The Beast And The Blessed

Seventy-Eight: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

My head moved up and down on Killian's chest with every breath he took. Since I had shifted, my stamina had significantly increased. While our time together was wild and exhilarating, it was nothing like now. Now it was pure, raw, and primal.

Killian seemed to be enjoying that he could let himself be free and wild with me. He held nothing back, and I enjoyed every second of it. Being too rough wasn't an issue when we healed within seconds. My nails, his nails... my teeth, his teeth. They scratched, scraped, and bit the other person as we lost ourselves to our natural instinct, but not a single mark was left in the end.

My fingertips trailed over his chest in small circles, enjoying how his fingers mirrored my movements along my spine. After so long without his touch, I was half tempted to climb back on top of him and never let him leave the bed again. I felt whole when he was here, even more so when he was inside me, but I couldn't keep him as a prisoner here. Eventually, someone would barge in looking for him, demanding he leave our bed.

I didn't want him to, but he had to. As the sun rose in the sky higher with each passing minute, I knew he was about to.

"Do you want to get an hour or two of sleep before we start the day?" My breasts pressed against his side as I bent my elbow and rested my chin on the back of my hand over his peck. He was staring at the ceiling, his hand continuing to travel over my bare flesh, and I could practically see the thoughts flying through his head. He was with me physically, but the sun was up, and he was now in work mode.

"I can't, my love."

My eyes closed as I savored the way the word rolled off his tongue.

There had been a moment in our relationship where Killian went from calling me Little One to My Love. I hadn't pinpointed exactly when the change from sexually desired to adored happened. Still, I would cherish my new term of endearment. Because even though, at the time, he hadn't been ready to tell me that he loved me, he still indirectly told me in his own way.

I would never get tired of hearing it. But Killian's next statement had me opening my eyes and anxiously picking my head up.

four men. We must plan our attack before they can prepare any

to look down toward me, and I knew he was angry at the loss of

We just had to do our

pressed against his skin, and he sucked in a breath through his teeth before clearing

"I could care less about my life, but I can't have them take you from me. Even if we were to lose, I need you

The good guy always wins, right?" I forced a smile as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. I knew it wasn't true. It was

and the person writing it

over his words briefly, but he changed the subject before I could

you talk to

his question, knowing I had let him down. Secretly, I hoped I could talk to her before he did, and we could work things out without him knowing. But he would find

his eyes as I pushed myself closer, pecking his lips multiple times to remove the disappointment from

as if he were scolding me, and I

tried, but then we argued, and she hasn't talked to me since. But she's still here, and I'll make things right with her. I promise." I pulled my lip between my

to silence. It was not what

fought about?" His question made me feel ashamed because it had been him. I had said

made me angry because I was sure she was talking about me. When she tried to talk to me later, we just didn't see eye to eye." Killian pulled his eyebrows together, and I could feel the disbelief in our bond. Even I didn't want to believe that Charlie had said anything against me, and I had no proof to say that she did. "I don't even know what she said. But I was just so angry that

Killian's voice

talk about the woman he