Lily folds her hands before her, looking downward modestly at the compliment. “Thanks, guys.” Then she waves off the moment, taking another bite of her apple after she pecks Des’ cheek.
Tha’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be fine? She kisses Des all the time. Then why can’t I brush away the sight? I shouldn’t mind it, and don’t want to admit to myself tha I do.
King Ronin strolls in, his shoulders back and looking like he’s never missed a night of sleep in his life. His hair is perfectly combed and his trousers are pressed, which makes me wonder if tha’s something I should care about.
I’ve never been particularly fond of Ronin, but when he greets my Lily with a hug and kisses both her cheeks, my vision changes.
Red. The scene is painted in red. My hackles are raised and my heart is racing. He shouldn’t touch her. Has no right to be tha close.
My apple drops to the floor as I lunge in the vampire king’s direction, shifting mid-jump to knock him out of the way. I’m not satisfied until his back hits the floor.
17
Grand
Salem
Ronin shouts his shock, holding his hands up to display his innocence while I growl over his supine form. “Steady, Salem! It was only a greeting.”
My snarl is loud, and doesn’t stop until Lily drops to her knees beside me. Then I’m a puppy, my tail hooking around her leg as she leads me away from Ronin. “Hey, it’s alright. That’s just how Ronin and I are with each other. It doesn’t mean anything other than friendship. Easy, pup.” Her fingers in my fur are just about the best feeling in the world. I sit before her, equal parts guarding and enjoying her touch.
Ronin stands slowly, brushing off his clothes. “Odd. Did I miss something? Did I offend you, darling?”
Lily shakes her head. “Of course not. I’m always glad to see you. Salem, what’s going on?”
I turn into a man on my knees, and I feel no shame as I wrap my arms around her middle, bringing her head to rest against my chest as we kneel together on Alex’s floor. Better. Tha’s much better. I’m calmer now, my insides less rattled. Jays, I feel manic, completely beside myself with worry tha I’ve turned into a man without reason. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” I want to say more, but I feel too many eyes on me, so I turn and curve my upper lip at them. Des and Alex know I want to be by myself, so they move for the door.
Ronin freezes, his eyes calculating my every move. “Destino, Lily could use a glass of water. Could you get it for her?”
Before Des can move to the bathroom to pour her some water, I’m on my feet. “I’ll get it.” I’m already moving toward the door, making sure I beat Des to it. He doesn’t need to get my woman water. I do tha. Like I don’t know when my woman’s thirsty.
Ronin tsks Lily. “Did you stub your toe, dear?”
I’m by her side in the next second, hefting her off her feet and setting her on the edge of the bed. Her eyes are wide and she’s protesting tha she did no such thing, but she’s always pretending like everything’s grand when I know she’s bothered. Not on my watch. I kneel before her and pry at each of her toes, testing them for tenderness and making sure there aren’t any visible marks or abrasions on them. I don’t see anything, but one can never be too careful. “Alex, she needs to see a healer. A female healer. Can ye call one to come up here? She shouldn’t be walking.”
Alex’s voice sounds wary, and not like he’s taking this seriously. “You alright, Lily-girl?”
Lily runs her fingernails through my hair, and I’m instantly purring for her. “I didn’t stub my toe, guys. And even if I did, I hardly think that calls for a trip to a healer. I’m really fine, Salem. Honest.”
I’m not sure I believe her. “The healer will decide if you’re okay. Alex, call the healer.”
Visions of her feet falling clean off plague my mind. I warm them with my hands, blowing on her toes and rubbing the soles to soothe whatever ache might still be lingering. Her lips part and her lashes flutter because I give her pleasure. I relax her.
Ronin holds up his hand to stop Alex. “No need, Alexavier. I was testing a theory. I admit, I’m not as familiar with Salem as you boys are. Is this sort of behavior normal?”
Alex and Des both shake their heads, ignoring my growl. Des folds his arms over his chest. “I mean, we’ve known he’s got it bad for our girl, but he’s never been like this with her or anyone. Is he touched in the head or something?”
