The King's Consort Ch. 03

The walk was pleasant, despite the evening's events. She'd missed him on his days away. Their connection was improving steadily, that turbulent beginning to their relationship nearly forgotten.

Caitlin couldn't imagine life back in her hometown, anymore. Her mother always talked about going back, but they both knew it was an unlikely trip, after what happened the last time. Janice still wrote to her sister and the cousins, being sure to keep in contact after the violent exodus.

They found it too easy to excuse their absence. Lying was not in Janice's nature, nor Caitlin's, but they had to, to maintain Kalen's anonymity.

An image surfaced, of that last day, when all hell broke loose. She'd been triggered by her mother unintentionally, and ran away, confessing to a one Father Elliot her relations with a vampire, and her subsequent pregnancy.

That was her mistake.

Her emotions had gotten the better of her, and she broke down. Caitlin was stronger now, but she still looked back on that moment with shame, recalling the horrified expression on the Father's face, and the roiling smoke pluming off Kalen when he exposed himself to the sun's rays to protect his secret.

She glanced up at Kalen, scrutinizing the scars that stitched together across his cheekbone. He'd not vocalized his opinion, but seemed unaffected, despite the poorly healed flesh. Caitlin was apprehensive about bringing it up, as it was her own fault.

So, they walked in silence, save for the joyful melody of night creatures.

He caught her looking and offered a curious glance. "You're worrying again."

Caitlin's face burned at being so obtuse. He was no mind reader, but he was quite good at understanding her when she never said a word. "Nothing gets past you, does it?" She hesitated before continuing, shy of his steady gaze. "I was worried about your burn. It's not healing."

"And it won't." He touched the irregular skin of his cheek. "This is a reminder for me not to be so rash. With you, or anyone for that matter."

Caitlin laughed, then sobered her expression. "But, your face-"

"It's alright, Caitlin." He grabbed her hands, stopping them next to the burbling creek that ran through the property. "My kind is not quite so superficial as humans. In fact-" He leaned in closer, a smile touching his lips. "-I find it rather accentuates my countenance."

"That's one way of looking at it." She rolled her eyes and laughed again, averting her gaze to the creek, where a family of deer found a place to rest for the night. The mother watched them cautiously, no doubt sensing the predator in their midst. "We should head back to the mansion. I'm hungry."

"Then you should eat." He offered his arm. "And rest will do you well, after the day you've had."

"Prince Kalen," she warned, her spine straightening in defiance. "What did I say about ordering me to bed? You know how much I hate it."

An eyebrow rose, but he bowed at the waist, masking a coy smile. "How could I forget?"

*

When they returned to the mansion, Amandine was waiting for them at the front door. Several suitcases were packed and lined up next to the aging servant, Edmund. He seemed to be waiting with the vampire Queen, ready to assist at a moment's notice.

Amandine looked apologetic, if not overwhelmingly stoic in a midnight evening gown with a gold-laced shawl over her shoulders. "Caitlin." She opened her arms wide, waiting for her to reciprocate.

Though Kalen's mother had expressed her more terrifying side down in the basement, Caitlin did not hesitate to throw herself into the hug. No matter what, she knew Amandine would never hurt her, baby or no baby. She squeezed her tighter. "Do you really have to go?"

"Yes, child." She pulled her back for a final look, the love of a mother in her eyes. "The doctor will be here soon enough, and she will better assess your needs. Don't hesitate to write me." Amandine disengaged with a sigh, then turned to her son with a quick nod. "You know how to contact me if anything happens."

The line of his mouth went stern. "I do. Goodbye mother."

Neither made the move to embrace the other, so they stood like that for a moment before she turned on her heels. "I'm borrowing your limousine, son."

"I expect it to be returned within the week."

Amandine turned one last time and flashed a gorgeous smile. "Of course."

When Edmund left, Kalen closed the door, his eyes unfocused. He guided her out of the foyer with a hand to her back. "Marianne has prepared dinner for you. And it seems your mother has accompanied her."

Caitlin's stomach churned at the idea of eating one of Marianne's rich meals. "Will you join us?"

"After today? I don't think it's for the best." Kalen stroked up her spine, until he caught the nape of her neck. He rubbed the spot gently. "Enjoy your dinner. Come see me in the master suite when you're finished eating."

