Hidden In Darkness (A Seven Realms Book Book 1)

by S. J. Stewart

  The guys’ none the wiser, Zura completely unseen as she moved to sit behind a chair in the corner.

  She couldn’t help but smile, pride swelling her heart. She just got the drop on these three, that was no small feat. Especially at her age.

  The mirror rippled.

  A man stepped out. Apparently, Cupids were men and not small cherubs. He had blood-red hair in inch-long twists. They were unkempt at the roots, the twists at the ends pulling his hair off his brown forehead. His brows were black slashes over his chocolate-brown eyes, his nostrils broad. His jaw was sharp and covered with a wiry beard, patchy when it reached his cheeks. His lips full and wide. He was shirtless, because why the hell not. His frame smaller than these three, less intimidating. His arms were completely covered with tattoos in black, pinks and reds that shimmered and moved by magic. Full sleeves from his wrists up to his shoulders. It was striking against his dark skin. Almost aglow with magic. His white jeans were fitted, sculpted to muscular thighs, ending at his bare feet.

  “Orren, I have to admit not many would come. Not after they heard of what happened to Ela after visiting you.” His voice was like a song, she didn’t know how else to describe it. There was a lilt to it, where the guys seemed to have this deep timbre, his voice was melodic yet somehow masculine.

  She couldn’t help be intrigued.

  Christ, was just every being in the other realms ripped and attractive? What was going on in the Mortal Realm? Every being here was like artwork. Didn’t they get acne? Or bloated? Her mind reeled.

  “Thank you for coming. We weren’t sure a Cupid would answer our call.” He nodded his thanks.

  Crossing his arms, he looked over the group. “What happened to Ela? Fate is keeping her tucked tightly under her wing. Though, there is a lot of speculation.” His gaze was still on Orren, ignoring everyone else in the room.

  Orren shoved his hands into his pocket in a casual way that made confidence and power bleed off him. “I’m sorry, Mr.—” He paused.

  “Fen. Fenmore. No mister. Just Fen.”

  “Ah. Well, Fen. We’d rather not say as whatever happened seemed to put her in a very vulnerable position. We’d like to avoid putting anyone else there, especially where Fate is concerned.”

  Knowing her reputation better than any of them, Fen chuckled. “How very wise.” He took a slow turn, taking in the room. His eyes roamed over the floor-to-ceiling white bookshelves lined with books, the lush white shags of the carpets and the honey colour of the leather and suede chairs around the room. He turned with his back to them to take in the view and Melas had to bite back a gasp.

  Tattooed down his back from his shoulders, disappearing into the waist of his pants were red wings. Their detail so intricate Melas was sure if she reached a hand out to touch them she would feel feathers. Her eyes skimmed over his back, admiring the work until he turned around to look them over.

  Their eyes caught for a moment, before his widened.

  “Fated mates?” His jaw gaped slightly as he moved his gaze from Melas to Ridhor, then Andrei before finally settling on Orren with a low whistle. “Lots of powerful magic in this room too.”

  Her heart stopped.

  Fated mates.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  She wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear but hearing this only wrapped her stomach in tighter knots. It meant the three of them would be that much more adamant to stay in her life, and she wasn’t about to make any promises to anyone.

  Andrei leapt up from his seat. “It’s true, then?” He turned, his eyes bright with excitement as they locked on Melas. “We’re fated mates?”

  Fen took a step towards Melas, his black brow arching up as his chocolate eyes searched over her. “Interesting.” Curiosity laced through his words.

  All eyes were on her as she looked at the men in the room.

  Melas ignored his exploring eyes. “What goes along with being a fated mate?”

  He didn’t miss the way she said it, as though she was asking him if he saw Big Foot around here. Though, now she wasn’t sure if Big Foot existed.

