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

by Amy Sumida

  “Like to use him as bait?” I finished for him.

  Nightblade cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “It's okay,” Drostan assured me. “Verisande would never hurt me.”

  “Drostan, you were shot, remember?” I reminded him gently. “In the heart.”

  Drostan's face fell, his bright eyes darkened, and a shocked breath pushed past his lips. Then he lifted his chin. “You're right, Queen Seren, and that tells me that Verisande is innocent. This is a mistake and I'm going to prove it.”

  Drostan strode out of the room and Nightblade followed, giving us a grim look as he passed.

  “There is nothing quite so stubborn or so sad as a man in love with a treacherous woman,” Raza said softly.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Drostan, proving himself to be even more generous and understanding than I'd thought him to be, invited the hunters to share our meal after they searched his home. They accepted—most likely because it would have looked churlish and even rude if they hadn't—and we sat around the dining table in awkward silence for a few minutes before I couldn't take it any longer.

  “This is silly,” I declared. “We're all doing our jobs and we're on the same side. The Councils may be upset with each other right now, but Killian and I are ambassadors—we bridge the gap between fairies and humans. There's no reason why we can't work together.”

  “Except that our council has forbidden it, Your Majesty,” Nightblade said respectfully. “And you are currently working for the Human Council.”

  “Have they forbidden it?” I countered. “What did they tell you exactly?”

  Nightblade frowned in thought. “They said to conduct our own investigation and report only to them.”

  “You can do that and still work with us,” I pointed out. “You've already shared information with Raza and me so I'm going to return the favor and tell you what we've learned.”

  Nightblade blinked in surprise. “That would be... appreciated, Your Majesty.”

  So, I told him. I told him about the bodies and the drug. I told him about Roma Stillson and what we knew about Alicia Waterhouse. When I got to the shell corporation, Nightblade stopped me with a lifted hand.

  “Margaret Walsh may have been willing to protect her client before, but perhaps now that things have escalated, she'll be more forthcoming,” Nightblade mused.

  “I doubt it,” Williams said. “That woman won't bend.”

  “She'll bend for the Fairy Council,” Nightblade declared. “I should be able to get an edict ordering her to give us the name. After all, it could be said that the situation is now threatening the safety of our race.”

  I began to smile. “See how easy that was? Five minutes and we've already made progress.”

  “I expect an apology to be made to Verisande when her innocence is proven,” Drostan said to Nightblade.

  “Have you tried contacting her recently, Your Excellency?” Nightblade asked diplomatically.

  Drostan's jaw clenched before he answered. “My calls go straight to voicemail.”

  “Has that ever happened before?” Nightblade pressed.

  “All right,” I snapped. “You've made your point; don't be an ass about it.”

  “Your Majesty.” Nightblade nodded stiffly to me.

  “Let's eat and then the hunters can be on their way—off to get that edict—and we can get some rest,” I said to the entire table.

  Everyone started to eat. I glanced at Drostan and he smiled gratefully.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The Lord Hunter posted a watch on Drostan's property and then left with the rest of his men. They would return the next day, after speaking with the Fairy Council and, hopefully, after getting a name from Margaret Walsh. Then we'd discuss possible ways to lure Verisande to Drostan. Before they left, we also exchanged cell numbers in case of an emergency.

  Then we went swimming.

  Yes, I know. So many reasons why that wasn't the best idea. First and foremost was the old adage that you should never swim after eating. Then there was the fact that we were tired. And lastly, Verisande could have shown up at any moment and tried to kill all of us. We did it anyway. At least, those of us who were Fey did. The humans took a nap, but we fairies had found our second wind—the perks of immortality—and decided that a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi and perhaps a few dips in the pool, sounded like a good idea.

  Drostan brought out a few bottles of wine and made it even better.

  The fact that I was the only woman out there, surrounded by beautiful, Fey men was not lost on me. I propped my arms on the edge of the Jacuzzi, letting the heat and bubbles work into my knotted muscles, and sighed for more than mere relaxation. Raza and Killian were the larger of my husbands—both of them linebacker buff, with Raza a little buffer than Kill—but I enjoyed a slim male physique as well. There's something to be said for a lean, graceful man. So although I was bracketed by my burly husbands—who were wearing only their boxer shorts—I also enjoyed the sight of Drostan's sleek body as he dove into the pool. Day had turned into evening while we'd had dinner and now was shifting into night, but the pool had underwater lights and the patio had lanterns and braziers to keep the darkness at bay. So, my view was unimpeded.

  Conri cannon-balled into the pool with a whoop.

  “Conri!” I hissed as he surfaced. “The rest of our team is sleeping right over there.” I waved at the guest house no more than twenty feet away.

  “It's soundproof,” Drostan called out to me. “I like my guests to be as comfortable as possible.”

  “Oh,” I said in a louder tone. “Very well then. Have at it, Con.”

  “I'm good now,” Conri said as he climbed out of the pool and headed over to the Jacuzzi, where the wine had been set. “I just needed to let off some steam.”

