He looked back at Yesenia, a hope he'd never dared wish for spreading through his chest. "Is that true?"
Leo held his breath until she bobbed her head. "Once my siblings are safe, yes. You'd be bored without me, and we can't have that. And I rather look forward to running a kickass business and educating males in this time about how to behave a little better."
At the teasing in her voice, he relaxed a fraction. "Then I can live with Khan's demand, knowing you'll be here in the same time as me and be mine forever."
Her lips twitched. "I don't recall a proposal. But we'll discuss that later." She finally smiled, took his hand, squeezed, and released it. "Now, with that all settled, Helena needs access to Ambrose's pocket watch and some solitude to locate him."
He retrieved the small box containing both the note and watch, handed it to Helena, and walked toward the door. "There's a room next to my study you can use for your purposes. I'll summon a guard and make sure you aren't disturbed."
Once he had Helena settled, along with one of his best guards stationed at her door, he guided Yesenia back to his office and shut the door. Trapping her against it, his arms bracketing her head, he leaned in and murmured, "You're mine, Yesenia. Say it."
She raised an eyebrow. "With everything going on, this is what you want to talk about?"
He nuzzled her cheek, and then licked the tip of her ear. As she sucked in a breath, he added, "Taking a minute to settle my instinct, to know you're mine and only mine, will help me focus better."
Yesenia placed a hand on his chest, lightly stroked him over his shirt and waistcoat, and Leo barely contained his groan. Her voice was husky as she replied, "And here I thought your instinct would be settled after biting and fucking me."
He nipped her ear. "With you, it never will be." He lowered his head and gently ran his fang along her neck, careful not to pierce the skin. "Your blood is like ambrosia, your scent is addictive, and your mouth, that lush mouth tempts me both when you speak and when I dominate it with my tongue."
He noted her racing heart, and she dug her nails into his chest.
She finally spoke again, her breathing hard and uneven. "I still haven't heard any sort of proposal, just a bunch of orders. If this is to work, you need toaskme things once in a while."
He leaned back and stared into her eyes. "Just once in a while?"
As her cheeks turned pink, she squeaked, "I don't mind an order or two in bed sometimes. Not always, mind you, as I'm determined to make you lose control from time to time. But I rather like us taking turns to surprise one another."
Between the blood in her cheeks, the scent of her arousal, and her lush body pressed against his, Leo wanted to lift her against a wall, sink his fangs into her neck, and fuck her senseless.
But too much was going on, to the point not even lust and the temptation of his bride could fully distract him. However, he wanted this settled between them, their future, before he did anything else. If Helena Watts could locate Ambrose, he needed all his wits about him.
He took one step back, and then another, before taking one of her hands and lowering onto a knee on the ground. At her widened eyes, he nearly laughed. Apparently she hadn't thought he'd propose properly.
He kissed the back of her hand and opened his mouth when someone pounded on the door.
He muttered, "What the fuck now?"
Yesenia rolled her eyes, pulled back, and shouted, "Come in."
He frowned at her giving the order and had only managed to stand again when John burst in. "Helena has a general location already. With it, we need to fine tune a plan to rescue Ambrose."
John's news helped to get Leo's instinct under control a bit better and clear his lust-hazed brain. He nodded. "Gather the essential players in the large drawing room. I'll be there shortly."
As soon as they were alone again, Leo took a second to kiss his bride. "Once everything is settled, we're going to finish this conversation and celebrate without any clothes on."
Her brows knitted together. "Will you be okay? You said something about me being a distraction."
He caressed her cheek with his fingers and then stroked her bottom lip. "You still carry my scent from the claiming, and you've stated in front of witnesses that you're going to stay here in this time. That will have to be good enough for now.”
Yesenia smiled. "Good, because I rather look forward to the great Dark Lord Yates on his knees before me again."
The image of Leo doing exactly that, as he lifted her leg over his shoulder before devouring her cunt in slow, torturous strokes, flashed into his mind. He groaned. "Stop it. I need a clear head, remember?"
She laughed, the sound warming his heart. "I know, I know. I'll stop." She sobered. "Now, let's go figure out a way to get your nephew back."
As they both headed toward the drawing room, he took strength from her heat at his side. The feisty fae witch had come to mean much more to him than he'd ever thought possible.
He was starting to think she'd be both a source of strength and of weakness. Maybe even love.
Not quite ready to face the prospect of being in love with his bride, Leo pushed it aside. In the end, all that mattered was how he'd found his bride and she would be his. Forever. And no other male would ever touch her but him.
Now he just needed to find his nephew, protect his family, and start planning for a very different future from the one he'd expected a few weeks ago.