Page 86 of Beauty

But we have to move carefully and not in a straight line.And that, I’ve been told over and over again, is all my fault. Despite mybrilliant plan to save them, apparently the fact that they needed to be savedat all is, again, my fault.

“I’m going to set up our bed for the night. We’ve got a bigbed, but we’re away from the rest.” Lach’s voice is deep and dark, and Ipractically shiver listening to it.

“You and Shim can sleep wherever you like.” I know I’m beingstubborn, but he acted like an ass the whole long walk here. And my feet hurt.And I’m not about to apologize to him.

Lach’s handsome face is half hidden by moonlight. “I’ll tieyou up if I have to, wife.”

“Don’t call me that.” Again, being stubborn. Even I’mthinking of him as my husband.

“It’s true, and your moping isn’t going to change the fact.”Lach stares down like an impossibly gorgeous, intensely difficult hunk ofgranite. He’s so big. Shim is just as big as Lach, but there’s something aboutLach’s presence that overwhelms me. “Would you like to know why we’re notsleeping close to the others?”

I can guess what they have in mind. Four hands on my body.Two mouths kissing me. Even thinking about it makes my heart race. After theevents of the day, I want to do nothing more than close my eyes and find themin my dreams and sink into that magnificent safe place that was mine for all ofmy life. But they’re real now, and nothing is safe about any of this.

Lach’s mouth turns up in an arrogant grin, letting me knowI’m doing that broadcasting thing again. “We’ll get to that, love. But firstwe’re going to talk and then we’re going to bond. The full bond. So I alwaysknow where you are.”

“Like Dante did with Kaja?” I can’t help but smirk. Dantewas righteously angry with his wolf wife. It took him a good ten minutes afterthe hag disappeared to remember to greet me. He was far too busy yelling at hiswife.

Lach stands staring down at me, those muscular legs of hisin a wide, arrogant stance. “I think Dante knows exactly how to deal with hiswife. Do you hear them? He doesn’t seem to care who does. Come here.”

The minute Roan declared this would be camp for the rest ofthe too-short night, Dante took Kaja toward a small cave above the lake thatfeeds the river. He grabbed their supplies and their food. He nodded to Roanand kissed me on the forehead and then stated plainly that no one was tointerrupt him.

“Not even you, brat.” He winked down at her and then hauledhis consort away.

Lach takes my hand, and I’m half dragged toward the cavethat houses Dante and Kaja.

There’s the loud slap of flesh hitting flesh. “You want toshield against this, Kaja?”

Kaja’s voice is a breathy moan. “I would never shieldagainst this, my love.”

Dante growls. “Only because you know every time I spank thispretty ass, I feel it on my own. You’re seriously underestimating how much Ifucking love my hand on your ass. I’ll take a little pain so you remember thislesson. And, Kaja, I know you left that plug behind. What you don’t know isthat gingerroot is plentiful here on the Seelie plane, and I’m going to getdamn good at carving so I still have things to shove up your backside.”

I take a step back. Can that really be my sweet cos? Hesounds so…dirty. I remember him as a teenager, chasing after pretty girls, butnever did he talk to one like that.

“Don’t judge him. He’s with his consort. Whatever play theyenjoy is what is right for him. Listen to Kaja. Does she sound upset?”

There’s a smack and then a long moan. “Dante, please. Youcan’t hold out on me forever.”

“You know I can’t, baby. But after the stunt you pulledtoday, I’m going to try.”

There’s another loud smack, and Kaja moans. I turn away,completely confused.

“He’s hitting her.” But Kaja doesn’t sound like it upsetsher. Kaja sounds like a woman who is having a good time. I don’t understand. Myfather was so gentle with my mother. “Shouldn’t he be kinder? She’s his mate,but he says impolite things to her and he hits her.”

And I’m becoming a bit aroused listening to it. What doesthat make me?

“No, he’s spanking her, and she likes it. Vampires have arelationship with their consorts they call Dominance and submission. Yourcousin is the Dominant in the relationship, especially when it comes to thesexual part of the marriage. Kaja submits, and she’s happy to do so. As for theimpolite things he’s saying, there’s nothing polite about a marriage. Formalityand politeness aren’t going to happen in our bedroom. What you’re hearing isintimacy. That’s the real man, the one who was terrified he might lose hiswoman. There’s nothing polite about that.” Lach stares down at me. “We’re goingto have that relationship. You have to know that’s what we’ve been headedtoward. Even in our dreams.”

In our dreams, Lach and Shim dominate me in the mostdelicious ways. I wonder about the tone of those dreams. Now I know I wasplaying out Lach and Shim’s fantasies.

But I was right there with them. What does that say aboutme?

I turn and walk back toward the campsite. It’s a warmevening. The vampires ate their meal pills, and the Fae dined on bread andcheese and meat the villagers packed. They also packed wine, which Gillian sitsdrinking straight from the bottle. She stares at the river, pointedly notlooking Roan’s or the lieutenant’s way. The vampires don’t have the sameproblem. Their eyes never leave my mentor. They don’t look polite. They lookhungry.

“You’re going to fight this until the end, aren’t you?” Lachasks. “Do you deny our claim on you? I know you feel the connection. So it hasto be something else. Did you honestly believe what the hag said?”

The hag looked straight at me and said that all my husbandswant out of me is a crown. She said they wouldn’t have a problem getting rid ofme once they secured my kingdom.

I’m not at all sure they don’t want the crown. Certainly Gillianwants them to have it. But I am fairly sure of one thing. They don’t want medead. The hag doesn’t understand what it means to be a bondmate. Lach and Shimmight not believe in my abilities, but they want me alive. They need me.