“No. It’s not perfect—”
“I’m wearing a sodding wedding dress, Rueben, what more perfect moment could you want?”
“It’s just not right—”
“Oh for—” she started before grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards her. Without waiting a second longer, she pressed her lips against his, relieved when he reacted almost instantly. It’d taken too long to get t this moment, and, while it wasn’t the perfect one he wanted, it felt that way to Eira. They broke apart, and she stared up into his eyes, a myriad of emotions playing across his light blue irises.
“Finally,” Leth muttered, and Eira broke eye contact with Rueben so that she could glare at him. She may love the half-fae already, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still a pain in her ass. Huh, love. She hadn’t thought it about any of them yet, but it seemed so natural that she knew it must be true. The advantage of true mates she guessed.
Luckily, Leth didn’t say anything else, and she turned her attention back to the vampire in front of her, already knowing that she wouldn’t be able to change his mind about what he needed to do. “Be safe.” She raised a hand and cupped his cheek, stroking her thumb over the rough stubble that seemed to have formed there.
“It’s only Edward,” he replied, the look on his face suggesting that he was more worried than he was trying to let on. Which worried her a little in turn. She’d only just found him, she didn’t want to risk losing him. She didn’t want to lose any of them, and if anything happened to any of them, then she didn’t know what she’d do. Probably feel incomplete for the rest of her life.
“Rueben, please,” she begged.
“For you, I’ll be extra careful.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, hoping he’d do what he promised.
“Eira, I...”
She waited for him to say the words she knew were on the tip of his tongue, but instead, he just stayed silent.
“Just be careful,” he said instead. She deflated slightly, but refused to let it show. There was still too much to deal with for that.
Rueben nodded once at each of the other men, before turning away and walking out of Eira’s flat. She stared after him, already feeling his absence. It was going to be a long night, and she was going to constantly be checking for his arrival at the ball.
“We need to go, E.” A light touch on her arm accompanied Josh’s words, and she turned to him, unsurprised by the compassionate look on his face.
“He’ll be okay,” Leth added, seeming to take things seriously for a change. “But it’s time to get you to the ball, Cinderella.” Or maybe not. Even so, she smiled, already happy to have him here to diffuse the tension with his own odd brand of humour.
Fifteen
“Ready?” Eira frowned at Leth.
“What do you mean, ready? We haven’t even left my flat.” She was more than a little confused, the knowing look on Josh’s face making her even more so. She guessed that Leth must have clued him in on what was happening, shame that neither of them had thought to include her in the plan.
“Oh ye of little faith,” Leth said, smiling as he opened the door, and gestured her through it.
“My lady?” Josh offered her his arm, and she took it, feeling surprisingly apprehensive. But she had the two of them with her, not much could go wrong, or at least she hoped not.
Josh drew her through the door and she had to blink a few times, not quite believing what she was seeing. “What the—”
“I told you to have faith,” Leth half-sang. She glanced behind him, noticing that his eyes were looking particularly vibrant. Their swirls looked even more prominent than normal, and she could swear that he was glowing an odd gold colour.
“Leth...” she started, wanting to ask him about it. He just laughed.
“It’s normal, there’s more magic on ball days, or they up the magic, or something stupid like that. I’m not sure, I normally just spend the time drinking with my sister.”
His sister? That was the first time he’d mentioned her. That was odd. Maybe it was something to do with being where the fae lived, rather than back home.
“I—”
“Besides, you’re doing it too,” he countered.
“I’m what?” She frowned, completely confused.
“You’re glowing, E. Not to the same extent as Leth, but you are.” Josh smiled down at her, and she glanced at her arms, surprised to see that he was right, and she was covered in a slight white glow.
“But, how? You’re not glowing,” she said to Josh.
“My guess would be that your magic is fae.” Leth shrugged as if it wasn’t important. Then again, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t seem phased by the glowing after all.
“Or she has fae in her bloodline somewhere?” Josh suggested.
“I guess, but as far as I know once it’s been watered down a few times, it disappears.”
“Excuse me, I’m not watered down,” Eira protested, dropping her hand from Josh’s arm and putting her hands on her hips. No way were they getting away with that.
“Of course you’re not, I just—”
“Drop it,” Josh warned him, and Leth wisely chose to listen.
“I’m just a unique mix,” she said with a huff. Leth stepped towards her, and pulled her into his arms, looking down at her with his swirling brown eyes.
“You’re a beautiful mix, Frostie. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Remember I’m one too.”
“But what about when we have kids? What will they be?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Josh frowned at her. Leth on the other hand, broke out into outright laughter, which she had to admit made her smile.
“Maybe you’ll have triplets, one of each?” he said through his laughter. Eira’s mouth fell open, horror etched on her face at the thought of three kids at once. She already knew that she and Izzy had been a handful as twins, three sounded like a nightmare.
“I’d close your mouth, or we’ll find a use for it.” Josh’s low voice had something in Eira tightening, but she closed her mouth anyway. She’d asked a question, she needed to know the answer, not get distracted with sex.