  Conri's body wasn't one to turn your nose up at either. He had Bargest muscles that were just a little leaner than Killian's and moved with the rolling stride of a predator. Then there was Felix, whose physique was as sleekly muscled as Drostan's. Theirs was the average body type for a male Sidhe—elegant and lean, but still powerful. The sort of body made for dancing and killing with equal grace.

  I sighed again and let my eyes drift shut. It was good to be queen.

  Raza's hand trailed up my thigh and my eyes popped open. I hadn't brought a swimsuit with me for obvious reasons so I, like the men, had to make do. I had a T-shirt on, knotted at my waist to keep it from billowing up, and a pair of Killian's boxer shorts. The shorts were large on me and had to be knotted at the waist as well but it was the width at the legs that my husband was taking advantage of.

  “Watch it, Dragon,” I murmured.

  Raza leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “No one can see past the bubbles.” His hand slid further up and the tip of a finger hooked into the edge of my panties.

  “Raza,” I drew his name out into a warning.

  Killian leaned in from the other side and started kissing my neck.

  “Hey!” I shook off my husbands. “You're being rude.” I looked pointedly at Drostan, who was just then slipping into the Jacuzzi with us.

  Conri and Felix were lounging nearby, drinking wine, but they couldn't see into the water so I wasn't worried about them. Drostan, however, had the perfect view, and Raza was wrong—there weren't nearly enough bubbles to block his sight.

  “Don't mind me.” Drostan took a sip from his wineglass and smiled. “I'm all for exhibitionism.”

  I instantly remembered what he'd said about how he'd relish watching me with my husbands. My face flushed. I stood up, water sluicing off me, making my husbands lurch back, and climbed out of the Jacuzzi.

  “Seren, what the hell?” Killian called after me.

  “I need a swim. It's getting too hot in there.” I dove into the pool to the sound of laughter.

  The cool water revived me and helped to clear my head. I surfaced and inhaled deeply before swimming lazily across the pool. A splash erupte
d behind me. I looked over my shoulder and caught sight of Killian shooting toward me underwater. I yelped and put on speed as the other men laughed.

  Killian grabbed me around the waist as he surfaced. I had a second to take a breath before he pulled me under, where the sound of conversation and laughter dulled and I suddenly felt cocooned in another world with my husband. Killian's mouth met mine as we floated underwater and one of his hands slipped up, beneath my T-shirt. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he rubbed my hard nipple. I hadn't thought to wear a bra.

  We came up kissing... to the sound of applause.

  I broke away from Killian in embarrassment, and Kill sent an annoyed look at our audience.

  “A good woman isn't easily won,” Conri called out to Killian. “Try again, Your Highness. And please do it in the shallow end so we have a better view.”

  “You're all a bunch of perverts,” I declared as I found my footing in the shallows.

  I started heading for the steps, but Killian grabbed me and tossed me back in the deep end. He dove in after me and reached me just as I surfaced. Killian's strong hands grabbed my thighs and spread them. I yelped as his teeth closed over my sex, right through my clothes. He gently chewed at me and the breath caught in my throat.

  I tried to push Kill away, but he was already swimming up my body, nipping at me as he went. His mouth closed around my nipple through the shirt and sucked. I made another startled sound as Killian pushed me back against the wall of the pool. There, beneath the lip of the edge, with the others several feet away and out of sight, we had a measure of privacy and Killian made use of it.

  Kill grabbed the cement ledge to hold himself aloft while he hooked my thigh over his hip—supporting me as well. His mouth covered mine in a searing kiss that felt all the hotter for the cool water surrounding us. And down below, he slipped his shaft through the slit in his boxers and angled it up the leg of the boxers I wore. The warm tip nudged into my panties, pushing the silk into me. I made a soft sound and clutched at his shoulders.

  Killian pulled back to whisper in my ear, “Pull your panties aside for me.”

  I froze.

  “Just for a minute,” he urged.

  What was he, 16? Just for a minute, my ass. In fact, knowing Killian, my ass would probably be next.

  “Killian, if you don't back away from me right now, I'm going to dream-dust you and the guys will have to pull you out of the pool before you drown.”

  Killian chuckled, tucked himself into his shorts, and backed away. I slipped past him and went for the ladder. As I climbed out—the water making my outfit cling to me—Kill made a mournful moan. The other men laughed again.

  “Yes, very funny,” I said primly as I headed back to the Jacuzzi. “My husbands are lechers, trying to sex me up in public. Laugh it up, you monkeys.”

  Felix and Drostan quieted respectfully but Conri and Raza kept chuckling. I grabbed my wine and sat on the rim of the Jacuzzi, dangling my legs in. I wasn't ready to risk getting underwater again so soon. Raza wrapped his hand around my calf possessively and gently stroked it.

  “I'm sorry, mo shíorghrá,” Raza said with a smile that made his apology into a lie. “I can't resist when so much of your beautiful skin is on display.”

