I look down at my chest and see gouges through the tatters of my shirt. “Dammit, I really liked this shirt. It hugged me in all the right places,” I whine.
“Come here soIcan hug you in all the right places,” Rook growls as he gets his hands under me and picks me up. He holds me close, and I can feel his heart pounding hard in his chest.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him, lifting my hand to his face. He’s got this sexy scruff thing going on—now that he doesn’t have to pretend he’s a clean cut prison guard. I’m torn about liking it though, because it hides his lickable dimples.
He levels me with a look. “You arenotfine. I can smell the blood, Sinclair, and you wince every time you take a breath.”
“I’m fine-ish,” I amend.
He huffs and then starts walking over toward my pat. “Put me down,” I whisper, not wanting to be carried like a baby in front of the lounges.
“Not a chance in hell,” he replies, his arms continuing to cradle me.
We walk up to my pat—wait, no. He’s not a patriarch anymore. He just stepped down from that role. Myfatherbows his head. “If you wish to issue a challenge, I will bear the responsibility of my mate’s behavior.”
My eyes fly up to Rook. He might be my mate...but this is new between us. And he’s a strong, incredibly proud alpha. He could very well demand that my parents face him in a challenge for my mother’s disrespect today. No one would judge him for it.Icouldn’t even judge him for it, even though it’s my parents and the thought of him hurting my father makes me a little sick.
Rook studies them, sending a low growling noise at my mother who’s standing behind my father with her head lowered. My mate’s eyes shift from her to me, his expression immediately softening. I feel his fingers lightly circle my skin where he’s holding me. “No,” he says, answering my father. “I won’t issue a challenge. You controlled your mate and made her submit, and you stepped down as alpha leaders of your lounge. I’m satisfied with that if Sinclair is.”
Pride swells in my chest at his words. Not just because he’s choosing to let it go, but because he’s including me in his decision. I give a nod. “I’m cool as long as I never have to see her again.”
My father accepts my words with a tilt of his head. I wriggle in Rook’s arms until he puts me down, but the stubborn cockatrice keeps a hand around my waist, even as I lean in to hug my father. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“I’m sorry,” he replies before pulling away, his eyes misty and filled with so much regret it makes my breath catch in my throat. He addresses his former, now leaderless lounge. “I’m sorry to all of you. We are not the leaders you deserve. But maybe...theyare,” he says, motioning toward Rook and me. Then he turns to leave, pulling my mother along with him.
I watch them walk away, but I don’t feel even a twinge of disappointment that I’ll probably never see her again. I’m pretty cheerful about it, actually. I’ll try to keep in touch with my father, but she just became nothing to me the moment she shifted and attacked.
Rook turns, his arm still steadying around my waist. “If any of you wish to join our lounge, we will welcome you,” he says, and my heart squeezes at his generosity.
There’s an awkward pause as my old lounge sizes up my new one, probably wondering how well they’ll mesh together, but my purple-haired friend lets out an obnoxiously loud whistle, her face beaming. “Woo! That’s what I’m talking about!” Dinah says with an excited clap. “Baby!” she shouts over to her mate. “Go get our daughter. We’re moving in!”
I laugh, shaking my head, but the pain steals my smile away and replaces it with a grimace. “See? Not fucking fine,” Rook says at my side.
Before I can respond, I’m scooped up in his arms again and he’s stalking away. “Party tonight to celebrate our new lounge members and my mating with Sinclair,” he calls out, and whoops and catcalls sound out all around us. “Now, I’m going to take care of my mate.”
“You’re so hot right now,” I purr as I run a finger over his pec.
He cocks a brow at me, but I see his blue and green hair begin to glow. “Sinclair. You’re torn the fuck up from your mother’s claws, and you’re beat to hell from your landing. How the hell can you be turned on right now?” he says with exasperation as he walks us toward his car to drive us back to our mansion.
“Uhh, duh. You’re naked from shifting, and you went all wise and benevolent alpha in front of everyone. It was totally sexy.”
He rolls his eyes, but amusement dances over his expression. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Hopefully take me into a dark room and have your wise and benevolent way with me,” I quip.
“I’ll be giving you a bath, after which you’ll be tended to by a healer, and then you’ll be resting for the remainder of the day until the party.”
My bottom lip sticks out as he yanks open the car door and places me gently on the seat before shutting me in. “But somewhere between all of that, I’m getting orgasms, right?” I holler as he walks around the hood to get in on the other side. He still hasn’t answered by the time he starts up the car and begins to drive away. “Right?” I demand.
He puts a hand on my thigh and squeezes. “You’re injured,” he points out.
“You’re naked,” I fire back. “Also, your cockatrice? Fucking epic. My cockatrice wants to tail flick all over him.”
His hair glows to epic levels of glowiness, making me trill in excitement. “I love your colors,” I sigh dreamily.
“You’re looking at my cock,” he says drily.
My eyes lift from his lap. “Yeah, so? It has nice lighting on it right now from your hair glow.”
