Perhaps that’d be enough to keep the devil in hell where he belonged.
“Your officers have arrived,” a young woman who’d introduced herself as one of the AZ’s assistants informed him, as he put the last finishing touches on his suit.
The king had welcomed him into his home just in case Bell hadn’t been ready to share space with his newly beloved.
“Thank you.” He nodded politely to the standoffish shifter, keeping his eye contact to a minimum. Shifters sometimes mistook his stern gaze as a challenge when it meant the complete opposite. He was showing his respect. It was proof that the two species knew only the basics about the other, so cohabitation was going to take a lot more work and getting used to.
She ducked her head and left, leaving him to himself. In London when he was dressing for the night, there were typically four or five house lords to assist him. It had never been a requirement, only a habit he’d become accustomed to. Also, his own personal assistant would usually be talking Bell’s head off about his evening calendar—rattling off meetings and appointments—while he readied himself. None of that was happening now. Bell was actually enjoying the silence of the morning, the blue jays and chickadees chirping just outside the large balcony window.
It was only a couple of minutes before his mind shifted to Alek. That was happening a lot. Alek was such a mixture of extraordinary and exhilarating that Bell found himself rushing through the last of his ritual, rapidly brushing through his long mane to get back to him. As soon as he set the brush down on the marble countertop there was a sharp knock on the bedroom door before two, thickly-muscled shifters came inside followed by his best friend. Bell couldn’t stop his smile.
“Nice bodyguards.”
“Comes with the territory.” Wick beamed. Damn, his friend wore love and happiness well. “You’ll have your own soon.”
King Chadwick Bentley stood in the center of his living quarters, slowly taking in the accommodation they’d made for his second-in-command. Wick’s presence could only be described as majestic. He stood at an impressive six-feet-two and his beautiful skin was like warm ivory. He smelled just as Bell remembered, like vanilla and fresh water. But as he moved closer he caught the robust green scent of his alpha beloved. Wick’s mark on his neck looked freshly sealed, as if he and Justice had had a good time this morning.
His mind immediately went to how Alek had handled him against the tree, begging to be inside him. He wanted to ask his friend if he’d struggled relinquishing that part of his dominance to his new mate. Alphas couldn’t be challenged, not even by their fated.
“I know that look,” Wick said. He turned towards the guards Justice insisted accompany him during the day until his own personal guard awoke at dusk, and asked politely if they’d wait outside the door.
Bell rolled his eyes. As if they still couldn’t hear every word they were saying. “What look, Wick? I don’t know what you’re referring to.” Bell double-checked his reflection, thinking he was looking fairly well, considering he’d gotten very little rest over the last couple of days.
“I think you do.” Wick unbuttoned his dark suit jacket and perched on the edge of a sofa in the sitting area. “How’d it go with Alek last night? Not to be Captain Obvious but you don’t smell like him. Why?”
Bell frowned. He didn’t like the way that sounded, and he also knew it was his fault that he hadn’t fully connected with his cherished. Last night, he and Alek had been on a nonstop rollercoaster of emotions that neither of them were used to. “We talked a long time.”
“That’s good. Talking is really good.” Wick nodded, and Bell picked up on his confusion. “But…”
Bell spun around, glaring at his friend. “But you didn’t tell me it would be like this! I came to govern, to command… not to…”
“Bell.” Wick touched his shoulder making Bell jerk away from him.
“Shit… I’m sorry.” Bell ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He was acting irrational. He’d never pulled away from Wick’s touch before.
“It’s because you haven’t mated with him. You don’t want to be touched by anyone else. Only by him.” Wick’s knowing smile made Bell want to hurl something across the room “And there wasn’t any more for me to tell you, Belleron. There’s no way on the Mother’s magnificent earth that I could’ve relayed what it was like to be fated to a Volkov shifter. They are all brothers and sisters, but each one is extremely different from the other.
Bell stared. “You mean their wolves are different.”
Wick nodded. “Very much so. And in turn, that makes them a remarkable pack.” Wick, came closer again but kept his hands off him. “I’m happy here, Bell. And this is where I will stay. I brought you all here hoping you’d join me in the first bi-species packcoven.”