“T-triplets?” she stuttered.
“Yep,” Leth answered through a wide smile. “A witch, a vampire and a fae, just imagine the fun they’d have.” She couldn’t answer. She didn’t have an answer. While the mix was definitely fun for her, she wasn’t as convinced that they’d be fun as children. Not with all the trouble they could get into.
“Don’t worry, E. That’s not likely,” Josh said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’ll likely just be one, and I don’t think it matters what she’ll be. She’ll get her powers from you more than one of us anyway, right?” She nodded. He was right. Her child would inherit her frost magic, so it probably wouldn’t matter. At least she hoped it wouldn’t. She glanced between the two men, who were both looking at her with looks of devotion in their eyes.
“Would you not feel weird that she was only one of yours?” she asked. It was something that had plagued her since realising she had all three of them.
“No,” Josh answered instantly.
“She’d be part of you, and we love you. Why wouldn’t we love her?” Leth added, finally seeming to be taking things seriously.
“We’ll all love her, just as much as we love you,” Josh said, his green eyes meeting hers and convincing her of the truth. Josh’s gut feelings weren’t to be ignored. Which reminded her of something else…
“You keep saying her…” She held his gaze and Josh cocked his head to the side, as if thinking.
“So I do.” A wide grin spread over his face, warming Eira’s heart.
“Oh.”
“Maybe we should start thinking of names?” Leth suggested, and she looked at him, horrified.
“We’re not having children soon.”
The two of them just laughed, making her want to as well, but she had to stand her ground or else she was going to end up pregnant by the end of
the week. God knows they’d give it a good go. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t slept with Rueben yet, it seemed unlikely she could have a child until she was properly mated to all three of them.
“I don’t think we’ll get much choice when it happens,” Josh said softly.
“That’s what worries me,” she muttered, making the two of them laugh again.
“As great as this conversation is, we need to get going, you shouldn’t keep the Fae Queen of Summer waiting.” Leth pulled an odd expression, and Eira placed a comforting hand on his arm, hoping it conveyed what she needed it to.
“It’s her ball?”
He nodded.
“Why is the Fae Queen of Summer having a ball during winter?” The thought was more aimed at herself than either of them.
“It’s always summer here, we’re at the Summer Court.”
“Oh.” It did make sense, she’d figured out pretty early on that he was part summer, so it made sense that this was the ball he’d been invited to. “I’m not going to melt, am I?”
Leth doubled over, the sound barely audible from the force of his laughter. Josh chuckled.
“I think what he means to say, is only if we have something to of with it.”
“Why did you say that?” She groaned, just imagining his meaning was beginning the process. Why the hell did she think it was a good idea to come to a ball with the two of them? They were going to spend the whole evening winding her tighter and tighter until she exploded, and not necessarily in the good way.
“Cause it’s true?” Josh shrugged.
“You better come through,” she muttered, turning to face the abandoned corridor and making her way down it, the skirts of her dress swishing along the floor as she walked. She pulled it to the side, not wanting to get any dirt on it. Who the hell thought that making her wear a white dress was a good idea? Oh, that was right. She really had her hands full with Leth. If she didn’t already have a boring punishment planned for him, she’d certainly be making one up now.
“Don’t give us ideas, Frostie,” Leth said, finally catching his breath as he walked after her.
“Why ever not?” She didn’t look around, if she did then they’d have seen the self-satisfied smirk on her face. “No come back for that?”
“I have a come back alright,” Leth responded. “A come back to mine and I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“With pleasure.”
“I hope you’re including me in that,” Josh butted in, and this time she did turn, giving him a wink and getting a boyish smile in return. Now all she needed was Rueben and her night would really end with a bang.
“Lethie!” A petite dark-haired woman in a pale blue ball gown darted down the corridor and threw herself into Leth’s arms, taking Eira aback. What the hell was the woman doing touching her mate?
“Hey, Fwap,” he responded, pulling back from the hug.
“Don’t call me that.” She stepped back and folded her arms across her chest, a serious expression on her face.
“Why not, Fwap?” His eyes twinkled and Eira had to stifle a laugh, her jealous waning slightly. There clearly wasn’t any romantic interest between them, not when they were in a stand off like she’d had with Izzy many times over the years.
“I don’t like it.”
“Should have thought of that before you abbreviated your title wrong,” he pointed out.
“Not the point,” the woman muttered.
“Can I introduce you to my mate though?” Leth asked, ridding Eira of the rest of her green-eyed monster.
“Eira, this is Yuna, the Fae Princess of Winter. Yuna, this is my mate, Eira, and one of her other mates, Josh.”
“Hi,” Eira said quietly, suddenly very aware that she was stood in front of the Princess whose powers her family had stolen.
“You’re Lethie’s mate?”
“Yes, but Lethie?” She could see the displeasure on his face at the name and made a note to call him it whenever he annoyed her. At least once a day at the rate he was going.
“I’ve known him since I was five years old, and he was nine. Old habits die hard.”
“Keep talking, Fwap,” Leth growled and Eira threw him a look telling him to shut up.