  “Dude, can't you even paw at her without turning into a poet?” Killian grumbled.

  “Why are you still in the pool, Killian?” Raza asked smoothly. “You should join us.”

  “You know damn well why,” Killian muttered. “I need a minute. The water's not cold enough to help me out.”

  The men burst out laughing again while I just shook my head.

  “You know, I was enjoying the amount of skin on display as well until you two yahoos messed it up for me,” I grumbled as I gave in and slid back into the bubbling water.

  “My apologies,” Raza drawled. “Far be it for me to get in the way of my wife ogling my body.” He stood up and sat on the rim as I had been doing. “Feel free to look your fill.” He opened his arms to present his magnificent chest.

  “That's more like it,” I said approvingly and picked up my glass of wine.

  “It sounded to me as if she was enjoying more than you, Your Majesty,” Conri sidled over and posed beside Raza. “Go on, Princess, I'm happy to objectify myself for you. Just don't tell Gradh.”

  Raza rolled his eyes.

  “Sorry, but your body is just a smaller version of Raza's. Much smaller. It doesn't offer me anything I don't already have,” I teased Conri.

  Conri had an incredible body, but I didn't want to encourage his arrogance; it was already annoyingly large.

  Raza burst out laughing.

  “Fine. You want something different?” Conri wasn't one to be easily swayed from any kind of sexual banter, even if it meant that he wasn't the center of it. “Come on, Baron, show your queen what your mama gave you.” Conri waved Drostan up.

  “Conri.” I shook my head at him.

  Drostan stood up, surprising everyone, and held his arms out as he turned in a circle for me. “Is this different enough for you, Your Majesty?”

  “Uh.” I cleared my throat.

  Drostan sat down a little closer to Raza. He wasn't posing as Conri had, just casually sat there like Raza, but the stark differences in their physiques served to enhance them both. The only man who'd previously been able to serve as a perfect foil for Raza had been Tiernan, especially when Raza wore his usual ebony skin, but Drostan was doing remarkably well.

  “Yes!” Conri shouted in glee and pumped his fist. “Didn't expect that, did you, Princess? Look at her face—you shocked the hell out of her.”

  Drostan's lips twitched.

  I grimaced. “Yes, thank you, Conri. You've once again proven that you're the bigger, badder pervert. Congratulations.”

  “I'll take that.” Conri bowed to me, then climbed into the Jacuzzi. He eyed Drostan and Raza and added, “You two actually look damn good together.”

  Raza and Drostan turned toward Conri simultaneously, both lifting a brow in a nearly identical manner.

  Conri burst out laughing. “You're like a matched a set. It's a shame you're not gay. You'd make a beautiful couple.”

  “Too far, man,” Killian said as he emerged from the pool at last. “There are too many dudes here for you to be throwing down the gay card. Now, everyone's going to wonder about you.”

  Conri made a derisive sound. “As if anyone would ever think I was gay.”

  “You just spent the last three minutes, admiring us,” Drostan said dryly. “I think you might be.”

  “I'm not gay,” Conri huffed. “I was just teasing Her Highness.”

  “With other men,” Killian said as he slipped into the Jacuzzi. “Oh, sorry. Did you want me to go and sit beside Drostan and Raza for you, Con? I don't mind. I do shit like that for Karmen all the time. I don't judge. In fact, I find it flattering.”

  “I'm not gay!” Conri stood up angrily, grabbed his drink, and went to sit by Felix. “I have a girlfriend.”

  “Bisexual then,” Killian suggested.

  “I'm only attracted to women,” Felix said to Conri in all seriousness. “Just so that we're clear.”

  “I'm not bisexual!” Conri shouted and stomped into the house. “Damn Sidhe.”

  All of us burst into laughter.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  After our swim, we retired to our rooms to shower and get dressed. It still wasn't late enough, nor were we tired enough, to go to bed. I was showered and dressed but my husbands were still bathing so I headed downstairs alone. No one else was around, not even Ana, so I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. I wandered over to the window in the living room and admired the view of the lake while I sipped at it.

  “Beautiful, isn't it?” Drostan's voice came from my right.

  I glanced over as he stepped up beside me, his gaze on the view. “Yes, it's very peaceful.”

  Drostan smiled wanly.

  “Are you all right?” I asked as I turn
ed toward him.

  “I've been better.” He grinned sardonically and kept his stare on the lake. “I know it seems contrary of me to worry about Verisande after I made those... unwanted advances toward you, but I'm sure you can understand how someone can care for two people at the same time.”

  “You don't have to explain anything to me.”

  “But I do.” Drostan finally looked at me. “You see, I couldn't bear it if you thought poorly of me. You came into my life so suddenly. If I'd had the time, I would have done things properly and respectfully but it felt as if I had only moments to express myself to you. I seized the chance even though I wasn't free to do so. The attraction I feel for you compelled me to act. But I know it was wrong of me. I should have finished things with Verisande before I made any kind of overture toward you.”