Caitlin glanced up at him, hating that he was scared away by her own mother, of all people. "Okay." She tilted her head up for a kiss.

He closed the distance, offering only the smallest of pecks.

Then he was gone.

An emptiness settled into her core as she opened the doors to the dining room. Janice sat on one side of the table, her jaw set. "You're back," she said dismissively. "Your walk was good?"

"Mom, you still sound upset."

Janice didn't respond, and instead smothered a mound of mashed potatoes and a chicken cutlet with gravy. She pushed the plate towards the head of the table, where she seemed to expect Caitlin to sit. "Marianne made some of your favorites. You need to eat."

Caitlin sat and stared at the full plate. Though her stomach raged for sustenance, she couldn't bring herself to even attempt to eat. "You know I can't have this rich of food. Could I have some chicken without the gravy, please?"

Janice recalled the plate with an impatient hand, fixing up another plate and setting it in front of her. "There." She didn't seem to have recovered from the day's events either, apparently.

She sighed and picked up her fork. "You know I'm okay, mom. You don't have to worry. Amandine took good care of me until they passed, and Kalen-"

"Let's not talk about it over dinner," Janice interrupted, shaking her head.

Caitlin scrutinized her from under her lashes. Because leaving it unresolved is so much better. She scooped only the smallest bite of potatoes. Even the trace of butter could overload her senses, but she tried it anyway. When it hit her tongue, she realized that Marianne had done an excellent job not to overwhelm the spuds with flavor. She scooped up another bite, gauging her mother's mood. Janice, however nonchalant she was trying to act, was spearing her chicken as if it would dash off her plate. Caitlin cleared her throat. "So, um, how's the farm coming along?"

Her mother grimaced and turned her attention to Caitlin. "You mean that spot of land they built a house on? That place is nothing like your grandmother's home. All our things are there, but it doesn't have a soul, just like your-" She cut herself off, pursing her lips. "I don't know why I bother saying anything at all."

"I don't, either." Caitlin speared a slice of cutlet, letting her mother know her opinions were not welcome. They sat in a tepid silence, both refusing to break the tension.

Marianne did it for them, bursting into the room with a pie in hand. "Here we are! It just came out of the oven, so it's very hot. How's dinner?" She set the pie down and folded her arms over her stomach in contentment. She seemed to know she'd shattered the standoff, but didn't care in the least.

Caitlin spoke for the both of them. "It's wonderful, Marianne, as always." Her mother nodded, but took another bite instead of answering. "Why don't you join us? You've done so much work, and there's no way the two of us can eat all this by ourselves."

The servant seemed to hesitate at first, then sat down across from Janice. "If you'll have me."

"There's no need to be formal." Caitlin laughed at her modesty. "It's just me."

Marianne conceded with a nod. "Thank you, Caitlin."

"No," Caitlin said, "thank you." Whether or not the aging matron knew she was an icebreaker, it settled her mother down markedly. Janice never seemed to approve of anything she did, ever since Kalen came into her life. But she vaguely remembered it being that way before him, too, and she wondered if it had something to do with her absent father, Abraham.

Moving to the mansion was a hard transition for Caitlin, and seemed an even harder one for Janice. But she didn't really know what her mother was going through because Janice had become closed-off and defensive about it since arriving. Amandine did everything she could to ease her mind, going so far as to recreate the farmhouse, but it didn't do much.

After these 'false contractions', Caitlin worried their relationship would be strained even further. She glanced down at her food, not knowing how much more of this she could take.

*

"That took longer than expected." His voice trailed out from the darkened suite. But one area had a little more darkness than the rest. "Your mother is not very happy with me, is she?"

"I don't even want to think about my mother right now." Caitlin reached towards the familiar blackness, her arms outstretched. "You can't hide from me anymore."

Kalen's voice was behind her this time. "No," he said. "But I can still move faster." A gentle trace against her arm, and his touch was gone. She saw the flit of darkness, then nothing. "Can you find me, now?" His voice was further off, in a distant corner of the suite.

