He loses the frown as I toe off my shoes, remove my pants, and undo my bra, pulling it out from underneath my shirt. He watches with amusement as I toss them off to the side and climb into bed with him. He inhales deeply and arches an eyebrow. “No indeed. I would even go so far as to say you might enjoy it very much. Am I right?”
I shrug and snuggle down as he pulls me into his arms. “Sure, we will get there eventually. As much as everyone is encouraging me to rush this, it will happen as it needs to happen. I won’t deny that I like the idea of having multiple men in my bed. It isn’t what I’m used to, but I’m intrigued, and I’m not going to feel ashamed of it.”
“You’re perfect for us,” he murmurs and places a kiss on my forehead. “Now how about we get some sleep? We didn’t get much last night.” He sounds smug, and he has good reason to, but he’s right. We’ll be on the go for the next few days, and sleep might be hard to come by. I don’t know how long it will take to get from the human zone to the equine village after we find Nox—if he’s even there. I don’t even want to think about where we would need to start looking for him if he isn’t. We may get lucky, and he might be from the same village we need to go to, but I won’t count on that. Even if he is, the likelihood he returned is slim. He made it seem like he never went home, which makes total sense now that I know the context, but he did mention his sister and her family, so he must still be in contact, and maybe that will be a lead.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I mumble as I snuggle into his warm chest, and he pulls the covers up over us. It’s the first time I’ve felt warm today, and it feels amazing. “Did you set the alarm?” I ask him.
“Yeah, baby. I have. Don’t worry, I’ll get us where we need to go and find this elusive mate of yours. He’s going to kick himself when he realizes what he’s been missing.”
“I’m not so sure about that. He definitely doesn’t want to be part of shifter society. He knew I was the queen, and he could have said something. Sure, he helped me with the pendant, but he drove away without a backward glance and didn’t say anything about being a shifter to me. There’s also the issue of the last one. We have no idea who he is or where to find him.”
He tugs me against him, pressing my head to his chest, and I breathe in his frosty scent and relax even further, my creature purring with happiness.
“Hopefully by the time we return to the shifter zone, someone will have come to the bond office with a new mark,” he says.
“Somehow, I don’t think it’s going to be that simple,” I mutter, closing my eyes and trying to clear my mind of everything so I can get some sleep.
“No, but we still have a little over a week until challenge day. If the equines can help us find the kids, then maybe they can track down your final mate for us too,” he suggests, and I feel an inkling of hope.
“That’s a good idea,” I reply, and he cups my butt cheek and gives it a squeeze.
“I’m not just a pretty face.” His chest rumbles with laughter, and I drift off to sleep with a smile on my lips.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Gem
The sheets are cold against the backs of my thighs as I slide into them and wait while Gryffin uses the bathroom. My heart races, and I feel twitchy for any number of reasons, but mostly because I’m spending the night in his bed. It will be the first time since we admitted our feelings to one another, and I’m nervous as fuck. We’ve been dancing around each other for so long, and if Colbie hadn’t revealed herself as our mate, I would probably pounce on him the minute he climbed in next to me, but I kind of like the idea of waiting so we can share our first time with her.
He walks out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a black pair of boxer briefs, and my mouth goes dry. Sure, I’ve seen Gryffin like this before, but I’ve always tried to keep it friendly. Now I can look at him like he’s the last drop of water in the desert, and I’m thirsty. He’s all hard, sculpted muscle, and I can’t wait to feel him wrapped around me. I drag my gaze down his body, past his brown nipples and rippling eight pack, to the large bulge behind the thin cotton of his underwear. I know how he tastes and how he feels, having explored him with my mouth, but there are so many more things I want to do to him and for him to do to me. I want Colbie to be involved in it all.
I fist the sheets, nervous for the first time in a long while. Is Gryff going to change his mind? I’ve wanted him for so long, the idea that he might reject me now is terrifying. When we messed around at the ball, we didn’t know about Colbie, so does knowing she’s our mate change things for him? He hasn’t tried to hide anything from her, and he’s been open, if a little reserved, with his affection in front of her and our family, so he isn’t trying to hide me like a dirty little secret, but I can’t help worrying.
He strides toward the bed, turning off the overhead light and leaving the bedside lamp on before sliding into the sheets next to me. He tugs me down and wraps his delicious arms around me before placing a kiss on my lips. I melt into him, his stubble scraping deliciously against my skin as his tongue explores my mouth. I groan and rub my cock against his, allowing my hands to wander over his mostly naked body. Both of us are breathing heavily when he finally pulls away.
“As much as I would love to keep exploring your delectable body,” he says, one of his hands cupping my ass and grinding me into him, “we need to get some sleep. It might be in short supply over the next few days, and I’d really like our mate to be with us for the first time.” I can see he’s worried and bracing himself for my reaction, but I just smile and sigh with happiness before snuggling into his chest, his naked legs tangling with mine.
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” I tell him, and I feel the tension in his body seep away. “I’ve dreamed of this for so long that a few more hours or days won’t hurt. I’m just happy to have you in my bed.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss against my head.
I chuckle. “Liar. I know both of us would like to be a couple of rooms over, but we’ll let Liam have his time. He’s waited for so long, and thankfully his bear seems to have settled down since they sealed the mating bond.”
“Hell, I saw the guy smile at least a dozen times today. I can’t remember the last time that happened,” Gryff says as my eyelids grow heavy. I’m warm and comfortable and in the arms of the man I’ve wanted forever and never thought I could have. All is right with the world, and when we finally get our mate between us, things are going to be explosive.
“Probably never,” I agree. “Can you believe the queen is our mate? I can’t believe how lucky we are. She’s powerful, compassionate, and not concerned one bit about appearances or who we are. It’s such a relief. I know fated mates are supposed to be the perfect complement for each partner, but it seems the goddess doesn’t always get it right. Look at Councilor Mason. He cheats on his wife every opportunity he gets. That’s not supposed to be how gifted mates work.”
“Unfortunately gifted mates doesn’t always mean happiness. Some people are just rotten to the core, but I agree, Colbie is amazing, and I’m so happy to be fated to her. Hell, I was seriously worried we’d end up with Gianna or Isla Tideman.”
“Agreed. I’d rather have no mate than either of them, but we need to watch Colbie’s back. They’ll both be gunning for her once they find out. Even if they can’t harm her physically, they can do a lot of damage with their poisonous tongues, especially once they find out their parents aren’t going to be on the council anymore.”
“Council? The Tideman family will be lucky if they aren’t sentenced to death for treason,” Gryffin snarls. “But yes, I’ll make sure my sisters are watching out for Gianna. She’s terrified of Gretchin, and Gracelin is no slouch with cutting comments and disdainful looks either.”
I scoff. “You don’t have to tell me, I’ve been on the wrong end of their tempers over the years, but they seem to be happy about you and me,” I say softly, and he gives me a squeeze.
“Of course. They have both been telling me to pull my head out of my ass for a long time. I just wish I would have listened sooner, because then I would have had you in my arms for much longer.”
My heart skips a beat at his confession, and I melt like a damn ice cream in the sun. I was so angry that he wouldn’t give in to the very obvious thing between us, but I now realize everything happens for a reason.
