Orange Swirl (Sugar Bites #3)- Laurel Chase Page 0,2

wasn’t ready to talk about it, either.

Jai was terrified of adding a helpless child into our unpredictable world.

So terrified that he almost didn’t want this quest to unravel my magical blocks to succeed.

“Oh, Jai,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt. I felt his heart beating wildly beneath his cool skin, and I felt his pain in being found out.

“I’m sorry, aima. It’s selfish of me. I would let anyone else in the world suffer before I’d let you. And if there was a child...” His voice broke and he tilted his face up to the wood-beamed ceiling.

“That doesn’t make you selfish, Jai. It makes you my aima. And it would make you a perfect father,” I added, feeling a little shy.

“The sort of father who drives everyone crazy with worry,” he grumbled, and I snickered as the mood lightened a bit. Yeah, my vampire would definitely be the kind of dad to lock his daughter up and threaten anyone who showed interest in her with a slow death.

But that was something we could handle when - if - we got there.

“I agree with Sol that you should keep out of the pride lands for this one,” I told him, and he groaned. He was nodding, though, when a brief knock sounded on the library door.

Dair pushed it open before we’d had a chance to answer, and his face was tight with annoyance.

“Sol?” I asked, starting toward the door, but Dair held up a hand to stop me.

“A summons,” he said, holding up a rolled piece of parchment. “The Council wants all three of us in Patriam to discuss the Oracle’s death.”

“Absolutely not,” Jai spit out. “They do not order their Queen anywhere. Go if you wish, but the rest of us will not play their games. Carlyle, continue your plans with Sol. Perhaps this is a good time for me to help Toro investigate his discovery.”

Dair nodded. “That sounds reasonable. I’ve been promising Mother I’d come help smooth things over about the darkbloods, as well.”

I nodded. I wanted no part of another Council interrogation. “I’ll take Jack and Killian, too, if you think the lions will be okay with them?”

“Let Sol decide,” Jai said, a bit of humor crinkling his eyes. “I guess I owe him an apology.”

“Yeah, you do,” I said, laughing. I didn’t like it when we argued - there were already too many people against us for us to give each other any trouble.

CHAPTER TWO

CARLYLE

“So, you’re gonna get my vampire all wet?” I teased Toro, while he watched me pack a few things into a backpack. We’d spent the previous day making arrangements to travel to the pride lands, but we were keeping it light this time.

And siphoning, if I had my way. Of all people, the Queen of Haret should get a travel exemption for siphoning.

“Since I can’t have you in my air bubble, guess I might as well,” Toro said, rolling his eyes and settling on the edge of my bed. It wasn’t like my fish not to appreciate a good pun.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” I asked, ducking down to see his eyes better.

He shrugged, so I stopped packing and draped myself in his lap. I kissed my way up his neck, nibbling on his full lips. Toro’s hands locked around my waist, his long fingers stretching low on my hips.

“Just a little jealous, I guess,” he murmured against my kisses. “You haven’t even been home from Paris a full week.”

I wriggled around so I was straddling his thighs. “I swear, next quest is yours.”

He laughed, stroking up my spine and pulling a shiver of anticipation from me. “I don’t need a quest. I just want my girl.”

“Well, that’s no problem. All you had to do was ask.” I felt bad that he’d even had to ask, but there wasn’t much to be done about the fact that Toro’s watery discovery couldn’t be left unattended, and I needed to keep solving this puzzle.

But that didn’t mean we had to rush to be apart.

I pressed myself tighter against Toro, my nipples hard against his chest. “We have on way too many clothes for what I’m about to do,” I noted, and he grinned.

“What my lady wants, my lady gets,” he said, shucking off his shirt as I did the same. “Mmm, yeah, girl,” he added, appreciating the turquoise mesh bra beneath. I’d never been much of a lingerie girl, but a few of my guys appreciated it too