Chapter 23 Ch 23

After I was clothed in a loose green dress, Basileus led me down to the kitchen. My memories were returning now. I remembered the last time we were here. Matt was in control. He had fed me just minutes before Angelica would die. The grief took over me again and I didn't realize I was crying until Basileus kneeled in front of me. His glittering blue eyes flickered between mine.

"What is wrong, Flower?" he asked.

I wiped the dampness away with the back of my hand, shaking my head. "I just thought about the last time we were here. When I was with Matt . . ."

Sniffling, I lunged forward to wrap my arms around his neck. His clawed hands rested on my hips. That familiar hot arousal stirred inside me. I wanted those claws everywhere on my body. My body recalled the feeling of Basileus' fur scrape against my bare flesh. My thighs trembled.

"Flower," he snarled. "I can smell your sweet desire. Be careful."

"I don't want to be careful," I protested.

He growled again and closed his eyes. When he was in control again, he opened them and rose to his feet. I narrowed my eyes on him.

"No." His teeth bared. "I will tend to you later, but we must talk about some things now."

Though I wanted to do anything but talk, I nodded. There were things I needed to know. That I was finally remembering things meant I had questions.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"A little. I can make something if you show me what you have."

He showed me the fridge, which was mostly barren, and I pulled out the egg carton. As I fried a few eggs, Basileus leaned against the kitchen counter. His massive, furry body seemed so out of place in this domestic kitchen. He watched me intently.

"So . . ." I began, "what exactly happened to them? Angelica and Peter, I mean."

"Angelica poured the last of her energy into freezing Peter. Tandan buried her in the vineyard. Peter is in the dungeon. He will be there for eternity if I can help it."

"Eternity is a long time," I whispered thoughtfully.

"He does not deserve to live."

I pursed my lips and nodded slowly. "And what happened to me? Why was I affected?"

Sighing, Basileus moved to stand behind me. His face nestled into the back of my neck. "Fucking bastard had an oracle bind your bodies together while you were his captive. He hoped it would protect him should I find a way to kill him."

"Our bodies were bound? So I was frozen like him?"

"Yes. As king, I have the power to give and take the wolf spirit. I wasn't aware I could do as much with a lycanthrope. The spirit of a lycanthrope is far more attached to his physical body than with a wolf, who can shift between body and spirit." His tongue ran along the ridge on my neck where his claim marked my skin. "We contacted another oracle and he said the binding is irreversible. He recommended I try to transfer Peter's spirit, and it worked. I was able to take away his spirit and implant it in you. The spirit seemed to blend well with your body. As if you were meant to have a wolf," he murmured huskily.

While I flipped the eggs, I moaned at the tingling sensation zinging from my neck to my pussy.

"Your wolf was strong enough to wrest you from that state. You pulled out, my love. Your heart is strong and pure."

I placed the spatula aside and turned to face him. My Beast hunched over me, his height hampered to match mine. Tracing my fingers up his solid chest, I leaned forward to kiss him. Then I realized I didn't even know how to kiss a lycan.

"Matt will come when we're through with this," he assured me. "You can be intimate with him."

"I like Matt and I'm thankful for him, but I fell in love with you."

His clawed hands pulled me tighter against him. "Our bodies will not fit together, Anna. You are too small."

"I don't care," I whined. My apex throbbed more forcefully now, squeezing and aching. It wanted to be stuffed to the brim with his manhood. "Why would I be your mate if our bodies are incompatible?"

Shaking his head, he hugged me to his chest. "I cannot tell you the ways of Nature, but I will not risk hurting you."

I sighed and let my hands fall to my sides. Even though I was begging him for it, he wouldn't relent. Why was I even begging? I would not be desperate for sex. My body seemed to pulse more blood to my swelling sex organs just to spite me. Gritting my teeth, I wiggled free of his grip. He whined but I turned back to the eggs, stony-faced.

"Flower—"

"What else do we need to talk about?"

He was quiet for a moment before leaning against the counter again. I unblinkingly flipped the eggs.

