Enchanted Addictions: A Reverse Harem Fairy Romance (The Twilight Court Book 11)

by Amy Sumida

  I chuckled. “Perhaps.”

  “No perhaps about it, Twilight,” Killian said. “To win your heart, a man has to be a lover and a fighter. You don't settle for less.”

  “A woman after my own heart,” a female voice declared.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  We all turned toward the voice.

  A strikingly beautiful woman stood just outside the doorway, her ebony hair backlit with a golden halo. It was cut in a very modern, very human bob, which surprised me immensely. Fey treasured long hair—on both men and women—and even those who came to live in HR tended to keep their hair at least shoulder-length. Some men cut their hair short—my Uncle Dylan and my husband, Daxon were two examples of that—but I'd never seen a Sidhe woman with short hair.

  Firelight and moonlight bathed her but her paleness was brighter than both. Moonlight skin—an Unseelie trait. She stepped forward gracefully, her willowy body swaying as if she had more curves than she did, and as the light caught her face, the color of her eyes was revealed—gray. They reminded me of my cousin, Bress, even though his eyes were blue with gray swirls. Still, they had the look of his—stormy eyes.

  “Veri,” Drostan said affectionately as he stood. He didn't go to her but rather, held his hand out and drew her to him.

  And she went, eagerly. Verisande pressed up against Drostan, practically purring, and kissed him as if we weren't there. Not that I minded—I'm guilty of doing the same thing. I'd done so earlier that day in fact. But this kiss didn't feel like an expression of affection so much as a claim of ownership. Verisande ran her long nails through his hair, pulling some free of its ponytail to leave Drostan slightly disheveled when she drew back.

  I had to hide my smile, but Drostan smirked openly and cast me a look that said he knew exactly what his girlfriend was up to and was vastly amused by it. And might just tease her a bit. I shook my head at him sternly; the last thing I wanted was to be drawn into some lover's game between him and his lady.

  “Queen Seren,” Drostan said, making me groan inwardly and my husbands frown, but then he added, “King Raza, Prince Killian, Sir Conri, Sir Felix,” nodding to each of us in turn. “May I introduce my lady, Verisande Osag.”

  Verisande's eyes narrowed at Drostan before widening innocently as she turned toward us. She smiled brightly. “It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesties and Your Highness. And you've brought such handsome knights with you.”

  “Lovely to meet you as well,” I said while the men just nodded at her.

  Well, all but Conri, who preened.

  In addition to her short hair, Verisande wore expensive, tasteful, human clothing. Her black pencil skirt went down to her knees and her silk blouse clung to her sensuously without being too sexy. Her jewelry was modest but still looked as if it had cost a fortune, and she had a pair of killer heels on that made her nearly as tall as Drostan.

  “Ah, and here are the rest of my guests,” Drostan declared.

  Councilman Wayne Williams walked up with the extinguishers. Drostan introduced them all—surprising me with his excellent memory—and shortly afterward, Ana came out to tell us that dinner was on the table. Drostan led the way to the dining room and we sat down at the long table before the fireplace—now lit—with Drostan at the head and Verisande to his right. The meal was served family-style and Drostan waved us toward it encouragingly. Several extinguishers reached for the food at once.

  Williams cleared his throat. The extinguishers paused and looked at him, some with food halfway to their plates. Williams looked at Raza, Killian, and I pointedly. The extinguishers returned the serving spoons and withdrew their hands.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Thank you, Wayne, but we're not at court. Don't worry about us, we can fend for ourselves. I promise you.”

  “All right, then, you heard her.” Williams motioned toward the food.

  The extinguishers grinned and went back to ravaging the feast. Raza reached into the melee and grabbed a platter of sliced chicken with gravy. He dished some onto my plate. Killian grimaced at him and grabbed the mashed potatoes to slap some down near my helping of chicken as if in challenge. I sighed and sat back as my husbands continued to attempt to outdo each other with offerings of food.

  I looked over at Verisande and made a beleaguered face. “This is what happens when you have two types of Djinn for husbands.”

  Verisande chuckled softly. “I don't think I'd mind.”

  Drostan gave her an annoyed look and I laughed. It looked as if Verisande knew how to play as well. Good for her.

  “Oh, but you're more than enough for me, sweetheart,” Verisande drawled as she drew her nails down Drostan's cheek, hard enough to dent his skin.

  Drostan made a dubious and slightly irritated sound, then started filling his plate. Verisande winked at me and reached for her glass, calmly sitting back and waiting for the rush to die down before she went for the food. This wasn't a woman who did anything as crass as bumping elbows for sustenance.

  Finally, we all had full plates and started to eat, even Verisande—from the dainty portions she'd taken. My plate was brimming, practically overflowing, and I gave my husbands annoyed glances for forcing so much food on me.

  “I'll finish what you don't,” Killian offered.

  “No, it's on my plate, I'll eat it,” I insisted.

  Killian lifted a brow at me and then looked pointedly at the mound of food.

