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Understandable.
You’d like an update. Darius could have kicked himself. Distracted by his mate, he hadn’t considered the next steps in sharing Mara’s concerns with the clan.
Yes. What was the reason for her visit?
I’d like to pull examples from the accounts. Mara noticed some random changes to Nightfall’s deposits and payments. She asked questions at the bank and immediately got shut down. I need to see this for myself. Shall we meet at Nightfall before the club opens, and I’ll share a full report?
I will look forward to hearing the details.
Alaric’s presence disappeared from his mind, and Darius exhaled in relief. The power of the clan chief was overwhelming. Even after years of being in contact with Alaric, Darius had not adjusted to tolerating his mind-to-mind link even when distance separated them. He suspected everyone in the clan experienced the same impact.
“Are you okay?” Mara’s soft voice whispered to him.
Concern filled her question. So much was new for her. Darius swore to himself he’d support her fully in her transition into this new life. He reached out to cup her cheek and stole a kiss.
“Yes, my delectable mate. Alaric, my clan Elder, contacted me offering his congratulations. Among our clan, mental connections are usually the most efficient way to communicate. Come here.” He helped her shift to face him and pressed another kiss to her lips.
“Mmm, I thought I’d exaggerated how sweet you taste. I didn’t.”
Darius loved her sleepy look and rumpled hair. He guessed that few people ever got to see his mate in such a casual mode. He brushed a strand of her brown hair away from her beautiful brown eyes and memorized her face. He didn’t wish to forget a moment of their time together.
She smiled at him and wove her fingers through his beard in a gentle caress. “Last night was incredible.”
“Even better than that, Zoí mou.”
“Is that Greek?”
“It is. My birth language.”
She studied him silently for a moment. Darius waited for her to ask the question looming in her beautiful mind. He wanted her to trust him.
“The head guy asked why I’d come to Nightfall, didn’t he?”
“Yes.” Darius wouldn’t lie to his mate. Not now. Not ever.
“Did you tell him about the changes I’d spotted?”
“I did. I promised him a report. Would you work with me to show me what you spotted? We have a clan meeting this afternoon before Nightfall opens.”
“I’d love to point out the problems.”
“Excellent.” He stroked an appreciative hand down her curves to cup her full bottom. His mate was perfect in every way.
“How do you feel, Mara? Are you sore?” He squeezed her flesh lightly and saw her wince.
“No. I’m fine,” she lied.
Darius corrected her with a sharp swat to her butt. She reared up, trying to scoot off his body, but he held her firmly in place. “That’s a warning spank, Little girl. No lying to your Daddy.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue but seemed to think better of that choice. Darius noted her intelligence in that decision. “You’re a Daddy Dom?”
“Yes. Although that name is relatively new to describe the lifestyle,” he said, chuckling. “Definitely, my desire to have a special woman to care for completely has outlived the designation.”
“You call me Little girl or Little one,” she said.
“I do. How long have you fantasized about having a Daddy in every sense of the word?”
She fidgeted on top of him. Darius guessed she struggled to decide how to answer that question. Finally, she shrugged. “I don’t know. Teenage boys weren’t attractive to me. Too much drama and focus on scoring. I found a book in college that another resident had left in the dorm’s laundry room. The paperback had dog-eared pages and a spine broken in a bunch of places. Figuring someone had read this already a billion times, I took it to my room while I waited for my clothes to dry.”
