I wouldn’t care if he did. I met my mate and claimed her. I can die a happy man and shifter.
“Wait,” I say. Finley pauses before opening the door and looking back at me. “Did I find all the weapons you carry?” There’s a sparkle in her eyes as she answers. The grin on her face widens.
“Nope.” With that one word, she turns opening the door. Of course, I didn’t find them all.
Chapter 18
Finley
Obsidian wasn't terrible last night. He was more upset that Stolas didn’t let him know how long we would be gone. He said that he trusted Stolas to keep me safe, it just would have been nice to know. Instead, he came back to an empty room, and thought the worst when he couldn’t find us in the castle. Eventually, he found out where we were, after he threatened a few fae lives. I sigh. I guess I should really get used to the over protectiveness. Though, I’m still going to do what I want. Mated or not. I have a feeling their protectiveness is going to sky rocket tonight at the Winter Court Ball. Last night, after we returned from the bar, we sat down and went over the plan, over and over again, until we could recite the damn thing frontwards and back. Hell, I dreamed of the damn thing.
I do have to say, I’m quite nervous about it. There’s more than just me I have to worry about this time. I’m so used to doing jobs on my own that having others helping me is strange. Plus, there are too many what if’s, and too many unpredictable things that could happen. As much as we’d like to think we’ve planned for all of them, I know we didn’t. Not having that security in knowing everything and everyone will be alright in the end is what I think is really messing with me. Over the last week and a half, I’ve started to get to know my mates. They’re so much more than I could have ever dreamed. The more I get to know them, the more I’m seeing my feelings grow and deepen. I wouldn’t say it’s love yet, but I’m definitely headed there.
“Finley, love. You need to start getting ready,” Stolas says, pulling me from my thoughts. I turn facing him.
“I know.”
“What were you thinking so intently about?”
“The ball, the plan, us. Pretty much everything.” Stolas walks forward, wrapping his arms around me. I lay my head on his chest, encircling my arms around his waist. I feel him place a kiss to the top of my head before placing his cheek there. He gives me a squeeze. I bury my nose in his chest, breathing in the scent that is uniquely him. The slight smell of sulfur and fire.
“Everything will work out, love. You just have to have faith and trust in us to help you. None of us will let anything happen to you, that you can count on.”
“Surprisingly, I do trust you guys. It’s more of the what ifs that are getting to me right now. That, and I don’t want anything happening to you guys.”
“Aww, are you saying that you care?” he chuckles.
I would have slapped his chest if he wasn’t so wrapped around me. Not that I’m complaining about that. Being in their arms, is one of the few places I feel truly safe. I don’t know what I’m going to do when we complete this mission. I don’t know if I can go back to my hovel of a dwelling. I’m getting used to them being by my side, sleeping next to me. That is something we can figure out later. First, we have to make it through this night.
“I told you to tell her to get ready, not stall her more,” Verkor states. I move my head to peer around Stolas’ arm, and I’m floored. Verkor and Obsidian look drop dead gorgeous. I’m going to be fighting off all the fae women tonight.
Obsidian looks hot in his green suit jacket with black floral print. What is it about the color green on red heads? Green, velvet loafers peek out of from the hem of his black pants. My eyes are drawn to his hands buttoning the single button of his jacket. It causes the white button-up shirt underneath to stretch his wide chest. I have to hold back a moan. My eyes follow his hands, which go to the green bow tie, resting at the base of his neck. As he adjusts the tie, I notice his beard has been trimmed. He clears his throat. I whip my gaze to his eyes. There’s a small smile on his lips. He moves to run his hand through his slicked back auburn hair, but pauses. His hand falls back to his side and he shrugs. Ah, he almost forgot about the product in it. I smile, slightly shaking my head. Verkor walks into my view in his white suit.