  He smiled lightly, his eyes glowing in this ethereal way that held her captive. “It’s a divine honour, one that hasn’t been bestowed since ancient times. It is said when there was great power that needed to be protected, Fate would intervene and assign that being with fated mates. It’s common for them to be powerful, strong, as their journey in love will be full of peril. Though, I sense that won’t be a problem for these three.” His eyes settled on each of the guys for a moment, as though measuring their power.

  Fen’s brow furrowed when his gaze landed on her again. “Something is blocking your bond.” He took a step towards her.

  Before he could close the space between them, Ridhor was on his feet, a wall of solid muscle preventing Fen from getting any closer. “It’s best you don’t touch her.”

  Though Fen was tall, Ridhor towered over him. He tilted his head back to meet his gaze before dazzling him with a smile that all but sparkled. “You’re the overprotective one, then?”

  Melas stepped out from behind Ridhor and scowled. “I’m more than capable of protecting myself. I think here, he meant to protect you.”

  Fen’s eyes flashed with something for a moment, curiosity mixed with something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Is that right?”

  “She’s rather stabby.” Andrei joked though she didn’t miss his muscles flexing under his shirt.

  Orren moved to stand beside them. He was silent a moment before nodding to Ridhor to step back.

  Ridhor grabbed hold of Melas’ hand, pulling her to sit beside him as he sunk back in his chair.

  The tension in the room was thick, Orren debating before he nodded with decision. “Whatever is blocking her bond is what harmed Ela. It’s best if you don’t try to touch her.”

  “Really?” He looked her over, intrigued. “I’m happy I accepted your call, Orren. It seems I was right to be curious.”

  Orren’s brow creased slightly, masking most of his emotions from Fen. “You know something.”

  Fen’s grin widened. “I have an idea.”

  “Care to share?”

  His grin turned to Melas. “Not particularly. I will, however, tell you to buckle up. You’re about to partake on quite the adventure.”

  Failing to see the humour, a slight frown turned down the sides of Orren’s mouth as he watched Fen step away from Ridhor and Melas and move around the room. “That’s it? Tell us we’re fated mates and we’re about to have quite the adventure and nothing else.”

  “You yourself know what a terrible choice I’d be making if I thought to step on Fate’s toes. Whatever questions you have, they’re not mine to answer. I can tell you the four of you are fated, I can even tell you the bond is stronger than any other fated union I’ve heard of. The power of heartstrings isn’t usually gifted.”

  “Heartstrings?” The crease remained between Orren’s brows.

  Fen grinned. “She uses them to pull you toward her. Through rooms, across realms. Powerful enough, I suspect, to pull you to other worlds.”

  All eyes were on her again.

  She was the one responsible for being in Orren’s room. For Orren and Andrei being there when she was with Ridhor.

  Why?

  It wasn’t as though she’d been thinking to herself ‘You know what this moment is missing, the other two watching hungrily as Ridhor plows into me, breaking down my walls and shaking my resolve’.

  She’d been thinking of Orren before she ended up in his room, she admitted reluctantly. He was so mysterious and she wondered what he did in his room at night, if he let his guard down. Suddenly, she was close enough to get that answer for herself.

  The memory had her throbbing and crossing her legs.

  “What an interesting smell.” Fen grinned.

  All three men whirled at him, their eyes heavy with lust but fuelled with anger.

  Fen laughed, holding up his hands. “I deal in l
ove guys, it’s nothing personal. No need to bite my head off.”

  Rolling her eyes, too many questions bouncing around her head to be embarrassed, she avoided their gaze and kept her energy on Fen. “I can just make them pop up wherever I want, or I can pop up next to any of them?”

  “It’s called following a heartstring.”

  A heartstring was how she always thought of her bond with Zura. She hadn’t thought she had that kind of bond with the guys, she hadn’t felt herself pulling herself towards them or them towards her. “How can I be pulling them without even realizing it?”

  “The heart has a mind of its own.” He shrugged, as though that were all the explanation needed.

  Closing her eyes, she felt the string wrapped tightly around her heart. She followed it to Zura. She wondered if she pulled on it if Zura would appear in front of her, or if that only worked with the guys. She would practice later, not wanting to introduce this stranger to her daughter.

