Mate's Kiss: Royal Dragon Curse Read online

  “I do what I can,” he said with a grin. Then they stood up and looked around.

  Suddenly, they were… lost. They were in the palace and just outside Carlyle’s study, but they were lost. It was the first time they didn’t have to sneak around. They weren’t driving an hour out of their way to meet at a random coffee shop or bar. They were in Eden’s home, and they were free to do as they pleased. Only, after the day they had, Eden wanted nothing more than to go to her room and lie down with Levi.

  Without saying anything at all, the two of them held hands and walked upstairs. When Eden pushed open her bedroom door, her face fell into an expression of horror and shock. The warriors had raided her room. Her clothes and books were tossed about everywhere, giving the impression that she had been burglarized.

  “Christ,” she muttered.

  “We can handle this in the morning,” Levi assured her. Breaking away from their hold, he moved over to her bed and repositioned the mattress, which had been tossed off the frame at some point in the day. Eden moved over and helped him replace the sheets and blankets before they finally crawled underneath them together.

  Her heart was pounding in her ears, still wired from the events of the day, yet her eyes begged for sleep after all the tears she had shed. Even her body was sore and wanted to rest, but her mind was still awake.

  Unable to turn off her brain, Eden propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at Levi. “I can’t believe he was so… open to it. So calm and understanding. Do you think he’s planning something with it? Like, to use you or something? What if he tries to frame you for some evil thing he’s concocting?”

  Levi was beyond exhausted. The whites of his eyes were a vibrant pink, the lines in his face seeming deeper, and his hand moved slowly as he reached up and brushed Eden’s hair behind one of her ears. “There’s no way to know. We will deal with everything as it comes. For now, we have his blessing and safety. There’s not much more we could ask for at the moment.”

  “I’m just worried this is all a trap,” Eden confessed.

  “It isn’t, at least for now. This works best for everyone, it seems,” Levi reminded her. “He gets to say his daughter brought the first rogue back into the Kingdom, proving that no one is out of his reach. And we get to be with each other.” Eden already knew that, but it did comfort her to hear Levi say it. She gave a small nod. “Come on, lie down with me.”

  She did. She nestled into his side with her head on his shoulder. It still felt impossible to fully wrap her head around the fact that they were officially a couple and welcomed to act like one. It would take time, Eden supposed. That was all right with her. Slowly, her mind began powering down as her breathing matched Levi’s, and they both drifted off to sleep. Their first night to their new life.

  14

  In the following weeks, Levi and Eden were the talk of the town. Their names were whispered in meetings, over meals, and had made excellent pillow talk. None of it bothered them. However, tensions were high, and Levi found himself more on edge than ever. People were not exactly thrilled about his return to the Kingdom. He was still labeled an anarchist, putting a target on his back. The dragonbornes were a protective and violent lot. To have spent centuries believing he was the top threat to their way of living outside of witches, there was going to be an adjustment period.

  They would accept him in time, he knew that. For the time being, Levi did count himself lucky that they had avoided complete disaster. If he hadn't kneeled before Carlyle, chaos would have ensued. Eden and Levi would have been forced to go on the run, live in imminent danger until Carlyle grew tired of the search or was overthrown, which could have been just as likely. Some part of Levi wanted to battle with that outcome, wondering if that was how it should have been—so that people would be free of tyranny, at least for a while, and get a breath of true freedom.

  Just because it should have happened didn’t mean it would have. Levi had sucked up all of his pride and kneeled before the Mad King to secure his place at Eden’s side. That was more than enough for him. There was nowhere else he would rather be.

  The last few weeks had been the most nerve-wracking and exciting time of his life. He and Eden spent their days together, talking from sunrise to sunset. They went out together to bars, drive-in movies, long walks in the forest. His favorite thing, however, had been watching her meditate. Levi could sit there the entire time and never not be in awe. Water gave him anxiety, like it did most dragons. He didn’t think he could ever gather the courage to submerge himself for such a duration of time. Eventually, Levi had grown curious enough to wade into the water. The way Eden’s eyes gleamed with wonder and passion as she explained it and encouraged him ever so softly to try made his heart nearly explode from joy.

  The hardest adjustment was living at the royal estate. Levi had enough money to buy them a house. Of course, it wouldn’t be to the caliber that the estate was, but it would be their own. However, in the talks that followed Carlyle agreeing to “allow” their union, he had specified that Eden had to remain at the estate until they were married.

  Eden wanted to wait the full year before the marriage, wanting to take their time to get to know one another and really fall in love. Levi already found himself growing impatient, which actually surprised him. He had never felt a rush to finalize things with her; all he cared about was being with her. At the same time, they were glued to one another’s side all day, every day. They were heady from their feelings about one another all the time. Even though the estate was massive, Levi felt cramped. He couldn’t relax, feeling as though he had to remain rigid and stern in case anyone came across his path. Not to mention, everything was so proper and elegant. Levi wanted him and Eden to have time alone, to relax and grow with one another, not be constantly mangled in the web of the Crown.

