The beast and the blessed novel by Ashley Breanne novel Chapter 158

Fifty-One: Tobias

Tobias's P.O.V.

Joselin had never slept in this long. It was terrifying to know that she was feeling so under the weather.

Every morning up until today, I had woken her up with an orgasm. I had stayed true to my word. Either my hand, my face, or my cock would be between her legs as she moaned and wiggled beneath me. She would cum for me before giving me that heart-stopping smile and either thanking me for staying true to my promise or begging for more.

But seeing the dark circles under her eyes and hearing how slow her breathing was, I couldn't find it in me to wake her this morning. I wanted her to sleep as long as possible to recover.

Everyone I had ever loved had died. My mother died during my birth, so I never got the chance to get to know her. My father killed my soulmate, and I then killed my father.

Joselin was the last person I had. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't watch Joselin die too.

I couldn’t count on Killian because our friendship had all but ended when I found Ana and pulled away from them, and Natalie was more of a job and a leader than a friend. She tried to break that barrier, but we hadn't yet reached that point.

My knuckles rasped against the thick wood of King Killian's office, and the door swung open by a beaming Natalie in front of me. I knew she had been in there since George was in the hallway, and I bowed in greeting.

"Good Morning, Tobias. What can we do for you?" The rise of her right eyebrow and the smirk on her lips made me uneasy. "I can't wait to hear all about what brought you in so early."

Ah. So, the taunting to get me to talk would start again. I hadn't dealt with that in years, not since I became an adult and worked my way up through the warrior ranks. Now that I let a few words out, I needed to prepare myself for the childish teasing and constant attempts from my peers to get me to talk again.

I stared down at her, unamused.

Natalie's pale green eyes were bright with mischief, and she leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.

After a moment of silence, she crossed one ankle over the other. I had talked to her before, so I knew she was just fucking with me.

"Love, don't be cruel." Killian's tired voice called out from deeper in the office, and her smile dropped as she turned to glare over her shoulder.

"Fine," She let out an exhausted sigh. "I’m going to go see how Joselin is doing.’

When she turned back to me, I shook my head before changing my mind and stepping to the side to let her pass. Joselin had been sleeping when I left, but that was almost an hour ago. By the time Natalie got there, Joselin should be awake.

I also knew that Joselin had been upset that Killian and I hadn't visited her when she had been stabbed, and I wouldn't stop someone from showing Joselin how much she meant to them. Joselin and I had worked through it. It had been too painful to know that she had almost died.

Seeing her get stabbed felt like getting my heart ripped out, and I couldn't fathom the thought of losing her. So I had made the mistake of trying to get over her, to keep her out of my head so I could move on.

It worked in my favor because we ended up getting together, not because of my distance. Still, I hated that it was time that I wasted.

Natalie slipped past, gesturing for George to join her, and I knew as soon as she mentioned going into the city that he would have called for Thomas to join him on her detail and at least one other to cover for me while I spoke to Killian.

My choice to keep my voice and thoughts to myself was second to my need to keep my mate safe.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, Killian spoke. "You're here about Joselin; I take it."

His statement was dead on, and I nodded before moving to the front of his desk, where he gestured with his hand for me to take a seat. It was so tense. So awkward. How did this man go from being one of my best friends to being this stranger?

It felt like a lifetime ago, and really, it was.

I respected him, and he was a great leader, but I didn't know him as a man anymore. Over the past few months, I had seen a side of him that he had tucked away when he had become the king. But that was it. I was watching from the outside, not a part of his circle or family anymore.

Now that I had mated Joselin, I was, by title, back in that circle. Still, I didn't know if we could ever fix our friendship. If anything, we would need to build a new one. His answer to my request would determine whether we could reform a friendship.

"Is she doing okay?" The concern was thick in his voice, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"She's been better," I answered honestly, unsure what to say. The curse seemed to be at the beginning stages, but her exhaustion and lack of appetite were concerning.

"I'm sure she has.’ He responded with a nod, waiting for me to tell him the reason for my visit.

"I want Rona brought back. Now." My request sounded more like a demand. It hadn't been my intention, and he seemed to understand that as he raised his eyebrows in amusement before scratching his jaw.

"Rona is free to go and do as she pleases. For me to send someone to retrieve her without too much resistance, we would need proof, not speculation."

I bit back a scoff. Some king. He could take and do what he wanted, but he always insisted on following the rules even though the delay in action could cost him his best friend's and his Royal Advisor's life.