Wolf's Claim (The Royal Heir #3) - Jen L. Grey Page 0,46

their forties smiled at me. The woman’s smile was sad, but there was so much respect filling her eyes. "I thought the last royal who cared for us was gone. I'm so thankful that I was wrong. You're just as wonderful as your father if not more so." Her eyes then landed on Mason. "And destiny knew what they were doing when they made you king."

Mason took a sharp intake of breath, and his eyes suddenly looked glassy. "Thank you, but I'm the lucky one." His attention focused on me. "She makes me a better man."

"Now, go on." The man motioned us away. "You two need your rest. All we have are a few scratches. We were the least injured out of the lot."

"Let me know if anyone needs anything." I hated to leave, but I was about to fall asleep standing.

"Come on." Mason began tugging me once more toward the house, but this time, I followed.

When we entered, I glanced down the hallway and found Ella, Louis, and Brent together in the bedroom, watching over his mate. I really needed to learn her name.

I turned and headed toward them with Mason right by my side. I couldn't imagine trying to do any of this without him.

Ella turned toward me when we entered the room and smiled. "I think they're going to be okay."

"Yeah, her heartbeat is getting stronger." Louis smiled even though there were dark circles underneath his eyes.

"You two need to get some sleep." The hotel was another thirty minutes away, so we were up for at least a little while longer. "We should be ready to go in about fifteen minutes." Even though it wasn't long, it sure felt like it was hours away right now.

"I have four bedrooms." Brent stood up and looked at me. "Please, stay here. You and the king can have the other bedroom on the main floor, and there are two more bedrooms upstairs. If your male guard doesn't mind sleeping on the couch, I can get a pillow and sheet for him.

That actually sounded like heaven. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"It would be my honor." He glanced at his wife, his brown eyes seeming lighter.

I wasn't going to make him offer twice.

"That sounds wonderful." Mason's words were so fast it was as if he thought I might argue. "Is there anything you need from us before we retire?"

"Nope, not at all." Brent took in a deep breath. "I'm not afraid to leave her for a few minutes now, so that's a big step." He pointed at Ella and Louis. "You two go ahead and go to bed too. The bigger room is the door on the right. It has its own connected bathroom too."

"Sold." Ella grabbed Louis's hand and pulled him to the door. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

Despite Ella's persistence, Louis stopped in front of us. "Do you need anything from me?"

"If I don't get to go to bed right this instant ..." Ella ground out.

"No, we’re good. Thank you for your help. Go get some rest." I couldn't even hide my smile at this point. "Everything else can wait until morning."

"As long as no more vampires show up," Mason growled.

"Okay, let us know if you need anything." Louis nodded at us and then chuckled when Ella began pulling on his arm again.

Soon, we were left alone with Brent. I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Go ahead and get some rest." He motioned in the direction of the room. "You both have gone above and beyond. This is the least I can do."

"That's damn right." Mason stepped closer to me.

"What he means is of course we'd come to protect our people." At least, you knew exactly where you stood with Mason.

"But I'm curious where Richard is." Mason tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "He was your pick. Why are we here?"

"Actually, he was here when the vampire attacks started." Brent cleared his throat and glanced at his mate. "Let's go talk in the den. I don't want to disturb her."

"Okay." I turned, and Mason stayed right at my side.

I have a feeling this is going to be interesting. Mason linked to my mind.

We walked into the open foyer where there were a couch and a loveseat. I chose to sit in the loveseat so only Mason would be next to me.

"So, Richard was here." Brent took a deep breath and began pacing the floor. "He had received some kind of phone call that got him agitated.