The gold tip of his white leather shoes shine in the lighting of the bedroom. Verkor runs his hand down the front of his gold trimmed white jacket. I follow him with my eyes, as he walks over to the mirror on the open closet door. He pops the collars of his white button-up shirt, pulling a gold bow tie from his pocket. With deft fingers, the tie is in place. He walks to the bathroom and emerges a few minutes later with his blonde hair prefect swift over to the side, looking every bit a royal fae.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
I pull back out of Stolas’ arms, remembering the cufflinks I got that guys. You know, the five finger discount ones. I go to my bag, getting the three pairs of cufflinks. I turn back and notice Stolas. I didn’t realise he was dressed already too, in a formal black tuxedo. His shoes are black and covered with silver studs. His black hair shines with its blue tint. It doesn’t look like he, in any way, has tried to tame the mess it always is.
God, seeing them standing together, side-by-side, is doing crazy things to my heart and libido. There should be a rule against so much sexiness in one room. I wonder what it would be like to have all three of them at the same time. To have three sets of hands running all over my body. To have three tongues and mouths caressing me. I bite my lip at the thoughts running through my mind.
“You alright over there?” Stolas ask cheekily.
“Huh?” I blinked at him. I know I was doing something; I just don’t remember what that was. All three of them laugh.
“You got something out of your bag,” Verkor says, smiling.
“What?” I look down at my hand and see the cufflinks there. Oh, that's what I was doing. “Right. I got you guys something.” I walk over to them. “Hold out your wrist.” I stand in front of Obsidian, putting the onyx cufflinks in shirt. I move to Verkor, doing the same thing, but giving him the gold ones. Stolas is last, I give him the diamond cufflinks. They each tell me thank you, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“Now, you have to go and get ready. I have your dress and it’ll be here waiting for you when you’re done,” Verkor says.
“Alright, I’m going.” They each give a kiss, before leaving the room.
I turn and head into the bathroom and go through the motions of getting ready. Verkor is true to his word. Hanging on the door of the closet is this beautiful dusky rose dress. I run my hand over the beading that covers the top of the dress up to the thick shoulder straps. I take it off the hanger putting it on. It fits like a glove. The silk underlining feels like heaven against my skin. I love the free movement of the tulle skirt as it sweeps the floor. I imagine myself playing my violin in it, and I smile. There’s a slit on the side that stops at mid-thigh, leaving plenty of space to strap and hide a dagger on my thigh. The front and back both have low dips. Simply put, the dress is gorgeous.
My black boots are going to look weird with this, but there’s no way I’m wearing heels, because I know at some point we’re going to have to run. I put them on, and strap a dagger to my thigh. I put the earrings I bought in. I go back to the bathroom taking one last look in the mirror. I check my hair that I put in a low chignon. There are a few curls to frame my face. My makeup is light. A little bit of blush, highlighter, and mascara. I grab my lipstick, doing another sweep over my lips.
“I think I’ll pass.”
I leave the room, making my way to the staircase. Stolas, Verkor, and Obsidian are all standing at the bottom. I clear my throat. All of them turn at the sound. I follow their eyes taking me in. A multitude of emotions cross their faces. Shock, appreciation, desire. It’s a heady feeling having them all look at me like that. Oh, yea. I totally hit it out of the park.
Obsidian
I growl at the sight of my mate. Finley looks incredible. She�
�s going to turn heads, and I’m going to have to knock some together. I watch her every move as she descends the stairs. Her thigh keeps flashing at me from the slit in her dress. I want to run my hands all over her. I know how her skin feels under my hands. I know how she sounds when I’m buried so deep inside her. I know what my name sounds like coming from her lips as she cums. I want to rip that dress right from her body so I can do everything I already did to her, and more. Verkor steps forward.
“Finley, you look stunning.” He grabs her hand, kissing her knuckles.
“Thank you,” she smiles. Verkor holds out a box.
“Would you do me the honor of wearing my mother’s necklace?” He opens it, showing the necklace laying inside. She gasps.
“Verkor,” she whispers. “Are you sure?” Her eyes dart from his face, back to the necklace.
“I would like nothing more.”
