Page 19 of Awakening the Beast
With the water running, we leave the door open to listen for Lumi. He turns to face me, and I keep my eyes locked on his as he reaches around and unties my gown. I reach out slowly, my fingers trailing up his torso, lifting his t-shirt. He cocks his head to the side as I run my hands up his bare abs, noticing that his ripped body hasn’t changed at all.
“You’re getting in with me,” I state, leaving no room for argument.
I let my gown fall from my naked body, and he raises an eyebrow. He lifts his arm, reaches over his head, and pulls his shirt off, revealing the tattoos that cover the entirety of his skin. My eyes land on his healed wound, and I lift my hand gently, softly running the tips of my fingers over it, my eyes watering.
“People need to pay for what they've done to us,” I whisper.
He cups my cheeks, his touch firm yet tender, and leans down, staring straight into my eyes. “And they fucking will. We will do it together, but right now we need to concentrate on Lumi and Cree. There’s no fucking time limit on revenge, Wren. It will come eventually, especially in our world.”
When I peer into his eyes, I know he is giving me words of wisdom, and I know I should listen to him. He is and always will be the King of this city, and if I need to look up to anyone, it needs to be him, not his mother or anyone else. But now that I’ve had a bitter, heartbreaking taste of losing him, I don’t want to ever feel that again.
“What if I lose you all over again? I can’t stop thinking about it,” I murmur honestly, searching his eyes for answers.
He stands tall before he responds. “The only difference between before and fucking now is that I have my wife beside me, and we’re gonna wreck this fucking city together.”
My brows crease as I look at him in confusion. “I thought you didn’t want me in your world.”
He gives a small head shake before raising his chin. “I fucking don’t, and I’m not gonna lie and say I’m happy about it. But I have a feeling that no matter what I say, you’ll still want to dothis with or without me, and I would rather do this with you than against you.”
I give a small nod, taking in his words.
“I need you to understand something,” he continues. “This world is dark, and it’s fucking dangerous, you haven’t seen even a fraction of it yet. I’d spent time since I met you, trying to shield you and Cree from it, but I know now that you’re not someone who can be shielded anymore.”
I stare at him as his hands settle on my shoulders, a firm glint in his gaze.
“But you need to listen to me, Wren,” he declares. “I can't have you fucking hurt, and you have to get strong again before you even think about going back to the Elite world. Right now, you need to leave it to me.”
I search his eyes, my doubt apparent and he sighs, his grip tightening slightly.
“Promise me,” he demands. “Fucking promise me you’ll focus on you, Lumi, and Cree right now. Nothing else.”
The seriousness in his tone leaves little room for me to argue, it’s final and I know deep down that he’s right, but the thought of stepping back, of letting go, grates against every instinct I have.
“Well, I’m hardly well enough to move from the fucking bed,” I mumble, glancing away.
He gently sweeps my hair behind my shoulders. “But you will be.”
“Just one more thing,” he tilts his head slightly in question and I continue. “Please leave Savannah to me if you find her.”
He brings his face close, his mouth brushing against mine as he whispers, “With fucking pleasure, beautiful.”
Without warning, he captures my mouth, and I slip my tongue in, exploring him. When it sweeps over his piercing, a soft moan escapes me involuntarily. He breaks the kiss, raising an eyebrow and I grin, walking slowly around him toward the running shower.
Once inside, the warm water cascades over my dry body, and I sigh, tilting my head back, letting it rain over my face and hair. Soon, his arm wraps around my chest, his front pressing against my back. I rest my head on his chest as he starts to wash me, but when I feel his hard cock against me, I giggle and shake my head.
“I’m still fucking human, at least in that department. And you asked for it by making me get in here with you,” he growls against my ear. I bite my bottom lip, a smile playing on my lips.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter.
He kisses my cheek firmly, then looks at my side profile. “What have I always said about you fucking apologizing to me? You clearly haven’t been punished enough.”
I roll my eyes with a smirk, turning my head to meet his gaze. We stare at each other for a moment, taking in each other’s features, then he gestures with his head.
“Come on, let’s get you back in bed. You look tired.”
He plants one last kiss on my neck before reaching out to turn off the water. He helps me out, and once I’m dry and dressed, we check on Lumi. Then, he assists me back into bed. As Isettle close to the edge, I slowly turn onto my side with a pillow supporting my belly.
I pat the bed with my palm. “Get in with me.”
