Page 41 of Little Mate
But I don’t. He’s hers to kill. I’ll never take that away from her for two reasons.
His actions hurt her.
And secondly, I find her powers and thirst for blood deliciously sinful. The best kind of foreplay.
“The next time she asks and you deny her, I’ll rip off one limb. Deny her after that, and I’ll make you eat it.”
“Why are you helping her? She’s beneath—”
“My mate is above all. Even me.” Reality sinks in then. There is no way out. “Answer her.”
“With my daughter as queen, I would’ve had a seat of power over our kind.” Low, so low and meek. “Tomasso was willing to forfeit his wife and keep her as a concubine and my daughter would do the same; her human mate would’ve been a pet. The offer was too tempting and your father too stupid—too trusting to see the seeds of revolt we planted. It wasn’t personal, Gabriella. Paolo just had what we wanted.”
“You sick son of a bitch.” Nothing else, and I watch in amazement as her eyes flash brighter, the green almost neon, before his desperate cries fill the room. The curses and pleas all meld together while her body crouches and hands lay flat on the ground. An incantation almost too low for me to understand flows from her lips, but the more she whispers, the more he screams.
“Mortem.”
His blood flows down from cuts that a second ago were not there and he slowly becomes emaciated, sucked into himself until nothing is left of the arrogant man but hollow features and flaky skin.
Motherfucking beautiful.
“May he rot in the afterlife.”
“He will.” Of that I have no doubt. My father will see to it.
“Thank you.” Turning toward me, my mate takes the steps between us and stands up on the tip of her toes, barely reaching my lips. Not that she kisses me. Instead, the minx nips my jaw and then lowers herself with a shy look. How could she still look so innocent after doing what she did? But fuck me if I don’t love it. “I have one more request, and I’d like to spend some time with you outdoors. Just us.”
“Ask me.”
“I want to meet your coven.”
“It would be an honor.”
12
THEODORE ASTOR
VAMPIRE KING
We leave the prison and I walk us with my hand on the small of her back, passing by a few important wings of the castle. I promise to give her a personal tour later, but right now I want to take her somewhere I think she’d enjoy.
Witches love nature.
They feed off the earth while giving back, and a large part of nature is the animal kingdom. The circle of life is a unique one, simple, and one many don’t respect like her kind does. I also know she needs to be outside and not always cooped up in our room. Her petite body needs to cleanse her soul with fresh air and rest—truly rest—near what she holds sacred.
So we walk in silence through halls, and many who are rushing around know better than to look. They’re preparing for the announcement tonight; we pass the opulent décor and toward a large area of untouched land far from the cliff’s edge with a drop onto the surrounding sea.
The closer we get, the more our bond thrums with contentment—she’s excited.
The simple dress she’s wearing is similar to the one she wore the day we met; I had the palace’s personal seamstress replicate the form-fitting, tight silhouette with a lower neckline. Just a bit. The black color complements her skin with a slight golden hue from hours outside and the fiery waves that flow down her back. This cut spells wicked trouble.
Emerald eyes complete her ethereal look; Gabriella is a natural beauty, and mine. All motherfucking mine.
I might be a possessive bastard, but I’m not going to stop her from being who she is.
An unintentional tease. Provocative.
Coquettish without trying.