Author: Meg Xuemei X.
Date: 2020-09-05 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fae; Reverse Harem; Fantasy; Paranormal; Magic; Paranormal Romance; Romance; Demons; Shapeshifters
Description: A Fae court Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance "I'll ravish you for hours. Days. I won't ever stop." That's the Fae Kings' ritual of courting and claiming. Sorry I asked. The three Fae kings insist I'm their fated mate, and they're terrible at sharing. I know I should turn my back on them before they ruin me. They're too ruthless, feral, possessive, and well, too hot for me to feel safe. A girl would have a better chance of swimming with sharks than walking among the predatory Fae, let alone tangling with them between the sheets. But did I adhere to my own advice? And now my unbridled lust complica

Frost Fae

DARK FAE KINGS BOOK 2

Meg Xuemei X

Fever Fae© 2020 by Meg Xuemei X

Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Cover art by Jay R Villalobos

Edited by Christina Walker

Proofread by Jane Beyer and Nicole Page

The novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only.

Books by Meg Xuemei X

THE FIRST WITCH SERIES

The Dragonian’s Witch

The Witch’s Consort

OF SHADOWS AND FIRE SERIES

The Burn of the Underworld

The Fall of the Underworld

THE WAR OF GODS SERIES

A Court of Blood and Void

A Court of Fire and Metal

A Court of Ice and Wind

A Court of Earth and Ether

HALF-BLOOD ACADEMY SERIES

Magic Trials

Magic Secret

Magic Fury

Magic Unchained

Magic Flame

THE DRAGON QUEEN & HER MATES SERIES

The Fury Queen’s Harem

The Dragon Queen’s Harem

The Fae Queen’s Harem

TRUE MATE SERIES

Claim the Wolf King

Claim the Leopard Princess

THE WICKEDEST WITCH SERIES

Wicked Witch

Dark Vampire

Fallen Angel

DARK CHEMISTRY SERIES

The Siren

The Prince

The Red Queen

DARK FAE KINGS SERIES

Book 1: Fever Fae

Book 2: Frost Fae

Book 3: Night Fae

Book 4: Blood Fae

Frost Fae

The three Fae kings insist I’m their fated mate, and they’re terrible at sharing.

I know I should turn my back on them before they ruin me.

They’re too ruthless, feral, possessive, and well, too hot for me to feel safe.

A girl would have a better chance of swimming with sharks than walking among the predatory Fae, let alone tangling with them between the sheets.

But did I adhere to my own advice?

And now my unbridled lust complicates everything, leading me straight into the Dawn Queen’s trap. To claim the kings for herself, she thrusts me into the Wild Hunt—a deadly game no one has ever escaped.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Frost Fae

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

SNEAK PEEK: MAGIC TRIALS

About the Author

Chapter 1

Surrounded by the Fae kings, I stared at the reflection of the stunning woman in the dark glass.

My reflection.

Frigid mountain wind wheeled around me, my golden hair billowing and glowing. My pointed ears twitched, and my green eyes glowed like a burning forest.

“How do I turn off the headlights?” I asked in a small, panicked voice, failing to keep my cool.

“Headlights?” the Winter King asked, his face scrunched in icy confusion, as he parked behind me like a solid mountain of hard muscles.

“My glowing eyes,” I said with exasperation, waving a hand before my face. “I can cover my pointed ears no problem, but I don’t want to look pretentious, always wearing sunglasses. Drawing attention to myself is the last thing I want right now. I want to look tough and plain, exactly like I did before.”

“You were never plain, my lovely Evie,” the Summer King said, his knuckles tracing my high cheekbone, sending a shiver of pleasure all the way to my curled toes.

The Fae kings’ mere touch could do that to me. It wasn’t fair.

“I liked your sweet, soft look before,” the Summer King continued, a nib of amusement in his velvety, sexy voice. He was being optimistic at exactly the wrong time. “And I love your new Fae look just the same.”

“Any woman would kill for your unparalleled beauty,” added the Winter King.

“I don’t want it,” I said. “I’m a chick who’s more into character than looks. Most importantly, I need to look like the same old Evie for my siblings. I’m all they have now. The last thing I want is to freak them the fuck out. I need to get my glamour back.”

The Fae kings, despite their rivalry, traded a glance. Yep, I knew they liked my new appearance better. They preferred a Fae female over a human woman as their mate if they had a say in the matter.

Over their silence, I wheeled to survey them as they crowded me. They each stood over six-foot-six, with broad shoulders, chiseled chests, and strong legs.

The ruthless Fae kings each ruled a court in Elfame, the land of the immortals.

