They managed not to put anymore holes in the walls, but they did break Banyan’s bed. “We’re going to need padded rooms to live in at this rate,” he said to Uri when they were standing over the shattered wood on the floor of his bedroom. Thankfully, Marcie and Lawrence had the good sense to not come investigate. The humans would have gotten an eyeful of two naked Gargoyles going at it.

Banyan threw open the door to his room and stalked across the hall to his father’s room, pulling Uri behind him. Uri wasn’t protesting until he saw where they were. “Uh, B, I love you and all, but your father’s room?”

“You wanna fuck or not?” Banyan had been insatiable since sinking both his cock and his fangs in his mate, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon.

Urijah grinned, standing in the hallway with his hands on his hips. “Nah, I’m good.”

Banyan jerked his head to Uri, glaring. “Excuse me?”

Urijah laughed and leaned against the door frame. “Can we at least change the sheets?” he asked.

“We’re just going to shred them, so what the fuck does it matter?” Banyan didn’t see anything funny about the situation. He needed Uri’s body like he needed his next breath. “Uri, I’m about two seconds away from losing my shit. The bed or the floor. Your choice.”

Urijah pushed away from the door, stalking toward Banyan. When he was within arm’s reach, he lunged, forcing Banyan onto the bed. Banyan’s fangs dropped as Urijah’s mouth surrounded Banyan’s length. After a couple more hours, they took another shower, and Banyan’s beast finally calmed the fuck down.

He would never admit his dick was sore, but truth be told, it was about to fall off. Urijah’s ass had to be screaming.

Stretched out over his father’s bed, Banyan held his arm out, and Urijah settled on his side using Banyan’s massive bicep as a pillow. “Hi,” he whispered before kissing Banyan’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Banyan replied softly. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving, but I was afraid to say anything.”

“Why?” Banyan didn’t ever want Uri to be afraid of him.

“You’ve not been yourself these last twenty-four hours.”

“Are you complaining?”

“No, but my ass will be,” Uri said softly while drawing circles on Banyan’s chest.

In the calm after the storm, Banyan was finally able to let it all sink in. He was King. More than that, he was mated to Uri, and he couldn’t be happier. It had been centuries since he’d held Urijah in his arms and did nothing more than breathe in the same air. The air they currently shared was ripe with sex and males. Hating to break the sense of peace, he ignored their combined essences and held his mate to him. As he lay there thinking about the past few days, something Urijah said came back to him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” Urijah answered, tensing against his arm.

“It’s nothing bad. I just wanted to know about the words you said to me after the coronation when you said you loved me.”

“You mean how did I give you your own words?” Banyan nodded, and Urijah frowned. “I might have found all the letters you wrote me over the years. It’s why I didn’t immediately seek you out when I arrived. I got here Friday before dinner. Lawrence was showing me to a room when your father called for him, so I helped myself to the first room I came to. Color me surprised when I found the box. I wouldn’t have snooped, but the lid was open, and I recognized your writing. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal belongings, but the letters were addressed to me, and I just figured, what the fuck. I hope you aren’t mad.”

“I’m not mad. I had thought about sending them to you once the coronation was over and things had settled down.”

“I was only going to read a few and then go find my parents, but the more I read, the more I wanted to keep hearing how you felt. When I was young, I was afraid of how my father would react to you and me being together as more than friends. I didn’t realize everyone already had us figured out. After the funeral, I never felt more alone. You had released me, and I had lost Fin. Instead of going back to New Atlanta with the others, I decided to come home and try to get my head on straight. Imagine my surprise when my parents lit into me about you. You had already been to visit, and they both let me know in no uncertain terms what a fool I was being. Sometimes I wondered if they didn’t love you more than me.” Uri sighed and closed his eyes.

“And?” Banyan would let his mate sleep later. Now, he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

“And, I thought about what they said. Not just my parents, but all the others who didn’t think you were in the wrong for taking Mishka’s life. I had never thought of things from your point of view. I took time and thought about it. Put myself in your shoes. I had already made up my mind to beg you for one last chance before I got here. But when I read the letters, I knew without a doubt how much you loved me.” Uri opened his eyes. “And how much I love you. Even without us making the bond complete, I knew you were my home, and I was going to accept any scrap you tossed my way, even if it meant we could only be friends.”

Banyan kissed Uri’s temple before tugging him closer than he already was. If Banyan could crawl inside Uri, he would. Not just sexually, either. The connection between them was more severe than Banyan would have imagined. He had heard others saying their mate was the other half to their soul. Now he understood it. If something ever happened to Urijah, Banyan wouldn’t be able to go on without him.

“When did you know?” Banyan asked.

“That I loved you?”

“Yeah.”

