Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2) (24 page)

“
And where are we
exactly?”

“
Where we’re supposed to
be.”

“
There are no more
surprises, right?” Part of me still couldn’t accept that I’d just
slept with Levi again. If there was any doubt that we were really
together, I erased it when I took my clothes off for
him.

“
Not like you’re thinking.
I already told you, no mind control, okay?”

“
Okay.”

I reluctantly picked my head up off his
chest and went in search of my clothes. Thankfully, my dress wasn’t
too wrinkled from lying in a heap on the floor.

“
I can’t believe I gave in
so quickly.”

“
Quickly? You call this
quickly?” He pulled on his pants.

“
I mean, so early in the
weekend.”

“
I told you it was going to
happen eventually, didn’t I?”

Was cocky Levi back already?

“
Say ‘I told you so’ and
you’re not getting dessert.”

“
If you’re talking about
the dessert I think you are, my lips are sealed.”

“
Good.”

He put a hand on my waist. “But don’t
pretend you don’t want dessert. That game isn’t going to work
anymore.”

“
Okay, no ‘I told you so’
and no talk of games.”

“
You’re so hot when you get
flustered.”

“
I’m not flustered.” I
crossed my arms.

“
Sure you’re
not.”

“
Whatever. I need to finish
getting ready.” I suppressed a smile. His cockiness could be
annoying—but underneath it, I knew he was thrilled, and I was glad
to be the cause of that.

My hair had mostly dried, so I didn’t
bother to tame it. I twisted it up into a bun, and I put on some
simple makeup.

Levi had already left the room when I
finished. I found a small box sitting on the dresser where I’d left
my watch and earrings before getting in the shower. I opened the
box and found a pair of dangle earrings made up of diamonds and red
rubies. They were gorgeous. I touched one for a moment before
putting it on. The last time I’d accepted jewelry from him my life
had changed.

I slipped into my black kitten heels
and found Levi in the kitchen.

“
Well, hello there,
gorgeous.”

“
These earrings are just
earrings, right?”

“
Yes, you like
them?”

“
Love them.”

“
Well, I love you.” It was
the third time he’d said the words, and although he said them
casually, I could tell by the intensity of his gaze that he
desperately wanted me to say them back to him.

I’d said the words to a boy before. I’d
said them to Toby so many times that they became nothing more than
a greeting. Still, admitting my feelings to Levi was a big step,
and I knew it was time to take it. “I love you, too.”

His eyes lit up. “I’m glad you’ve
finally realized it.”

“
You really act like an
arrogant prick sometimes, you know that?”

“
Yes, but you love me
anyway.”

“
True.” I turned to rifle
through the cabinets for a snack. I’d planned to eat after my
shower, but hadn’t exactly gotten that far.

I settled on a granola bar. “You want
one?”

“
Sure.”

I tossed him one with chocolate
chips.

“
Is it bad that we’re
snacking before this thing?”

“
No, you need to eat
tonight. You’ll need your energy later.”

“
On that note, let’s go.” I
threw my wrapper in the garbage, picked up my purse, and headed to
the door.

***

For the first time, I actually felt
like a princess. Everyone rose to their feet as I walked in on
Levi’s arm.

“
We are so honored to have
you,” a woman said before curtseying to me.

I wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but
I figured a simple thank you could go a long way. “Thank you so
much for having me.”

“
We’d heard you were
lovely, but the prince has certainly made a good choice.” A man
smiled before taking my hand and kissing it.

Levi stiffened, and the man dropped my
hand. “I’m sorry, Sir. Forgive me.”

Levi merely nodded at him and pulled me
along further into the room. At first glance, it looked like a room
full of regular people, but I knew most of them were anything but
human.

It might have been Levi’s first time
presiding, but he clearly knew what he was doing. I figured he must
have gone with his dad before. He stopped at a small table with
only two seats, and pulled one out for me. I sat down and let him
push me in.

He stood in front of his chair and
addressed the room. “You may be seated.”

As everyone else sat, he took his seat
next to me. If it was a wedding, we’d have been at our sweethearts
table.

“
No cocktail hour first?” I
whispered.

“
That’s after
dinner.”

“
Oh…”

“
So, I probably should have
warned you, but we’re going to be sharing tonight,” he said so
quietly, I could barely hear him.

“
Sharing?” I
whispered.

“
Do you see a plate in
front of you?”

I looked down and sure enough there
wasn’t one. “We’re using one plate?”

“
It’s an old tradition
symbolizing the complete connection between a royal and his
mate.”

“
Well, you better not give
me cooties,” I pouted.

“
It’s a little late for
that.”

“
Still... Okay, so I get
the one plate thing, but I only see one set of
silverware.”

“
That’s because I’m going
to be feeding you.”

My jaw dropped. “Please tell me you’re
joking.”

“
Afraid not.”

“
For future notice, you
will not drop these weird traditions on me last minute.”

He leaned across the table slightly.
“Telling you wouldn’t change anything.”

“
I’d have been
prepared.”

“
Sir, may I serve you some
wine?” I glanced up to see a waiter at Levi’s elbow.

Levi examined the unopened bottle.
“Yes.”

Levi tasted it before nodding at the
waiter to let him know he approved.