Rydstrom, the Night King, seemed forged from the darkest night in a deep galaxy with his jet-black tousled hair, savagely gorgeous face, and sinful lips that promised every wicked pleasure, which I could vouch for after having had a taste of him.

Rowan, the silver-haired Winter King, resembled the element of his court, as if he had been carved out of the hardest Arctic glacier. Whenever he trained his gaze upon me, his steel blue eyes burned with icy fire that called to me like a siren song. The ice king held dark secrets.

And the flamboyant Summer King, Baron, was a sun god incarnate with his claret hair, molten amber eyes, and sensual, cruel smirk. He was like the capricious summer rain before the storm. His specialty was melting panties, and that was before he met me.

My knees grew weaker for them as the days passed, but I needed to stand my ground and remain a strong woman. I didn’t exactly believe in fated mates, especially not being fated to three guys at the same time.

“Here’s the deal,” I said, sharpening my voice and trying to glare instead of ogle them. “Whoever can restore my former looks will have a favor from me.” I swept a hand over them to stress my point. “But whoever is useless won’t get a sniff of me again.”

Somehow, my scent was like catnip to the Fae kings, so I had to take advantage of that. When Rydstrom first interviewed me in his Pasadena club, he’d categorized me as vulnerable beyond measure despite a bad attitude. As green as I was, I had to use every resource at my disposal.

Baron narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you just call me useless, Evie?”

I’d bet my life that no one ever dared call the cruel Fae kings anything unflattering if they wanted their heads to stay on their necks. But with me, the kings wanted more than my head, so they’d have to put up with my sassy style.

“What favor will you grant us, Eve, if we do your bidding?” Rydstrom purred.

My eyes widened at Rydstrom’s sexual insinuation. The heat in his sapphire eyes made my blood race and my skin hum with warmth. Lust swirled to life, pumping in my veins.

To hide the dirty thoughts and erotic images flashing in my mind, I squinted at the Fae kings hard. I only hoped that they didn’t smell my arousal and announce it to embarrass me. Baron enjoyed doing that.

The Fae kings were no picnic.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I said, eyeing them with suspicion. “You Fae always want something in return if you decide to do anything half-nice for someone. I don’t like to rush to action around you or promise things I’ll for sure regret later. Legend says all Fae are cunning tricksters and great manipulators who can find any loopholes in any bargain!”

“I regret that you have such a low opinion of us because Baron screwed up our first impression,” Rowan said, ice and heat twirling in his gorgeous blue eyes. “But I’ll never trick you. You can always count on me, Evie. You aren’t just any woman to me; you’re my fated mate.”

Baron glowered at his half-brother.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot lately,” I said, lifting my chin. This time, I’d get my way. I would get back my glamour that had been burned away when I tore open the Veil, the barrier between the mortal and immortal realms. “But words are cheap. So how about you all prove something to me with actions instead of words and remove this ridiculous fairy look from me? Consider this my first challenge to you if you’re up for it. And if you do it right, you’ll get a hot date from me.”

So there, I enticed the Fae kings with a date. I wondered if I would have to pay for everything if I went on an actual date with any of them. I wasn’t being cheap, but I had to save every penny to feed my siblings. Living in California was damn expensive.

“I’d love to have a hot date with you, Evie,” Rowan said, his eyes growing hooded. Well, if he thought a date meant having sex in Fae custom, he had another thing coming. I wasn’t the type of girl who rushed to bed with anyone on the first date. Well, most of the time.

“How about a kiss to seal the deal?” Baron asked, a naughty spark in his molten amber eyes.

You give the Fae kings an inch, they’d ask for a mile.

Rowan nodded with a blazing smile. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Evie.”

My pulse spiked at their male need, my lips moistened, and my nipples went taut. My body responded to the Fae kings like a fiddle waiting to be plucked.

Rydstrom smirked like a champion. “I’d do anything to have another kiss from you, Eve.”

He’d kissed me in Claws, Fangs, and Fiends, and that kiss had rocked my world. I wouldn’t mind having another go with the Night King. But by revealing our kiss, he meant to rile up the other kings. He couldn’t help it anymore than Baron and Rowan.

Fae were naturally vicious.

Baron and Rowan snarled, guttural sounds similar to a beast’s rumbling from their chests. Baron had another form—a massive golden lion that loved to laugh and carve out assassins’ hearts. And Rowan had fought the demons in his enormous silver wolf form. If they transformed, I’d have another stupid and dangerous fight on my hands.

“Fine,” I said, distracting them from their rising antagonism. At the same time, I shuddered inside with thrilling anticipation, as if some kind of ecstasy drug had already spread in my bloodstream at the promise of kissing all the Fae kings. “One kiss each and you’ll help me with the glamour. Uh, who wants to go first? Should you line up here?”

The next second, I was airborne.

