Lily crooks her lavender brow at me. “Alright.”
Clare calls over her shoulder. “You can change in Prince Alexavier’s room.”
I don’t often correct Clare; I have too much respect for her, but it’s going to set everything on the wrong foot if my wife isn’t allowed in my room. “Actually, you should use my room and my bathroom, Lily. I’ll wait.”
When Lily hesitates, I link my little finger around hers for the briefest of seconds, which is all it takes to bring about a touch of bravery to her smile. I love the sight of it on her, and feel honored I had a hand in bringing it out.
The second Lily disappears, Clare hisses her disapproval. “You know very well a fae shouldn’t be allowed in your private quarters. Your mum and dad loathe it when Prince Alexavier and Prince Salem sleep over in your room. That’s why they’ve been given their own bedrooms here. Those two louses can stand up to your parents because of their titles, but this girl cannot. Don’t get her into trouble. All things considered, I like her.” Then, as if catching herself saying something nice about the enemy, she shakes her head, her red hair swishing around her shoulders. “She’s no doubt thinking up ways to snatch up your valuables as we speak! You know how tricky the fae are.”
I place my hand on Clare’s that’s wrapped around my good arm. “I adore you enough to tell you when you’re out of line. Lilya isn’t going to steal from us, and you know it. She set my arm and helped the guys get me here when we were attacked. Don’t forget that she was just in the middle of a siege, and she’s more concerned about a vampire’s wellbeing than her own.”
“You were shot through with an arrow!”
“Aside from Alexavier, name the last fae who’s ever cared when a vampire falls. Lilya’s here. She cares. Let her be a good person. That’s all you have to do.”
Clare’s unpainted lips press in a tight line, making her rounded face that much more of a pear shape. “You’re not supposed to say wise things like that. You’re still a baby.”
I chuckle at her deflection, but take it as a win. Clare acts as my walking support, though nothing’s wrong with my legs. I tell her as much, but she doesn’t listen. “You’re injured, so you’ll let me look after you.”
When we get to the door, I pause. “Clare, whatever happens, you love me, right? Even when you loathe me, you still love me?”
Confusion purses her lips as she blinks up at me. “If I didn’t turn on you after you vomited on the dress I had made special for the Winter Solstice ball when you were nine years old, I highly doubt anything else you’ve got up your sleeve will be able to tip it.”
“Promise me,” I whisper, needing to hear it. The world can abandon me, but if Clare left? I don’t need my birth family to stand by me, but I need the guys. And I need Clare.
She leans in to plant a kiss to my forehead. “I promise I will never leave you to the vultures. You’ll always be my sweet, insufferable boy.”
My neck shrinks whenever she dotes on me. Maybe some men grow immune to motherly affections over time. Those men are lucky because they’ve had buckets of the stuff to grow bored by. Clare is my only voice of maternal reasoning, so I cling to her because life was kind enough to give us to each other. I only hope she doesn’t turn on me when she realizes what I’ve done.
She helps me down the hall toward my bedroom, even going so far as to knock for me so I don’t have to move my arms too much. “You just about ready, Lilya?”
“Just a second!” Lily calls. “I… This isn’t… Des, are you sure this is necessary? I mean, I have clothes that fit.”
I snigger, expecting the housekeeper to have brought in the wrong size just to spite the woman she assumes is Alexavier’s girlfriend. “Can I come in? I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”
Her grumbling makes me smile, but Clare’s tug on my good arm gives me pause. “You don’t need to lower yourself by helping a fae woman dress. That’s not appropriate.”
I raise my eyebrow at her. “Oh, are you going to help her, then?” At her balking, I drop her hand and reach for the doorknob. “Didn’t think so. Tell Melinda and Harris we’ll be down soon.”
She bristles but complies, bumping into Alex when he meanders out of the east wing’s study. “Prince Alexavier, if you’re going to make a habit of bringing women into the castle, at least see to it you provide them with proper clothing. It’s really not our job to clothe the fae. Wouldn’t want her to have to lower her standards.”
I don’t like when Clare talks down to the guys, but Alex always finds a way to make light of it. “Since when do you assume us fae men want our women wearing proper clothing? I think you know by now I prefer the improper kind.”
