Spurned Queen

Chapter 43: My Mate

Aevran

I frowned. From my vantage point, standing in front of Alexa with her legs wrapped around my waist, I could see nothing amiss. And even if there was, it could wait.

Her worried blue eyes flickered with nervous doubt. Her tongue swept out and licked the cut on her lip that was healing fast. Her blood tasted amazing; I already knew I was addicted. It was the best blood I had ever tasted for the nearly two hundred years of my life. And that was from her lip... what would the blood from her neck taste like? I couldn't wait to mark her. My fangs tingled at the thought.

I wondered what had her so worked up, she was kissing me like the wind a few moments ago.

"I..." she faltered. At least she wasn't looking away. She seemed to be trying to gauge my reaction to whatever this was. "I'm not..."

"What the fuck?!"

Shit.

Both of our eyes snapped to the door. My commander stood there, eyes wide with shock and disgust. I watched guiltily as she took in Alexa's shirt on the floor, and her ankles crossed behind me. The bed was a mess, I don't know how but the sheets looked like there had been a hurricane in here. My hands hadn't moved from her hips at all. It was a compromising situation, but neither of us moved a muscle.

I saw Imogen get more and more pissed.

"Imogen," I began before she could find something to throw, "I can explain."

Imogen's lip curled fully. "No you can't," she snapped. She walked in and slapped Alexa's feet off me before shoving me onto the cot.

"Well what have you to say?" she yelled at me. "We've been over this Aevran. Why then must I find you doing the exact same thing?"

My mate got off the table, walked to her shirt, and pulled it on. She didn't leave, like I expected her to. Rather, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

I made to stand, but Imogen pushed me back down; something she had never done before. It felt strange as she stood before me, hands clenched on either side.

"Has it ever occured to you," hissed Imogen, a strange look in her eye, "in your wildest, most controversial imagination, that I just might possibly be in love with you?"

It had not. I gaped at her, confused. "But—"

"Well it should have," she interrupted, not letting me get a word in edgewise, "seeing as I am your betrothed. But you have proven yourself adept at disregarding the feelings of the people around you simply because you are king. As your betrothed, it is of utmost disrespect to me that you should carry out whatever you have with this mannerless, wanton Wolf. Now, I do not love you romantically." Her voice wavered slightly as she added, "But it just hurts to see the one person I've always admired start behaving the way you are. You, Aevran Ice, are the most excruciating disappointment I have met so far. An utter letdown. You are selfish and arrogant. You seem to consider no one but yourself and what you want, never stopping for someone else, and throwing your weight around to ensure that no one questions you. And unfortunately for everybody concerned, right now what you want is a mindless, meaningless dalliance with that skimpy blonde," she spat, pointing.

Alexa seemed unbothered, but an involuntary growl rumbled in my chest. "Do not speak of her that way."

Her face erupted with wrath, and she slapped me so hard my face actually snapped to the side.

"That way?!" she screamed, by now extremely livid. "You dare to tell me how to speak of her? I will tell you what I think of her. This girl is a golddigger, a home-wrecking slut with no respect for things that do not belong to her. She is a bitch, and she will be very damn lucky if she sees tomorrow's sun. She received her warning; but sadly, she is just a degenerate and self-indulgent whore who deserves exactly what's coming to her!" Disgusted, she glared at Alexa and then back at me. She added, "Honestly, she has to be part witch to have you so compliant."