Well, not exactly. Baron held me close in his strong arms as he teleported us in a helix of sunlight. He landed with me clinging to him at the far end of the courtyard, away from Rydstrom and Rowan. An array of snowy mountains sprawled beneath our feet, while a perfect blue sky spread above.

Baron cupped my face, hauling my attention back to him. The Summer King was forever demanding and he refused to allow me to enjoy even such a panoramic vista that wasn’t his own face for more than a few breaths.

“Evie, I’ll court you however you want,” he said sweetly, but I wasn’t fooled by his charm. I’d seen his cruel, careless side when he’d thought I was just a plain Jane. “And I’ll protect you with my last breath.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Do you expect me to express gratitude for being dragged here without warning?”

“You’re so cute when you’re fierce, Evie,” he said with a dazzling smile, and before I could retort, he slanted his mouth over mine.

Warm sunbeams instantly filled my being, and I sighed blissfully.

His soft lips moved on mine, sensual and exciting. I’d secretly pictured how he’d kiss me. My fantasy paled in comparison to this intoxicating caress. The Summer King savored me slowly, as if he had all the time in the world.

Then his kiss turned forceful and aggressive as I received him passively—I was still in shock. The tip of his tongue thrust between my lips, urging me to open for him.

Who was I to deny him when he tasted so good?

Before my lips parted further, his tongue pushed in and swept over mine. Pleasure rocked my nerve endings in spades, and I forgot to protest him dominating me.

A needy moan and a whimper escaped my throat. My knees went wobbly, but Baron had caught me, pressing me against his large, hard torso. His erection pricked against my belly, and I loved the feel of his hardness, which spelled how much he desired me.

His amber eyes scorched to molten gold, his predatory lust exciting me. A haze of heat filled my mind. I wanted him with every fiber, my primal instincts urging me to surrender.

His tongue thrust in my mouth again, and my pussy lit on fire. The mating call had risen. If I succumbed to it, there’d be only pleasure and bliss.

I moaned his name as I tightened my arms around his neck and stretched my body against his hard length, sending him an urgent mating signal. I’d go down on all fours and let him mount me right here, rut me from behind like a wild animal.

A primal, rough groan tore from Baron’s throat. Our lust fueled each other, spiking higher and higher. It was getting out of control and I had not a care in the world.

The Summer King’s large, powerful hand anchored the back of my head, his other hand moving down to my butt cheek. I approved wholeheartedly. My pussy clenched in aching need, waiting for Baron’s hand to stroke it and play with it. The dirtier the better.

The edge of my consciousness registered that an icy wind roared somewhere, right before its hard wave whipped into Baron with a violent force. Baron stumbled back, his eyes wild and furious, as the force tore him away from me. Instantly, Baron’s summer magic rippled out to shield me, but there was no need. Rowan’s ice magic had already surrounded me like a guard dog.

Baron bellowed, sun heat blasting out of him to batter at the icy storm attacking him.

The Winter King arrived with his wind, planting himself between Baron and me. The surrounding mountains shook as the two kings’ opposite elements wrestled each other. Thunder boomed across the horizon.

The haze of lust in my mind cleared a little at the rising danger.

“Stop it!” I shouted. “Not this shit again. You won’t drag me into another damn vortex!” I shuddered at the memory of the agony that had threatened to shatter my bones while I flailed in the eye of the vortex the three Fae kings had created by battling each other at Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.

Baron and Rowan leashed their magic at my shriek. The mountains stilled a moment later, the thunder faded, yet the air was still charged with unnerving electricity and thick testosterone.

“What the fuck, Rowan?” Baron snarled, but he no longer looked unhinged and violent, which was a good thing. “I wasn’t done kissing my mate! You have no right to interfere.”

“I have every right.” Rowan hissed out a trail of icy steam. “It’d gone beyond kissing. You were trying to mark and mate her, and you caged my future queen.”

I blinked at him. I hadn’t felt caged. I’d felt damn good. The Fae kings were just infuriating, and I couldn’t even enjoy a kiss in peace. Yet part of me was thankful that killjoy had interrupted us. My body was ripe for all the Fae kings, but I wasn’t ready emotionally. I shouldn’t entangle with them like that while I had younger siblings to protect.

“It was agreed that Evie would receive a kiss from each of us, not get fucked by you because you have a hard time keeping your dick in your trousers,” Rowan spat. “If we are to survive this new partnership between the three of us, we have to play by the rules, or we’ll destroy each other before she bonds with us all. We’ll follow the etiquette of equal shares, and there’ll be no favoritism under any circumstance.”

So he was policing a kiss? I bit my swollen lip. All the grief they gave me!

“You’re just jealous, ice boy,” Baron sneered. “Can’t stand watching how hot my Evie is for me, can you?”