  So, Levi set a plan in motion. One morning, he woke Eden early, and they went down to the lake. The sun was still trying to peek out from behind the trees when they settled onto a blanket by the shore. Eden stayed cuddled into his side, sleep still clinging to her consciousness.

  “What are we doing out here so early?” she asked with a yawn.

  “I thought it would be nice to watch the sunrise together,” he explained as he reached into the bag he had brought with them and pulled out a personal container of orange juice for her. She took it happily, drinking it down to get rid of her cotton mouth from sleep. Levi pulled out some Tupperware with fresh fruit, granola, and a container of almond milk. “Have some breakfast and just take in the morning.”

  Eden eyed him a bit skeptically but did not question him. She reached into one of the bowls and picked out a slice of pineapple. Relaxing into his side, she nibbled on the fruit and sipped her juice. Levi kissed the top of her head and looked to the sky. They watched as it slowly lightened, the dark shades of navy replaced with warm tones of purple and pink. While his eyes could trace the shift in colors, Levi’s mind was completely distracted. How can I bring it up? How can I begin? I should have prepared something for this… I’m an idiot.

  “What’s on your mind?” Eden asked after a duration of silence Levi couldn’t even begin to gauge.

  “Just this beautiful morning.”

  “Liar.”

  His eyes shot over to her, a crease forming between his brows. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Your jaw clenches when you’re thinking hard about something,” Eden told him. “You’ve been clenching it for the past ten minutes. So, tell me. What’s really going on?”

  Then Levi saw that flash in her eyes. Whenever something between them was left open-ended, she immediately began to worry that being in the Kingdom was wearing on him and that the next words out of his mouth would be, I’m going back into exile. Except that that was the last thing Levi wanted right now.

  “Can we just enjoy the sunrise for now?”

  “I would rather know what it is you’re thinking about.”

  “How pretty you are,” Levi replied with a weak smile, trying t
o keep the mood light.

  Eden playfully shoved him. “I’m serious, Levi! You’re weirding me out. You drag me out of bed before it is light out, we come out here, and you won’t tell me why. You’re being quiet.”

  “I’m always quiet.”

  “Not this quiet.”

  Levi sighed and shook his head. “You know, sometimes your impatience really takes the romance out of things.”

  Her head reared back, obviously shocked and confused by his statement. “Excuse me?”

  Levi scratched his head. “I was trying to pull off a… a romantic day for you.” He could feel the heat on his cheeks and turned his face to the sky to hide it.

  “Oh,” Eden murmured. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s all right,” he interjected, gliding a hand down her back. He turned to her. “I know you’re anxious about this adjustment for me, but believe me when I say I’m not going anywhere.”

  Eden’s eyes were sparkling oceans of clear blue water. It was all clicking together in her head faster than Levi would have liked. He had wanted it all to be a surprise, but she didn’t know everything that was on their agenda for the day. Only Levi knew that.

  “So why the romantic day?” she asked in a tone that hinted at her knowing.

  “How about we just enjoy it and see what happens?”

  Her demanding nature got the best of her for a moment, a pout forming on her lips as her eyebrows came together. She wanted to know his intentions right then. Then, to Levi’s surprise, her expression eased, and she nodded before curling back into his side.

  She kept to that. They watched the sunrise as they ate and cuddled together. Nothing had ever felt more right to Levi than the feeling of Eden’s skin on his. Once they had gotten their fill of the snacks and the sun was bright in the sky, they put on their swimsuits and headed into the water. They meditated together, though Levi never found his center like Eden. It was still relaxing and blissful, though.

  After that, they headed into the city. They sipped coffee and held hands at a café before going on a long walk in a nearby park. As time went on, Eden seemed to forget about their conversation on the shore that morning and simply embraced the day. Hours slipped away from them. When early evening finally came around, Levi drove them through the suburbs until the houses became sparse. It was country, but not far from the city. The truck rolled to a stop outside of a two-story, colonial style house. It was pale yellow, with a bright red door and an A-frame roof.

  “What are we doing here?” Eden asked, studying the house intently. “Do you know someone who lives here?”

  “Something like that,” Levi answered simply. Getting out of the truck, he walked to her side and took her hand to guide her to the front door. His heart was thumping in his chest when they walked in. The inside was spacious and airy. All the walls had a fresh coat of white paint, and the wooden floors were polished but held the character of the house. His attention was solely on Eden as she wandered further into the house.

  “There’s no furniture or anything,” she remarked. Turning to him with a dazed and confused expression, she repeated, “What are we doing here?” Levi forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and step toward her.

  “I wanted to end our day by showing you…” Fear gripped him for a moment, causing his sentence to trail off before he bravely continued, “I wanted to show you our home.”

  Eden’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped. “Our… home?”

  Levi closed the distance between them. “I know you want to wait the full year before we get married, and there shouldn’t be any rush, but I can’t wait. I want you to be my wife. I want us to have our own space. For us to start our life together and separate from the estate. I don’t want to wait.”

  Then, for only the second time in his life, Levi kneeled before another person. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he retrieved a small black box.

