As we approached the end of the next hallway, I sensed the energy of her parents. This was my last chance to be alone with her, so I caught her in my arms, spinning so that she was against the wall, blocked from sight if anyone strolled past.
"No matter what is said in there, they do not control your worth," I murmured, close enough to see every facet of jewel in her wide eyes. "Your worth is immeasurable. You are beyond their understanding. Just give me the signal if it gets too much and I will get us the fuck out of there."
Her lips quirked up and I found myself drawn to the plumpness of that top lip, wanting to taste it again.
"What's our signal going to be?" she asked, amused.
Before I could answer, she kissed me, a soft, sweet, slow kiss. I let her have control for as long as I could, sensing it was cathartic to her in some way.
"Thank you," she whispered, when she pulled back. "I honestly couldn't have wished for a more perfect mate. Even with your arrogance and never-messy hair."
A snort of laughter escaped me. "Come on, let's get this over with."
Whatever amusement we'd cultivated dried up the moment we stepped into the book-lined office. The king and queen were sitting on twin high-backed, leather bound chairs. A lit fireplace was behind them, sending warmth through the room and casting an invitingly perfect scene.
Their expressions on the other hand, not so inviting.
24
Justice Winter
I'd spent only a month with my parents, and in that time I felt like I'd learned a lot about them, this world, and most importantly, about myself.
I really hoped that whatever went down in this room didn’t undo everything we’d built over the past month. Truthfully, luck was on their side … after that unbelievable orgasm in the hall, I wasn’t in any sort of mood for combat. Tonight I was a lover, not a fighter—I really just wanted to agree to their demands so I could run off with Jacob.
Of course, that wouldn't work since the very reason we were here was to deal with the whole "Jacob situation," so there was very little chance of avoiding a fight.
"Please, have a seat," Deloria said, gesturing to smaller versions of the chairs they were seated in.
Their chairs were crafted from the finest oxen leather, instilled with rubies for strength and energy, and spelled to be eternally comfortable. I'd actually sat in them multiple times while reading from their extensive collection of books in here.
Today, though, I was relegated to the guest chairs, and they weren't nearly as comfortable.
"We're sorry to pull you away from the celebration," my father said, leaning forward in his chair. "But if we want to actually talk tonight, there's no point waiting for it to die down." He chuckled, thankfully breaking some of the tension. "Our family will still be partying tomorrow."
I'd been to a few family dinners, so I knew what he was talking about. They would drink and dance and chat until the sun was rising. It was definitely fun, but no sleep was had by anyone.
Jacob, looking relaxed, leaned himself back the best he could in the chair. His shoulders were too broad, legs too long, and overall it must have been super uncomfortable, but he made it work.
"Sorry to drop in unannounced," he said, voice calm and tinged with that special soothing energy only he had. Hopefully it worked on my mother. "But when I heard that Justice was going to bond with the jewels, I couldn't miss it."
My parents took a moment to answer, and I expected it would be Mom that would jump in with something, but again it was Jepati. "We should have extended a formal invitation," he said, sounding apologetic. "It just happened rather quickly. We decided to keep it on a local level. It takes a lot of planning for trans-world events and guests."
Jacob smiled, but didn’t comment.
"What intentions do you have toward my daughter?"
It was finally time for Deloria to speak, and just like me, she didn't fuck around. Getting right to the point.
Jacob's smile was real when he turned toward me, our eyes meeting and holding, like they always freaking did. "My intention is everything," he said simply, returning his gaze to Deloria. "I want everything. I will have everything. Justice is my mate and I intend to cherish and adore the fu—heck … out of her for as long as I live."
I choked down laughter. My parents were pretty relaxed about my love of cursing, mostly because those words didn't mean that much to them; they were too old to have been part of this new craze of copying everything in the human world.
"Mate?" Deloria spluttered out, some of her poised aloofness fading. "It's not possible."
My father sat straighter, peering between us. "I don't sense any bond or joining of your energies yet. Are you saying chosen mate?"
I shook my head. "We’re almost certain that we’re true mates. It's the only explanation for why we've been so drawn to each other. We’re even sensing the other's thoughts and emotions. But we haven't actually … uh, you know, had sex yet, so there's no bond."