Now I glared at both kings.

“My turn to kiss my mate,” Rowan said, haughtily ignoring Baron, and grabbed me to him.

Before I could shove him away and tell him I wasn’t an object to be passed around, I was spinning in midair. Rowan’s intoxicating scent of frozen forest, powerful male, and pine wrapped around me as he held me in his iron grip and caring embrace. The fight went out of me.

My legs clamped around his waist so I wouldn’t fall by accident.

“I’ll never let you fall, Evie,” he whispered in my ear, his icy breath sending tingles all over my body, cooling and arousing me at the same time.

We touched down on the other edge of the courtyard, far away from Baron, who still glared at Rowan, and far away from Rydstrom, who casually leaned against the wooden rail in front of his cabin like a mighty Night god. He’d been watching the drama between the two kings with a lazy, dismissive expression.

Rowan held my bottom with his solid palm. I could tell that he liked my legs sneaking around him. Icy heat burned through his steel blue eyes as he gazed down at me. Then, without a word, he crushed his lips onto mine.

He wasn’t gentle. His touch was demanding and hungry, as if he’d been waiting for this kiss for too long, and now when he had it, he could no longer hold back his blunt force. But I liked his bruising desire just fine.

Icy fire lit in my veins as his winter magic poured into me. I moaned, wanting more of him, all of him. It surprised me that my need for them was so raw, so primitive, and so fierce. Maybe they were right about me being their mate.

Rowan’s kiss deepened, his icy flame searing me, so intense I was afraid I might either burn or melt. He pulled me tightly against him, reducing any phantom space between us. I made a needy noise and opened my mouth for him, eager to taste him thoroughly.

Then he was ripped from me.

Sun fire and ice storm crashed again, and Baron rode a sunbeam and settled between his half-brother and me.

“As you said, a kiss is a kiss, Rowan,” Baron said, wearing a smug, vindictive smirk on the corners of his curvy lips. “We don’t go beyond it.”

Rowan hissed a steam of icy fog. He looked like a kid whose favorite candy had been taken away.

Then I was whisked away from both kings.

A pair of magnificent, obsidian wings glided on the wind before beating against the endless, pale blue sky. Rydstrom’s arms held me tight as he flew higher, the mountains dropping away from us.

“Ryds,” I gasped. “Where are you taking me? I don’t like heights.”

“Focus on me and don’t look down,” he purred. “You’re forever safe with me, Eve. I had to get you away from the two brutes and claim my kiss in peace.”

My face warmed. “You already had a kiss the other day.”

He smiled. “Was it good for you?”

“Above average.”

He laughed. “Then let me try again until you’re fully satisfied.”

My blood heated, despite the chilly wind whipping around us, my throat parched with desire.

“Well,” I offered. “If you can help return me to my human look, I guess I can tolerate one more kiss.”

The Night King chuckled in dark amusement. Then his lips sealed to mine.

It was nowhere near bruising and brutal—not as I expected, not like the first kiss he gave me in his office of steel and glass. The Night King’s second kiss was feather-light and tender like a poem.

Yet, the liquid fire that had been stoked by Baron and Rowan leapt higher between my thighs, burning through my soaked panties. After three hot, arousing kisses from the most powerful, gorgeous males walking the earth, I no longer knew how to handle this pent-up carnal need.

So, I let it go. I let myself free fall in the pleasure, damn the consequences.

I wanted the Fae kings to fuck me. I wanted them to thrust their mighty cocks into my molten core and claim me over and over.

“Ryds?” I whimpered.

Rowan and Baron’s enraged roars answered, punching the mountain air with their harsh, elemental powers. They’d ride the wind, combine their forces, and battle Rydstrom if this kiss went any further. They were deadly serious about fair shares when it concerned me.

And I’d be caught in the crossfire again. Why couldn’t a girl like me catch a break?

“I’m tempted to get rid of them once and for all,” Rydstrom grated. But he swooped down with me tightly in his arms and landed smoothly on the platform in front of the cabin.

Baron and Rowan zoomed in toward us and surrounded me in no time.

“You won’t hijack my mate again, Rydstrom,” Baron growled.

“It’s time,” Rydstrom said. “We need to glamour our mate.”

A shaft of magics swept over me—ice, midnight, and sunlight buzzed on my skin before clothing me. It dawned on me that I now wore the signature of all three Fae kings. Vertigo rippled over me as if I’d had too much potent wine.

I wheeled on my heels and stared into the dark glass of the cabin’s full window, and my reflection stared back, illuminated by the Night King’s starlight.

