“They’re going to abduct me too?”

“Not too. Abduction is still the wrong word for what I did.”

She snorted. “Alright. But they are going to try to take me.”

“Or kill you. It’s the only way to get half of the throne’s magic now, and they know they can’t take me down.”

“Lovely.”

“I won’t let them have you.” I put a little more pressure on that sensitive spot, and she gave me a soft groan.

“But if you don’t, they’re just going to keep coming up with plans, right?”

“Probably. And I’ll let them keep planning as long as they want. I hope that while they do, we’ll figure out why they’re trying to claim more power now. Regardless, I won’t risk your life.”

“Mmkay.” She lowered her head back to my chest. “Your heart is beating fast.”

“My mate is talking about someone wanting her dead. Of course my heart is beating fast.” I fought to keep my voice even as I spoke, but I was fairly sure I failed.

“I guess that tracks.” She placed her hand on my abdomen, draping her leg over my cock. My muscles tensed as she traced the lines between them. “Do all merrae have muscles like these?”

“Yes. It’s genetic.”

“Must be nice.”

I closed my eyes, trying like hell to stop my erection from throbbing against her leg. “My people don’t value appearance as much as yours. The mated male merrae grumble about the way their females discuss finding others attractive.”

“Eloise and Heidi mentioned that all the turned humans are attracted to you.”

“How did that make you feel?” My voice strained. Her hand was nearing my erection as she continued tracing near my lower abdomen.

“Possessive, actually.”

I couldn’t suppress my rumble of satisfaction. “I belong to you.”

“You keep saying that, but there are lots of things we haven’t done.”

“Like what?”

“I haven’t gotten you off with my hand. Or my mouth.”

My cock throbbed so hard, I almost lost control then and there. “The mate bond doesn’t require either of those things.”

“Does it require anything now that it’s sealed? Other than loyalty?”

“No.”

“That means we can do whatever we want, right?”

“Yes.”

Her fingers moved back up my abdomen, and my eyes closed as I fought to keep myself under control.

Fuck, I wanted her.

“So you want kids, but you’re not going to try to push me into having them immediately,” she said.

“Right.”

“Okay. But we still haven’t talked about sex.”

“What is there to talk about?” My voice was still straining.

She was going to drive me insane if she kept touching me like that.

My cock throbbed so hard against her thigh, I worried I was hurting her.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she said.

Shit. I’d opened my mind to her the night before.