Page 13 of Killian
“Yael!” I hissed as he tapped send. It was hard sharing a Vessel with a lion. Most of the time, he let me control the skin. Rarely did he respond like that. “I let you be you furry. You let me be me, dammit!”
Then flirt,Yael thought.
I grabbed the phone back and sighed.
Me:Sorry. Yael is upset with me for not flirting. He’s a little demanding where you are concerned. We didn’t have a mate, and the possibility of one is making him testy.
Zander:Crow is demanding about you, too. The bread looks good. I can cook eggs, but not much else.
I cleaned the mess, leaned against the counter, checked the screen on the baby monitor, and then responded. Texting was a good way to get to know one another, wasn’t it? I didn’t know. Ere had flirted with me, and then we fucked the first time. Followed that pattern for the last eighty years. I’d learned to benasty, flirty, and dirty and walk away after. With Zander, I’d be playing for keeps.
Me:We all cooked in Colorado and at Lighthouse. Had to learn to use a woodstove because some of the rescues were from the past, and didn’t even know what indoor plumbing was.
The conversation continued from there, and he told me about helping Judge find some of those rescues.
We talked until I had the bread baked and cooling on the stove, which took around three hours. Then, I definitely had to go to bed. Didn’t know what time Jules would be up, and I needed sleep. I told him I had to go and I’d see him at lunch. I put the bread away, washed the pans, and headed to bed, hoping Jules slept through the night.
Chapter seven
Zander
Eighty years ago, the gods told me Kelly MacLaden was my mate. They went the whole nine, threw a party at MacLaden Estate, and boldly, I shook Kelly’s hand when he offered it. His death flashed before my eyes, and I kept my face straight as he introduced me to Morgan MacLaden. I’d warned him to be careful of Xeno Barstow, and he arched a brow, waving me away. Thirty years later, Xeno Barstow shoved a blade into the King’s throat. Cassandra married the Shifter, and it nearly destroyed the Pride.
I’d been bound by a contract to live in Banthard without a mate. I’d been remembering that night most of the day, thankful Kelly hadn’t listened to me. If he had, I might not have met Killian at all. The contract binding me to Banthard, said King MacLaden. I was destined for a King—just not Kelly.
I hadn’t expected to talk to Killian until I came to clean the pool. Lunch made me nervous. I wanted to touch him again to be sure. Yael and Crow were sure. I could tell when Yael hadbeen the one to respond. Killian and I weren’t raised to be that bold with strangers. We weren’t close enough for those kind of remarks.
Killian understood my magic better than his brother, which surprised me. Most people were put off by it and thought it was freaky when I gave them advice. Mom always thought I should have been a therapist. At least then, when I gave them advice, it was expected. It was hard being me. Killian seemed to understand that. I hoped, anyway.
I was exhausted when we ended the conversation and thrilled that we’d talked. For the first time in years, I slept. When my head hit the pillow, and didn’t count the number of ways I’d fucked up in a conversation that happened ten years ago. Killian put me at ease with myself, and I desperately wanted to be able to touch him.
Chapter eight
Killian
The pocket doors opened at four in the morning, and I opened one eye, watching Jules hurry to the bathroom. The toilet flushed, the water turned on in the sink, and after it shut off, the bed dipped behind me.
A cool hand patted my cheek. “Papa,” he whispered. “I’m hungry.”
I rolled over, scooping him up and tucking him into my chest, causing him to giggle.
“Papa, get up,” he laughed.
I sighed and sat up, rubbing my eyes. “Did you want breakfast?”
“Ooh, what’s for breakfast?”
We ended up in the kitchen, and I showed him his fridge before making coffee. I hoped he slept longer if he ate enough during the day.
He found a container of fruit in his fridge, counted spaces to the island, and I made him a cup of juice, bleeding into it.
Sophie answered the call of coffee, and I made eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes. She didn’t say a word about the time and even made Jules laugh, which was good. He needed to trust her since she was living here.
Jules and I cleaned the kitchen after breakfast, and Sophie went to get dressed. My phone calls started at five in the morning, and I hoped that after the first meet-and-greet, we could establish a decent time for Pride business.
Cressida had given Jules sidewalk chalk, and he took it out to the pool room after he was dressed and I’d braided his hair. Sophie had settled onto a chaise and told me she’d watch him long enough for me to shower. I hurried, and when I walked out of the closet, dressed, Sophie was drawing with Jules. She was on the phone, still discussing business, but she and Jules were having fun and communicating through facial expressions.
I snapped a photo of Jules’ artwork, and he grinned at the screen. Cressida was pleased after I sent it to her. I sat down with him, and we drew together, making him very happy. Sophie asked questions as she talked to Pride members on the phone, and I answered so she knew what to tell them. It seemed she didn’t mind having a cub around, and I was thankful. Blood-rights didn’t have nannies anymore. It’s how most of them were lost in the past.
