by L. Rose
“Enough,” Paige snapped.
Thera froze and eyed Paige since Ezra and Nate moved aside. Asher still held his mate. Thera took a step toward them. Ezra and Nate both growled in the back of their throats. Smartly, Thera stopped. Her nose turned up. “Who are you to speak to me as such?”
Before Paige could say anything, I said coldly, “She is a guest of your king. It is you who is in the wrong by coming in here thinking you have the right, when in fact you don’t.”
Thera ignored my words and asked again, “Who are you?”
“Thera, you will leave instantly,” I ordered.
“I am Paige Alice, ghoul queen. Who is it you think you are? As far as I can see, you are not wanted or needed in this room and never will be.”
Thera gasped dramatically and turned to me. “Will you allow this?”
I had wanted to keep things peaceful, but enough was enough.
“Yes,” I told her.
She sneered. “Father was right. You’re a weak king.” I felt a tap on my mind. She wanted access. She was trying to force it.
“Don’t, Thera,” Kiered warned, sensing what she was trying to do.
“What’s she doing?” Paige demanded.
“Trying to pry open my mind to speak with me. It won’t happen, Thera.”
She screamed and stamped her foot like a spoiled child. Unfortunately, she turned to Paige, drew a dagger from her sleeve, and threw it at her. Paige cried out when Nate, who moved in front of her, stumbled backward.
Even though he’d caught himself and Thera’s aim wasn’t good since the blade ended up in his arm, Paige saw red.
Before our eyes, she changed. Her eyes shone red with a black ring around the pupil, and her nails extended into claws. She let out a vicious snarl, and even though Asher still held her, she managed to get out of his hold and race to Thera.
Paige grabbed her by her hair and threw her across the room.
“Love,” Asher called.
“Sweetheart,” Thorn said.
“Let her go,” Ezra mumbled.
None of them assisted her.
Thera got up off the floor with more daggers in her hands. She looked as if nothing had happened to her. Hair, clothes, and appearance all perfect. Whereas Paige looked feral, and I liked it. No, I loved it because she was herself. Her wild, wonderful self, protecting her mate.
“I’ll kill you,” Thera bit out.
“You can try.” Paige smiled.
The room thickened with Thera’s power. I stepped closer to Paige, but Alex was there with his hand on my arm, shaking his head. “I have it,” he told me on a whisper. “She’s safe, magically, and she’ll fight her own battles physically.”
I eyed him, lost in his glowing purple eyes. His magic swept over me and caused me to shiver. I nodded down at him, since I seemed to be the tallest out of the men. Alex was also the shortest, just above Paige.
Why I compared myself to the men I didn’t know. It wasn’t like it mattered since I wouldn’t be a part of their group.
“As long as she isn’t outnumbered,” Asher stated.
Nate snorted. “She’d even try to keep us out of it then and take it all on.”
Thorn nodded. “She’s stubborn.”
“In a cute way, especially when she gets angry with us,” Ezra added.
Why were they telling me all this?
Thera threw a dagger. Paige dodged it beautifully as she made her way toward the woman. Thera threw the next dagger, and Paige easily moved out of the way. She was on Thera, a hand wrapped around her neck. She picked Thera up off the floor and held her high.
Elves were strong, but it seemed ghouls were stronger, or at least the queen was.
Thera struggled, choking and gripping Paige’s arms.
“Why do you want to harm me? I have done nothing to you.”
“H-He s-said I-I h-had to,” she got out slowly.
Paige dropped her. Thera landed in a heap. She sat up slowly, rubbing her neck. “What are you doing?” Thera whispered.
“Who said you had to harm me?”
“My father.”
“Why?”
“Because the council ordered it—and I will follow through,” she yelled, lifting herself up and stabbing Paige in the chest.
