Once the door was closed and I sat on the sofa next to Leda, the king explained why they were here.
“My apologies for arriving unannounced,” he said. When I opened my mouth to speak, he lifted a hand. “I know you are about to say that it is fine, but I know it is not. No military male likes surprises. I trained with your former commander enough to know that.”
I had forgotten that Fane and I had been through military training in the same years. I rarely saw him because he was being taught to lead armies, and I was being taught how to kill.
“I heard from the magistrate that you had taken a human female as a mate. I had hoped she and Cora might enjoy a chat. I also needed to discuss something with you.”
He got to his feet. Taking my cues from his actions, I rose as well.
“I’ll call the guard in,” he said.
“Fane, I would prefer some privacy,” Cora said. “And I’m sure Leda would agree.”
The king started to argue, but Cora just shook her head. “No guard in the room.”
I leaned toward him and murmured too softly for the humans to hear, “Leda is a trained fighter. She is fast, strong, and vicious. If anyone manages to get past your guards, she will be able to handle them.”
His answering look was incredulous.
“She has taken me down during sparring sessions more than once. And she is armed.”
The king seemed indecisive. Cora was the deciding factor, though.
“Fane, go talk to the general. Leda and I will be fine.”
The sound of his sigh was familiar. “Very well. We will only be gone for a few minutes.”
When we stepped out, I offered, “Let’s speak in my office.”
The king gestured for the guard to remain by the parlor door and followed me to my office. Once we were inside, I moved to the chairs in front of my desk.
“Please, sit.”
He settled in the chair but did not begin speaking right away.
“Sire?”
“Bokkan, we are the same age, and we trained together in the military. For the last time, call me Fane.”
“Very well. Fane, what did you want to discuss with me?”
He hesitated, but finally said, “I fear this is of a very personal nature, but you are the only daemon male I feel I can ask.”
“Ask me anything,” I invited.
The king leaned forward. “How did you convince your female to mate with you?”
My mouth opened, but I could not think of an answer.
The king studied me and got to his feet, pacing back and forth in my office. “I find myself… drawn to my human companion. Yet she seems completely unaware of me. Sometimes her scent changes, and I think I smell her interest, but she has not approached me.”
My skin suddenly felt hot and tight. I honestly had no idea how I convinced Leda to mate with me. I had only counted my blessings that she had agreed to have me.
The king paused. “I apologize. I know this is deeply personal, Bokkan, but I am desperate. My mating instincts are screaming at me to bite and brand her, but she seems completely uninterested. Yet she will not outright reject me the way a daemoness would. I do not know what to do.”
“It is not that I do not want to answer,” I explained. “It’s that I have no idea how I convinced her to mate with me. I cared for her the way I would a daemoness and a guest. Although she slept in my room rather than having one of her own. Humans are much more sensitive to the cold than we are, and she would have been too cold on her own, even with furs on the bed.” I shrugged. “I understand how difficult it is to fight your instincts. Perhaps you should speak to Cora about it. I found that honesty works well with human females. Apparently, their males do not often talk about their thoughts or emotions.”
“That is how we interact with daemon females. Does that mean?—”
