A sliver of a gasp slips through her lips. “The sheets are lavender.”
A smile finds me somehow, relaxing the tightness in my neck. “And soft as a cloud, just how you wanted.”
“These are… These are your normal sheets, though, right? You didn’t do this because I said that.”
“My normal sheets are green, like everything else in this house. Green and gold. I had these brought in while we ate. I’m still working on the talking pony. I caution you not to underestimate me.”
Her fingers alight on her lips, and I can’t tell if I’ve done a very good thing or a very bad one.
“They’re even more perfect than I pictured. You didn’t have to do this. Why did you do this?” It’s not an accusation, but a sincere question.
“Because you moved out of your home for me. You’re giving up more than most would tolerate. You shouldn’t compromise on the finer things if you don’t have to.” I don’t know if it’s the right move for me to band my arm around her waist, but my body does it anyway, coiling around her stomach and thumbing her hip. I like the way her back feels, pressed to my chest. We don’t dissect the strange connection. We simply stand together and breathe, our ribs expanding in the same rhythm.
I like this very much.
She turns in my half-embrace, her eyes avoiding mine as she slowly unbuttons my shirt. I shouldn’t want her like this. She’s just had her first kiss with my best mate. Though she’s been forced to grow up quicker than most, there’s no getting around how much younger than me she is. She slides the fabric down my good arm, and then carefully inches it under my sling and helps me work it off my broken arm. Then she folds the material and places it on the chair.
My breath catches when her ringed hand rests on my sternum. It shouldn’t feel like part of me is finally calming, sliding bits of me into place that I’ve been content to lose track of. She won’t look up at me, and for a second, I wish she would. My tongue wets my lower lip as she studies my chest, her icy fingers warming on my skin.
A nervous chuckle escapes her. “Crazy day. I’ll be right back.” She slips into the bathroom to change, and I try to talk myself down from wanting a whole lot more than she might ever be ready to give me. It’s not real, our marriage, but this part feels genuine.
It’s a chore to change into pajama pants with one functioning hand, but I manage the feat, not bothering with a shirt so nothing catches on my stitches.
I lay on the bed, staring up at the gold-painted ceiling for what feels like far too long. “Lily, are you alright in there?”
“Um, kind of. Could you turn out the light? I don’t want you to… This thing doesn’t fit right.”
“That’s what you said about the dress. You’re just not accustomed to nice things. I’m sure it looks smashing on you.” I lean over and turn off the lantern. “Come on out, you little chicken.”
She’s forgotten that vampires can see quite well in the dark, but now’s not the time to remind her of that. Details and whole thoughts slip out of my brain when she tiptoes into the bedroom, wild-eyed with her arms crossed over her breasts. I hadn’t paid much attention to the nightgown when it was folded in a box atop the mattress, but on her, I can’t keep my eyes to myself.
Sure, fae women are beautiful. That’s a given. They’re clean and pristine and always look like they traveled by on some cloud. But all of that is usually steeped in the fact that they use their exquisiteness and every other thing at their disposal to trick you out of house and home.
But that’s not Lily. Sure, she’s slippery. Getting her to come clean with her background was like pulling teeth, and I still see some spots she won’t fess up to. And yeah, she’s signed up to trick the entire nation into believing we’re a couple. She even had the moxie to cross into vampire territory with a silver blade on her. But she’s also the woman who yanked the arrow out of me when she could’ve let me bleed out. She took the time to unbutton my shirt tonight when doing things one-handed proved problematic.
She cut my meat because she was looking for ways to make my life easier. I don’t know why that small detail still sticks in my mind, but it’s becoming the crux of how I see her—helpful, selfless and kind.
And now she’s bare-legged and beautiful, hips swaying as she climbs into my bed, giving me a clear shot of her alluring cleavage while she gets situated beneath the covers.
Silk. Her breasts are covered in scraps of pale pink silk. The mid-sized globes are practically spilling out of the flimsy triangles every time she shifts atop the mattress.
