Huh. He had another think coming. That was for sure.
He nipped her ear, sending awareness through her body. “Don’t cross me, mate. Not over this.”
Yep. Without question, things were about to become very interesting. “You mated me with your eyes wide open, too,” she reminded him, her voice sleepy and her mind fighting to make her point. But he was just so warm and strong behind her. “Don’t make me regret this.” Now she was getting grumpy.
The hand at her throat, lifting her chin, surprised her into opening her eyes to see the storm outside the window. His hard body bracketed her from behind.
“Regrets or not, it’s done, mate.” His easy hold was impossible for her to break, reminding her once again of his strength. “Tell me you understand me so we can get some sleep.” His hold tightened, not hurting but showing he’d stay there all night until she gave him the words.
“Fine,” she huffed out, sleep dragging her under. “I understand you.” What she’d do with that knowledge was up to her.
Chapter 37
Logan finished cooking the rest of the powdered eggs and called Mercy in from the other room. He needed to get this place stocked up better. Dawn had barely broken over the mountains, and yet he was restless. It was as if the ritual itself was calling to him like prickling needles just beneath his skin. What had he been thinking to mate Mercy before the ritual?
He glanced at the bedroom door to make sure she wasn’t standing there. Then, just out of curiosity, he tried to teleport.
Nope. He grinned at himself. It must be too early to get the skill, but who knew. Maybe during the ritual it would give him some slight advantage. Garrett had teleported during it, so Logan probably could, too. “Mercy? Food’s ready.” He needed to get her to demon headquarters fairly soon.
His phone dinged, and he pressed a button to see his brother’s face on the screen. “Zane. You’re up early.” He took a big drink of coffee—the instant kind—and grimaced at the sour taste. “How was the meeting?”
Irritation sizzled in Zane’s eyes. “Not great. The witches and shifter nations have issuedhabeas corpusorders for the members of the Seven to appear in front of them, including you.”
Ah. Latin. A lost language. The last thing he needed was to have a bunch of witches pissed off at him, considering his mother had recently mated a witch enforcer. This situation was causing problems on so many levels he was starting to lose count. His temples started to pound again. “What are the positions of the demon nation and the Realm overall?” Everyone belonged to the Realm as a member, but individual nations had their own laws as well.
“The demon nation hasn’t publicly decided, meaning I haven’t spoken out about it,” Zane said, lines fanning out from his mouth. Had the guy slept lately? “As for the Realm, you’ve put Dage in a world of hurt. He has to listen to the witch and shifter nations, but the Seven is comprised of his family members as well as you. His diplomacy skills are being put to the test.”
Logan grimaced. “We’ll have to deal with the orders once I’m done.”
Zane stiffened. “It’s today?”
“Yeah.” Logan and his brother already hugged and said their good-byes. Just in case. With so much turmoil, he couldn’t ask the demon nation to take in Mercy, so that plan no longer worked. Especially since the Fae claimed she’d been kidnapped. “I may have kidnapped and beaten up the king of the Fae. Just to keep you informed.”
Zane’s chin dropped. “Damn it, Logan. Are you trying to make my life impossible?”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully.
“Did you kill him?”
Logan’s chest heated. “Unfortunately, no. I let him go, which turns out was a mistake.” The male would pay for bruising Mercy.
Zane pressed his index finger right above his eye as if a headache was about to kill him. “Call me when it’s over. And bro?” He focused again. “Survive this.” The call ended.
Logan sat back. Yeah. He had to survive this.
The main reason why suddenly stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He looked her over, possessiveness whipping through his veins with shocking strength.
She’d taken his dark blue sweater to wear as a dress and secured it with his belt, wrapped around her waist twice. “I don’t have shoes.” Her legs were long, smooth, and bare to her adorable feet.
He frowned. The woman wouldn’t need shoes if she did as he asked. He couldn’t take her to demon headquarters now, and the thought of trusting her to keep herself safe opened a pit in his stomach. For once, she had to listen to him. “I’m hoping you’ll stay here today.” He’d try cajoling before ordering. Maybe that would work.
She’d piled her dark red hair atop her head, and without makeup, looked around eighteen. Her skin was smooth and her lips a natural pink. But those eyes. One green, one blue, both stunning. But dark circles marred them. “I have to teleport you.”
He crooked his finger for her to approach the table.
She did so, and when she arrived, he hooked an arm around her waist and tumbled her onto his lap. Right where she belonged. His world centered. “How are you feeling?” He’d been rough with her the previous night, and mating a demon took a toll on a female, or so he’d heard.
“Tired.” She caressed the side of his neck. “Why aren’t you?”
