by Lina Jubilee
“That’s good,” said Rajani, though her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. I followed her gaze to find Connak jumping from one foot to the other as if trying to avoid a snapping crab. “I’m going to go see what he’s up to,” she said, tracing her fingers gently over her neck.
Placing her cocktail glass on the beach towel, she put on her sunhat and headed to the shoreline. I sat in silence beside Derek, watching as Rajani threaded her arms up Connak’s chest and then exchanged a kiss with him, his skittishness around the water quickly quelled, the waves moving in and out around their calves.
“Professor Kouta said you left the test unfinished,” said Derek out of nowhere, slapping his book closed.
“What?” I asked, drawn back into the moment.
“The political science test you made up last week. When Rajani got—”
“I know. He offered to let me take it again, but I told him to just leave it.”
“But you know that means I got a higher score on it.”
Shuffling over to him on my knees, I placed my cheek against his swim trunks. “You deserve it,” I said. “You work hard for valedictorian. I’ll do just fine with salutatorian.”
“But it’s not the same as winning it fair and square.”
I rolled onto my back and looked up at him.
He swallowed and ran a hand through my hair—green and wavy and shoulder-length now, no effort made to hide my pointed ears.
“Are we really going to do this?” I asked.
“No,” he said quietly. “I just want you to know… You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”
“Just because I’m good at taking tests and regurgitating facts doesn’t mean I can’t also appreciate your kind of intelligence,” I said. “You work hard for your good scores. You deserve this.” My hand reached up and caressed his cheek.
“Don’t take what Hazel said to heart,” he said, cupping my hand in his. “You’ll make an incredible queen.”
“And thanks to you and the others, I’ll be seeing as much of the Earth as I can before I take on that responsibility.”
After the events of last week and the full force of feeling the Nelian sense for each of the four men in my life, I knew there was no way I could ever choose between them. We’d all agreed to take it slow, to see what marriage or lack thereof could mean for the royal families interested in a political alliance. Nelian tradition allowed for more than one spouse if they’d agree to it. But for now, for this first year after graduation, we were taking a page out of Derek’s book and exploring the world. Together. The princes had plenty of political work they could do, and Derek and I didn’t plan on parting from them.
We were a group now. All five of us. I wouldn’t be queen if I were missing even one of them.
“We’re gone for all of five minutes and Derek takes advantage of it for some special Bryony time?” said a deep voice with a familiar London lilt.
Grinning, I let my hand fall, not moving my head from atop Derek’s crotch at all. “It was more than five minutes,” I said, realizing that my own special “Derek time” just now had helped quell my fears about what had taken the princes so long. Bodyguards with or not, I knew for a fact they could give them the slip when inclined.
Zeke was beyond gorgeous in a tight pair of navy swim trunks, which seemed perfectly at home with his tanned, sculpted hirsute chest. Rio, paler and more svelte, nonetheless looked like a swimming champion in long, black swim pants like a pro might wear. The leggings-like material left nothing—not even his bulging crotch—to the imagination. Trey wore green speedos, his thick thighs bare and muscular, not a blemish to be found across his broad chest. Their hair was still damp even after they’d left the ocean behind for a bit, and the effect was like it’d been professionally styled and slicked back to be fresh-from-the-shower gorgeous.
“We wanted to bring you something special,” explained Rio.
I sat up and watched, mystified, as Zeke handed Derek a small jewelry box. Derek took it as if he’d made some request of Zeke, somewhere between page 50 and page 89 of the book he’d had his nose in since we’d come out to the beach for the day.
All four held matching jewelry boxes and as one, they got down on their knees and extended the boxes toward me.
“Guys,” I said. “We talked about this.”
“It’s not quite what you think,” said Zeke.
“No running off without a word this time,” added Rio, bouncing slightly in that way I knew meant he could quickly move to grab me if I did.
I laughed.
“All right.” I crossed my arms. “You may proceed.”
“Why, thank you, love,” said Trey, his eyes twinkling. They each opened their boxes and revealed a different-colored ring.
Trey’s was pearlescent, an almost reddish color.
Zeke’s was black and just as shiny.
Rio’s was a deep gold, more metallic color.
And Derek’s was blue, as effervescent as the ocean.
“This looks almost exactly like what I was expecting,” I pointed out. Sure, there were no gems, but…
“They’re promise rings,” explained Trey.
Rio reached into the pocket of his swim pants and pulled out a gold chain. “If you accept them, you can wear them all around your neck with this chain.”
“If I accept them?” I asked, my heart nearly fluttering out of my throat.
“You haven’t heard what we promise with them yet,” Zeke said, his voice colored with mirth.
“All right.” I curled my legs beneath me.
