“Hello, Queen Kayrs.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Your nephews are just fine. I promise. In fact, they took care of two dangerous witches without even breathing hard.” Of course, the woman was concerned about the boys. He should’ve thought about calling her or her sister earlier.
She laughed. “I already had an update from Bear. That’s not why I’m calling.”
Kell stilled. His gaze caught on Alexandra’s curious expression, and his mind cleared. “No. No. Definitely not. No, no, no.”
Emma sighed. “Come on, Kell. Just a couple tests.”
“Hell, no.” When it came to his mate, apparently respect for the monarchy flew out the window. “No tests. You and your needles are not getting anywhere near my mate.”
Alexandra’s eyebrows went up.
Emma coughed. “Please? I haven’t been able to study the beginning changes in a human when she mates a witch, and I just need a couple blood samples. I promise. Just two.”
Kell dropped his chin to his chest. The queen had been a geneticist before mating the king, and she was notorious for taking the blood of immortal species in the name of research. Of course, she had recently cured the most dangerous virus ever to plague their people.
“If you show up here, I’m siccing Simone on you,” Kell said. At one time, about a billion years ago, Simone and the king had dated.
Emma laughed again. “I already talked to Simone, and she agreed to take the samples and ship them to me. We’re best buddies now, Kell.”
The vampire queen and a snarky member of the Coven Nine as best buddies? “God help the Realm,” he muttered. “I’ll talk to Alexandra, and if she’s agreeable, Simone may draw blood tomorrow.”
The queen nearly squealed. “Excellent! Thank you so much! Congratulations on your mating, by the way. I hope you’ll find great happiness.”
“That’s very kind of you. How are you feeling, anyway?” he asked.
She laughed. “Fat and pregnant with Dage’s baby, who’s already doing summersaults.”
“Stay well, Emma,” Kell said softly. “Take some time off and take care of yourself.” If anything happened to Emma Kayrs, Dage would blow up the world. “For all of us.”
“Of course. Also, give Garrett and Logan smoochie kisses for me, would you?” Emma asked.
“Of course.” Yeah. He’d smooch them both and get punched in the face. No problem. “Have a good night, Emma.” He clicked off.
Alexandra pursed her lips.
He sighed. “The queen wants your blood to study the process of your chromosomal pairs increasing to immortality.”
“Oh. Okay.” Alexandra rolled a shoulder.
Well, that was easy. Since she’s being so agreeable . . . “And I’d like to get you naked and roll around.”
Her eyes darkened, and she began to slide off the stool. “Tell you what. If you can catch me, ack—”
His arm wrapped around her waist just as he leaped over the counter, holding tight and barreling them both over the sofa onto the bear skin rug in front of the fireplace. A click of the remote flashed the fire to life.
She settled beneath him and then frowned. “This isn’t a real bear pelt?”
He chuckled. “No. It’s man-made, not an ounce of real bear fur in it. I bought it to piss off Bear, but the second he saw it, he started laughing. Apparently he can tell real fur from fake.” The moment had been such a downer.
Lex sighed and wiggled her butt, her body relaxing inch by inch against his. She reached up and brushed his hair away from his face. “I pretty much live in the here and now, Kellach.”
Yeah. As a cop, she’d have to live here and now, considering people shot at her. Or threw fireballs now. Of course, when they moved to Ireland, she wouldn’t be in danger any longer.
He pressed his already hard cock into the vee of her legs. “I get that. I’ve been an enforcer for three centuries, and during times of war, I’ve not thought about the future. You put your head down, you fight, do your job, and hope you make it through.” Even with his brothers as enforcers, his life had been a lot lonelier than he’d realized.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god. How old are you?”
Amusement bubbled up his chest, widening it. “About three hundred and fifty years. Why?”
She coughed. “You’re kidding.”
“No.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re an old fart. Cradle robber.”
Geez. He kind of was robbing the cradle. “Too late to worry about that. How old are you, anyway?”
“Thirty-one.” She stretched against him, and his blood started to burn. “Maybe forever. How weird is that?”
A roaring rushed through him, primal and deep. He clasped her hands and pressed them above her head, which pushed her breasts against his chest. She gasped, her eyes widening, arousal expanding her pupils.
He grinned, allowing intent to fill his eyes. “So, mate. What now?”
Chapter 21
Surrounded by fur and overwhelmed by male, Lex caught her breath and put up a half-hearted struggle with her hands. Kell easily held her in place, his hands heating hers, his body covering every inch of hers. So big and strong.