It’s hard to swallow, but I manage the feat before opening my mouth. “You’re right; that doesn’t quite fit. I’ll get you something new when we wake.”
She gasps, throwing the comforter over her chest. “You weren’t supposed to look!”
I chuckle and turn my chin toward the ceiling. “Did you really not know vampires can see in the dark?”
She groans and covers her face with her pillow.
“It’s alright, blue eyes. My chest is far more exposed. Sexy, right?” I motion to my toned torso. I know I look good. “I think the sling makes me that much more appealing. I mean, I can’t walk down the street without women coming at me in lingerie. Hey, come to think of it, how’d you get in here?” I scold her, melting her scandalized expression into a smirk.
She fans herself and dons a syrupy tone. “I just couldn’t help myself. I took one look at the handsome vampire prince and my clothes just fell clean off.”
“Well, my father attracts all sorts.”
“What? Ew! I meant you, you dummy.”
I press my hand to my heart at the sound of her giggles spilling into the air. “Me? You find me attractive? Well, I had no idea.” It’s easy to joke with Lily. Easy to smile with her. Easy to smell her peach and lily scent. Easy to tell myself she belongs in a bed with me for reasons other than our charade.
Silence falls between us, and I’m acutely aware of every breath she takes.
Lily turns on her side towards me, and I fight the urge to bury my face in her cleavage, where I’m certain it both always and never belongs. “Des,” she begins, her voice soft and tenuous. “I’m sorry dinner was a disaster.”
“What would make you say that?”
The corner of her mouth lifts at my joke, but then falls. “Your mom tried to stab me.”
Though she has no reason to trust me, I give her a promise I know I’ll keep. “I’m here.” It’s a simple vow, but one I hope she can draw comfort from.
When she reaches between us to link her finger around mine, I’m fairly certain I’ve never wanted a woman I couldn’t have more than I do right now. I know that despite what we’re set on telling the world, a marriage between a fae and a vampire could never work. We’re so very different. So I content myself with the lie we’re selling, pulling her closer so she can rest her head on my good shoulder. I worry she’s going to hate my arm around her, but when she sinks into my side, part of me I didn’t realize was holding my breath finally begins to relax.
She lets me kiss her forehead, and I love the feel of my lips on her skin. I’m careful not to press too hard, so she doesn’t have to endure the ridges from my fangs. “Let’s not worry about it all right now. Let’s just be here and enjoy the sound of no one yelling at us.”
It’s quiet, with nothing but the sound of her breath tickling my chest to fill the morning as it comes to wake the other two territories while it tucks us in to sleep. She exhales heavily, expelling all her nerves in one go. It’s clear she craves physical contact and tenderness, though she’s too closed-off to ask for the kindness.
“Fiora sings,” she says, her voice just above a whisper.
“Come again?”
“When I can’t sleep, Fiora sings to me. Do you sing?”
I curve my good arm underneath her ribs, my fingers drag up and down the back of her arm while she toys with my light tuft of chest hair. Friends do this, yeah? “I only sing for the most beautiful woman in the land. You c
ouldn’t possibly coax a note out of me, scantily clad as you are.” Then I gasp, as if I can’t help but be taken over by some baser force that’s chosen this woman for me, and selected me to be the man who sings for her. “I don’t know what’s happening! Must… sing!” Then I belt out a loud rendition of my favorite pub anthem, squeezing her side just to hear her giggle.
She laughs before slapping my chest. “You’re ridiculous. I meant something gentler. You know, like The Moon, My Love.”
“The Moon, My Love?”
“It’s a very common song.”
“I know it is, but it’s a vampire song. I didn’t think you’d heard of it.”
“There’s quite a few vampires who’ve been banished to Neutral Territory.”
“Ah, yes. I quite forgot.” She settles back into my side the moment I start the song she requested. Of all the things I’ve been asked to do in bed for a woman, this is definitely the strangest. And yet, I love it.