Rio took out his ring. “I promise to be devoted only to you. I promise to show you the world, to grow old with you, to be at your side. Will you accept that promise?”
“Yes,” I said, shaking as he placed the chain in the palm of my hand and added his ring on top of it. I grabbed him by the back of the neck and kissed him, his lips soft and sweet.
“I promise to be your partner,” said Zeke. “In life, in love—in everything. You are the only woman I’ll ever love.” With a flourish of his hand, he made a miniature globe appear over the ring. “I’d give you the world if I could. Both worlds. Will you accept my promise?”
“Yes!” I said again, and Zeke leaned forward to add his ring to my palm, nibbling at my ear as he neared. I sighed contentedly.
“I promise that I shall take no other lover, put no other person’s needs before yours,” said Trey. “I’ll support you in any way you wish. Do you agree to this promise?”
“Of course.” I accepted Trey’s ring added atop the others. He caressed my cheek and kissed the top of my head.
“And I promise that no matter what life throws at us—no matter how many men your Nelian sense shows you you can love, I won’t make you feel like I’m jealous ever again,” said Derek. “I promise to love only you, to go where you need me, be it on Earth or on Nelia.” His eyes sparkled. “Will you accept my promise, Bry?”
“I will!”
Derek added his ring atop the others and kissed me on the nose.
My heart pounding, my skin tingling, I worked to quickly slip all four beautiful rings on my chain and moved to clasp it around my neck.
Rio slid in behind me, taking hold of one end of the chain as Derek took the other. Zeke reached forward to smooth my hair out of the way as Trey looked on.
The necklace affixed and in place, I felt the cool, smooth surface of each ring under the hand I pressed to my breast.
“And I promise to love you equally,” I told them. “To be there for you, for your people when they’re in need of Nelia. I love you all.”
There was no way to describe the Nelian sense that floated in the air between us, the bond they could never truly feel, but the way they all looked at me, it felt like somehow they did feel it. That they knew.
“I don’t have rings to give any of you,” I added.
“Looks like we’ll have to settle for a gift of another nature,” said Zeke, wriggling his eyebrows.
“Later. In the hotel,” added Rio, as if that needed to be explained.
Laughing, I nodded.
“But first,” said Trey. “You fly all this way to visit this beautiful beach and you’re just sitting here, dry as a desert?”
He stood and the other men followed suit, each grabbing hold of a part of me until I was up atop Trey’s shoulders, my legs wrapping around his neck, my groin flush up against the back of his head. The top of my head clipped the umbrella above us.
Giggling, I held on tightly as Trey rushed forward toward the water, the other three men each holding on to a leg or my back to steady me as we rushed ahead.
Straight past the dozen bodyguards out of place on the beach in their dark suits, past other vacationers, past Connak and Rajani making a sand castle at the water’s edge.
Straight into the ocean and into our life ahead. Together.
About the Author
Lina Jubilee loves reading, writing, drinking tea, and rooting for her favorite fictional romances. When not lost in a book, she cooks dinner at lunchtime, plans errands in fewer trips, and does everything she can to get back to romping through fictional worlds ASAP.
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The Succubus Sirens Series
Read more sexy reverse harem stories set in the Succubus Sirens world of superpowered heroes, villains, and elves:
Succubus Lips – Succubus Heart – Mutiny’s Rebellion – Succubus Soul: Veras Academy
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These standalone, interconnected novels can be picked up in any order, but if you want to avoid spoilers, start with Book 1!
Praise for Succubus Lips:
"This is probably one of the most bizarre yet satisfyingly creative books I've ever read... If you're into kickass heroines and book boyfriends that make you swoon, this one is for you!" -The Lovely Books
"Succubus Lips is well-written and subversively funny, willing to toy with the reader's expectations and do the opposite... sexy without being tedious." -The Romance Reviews
Praise for Succubus Heart:
“This book kept my interest from the very beginning, and I enjoyed every scene. Absolutely recommended." ~The Romance Reviews
My Racy Reverse Harem Book Club
Standalone contemporary reverse harem
Nothing can keep Rose away from Romance Book Club at the library—not even the snowstorm of the century. Catching a ride home through the storm with Lance, the stunningly attractive librarian who happens to be her neighbor, and Vaughn, his chiseled, alluring housemate, Rose takes them up on their invitation to drop by sometime and join them for their own book club. Rose gets more than she bargained for when she’s introduced to Rafael, their magnetically charming third roommate, and the surprising genre of books they love to read and discuss. As the blizzard rages, Rose joins the Racy Reverse Harem Book Club, whose members are open to trying just about everything together to get warm.
A standalone novelette by Lina Jubilee, author of the reverse harem urban fantasy series Succubus Sirens.
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