Tacet a Mortuis (The Elite King's Club 3)

He was right.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed my dad, who was still on Perdita.

He answered. “Madison? Are you ok?”

I cleared my throat. “Yes. How long until Daemon can be here? I’d like to bury him tomorrow, and we have a situation here where Tillie may be missing with the baby.”

Dad paused. “Jesus. Ok. Yes, I’ll have everything sorted for a burial tomorrow. Do you have any requests on caskets?”

“Black, and Dad?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I love you.”

There was a long pause. “I love you too.”

Hanging up, I sighed, massaging my temples. “Dad will have everything sorted for a burial tomorrow. I assume he will be buried in our family plot here.” Bishop pulled me under his arm.

“We will find her, Nate, I promise.”

Later that night, I’m climbing the stairs after a long hot bath when I hit the top of the stairs and head into my bedroom. Bishop and I wanted alone time but didn’t get it, because now my bedroom was filled with not just the ten Kings I was familiar with, but the other three who were from the previous generation, too.

And Tate, of course.

They all paused watching their tv show and their attention came to me as I opened my door. “Thanks for all being here, but honestly, it’s not necessary.”

Tate perched up on her elbow. “It’s okay, Mads. Let us.”

I internally battled with myself, but when my eyes went to Bishop, who was freshly showered with grey sweatpants on and no shirt, my brain seized. His gaze assaulted my body, and I flushed before going to the bed. It felt empty not having Daemon here with us. I slid under the cover and Bishop pulled me under his arm. Kissing my head.

The next morning, my muscles felt tight, unmovable. My eyes slowly cracked open, and I sat up slowly, looking down at the mass of bodies that were still snoring on the floor. The patio door was open all night, allowing a soft breeze to maintain its calmness through my bedroom.

“You ok?” Bishop asked, leaning up on his elbows. I turned to face him over my shoulder, my eyes falling on his soft lips.

“I will be. I think.” I got up from bed and strategically made my way to the door that led into my bathroom. I slowly teased at sliding my shorts down and nudged my head toward the tub. “I could do with a bath though?”

He bit his lip to try to hide his grin and then followed behind me, shutting the door behind us. His hand sprawled out over my tummy, his arousal pressing into my back. “Stay there.”

I closed my eyes, and soaked up every touch, every whispering movement that he cascaded over my flesh. Tilting my head, his lips came to where my neck met my shoulders. He sucked on it softly, his hand slowly moving under my panties. His thumb pressed against my clit in slow circles. My mouth opened as a gasp left me. My chest rose and fell as his kisses on my neck became more desperate and his index finger slid inside of me as his thumb continued to rub my clit. His other hand came to the bottom of my tank and dipped underneath, his thumb and finger finding my nipple. He twisted it—hard, the pain and the pleasure both intertwining together in an intimate embrace. My orgasm ripped through me and stars exploded inside my head as my breathing came down slowly. He pulled out from inside of me, dipping his finger into my mouth. The sweetness coating the tip of my tongue. Turning around, I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his hands came to the backs of my thighs, lifting me off the ground. He stepped farther into the bathroom, my legs still wrapped around him like a vise. He leaned over, flicking the tap of the bath on. Our silence was broken by the loud splashing of water as it filled the tub.

“Am I going to be ok?” I asked him, searching his eyes as he busied himself pouring all sorts of oils and bath salts into the bath.

He didn’t answer, he put me on my feet and continued to undress me. I stepped into the hot scolding water, wincing from the temperature before slowly dipping myself into it. The pinching slowly started to dissipate and the steam rose, swimming around my face in a mix of sweet lavenders and fresh cut green grass. Bishop slid in behind me, opening his legs and pulling me against his bare chest.

“I don’t know, baby, no one knows.” He cleared his throat, kissing my head. “If you are, then I’ll be here, and if you’re not, then I’ll be here. I’ll always be here, Madison. Through the good times, but most importantly through the ugly times. I’m not going anywhere, and I can’t promise you that I’m not going to fuck this up somewhere along the way and piss you off epically, but I’ll always be loyal to you. There was no one before you and there sure as fuck won’t be anyone after you. I begin and end with you, baby.” He kissed my temple. “So I don’t know if you’re going to be ok, but I do know that I’ll be here regardless.”