  “You wanted to wait until we fell in love,” he told Eden. “Well, I’m already there. I love you, Eden. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I love every little thing about you. From the way your hair looks when you first wake up in the morning to your passion for healing. I love that you always speak your mind, no matter the consequences. You’re the most stubborn, demanding, frustrating, wonderful, and passionate person I have ever met. I want to be with you during the best day of your life, as well as the worst. What I’m trying to get to is… Eden Tallant, will you marry me?”

  Eden’s hands were already covering her mouth, and there were tears bubbling from her eyes, matching the few Levi had beading down his face. He opened the little box to reveal an oval cut, lavender amethyst ring, with a band made of rose gold and three small emeralds framing each side of the main stone. Diamonds didn’t suit Eden; this did.

  “I love you, too,” she breathed, sinking down to throw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly, pressing kisses all over the top of her head. Then, she whispered, “But there’s one thing I have to do before I say yes.” Levi’s heart dropped, and he waited for her to move back to explain herself. “I need to go see your mother.”

  His chest ached at the thought, both from joy and guilt. He was glad Eden wanted to meet his family, but he felt horrible that he hadn’t seen his mother as often as he would have liked. Although he had snuck out and visited her a couple times, Ginny, Levi’s sister, had been taking care of her. It had been too dangerous to pay her a visit, afraid of being ambushed or something happening to her.

  Levi nodded. “Okay, we can go.”

  Before they left, Eden explored the house. It had a galley kitchen with gray cabinets and marble countertops, a formal dining room, a large living room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and he was certain her favorite feature was the in-ground pool out in the back. It had been his top requirement when looking for a house.

  The entire way to his mother’s, Eden gushed over him buying a house for them. She was certain that if another man had done that, she would have been angry, but the one Levi had purchased was absolutely perfect. She could picture them spending years there, only leaving to travel if they so desired.

  When they pulled up to Matilda’s house, Eden’s excitement had simmered, and a serious energy took over the air. Levi grabbed her hands.

  “I just want to prepare you. She’s very, very ill. I know you know that, but it may be a little shocking at first. I want you to try your best to hold it together, okay? I know you have a soft heart, but…” He took a deep breath. “Just… please try not to cry. I don’t want her getting upset.”

  Eden gave a nod of understanding before they departed the cab of the truck. Levi let himself into the house, knowing his mother more than likely wouldn’t have the strength to come to the door.

  “Mother? I’m here,” he called in.

  “In the bed, darling,” her voice called from afar.

  Swallowing hard, Levi led the way to his mother’s bedroom. Admittedly, in the past week, he had been purposefully avoiding coming over. He and his sister hadn’t spoken, and so he feared that, when he came over, he would find his mother dead. She was alive, which meant Ginny had been keeping everything under control for the time being.

  When they approached the door, Levi turned and signaled for Eden to stay there. Stepping into the room, he took in the familiar sight of his mother, pale and gray, lying in her bed in a nightgown. Her chest rose and fell in dramatic breaths. She did her best to smile at him. “I have missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too, Mom,” he breathed. “Look, um… I’m sorry to spring this on you, but there’s someone I want you to meet.” Matilda gave a weak nod, though she pulled her blankets up to cover her frail body better. Levi waved Eden inside and waited until she was standing next to him. “Mother, this is Eden. Eden, this is my mother, Matilda.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Eden told her softly.

  “No, it isn’t,” Matilda chuckled. The sound signaled Levi to fetch her some wate
r quickly, knowing she was parched. By the time he returned, his mother was saying, “Please, call me Tilly.” Eden approached the bed and sat down on its edge. She and Matilda chatted nicely, making small talk for a while before his mother brought the point back around. “Now, tell me, what brings you by?”

  “Well,” Eden began, clearing her throat. “I’m… I’m Levi’s mate.”

  Matilda looked to Levi for confirmation and was astonished by his agreement. “I must say, I am shocked. I didn’t think this boy would ever find his mate.”

  “Neither did I,” Eden admitted. “But… we are, and it was messy for a while. Now that things have settled down, we want to get married. And I can honestly say, I don’t want to have a wedding when you can’t be there.”

  “Well, that’s remarkably sweet,” Matilda responded, clearly flattered and touched. “But I’m too sick to make it anywhere beyond my bathroom, I’m afraid.”

  “I know,” Eden said, “but I’m a healer. I want to treat you. I don’t want you to think I’m healing you just so you can attend our wedding, but more because we’re family. From the first time I heard about your condition, I wanted to come to help you. Now has just been the first true opportunity we’ve had.” Eden bit her lip, “So… will you let me?”

  Matilda was without words, as was Levi. He had assumed Eden just wanted to meet his family before they made such a commitment. She was going to heal his mother? God, he wanted to kiss her right then.

  “I… I would be so honored, Eden,” Matilda said. “Thank you. Thank you, more than I could possibly put into words.”

  Eden’s blue eyes found Levi. “Do you mind if we have some time alone?”

  “Of course not. I’ll be in the living room.” Going to the door, Levi stopped for only a moment to press a kiss to Eden’s cheek. Then he went out to the living room. He sat down on the couch, fished the ring box out of his pocket, and studied the ring itself. They really were perfect together, weren’t they?