by Viola Grace
She thought about a long lie-in with a hot show—maybe she would just sponge off in the sink.
Stovos kept eating. “You will all need to be there. Nessa, there are documents for you to sign, and the legal department will want to have a word with you.”
“Aw, balls.” She was disappointed.
“But, the day after is Saturday, and you can run around doing the final arrangements before the wedding on Sunday.”
She paused with a slice of butter fish in front of her. “The what now?”
“I made a call. Hector will pick up the licenses tomorrow, and the ceremony will be here on Sunday. My secretary will fill them out for you.”
Nessa got all breathy and looked at him. “Why, thank you for taking the burden of reading and writing off my poor little mind.”
Hector collapsed with laughter. Tynan excused himself to the restroom.
Stovos sighed. “I suppose that I am showing my age or, at least, traditions. I was with Hector’s mother for three hundred years before her passing.”
Hector sobered and sat up.
Nessa asked, “Old age?”
Hector sighed. “Volcano. There was so much ash flying around that she couldn’t find a shadow.”
“Oh. I am so sorry.”
He hugged her. “It was centuries ago, but thank you.”
“Yedana was a flower faerie. She came to me and lost her family. I was rather surprised that your parents were in favour of the union.” Stovos flicked a shrimp at her, and she caught it in mid-air.
“The shadow court is very accepting. And very casual. I like the playing dress-up for dinner.” She smiled.
“My mother was born in Japan and sold through the fae community before she ended up being put up as collateral for a bet. The bettor lost, and she ended up in my father’s household.”
“So, you won your wife.”
“Correct, though she was my gardener for twenty years before she seduced me.” He smiled.
That made her pause. “What the what now?”
Hector chuckled. “It was a story that my mother loved to tell. After five years, she decided that she wanted Stovos. She put herself in his path as often as possible, but he passed by her. So, she watched his habits and ambushed him by walking naked out of one of the ponds near his home at twilight when he went in for a swim. She walked up to him, kissed him, and his self-control broke.”
Stovos laughed. “She had been watching me for years, but I have rules against seducing my staff, so I waited. When her attempts became predictable, I had to create an opportunity for her. So, I started swimming. I fucking hate swimming.”
Nessa clapped a hand over her mouth, and she laughed at the sweet expression on his features. There was a knock at the door.
Stovos called out. “Come.”
Hector snorted.
The butler arrived, and Cale was right behind him. He saw the sushi and grinned. “That takes me back. Hey, Nessa.”
Stovos stood up and walked over to Cale, greeting him and speaking to him softly.
“So, this is the quad relationship?” Tynan glanced at Cale. “And he’s a djinn?”
“Yes, and he is. There is Sallen, the Kayett heir, Cale, Acker, and Thomas. I knew Sallen before she was married, but I got in contact when I heard she was staying in town.”
Hector asked, “Aside from the demon and djinn, they are—”
She looked up at Cale standing behind Hector. “Giant and mythical, but you can ask Cale what you like.”
“Are you ready, Nessa?”
“Yup.” She got up from the kneeling position and walked with Cale to the garment rack he had hauled with him.
He handed her a box and said, “There, first things first. Sallen insisted. This is on her.”
Nessa knew what was in the box, and she nodded.
“So, King Stovos has warned me that you are going to be doing a lot of office visits and cocktail parties. So, first, we will do the measuring, and then, you can pick from the design catalogue, and I will tweak it.” He smiled.
“Does the audience freak you out?” She glanced to the side as he started the measurements.
“Nope. I have been stared at by scarier things than them. The drake’s wife comes in now and then. She’s great, but he is either like a kid in a candy store or a growling dog.”
Nessa chuckled and glanced over. “Damn, they already got into the box.”
Cale laughed. “They are risking their luck to open Sallen’s gift.”
“I had already opened it for a reason.”
Cale looked up at her and nodded. “Got it. So, do you prefer things that are tight or draping?”
“One leather catsuit and the rest I don’t care about.” She shrugged. “Whatever the guys want. Oh. And some jeans and tees.”
“First things Sallen had me put on the list. She really enjoys her time with you and is delighted that you are moving in so close to us.”
Nessa grinned. “You had sex on the table when the guys came upstairs that day, didn’t you?”
He chuckled. “We have fond memories with that table. We stole it from the magus’s spare home.”
Nessa laughed. “I will make a note to use the counterto—not safe either, huh?”
Cale shook his head. “Just assume that we have had sex in some combination on every flat surface of that home. Thomas’s woodwork is amazingly smooth.”
“Dude, whatever you want to call it...”
He barked a laugh.
They sat on a chaise and flicked through styles that she liked. “So, Stovos gave you a list of the type of dress that I need, but I get to pick the style?”
“Yes. I didn’t know you were going to the wedding next weekend.”
She froze. “I’m not.” She glared at the three men who were colour sorting her lingerie.
“Well, if you change your mind, you are going to have a dress for it.”
“Hm. I am pretty sure that that dress is going to have an accident. I don’t go where I am not wanted, and I am not going to ruin my cousin’s wedding by showing up.”
