He grunted soundly.
Then the shifter griped, “Who the fuck is at your front door at this time of night?”
Oh, and there it was.
Possessivenessflared inside my Fae-spark.
All from him.
I choked on air and shoved away from the shifter, wriggling out of bed when he didn’t immediately release me. I grabbed a robe off the chair in the corner and wrapped it tightly around my naked body that needed a harsh scrub. Only then did I turn around and face…my soul mate…lying in all his—not her—naked glory on my bed.
Coughing hard at this unbelievable scenario I now found myself in, I turned away just as quickly and marched toward the doorway. “I’ll get rid of them. Whoever it is.”
I slipped outside the room at damned near a run and rushed toward the spiraling staircase, heading downstairs and straight for the front door. Hoping the shifter behaved himself—since this was illegal as Fae fuck—I took a deep breath and opened my door wide.
I stared in dismay. “It’s a little late for a visit.”
Marlon’s expression instantly morphed from anxious to incredibly relieved. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close and muttering, “Where have you been, son?”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Too late.
A shifter’s ears were too sensitive.
“Um, here,” I mumbled against his shoulder, his silver hair smashed against my face. “Why? Is there something amiss?”
Pulling back, he gripped my shoulder and stared eerily into my eyes. “King Traevon sent me a missive earlier today. King Athon and Princess Trixie have been kidnapped into Fairy. And since he’s gone to rescue them, I thought you would be spying around the castle like you normally do when he’s absent.” He lifted a silver brow on his handsome face. “But you never showed. Odd that. But mainly worrisome when you weren’t bothering me.”
My grin was slow in coming—but it did arrive. “And I will be there tomorrow morning. I fell asleep, and I plan to go back to sleep. So you’re free of my nuisance until then.”
He blinked like an owl. “You have company.”
My eyes widened, and I hurriedly looked behind me. But…no shifter was showing within my lovely abode. Turning my head slowly, I tried my damnedest to look innocent. “I know not what you speak of.”
My father gurgled deeply in his throat. “That was…wretched. Utterly wretched.”
I sighed heavily and mumbled, “All right. Yes, I have company and need to get back to them. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Quite so, son. Sex is marvelous, but it’s not worth disregarding a direct order from your king.” His nose was wrinkled with a thought. “Even if it’s because he doesn’t trust me.”
“He loves you—in his own way.”
“Only when he’s drunk.”
“That too.” I shrugged and stepped back, slipping out of his hold and grabbing my front door handle again. I gave my father an extremely pointed look. “Mayhap you should drink with him more instead of always drinking with his soul mate.”
“Thatis boring. She is much more entertaining.” Father’s smile turned wicked. “It is amusing to watch him scowl.”
“That, dear Father, is why he doesn’t trust you.” I started to close the door but paused and added, “Try not to get into too much trouble tonight. Cleaning up messes sounds rather boring for me tomorrow.”
Then I shut the door soundly in his face.
And locked the bastard fast.
“Towers,” Bishop suddenly whispered against my ear, making me jerk in place and hold still, wondering how in the flying fuck he’d snuck up that quickly and silently. “Your last name is Towers. You are the nephew to King Traevon.”
I raised my right hand and rubbed my forehead, not bothering to turn around. “Is there any way you can possibly forget that?”