She blushes, a scowl taking over her features as she swats him out of the way. “Will you three never grow up? Honestly, Alexavier.”
Alex strolls toward me in his white shirt and khaki pants, looking very fae as he raps on the door. “Are we just about ready to make an impression? I can already tell this is going to go well.”
Lily’s voice is taut with insecurity. “This was a bad idea! The dress doesn’t fit. I don’t need the pressure of looking ridiculous on top of everything else.” Then she lets loose a loud huff of frustration. “This is awkward, but can someone help me with this thing?”
Alex’s eyebrows dance with mischief. “If you insist.” He pops open the door and strides in, and since it’s my room, my house and my wife, I follow behind. My eyes zero in on Lily, whose heart-shaped face is scrunched with displeasure. The gown the housekeeper selected isn’t anything too over the top. In fact, it’s on the plain side. The strappy red dress flows to her knees, the gauzy material swishing as she fidgets. It’s tight to her handful-sized breasts, but fans out over her hips, making her skin glow like pure sunshine, casting shadows in the middle of vampire territory. Her body practically sings with an air of “I’m too perfect to be touched,” while her face says, “I’ve got no clue what I’m doing.”
Alex struts around her in a circle, touching his lower lip as if he knows everything about women’s fashion. “Well, well. What do we have here? A fae beauty who needs help dressing? I’m more used to the undressing part, I’ll admit. What is it you need, fair lady?”
She lowers her chin to glower at his flirtation. “Hilarious. There are like, four extra pieces to this dress over on the bed, and I have no freaking idea how they work.”
I move over to the bed and poke at the swaths of fabric. “This is a slip. It goes on under your dress so it’s not…” I swallow hard, taking in her thighs that I can see more clearly from this angle through the material. I hand it to her so she can shimmy into it. I’m a pervert for biting my lower lip as I watch the black undergarment slide up her creamy thighs.
I catch a glimpse of the thigh holster and the dagger that saved my life peeking at me beneath her dress. I know I should tell her she can’t carry something so deadly on Drexdenberg soil, but I don’t have it in me to banish the thing I’m grateful for.
The door opens and closes, introducing a dumbstruck Salem. His mouth falls open at the sight of her. Hopefully my lust wasn’t quite as obvious.
“Don’t look!” she yelps, her nerves spiking as her cheeks pink. Though she’s fully clothed, he spins around and faces the wall to keep his eyes from the scandal. He’s too funny.
“It’s fine, blue eyes,” I assure her. “Here. This part goes next. Stockings. They’re to cover your legs.”
“What for?”
I shrug. “I honestly have no idea. I don’t think you need them. How about this? I think it ties around your waist.”
Alex rolls his eyes as if it’s painful to watch me meander through women’s apparel. “It’s a sash. Sort of like a belt. Give it here. Turn around for me, Lily-girl.” She spins and holds her arms out to the sides while he fastens the deep purple sash around the top part of her ribs, just under her breasts. The opportunist even sneaks in kisses to her bare shoulder while he ties it in some fancy knot that looks more
decorative than practical. “Good enough to meet the parents, that’s for sure. You’ve never looked more fae than you do now. All brightness and beauty, wrapped in a scandal.” A fae wearing the commonly chosen color of the vampiric people is a sight, indeed. Everyone in Faveda always wears white or beige. I rather like the sight of her like this, thumbing her nose at the traditions of the people who cast her out, and instead choosing my ways. Choosing me.
When Alex slips the strap of her bra down with her dress strap, I watch a shiver roll through her body, hitching her breath as she leans into him. He kisses her shoulder again, though this time, his lips are closer to her neck. “Lexi,” she whispers, but when his arm snakes around her middle, her eyes fly open and she darts away from him. “It’s too much!”
Alex straightens, running his hand through his hair. “Sorry, Lil. I got carried away.”
She buries her face in her hands. “It’s not you. I’m a freak! I… Back at the cave was my first kiss. So all of this extra stuff is a little out of my league.”
I freeze in time with Alex and Salem. Alex speaks slowly, his hands raised. “You mean our first kiss, right? You don’t mean…” At her bleat of chagrin into her hands, Alex voices the astonishment we’re all feeling. “You’re twenty-four!”
