“What the fuck?” Evert asks.
All three of them turn their pissed-off eyes on me. “Hey, don’t look at me. I just got out of the bath and found him here,” I say, holding my hands up.
Ronak returns his glare to the fae. “You intruded into our den while our mate was bathing?”
Belren picks his feet up from the table and stands. “Calm yourself, alpha feline. You act as if I were peeking through the keyhole while she washed. A tempting visual, but I have my honor. Besides, I prefer to spy through windows.”
I have to jump between them to stop my genfins from pummeling him. “You idiot,” I hiss over my shoulder at him. “Don’t say stuff like that!”
Belren just laughs. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Besides, you aren’t their mate yet.”
All three genfins growl.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, gods. Please stop antagonizing them.”
“Fine,” he says disappointedly, turning to walk around the room.
“Why are you really here?” I ask him, careful to keep the genfins at my back.
“The prince launched his search on the city. His soldiers arrested thirteen fae suspected of housing you.”
My stomach drops. “What?”
Belren nods as he picks up a book from the shelf, flips through the pages, and puts it back. “Yes. One of them was the owner of the inn you stayed at, though he knows next to nothing. The innkeeper didn’t have much to offer.”
I share a look with the guys. “Was he tortured?”
Belren looks over at me. “Do you really want the answer to that question?”
I start to open my mouth to say that yes, I do, but Ronak steps in front of me. “Enough. Don’t come in here and upset her.”
“She has a right to know. The prince won’t stop looking for her. He thinks one of his guards helped to sneak her out of that cell, and that the same guard released her lamassu. Ten guards have already been executed.”
The breath leaves my chest and I clutch my throat. “Oh my gods…”
Ten fae. Dead. Because of me. Maybe thirteen more innocent fae will follow.
“Stop it,” Sylred snaps at him.
Belren studies my face, his expression softening. “I apologize. I thought you should know. It’s important not to get complacent. You cannot trust anyone. Not even other genfins. The prince is suspicious of why you stayed on the kingdom island and didn’t immediately return home after the culling. You would be wise to keep her hidden,’ he tells the guys.
“Don’t try to tell us how to protect our mate,” Ronak growls. “We will guard her with our lives.”
“Down boy,” Belren says. “I came to warn you to stay vigilant. Trust no one.”
“Not even you?” I ask. His silver eyes flick back to me.
“I’m a liar and a thief. Especially not me.”
A knock on the door interrupts us, and Sylred steps away to answer it. Ronak and Evert move to stand in front of me, blocking me from view. When Sylred comes back in the room, there’s an elderly genfin male following behind him. He has a long gray beard and a white spotted tail with furry wings to match.
He holds out a chalice and a pouch to Ronak. “As you requested.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
“I still council against you taking a non-genfin mate. This is a mistake, Ronak.”
I slink lower behind my genfins’ backs.
Ronak’s reply is hard. “I heard your concerns.”
“Where is she?”
“Indisposed,” he lies.
The elder sighs. “Taking a non-genfin for a mate will change things. Your covey was set to take over as Elders one day. The council may vote against it now,” he says, making me feel even guiltier. “Our rare females are revered. Genfin children are coveted. For you to go against mating one of your own kind is to go against your genfin nature.”
“There aren’t enough genfin females for every covey as it is,” Ronak points out. “Our taking an outsider as a mate will help another covey to take a genfin female for their own. Maybe it should happen more often.”
“We would die off,” the Elder argues vehemently. “Our numbers lower every year as it is.”
“Our decision has been made.”
The elder sighs again. “Very well. I cannot forbid you. But this is a mating ceremony you will complete on your own. There will be no open celebration like there would normally be.”
“We don’t care about festivities.”
The elder mutters something else under his breath and then turns to leave. Before he walks out the door, he says, “For what’s it’s worth, I am glad to have you back. Your covey was greatly missed.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
The door shuts, and I stare down at my feet, biting my bottom lip. Ronak and Evert turn around to face me again, but I can’t look at them.
“I think this might be a mistake,” I hear myself say. “I can’t let you do this. I wanted you to choose me, but I didn’t really get it. I didn’t understand what I was asking from you. I’ll just stay until Okot comes for me and then…I’ll leave.”
“Fuck that,” Evert snaps. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“This is not a good idea. This kind of sacrifice…it’s going to make you hate me, and I can’t deal with that.”
Ronak’s hand grips my chin and he forces me to look at him. “Stop.”
Irritation swarms into me as I pull out of his grip. “No, you should stop. You should’ve seen how your caretaker looked at me. That’s going to happen every time you introduce me. And now, besides missing out on your powers and wings, you’re also going to lose your spots as elders. Plus, I can’t give you little genfin babies!” I add shrilly. “Oh gods, I’m going to single-handedly cause the genfins to die off. Everyone is going to hate me. I’ll be remembered as the cupid who killed off an entire breed of fae!”
Ronak’s gaze moves away from me. “Get the box before she starts hyperventilating.”
“On it,” Sylred chirps helpfully.
