I was straddling his lap with my arms looped behind his neck. I slid my fingers through his hair again and again, calming both of us as best I could.
His grip locked around my hips, and I flinched. The new strength was still unfamiliar. He didn't know how much power he had yet. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and pressed my forehead into his. Shade shifted under me and leaned close until his lips brushed my ear. "Sorry, love."
Across the room, his mother stood just past the threshold, arms crossed, head high like she still wore a crown. "You really couldn't wait. Already tangled up with your mistress? At least give your fiancée her crown before you start slumming it up so brazenly, son."
Shade eased me aside onto the couch cushions. Then he stood. I watched from where he'd left me
