Kenneth's POV
Being seated next to my angel is calming — soothing, to be precise — but today I'm nervous as hell. I wish I could open up to her and unload everything weighing me down. I want someone to talk to, but my boys are in another cabin and I don't want to leave Lucy alone. I must have zoned out and tensed without noticing, because I only came back when she placed her soft, soothing hand on me. She has always been able to calm my lion. No wonder Zeus preferred her to that wannabe queen. Sometimes I wonder why; that usually only happens with true mates. She has the same pull as a mate. Could she be my real mate?
When we first met, I felt a push to look her way. The moment our eyes met I couldn't look away — it was like glue. I had to walk up to her and boldly ask her out. Back then Zeus was dormant and didn't do the dramatic mate things most of the Weres experience. Or maybe it's because she's human, or because true mates are becoming rare among my kind. I shrug off the thought and concentrate on my angel.
"Babe, is everything okay? You seem kind of… tense, if not extremely worried," she asks.
I sigh silently. "I'm okay, omalicha," I say. "I'm just nervous, I guess. It's my first time introducing a girl to my family and I don't know how they'll take it. What worries me more is how you'll take it yourself. There's something I haven't told you about me. I want you to see it for yourself and decide whether you want to be with me after seeing it."
She immediately looks scared. I can feel the tension through her hand. Though the mate-bond hasn't opened fully so I can't read her thoughts, I feel it through the spasms of her muscles. She's trying hard to stay composed, maybe for my sake. She caresses my arm, taps my shoulder, and I turn to face her. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes. She's like medicine; some of my tense muscles relax.
"Ken, I want you to know I love you with my soul. I won't promise I'll never be affected by circumstances, but I assure you of my love and commitment. I'll do my best to stand by our love as long as you give me the reason," she says, promising not to give up easily.
That eases my stress. She pulls back and smashes her lips on mine. I hungrily return the kiss, my tongue tangling with hers. It becomes heated as Zeus pushes, wanting to swallow her lips whole. He's going crazy — desperate to claim and make her entirely ours.
We pull back to breathe, and then I smell it: her strong arousal. The scent is sweet and intoxicating. Zeus's nose twitches, his ears perk up in the back of my mind, and he begins to prance. I stand up and awkwardly excuse myself to the bathroom. If I don't get away, that stupid animal will try to take her right there and then, and that would ruin everything. I'm burning up and want a cold shower, but that would make Lucy curious.
I need cold air, a cold shower, or to think of something annoying to cool my raging hard-on. I settle on thinking about something irritating — Pat. The memory of her last attempt to seduce me annoys me enough to help. Over the past two years she's tried every trick, but her last stunt crossed the line. When she finally seemed to get that I'm not interested, she barged into my office and destroyed the last scraps of respect I had left for her.
She came in wearing a nice coat — pretty, but not like Lucy, who's natural and effortless. Pat locked the door. Furious, I roared and demanded why. She said, unashamed, "To give my pride and virginity to you."
"Are you insane?" I asked.
She tore open her coat to reveal sexy lingerie. I looked at her with a blank expression. She must have thought that was my cue, that I'd be attracted, but I'd lost every shred of respect. "If you hadn't done that, there might have been a tiny consideration in my mind. But now I see nothing but a whore. Take your filthy, self-entitled royal self out of my office and never show your face to me again."
She was stunned. She didn't expect rejection for the trophy she'd just offered. If only she knew how Zeus wanted to tear her apart for that shameless stunt. He was as pissed as I was. "Arrgh! Stop giving me a headache with those nasty thoughts, dude. I don't want to ever see that shameless witch," Zeus growled in my head.
I knew dwelling on her would cool Zeus's hormones because being disgusted takes the edge off. I chuckle as he curses and retreats to the back of my mind. I smile and look down — relief floods me: the erection is gone. I wash my face and go back to find my angel taking a nap. I hook my arm under her and rest her head on my shoulder, cuddling and drifting off too. We have a long journey ahead.