough I had to teach Dane some version a druid could accomplish.
“Then get in already,” she said.
“It’s for you, mate.” I waved her forward.
“I thought you were convincing me we’re some power couple? You’re just as gooey as I am.”
I wasn’t so noble that I was going to pass up the opportunity to have her naked against me at her invitation. I stripped, then scooped up the jar of soap and a comb from my pack. I didn’t miss the hitch in her breath as she watched me. I tried not to get too excited that she was actually giving us a chance, like I asked. If she stepped forward, so would I. I settled at the opposite end of the tub, so we faced one another, and handed her the soap, willing her to trust me even in this.