She turned towards the sound, searching with her weak, human eyes. "Quit playing around." Something flitted past her, exciting the hairs on her cheek. Caitlin turned again, seeing little more than the low mounds that made up the furniture. "You know you don't frighten me, anymore."

"Who said I was trying to frighten you?" His voice was closer, but to her left. "Perhaps I am merely gauging your abilities."

She stopped moving and started listening. "What abilities?"

"Don't play coy." The darkness was directly behind her.

Caitlin whipped around, but he was gone again. "Kalen, this isn't funny."

"Nobody is laughing."

She thought she saw his figure in front of her, spreading his arms wide. Caitlin sprinted the short distance towards him, certain he would catch her if she fell. Instead, she crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Anger tinged her next words. "I've got you."

Arms closed around her in the darkness, squeezing her to his lean chest. "You do."

"Don't do that, again." She rubbed her face into his shirt, relieved. "Ever."

He gave a light chuckle, holding her close. "Fine. But you're still seeing the veil, aren't you?"

The veil. That permeating darkness still showed up on occasion, out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't like that first day, though, when it threatened to swallow her world in dripping blackness. It was also what helped her see his energies when her human eyes failed. "Only a little. Does your... kind really see it all the time?"

"When we choose to." Hand cupped her cheeks, and she could feel his gaze on her, though she couldn't see him. "Do you want to lie down?"

Any other day, she would have fought him tooth-and-nail. But, after the false contractions, the walk, and the hearty dinner, she was genuinely exhausted. Caitlin leaned against him, catching a lock of his hair and teasing it around her finger. "I suppose it would make my mother happy."

"I am not in the business of making her happy, only you." He thumbed her bottom lip softly. "I can lay with you, for a little while."

She smiled in earnest. "I'd like that."

In one motion, he scooped her up. Caitlin rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. If he took any longer, she might have fallen asleep. He set her down on the oversized bed of the master suite; his touch disappeared, but only long enough to light a candle.

Then he was back.

Kalen, wearing a simple black tee and casual pants, curled up behind her, cradling her stomach. He spoke in a murmur next to her ear. "I was so worried when my mother contacted me. But you seem to be doing better?"

Caitlin turned to look up at him, watching his face as he stared out at nothing, as if in thought.

"Yes. I think so." She thumbed his chin gently, remembering the sweet cloying of Amandine's blood. Was it the thing that saved her? Or were the false contractions already on their way out? Either way, she was loathed to bring it up to Kalen.

His eyes refocused on her, the warmth in them returning. "That's good."

"You were only gone a few days." She wriggled in closer to him, wanting to stay like this forever. But she knew better than to hope, especially in the light of her pregnancy, and King Eamon's upheaval. "When will you be leaving again? I'm sure your father isn't- done with you."

Kalen's gentle face hardened, but only slightly. "I don't plan on going anywhere, for a while."

The mere thought made her limbs tremble with excitement, but it didn't last. He'd been gone more days than not, and she worried Eamon's claws sank deeper into Kalen with each absence. The King wouldn't give his power up so easily, would he?

"Caitlin." He lifted her chin, so their eyes met. "I have a plan, but I have to wait for the pieces to come together before making a move. Trust that I know what I'm doing." He kissed her on the tip of the nose. "And don't look so sad."

She offered a weak smile to counteract the dour mood. "You promise we'll have more nights like this, then?"

Kalen pulled her closer, his eyes mirroring her mood. "I would hope so." His hand strayed to the swell of her breast, then traveled down, over the slight round of her stomach and caught her hip. "Maybe I can better serve to distract you, tonight." He pressed their foreheads together and drew in for a kiss when she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

This time her smile was genuine. "'Distract me', huh?"

Light returned to his eyes, even in the dim illumination. "In a word. There are other phrases for it, but I consider them rather less couth."

Her eyebrow rose, but she didn't press him, content to accept the kiss she'd rebuffed. He inhaled her scent when they made contact, pulling her to his chest. She let out a small whine from her throat as he breached with his tongue, letting him have his way. Soon, his passion mounted and he kicked a leg over her, so he pressed her to the bed.

Kalen's lips tore away. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

With her arms laced around his neck, she threw her head back in exasperation. "Stop babying me. I'm so sick of everyone else doing it."

