Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Human Burrito

Derek snapped his head around to glare at her. Kira had completely colonised his side of the bed. Her hair was a wild, chestnut thicket across the pillows, and her limbs were splayed with total abandon. She kicked him again, and then her cold toes wedged themselves firmly under his thigh as if she were staking a claim on his territory.

Then she did the unthinkable.

With a sleepy sigh, she snuggled right up against him, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

Inside his head, Leo began to purr. It was a loud, shameless sound, like a kitten being stroked for the first time in years.

Derek froze, his muscles locking into place. Then she pushed even closer, her breath warm against his skin. He’d been with countless women in the past, but why was a simple, unconscious touch from her making his skin shiver?

He wasn’t up for cuddles, and this was an invasion of his personal space. He jerked upright and tapped her shoulder.

"Hey," he said, voice rough from irritation. "Move. Now. You’re invading my space."

"Too cold... you’re warm," she mumbled, her eyes still tightly shut. Instead of moving away, she burrowed deeper, her palm landing flat against his bare chest.

"You can use the duvet. Now move," he said, and shoved her back towards her side of the bed.

Kira cracked one eye open, still groggy, her face flushed from sleep, and she leveled a drowsy glare at him. "You big, heartless monster."

Before he could respond, she grabbed the edge of the duvet and yanked. With one violent roll, she hogged the entire thing, wrapping herself up and leaving him completely bare in the chilled air.

"What the fuck, Kira?" he hissed.

You said to use the duvet," she replied, her voice thick with sleep. "So I’m using it. Problem solved."

Derek stared at her in disbelief. She had transformed herself into a human burrito, with only her nose and a wild tangle of hair sticking out of the top. "You’ve taken the whole bloody thing."

"You’re a walking furnace," she yawned, her eyes drifting shut again. "Share the heat or suffer the cold. Your choice, Your Grumpiness."

Leo was practically laughing his furry ass off, the purr growing louder and more smug by the second. The traitor.

Derek reached over to haul a corner of the blanket back, but she let out a tiny squeak and rolled away, clutching the fabric like a lifeline. "Mine now," she declared. "Royal decree."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache already brewing. "You are impossible."

"And you’re so grumpy," she shot back, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Also loud. Some of us are trying to sleep after, you know, surviving a terrifying nightmare."

The reminder hit him like a bucket of ice water. His hand froze on the edge of the duvet. The memory of her screaming, of her sheer terror, flickered in his mind.

She peeked one eye open again, her gaze softening. "Relax, big guy. I’m not dying tonight. I’m just stealing the blankets. There’s a difference."

He exhaled through his teeth. "Go back to sleep."

"Only if you stop brooding like a disgruntled statue

"I do not brood."

"You’re brooding right now. I can see your eyebrows knitting together."

Leo chose that exact moment to purr again, deeper and more resonant than before. Derek felt the beast’s influence clouding his mind and softening his edge. He was certain his eyes were glazed and glowing in the dark now, and he saw Kira’s lips twitch into a tiny, victorious smile.

"See?" she murmured. "Even your beast votes for cuddles."

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