I was the old Evie again—lush golden hair, pink lips, sparks in my green eyes, and most importantly, I had my round ears back. Damn, I still looked cool, though I no longer radiated. But who needed that freaky shit? But when I touched my ears to make sure I was all me, I groped the pointed peak.

“Only we can see your true form,” Rowan said. “Everyone else sees you just like before, and you’ll see yourself as we do when you choose.”

“Guess I’ll have to live with that, then.” I dropped my hand with a defeated sigh. “But must I always wear your magics from now on?”

“You’re the first, last, and only woman who ever wears the glamour from the magics of all three Fae kings,” Baron said with a roguish smile. “When you get used to it, you’ll want more of us every day.”

Exactly what I was afraid of.

“If I get more of you, then I’ll have less of myself!” I said.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Evie,” Rowan said, leaning to kiss my crown and inhaling my scent in satisfaction. “We’ll give ourselves completely to you as well.”

My heart fluttered like wings of light. I’d never had anyone completely to myself. It sounded appealing, but how was I going to handle having all three of them? I wasn’t sure if I should be elated or worried.

“We’d have glamoured you without your asking, Eve,” Rydstrom said. “You aren’t ready to show the realm who you are, especially when our enemies might have found out about your existence. We must guard you and your true heritage at all costs until you’re powerful enough to claim your crown.”

My chest tightened, cold dread filling my lungs. The bounty hung over my head like ominous dark clouds as I remembered what Rydstrom had said after the vortex ripped away my human glamour.

“You aren’t just any Fae, Evelina Greene. You’re the lost princess heir, the true Queen of the Court of Dawn.”

Shit was getting real. I could no longer fool myself by insisting that the bounty was random or a mistake, even though I wanted to hang on to my human reality more than anything—that I was just the eldest daughter in the Greene house.

But it was no longer about what I wanted; it was about survival. Only a fool would ignore the cost of fighting for the throne, which meant nothing to me when all I wanted was to put my family back together.

“I don’t want the crown,” I said, “even if I might be the lost princess of the Dawn Court. And if you want to protect me and my family, you’ll help me deal with the bounty hunters first. I can’t do it alone.”

“You never need to ask, Evie,” Rowan said softly and lethally, tiny ice crystals dusting his blond eyelashes. “They’ll have to get through all of us to get to you. And I won’t allow a single golden hair of your head harmed.”

“You have us, love,” Baron said fiercely. “You’re my one true mate. I’ll paint your enemies’ blood all over the walls of Elfame before they even think of harming you.”

“We’ll train you,” Rydstrom said, steel in his voice. “We’ll get you ready. And we have a plan.”

Waves of warmth and new hope washed over me, banishing the icy dread pounding in my veins. I had three ruthless Fae kings in my corner. The most lethal predators were on my team. The enemies who kept coming after me and my family would be sorry.

Heat rose in me, and lust returned in double doses, roaring in my bloodstream.

The kings had gotten their way and manipulated three kisses out of me, but I didn’t regret an iota of it. After all, their kisses were the heavenly flame that had lit my every dormant cell on fire.

Chapter 2

“Was the warm-up enough, Lady Evie?” Baron asked, arrogant amusement twinkling in his amber eyes, and I tried not to let my gaze linger on his curvy lips. Thinking of his lips like that would do me no good, which I knew from personal experience.

“Are you here to seduce or train me?” I asked back, quirking an eyebrow while staring hard at him. His smile grew wider, displaying a cute dimple. I shook my head and turned to punch the sandbag hanging in the middle of the underground training hall beneath Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.

Today was the Summer King’s turn to train me in combat, magic, and court politics, and he had used this privilege to banish everyone from the floor so he could have alone time with me.

Rowan grunted his displeasure, but the three kings had ceded that my trainer of the day called the shots. The restricted underground, previously accessed only by Rydstrom and his elite knights, was now open to Rowan, Baron, and me as well.

Baron met my glare with an incandescent smile that he knew perfectly well would always make my heart stutter and my stomach tighten like piano wire.

“I excel at both, love,” he purred. “I enjoy feeling you up while instructing you to be a better fighter.”

I rolled my eyes at his shameless flirting and brought up a leg to kick the sandbag toward him. “If you’re incapable of taking your role seriously, perhaps we should get Rowan or—”

Suddenly, Baron’s fist slammed toward my face.

I ducked instinctively. He unfurled his fist and battered his palm on my shoulder, whirling me around with the force of storm wind. I wobbled, struggling to get my feet under me and launch my own attack. Before I knew it, he’d snaked his arms around me, smacking my back against his hard chest. He laughed, his breath on the point of my ear sending a sensual tingle down my spine.

The Summer King had a penchant for blending his assault with seduction. But I was here to train.