“Here, let me show you the way to the ball. You know how to dance right? You’ll have to dance with Josh though, I think Lethie’ll have to dance with Rose. I used to dance with her, but now we’re over eighteen, I’m not allowed anymore.” Yuna spoke a mile a minute, and it was all Eira could do to even try and keep up. She hooked her arm through Eira’s, and began to walk down the corridor again, setting a brisk pace.
“Rose?” she asked, wondering if there was yet another woman she had to be wary of.
“Yes, Lethie’s sister, has he not told you about her?”
“No, he said he couldn’t.”
Beside her, Josh seemed to be listening intently, occasionally grazing the small of her back with his hand, offering her the support she needed. Leth was also silent, but she reckoned that was for a very different reason.
“Oh, that’s right. Weird fae rules. Non-fae mates can’t be told anything until after the bond is sealed. Stupid I know, and odd considering you have a fae glow about you, kind of wintery too...what aren’t you telling me, Lethie?”
“Nothing, don’t make me set Rose on you.” He sounded almost like a child, though that could be excusable given he and Yuna seemed to be childhood friends.
“Rose loves me, you couldn’t set her on me if you tried.” Yuna laughed, but her playful tone removed the potential sting from what she was saying.
“You and Rose love each other too much,” he muttered in response.
“Just because people wouldn’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s too much,” Yuna responded cryptically.
“If anyone finds out, Yuna...”
“They won’t Leth. We’ve managed this long.”
Eira was desperate to ask, especially given how the playful teasing of moments before had seemingly just disappeared. But the seriousness was what stopped her, or at least, for now. She’d be demanding answers from Leth later.
“I know, I just don’t want to see you and Rose hurt.” Leth seemed genuinely concerned, making her want to go to him and comfort him. Though she was also super curious, so stayed silent instead, desperate to know more.
“We know what we’re doing.” The Princess pouted, though Eira doubted Leth could see from his position walking a couple of steps behind.
“I hope so.”
“We do, so drop it.” Yuna unhooked her arm and spun around to face him. It was kind of dizzying how fast she moved. “And don’t go saying any of this to Rose, she has enough going on.”
“I know, I’m here aren’t I?”
“What’s going on with Rose?” Josh whispered, leaning in so that only Eira could hear.
“No idea,” she whispered back. All she’d picked up on so far was that she was Leth’s sister, and seemed to be involved with Yuna. Guess they’d find out more when they met her.
“Yes, you’re here,” Yuna answered Leth. “And about to upstage her on her birthday.”
“I couldn’t help it, it’s not like I could control when I met my mate,” Leth protested, his eyes flicking to Eira as he said the word, and instantly softening.
“No, it’s not,” Yuna sighed, sounding pained.
“It’ll work out Yuna.” Leth reached out a hand and placed it on her arm.
“While your Mother is still in power?”
“Maybe not—”
“Exactly,” she interrupted him. “Now let’s get going. We have a ball to attend.”
Sixteen
“I actually have to walk down a flight of stairs?” she demanded, looking between her two mates, and the large staircase that descended to what she assumed must be the ballroom, but it was almost impossible tell from where they were. The air was filled with the haunting melody of stringed instruments, and while she couldn’t see the dancers yet, she could hear the rust
le of fabric and the murmur of voices that was just about audible over the music.
“Yes, but it’s fine, we’ve got you,” Leth said.
“Did you not think to tell me that before we got here?”
“It hadn’t crossed my mind.” He shrugged, and Josh chuckled.
“It’s okay, E. We’ve got you.” He held out his arm, and Eira took it, glad that she’d at least be able to balance between them.
“I’ll show you how it’s done anyway,” Yuna said, bouncing along in her gown. She seemed surprisingly energetic given that she was encased in a ridiculous amount of fabric.
Without waiting for a reply, she gracefully made her way down the stairs.
“The Fae Princess of Winter, Yuna,” a booming voice called once she’d reached the bottom.
“We’re being announced?” Eira bit her lip, why was this suddenly feeling so formal?
“Are you going to be surprised by everything tonight?” Leth chuckled.
“Well if you’d told me any of this, I wouldn’t have been surprised, would I?”
“It’s our turn, guys,” Josh pointed out, holding his right arm out for Eira to take. Leth moved around, offering his left, and she hooked her arms around theirs.
“Well, this isn’t how I expected the first time being stuck between you,” she said, more to herself than to them. Leth laughed, but Josh glanced at her with a serious look in his eyes.
“You’ll have to show us what you expected later.”
Eira whimpered, the idea exciting her. They’d better actually follow through or she’d be very disappointed. One careful step at a time, she descended the stairs between two of her men, regretting that Rueben wasn’t with them, though hopefully he’d still manage to join them later. They reached the bottom and butterflies began to play in Eira’s stomach.
“The Lord Leth of the Summer Court, his mate, Lady Eira Frost and escort, Mister Joshua Bailey.”
“Lord?” Eira hissed.
“On a technicality,” Leth responded equally as quiet.
Saving Eira (Fated Seasons Book 1) Page 9