“I think it was as far back as that morning at the fjord after you and I both transitioned. You were walking toward the water, and I could only stand there and stare. I didn’t understand my body’s reaction to you, but I needed to go to you. To touch you. You didn’t hesitate to pull me into your arms, our naked bodies pressed together. Fuck, you were something to see.”

Banyan turned so he could get his free hand on more of Urijah’s skin. He caressed Uri’s hip lazily. “I remember that day. I heard you walking through the woods, and then you hid when you saw me. I held my breath waiting on you to make a decision.”

“When did you know?” Uri asked.

“Honestly? I think it was when some cotton-haired little boy took off running after the chickens in the village. We ran and ran, and I felt free. When we flopped down on our backs amid the flowers, I looked at your blue eyes. They were smiling at me, and something inside just clicked. You were home for me.” Banyan smiled at the memory, letting his mate’s closeness lull him to sleep. When he woke up, it was several hours later, and the moon was shining through the curtain. He knew Uri was awake by the way his heart was beating. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Because when you’re at peace, so am I.” Urijah rolled over until he was lying on top of Banyan, resting on his forearms, wearing the sweetest smile Banyan had ever seen. Uri pressed a soft kiss to his lips before rolling off the side of the bed, landing on his feet and holding out his hand. “I have an idea.”

Banyan took Uri’s hand and stood in front of him, sliding his hands around to rest on the swell of his mate’s fine ass. “And what would that be?”

“Let’s go swimming.”

Banyan thought it was an excellent idea. “We can stop by the kitchen and grab some food to take with us.” He looked around and realized he was in his father’s room. “Let’s find some shorts so we don’t traumatize Marcie if she happens to be walking around downstairs.”

Once they were decent, the two descended the stairs silently, stopping long enough to raid the refrigerator before taking the same path Banyan had only a few days before. “Did you happen to go this way Saturday morning?” Banyan asked Uri.

“Yes. I took a break from reading the letters and decided some fresh air would do me good.” Banyan took Uri’s hand in his, walking with their fingers laced. This was a first for them – being out as mates, walking together as partners. They made small talk about the coronation, and Uri asked about Banyan’s parents. When they reached the fjord, Banyan placed a blanket on the ground where they sat to eat what leftovers they’d found.

The moon beckoned for them to shift. Their beasts were sated after all the sex they’d had, but they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swim in the cold water. Both males were happy to float along and share stolen kisses for a while before making their way back to the house. “What do we do now?” Uri asked.

“I guess the first thing is to clean up the mess in the bedroom and hire someone to fix the wall. Brynna wants me to have her Harley brought back here since it’s a custom, so I thought maybe we could all take a little trip to the States. I need to apologize to Rafael for running off and not attending the funeral.”

“While we’re there, I’d like to get my house packed up and maybe look for land to build on.”

“I’m okay with that. Any idea what type of house you would like to build?” Banyan asked. He figured since he already had the plans in mind for their home in the clearing, he’d let Uri have his pick for their home in the States. It amazed him how easily they fell back into their friendship. They were mates, but they were so much more than that. Banyan’s heart was full to bursting with everything he had.

When they reached the house, Marcie was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. “Good morning, Your Highness,” she said, bowing her head.

“There will be none of that nonsense, Marcie. There’s no need for such formalities. I’m just Banyan.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. I need to talk to you—”

“It’s about time the two of you came up for breath. Jeez,” Brynna called out coming through the front door. “Thanks for calling, Marcie. I’ve missed your breakfast.”

“It was only one morning,” Banyan said.

“It was enough. Besides, don’t you have Kingly things to do?” she asked, pouring a cup of coffee. “Wait, before you answer that, you both might want to put on a shirt. You’re about to give poor Marcie a heart attack.”

Banyan and Uri had been naked for the last twenty-four hours, so their lack of clothing hadn’t dawned on him. “Yes, I apologize. We’ll be right back,” he said, grabbing Uri’s hand.

“Make sure you are. Gautum’s already called me five times asking if the two of you are still alive.”

Banyan’s phone hadn’t rung since he had been pronounced King. He wasn’t sure he even knew where his phone was. After he and Uri took a quick shower, they dressed and returned downstairs to talk about the next few days and what everyone’s plans were.

 

 

Urijah felt right at home listening to Banyan and his sister banter back and forth. When Brynna found out Uri had a Harley of his own, she insisted they ride together. “B, you can ride bitch,” she said, punching Banyan on the arm.

“I’ll show you bitch,” he said, throwing a biscuit at her head.