I threw back my head, trying to stun him with a head-butt, but he ducked his face to the side, faster than a flash. I wasn’t slow either. I twisted in his hold so I could throw my elbow into his stomach or groin.

He let me go before I could damage his family jewels, winking approvingly at my quick reflexes. Warmth flooded my core at the heat in his bedroom eyes. Baron had grown on me, and increasingly his opinion of me mattered.

The air crackled with our mutual attraction. For a second, I regretted stepping away from him. I should have just let him pin me against his muscled chest, played the damsel for a little while, enjoyed him a little more, or even rubbed my shapely ass against his massive erection, before I elbowed him.

“My darling Evie, I’m very serious,” he said. “And I assure you that I’m a thoughtful man. I think of you all the time—I fantasize about kissing your soft lips again, having your breast in my mouth, and feasting on your—”

I wheeled and swept my boot toward his cheek, intending to roundhouse-kick the smug smirk off his handsome face. He didn’t sidestep though. Instead, he raised his corded forearm and parried my kick as if it were no more forceful than a water balloon.

Hitting his arm felt like slamming my heel into a boulder. I dropped back into a ready stance and glared at him as my foot ached.

“Must you always be such a hard ass?” I hissed. “Just let me kick you in the throat.”

He smirked. “You’ll only complain more.”

The nerve he had!

“You don’t know me very well,” I shouted at him.

“I know you more than you think, Evie darling. The way to beat a bigger, stronger opponent—”

The Fae kings loved to listen to their own enchanting, sexy voices, but I wasn’t going to wait for another sermon since Rowan had tried to drill the same concept into my skull over and over the other day.

I was fed up with their advantages over me.

I zoomed toward Baron and appeared behind him, aiming to kick his kneecap and force him to drop to his knees. Who wouldn’t love to put an arrogant king in his place?

Baron avoided the strike at the last moment, faster than a fucking thought. I followed up with my backup plan, swinging both of my merciless fists toward his sinfully gorgeous face. He slipped out of my striking range with ease and grace. No matter how sneaky and fast my attacks were, I could never get him. It was as if he had a pair of blinking eyes on the back of his head and fast wheels under his feet.

Irritated to no end, I lunged at him from his blindside with a series of jabs, hard punches, and occasional kicks. He laughed as he twisted away from my blunt assaults in a blur of speed and blocked my every blow with a lazy attitude.

I’d trained for a decade with Dad and other martial arts professionals, yet I couldn’t land one blow on Baron. The one time I’d had a chance to knee his nuts was because he had underestimated me and thought I was just a peasant girl.

“Stop dodging, old man,” I growled. The Fae were born and bred warriors, their skills honed over centuries. Naturally, he’d be a superior fighter. But avoiding my every strike with a cocky smirk wasn’t teaching me anything useful.

Baron’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not old. In fact, I’m considered a young immortal.”

“I’m twenty-one, and you’re more than two centuries old. You’re practically ancient.”

Before he could retort, I dove back into the fight with my fists and feet flying. But the insults didn’t slow down his reflexes like I hoped. Instead, he acted like I was massaging him or scratching his itches when he occasionally let me land a blow. After several more rounds of failing to overcome him, my frustration and humiliation reached the breaking point.

“Just let me beat you up, asshole!”

“If you beg, my Evie, I’ll go really easy on you,” he said with a sunny, sexy grin.

Heat welled up in my belly, responding to his flirt. Rage also arose at his taunting words. I don’t beg. I would never beg.

The magic that had been ignoring me since the day we’d fought the demons stirred, then slithered up and peeked out. An unexpected joy swayed in me at the return of my magic.

For over twenty years, it’d been caged within me, and part of me had been locked away with it. My parents used ancient, potent spells to bind my magic and glamour my true identity. They’d done it to protect me, and I didn’t blame them. But my magic didn’t care about the circumstances.

It didn’t trust me now, even though I’d told it in our language that it wasn’t me who chained it to the bottom of an icy lake.

Despite the grudge it still held against me, my magic had blasted out of me when the seal on its cage was broken and it had saved me twice. But then, it wasn’t entirely altruistic. If I perished, it’d cease to exist as well.

“Your magic is volatile,” Rowan had told me. “It’s different from any previous Dawn Queen’s powers. I’ll do more research, but you’ll need to master it before your Turning, Evie, or you won’t like the results.”

That didn’t boost my confidence, but the Fae kings weren’t known for pep talks.

Right now, I had no idea why my magic was suddenly showing interest, rising from its slumber, and utterly forgetting its grudge against me. Maybe Baron’s taunting provoked it?

Before I had time to figure it out, threads of silky vines sprouted from the ground around me and dashed toward Baron like a lover. The Summer King laughed in glee.