Finley nods. “I would love to. Thank you.” Verkor takes the necklace from the box. Finley turns, and Verkor clasps it around her neck. She turns back around, facing us. Her hand drifts to the key, clutching it. “I promise to take good care of it tonight.”
“I’m not worried.” He pulls her close, kissing her. I let them go for a little bit, but we need to get to the ball.
“Alright. We need to get going.” They move apart.
“Wait, I forgot my violin.”
“I got you covered, love. I grabbed it when we left you to get ready. It’s already placed at our table.” Stolas smiles at her, then winks. She smiles back, shaking her head.
“Thank you.”
“We thought it would be better if it was already there. It’s better if we don’t draw too much attention to ourselves just yet,” I state.
“Good thinking. Wait, one more thing.” Finley goes to her bag, pulls the map out, folds it, and puts it down the front of her dress. “Now, we can get this show on the road.” Verkor offers Finley his elbow. She loops her arm around his. They start walking toward the ballroom.
“Everything will work out alright. You’ll see,” Verkor says. She nods.
We enter the ballroom and Finley gapes.
“This is beautiful. Where is everyone?”
I don’t see what’s so great about it. The best thing in this room is her. There’s too much blue, too much silver, too much sparkle, just too much of everything. There’s even damn fake snowflakes falling from the ceiling.
“We thought it would be a good idea to do a quick run through of the plan and to get a feel for the size of the room, where everything is at,” Stolas states.
Finley nods. “Yes, it’s always better to know what you’re up against.” I follow her gaze as she takes in the room.
“If we want to succeed, then everything needs to go off without a hitch. We need to follow the plan that we made. It’s the only way to make such everyone stays safe.” I nod. We escort her to our table.
“You’re here early.” Turning as one toward the entrance, we see Kellan leaning against the doorframe.
“Yes, Finley has never been to a fae ball. She’s quite nervous about tonight. So, I thought we’d show her around and explain what’s going to transpire,” Verkor says without missing a beat.
Kellan straightens, struts over, stopping in front of Finley. I see her grip tighten on the back of the chair. It’s so tight that her knuckles are turning white. Reflexively, all of us take a step closer to her. The need to be close and to protect her surges through me. Kellan is an outlier. He’s the one thing we don’t know how to handle. We can’t predict what he’s going to do. The damn poem is partly why we think that. Finley has to dance with the king to see. To see what exactly? What is she going to get out of dancing with him? I don’t want her anywhere near him by herself. Kellan reaches out playing with a loose curl of Finley’s hair. A low growl escapes from my lips. Kellan chuckles, glancing my way before returning his attention back to Finley.
“Calm yourself. I’m not going to harm her. I do find her quite interesting.”
“How so?” Finley questions.
“You’re innocent, yet not. You have this soft and hard edge appeal about you. I do like that you don’t treat me like a king. It’s rather refreshing. It gets old having everyone trip over themselves trying to please you every second of the day.”
“I imagine it could get quite tiresome. Have you tried telling them to knock it off. It sounds like you need a vacation.” She gives him this impish smile. Kellan throws his head back and laughs.
“Perhaps you’re right.” He gives her a once over, and I don’t like the gleam in his eyes. “Well, I must go and get ready. I’ll see you at the ball.”
I watch him like a hawk as he turns to leave the ballroom. Just before opening the door, he looks over his shoulder. His gaze falling right to Finley. I move a step closer to her. Kellan notices and smirks, before leaving. No one says anything for a few moments. Stolas walks over to the doorway, peeking around.
“Clear.” He walks back over to us.
“How much do you think he heard?” Finley asks.
“I don’t know. We didn’t say anything too incriminating. If anything it will make him suspicious that we're up to something,” Verkor says.
“Which is what we don’t need,” Finley sighs.
“I agree. I think he’s going to be watching us a little more closely tonight. We need to make sure we don’t draw any more attention to ourselves. Our run through of the plan is out. We can’t be seen wandering around the castle. Not now that Kellan has seen us, and we don’t know what he heard. Let’s take a walk around the garden instead. By then, the ball will have started.” Verkor holds out his elbow, and Finley loops hers around his.
