17. MASON

We almost gave it all away. Angel couldn’t know that she was our mate. Not yet anyway. I ran a hand through my hair and let out a low sigh. At least Angel had signed the papers, but Lucas was right. We should have told her that the moment she signed the papers, she was no longer a slave. It was my mistake. She almost died. I shuddered just thinking about how we found her and what could have happened if Lucas hadn’t returned earlier. It had stopped raining for a few minutes before the rain started picking up again. The loud thunder had startled Angel awake a few times, but she had calmed down when Nate crawled under the blankets with her. I had to admit, I was a little jealous, but I had to get used to sharing if we were going to make this thing work. The air got locked in my throat when her fingertips brushed against the back of my neck. I froze but didn’t move away from the exploring fingers. Her fingers moved lower and then over the top of my shoulder and back down again. “H-how did you get the scars?” Angel whispered. I hesitated before I turned to my side to look at her. Sleepy eyes blinked up at me. The fire was casting a soft glow on her pale skin, but it did nothing to hide the deep blush in her cheeks. “Lucas told you how our world came to be?” She nodded. “There wasn’t much peace at the beginning when the kingdoms were first built. We were negotiating and all that stuff.” I swallowed, glancing over at Lucas. “I was returning home after a trip to another kingdom when I was ambushed. It happened too fast for me to react. I got injured badly before we took them out.” “But if your blood can heal me, why didn’t you heal?” “It all depends on what kind of weapons were used.” “Oh.” I smiled at her. “Nate told you that you are no longer a slave.” “He did.” “I ordered them to move all of your stuff to your new room.” I linked our fingers together when she reached out again. “I’m afraid we're going to have to wait before we can go shopping.” “Xavier already has a list of things she needs,” Lucas muttered from his spot next to the door. “Once the rain dies down, it will be delivered to the castle.” I frowned at him. For someone who wanted nothing to do with Angel, he was being considerate. “You didn’t have to do that.” “Baby, it’s our job to take care of you,” I told her. “If you need anything all you have to do is tell us and we will get it for you.” She bit her lip. I could see the gears turning in her head. “This is not negotiable,” I told her before she could start arguing. Angel pursed her lips. I smiled at her. “This won’t work without communication.” “Okay.” Leaning forward, I brushed my lips against her. “Do you have any more questions?” She nodded. I stroked her wrist with my thumb as she asked the questions, and I answered them to the best of my ability. Nate was fast asleep, but I knew that Lucas was paying close attention to what we were saying. However, he didn’t pitch in to add anything which I was thankful for. As her eyelid got droopy, I promised her to finish the conversation tomorrow. “Where are you going to sleep?” “Right here on the floor,” I told her. “Don’t worry, we’ve slept in words spaces. Now get some more rest.” “You can sleep on the couch.” Lucas had fixed the couch up for her, but Nate was already sleeping with her. The thing might split in two if we add any more weight to it. “I’m good, baby. Go to sleep.” I settled back against the couch and focused my attention on the fire burning in the fireplace. “Are you going to tell her?” Lucas questioned. I frowned. “Tell her what?” “That she’s your mate.” “Our mate,” I corrected him. He sneered at me. “She won’t last as our mate.” “Why? Because she’s human?” I sat up and turned towards him. “You have no right to judge her.” “As King－” “Cut the bullshit,” I growled. “You always use your title as an excuse.” “And you don’t.” “I will use it if it means I get to keep our mate by my side,” I told him. “Finding one’s true mate is a rarity and I’m not going to let her go because you can’t have her.” “What makes you say that?” he questioned. “I can have anything I want.” “Can you, brother?” I asked. “If that’s true then why haven’t you taken her as your mistress?” Lucas didn’t answer immediately. I relaxed again when it was clear that our conversation was over. He had no right to question us, king or not. Lucas knew that we would never do anything to harm the kingdom or the people. Lucas could say what he wanted; nothing was going to make me change my mind about Angel. She was our mate and she belonged at our side. Being our submissive was just the start. I was slowly going to help her get used to the idea of being by our side permanently. *** The rain had died down to a soft drizzle during the night. I could still hear the thunder in the distance so I knew that it wouldn’t be long before it started raining harder again. It gave us a gap to get back home before another storm hit. I didn’t want to leave. Spending time at the cabin was the perfect opportunity to get to know Angel and for her to get to know us. But the cabin wasn’t fit, or safe in these types of weather. She’d be warmer at the castle. I was the first to wake up. Taking one of the buckets filled with water, I warmed it in case Angel wanted to wash before we left. Our clothes were still a little damp. I moved her clothes closer to the fire to heat it for her and then got started on breakfast. By the time it was done, Angel began to stir. “Morning,” I greeted her the moment her eyes fluttered open. Angel gave me a small smile. Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her lips. “Breakfast is ready,” I told her. “There’s some hot water if you want to take a bath.” “Are my clothes dry?” she asked as she sat up. “Still a little damp,” I told her. “But I’ve moved it closer to the fire to warm it for you.” She was silent for a few seconds. “I’d like to have that bath.” Nodding, I held out my hand to help her up. “You have two choices; you can bathe in the bathroom or in front of the fire.” As I spoke, my eyes dropped to trail down her body. Her skin was already covered in goosebumps from the cool air. I made the decision for her by leading her closer to the fire. Dropping to my knees in front of her, I dipped the washcloth into the bucket of warm water. “How are you feeling?” I asked her as I started washing her body. Angel swallowed, the color in her cheeks deepening. She muttered a soft ‘fine’ before she fell silent again. “We’re going to do this a lot,” I told her. “Clean you once we finished playing.” “W-why?” “Because we want to make sure that you’re okay. It’s part of aftercare.” I studied her face. “We talked about it remember?” She nodded. “Are we leaving?” “Yes, while we still can,” I told her. I paused for a few seconds before I continued to run the cloth down her leg and then slowly up on the inside of her leg. Angel parted her legs, giving me permission to clean between her legs. Once I was done, I dried her with the towel I had laid out earlier. With the towel wrapped around her shoulders, I tugged her closer to me. I kept my eyes locked with hers as I leaned forward to press a kiss to her stomach. She didn’t push me away. My lips moved lower to the curls at the apex of her thighs. Angel’s breathing sped up, but her legs parted. I pressed a kiss to the top of her pussy and then slowly slipped my tongue between her pussy lips. A low gasp fell from her lips when my tongue brushed her clit. We knew that she was still untouched. I wanted to show her how it would feel to be touched and loved by a man, but I didn’t want to rush things. I needed Angel to be ready for the next steps. Pulling back, I pressed another kiss to her stomach and then looked up at her. “You’re in control of this,” I told her. “We won’t do anything until you tell us that you want to take it further, okay.” “Okay,” she croaked. I smiled at her. “Let’s get some breakfast.”