I watched in silent shock as the tendrils mounted his legs in a loving embrace, green leaves licking his cheeks like a puppy, and a twirl of stems danced around him in a sultry invitation.

“I didn’t do that,” I blurted out. “The vines are acting on their own. I have no idea what they’re doing. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“What wrong idea, Evie?” Baron asked, a mischievous light coiling in his amber eyes, as he allowed the stems of the vines to veer him toward me, twirling in dance.

The vines didn’t let me off the hook either. They suddenly dragged me toward the Summer King, surprising me with their strength and determination. While we were caught in their net, Baron wrapped his arm around me and crushed me against his hard chest.

I threw up my palms, trying to shove him away. I needed to show him that I had more backbone than my magic. But the tangles and threads of my vines tripped me, and I lost my footing with a yelp.

Baron caught me, but instead of holding me upright, he took advantage of an opening in the swirling greenery and gracefully fell to the floor, pulling me atop him. The whole time he laughed merrily.

Humiliation and shock swept over me at the betrayal and manipulation of my magic, yet as I gazed down at Baron’s perfect face, desire blazed through me.

No, you won’t go down so easily, I told myself, my hands planting on Baron’s hard, hot abs. I wouldn’t cave in to this seduction, no matter how badly my body or my magic wanted the perfect Fae specimen I now straddled. My cold logic reminded me of what would come out of this if I fucked any of the Fae kings before I was absolutely certain.

They weren’t like the boys I used to date.

They were the most lethal predators walking the earth.

Still, my body didn’t care about any list of reasons. It wanted to have the kings more than anything. I couldn’t help but imagine trailing my fingers across Baron’s taut chest to his six-pack, then all the way down to his hard bulge beneath me. I craved to have his masculine hand grope and explore me, starting from my heavy breasts to the aching flesh between my thighs.

My need and my reason warred against each other. It was getting harder to fight such an attraction toward all the smoldering-hot Fae kings. I bit my lip, ordering myself to roll off Baron. Yet I only felt the weakness of my limbs and legs, and my body refused to move an inch away from him.

Baron let out a knowing chuckle, shifted his body weight, and rolled me beneath him. His massive body caged me now, trapping me and preventing me from ever escaping him. And the most inner part of me rejoiced.

I gazed up at him, my eyes burning with lust.

His sensual laughter dropped, and he stared at me with undivided attention and dragon-hot heat. His male lust scorched me in hard waves.

“You might not want to admit it.” He swallowed, trying to get a grip on himself, too. “But your body and your magic like me, Evie. They recognize that I’m your mate. And know this, Evie, I can be patient. I’ll wait for you to catch up. And when the day comes, even if I shoo you away, you won’t leave me. You’ll run to me, faster than anything, at a wiggle of my fingers.”

See how the Summer King made me hot and annoyed me to no end at the same time? I glared at him while lust raced in my veins. The scoundrel rocked his hips against the curve of my groin, his need and heat radiating to me, finally shattering my last defense.

My heart pounded in my ears, my blood racing. All I could think of was the male on top of me, his fresh, minty breath tracing my flushed face, and his scent of aroused male and summer sunlight trailing into my nostrils and filling my lungs. The world around me faded away, except for the Summer King and his scent and feel.

My magical vines retreated, no longer needing to trap us.

I parted my searing lips, breathing out a moan of need. A low groan, male and primal, rumbled from Baron’s chest in response to my want.

“Baron,” I whimpered.

His weight on me was delicious; his large erection against my most sensitive place was more than welcome. Fire twirled inside my tight channel, all the way to my molten core. My pussy clenched in desperate need. It wept to be filled by the king’s cock.

I shifted my body and angled my hips to give him uncontested access. My knees grew weak for him, even though for a second, my last stubborn will suggested I bend my knee and ram it into his balls.

I was a goner, pathetic at this point, so I wouldn’t follow through with that spunky idea. Bruising his balls wouldn’t be in my best interest anyway. On the contrary, I’d just decided that whatever the Summer King wanted to do to me next, I’d let him have his way with me. My body was aflame just picturing him tugging down my pants and nudging his massive cock at my slick entrance.

No foreplay required. I was so damn wet for him, ripe to be fucked.

My pussy contracted again, needing to be penetrated by his large cock. Repeatedly. Only then would the fire of agony inside my narrow channel be quenched.

Baron regarded my wonton body with hooded eyes, pure male lust twisting his formerly perfect face, which only made my blood race faster. It excited me to know he wanted to fuck me more than anything.

Any second, he’d pull down my pants and pound into me brutally.

