“No.” I slithered my right hand between our bodies and rubbed at my eyes with my fist. “I don’t know what that was.”
“They’re finally awake!” Lord Otto sang loud and clear. “It’s about damn time.”
I stiffened inside the Overlord’s embrace.
Fuck. Me.
We weren’t alone inside his bedchamber.
Lord Belshazzar stared for a heartbeat before he pulled away from me and rolled onto his back. He raised his arms above his head and stretched. Only after that did he turn to face the room. He growled, “Which one of you kicked me?”
All of the other Overlords were awake inside our bedroom—in the druid castle, not Lord Belshazzar’s private quarters in our own stronghold. And they were fucking showered and dressed already, casually sitting on chairs inside the room, all with their phones out and using them.
Lord Cato turned his eyes in our direction, his regard flicking between the two of us. His tone was measured. “I did. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you two to wake up?”
My blue eyes shot to the windows, and my lips tipped down into a frown. “I’m guessing a while.” The sun appeared to be high in the sky. “Were you tip-toeing around us? Why didn’t you wake us?”
Lord Otto snorted. His eyes ran over the screen on his phone, reading at lightning speed. He stated absently, “Honestly? You two were snoring so hard that we left you alone.” Lord Otto paused, still reading on his phone. “We left you so alone that there’s no way you would have woken at Lord Xenon dropping his luggage next to your bed or Lord Pippin shaking the foot of your bed or Lord Cato cursing at you or me throwing shit at you.”
I stared. “You’re lying, my lord.”
He flicked a finger in our direction. “There’s a pair of socks above Lord Belshazzar’s head, your majesty. I’d like them back.”
I looked. A pair of black rolled socks rested there.
Lord Pippin cast a glance at the portrait—the blinking woman back inside the painting—before he returned his attention to his own phone. His thumbs typed out a message. “I believe the only moment you two halfway awakened was when Lord Belshazzar kissed your forehead and then mumbled something under his breath about you not sleeping on your side of the bed. He went back to snoring—after you snuggled even closer to him.”
Fuck. Me. In the ass.
Lord Xenon pocketed his phone and clasped his hands over his trim stomach. His black eyes met ours. He asked bluntly, “How long has this been going on?”
The other Overlords lowered their cells.
They stared right at us. Waiting.
Lord Belshazzar scratched at his whiskered chin, quiet for an extended time. Finally, he stated, “Long enough.”
Lord Xenon’s eyes tightened at the evasive answer.
“Is it serious?” Lord Otto asked coolly.
“It is what it is right now.” Lord Belshazzar tossed his legs over the side of our bed and sat up. He ran his fingers through his tangled hair. “We’d like to keep it private for the time being.”
Lord Otto lifted his phone up and flicked his thumb over the screen again and again, showing us blackmail material. “So I shouldn’t show any of these pictures of you two looking cute as hell, bowed around each other in sweet slumber, to anyone?”
My fangs elongated. “Asshole.”
“What?” He glanced at his phone with pure innocence in his gaze. “They are cute.”
“Delete the damn pictures,” Lord Belshazzar growled his demand. He cracked his neck and glanced at each lord. “I will add this, too. If any one of you talks about her fucking vagina around me again, I will strangle you. Do you understand?”
Lord Xenon’s lips twitched. “It’s serious enough.”
“Fuck you,” he griped. Lord Belshazzar glanced over his shoulder down at me with his scowl still in place. “Are you getting in the shower first or am I?”
I thumped my head back onto the pillow and waved my left hand at the bathroom. “You brought me food last night. You can have the bathroom first.” I closed my eyes—and kept them closed—and sighed heavily. “Fuck.”
Lord Belshazzar snorted, completely pissed. “Yes, fuck.”
Master Niallan now knew.
Life just got a lot harder. For all of us.
I peeked open my left eye. “Is there any chance—”
“Not even the smallest chance.” He twisted his torso and leaned over me, placing his face right over mine. His muscled arms caged me in, and his mess of black hair fanned around my head. “Nothing changes in public.”
“Agreed.” I tapped his nose with a soft finger. “Your breath stinks. Go take a shower and brush your teeth.”
One side of his lips quirked up, erasing a bit of his testiness. Too quietly for the others to hear, he ordered, “Kiss me first.”
My brows scrunched. “But…stinky breath.”
“Do it, your majesty. I wasn’t asking.”
I lifted one brow. Thinking…
He waited. Patient.
I tilted my head up and bit his lower lip with my blunt teeth, grinning around it. I winked up into his icy gaze. Then I pecked his lips softly before I dropped my head back onto the pillow. Our heartbeats were now linked.
He peeked his tongue out and ran it over his bottom lip, and his head dipped to place his mouth against my ear. He purred, “Little one, I wish we weren’t here right now.” The lord gently nibbled on my earlobe. He tipped his head further and kissed my neck, caressing my tender flesh with his soft lips.
I ran my fingers up his neck and cradled the side of his face, relishing his gentle caresses. I dug my fingernails into his whiskers, scratching softly. “I’ll take a raincheck.”
He hummed softly against my skin and kissed my neck once more. Then the Overlord pushed off against the mattress, sliding his body off the bed, and stood to his feet. He grabbed one of his bags but halted as he glanced at the other lords.
They hadn’t moved. They were just…staring.
Lord Belshazzar’s black brows furrowed low over his intense blue eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”
Lord Otto blinked. “Your heartbeats…”
“So?” His brows lowered even more. “You’ve seen possible mates interact before. This is nothing new.”
“But we’ve never seen that—any of that sappy shit—with you.” He shook his head of blond hair, shaking himself out of his shock. “We really need to keep this quiet for now. I can imagine the headlines already. Overlord versus Overlord: Which one will the Queen sink her claws into next? Check the poll below with your favorite prediction!”
Once again, Lord Otto shook his head. “That is the last PR problem we need right now.”
Lord Belshazzar’s expression cleared. “That’s what I said.” He stalked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Lord Otto started deleting the photos on his phone almost immediately. He muttered obscenities under his breath the entire time. When he was through, he dropped his head back on his chair and glared at the ceiling.
Once again, the lord’s actions had hit their intended audience, playing the people around him. And this time, I’d helped him succeed in one of his goals—our mutual goal.
Get rid of the blackmail material? Goal attained.
*
My frown was all-encompassing as I stared at bananas. The yellow fruit was perfectly centered in the middle of the ornate table meant to seat twenty people.
Piles and piles of bananas—and that was all.
Master Niallan peeled one while his evil smirk only grew. He sat at the head of the table with his two friends sitting on either side of him. The druid gestured to our group with the rounded yellow end, stating, “Lunch is served since you missed breakfast. Have a seat.”
I ground my teeth together. Asshat.
None of us moved to sit.
Lord Belshazzar leaned against the back of a tall chair, cool and composed. “Cut the shit, candidate. Where is the real meal?”
Green eyes narrowed and arrowed straight into my gaze. “Other than fucking you, you’re also allowing him to speak for you? I know those are your thoughts coming out of his mouth.”