We all cried out, until we heard Paige laugh. She leaned into the knife, cupped Thera’s face and smiled down at her. “The only way to kill a ghoul is to slice off our heads.” Thera paled and then her eyes widened when Paige went on with “You should have learned more about us and how I now have the right to kill you instantly.” Paige whipped Thera’s head quickly to the side, snapping her neck.
Thera dropped to the floor. Dead.
Paige straightened, glanced down at the knife sticking out of her, and asked, “Does someone want to help pull it out?”
The room had been cleared of maids and the dead body. When it finally happened, I wanted to smack all my men in the face and kick them in the shin. Usually I only got that feeling with Nate, and maybe sometimes Ezra. Not with all of them. Even Cedrick was being foolish.
“I think Alex should put her to sleep before we remove it,” Thorn suggested again.
Cedrick nodded as he stared down at my chest. “I would agree,” he murmured.
“Sounds good to me. Then it won’t hurt her,” Ezra added.
“Just pull the thing out quickly,” Nate said. He bent and poked at where the knife was still inside me. I flinched, which caused Alex to smack him in the back of the head.
“That hurt her.”
The most annoying one came from the most sensible one. Asher tapped his chin and said, “Maybe if we distract her with an orgasm—”
“Are you all serious right now?” I took the hilt of the dagger, and while they all called out for me to stop, I pulled it free with a small cry of pain. I dropped the dagger to the floor and glared at them all. “That’s the last time I ask for help. Next time I have something hanging out of me, I’ll deal with it myself.”
“Why did that sound dirty and yet not?” Ezra asked.
I punched him in the stomach. He wheezed as I then stepped around them to go to the couch.
“Sweetheart, come on now. We didn’t want to hurt you,” Thorn said. I ignored him and winced a little when I sat. Already I could feel the skin knitting back together. Thorn took the seat beside me, and just as Nate was about to sit on the other side, Alex appeared out of nowhere, scaring Nate enough he cried out in surprise.
Then a scowl took over his features before he kicked at Alex’s foot. “You’re fucking lucky you’re pretty or I’d move you.”
“I know.” Alex smiled.
Leaning back, I looked up, and up again, at Cedrick. My heart fluttered, remembering his naked body appearing in the room. I knew his body would be perfection, but his silky white skin, his hard muscles, his tall form, and his long, thick dick would be seared into my mind forever.
Even then I wanted to see it again. I wanted to cherish each and every inch of the man with cute pointy ears. God, those ears drove me crazy. I could stare at them, at all of him, for hours. Like all of my men.
Regret filled me, and my healed chest twisted from it.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him he was mine. He was made for me. He had responsibilities, and I couldn’t come between him and his people.
“You know, don’t you?” Cedrick asked. My body jolted, and I realized I’d been staring at him standing in front of me. It shocked me when he knelt, resting his clasped hands on his thighs. The others quieted around us and stopped trying to reason with me about why they didn’t want to hurt me. I understood it, but maybe we had to stop coddling each other when it came to helping one another. Even if it hurt.
“Know what?” I asked softly and caught Kiered’s pained look behind his brother.
Oh crap… was this about my mark on him?
“You’re my bride,” he announced as his icy eyes held mine. They told me more than his blank look. In them I
could see hurt, respect, and resolve.
“Sorry, what?” No one said anything about being a bride. What did he mean? Was he expecting me to leave my lands, my people, to become a doting wife?
“Love,” Asher called, then his hands were on my shoulders, his calmness rolling over me. “For elves, they call their mates brides. That is what Cedrick means.”
Oh.
“Ah… okay, um, it sounds very Bride of Chucky, but to answer your question, I didn’t know I was your bride. As far as I knew, I had marked you to be my bonded mate.”
His eyes widened; then he caught himself and blanked his features.
“You’ve marked me?”
Alex took my hand as I blushed like a little girl who had her first crush and he was talking to her. “Yes.”
Nate, from where he’d planted himself on the floor between Alex’s legs, said, “We guessed it happened when we first showed. You were using your power to glamour that room?” Cedrick nodded. “Paige marks her mates when they first use their powers in front of her. Though, it seems you also marked her to be your bride.”