As soon as the waiter walked away, Levi
proposed a toast. “To us.”

“
To us,” I echoed before
taking a sip. At least we each got our own glass.

After one spoonful of the seafood
bisque, I was tired of being fed. Levi was enjoying it way too
much, especially since everyone was watching us.

“
I’m going to save
room.”

I didn’t enjoy being served the main
course of glazed duck with a rice pilaf and grilled vegetables, but
I admit that I let Levi feed me more than my share of the dark
chocolate and raspberry torte for dessert.

“
So now we stay for a
cocktail hour?”

“
Pretty much. It’s going to
be like a meet and greet.” He used his napkin to dab a little bit
of chocolate off my lip.

“
I have my own
napkin.”

“
It’s my fault you have it
on your lips. I might as well clean you up.” He smirked.

“
You do realize I’m not
going to let you feed me every time.”

“
We’ll see.”

He took my hand and led me to another
room. A large bar at the back of the space was the only furniture,
otherwise it was just open.

“
Levi, it’s wonderful to
see you again,” an attractive brunette crooned. “And your mate is
absolutely lovely.”

“
Thank you, Gloria,” Levi
said politely, but he pulled me closer to his side.

“
I’m sure you’ve already
been over your roster for tomorrow, but I have a case before you. I
hope you take our families long history into
consideration.”

“
I’m sorry, but you know I
can’t let personal connections influence my decisions.”

“
Of course not, you’re a
good man, just like your father.”

“
Exactly.” He tensed at the
mention of his father. He was more nervous than I
thought.

“
Nice meeting you,” I said,
pulling Levi with me.

“
What was that about?” I
whispered.

“
She’s a witch who had a
fling with my uncle years ago.”

“
A witch?”

“
Yes, a witch. Although
some choose to stay outside The Society, they have to register with
us if they want to use any magic.”

“
So formal.”

“
Very.”

“
Excuse me, I hate to
interrupt, but I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce
myself.” A stout man with a completely pale face and a top hat held
out his hand to Levi. He took off his hat before bowing
awkwardly.

“
Hello, may I get your
name?”

“
Oh yes, Harold Mayer. I am
the new representative of the Bleths.”

“
Well, nice to meet you,
Harold.”

Levi led me away without introducing
us. “What’s a Bleth?”

“
A Shifter-Dryad
hybrid.”

“
Dryad? Like a
Nymph?”

“
Yes.”

“
But aren’t they supposed
to be really pretty?”

“
Yes. Pure Dryads are, but
the Nymph genes can only do so much with the genes of an ugly
animal.” He tried to keep a straight face.

“
What kind of animal is he
a shifter of?”

“
A porcupine.”

“
You’ve got to be
kidding.”

He shook his head. “Nope, there are
even rat shifters you know…”

I cringed. “Lovely. I’m glad you’re not
one.”

“
So am I, love. So am
I.”

By the time Levi met and shook hands
with everyone at the party, I thought I was going to fall over. Had
I known how much standing we’d be doing, I’d have worn
flats.

I was contemplating going in search of
a chair when everyone in the room bowed slightly.

“
Our cue.” Levi took my arm
and led me from the room and out to the car.

“
Can we go home
now?”

“
Anxious are you?” He
arched an eyebrow.

“
Not for the reason you
think.”

He opened my door, and hesitated before
closing it. “No? Are you sure about that?”

“
Positive. I just needed to
get off my feet,” I challenged. There was no way I was giving up
that easily.

“
We’ll see about that.” He
closed my door and went around to the driver’s side.

The drive took longer than I expected.
“Are you lost?”

“
No.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Absolutely. I just wanted
to go for a drive.” He grinned.

“
Levi, this isn’t funny.”
We were on some dark back road, and all I wanted to do was get
changed and into bed—preferably with Levi next to me.

“
Tell me the truth, and
I’ll be done driving.”

“
The truth? Are we really
playing this game?”

“
Apparently. I really
thought we were finally done with the games though.”

“
I wasn’t lying. I needed
to get off my feet.”

“
But is that the only
reason you were in a hurry to get home?”

“
No,” I
admitted.

“
I’m listening.”

“
Why should I have to say
anything? You’re not.”

“
You want me to tell you
why I want to get home? Not a problem. I want to get home so I can
undress you and get you into bed underneath me.” He placed a hand
on my leg, slowly moving it under the fabric of my dress. “Your
turn.”

I closed my eyes, loving how nice his
hand felt, and thinking about the hours we’d spent together in bed
earlier. “I want you. Is that what you want to hear?”

“
Exactly what I wanted to
hear. Open communication is important to a healthy
relationship.”

I shook my head. “Take me
home.”

“
My pleasure.”

Levi made another turn and within five
minutes we were pulling up out front of the guest house. He hadn’t
moved his hand the whole time, and I felt its absence when he
removed it to get out. He must have noticed my expression. “Don’t
worry. I’ll have my hands all over you in about a
minute.”

He came around to open my door. “Make
that thirty seconds.” He picked me up and carried me inside,
slamming the door and locking it behind us.

He carried me right to the bedroom.
“Now where were we?”

“
Right here.” I smiled, as
he laid me down on the bed.

Chapter
Nineteen