“That’s a party foul,” Urijah complained. “Throw anything but these biscuits. They’re the shit.” Uri had eaten a lot of good food over the years, but Banyan’s biscuits were the best. When they got back downstairs, Bryn had pouted and asked her brother to make the bread, and he had gladly obliged. Seeing his mate work his magic out of the bedroom was almost as thrilling. He moved gracefully through the motions while keeping the conversation going. Brynna laughed and gave Uri a high five when Banyan explained how, during the remodel, the wall in his bedroom would need to be repaired and his bed replaced.

While they were eating, Banyan told Lawrence, “I’ve set up a separate account for you and Marcie. It contains enough money to live on as long as Marcie works for us. Marcie, I want you to oversee the house until Uri, Bryn, and I come up with the final plans for the bed and breakfast. Lawrence, please feel free to use your portion of the money to attend art school.”

Marcie frowned. “With you three out of the country, what exactly am I to oversee?”

“Basically yourself. If you would like to take a vacation, go right ahead. I have no doubt you’ve earned it.”

“But—”

“No arguing with the King,” Banyan tossed out sarcastically, and Marcie clamped her mouth shut. Lawrence was equally as stunned. “The two of you have served my family well, and I already know neither of you have had a break since you took over for your mother. That shit stops now. The three of us will be traveling to New Atlanta. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, and I need someone I trust to watch over things here. I trust you two. Now, Bryn, how long will it take you to get packed?”

“I never really unpacked, so about ten minutes, tops.”

“Uri and I will need about an hour, and then we’ll be ready. Bryn, if you would, see if you can charter us a flight to the States tonight. If not, book the earliest one tomorrow.”

“Ten-four.”

Banyan stood from the table with his plate, but Marcie said, “I’ve got this. You made the biscuits.”

Uri was glad when Banyan didn’t argue because he was ready to get his mate alone for a few minutes before they made the trip to see their parents. As they walked up the steps together, he brought up something he’d been thinking about since eating breakfast. “Those were the best biscuits I’ve ever had. Where’d you learn to make them? Freyda?”

“Actually, from a fourth-generation voodoo priestess in Louisiana. She made the best crawfish étouffée you ever put in your mouth, too.”

“Is it safe to say you like to cook? You seemed right at home in the kitchen.”

“I love to cook. Don’t you?” Banyan asked as they reached the second floor.

“I’m going to lie and say no so you’ll cook for me.”

“You don’t have to lie, babe. I’ll cook for you anytime,” Banyan said, pushing Uri against the wall. When Banyan’s breath hit Uri’s neck and their erections rubbed together, Uri had a feeling an hour wasn’t going to be enough time to get back downstairs. He was glad they were chartering a plane instead of taking a commercial flight. He wasn’t opposed to joining the mile high club with his mate.

 Two hours later, Brynna was yelling the house down and threatening to walk in on the two of them, so they took another shower and dressed appropriately for visiting their parents.

Bryn had called ahead, and Gautum and Freyda were at Uri’s parents’ home. His brothers and their mates were also there. Dacey, Latham, and Tamas treated Banyan the same way they always had, while their mates were shy at first. After about an hour of Brynna busting his chops, the females loosened up. Urijah had never been so happy in his life. Being around Rafael and his family was nice. They had always included Uri as one of their own, but this was Uri’s real family. Those he’d been born to and raised with. It was a family not built on honor alone but one full of love and companionship.

Rarely was Banyan far away. Uri felt self-conscious with how much they touched each other, even if it was just to slightly brush against an arm. When he looked around to see if anyone was watching them, he found the others were too busy focusing on their own mates to pay the two of them any mind. The only one without someone of their own was Bryn, and Urijah would catch her watching the others, sometimes wistfully, and sometimes with a sad expression. He had to wonder why the fates had waited so long to give her a mate of her own. He didn’t blame her for traveling all over the world. She had used the excuse of needing to get away from her parents, but Uri would bet money it was to search for the one she was intended to spend her life with.

Uri and Banyan took Gautum and Tabor outside to talk about the armory. When they agreed to take over so their fathers could retire, the two older males jumped at the chance, both rushing back inside to tell their females. Urijah already knew he and Banyan could begin taking orders as soon as they settled in wherever they were going to live, so it would only be a few weeks before they were ready to take over full time. “Don’t you want a honeymoon period?” Dacey asked.

“Don’t you worry about us, Brother. We’ll have plenty of time to practice making babies,” Uri joked. Everyone laughed, but Banyan growled, pulling Uri in for an inappropriate kiss that made everyone laugh harder. Urijah’s phone rang, and he reluctantly severed the kiss so he could see who was calling. “It’s Tamian,” he said.

“Tamian, what’s up?”

“I thought I would let you know I’m in Holmesvik.”

“Why don’t you stop by my parents’ house? Let me give you the address.”

A knock sounded through the phone as well as the door. When Urijah opened it, Tamian said, “I don’t need it.”