Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Not Jealous

Kira looked at the board and tilted her head. "What’s this?"

Kai looked at her, then at Connor. "Connor, get over here. We’re teaching the Queen how to play chess."

"I know what chess is," Kira defended.

"Knowing what it is and knowing how to play it are two entirely different things, Your Highness."

He was not wrong. Twenty minutes in, Kira slid a bishop diagonally across four squares in a direction that violated every rule the game had.

"You can’t do that," Connor pointed out with a chuckle.

"I just did."

"That’s not how the bishop moves."

"Well, it should be. This piece has a very limiting job description." She looked at the board, then at both of them. "Actually, this game is boring. Let’s go for a drive later."

Kai sat up immediately. "Say no more." He swept into a bow without getting out of the chair. "Your wish is my absolute command. I am, as always, entirely at your service."

"You are so extra," Connor said, nudging him.

"Thank you," Kai replied. "I work very hard at it."

The afternoon unwound easily from there. They played more chess, which Kira actually started to enjoy and swapped ridiculous stories until she forgot, for a little while at least, the conversation with Jessica and everything sitting beneath it.

Meanwhile, Derek and Dray had returned to the estates earlier than expected from their inspection of one of their dams.

Derek crossed the foyer, loosening his tie, already half-planning the stack of reports waiting on his desk, when laughter broke through the quiet of the house.

Deep, booming roars of it, punctuated by a high, bright peal that he recognised immediately as Kira’s.

He followed the sound to the lounge and stopped in the doorway. Kira was doubled over, her face flushed and beautiful as she laughed at something Kai was saying. They were all sitting on the rug, the chessboard between them.

Something tightened around Derek’s chest. Leo let out a low snarl. His beast didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way she seemed entirely free and warm in another man’s company.

"What is going on here?" Derek asked, his voice cutting through the mirth like a blade.

The laughter died instantly. Kira straightened up, still giggling, eyes bright with it.

"Oh, you’re back!" she chirped, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Kai was just telling me about the time he tried to ride a wild stallion when he was twelve and ended up face-first in a gorse bush."

She turned her attention back to the game board, as if his presence didn’t even matter. Kai, however, was never one to waste a good opportunity.

"Greetings, Your Grace," He drawled, his voice dripping with mock formality. "Don’t mind us. Some of us are simply enjoying the company of people who actually have a personality."

Derek ignored the jab, his amber eyes fixed on his cousin with a death glare that would have reduced a lesser man to ash.

"What are you doing in Dravengard, Kai? And why are you making her laugh so much?"

Kira snorted, folding her arms over her chest. "Making me laugh so much? Are you jealous or something?"

"No." The word came out immediately and with perhaps slightly too much force. "I’m not jealous. Why on earth would I be jealous over some laughter?" The bite underneath his words was not particularly well hidden.

Kai chuckled, shaking his head with great fondness. "Easy, tiger. No need to take our heads off. Laughing is an excellent way to relieve stress, as any reasonable person will tell you."

"Whoever came up with that rubbish is a fool," Derek said.

Kai barked a laugh, glancing over at Connor. The head Gamma had suddenly found something deeply fascinating about the window frame, turning away with a stoic expression that screamed he wanted no part of this domestic crossfire.

Kira, meanwhile, watched her husband through narrowed, knowing eyes.

"Why does our laughing bother you so much?" Kai asked. "Or are you actually a sadist who doesn’t want his wife to be happy?"

Derek’s jaw worked. The honest answer, which he had absolutely no intention of giving, was that it wasn’t the laughter itself that grated on him; it was how easily it came for Kai. How effortless. To mask the sudden, irrational ache in his chest, he blurted out the first ridiculous thing that came to mind.

"Laughing that much will only hurt her cheeks."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

The lounge held a stunned silence for approximately two seconds.

Then all three of them exchanged glances and dissolved into barely-contained laughter, hands clamped over mouths to keep the sound from echoing down the hall.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify