Page 19 of Deranged Demons

I smother a smile. “It’s an…improvement.”

Abruptly, Nate moves beside me, crouching to pluck a bottle of wine from the provisions and popping the cork as he stands again. “Oh, yes!” His throat bobs as he takes a swig, then he pulls the bottle away from his mouth and lets out a satisfied sigh. “Now I understand why you were so determined to get this.”

“And the medicine had nothing to do with it?”Shade says sarcastically as she watches him.

He smacks his lips together, his eyes fluttering closed. “Mmm, I can even detect notes of wood smoke. I’ll have to tell Dad he has good taste when we’re back in Seral.”

I almost choke on my own spit.Dad?Standing, I face Nate who opens his eyes and gives me a playful smile. “We can’t even be sure we’re mates yet,” I say as the thought of him calling King DaltonDadmakes me queasy.

Still grinning, he takes a large step forward until he’s only inches from me.Crap, he smells good.His scent is addictive, the hints of the forest making my chest loosen and my body warm at his close proximity. The urge to unashamedly breathe him in makes me swallow, but I don’t move as he lowers his lips close to mine. “Then, my queen, let’s find out, shall we?” he purrs, and a low rumble sounds in his chest, the possessive noise making my breath hitch. He waits there like he’s expecting me to move the rest of the way and claim the kiss, and my body responds like he's everything I’ve ever needed. His lips are ahairsbreadth away, and my mouth waters at the idea of tasting him. At the need to claim him and confirm that he’s mine.

But my muscles lock up as I refuse to let myself move toward him. They say when you find your fated mate you know instantly. That Lady Fate will be there, pulling you together, and winding the threads tighter between you, but…my fear of hurting my mate is still there cutting through my impulse to claim him, and there’s more to this shifter than meets the eye. This male has secrets, and I need to find out what they are.

My tongue feels like lead as I say, “The bond won’t seal into place unless we’re all present. We should find my other mates first.”

“Girl, I’m not even his mate, and even I want him,”Shade’s voice sounds breathy in my mind. I’d actually forgotten she was still on my shoulder.

Nate frowns. “How can you be sure the prince and I aren’t it? I won’t speak for Callan, but I’m not exactly…weak, so you might only have two mates. We should test the theory.”

“He has a point,”Shade chirps, sounding way too eager.

“Pervert,”I mumble at her.

She only laughs in my mind.

I think about telling Nate that I can somehow tell that I have more mates, but instead, I turn my head to where Prince Callan is leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. The archangel willshut this down. “And what do you think?” I ask, sounding bored. “Should we find out?”

Prince Callan’s lips start to curve as his eyes heat, but then he stops himself, his brows forming a hard line. “No.”

Hearing that one word stings just as badly as the first time he’d rejected me. I force a smile to my face and turn my attention to Nate. “There you go.”

Nate’s mouth opens and closes. “So we can agree that he sucks, but that doesn’t mean we’re not your only mates.” He fixes a glare on Prince Callan. “If we bond, it might get us out of Perstalia faster.”

There’s something in the look they share that makes me feel like I’m missing something, but Prince Callan flicks his hard gaze to me. “Is that true?”

I shrug. “Probably not. My guess is that the king is planning to check in on us in a few days or a week. Who knows with him.”

Prince Callan nods once and pushes off from the wall. “I’m going to keep a perimeter watch. We don’t want any unmedicated alphas sneaking up on us…unexpectedly.” He stares at Nate as he says it and disappears through one of the doorways.

I clench my jaw, cold rushing through me as he leaves.Thank you, Lady Fate,I think sarcastically.Why did I have to get a dud mate?

Determined to distract myself, I snatch up one of the parcels of dried bread and move to a wall, sliding down until my ass hits the stone floor. Shade flies to the ground and hops over to the provisions inthe leather satchel. Amongst the parcels of food are scattered seeds, and she pecks at them hungrily.

“Your Dad is going soft in his old age if he’s also leaving food for me,”she says happily.

“He only put them in there, because he knows I would make his life miserable when I return to Seral if he didn’t,”I point out.

“Then you’ve trained him well,”she chuckles.

Nate stands there for a moment, and then he moves to the opposite wall, sitting down to face me. The bread is tasteless in my mouth, even though I know Dad packed the good stuff. I know it’s not going to quell the hunger that swirls in my stomach.

“And I always thought the archangel prince was just a prick to me,” Nate mutters, staring at the doorway where Prince Callan disappeared and taking another drink of wine.

“So what’s his deal?” he asks.

At first, I think he’s still referring to Prince Callan, but then I notice his predatory gaze is fixed on Shade. She ruffles her feathers, and his slitted eyes remain locked on her.

“Uh, Blake. Can you please tell your new kitty that I’m not on the menu,”Shade says, a wobble in her voice.

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