“What do you mean?” Asher asked.
“Alex noticed it before we got interrupted. He pointed it out to me only recently and I saw it when you changed.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“On the back of your shoulder is a mark, one that looks a lot like an autumn leaf.”
Cedrick, with wide eyes, looked over his shoulder to his brother, who shrugged. He turned back and asked, “May I see it?”
I nodded and leaned forward for Thorn and Alex to grip my tee and lift it. Cedrick walked around the back of the couch and stopped beside Asher. Both of them leaned in. One of them traced a finger over my skin, causing me to shiver.
“I have never heard of a bride receiving a mark,” Cedrick admitted. He sounded in awe. “It is beautiful.”
It was his finger lightly grazing the mark, causing my body to react even more. My nipples hardened, my pussy pulsed, and I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from moaning. I wanted to turn around and claim his lips.
We’d marked each other.
Even though I had five mates where the marking happened nearly instantly, it still shocked me how a part of ourselves knew we were it for each other.
“Does this mean the bond is complete?” I asked, wondering if it was different for fae. When I felt Cedrick straighten, his finger dropping away, I pulled my shoulder forward enough to glance down.
A dainty sugar maple leaf, colored in browns, greens, and ambers, sat just at the back of my right shoulder. I thinned my lips, so I didn’t smile. It reminded me of when Ezra had first left his mark on my chest. His handprint. I glanced to where he stood leaning against the wall closest to the couch. He smirked down at me, as if knowing my thoughts.
I wanted Nate and Asher to fuck me and bite me again. To leave their marks deeper so they stayed permanently on me. I wanted Alex and Thorn to brand me in some way as well. We may have emotionally marked one another, but I wanted theirs to show on my body, so I could walk around proudly showing who I belonged to.
Smiling to myself, I decided I would voice what I wanted eventually because I knew they would give me it. I also knew it would be something they would love. It was just unfortunate it would have to be later.
All happiness faded and my chest ached. My smile dropped and I blinked down at my lap.
My men sensed my mood shift, and all reached out to touch me in some way. Ezra even came over to sit on the floor between Thorn’s legs to be close and curled a reassuring hand around my calf.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Ezra murmured.
“What doesn’t?” Cedrick asked. Obviously, his hearing was as good as the rest of ours.
I licked my dry lips. “How this won’t work.” It hurt to say the words; it felt like even my throat wanted to close off on the words and take them back.
“I know,” he said before I could say more. I lifted my gaze to his as he walked around the couch and sat in the chair Kiered pulled up. Anguish filled his gaze, and I knew mine replicated his. It pained me even more. He smiled sadly; one corner of his mouth tilted a little. “You have your people to take care of and I have mine. Neither of us could change it. Our father wasn’t the kindest ruler. I’m only just gaining the trust of my people. If I were to leave and have another elder rule—someone who went along with our father’s ideas—it wouldn’t be good for the people, but also for everyone outside of this realm.”
“My brother’s power keeps the dark fae in line and secured behind their own binding,” Kiered said. “To lose him now would risk those wards, and if they were free, they would do anything they wanted to ensure chaos.”
I never understood what a fae king had to deal with. In retrospect, it seemed a lot more than I ever could.
“I… um… my staying wouldn’t help the matter, would it?” It wasn’t like I could stay, but I still wanted to ask. However, I already knew the answer when he closed his eyes as if he’d been cut.
“No,” he whispered, opening his eyes again. I wanted to crawl into his lap and comfort him, and myself. It tormented me more knowing we both knew we were each other’s mates and understood we couldn’t complete the bond.
We would have been better to have lived in the dark a little longer. I’d thought I could walk away if he didn’t understand what we were to each other. I wasn’t sure I could now.
But I had to.
Why would the Fates do this?
Why would they hurt us like this?
