The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne

One Hundred Two: Killian

Killian's P.O.V.

Natalie smiled brightly as we walked down the hallway hand in hand. I had yet to determine if she had ever explored this part of the castle before, but it would soon become her favorite place.

I glanced down at my beautiful mate. My lips pulled into a prideful smile as she walked gracefully, covered in my scent. Never had I imagined that I would be able to feel this level of happiness. Before her, it was just anger, frustration, and stress. My life was hollow. I kept going because there was always something that I was needed for. Something for me to do, but nothing I enjoyed.

I had a kingdom of people depending on me to keep their lifestyle, safety, and future up to their expectations.

Now I had Natalie depending on me too, and somehow that additional pressure only encouraged me to work harder to give her the life that she deserved, that our kids deserved. This surprise was the first step in providing her what she needed for her mental well-being.

The large white doors were decorated with a golden accent of swirls and markings. Only someone who knew what to look for would see the incantations in the wood. Joselin had worked miracles, and I had complete faith in the result.

"Where are we going?” Natalie asked, tugging on my hand lightly as I stopped walking. She turned to face me, with excitement bubbling beneath the surface.

"I thought we could eat lunch together in your study,” I whispered. Her eyes widened adorably, and her lips parted so beautifully it felt like they were pulling me in. I stole a quick kiss, pulling back before she could compose herself, and watched as she looked over my face before turning to the doors to our right.

"My own study?" Her soft words of disbelief made me smile, and she lifted her fingertips, dragging them across the golden design. She had voiced her admiration for the detailed work countless times since arriving here, and I had ensured the beautiful artistry was one of the main requirements for her room.

"Yes. I was speaking to Joselin before... well, she had agreed that you needed a place of your own to practice freely instead of using the library. She worked hard to complete this for you, but we can make any changes you want. It is entirely your space.” I motioned with my hand to the doorknob. She immediately wrapped her hand around it, impatient to see the inside.

Her reaction as she pushed the double doors open only made me love her more. She held her breath as she entered, and her hand moved up to cover her mouth.

Joselin did a great job, and I was a bit frustrated that she refused to show her hard work to Natalie herself. After everything the women have been through, I thought they would have bonded more. Yet, with how busy they have both been, it was almost only possible to get them in the same room as each other if they were working on the same project or training.

I considered giving Joselin some time off and delegating some of her tasks to others so she could have more time for herself. But she needed to fix the runes burned into the floors around the castle first. I was grateful they hadn't caught anyone, but I was tired of seeing them.

We would always have enemies, but I had faith in my people, myself, and my mate that we could handle them.

Inside the room was a witch's dream. I requested that it be kept large and open for her to practice, but she had rows of shelves against the walls filled with everything any witch could ever need or want.

I knew nothing about it myself. I didn't even know until recently when Charlie was digging into our family tree after the battle, that we had a witch in the family four generations ago. It finally made sense how I had always been able to sense Joselin's magic and how my mother had powers after her wolf had died. It was in our blood.

"We can get you anything you want, and I requested it to be left open for you to design, but you should have everything you need here." I picked up a glass jar, grimacing when I saw it was filled with siren fangs. "Joselin, put up a protective barrier to contain your magic. When you're in this room, your powers should not leave it. You don't have to worry about losing control here. Once you feel more confident in your abilities, she said she can lift that for you.”

Natalie nodded, facing the large open window overlooking the city. When she turned, tears were streaming down her pink cheeks. The choked laugh she let out warmed my heart, and I opened my arms as she sprinted toward me, jumping and wrapping herself around me.

I grabbed her, placing my hands under her butt to hold her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist to stabilize her as she peppered kisses over my face, whispering a "thank you" after each one. "Maybe we should have waited and christened your new study instead of fucking in the sitting room.’

She laughed, but I was so serious. I would fuck her again right now if I hadn't heard her stomach growling during the first time. I moved forward until we were only a foot away from the blanket and picnic that was spread out in the middle of the room. Natalie kissed my jaw as she ran her hand from my shoulder to her mark on my skin, where she began drawing circles.

"Thank you. It is perfect! I love it!" She kissed my lips before jumping out of my hold, ignoring my grumble of protest and my hard-on as she moved to take a seat for our lunch. "I'll get together with Joselin, and maybe we can decorate it before my mother returns.”

I ran my hand over my face as I thought about Joselin. Whatever was going on with her was something our friendship hadn't experienced yet. We had kept things from each other, sure. But never before had we shut the other person out entirely.

I was optimistic that we could get through it, but she made it clear that she would need time, so I would give it to her.

It wasn't a surprise that Charlie left only two days after the battle. Her goodbye was long and drawn out. Definitely her most uncomfortable one yet, but I had been expecting her departure, so it was easy to hide how disappointed I was in her leaving. Her promise to come back soon meant nothing to me. She had said that before and didn't come home for almost a year.

"That sounds great, my love."

A knock on the door made me look up, and my eyebrows pulled together when I recognized it was Joselin on the other side.

Speak of the devil.

She rarely ever knocked. Joselin always just popped in. It frustrated me that she had stopped teleporting. I knew it probably had to do with her teleporting with a knife in her back, but she wouldn't even talk to me about that.

Perhaps it was her near-death experience, but I needed her to tell me exactly what was wrong, so I could try to make things better. The few times I had assumed I knew what was going on in her head in the past, I had been wrong and ended up making a fool of myself. She had been my best friend since we were kids. Her withdrawn nature was unlike anything I had ever expected from her. Since we were children, she had never been afraid to speak her mind or roam where she pleased. Now she was acting all proper, curtseying, knocking on doors, using my title even during private conversations. I hated it.

Natalie shot up with excitement. I watched as she threw the door open and hugged Joselin. "Thank you! It's so perfect! I can't wait until you're free and we can train together again! This room is amazing!"

The wide-eyed witch looked at me over my mate's shoulder but scowled when I shrugged in response. She could deal with it herself. It was amusing how she stood frozen with her arms at her side and her back stiff. "You're touching me." She muttered, annoyed.

"Yes, I am. But I am the Queen, and I can hug anyone I please. So shut up and deal with it," Natalie muttered.

For the first time since we returned home, I watched Joselin relax, and eventually, her arm moved up to lightly pat my mate's back. After a minute, Joselin cleared her throat loudly, ending their hug.

"I was sent to tell you that your mother has returned."