ChapterFifteen
Somehow Leo had managed to rest, bathe, and change into fresh clothes all on his own. He wasn't at his strongest, but as long as he kept the meeting brief, he should be fine.
His nephew had tried to discourage him, but Leo had brushed off Ambrose's concern. Once he met with Black and Khan, he didn't have to see them again for another month, provided he didn't need to call in more favors. And if not, that would give him more time alone with Yesenia.
And he had plans.
No, he hadn't fully embraced, let alone wanted to acknowledge, the pull he felt toward her, but Leo was determined to claim her sooner rather than later. All Yesenia required was a bit of convincing. And given how he'd already made her come twice the day before, he knew exactly how to do it.
Well, as long as he didn't try to make bloody promises he couldn't see through, like keeping his hands off her.
The door opened, garnering his attention, and one of the maids showed in Black and Khan.
Everett Black was a pale-skinned, towering Scottish male with brown hair and blue eyes. His eye color seemed fairly regular to Leo, but every female whispered about how they were blue with flecks of green, and made some sort of poetic nonsense he never paid attention to.
The Scottish male grinned, which was a direct contrast to Khan's usual serious face. Khan took his place at the far side of the room, but Black walked right up to Leo and slapped him on the shoulder. Because of his recent lie, it took every bit of strength he possessed to stay in place and not fall forward. The wolf said, "Lucky bastard, finally finding your fated bride. Tell me I can meet her soon and see this female who'll tame you in the end."
Leo resisted a sigh. "No one will ever tame me, not even her."
Black waggled his eyebrows. "Which tells me you haven't fucked her yet. Once a female understands the power of her cunt, her partner is in trouble."
He growled. "Don't fucking talk about her cunt, you wolf arsehole."
Amusement danced in Black's eyes. "She already has her nails into you, I see. If you can't handle a few wee scratches, you can happily toss her my way."
In the blink of an eye, Leo rushed Black, grabbed his throat, and pinned him to the wall. He hissed, "Stay the fuck away from her."
Black laughed, the bastard. "I hope you fuck her soon. Then you can go back to merely prickly instead of murderous."
Leo narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip around Black's throat. In the next beat, his hand appeared to dry up, shrivel, and crumble to dust.
With a gasp, Leo stumbled backward. Only then he noticed his hand was intact. He glared at Khan. "That wasn't necessary."
"Of course it was." He looked at Black, Leo, and back again. "Will you children settle down or do I need to terrorize you both a bit into behaving?"
Leo straightened his waistcoat. "I would think you'd be on my side, given how Black's being disrespectful to one of your kind."
Khan raised his black eyebrows. "Paranormals like to fuck. A lot. I'm not sure how that's disrespectful."
"Likes to fuck," Black mimicked and then snorted. "Says the male who doesn't ever share his bed."
Unruffled as always, Khan shrugged. "Unlike shifters, I don't have to bring someone, or ones, to orgasm to see if some male, female, or pair's scent triggers a claiming need. Remember, I have access to magic you can't even imagine. If I ever wish to find a female of my own, I will."
Black grunted. "That costs a bloody fortune for the rest of us. You think you'd at least offer me a discount."
Khan smirked. "Why, Count Black? You're one of the richest shifters in the country."
The wolf growled and his eyes glowed slightly, signaling his inner wolf was close to the surface. "Don't call me Count."
Long ago, the humans had thought to bring some of the powerful paranormals into their fold and had created a special rank for them inside the British aristocracy—Count. Black's family had been given a title a few hundred years ago for loyalty on the battlefield, and the male hated it. Leo and Khan both enjoyed teasing him about it, as it seemed to be the only thing to break his bloody jovial nature.
Leo added, "But that's who you are. I forget, are we supposed to say 'my lord' or 'your grace' or is there some sort of other title? We don't want to offend your tender sensibilities and risk you running off to whinge to the queen."
Black growled, "Keep it up, Yates, and I'll make it my mission to woo your reluctant female away from you at the first opportunity."
Leo growled, only barely stopping himself from taking Black by the throat again. "You will not touch a hair on Yesenia's head or I will break the truce to beat your arse into a bloody mess. Or maybe worse."
Black merely smiled. "Aye, you're smitten, Yates. I can't wait until you embrace it."