Cale looked at the design they had been looking at. “Please, don’t hurt the dress. I am sure that there are other options instead of trashing it. I might be able to change the colour later on.”
She sighed. “Right. Don’t take it out on the clothing.”
“Okay, now we pick the shoes.” She grinned. “Do you have any fancy sneakers?”
“No. Not with my designs. Please.”
She laughed, and they went through the rest of the selections. She had no idea when or where she would use half the clothes she was getting, but she guessed it was like cosplay for successful people. Dress for the job you want. So, she appeared to be going for ancient goddess and high-class escort.
“Now, for some of the odd requests. Your gentlemen take part in medieval sword-fighting demos at some of the summer festivals. You are to attend as their lady. That is going to ruffle some feathers.” Cale chuckled. “I can hardly wait.”
“What is it that I am not getting here?”
“They have been put on a pedestal as a set of unattainable men who are beautiful and unavailable. Your presence is going to cause a cascade of disaster through their admirers.”
She snorted.
“Now, do you have any preferences as to costume?”
“I have to see theirs first.”
Cale whistled to get their attention. “Do you have any photos of your faire outfits?”
Tynan got up and brought over his laptop. “Here, this is the current set.”
Nessa looked at the graceful sweep of the armour, and she sighed. “The stuff you walk around in.”
He shrugged and flicked the page. There was a photo of them wearing black and grey with blue gemstones studding their belts and the trim of their tunics. Nessa’s heart beat a little faster, but she swallowed. “Okay. Black and blue it is.”
Cale nodd
ed, and his fingers danced over his tablet. When he finished, he turned the screen so she could see it and they couldn’t. “Done.”
She gave him a thumbs-up, and he swiped the screen. Tynan had been trying to see, but she grimaced. “No peeking.”
Nessa saw the disappointment in his expression and grinned. “Suffer.”
Cale laughed and said, “Now for the one that Sallen had input on as I needed to rough out a blank. So, these are the designs that she thinks suit you best, and I added one in a similar style.”
She looked at the soft pastels and rainbow hues and then the one in dark gemstone colours. “I like the colours of this one and the design of the third one.”
“Are you sure? Your hair is really pale.”
She blinked and stripped off her glamours. He blinked and leaned back. “Right. Dark gem tones it is.”
“Sorry. Toning it down is second nature, but if I am getting married, I am going to be me.”
He smiled. “As it should be.”
“Did Sallen wear one of your dresses when you had your binding?”
“She did, though when I made it, I had no idea it would be wrapped around my mate.”
They wrapped up the details, and Cale turned to the rack he had brought with him. His magic was matter manipulation and specialized in using fabric that had been treated to reflect the magic of the wearer. To a human, it just looked like an extremely expensive fabric. To a member of the magical community, it was a status badge with the subtlety of a tiara being worn to a coffeeshop.
He worked off a checklist, and she had a silky shirt and above-the-knee skirt in cream and navy, respectively. The navy shoes matched it perfectly. The next was a cocktail dress in shimmering black with matching shoes, and then, he unzipped the wedding dress bag and showed it to her. “Sallen said she will help you get ready on Sunday, but I will be here as well.”
She paused. “I am guessing this is becoming bigger than just me, the guys, and my family?”
“It is becoming the event of the season.”
“Damn. Not good.” She stroked the dress and sighed. It felt like a kitten.
He zipped it shut, and a lock bound it. “It can’t be opened until you open it on Sunday.”
“Do you have any more underwear around here? I think all of my new stuff has been not only fondled but enchanted by now.”
He handed her a second box. “Here you go. The first box was just a decoy.”
She laughed. “Good, because Stovos was in there, and I am not sure how I feel about that.”
“I will get to work on the bulk of your clothing tomorrow. By the way, congratulations. From everyone that Sallen has quizzed about them, they are solid and loyal men. Even their ex-lovers speak well of them.”
She nodded. “Yeah, they are pretty uh... never mind.”
He winked and gathered his things. She collected the clothing he had tailored and headed to the closet only to find that there was now a third of the space empty and waiting for her. She hung up the wedding dress bag, the cocktail dress, and the blouse and skirt. Her teeny offering stuck out in the large space. She shrugged and got the shoes and the underwear, unpacking it while the guys talked with Cale. She closed the drawer and went to get the box that the guys had been distracting themselves with.
Once those items were put away, she leaned against the drawer in relief. Stovos was keeping up his end of things already.
She walked back into the bedroom, and Cale was shaking hands with Tynan and Hector.
“So, you have made your choices?” Stovos was standing behind her.
She looked at the two men grinning and laughing with the djinn. “Yeah. I have.”
They looked at her, and the rest of the world fell away. “I definitely have.”
Chapter Nine
An alarm chirped the next morning, and she grunted and burrowed into the chest in front of her, trying to hide from the sound. Tynan chuckled. “Morning, Nessa.”
She grunted and attempted to wedge herself under him. Something moved at her back, and the noise stopped. She mumbled against the warm body next to her. “What time is it?”
“Six o’clock, Nessa. You don’t have to get up yet. We are going to work out.”
“Okay, bye-bye.” She felt them leave her and pull the bedding up around her before she went to sleep again.