  “If you didn't think I wanted so much, why did you put it there?” I countered.

  “Ask the Dragon,” Killian shot back. “I was only following his lead.”

  “Dragon-Djinn enjoy feeding their mates,” Raza said in a tone that dared anyone to say anything about it.

  I accepted the dare and said, “I thought that was only after sex?”

  “No, that's simply when you notice it most since I must leave your side to gather the food,” Raza said smugly.

  “Since you brought up the subject,” Verisande interrupted us, “would you mind if I asked a terribly personal question?”

  Raza lifted a dark brow at her. “Ask. I do not guarantee an answer.”

  Verisande made an intrigued sound and looked my husband over. “So aggressive. I adore aggressive men.”

  “Veri,” Drostan said in a warning tone.

  “I'm just playing,” she said with a pout in her voice.

  “Don't play with dragons, darling,” Drostan said in a steely tone. “You're not fireproof.”

  “I just wanted to ask,” Verisande went on, ignoring Drostan's warning completely, “do you both have sex with your wife at the same time?”

  Everyone went still.

  Molten gold bled into Raza's eyes, burning away the human topaz.

  “This is what humans call dinner and a movie,” Conri whispered to Felix.

  “Raza”—I took his hand—“look at me.”

  Raza swiveled his head to face me—it wasn't a human movement. The bones in his face were shifting back to Dragon-Djinn sharpness and his teeth, which were bared, stretched into fangs even as I watched. He took a deep breath and let it out in a smoky rumble. I stroked his cheeks and pulled his head down until our foreheads were touching.

  “Remember that the Fey are more open about sex and you, babe, are Fey,” I whispered. “She didn't mean to offend you.”

  Raza pulled back, stretched his neck, and set his molten stare back on Verisande, whose moonlight skin had taken on a bright blush. It gave me a perverse pleasure to see it. Not so cool anymore, eh, Veri?

  “If we were not guests in your lover's home, I would have struck you down for that question,” Raza said to her. “As my wife says, we are Fey and we do view sex more casually than humans. But you, as an Unseelie Fairy, would know that Dragon-Djinn are a bit different once we're mated. We are possessive and although we might publicly speak about the sex we share with our mates, it is never in so crass a manner.”

  “Your Majesty, I'm so sorry, I assumed that since your wife is married—”
<
br />   “Do not lie to me, Verisande Osag,” Raza growled. “You know very well that Danu called Seren and us, her husbands, together. It was the will of our goddess and so I accepted it, and we have become a family. But I am still a Dragon-Djinn and such talk from a veritable stranger is not to be endured. Although we've just met, I can tell that you're not a stupid woman. You knew how your question would anger me so that brings to mind another question.” Raza leaned forward toward Verisande. “Why rouse the dragon?”

  “Yes, why?” Drostan snapped at his girlfriend.

  “I wanted to be certain that you wouldn't allow your wife to take a consort,” Verisande said stiffly.

  Drostan flushed. Raza scowled. I snagged my glass and took a long swig.

  “What?” Killian asked. “I don't get it.”

  “I apologize, Your Majesty,” Verisande said to Raza. “Drostan has spoken highly of your wife, mentioning her to me several times since he returned from Fairy and now, here she is and she's...” she glanced at me and flushed again. “She's lovely, as you know, and Drostan—”

  “That will do.” Raza lifted his hand to ward off her rambling. “I understand and accept your apology. And I also offer you this to ease your mind: my wife and I are very honest with each other and I noted the attraction between her and your lover.”

  “Oh, dear Goddess, take me now,” I muttered.

  “We spoke of it,” Raza went on. “And Seren assured me that she has no interest in taking a consort—not Baron Drostan nor any other man. So, you may rest assured that my wife will not be an issue in your relationship.”

  “I am so sorry, Your Majesty,” Drostan said stiffly. “This is not how I wanted this meal to go.”

  “It's no matter,” Raza said.

  “Forgive me, King Raza, but I was speaking to your wife,” Drostan said to Raza. Then he transferred his attention back to me. “I'm sorry that my lady has embarrassed you. I had hopes that you two could be friends.”

  “I as well,” I said with a quelling glance at my annoyed, Dragon-Djinn husband. “Let's just forget about this and enjoy our meal.” I looked from Drostan to Verisande. “We won't be here for long and then you two can get back to your usual routine. But if it's too uncomfortable for either of you, we can head back to the hotel after dinner.”

  “Oh, fuck it all,” Verisande muttered.

  Some of the extinguishers—who had all been eating through this exchange—made amused sounds. Conri laughed outright. He practically howled.

  “I feel awful now,” Verisande went on, “and absolutely mortified. I've behaved like a young girl with her first lover. And I've done so in front of royalty, no less. I'm so sorry, Queen Seren. You're obviously worthy of all the praise Drostan has been giving you and I'm just a fool.”