"We are returning to the States," Basileus finally spoke. "If you are up to it, Tandan and Lee would like to leave today."

A lot of terrible things had happened here. I didn't blame them for wanting to go. Hell, I definitely wanted to escape. There was also the matter of finding my family. Now that my memory had been reinstated, I remembered my longing for them. I didn't know if they were alive or dead. Basileus had promised we would find them when things settled down. I was beginning to believe things never would.

"Yes, I'm up to it," I told him.

The eggs slid around on the pan while I transferred them to a plate. I shut off the stove and carried my food to the table. He followed but didn't sit.

"When we get back, we will not be returning to Savannah," he said. "We will go back to Bloomberg. That is home for Tandan and Lee and my official headquarters."

I was surprised but glad we weren't going back to Savannah. That place served as a reminder of all the death and decay I had witnessed. A new scene would be good for me. Considering I was a whole new me, I thought it fitting to need a whole new home. Home had always been a tremulous term for me anyway. My job had kept me on the move with new projects every few months.

"That's fine," I said. "Tandan and Lee need a break. They've been through a lot."

He nodded and sunk back onto his haunches. Those flaming, keen eyes studied me.

"What else?" I stuffed the eggs into my mouth and pretended I didn't mind their flavorless taste. Food was food at this point.

"We need to discuss your place as my equal," he said. "You are my mate and you wear my mark. Wolves have the tradition of introducing you as Alpha Female. It establishes your place as Queen to the public. So they know who you belong to"—he clipped those words with a possessive snarl—"and understand your position over everyone."

My heart thumped at an uneasy beat, though my loins tingled profusely from his evident pride in me. I didn't think about everyone knowing who I was. Wouldn't that make me a target?

"Is that safe?" I asked.

"Of course. You will be safer if my wolves know who you are. They will give their lives for you without hesitation."

I choked on the egg I was swallowing and had to cough it up. "What? I don't want anyone giving their lives for me. That's too much. I've seen too much death."

"Hopefully," he grumbled, "no one will have to die. So long as Peter's revolting party realizes their inevitable end, we should not have many opponents. Wolves are dedicated to tradition. If they know their legends well, they know to expect a king. Most have accepted this willingly. They have craved a leader to unify them for centuries."

Pursing my lips, I decided now wasn't the time to assert my protests. Wolves never listened to me anyway. If they wanted to fight to protect me, it was unlikely I'd stop them. I would think more about this later.

"How do we go about introducing me to the wolves then?" I asked instead.

He stood again and paced slowly around the table. When he reached the bay windows, he paused to look over the vineyards. A single mound in the near distance colored the grass with freshly turned soil.

"Soon after we land, I will call for a gathering. All packs within a reasonable distance will flock to Bloomberg. We will host them and there will be an official ceremony." He turned back to me, orbs burning like an incendiary flame. "You will be crowned before them."

"That sounds doable."

"It is. You might even enjoy it, Flower. The introduction ceremony is meant to be a celebration."

I set my fork down on the empty plate and rubbed my stomach. I wasn't in much of a celebrating mood and this whole ordeal seemed way too fucking stressful. Maybe he could change my mind, though.

"And then after the celebration, I'll be able to visit my family?"

Nodding, he walked back to my chair where he sat down. "Yes. I will take you wherever you'd like to go, my Queen."

My face flushed and my apex swelled. I was supposed to be mad at him for all my sexual frustration. When he talked like that, it made me want to jump his dick right here.

Not yet, you horny idiot, I scolded myself. You can make him wait until he agrees to bed you as a beast. As a King.

Goosebumps appeared all along my arms and legs. Basileus growled deeply. It was one of satisfaction, of desire. I could tell the difference between that and aggression now. My wolf ears were helping out now, I guessed.

"I can smell you, Flower," he remarked with that sultry gleam in his eye.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up from the table and grabbed my dirty dish. "And smell me, you shall. We have a flight to catch, Big Bad Wolf."

He whined. I smirked to myself. Asserting my Queenship felt good.