Ronin nods, and I fight back the urge to punch him. I blow on her toes again, rubbing her heels until a contented sigh escapes her lips. I love tha sigh. I want to chase it and capture it so I can stare at it whenever it pleases me.
“Salem, sit down, Son,” Ronin says to me.
I obey, but only because I’m almost sitting as it is, so I turn and plop down on my butt, draping her leg over my shoulder so I can continue rubbing it.
Ronin grabs a chair and drags it over to us, sitting down and leaning forward, like he’s about to deliver some holy truth. His voice comes out quiet and respectful, which makes me hate him a wee bit less. “Did you two have sex last night?”
Lily’s leg angles across my chest, like she’s trying to protect me from the question tha’s frankly none of the king’s business. “No. We kissed.”
More than kissed, I want to say, but I don’t have the gall to correct her in public. “We connected. We belong to each other now.”
“Is that so?” Alex comments, his voice casual and conversational as he leans against Ronin’s chair on the left side. “Because I thought the whole marriage thing meant that Des and I belong to her.”
I shrug because what Lily and I have is just as permanent as a marriage.
Ronin motions me forward. “I want to look in your eyes, Son. Can I do that?”
My first instinct is to protest, but Lily moves her leg from my grip, nudging me to bend toward him, so I obey her unspoken wish. Ronin shows me his hands before he touches the skin beneath my eyes, peering inside for barely a blink before he lets out a low moan of despair. “Oh, no. Salem, what have you done?”
I lean back and tug at Lily’s leg, feeling loads better with its dainty weight draped across my chest. I massage her calf now, and her hand finds its way into my hair.
I love her. Oh, I love her. She touches me like she’s not afraid to.
Ronin runs his hand over his face, looking like he’s a mix of exhausted and exasperated. “It shouldn’t be possible, but it’s happening.”
“What?” Des asks, standing on Ronin’s right.
“I’ve never seen a shifter with anything other than gray eyes, have you?”
Des leans in closer. “No. What are… Salem doesn’t have… Oh! How did you do that, brother?”
Des is staring at me, gaping like I’ve done something shocking. I hold Lily’s leg tighter. “How’d I do what?”
Alex swears. “One of your eyes is blue! Fae blue. That’s not possible. And the other is darker gray. Des, isn’t it darker?”
Des nods, his mouth dropped open.
Ronin sits back in his seat, his palms running over his slacks as he shoots Lily a worried look. “A shifter’s eyes go from a light gray to a dark gray when they’re mated. Like they’re taking on a portion of the other’s strength and adding it to their own. The first ever blue-eyed shifter?”
Alex’s eyes bulge as he steps toward us. “Tell me you didn’t! It’s not possible! You can’t have mated with her!” Then he steps back, as if I’ve shoved him or something. “You mated with my wife the day after I married her?”
My face sours. “It wasn’t like tha. I can’t mate with her. She would have to be a shifter. My wolf can’t mate with a fae. Tha’s ridiculous.”
Ronin’s gaze stays fixed on me. “Does Lily look feverish?”
“What?” I’m on my feet, my hands on her shoulders to gently lay her down on the bed. I touch her forehead with the back of my hand, but I don’t feel any heat. “No fever right now, but ye can’t be too careful. Alex, where is
tha healer? A cool cloth. Hold on, pup.”
The second I step away, she sits up. “Salem, Ronin’s wrong. I’m not feverish. I’m not sick at all.”
“The healer will tell us if ye are. I’m not taking chances.” I cross the room and pour her a glass of water, then wet a washrag, wringing it out before coming back to her bedside and folding her fingers around the cup. While she sips, I dab the rag on her forehead, her cheeks and the nape of her neck. I run it down her arms and shins, just to be safe. She protests the entire time, promising she’s not sick, but I’m incapable of letting something like tha go.
Alex swears again, his hand on his forehead.
“What are ye so worked up about?” I make the mistake of asking.
