Page 48 of A Half-Blood’s Escape
"Come on!"
She fell back against the armrest, and sighed, knowing it was simply just pointless to continue.
"We talked about this," I said. "You lost the right to your own chair."
She glared at me, but she didn't open her mouth and made it even worse for herself. Instead, she slumped against me, accepting her fate. It felt good. She was finally giving in to me a little. It was going the right way. I ran a hand down her long hair, feeling its softness. I couldn't stop touching her. This was the power of the mate bond, wasn't it? I bet many saw it as a way of losing control, but they had no idea. This wasn't losing control. This was finding it. This was finding a meaning to it all.
All the pain I had been through. All the pain I had seen. She took it away. Just touching her, I couldn't think of anything else. She was suddenly becoming everything I could focus on.
"Weren't you going to feed me?" she asked.
Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her back was completely straight. She was still fighting me a little, fighting what she felt for me, but that would change. I wasn't sure if she had noticed, but she had asked me to feed her, instead of just trying to feed herself.
"I will," I said.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
She looked over her shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile a little. So much fire in such a little half-blood. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, she was my mate. A queen should be able to fight back against even her king. He couldn't have someone completely submissive. Someone who couldn't speak back. No, that was not a queen.
"Well?" she asked.
"Just taking my time," I told her because I couldn't stop admiring the sight of her.
Goddess, she was beautiful, and I had known many females through the time I had lived, but no one could compare to the little half-blood on my lap.
"I'm hungry," she said.
I chuckled, before finally starting to feed her, though I had barely fed her any food before the others came to join us. Ace said nothing as always. He didn't even look at us, as he took a seat on my right side, while Gabriel smiled his cheeky smile at us, as he took a seat on my left side. I could feel Lara get even more tense, now that the others were here, but when I felt her try to discreetly sneak away, my arm tightened around her. She didn't fight me though. She knew it was pointless.
"And how did you two sleep?" Gabriel asked.
Just then a piece of bread came flying over the table, hitting Gabriel on the chest.
"Hey!"
Ace didn't say anything and even acted like he hadn't been the one to throw it. You would think Ace didn't give a shit about anything, but that wasn't true. You had to look at the smaller things. Like now. He knew Gabriel shouldn't ask this, shouldn't push, because Lara was someone who already had a foot out of the door. I had already realized I had to be more patient with her, but Gabriel couldn't help himself, teasing others and pushing them to their limits were just his thing. Even now he was just smiling, as he took the piece of bread and started to spread some butter on it while looking at Ace with that smug smile.
"Hand me another," Gabriel said, just continuing to be the pain in the ass he was, and still, I wouldn't want anyone else here.
Ace threw him another piece, and this time Gabriel caught it.
"So, the council wants to see you," Gabriel said, and turned to me.
"I saw the message."
I had gotten a message earlier tonight. It was from an old friend who was on the council, and who had told me they were coming to see me. I knew what it was going to be about. I just hoped it could have waited a little longer, but someone must have seen me get on that plane with Lara, or perhaps someone saw us at the hotel? Nothing ever stayed private for long.
"So, who is staying back to look after the little queen?" Gabriel asked.
Lara choked on the water she was drinking, and Gabriel chuckled, as he saw how shocked she looked.
"Queen?" she asked.
I sighed, falling back in my chair.
"Of course. Did you think you were just another hot piece of ... hey!"
Ace had thrown an apple at Gabriel this time. It hit him a little harder, and it seemed he understood he was really pushing it.