“What box? I don’t need a box,” I snap, waving my arms. “I need to not ruin your lives or be the downfall of all genfins everywhere.”
“Scratch. You’re overreacting a bit.”
“Is she always this dramatic?” Belren asks. I glare at him. I’d forgotten he was still here.
“Pretty much, yeah,” Evert answers.
I punch him in the arm and then wince at the pain in my hand. Why are his muscles so hard?
Sylred appears in the next instant with a box of chocolates.
I glare at him. “Chocolate isn’t going to help this situation,” I snap.
He plucks one out of the box and pops it into my mouth before I can stop him.
“Sylred, this isn’t… Mmm. That’s really good,” I say as I chew.
“Give her more,” Ronak instructs.
Sylred practically shoves another one into my mouth before I’ve even finished the first. This one has sprinkles on it. And is that a strawberry center? Yum. Sylred passes me another. Ooh. Double chocolate.
After I’ve had another three, Sylred puts the box down. “Better?”
I lick the remaining chocolate off my lips with great satisfaction. “Yeah,” I admit.
“That was…interesting,” Belren says, looking impressed. “Is it just chocolate that works?”
“Nah,” Evert says. “Any kind of food, really.”
“Huh,” he replies thoughtfully, stroking his curled horn.
“Ready to start the mating ceremony?” Ronak asks.
My eyes widen. “Now? What about everything the elder just said? Everything I said? And don’t forget about my malfunctioning.”
“Malfunctioning?” Belren chirps. We ignore him.
“We’ve been over this. We still choose you,” Sylred answers.
I cross my arms angrily, my bottom lip poking out. “Fine.”
“Are you seriously pouting because we’re keeping you?” Evert asks incredulously.
“Shut up. I need another chocolate.”
Already waiting, as if he expected this, Sylred pops another one into my mouth. Caramel. Yummy.
“Do you still want us?” Ronak asks point-blank.
“Well yeah, but—”
“But nothing. That’s all we need to know. Are you ready or not?”
I throw my hands up. “Yes, I’m ready! But the second any of you assholes start hating me, I’m going to kick you in the balls and remind you of this moment.”
Evert shoves a truffle in his mouth. “Noted. Now let’s do this, Scratch. Don’t be scared.”
“I’m not scared.” I totally am.
“You totally are.”
I narrow my eyes at him. He just smiles, showing both adorable dimples as he eats another one of my chocolates. “Fine, maybe I’m a little scared,” I relent. “But…”
“You don’t have to be scared. We wouldn’t let anything happen to you. We aren’t backing out, and you aren’t leaving,” Sylred says, making me melt more than the chocolate in my mouth.
I take a deep breath. “Okay.”
They all say it back to me. “Aww. It’s like in the carriage,” I say, grinning. ‘Okay’ is totally our thing now.”
Evert shakes his head. “It’s not a thing.”
“It’s totally a thing.”
Ronak turns to Belren. “Since you’re here, you might as well make yourself useful.”
Belren rubs his hands together, looking perfectly entertained. “I always love a good mating ceremony. Should we move this into the bedroom?” he wags his eyebrows.
“You’re not staying for the mating part,” Ronak snaps. “Just hold the damn chalice,” he says, shoving it into his hand.
Ronak opens the pouch and pulls out a small knife, a vial of clear liquid, a dried herb, and a rolled up parchment. “Now, normally, the mating ceremony would take place over a few days. There would be a dance, a ceremonial opening of the mating den, a feast, and then the final part is the drinking of the chalice. The vows would be read by the elders and be a public event,” he explains.
“We’re skipping all the bullshit,” Evert adds.
Ronak pours the entire vial of liquid into the chalice and then crushes the herbs into it. Taking up the knife, he presses it against his palm to cut himself. He holds his cut over the cup and lets a few drops of his blood drip into it before passing the knife along. The other two do the same.
Sylred takes my hand. “Forget about the opinions of others,” he says quietly. “Forget about the powers and the politics and the population. Okay?”
“Okay.”
With a nod, he takes the knife and makes a tiny cut on my fingertip. Holding it over the cup, he waits until a few drops of my blood fall into the cup before bringing my finger to his mouth and sucking.
The intimate gesture and the hungry look in his eyes as he flicks his tongue over my cut makes heat pool into my belly. When he releases it, I don’t know what’s throbbing more, my finger or my lady bits.
“Here, read this, Horny Hooker,” Evert says, shoving the parchment toward Belren.
“It’s The Horned Hook,” he says testily.
Evert shrugs. “Whatever.”
Belren rolls his eyes but uses his telekinetic magic to unroll the parchment and float it in front of his face.
Ronak takes the chalice from him. “Ready?” he asks again.
The way his dark eyes look at me now reminds me of the first time I saw him on his island. Only now, instead of seeing through me, he’s looking at me.
I decide right here and now that I’m going to let all the other crap go and just enjoy this. All my stupid cupid life, I’ve waited for the things that I’m getting now, and I’m not going to let anything ruin it. I choose them, and they choose me, and that’s all that matters.
A smile spreads across my face. ‘Ready.”