I follow behind them, not thrilled about any of this. I don’t know if they others caught the looks that King Kellan was giving Finley, but I did, and I don’t like it. It feels like he knows something is going on. I could be wrong. It could just be my need, my instinct, to protect Finley that is making me think this way. If he doesn’t suspect something, then he’s up to something else, and we need to be prepared for it.
Finley
Obsidian has been usually quiet since we ran into Kellan in the ballroom. I take a moment to fall behind Verkor and Stolas, falling into pace with Obsidian.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask. Obsidian glances down at me, before facing forward again.
“Just going over that run in with Kellan.”
“Do you think there’s more to it?”
“I do.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only one.” Obsidian stops in his tracks, a shocked expression on his face. I laugh. “What? Did you think you were the only one? You don’t do what I do and not learn to read between the lines. Don’t think I didn't miss the leering looks Kellan gave me. Though I am surprised you didn't rip his head off.”
“I wanted to. I didn't like how he was looking at you. He got too close. I do think he is up to something. Everyone knows how protective shifters are of their mates, especially newly mated ones. He was tempting too much getting that close to you, touching you.”
“It was only my hair, but I understand what you’re saying. Well, maybe not fully because I’m not a shifter, but you are mine and I’d do whatever I could to keep you safe.” Obsidian reaches out, running his knuckles down the side of my face. For all his grumpiness, he really is sweet and gentle.
“You’re everything to me. Just promise me that you’ll be careful and stick by one of us.”
“I promise.” I place my hand on his chest, right over his heart. He cups the side of my face, and I lean into his hand.
“You look beautiful.” I meet his amber eyes and smile. Obsidian moves his hand to the back of my neck, and I take a step forward. He leans down, placing his mouth right next to my ear. “I would love nothing more than to peel that dress off your detectable body. To run my mouth, hands, and tongue over every inch of your creamy skin. To get you so worked up that you’ll beg me for my cock.”
I clench my t
highs together, feeling my wetness pool. I would love nothing more. Obsidian starts trailing kisses down the side of my neck. I move my head to the side, giving him better access. My breathing hitches when he gently bites at the tender skin. I fist his shirt in the hand I have placed on his chest. I’m unaware I moved closer to him until I feel his hardness pressing into me. Obsidian moves his head back. The hand on the back of my neck caresses me as he moves it to the front. His hand stops at the base of my neck for a moment, before sliding up. He squeezes it gently. My eyes dart rapidly between his. If this were anyone else I would be scared, but I’m not. In fact, I’m so turned on that I’m half a second away from ripping his suit right off his body. I can feel the lust and desire radiating off of him. It only heightens me further.
“You want that, don’t you? You want to feel me sliding into your warm heat, hard and fast. I would tie you down. You’d be completely at my mercy. The amount of pleasure I would bring you. You would like that, wouldn’t you?” He trails a single finger down the column of neck, to between my breast.
“Fuck, yes.”
I can hear the breathiness of my own voice. He doesn’t speak another word. I meet him halfway, our lips crashing together. Obsidian wastes no time driving his tongue into my mouth. I love the taste of this man. I encircle my arms around his neck, my fingers going to his hair, tugging on it. He growls against my lips, lifting me. The slit in my dress making it easy to wrap my legs around his waist. His hands go to my ass, squeezing hard. I know I’m going to have bruises, but I don’t care. I grind against him, feeling his hard cock. I want more. I hear a throat clear, but I ignore it. I want Obsidian, more than my next breath.
“Guys, you need to stop. Fae are starting to arrive, and unless you want to give them a show, I suggest you stop,” Verkor states. Obsidian pulls back, and I whine at the loss.
“He’s right, doll. We’ll have plenty of time for this later.” I whine. He nips at my lips. “I know. I don’t want to stop either, but just think of how needy we’ll both be by the end of the night.” I squeeze my legs that are still around his waist. He growls. “Fuck. Someone come help me, before I say fuck it, and take her right here.”
Stolen Warriors Page 19