Walking away would no doubt break something inside of me and Cedrick. Already, even without the connection, I could see how he suffered inside like I was.
My bottom lip trembled. I bit down on it, but Cedrick saw, and he made a pained noise in the back of his throat. He started to reach for me but stopped himself, clenching his jaw.
“The room should be cleared by now,” Kiered said, seeing his brother’s conflict. “Shall we rest for the night and speak of matters on the morrow?”
“No,” Cedrick started, his voice sounding hard. He straightened his back. To me it looked like the king was present, gone my destined mate who I couldn’t have and who couldn’t have me back. “We need to speak of other matters.”
It pained me to say so, but he was right. So many other things were happening. “He’s right.” I nodded once. “We do, and first on the agenda would be if you knew who attacked us in the room. Second would be if we need to worry about Thera’s father.”
He leaned forward, elbows to his knees. It wasn’t a posture I would expect from him. To me, Cedrick looked regal, and I would have thought he would also act that way always. Although, maybe he was treating us to his relaxed self and the way he was behind closed doors.
He clasped his hands together and stared down at them. “We have a traitor in our palace,” he announced, then looked up to meet my gaze. I would have gotten lost in his gaze, but that was news no one who ruled would want to happen.
“Rallis?” I said.
Kiered snorted. Cedrick gave me a small smile. “You’ve been around him not long and you already suspect something?”
“He just seems that type of guy. No one can be that far up someone’s ass without a reason. He either has a crush on you and you’re lovers, or he wants to live up your butt so much so you don’t suspect him of anything.”
Cedrick’s smile grew, while Kiered laughed loudly. “We’re not lovers, and I don’t believe he has a crush on me. We also think he’s behind some things that have happened.”
“What things?” Thorn asked.
I leaned back into Alex more and waited to hear the answer. I saw Cedrick notice my movement and was glad to see no jealousy in his expression or body.
“Little things. Mixed messages, undelivered messages. Tasks unfulfilled because he didn’t agree with them. Thankfully, all have been mild where I haven’t had to punish him. But lately it has been happening more frequently.”
�
��Why haven’t you confronted him?” Nate asked.
“We’ve been having someone follow him, hoping he will make a mistake and take us to whomever is pulling his strings.”
“You don’t believe he could be behind something bigger?” Ezra asked. He smirked, already knowing the answer.
“I can see you don’t believe it even after questioning it. No, someone is leading him into annoying me or making me look a fool to my people.”
“Maybe the two are connected,” I mumbled more to myself in thought.
“What do you mean, love?” Asher asked.
I lifted my gaze and met Cedrick’s. “Or maybe all of them are connected. As in Rallis, Thera and her father, then those men who were sent to attack us. They could all be following someone on the council. They’re threatened by us. Trying to end the threat before it arrives, before we get into their territory. Which is also why we were set upon on the way here.”
Cedrick slowly straightened. His eyes widened a little like it all clicked into place. “You’re right. I hadn’t seen it before because I thought nothing of the marriage arranged with Thera.” I frowned. I couldn’t believe he’d been set to marry that goddamn beautiful skank.
Well, she was dead now, and I smiled at the thought of it being me to kill her.
“Dove, that smile seems a little crazy. Bring it down a notch,” Alex suggested. Nate snorted, Ezra chuckled, while Thorn and Asher smiled when I checked on them. Making sure my crazy wasn’t scaring them, I guessed I was good since they all stayed where they were.
I looked back to Cedrick. His small smile said he’d guessed my train of thought and didn’t mind.
At least, I hoped.
“As I said, I thought nothing of it because my father and hers were close friends.”
“Isn’t Therolidi, Thera’s father, friends with someone on the council?” Kiered asked suddenly.
Cedrick stood and started pacing. “How could I have been so stupid? Yes, he is, but why would he plot to assassinate our father? It never meant he would be in power. The throne would always go to me.”
“But he had Thera to try and steer you in ways he wanted,” Ezra said.