She stomps her foot to the ground, looking far younger as she keeps her face in her hands. “I was thrown out of Faveda when I was eight years old and landed in a place where I’m the only fae. Do you really think a vampire or a shifter’s going to want to take me out and do the whole dating thing? Where was I supposed to find my first kiss, Lexi? You’ve been holding it hostage this entire time!”
Alex beelines toward her, his hands on her wrists to gently pry them from her face. “That’s right. Your first kiss has been with me, that’s where. I’ve had your first kiss tucked in my pocket all these years. It’s been here, just waiting for you. That’s exactly how your first kiss was supposed to be. I just… I had no idea. I would’ve…” He groans. “I kissed you on the floor of a cave? That’s awful! Oh, you deserve something more special than that after waiting for so long.”
It’s strange to watch Alex kiss her, though I find I can’t look away. She bands her arms around her middle, bracing herself while his lips are patient with hers. It takes several beats for her to catch the rhythm of a proper seduction, but eventually her grip on herself loosens. Her fingers rest on his chest, featherlight and tentative, as if she’s asking permission to be near him.
Salem is still facing the wall, but now his forehead is grinding into the paint, his eyes scrunched as self-loathing takes him over.
I should look away from the two. I’ve never cared to watch Alex in action before, but part of me can’t help myself. Am I going to kiss her someday? Obviously for the public, to pacify everyone and keep up appearances, but will she be able to relax through it like that? Or will she be terrified of my fangs? Terrified of me?
The kiss lasts a solid minute before the two step back to stare at each other in wonder. “Lexi, I’m married.”
It’s not what I expect her to say, and judging by the devastation on Alex’s face, I can tell this isn’t the turn he was hoping she’d take either.
“It’s alright,” I offer. “We’re not married-married. I wouldn’t take something good away from you, blue eyes. And I’ve never had the desire to make Alex miserable.”
She touches her lips, like they must feel different now. She’s bloody beautiful. You’d think the claw marks digging down her left cheek would take away from that, but I’m still standing here, replaying her kiss with Alex so I can study how she likes to be swept off her feet.
Salem breaks the mood by shifting into his wolf form, no longer able to control his desire for her, who’s clearly taken in too many ways. He paws at the door to remind us we’re supposed to be on our way downstairs, or perhaps to tell us he can’t be near her a second longer without throwing her on the bed and having his way with her.
Actually, I don’t think it’s that. I think if she threw herself at him, he’d still run away scared.
Alex gathers Lily in his arms and motions for me to join them. “No, this won’t be awkward at all.”
Alex runs his fingers over her bare arm just to tease himself. To tease me. To tease Salem. And judging by her shiver, to tease Lily as well. “Lily-girl, would it be alright if Des kissed your cheek? Small affections in public are sometimes helpful in these types of situations.”
It’s cute to watch her neck shrink and her chin tilt downward as she nods. She’s got a bossy streak to her, but this timid side is just as endearing.
I move closer behind her and press my lips to her cheek, taking care not to let her feel the ridges of my fangs through my top lip. It’s innocent, but not, since she’s in the arms of another man. I’ve never kissed a fae woman before, even on the cheek. The layers of scandal are practically palpable in the air. My entire body is aware of every curve on her body as her back is flush to my front. I can feel my hammering heartbeat, as well as hers.
Alex dips his head to press his lips to her other cheek, forcing her skin to erupt in goosebumps. “See?” he tells us both. “This will work. Des can be your loving husband, and I can be your sexy side piece. I won’t let this get weird.”
She sinks into his arms, but reaches for my hand to link her littlest finger through mine.
The world is about to break apart, but it’s all hanging on us making a believable couple. There are too many ways this could go wrong, yet I can’t bring myself to let go of her. When Alex keeps her locked in their hug, her eyes meet mine, and I can see clearly the fear there.
“It’ll be okay,” I promise us both.
I want it to be true.
Please be true.
15
Pleasantly Uncomfortable
Destino
Lily’s palms are slick, so she drops my finger to wring her hands as we enter the dining room. We only use this space to keep up the charade of familial loyalty for Great-grandfather. He enjoys a good show of us all pretending we get along. Every now and then the guys join us, but usually it’s just the four of us, sipping our blood cocktails, picking at our perfectly proportioned blood-baked meals, and droning on about the social happenings of the territory.