“‘For the moon, I’ll sing my love.
Though it’s the sun I’m dreaming of.
When I wake and when I rise,
Joy comes when I see your eyes.’”
Lily’s eyes moisten but not a single tear falls. “Thank you. Just what I needed. Even though Fiora’s a shifter, there’s so much vampire culture around us that she picked that one up. I miss her singing it to me.”
“Was that just as good as Fiora’s rendition?”
She nods. “I’m learning that everything’s better when I’m cuddled up to a half-naked man.”
I chuckle, then shiver, loving how her chilly fingers dance slowly over my sternum. When she leans in and presses her lips to my neck, my skin erupts in goosebumps. Her breasts are pressed to my side and my chest, our skin separated by what is clearly the thinnest scrap of silk ever to be invented.
Her lashes flutter shut, but I’m fairly certain parts of me will be awake for hours.
18
Strange Bedfellows
Destino
The mattress moves, rousing me with a frown. “It’s not time to get up yet.” I protest the cold I feel as Lily leaves my side. “Where are you going?”
She leans over and kisses my forehead. The only reason to crack one eye open is to peek at her cleavage, which is the best sight, no matter what time of day it is. “I heard something in the hall. I’ll take care of it. Go back to sleep.”
I’m barely awake, but my eyes fly all the way open when she grabs her dagger she stashed in the top drawer of my dresser, clutching the handle like she’s about to put it to good use. I’m out of the bed before I can give myself the dozens of reasons why I should still be asleep. “Lily, let me handle it. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
She frowns over her shoulder at me. “It’s about to be nothing. If someone thinks they can get the drop on me, they’re about to regret their life’s choices.”
Before I reach her, she flings open the door, blade raised with a fearless snarl on her lips.
But it’s not an assault waiting for her.
“Wait! It’s just me!” Alex protests, his hands raised after he tumbles backward into our room, landing at her feet.
She frowns at him, standing over his supine form as she lowers her weapon. “Were you sleeping against the door?”
“Yes. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I couldn’t sleep in my room. I was worried.”
“I thought you were a prowler!” Her shoulders lower, now that it’s clear there was never any danger lurking. She extends her hand and hoists him up. “What are the chances of you getting quality sleep, propped up against the door like that?”
Alex rubs a crick in his neck. “Well, I was getting zero sleep in my room, imagining bad things coming for you that I could’ve prevented by simply being nearby.” His eyes cut to mine. “Could I sleep in the chair, Des?”
No. I’ve been enjoying sleeping with Lily, thank you very much. But of course, I don’t say that. I’ve never denied Alex anything, which is no doubt why he’s bold enough to ask to share a bed with me and my wife, the prig. “Sure. I’m surprised you stayed away this long.”
“Salem’s out there, too,” Alex says by way of an excuse for his lurking, pointing at the opened door like a true tattletale.
“What?” Lily stomps out into the hallway, hand on her hip. “Prince Salem, get in here. You both are being ridiculous. There’s nothing out there that I can’t handle.” Then her head whips to the left, as if there’s another presence watching. Though, as she doesn’t move in that direction, it seems there’s nothing.
It’s a small victory when she surrenders her knife to me. I hold the thing by the hilt and tuck it back in its sheath in my top drawer. We really need to have a conversation about this. Silver in a vampire’s bedroom is dangerous.
Alex’s chest barrels. “We’re not going to leave you unprotected. You’re the one giving up your home for our mission. You don’t need to give up your sleep, too.”
Salem trots in on all fours with his head lowered, though when he gets a good look at Lily in her nightgown, he freezes, unable to look away. Since he’s in his wolf form, Lily doesn’t recognize the teenaged gawking for what it is. She kneels down and scratches behind his ears, her pert nipples inches from his maw. I’m fairly certain he’s stopped breathing altogether.
“Oh, sorry. I’m treating you like you’re a dog. You probably don’t like that.” She stands, running her fingers through her hair. “So I take it we’re all sleeping in here tonight? Because I’m not okay with anyone napping in the hallway.”