He chuckled, then kissed a line down her jaw and neck, leaving warm spots along her collar bone. With a quick motion, he tore her shirt open, revealing the bra she'd thrown on this morning. Her face reddened as she realized it was the bland maternity one. Caitlin threw her arms behind herself to unlatch it. "I'm sorry, I should've-"

Kalen cut her off with a kiss, assisting her trembling hands in the task. When it unlatched, it was a small, satisfying relief, doused in shame. "Do not apologize, Caitlin Stone." His gaze bore into her, threatening to go dark. "You are beautiful in everything you wear."

She could feel her face heat up further, but he distracted her with another kiss, sliding off her shirt and tugging the bra off. He tore down her pants until she was completely naked beneath him, the roundness of her stomach pressing into his lean muscles. A hardness pushed at the space between her legs, stopped by his own clothes.

Caitlin didn't hesitate, slipping her hand into his pants and found him already erect. She stroked, and he let a little hiss of air escape his steely resolve.

This time, he didn't stop her, hardly breathing as she ran her hand along his length. He watched her work for a moment, then looked up at her with pitch black eyes.

Caitlin shuddered but she kept pumping, even though he froze. Doubt crossed his face, but his hand reached between her legs. When his fingertips brushed into the fold, she gasped, tightening her grip on him. As he traced her sensitive nub, he grabbed her hair, pulling her head to one side. His mouth traced over her neck again, and she could feel the light graze of his teeth, the ones he kept hidden during the day.

"Kalen."

Her warning went ignored. When she released him and tried to push at his chest, he didn't budge, and instead nosed into her wetness with his cock.

Beneath him like this, she was at the whim of his passions, and whatever his basest nature decided. "Kalen, wait-"

He breached her, filling her entirely with one swift thrust.

She held back a cry, unable to look down and catch his eye as he worked. His free hand explored her breasts, which were already tender from the pregnancy. Caitlin bucked with the next breach, her stomach straining against his. Kalen's mouth traced down, to the soft pearl of her nipple, dragging his canines over her tender flesh. He popped off and rolled his tongue around her areola, then released her hair from the vise. "Do you really want me to stop?"

She took a shuddering breath, unable to move her lower half with him skewering her and pressing her to the bed. "Just- a little slower." Caitlin touched his scarred cheek. "Please."

An apologetic smile formed. His eyes lightened and his sharp canines receded. "I was getting carried away. I missed you."

Caitlin pressed her forehead to his, enjoying the feel of their bodies so intimately connected like this. "I missed you, too."

He clutched her to his chest and rolled on his back so that she was straddling him, never breaking their connection. She ran her hands through his hair, kissing his collar bone. "Thank you."

Kalen eased all the way in, then pulled back slightly. "For what?"

"Slowing down." Her laugh was cut off with a gasp as he plunged in again. "And- for everything else you do for me."

He grabbed her hips, rocking her with their shared momentum. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Kalen smiled down at her, then became distracted by the next thrust.

They moaned together, and Caitlin lost herself in their shared passion. Her searching fingers found the hem of his shirt and ducked under as they rocked together, and she pushed her hands in to feel the tight, lean muscle of his stomach, taut with the effort. Her breath nearly left her as she eased forward, and his cock drove home. But his hands guided her to him, one on her hip and the other between her shoulder blades, pulling her in for another fevered kiss.

When he opened his eyes, the darkness was there, pooling in around his pupils. Her smile widened and she accepted his hungry kiss, her hands moving up to his solid pecs. Kalen broke the kiss only to throw off his shirt. As he thrust into her, she kissed the soft skin of his chest with a mewl. His sweet musk filled her nose, and she could hardly think past the aching relief they shared as they rocked and crooned together.

Soon Kalen's grip became rough, readying himself for that final explosion. A moan caught in her throat as he rolled her to her side and angled in deeper.

Caitlin did cry out then, somewhere between a laugh and a weep. Her body clenched around him as he gave her one last thrust and released himself deep inside her. Kalen did not pull back for a time, his hips extended forward into hers, filling her with his seed.

She clutched at the bedding, trying to pull herself closer, as if it were even possible in her position. But he responded in kind, his hardness angling up, so far into her it threatened to breach previously unexplored territory.