Mountains Vast and a Kingdom So Red

Chapter 55

On the estate porch, Zuni gives me a side hug in greeting, and I hug Taiomah and smile at Rian. They explain Leviys is behind them and I invite them in, hoping they marvel at how clean and bright the space is, which is possible from the additional servants' work. Each of their outfits qualify as more urban and pedestrian, but I appreciate their tastes and am sure will win over Winter who has ditched every scratchy dress in her life. Besides the guests, it will just be my parents, siblings and me as Tess and Simmons have the evening free to themselves to go out. I do not pray because I know my parents will love him.

Tess takes Zuni's hat and puts it on the coat rack and she sends them to the table. She kisses me goodbye and waits in the garden for Simmons. I rock my heels, waiting for my shifter to appear. Waving goodbye to the Head and Ornate servants, I am rooted for a couple more moments until Leviys hands me a lovely bouquet of wild flowers.

"For your mother," he says with a gaze signaling he appreciates my short dress. I tuck my hair, showing him I have the pumpkin seeds clipped to my ears.

With my right hand, I stroke his hair and bring him closer for a kiss. His lips flirt with mine and as his tongue brushes against my lips, I close the door and kiss him as if we are alone in his hut. "You taste of mint," I say, pleased.

He kisses my cheek. "After attacking turkeys, I had to chew on some."

"Your pack had a nice time?"

"Yes, do not laugh, but they are still buzzed from chugging the sparkling wine," he says and I wince, not at him, but the matter. I do not know sobriety spells and I believe it involves tea or milk.

"Sweetheart, they will be on their best behavior."

"Right, well, no. They should be themselves." I stumble with my words and kiss him longer for comfort. When I move my hands underneath his flannel, he finds the resolve to stop me, telling me he cannot sport an erection now.

"Right, well, welcome to where I live."

"I have been here before, Mikah," he says, tipping up my chin, teasing. I flush, remembering him fucking me in my bedroom.

"To the table," I direct him and he follows. I almost drop the flowers, but manage to give them to my mother.

"These are from him," I state and she presses them against her nose.

"Thank you, Leviys," she says and he bows to her. Bows! My respectful wolf.

"Leviys," the King reaches for his elbow so they can do the embarrassing, outdated handshake, but Leviys just bows again, a safe option. My shifter is too proud to bow to children but he waves and smiles to them. Winter and Damien react in boring ways and I sit down so I can begin to satiate my appetite. Leviys sits next to me and because of the table's length, my family scoots themselves to the middle.

"This looks damn good," he says and loads food onto his plate and soup in his bowl.

My Mother urges him to eat, as if this is what she is supposed to say and digs in her self.

"I helped cooked the food with Tess. Not Mikah," Damien asserts and I scowl at him.

"Market tired me, so I took a rest," I say and almost jab the silverware at him.

Moments pass in silence, so my father asks Leviys about the trip to our country, but he asks Taiomah the same, and I do not know how he missed the tall shifters.

Taiomah draws soup in her mouth and says, "We embarked on a boat trip and after four hours, we docked in your territory and ran to the hostel, in my case."

"You ran that distance?" my father says.

"Our wolves can cover one hundred twenty kilometers on foot without a breather," Zuni says, mussing his hair.