Chapter 177: What Phantom Wants
The next morning, soft sunlight filtered into the royal bedroom as Kira and Derek stood near the door, already dressed for the day.
Kira wore an elegant outfit suitable for the Queen’s Conference, while Derek looked every inch the king in his dark suit. Kira was all done and ready to leave, but Derek kept inventing small reasons to keep her exactly where she was.
A crease in her sleeve. A strand of hair out of place. A button that was already perfectly fastened but apparently needed his urgent personal attention.
Then, he cupped her face gently, his thumb brushing her cheek. "I am going to miss you," he said quietly.
Kira smiled up at him, her hands resting on his chest. "I will miss you too. Terribly. But tradition must be observed." She placed her hands flat on his chest. "Even though I would trade it to keep waking up next to my grumpy husband."
He let out a low chuckle, pulling her closer. "Grumpy, am I? And yet here you are, kissing me like you cannot get enough."
She rose on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then another, lingering just a little longer each time. "Because I cannot," she admitted between kisses. "Who would have thought the cold Lycan king would turn out to be so addictive?"
Derek’s arms tightened around her waist, and he kissed her back with quiet affection, his forehead resting against hers when they parted. "Be safe out there. Come back to me soon."
"I will," Kira whispered, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw. "We will have all the time in the world when I return."
They stayed like that for a few more moments, stealing small kisses and soft words, two people who had finally stopped fighting the pull between them. It was simple, sweet, and exactly what they both needed.
Derek’s gaze dropped to her hand, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"Where’s your wedding ring?" he asked.
Kira glanced down at her own fingers. "Oh. It’s been getting tight on me lately. I keep meaning to do something about it. I was going to have it resized when I got back."
"Give it to me." He held out his open palm. "I’ll take it to the jeweller who made them. They’ll size it properly."
Her whole face lit up. "You’d do that?"
"It’s a ring, Kira, not a kidney. Yes, I’ll do that."
She crossed to the bedside drawer, drew out the little velvet box, and set it carefully in his hand. Derek flipped it open, glanced at the band inside, then snapped it shut and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"I’ll drop it off after work," he said, patting the pocket once. "It’ll be waiting for you, good as new, by the time you’re home."
"Thank you."
A knock sounded at the door, and a gamma dipped his head. "Your Grace. Your Highness. The cars are ready when you are."
Derek kissed her one last time, lingering, then took her hand in his and walked her out of the room.
***
In Kai’s bedroom, Dr Lorenzo was just finishing his morning examination.
"Well, I have very little to complain about," the doctor said, looping his stethoscope around his neck. "He’s recovering beautifully. Stronger than I dared hope, frankly. All he needs now is food and rest, and plenty of both."
Angelica sat at the bedside with a tray balanced on her knees, already loaded and ready. Tan stood behind her chair, arms folded, watching the whole thing calmly.
The instant the door clicked shut behind the doctor, Angelica scooped up a spoonful of porridge and aimed it at her son’s mouth, opening her own mouth as if he couldn’t tell that she wanted to feed him.
Kai turned his head away. "Mummy, I’m not a baby," he whined.
"But you’re my baby," Angelica countered. "You can’t use your hands right now, so, I’ll gladly do it."
"Where’s Jessica?"
Angelica’s hand stopped in mid-air. She looked up at Tan, then back down at Kai. "She isn’t here at the moment. Now open your mouth, you’ve not eaten a proper meal in days."
"I want to see her."
"Oh, for the love of the goddess." Angelica set the spoon down with a clatter. "That poor girl has been parked at your bedside for two whole days without so much as a nap. Let her rest. She does have a life of her own, you know, one that doesn’t revolve entirely around spooning broth into your ungrateful mouth."
"But she’s the one Phantom wants," Kai said, plain as anything.
Angelica stiffened. But before she could so much as form a follow-up question, the door swung open, and Jessica walked in.
Kai’s entire face split open into a bright, boyish grin that lit up the entire room. "Jessica."
Jessica smiled back, crossing the room toward him. "Hi, Kai."
Angelica’s gaze swung from her son’s lovestruck face to the werewolf girl and back again, and her frown deepened by the second. She did not like the look of this.
Kai needed to find his soul bond, and have the experience. She had always wanted all her children to experience the gift of the soul bond.
Tan, she called through the mind-link. What in the goddess’s name is going on between those two?
Tan, who had no desire to be the bearer of dramatic news, simply linked back with a cheeky grin. Ask Kai yourself, Mother.
She turned and shot him a glare sharp enough to draw blood. He met it with an even cockier smile.
Angelica gathered her dignity and turned back to Kai. "Well," she said briskly. "Jessica’s here now, so there’s no excuse left. Eat."
"I’m not hungry," Kai said.
His mother’s mouth dropped open. "Not hungry? Not ten minutes ago, you were wailing like a starving pup that you’d waste away if I didn’t feed you that very instant!"
Kai pouted. Then he turned his eyes, very slowly toward Jessica, his eyes practically begging. The message was clear: he wanted her to feed him.
Jessica pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. "I’ll feed him, Lady Angelica. If that’s alright."
Kai nodded eagerly at his mother, giving her the full puppy-eyed treatment. He then tilted his head in a pitiful way.
Angelica, who had survived war and grief and a lifetime of stubborn Wolfe men, found herself utterly defenceless against her own baby boy’s wounded expression.
She simply stood there, helpless, as Jessica gently lifted the tray from her hands and slid into the chair at Kai’s bedside as though she had always belonged there.
"Come on, Mother," Tan said, stepping forward, looped an arm around his mother’s shoulders, and began steering her firmly toward the door. Through the mind-link he added, I know he’s your baby boy, but you’ve got to leave the two of them be.
Angelica tried to shrug his arm off. And why exactly would I leave my injured son alone?"
Tan simply whisked her away anyway, ignoring her protests with the patience of a long-suffering older brother. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving Kai and Jessica in peaceful privacy.
***
Meanwhile, downstairs, Derek walked Kira out to her official car, his hand never leaving hers. He sighed deeply and rubbed her shoulders, then leaned down to kiss her lips once more.
"I wish we had more time together," he murmured against her mouth. "Without a kingdom and a conference and half the West needing something from one of us."
"So do I." Kira kissed him back, her hand resting against his chest. "But when I’m home, we’ll have forever for all of that."
"If I happen to turn up at that conference tomorrow," Derek said, perfectly serious, "just know it’s because I couldn’t stand to miss you a single hour longer."
She laughed, and he handed her into the car and shut the door gently behind her.
Then he turned to Connor and the cluster of guards, and every trace of warmth dropped clean off his face.
"Keep your eyes on her at all times," he said, his voice gone low and cold. "If a single hair on her head is harmed, I will have your heads mounted on spikes along the eastern wall. Am I understood?"
A chorus of fervent agreement followed.
He stepped back and watched the cars pull away down the long drive, one after another, until the last of them disappeared out of sight.
Only then did he turn toward the terrace, where Declan had been standing the whole while.
The night before, after Kira had finally confessed how long Brian had been harassing her, Derek had reached down the mind-link to his beta with a single, simple order.
Seize Brian. Put him in the torture room. Leave him there until the King has time to deal with him personally.
"Where is he?" Derek asked, climbing the terrace steps.
Declan’s jaw tightened, and he shook his head.
"The bastard slipped through our fingers," he said grimly. "He was gone before we could lay hands on him. We’ve no idea where he’s gone."