She was woken up sometime later by two sweaty people trying to coax her out of sleep. She tried to hold onto sleep, but when the kissing started, she woke up with a rush. Her body started to writhe against their hands, and she shivered, gasped, and encouraged them while she tried to remember her words.
When she spoke, her words emerged as a moan, and as she started to pull at them, they moved away. She sat up in a huff. “What the hell?”
Tynan laughed. “Your face is priceless. Come on, it’s nine. Time to have a shower and breakfast.”
She got out of bed and grumped to the bathroom. She let the shower wall cop a feel and then washed her hair and body while they watched. They hadn’t been sweaty; they had been wet. Hector turned her and scrubbed her back for her. When he turned her around, he lifted her against the obliging wall that held her wrists and supported her. He slid into her, and she grunted; he slid into her twice, and then, his eyes narrowed as he was shoved forward. She gasped when she realized what was going on, and part of her wished she could watch. She raised her knees, Tynan gripped them, and their hips rocked together in rhythm. She cried out when her body jerked around Hector’s, and he groaned and then growled as Tynan shoved him forward. Their bodies set each other off in a wave. Each moaned in turn, and soon, Nessa was stuck against the very friendly wall, pinned by two very adult men.
She blinked. Her hunger hadn’t risen. After the last maelstrom, it simply hadn’t risen. She had wanted sex, she had wanted the hands, mouths, caresses, and thrusts, but the part of her that needed to be fed was quiet. She wanted to run her fingers through Hector’s hair. “Your water bills must be huge.”
Tynan released her legs, and she groaned as Hector’s hips and the manacles of the shower were the only things holding her up. She extended her fingers and knocked twice at the wall. Her hands were released, and she followed her impulse. She lifted his head, and his eyes were shining. “How was that for you?”
“Well, it’s nice not to be the only one with cum dripping out of me.”
He slapped her flank, and Tynan laughed. The second shower involved a lot of careful examining of her to make sure that her sex was thoroughly washed. Her knees were buckling by the time Tynan finished lapping at her and Hector held her up. She was wrapped in a towel and then a blast of cleansing fire later and she didn’t need the towel anymore.
Nessa gave Tynan a look. “So, if you are going to do that, why nag me into the shower?”
“The first was to wake you up, and the second was to fuck you. We have a long day ahead of us, and we wanted to make sure that you think of us when you are churning through the lawyer speak and contracts.”
She grimaced. “That is just mean.”
“I know. We are having breakfast with Stovos, so you had better get dressed. He won’t mind, but you might.”
“Fine. I will get dressed. And if you wanted to ask, no, you can’t watch.” She grabbed the outfit, got a set of lacy underthings that wouldn’t show under the blouse, and then, she grabbed what she suspected would catch their focus, so she wadded it up and headed back to the bathroom so she could get some privacy. Putting on the garter belt and stockings wasn’t normally something she thought about, but she was hyperaware with the two horndogs in the other room. She got her skirt on and the blouse tucked in. It fit perfectly, was elegant and flattering. She expected nothing less from Cale’s handiwork. She looked at her hair in the mirror and found a brush and a tie, probably left by one of their previous visitors. She twisted her hair into a ponytail and then flipped it through to create a wrap.
She looked at it and grimaced. She pulled ou
t the tie, used a bit of magic to put her hair in a twist, and looked from side to side. At least now, she matched the outfit, but she still needed to get her shoes.
She crept out of the bathroom, and she gasped at the sight of them in suits. She blinked and pattered past them, going to get her shoes. She bent over and wiggled her foot into the shoe before Hector knelt in front of her. “Brace your hand on my shoulder.”
She did as requested and breathed a sigh of relief when his stroking hand stopped at her knee.
“Come on. Father is holding breakfast.”
She nodded, and she smiled as she picked up her purse. “Oh, he is going to hate this.”
Hector looked down and laughed. “Yes, he is going to hate that.”
The cartoon kittens on the leather were a classic design; she just didn’t think he would like it.
They walked the halls together and arrived in the dining room. Stovos looked her over, nodded, and then saw her clutch. “Absolutely not.”
“It’s all I have. It hangs on to what I need.” She looked down at it and smiled. “It’s cute.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Keep the theme. Find something more expensive, please.”
She sighed. “Fine. I will do it with my copious time. Oh, maybe I can do it during lunch?”
Tynan and Hector snapped. “No!”
Stovos sighed. “Didn’t you get enough to tide you over last night?”
Nessa murmured, “Or this morning?”
Tynan pinched her butt. His hand paused, and he stroked over her buttock and down her thigh. She stepped out of his grip.
She looked at Stovos for help, and he was slightly confused, but he said, “Sit. Nessa, you sit on my left for now.”
She skittered around the table, smoothed her skirt, and had a seat.
Tynan was looking at her with a lot of heat in his eyes mixed with speculation. She gave him an innocent look and a bland smile. Hector looked between them and asked, “What’s up?”
The butler and a servant brought in plates and set them in each place. Stovos started, and Nessa ignored her mates as she ate her breakfast. She had worked up quite the appetite.