We’ve never had a fae woman at the table before. Alex’s mum doesn’t travel, so whenever interterritorial relations cannot be avoided, Alex’s father joins us with his guards.
My parents are ridiculous. Melinda and Harris gape at Lily as if a giraffe has just joined us. We stand behind our seats and wait, as King Ronin always makes us do, for Great-grandfather to join us. Once, he made us wait twenty minutes before we could sit. Sometimes I think he has too much time on his hands if he has the patience for power plays.
When good old King Ronin joins us, I can tell he’s been made aware of our guests, because he doesn’t gawk at Lily, as my parents are still doing. To her credit, Lily finally stops twisting her fingers in the presence of my parents. She stands with her chin up and a feigned stoicism about her expression, daring them to say something. Anything.
Damn, that’s sexy. I know she’s too young for me. Too fae for me. But I can’t help but see what I see.
King Ronin takes his seat, and finally all of us are allowed to sit down in our high-backed solid oak chairs.
“Hello, Grandfather. How are you?” Harris inquires with a breezy tone he only ever puts on for King Ronin.
The king nods once. His eyes are squinted slightly, so I know he’s got one of his headaches. He’s been getting those a lot in the past few weeks, but gets snappish when we ask him about it. “Just fine, thank you.” Then his focus slides over to us. “Good to see you, boys. I trust the prisoners strewn around my house were intended to be a gift to me?”
Salem nods. “You’re welcome.”
Alex grins, like the boy who always shows up with mud on his shoes and no apology. Gotta love him. He can’t make a mess at home, but doesn’t hold back here. I think he quite e
njoys sullying Melinda’s expensive rugs. “Thought you might appreciate having your lowlifes rounded up and hand-delivered to your doorstep.”
Melinda rolls her eyes as she stabs at her food. “Yes, that’s so very helpful. The staff has had their hands full getting the stains out of the carpeting.”
Salem’s upper lip curls. “Next time I’ll just tie them to the pillars outside your palace, sobbing for all the country to see. Fewer stains on the rug tha way.”
Alex grins just to infuriate Melinda. “All of Drexdenberg should be relieved it’s been purged of filth that has the gall to attack the thrones of Jacoba and Faveda, on top of its own crown. Your son will heal, by the way. I can tell by how many times you’ve asked about him how very much you care about your own flesh and blood.”
I know Alex is sticking up for me, sinking the barbs in for all of us to see, but his words accidentally slice me by mistake. I don’t like thinking that my parents care more about their rugs than they do their own son.
I finish off my gin and blood, and get up to pour myself another. Two is fine. I’m still clearheaded enough after two drinks. When I sink back down, Alex shoots me a brief glance of warning to make this my last cocktail.
Yeah, yeah.
Salem doesn’t like to be on two legs when my parents are around. He doesn’t have the tolerance for the subtle digs I’ve grown used to since birth, but today he endures it. Alex and I are hemming Lily in, but Salem’s got his elbows on the table, leaning forward in his spot on Alex’s other side to make sure Lily’s always in his periphery. Never thought I’d see Salem fall for a woman, and I certainly never dreamed I’d end up married to the love of his life, yet here we are, pleasantly uncomfortable.
Though we don’t need to eat more than one meal a day or so since we’re all changed vampires, the chef doesn’t spare any expense making sure our food looks incredible. As much as my parents hate Alex and Salem, they also like to rub their noses in our wealth, constantly trying to impress Alex with our sophistication, competing in a game they will never win. The fae have more wealth and less violence on their soil. They can wear pure white clothing just to brag to the world how unencumbered their existence is. But Melinda wants to prove she’s better than everyone, so the table is set with gold utensils and our fancy china that’s got gilded edges. The blood sausages are set on two different platters, one with a small flag of our people sticking out from the center, and one with nothing, indicating which food is fit for non-vampires. The four tapers running down the center of the long table are unnaturally tall, and meant to make you feel small while you’re seated. Though, one cutting glimpse from Melinda and Harris, and you’d swear you’re no taller than a squeaky inch.
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