“You mated with our wife! How are we supposed to get around that? How are we going to actually be with her when you’re mated? Have you ever known a shifter who allowed another man near his mate? It’s insane, your bond. And now you’ve gone and done the impossible. Undo it!” he shouts like a wee baby.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I know she’s your wife. I was there for both weddings. Jays, I’m not delusional.”
Des steps toward her. “Oh, really? Then how about I give my wife a kiss? That should be fine, yeah?”
A band in my chest tightens, and my hackles raise, but I muscle through my gut instinct. “Why wouldn’t tha be fine?”
Lily’s been practically mute this entire time, but when she speaks, her words whip at my chest. “Then kiss me, Des. Salem, this should be okay, right?”
“Right. Go ahead.” Though as I say the words, I hate them. She’s clearly mine.
Des approaches and lifts her hand, making her stand when she should be sitting down, at the very least. If she has a fever on top of stubbing her toe, standing seems like playing with fire. Des holds her cheek, angling her toward me so I can see the entire thing—her willingness and his desire for my woman.
My mate.
I flinch at the word tha comes to me clearly, but feels like it’s out of nowhere.
I’ve never begrudged Des anything. He’s closer to me than my own brother. But watching Lily’s eyes flutter shut as her lips mold to his is a slow torture I’m unprepared for. My wolf is in agony, howling for the pain to stop.
“Enough!” I roar, shocked at the fervor in my voice. Alex and Des flinch at my volume, but it’s Lily’s yelp and jump backward tha brings me back to myself. I scared her. I scared my woman.
My hand moves to my chest to stem whatever tha was. Pain? Tension? Anger? I’m not sure.
“Clouds on earth, Salem!” Alex stands between me and the two of them, as if I’m going to pounce and tear apart my own best friend.
I won’t. Parts of me are tempted, but it’s still Des. I would never hurt him. I’m not sure I’m capable.
Ronin introduces calm to the room just when I feel I might panic myself into a fit of some sort. “At least we know what we’re dealing with. We can work with this. Alexavier, Destino, this might be far more complex a relationship than you bargained for, but it’s not the end of everything. Salem, you’re going to have to learn to control your urges. It’s good for Lily to be with Alexavier and Destino. This was the plan. This is what she wants, so you can’t take it from her.”
He’s right. I hate when Ronin’s right, because he gets so smug about it, but I can’t deny the facts. “Ye want Des and Alex?” I need to hear her say out loud tha this is what she wants, so I can want it for her.
She looks almost apologetic, and I hate tha I’m doing this to her. “I do. I love them. I love you. And even if those things weren’t true, we’ve still got a job to do. Our marriages are the only way to unite the territories. That’s bigger than all of it.” She owns her words, her chin tilting up, unembarrassed that we’ve bucked all conventions.
“Then tha’s what I want for ye. I’ll get myself under control. Ye can keep us all. This won’t be a bad thing,” I promise. “I’ll make sure I’m never a bad thing for ye.”
Her feet scamper towards me, and everything in my bones sings when she crashes into my arms. “Thank you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that could happen!”
“Me neither.” I can’t help but chuckle. “Oh, man. I’m mated. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Alex leans against the wall, the back of his head banging against the hard surface over and over. “Fantastic. Never mind how hard this is going to make our relationship. We’ll figure it out somehow. But she’s supposed to marry your brother. That’s the whole point of this—to unite the kingdoms with her as the queen. I highly doubt you’ll be okay with her marrying old Justice Butcher now.”
My wolf doesn’t snarl but cuts right to the bark. The vicious sound rattles around inside of me, though my lips stay shut until I can find the right words. Or the wrong ones. I’m not sure. “No. No, ye can’t marry Justice. His hands on ye? No. I saw your face. Ye told me ye didn’t want to marry him.”
“I don’t,” she admits. “I’m sorry, guys. As much as I’m in this, I didn’t put it together that I wouldn’t be marrying Salem. I didn’t realize the plan was for me to attach myself to his brother. I can’t do it. I have my limits, and that’s the line I can’t cross.” She holds out her hand to Des, who comes right to her but hesitates before touching her fingers. His eyes check with mine, waiting for my curt nod before he kisses her cheek and loops his littlest finger through hers.