  “I guess that explains some things.” She said sourly. It did answer some of her questions, but not all of them. Before Andrei could fill the room with the excitement she felt radiating off him, she asked another one eating away at her since she found out about mates. “Has there ever been an instance where people have been fated mates but don’t end up together?”

  Ridhor’s hand tightened slightly around her own. She didn’t have to look at Andrei or Orren to know they were hurt by her question.

  It was something she needed to know. She felt weird about someone else deciding who she should be with and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to blindly walk down a path someone else paved for her.

  Fen looked slightly taken aback. “Why wouldn’t you want to be with those you are fated to?” He looked as though she just asked him to grow a nose from her forehead.

  Annoyance shook her. “Why should I? Just because someone else says I should?” She all but scowled.

  “Typically a Cupid could help things along. There would have to be a base attraction to build on. Cupids never have to intervene with mates, definitely not fated mates. It’s like being a puzzle, why would you only want to be a single piece, a tiny hint of the bigger picture? You’re stubborn. I can tell that just from the small amount of time we’ve spent together. You’re used to having everything your way. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s boring and predictable. You’re fighting merely because you can, because it’s not something you decided for yourself. I’m sorry to tell you, but your very existence was decided for you. The sooner you surrender to the little nudges of Fate, the more enjoyable your life will be.”

  Was she being difficult just for the sake of being difficult? She grimaced.

  “It’s never happened, by the way. Once someone is mated in any way, be it fated or otherwise, they can’t resist the pull. It’s tattooed onto your very soul. You can fight it if you wish to live a life of misery, but you’d also be sentencing whoever you’re mated to the same fate. Rather selfish if you ask me.” He frowned. Clasping his hands together, he looked over the group. “Any other questions? I could shoot you all with an arrow but, Fate, you’re all pretty far gone.” His chocolate eyes flashed pink.

  Melas’ brow rose.

  “Yes, mysterious vixen. Even you.” He laughed.

  The guys looked at her.

  Zura scurried quietly out from behind the chair back into the hallway. She must have sensed Melas’ rising tension. She used all her willpower not to blush as she dropped Ridhor’s hand, pushing out of the chair. “Right. Sentenced to be with these three against my will. Got it. Thanks.” It came out bitchy and she knew it, but she really couldn’t help herself.

  Feeling out of control didn’t agree with her.

  Nodding at Fen, she made her way to the door.

  When she left the study she felt heavy. There were worse things than being stuck with Andrei, Orren, and Ridhor but she couldn’t help feel a little snubbed knowing it wasn’t their choice. She wasn’t against love, she just didn’t want it tossed at her like a grenade.

  Sighing, she walked towards the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot.

  Two more days until they left this house making their way to America. It wasn’t too late to take off on her own.

  Don’t be emotional, Melas, she warned herself. She needed to think this through, be smart. Her emotions could easily push her into a mistake and she couldn’t let that happen.

  Fated mates.

  Well, hell.

  36

  ORREN

  Fated mates.

  Those two words had him so wrapped up, he couldn’t think about anything else. Fen left shortly after Melas, leaving them with a few words of advice trying to soothe some of the discomforts she left behind.

  Just because they were fated mates, didn’t mean they got to half-ass anything. She still needed to be romanced, be swept off her feet. They needed to prove to her they would be good partners. That being partners was something they all wanted. He could always come back and try to use an arrow if they were struggling. Melas’ reflexes had all three worrying for Fen if he dared try.

  She may just kill him if he tried to shoot her with an arrow, even ones that wouldn’t harm her.

  The smell of coffee wafted down the hall towards them, but no one made a move to leave the study.

  He hadn’t known what he was hoping to learn. A part of him desperately hoped they would be told they were mated to Melas. Now they were, it just felt ominous. She wanted to let them know how much she wasn’t open to the idea by asking Fen if it were possible to fight against being mated.

  That hurt more than he cared to admit.

