The Beast And The Blessed

Thirteen: Natalie

Natalie’s p.o.v.

I could feel the power radiating off Killian as he strode with purpose, his hand on my lower back. There was an aura around him that warned me to stay silent. At the very least, I had expected to be yelled at or punished for stepping out of bounds.

But the other possibility had me growing excited. For the rest of the meal, his hand stayed firmly on my thigh. The way he kneaded his thumb into my leg had me feeling needy and warm. I had never experienced that intense of a reaction to anyone from such a simple touch before.

It had me thinking about what it would be like to pull him back to the bedroom and rip our clothes off, so I could experience his touch more thoroughly.

Instead, Killian slammed the bedroom room behind US, facing me with glowing red eyes, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The loss of his touch on my back caused goosebumps to surface on my flesh.

His gaze over my skin felt like a flame was trailing along my body as he looked me over. His hands were in fists at his sides, and I could see he was fighting his beast.

"Are you angry about what I said?" I asked softly, standing as still as I could. The man looked livid, yet the worry that I would cause his restraint to snap, had me feeling giddy.

Something in my soul told me that he would not hurt me, but the look in his eye was the promise of punishment. His left hand moved up, and he ran it through his dark brown hair before sliding it over his face with a frustrated groan. The red glow to his eyes faded back until it was clear that he had regained control of his beast.

"Fucking siren." He muttered, just barely audible to my human ears before he spun on his heels and left the room in a hurry.

I couldn't help the smile that stretched over my face as the door slammed behind him. He was breaking, and sooner or later he would have to talk to me. It wasn't realistic for me to ask a king who I didn't know to give up his other women and allow me a full and fair chance at a real relationship. But if I was going to be stuck living here, we could be friends.

He didn't come back to the room that night, and I felt my hope vanish. I had laid in bed for hours waiting for him, trying to figure out how to go back to how it was before.

loneliest I had felt

I had no one.

pack, I had Jake for a long

me, and serving me, so I had no reason to complain. My life could be worse. But none of the people around me each day knew anything about me. They were paid by Killian to treat me well. If I tried to ask them personal questions, they would steer me right back to whatever it was that I

for Tobias. His unwillingness to talk made it even more difficult to get

arms was the only time I truly felt safe and welcome here. At first, I wasn't sure about the intimate position, but then I grew to crave it. I wanted him to hold me, so I would know that everything was okay. Instead, I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket and fell asleep on my own

forward and two

become a part of our regular routine. But I felt determined to go fix the damage I caused last night with Killian. Perhaps, if I could get him to open up to me a little bit, I

his back to the wall opposite the office door as I knocked against the hardwood. When there was no response, I looked over my shoulder gesturing my thumb to the door in a

pausing for just a moment. What if he wasn't alone in

push of jealousy and disgust encouraged me forward, and I let out a breath of relief when I found him

I watched the

empty chairs on the other side of the desk. "What

his blank expression as he turned from me back to the computer

at the papers on his desk but was unable to see what they were. They appeared in a different language, possibly elvish, and I sank back into the seat as he continued to give me the

let out as he glared at my hand

He hadn't ever given me confirmation that he was with other women, but he also didn't tell me he wasn't when I would hint at it. The secret door by the infirmary came to mind frequently over

would I find that he had slept there last night instead of with me? Was it one of

"No, I didn't."

me, and even though I didn't like his answer, I took it as