I motion to my big bed. “Get on in, guys. First one who snores gets kicked in the groin.” Then I plop back down, spreading out in my usual spot, patting the place that’s still warm from Lily’s body. “Come on back to bed, blue eyes. I’m tired, and I like you tucked in next to me.”
Lily’s not as timid this time as she gravitates to me under the covers, curling up in the same position with her breasts heating my side and her hand atop my chest. In the dark, I can’t help the smile that finds me when I realize she’s choosing to be near me.
Alex checks the locks before kicking off his shoes and joining us on her other side. He doesn’t bother with the charade of giving her some space, but curls his body around hers, spooning my wife as if this was his plan all along.
Sneaky fae.
There’s a gentle curve to her smile when Alex pulls her hair back from her shoulder so he can kiss her neck. I worry she’s going to angle her body away from mine so she can make out with Alex or something, but she keeps her hand planted atop my chest, telling the entire room—and the world—that in my arms is where she belongs.
Her head pops up. “Prince Salem? Where’d he go?”
“He’s on the floor, love. Go to sleep.”
There’s a stubbornness to her pursed lips. “No. He’s not a dog. If it’s okay for him to sleep on the floor, then that’s where I’ll be.”
“No!” Both Alex and I protest her moving from this exact spot, then shrink at how firm we sound. I click my fingers to Salem. “Get up here, mate.” So help me, if my wife sleeps on the ground, I won’t be able to stand it.
Salem circles on the rug three times before casting me a wounded look, like how dare I force him closer to the woman he’s in love with.
I expect him to hop up on Alex’s other side, since there’s some room there, but instead he migrates to the foot of the bed once he’s up on the mattress. He straightens the comforter atop her feet, and then snorts in her direction. I know he’s telling her to lie down, but I’m surprised she understands him.
“I am, I am,” she grumbles, cuddling back into me as if that’s the one place she belongs.
Salem hops down and straightens the comforter over Alex, and then rounds to pull it tighter on my side, effectively tucking us all in. I know he’s doing it to make sure she’s warm enough, but still, it’s nice to be fussed over. “Cheers, Salem.”
Salem jumps onto the foot of the bed and circles three times before la
ying down with a sigh.
As much as I want the guys gone so I can live in my fantasy life with a sexy woman in my arms, I find I don’t mind having them all here. When we sleep in the cave, it’s not nearly as comfortable, but there’s a feeling of safety I can’t achieve without them close by. Adding Lily to the mix? I wasn’t expecting it to feel like this—like some missing piece has been returned to us that we never realized it was a crime to live without.
I kiss her forehead, because I can’t not. “Goodnight, blue eyes.”
I close my eyes, measuring her breaths that fan across my chest, tickling and teasing me when she whispers, “Goodnight, teddy bears.”
19
Rude Awakening
Lilya
I’m finally warm. It’s the first thought in my head when I wake however many hours later. We’ve slept just like this—Des in my arms, Lexi at my back and Salem warming my feet—for a week now. During the night, there’s tension aplenty in the castle as Des’ family gets used to the fact that I’m not going away. The wedding preparations are more military than romantic, but they keep me out of it, so I couldn’t care less how it all shakes out. King Ronin says little, but he watches much. It makes me uneasy, so I’ve learned that when he comes into a room, it’s best I find a way to excuse myself soon after. It’s a good system. He doesn’t want to look at a fae in his home, and I don’t want to be around him. In that respect, we understand each other pretty well. Plus, he spends whole days in his study or in his bedroom, and I hear whispers of the king’s headaches doing a number on him.
Lexi kisses the nape of my neck when he wakes, and my body curls with pleasure, my nails inadvertently raking up Des’ naked chest, rousing him. Though I’m new to this dance, my body doesn’t hesitate to move how it should. I love waking up to them, though we’re still all getting used to each other.
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