  Melas had this way of reminding them every so often her very relationship with them was like being kept in a cage, and she was a Phoenix beating against the bars longing for the sky. As much as he wanted to tell her she was wrong, he knew in a way she wasn’t.

  A lot of her options were stripped away from her. She was left with very few choices. Of them, staying together made the most sense, but it wasn’t something she particularly wanted. She thrived on her own.

  At least, that’s what she wanted them to believe.

  He didn’t miss the way she sought Ridhor out whenever she entered the room, longing for his comfortable company. Or the way she would engage with Andrei when she was in a mood she was hoping to break. Or even the way she watched them all with Zura, this happiness in her eyes that made his heart sing.

  Being with them was right, she just didn’t know it yet.

  They would have to convince her.

  “I knew it,” Andrei said softly, a shit-eating grin on his face. “With everything going on with her, I knew there was no way she wasn’t our mate. And fated?” He laughed like a kid in a candy store. “This is amazing.”

  Orren wanted to be as hopeful as Andrei, but he knew once she set her mind on something, it would take everything they had to make her budge even the slightest bit. Her heels were dug in, she didn’t want a mate, let alone three. “That would be great news if Melas wanted a mate.” He tried to keep the melancholy tone from his voice but failed.

  “She doesn’t know what she wants—” Andrei started.

  “Don’t do that.” Ridhor’s tone was sharp, a knife piercing both of them.

  Andrei frowned. “Do what?”

  His eyes were hard as they met Andrei’s. “Try to make it seem like she doesn’t know what she wants because her wants differ from yours. She may not know what being a mate would mean, but she knows she doesn’t want it. She’s not some fickle thing.”

  “Look, brother—”

  “No.” Orren stopped Andrei before he could argue. “As much as I hate to admit it, Ridhor is right. We may not want to accept it, we may never really accept it, but as it stands right now being mated doesn’t mean anything to Melas.”

  Throwing his hands up, Andrei scoffed. He slumped back in his seat, frustration contorting his face. “So, that’s it then? She doesn’t want it, so that’s that?”

  “Andrei, don�
�t behave like a child.” Ridhor would roll his eyes, but it wasn’t something he did.

  “Any time I don’t behave as cold and stoic as the pair of you, I’m behaving like a child. Excuse me if I’m a little upset. She’s right here. Everything I didn’t realize I wanted. She struck a match when she stabbed me in the foyer and set me ablaze with need for her. The thought of her being gone one day, destroys me. You can both sit here acting like you’re being mature about this, but don’t act like you don’t feel the same way. As childish as it may be to the both of you to admit, I can honestly say I’ve existed thousands of years and it’s all meant nothing until I saw her. Until I made Zura laugh. We can show her, we can show them both.”

  His words were filled with desolation as he looked back and forth between them.

  He was right. His words hit them like frigid water, shocking their systems.

  Ridhor sighed. “We need to shove the matehood from our minds. Stop speaking of it. She is not ready. The more we discuss this with her, the further we push her away. We need to convince her to make room for us. That’s all. Prove we will remain with them always.”

  “It doesn’t seem there have been many people in her life who stuck around.” Orren agreed, nodding at Ridhor. “You know her the best. I think you’re right about this. The mate thing needs to be tabled. We’ve wasted too much time on it as it is. She doesn’t like the idea of a cosmic plan. It won’t work in our favour to keep bringing it up.”

  Andrei nodded slowly. “Okay, I can do that. No more talk of mates seems simple enough.”

  “We play to our strengths,” Ridhor added. “We’re all different and she comes to us with different needs. She wants my comfort and safety, she wants the easy playful friendship from Andrei, the challenge from Orren.”

  “Friendship.” Andrei flinched. “I want the friendship Ridhor has with her. The sexual kind.”

  “Can you be serious through to the end of this conversation?” Orren did roll his eyes. “You can make her laugh easier than we can. She needs that just as much as she needs the rest.”

  Straightening in his chair, he nodded. “I love her laugh.”