  “We're all foolish in love,” I said with a soft smile. “And it's hard to know where you stand sometimes when you're in a fey relationship. If you want monogamy, it can get complicated. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel.” I abruptly turned to glare at the other end of the table and all of the faces—both human and fey—staring at us in fascination. “And would you nosy bastards at least try to look as if you're not enjoying every second of this?”

  The humans, Killian, and my guards, even Felix, burst into laughter that served to lighten the heaviness of our conversation. I winked at Verisande, who smiled back at me gratefully, but as I looked away, my glance happened on Drostan. His stare was far too soft and admiring for my comfort.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  After dinner and a magnificent selection of cakes for dessert, we headed back to our guest rooms to prepare for our next excursion. I admit that I considered calling it off. After that big meal, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with Killian and have sex until my eyes rolled back in my head. Or perhaps just sleep. But we were on a mission and any hesitation on our parts could cost people their lives. We'd waited long enough as it was to look for this drug dealer.

  We all dressed down, even Raza. When he stepped into my room in jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black leather coat, I nearly fainted with pleasure. Raza could rock leather like, well, like a rock star. He saw my appreciative look, smirked, and strode over to kiss me.

  “Don't start all that,” Killian said as he shrugged into his own leather jacket, which happened to be a hoodie. “We already wasted too much time with dinner.”

  “Again, I offer my most sincere apologies.” Drostan stepped into the room, looking a bit sheepish. He was wearing his college boy clothes again. “I had no idea she was going to react so...”

  “Viciously?” Killian asked and smirked. “You've got a wild cat there.”

  Drostan chuckled. “You have no idea.”

  “It's fine, Drostan,” I said. “Don't worry about it.”

  “No, it isn't.” He grimaced. “I assure you, it won't happen again.”

  “Of course, it won't,” Raza said. “We've cleared things up. It sounded as if it were more about you than any of us.”

  “Yes. Very true.” Drostan cleared his throat. “But that's not why I'm here. I was wondering if I might join you tonight?”

  “Join us in hunting down a drug dealer?” Killian asked in surprise.

  “Is that what you're doing?” Drostan asked with an eager lilt.

  “Don't get a lot of excitement in the lightning rod business?” I asked with a grin.

  “Not so much,” Drostan admitted. “I could be helpful.”

  “You can't be flashing lightning on a human street,” Killian warned him.

  “Using my mór doesn't have to be flashy.” Drostan held out a hand and light filled his palm. “I can tone down the crackle without losing any of the bite. It's amazing how handy a little zap can be when you need to get the truth out of someone.”

  I looked at Killian. Kill shrugged. I looked at Raza. He grinned.

  “Okay, you're hired,” I said. “But no zapping anyone unnecessarily.”

  Drostan beamed at me. “Understood.”

  “I have to warn you,” I continued gravely, “I spoke with the fairy who's behind all of this and she threatened us. She has humans working for her and at least one of them is a sniper.”

  “Bullets won't kill us unless they're made of iron,” Drostan said flippantly. “And I doubt her humans are using iron bullets.”

  “Iron bullets don't work so well,” I agreed. “I imagine they'd be difficult for a sniper to use. But we're not immune to harm. Regular bullets can hurt us, especially if shot into the head or heart.”

  “Only temporarily,” Raza said. “It won't kill us, only the humans. They are who she was truly threatening, and Drostan isn't human.”

  “What about Killian and me?” I lifted a brow at my husband. “Can a bullet to the brain kill us?”

  Raza went still. His expression lost all its arrogance. Finally, he whispered, “I don't know.”

  “Then let's not get shot in the brain,” Killian said flippantly.

  “Most likely, your fey immortality would heal you,” Drostan said to me but cast a look at Raza that made it obvious who he was really reassuring.

  Raza let out a long breath and nodded gratefully at Drostan. “You're right; she should be fine.”

  “You mean we,” Killian corrected. “I know you're concerned about me too, Beast Bro.”

  Raza rolled his eyes before he continued as if Kill hadn't spoken, “I think it would be best to take Drostan with us and leave most of the extinguishers behind.”

  “We can't just cut the extinguishers out of this,” I argued. “This is their mission. Plus, they're trained to handle any situation, even being fired at by snipers, and they'll be wearing protective gear. I'll just make sure they wear their helmets.”

  “Out into the streets of St. Louis? That might cause a panic.” Killian shook his head. “Sorry, Seren, but I think Raza's right. At least for tonight, we should leave as many of them behind as we can.”

  “Good luck with convincing them of that,” I muttered as I headed
out of the room and downstairs.

  Conri and Felix, who'd been waiting outside my room, fell into step behind me and the other men followed us.

  “What about Verisande?” I asked Drostan over my shoulder. “Won't she be annoyed if you go out with us when she's here?”

  “She had to go back to the office—an issue with a client.”

  “At 8 o'clock at night?” I stopped to look at him.

  “She's a financial adviser,” Drostan explained. “People have money issues at all hours and she has clients all over the world.”