18. ANGEL

“Are you okay?" My eyes snapped up to Mason as he hovered in front of me. The worry I saw in his eyes made me smile. He was being sweet and very attentive which I liked about him. Things had changed a lot since we returned from the cabin two days ago. The brothers were really attentive, and I found that one of them was always around. I loved spending time with them and getting to know them. Tonight was going to be our first night together. Nate told me that they wanted to make my first time special. They didn’t want it to be during a scene. I was happy with how slow things were going. But I was nervous. During my free time, I read books about it, after finally making it to the library. It was where I spent most of my time now that I didn’t have any chores to do. The library was filled with thousands of books. Some of them only contained the history of dragons, and others offered a much bigger variety to read. It was my favorite place in the castle. “Angel?” I blinked. “I’m fine,” I told him. “Just a little nervous.” Reaching out, he tugged me against his body and pulled me in for a hug. His chin rested on the top of my head as his hand stroked my back. “We don’t have to do anything,” he said softly. “We can just enjoy dinner and watch a movie or something.” I pulled back slightly and tilted my head back to look up at him. Unlike some men I knew, Mason and Nate weren’t pushy. If I changed my mind, they wouldn’t get angry at me. “I told you that I’m ready, and I am. I’m just a little nervous.” I licked my lips. “I read books in the library about sex, but books aren’t exactly the same as actually doing it.” “True.” He pecked my lips. “Remember, you’re in control. Think of it like this. We’re your puppets and you are our puppet master.” “Okay.”  I liked what I was imagining. “One of the maids laid your clothes out for you. Dinner should be ready in an hour. I will meet you in my chambers at say seven?” I nodded. “I could have chosen my own clothes,” I muttered. Mason’s fingers slipped through mine as he led me out of the library and toward my new bedroom. “I know.” “I want to do it myself,” I told him. “I don’t need someone else to tell me what to wear.” “Okay.” He was silent for a few seconds. “You’re going to need some help next week. There’s a…very important dinner. Nate and I want you by our side.” “Is there going to be a lot of people?” I asked him softly. “Some important people but not a lot.” “I can try on some dresses and then you can tell me if it’s a perfect fit for the dinner.” Mason wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me against his side. “I do like that idea a lot,” he whispered against my ear. “Mason?” He tensed and jerked to a halt. Muttering a curse under his breath, he slowly turned around to face the woman who had called his name. My thoughts instantly drifted away. Was he also married and lied to me about it? Was it a girlfriend? Another submissive? “Mother,” Mason said softly, cutting off my runaway thoughts. “I wasn’t aware that you were coming for a visit.” “I can tell,” she muttered disapprovingly. My heartbeat increased as panic filled me. I had never considered meeting their parents. That made it feel like whatever we had was serious and I knew it wasn’t. It was written that way in the contract I had signed. “I’ve heard rumors and I came here, expecting it to be just that, rumors. Now I’ve seen for my own eyes that you do have a human living in the castle.” She spat the word out like I was a piece of gum stuck underneath her shoe. “We do.” Mason pressed a hand to the small of my back and urged me to turn around. “Mother, meet Angel.” I did a low cutesy and slowly straightened to look at her. Her lips curled into a sneer as she studied me. As expected, there was not a hair out of place. The dress she wore was clean and wrinkle-free. Her hair was tied back tightly into a complicated style. Unlike me. I knew I looked a mess because of Mason’s kisses before we left the library. The color in my cheeks darkened the longer she stared at me. “What is a human doing in the castle?” she questioned. “I came here to talk to Lucas about this but he’s in a meeting with the council and I can’t find Nate.” “Let me escort Angel back to her room and then we can talk.” Her mouth dropped open and then slammed shut. “Room?” she exclaimed. “She should be locked up and not allowed to roam free in the castle!” “We can talk later Mother.” Gripping my hand, he turned and started leading me in the direction we were heading in. “Mason, I’m not done with this conversation.” “We’ll talk later, mother,” he growled. He pressed his hand to the small of my back and urged me to move faster. We made it back to my bedroom in no time. Mason urged me into the room and quickly closed the door behind us. Leaning back against it, he sighed loudly. “She doesn’t like me,” I muttered. A humorless laugh fell from his lips. “She doesn’t really like anyone, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Straightening, he walked over to me and pulled me in for a slow kiss. Slowly pulling away, he smiled down at me. “I will go talk to my mother and meet you for dinner.” Making his way over to the door, he paused after opening it. “For both of our sake, please don’t leave your room for now. Mother can be…difficult. She believes that everything should be done as it was in the old way.” “Is that why she hates me?” I asked him. “Hate is a strong word.” He gave me a small smile. “But yes.” “Oh.” “I’ll see you later.” “Okay.” He stepped out of the room and then turned to smile at me. “I can’t wait to have dinner with you.”