This is okay. This is normal. She wants this. I’m to share her affections. Des is a good man. Grand. It’s all grand. I’ll make it grand, so help me.
“I love you, Des. Maybe it didn’t start out like that, but I grew into it.” Then she extends her other hand to Alex, who kicks himself off the wall and strolls over to her, faking ease like a true fae. “And I didn’t have a chance at not loving you, Lexi. Please stay with me while we figure this out.”
Alex’s shoulders lower, the hardness in his eyes softening around the edges. “Hey, of course we’ll stay. ’Til death parts us, right? That’s what we agreed on.” He shakes his head at the both of us. “I knew how bad Salem had it for you. If this whole situation didn’t have the mating thing factored in, I would be nothing but happy for you two.” Alex kisses her forehead and pulls her a few inches from me so her head is resting against his chest. Alex shoots me a look of warning when he can see my discomfort at being parted from her growing more noticeable on my features. The pain compounds at the sight of her in another man’s arms, but I bear it.
“It’s grand. All grand,” I say as I breathe through my nose in long drags, talking my wolf down and reminding us both tha this is what Lily wants. This is good for her. More people to keep her safe.
Alex trails his hand up and down Lily’s back. She seems to like it, so I hold myself back. “Easy, Lily-girl. Marrying Justice wasn’t even in the plan when you married Des. If the farthest you’re willing to go is marrying two of us and mating yourself with the third, that’s more than any other woman would do for the territories. You don’t need to marry Justice. If you become queen of two territories and remain a princess of the third, that’ll still work.”
“It’s not as much power as we wanted her to have,” Ronin reminds us, as if we’re unaware. “It might work, but there’s equal chances it won’t because she won’t have real decision-making power to affect the Jacoba throne.”
Des places his hand on her back. “Then the four of us will have to fix the mess together. It’s unfair for us to put saving all three territories on Lily’s shoulders. Alex is right. She won’t marry Justice. Frankly, even if this whole thing with Salem hadn’t happened, I still might’ve suggested abandoning that part of the plan. I can’t handle it.”
Alex bumps his fist to Des. “Me neither.” Then he reaches out to bump my fist, and I have the control to participate without punching him clear across the face for holding her for this long.
Grand. It’ll all be grand.
18
New Quest
Alexavier
It’s a
full day and night that we hole ourselves in my bedroom before anyone comes to break us out of our seclusion. We need space to figure out how to make this work without the constant fear that Salem’s going to make our lives miserable. It’s kissing my wife with my best friends watching every move, sucking the romance out of the whole act. But I understand this is temporary. We need to build up a rhythm so we’re not quite as on-edge. I kiss Lily while Des watches Salem, who’s breathing through his nose like a beast and holding himself back as best he can. He hasn’t attacked, so that’s good, but it’s clear the urge is there.
Ronin left for Drexdenberg yesterday after we firmed up the trade agreement, so that’s taken the tension down a notch. It seems Salem can tolerate Des and I holding, kissing and caressing Lily, but Ronin hugging her is on the edge of too much. Though Ronin voiced his desire to stay, in the interest of keeping his head attached to his shoulders, we insisted he leave so we had the space to adjust to the intensity of Salem’s bond with Lily.
We’re exhausted but I can see progress. I truly believe we can find a way to make this work. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m a little happy it’s all coming together like this. It’s not ideal, and definitely not how we planned it, but now I’m permanently tied to my two best friends whom I’ve had to meet with in secret for years. We get to live together, rule together and share everything like a real family.
They are my brothers, and though this is hard right now, I know how very lucky I am.
“You have a visitor, your majesty,” the butler says with a bow.
“Very well. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Not you, your majesty. Her Highness, Princess Lilya.”
“A visitor for me?” Her nose scrunches. “Did Ronin turn around and come back here?”
The butler shakes his head. “No, your grace. A shifter woman. She’s quite insistent.”
Wicked Prince: Book Two in the Territorial Mates Series Page 12