His hand slid under my sports bra and cupped a breast, kneading my nipple before quickly tracing down my body and heading toward the flesh between my thighs. I gasped when his hand thrust into my yoga pants and palmed my pussy. The Summer King was a straight-shooter. He wanted to skip the torturous, time-consuming foreplay as well. And judging by the demanding heat in his eyes and his heavy breathing, I bet he no longer cared much about patient courting at the moment. Men and their promises!

He wanted to rut me like an animal, yet I was more than willing to cooperate as I was drowning in a sea of savage lust.

But maybe this isn’t the brightest idea? A small part of me tried to argue and get through to me. After we fucked, things wouldn’t be the same. But neither Baron nor I could stop it now, or even wanted to. Lust boiled in our veins, deciding our next course of action.

“Baron,” I whispered and propelled my hips up toward him.

“I’ve never desired any woman more than you,” he said roughly in my ear. “I’ve wanted to fuck your sweet hole since the day I saw you. Say you want me to fuck your tight pussy, stretch it, fill it, and make it remember how I brutally claimed you.”

“Will you spend that much time talking—” Before I finished the sentence, he’d lifted his weight enough to yank down both our pants in an instant.

His cock sprang free, its size impressive and its shape beautiful. My pussy clenched with slick heat. I licked my lips. Baron slanted his mouth over mine again while he had his granite cock nudge at my entrance.

One hard shove and it would embed deep within me. I couldn’t wait to be filled and stretched.

I arched my back, eager to receive the first forceful thrust that would make me moan with pleasure and need.

“Now, Baron,” I demanded, needing him to drive deep into me while he was still studying how his thick crown of cock prodded between my plump folds with searing lust and fascination.

The ground beneath us suddenly shook. Then the ceiling rumbled, and even the stone pillars vibrated with a warning of violence.

The threat of danger sliced through the haze of lust in my brain, adrenaline spiking my heart rate.

We darted frantic gazes about, seeking a threat. Baron wrapped his arms around me protectively as the ground tilted. Someone was shouting my name as footsteps rushed down the winding stairs toward the training room.

While Baron appeared highly alert, desire still plastered his golden eyes and distorted his face. And I still wanted him to fuck me more than anything, not caring that the world might burn and collapse in the next breath.

But I also knew we couldn’t always get what we wanted. I sucked in a breath to gather my strength and sanity. Then I bent my knees and threw the Summer King off me.

I rolled to the other side, pulled up my pants, and jumped to my feet. Baron also yanked his pants back up from his ankles, his huge erection stretching the front of his pants.

I evened my breath with effort while I jogged toward the base of the stairs, my fingers threading into my wildly tangled hair to comb it.

Rowan reached me before Rydstrom’s knights did. He gave me a look, his face icy, his eyes hard, and his lips puffing a wisp of a foggy steam. I felt my face burning. I knew how I looked—face flushing, eyes wild while still brimming with lust, and lips swollen thanks to Baron. I lifted my chin in defiance. I didn’t owe the Winter King or anyone else an explanation, even though cold logic reminded me that every action bore consequences.

The ground trembled as the muffled sound of concussive explosions went off above again. I swayed, and Rowan caught me in his arms. His other hand shot up to fend off Baron’s advancement toward me.

The two kings glared at each other, unable to compromise, despite the building still rocking like a boat in a storm.

“What the hell is going on up there?” I asked, my wild gaze seeking an answer in the Winter King’s ice-blue eyes, my palms pressing on his solid, hard chest as I sought shelter.

“Assassins breached the wards and bombed the club.” Rowan graced his icy lips over my temple as he informed me. “We need to get you out of here.”

Chapter 3

“I won’t run,” I said, lifting my chin. “I’m done running, and I mean it. I don’t know about you, but I happen to have a friend or two here. I won’t leave Indira behind.”

I wouldn’t leave Rydstrom behind either, though I didn’t say it aloud in front of Baron and Rowan. They would just get jealous.

Baron and Rowan traded a look. They’d been doing that a lot lately when I issued a strong objection to their proposal. Maybe Fae females were meek, but I wasn’t that kind of chick.

I stood my ground.

Rowan sighed. “You stay right here with me, then. But you’ll be my shadow until it’s safe.” He slanted an annoyed glance at the Summer King. “Baron, however, should go up to the floor to check the progress and report back. I helped clear the air with my ice magic, and you should contribute, too.”

“Report back?” Baron snapped. “Who do you think you are? I’m not your fucking messenger boy, Rowan. Don’t forget your place, Winter King.”

“I’ll go up and check. I don’t have an ego as big as Barcelona.” I tried to extract myself from Rowan’s possessive embrace, even though his touch made my skin tingle pleasantly.

“No,” both kings objected.

“We won’t put you in danger, Evie,” Baron said. “I’ll go up and return soon.” He darted a longing gaze at me in his half-brother’s arms, gave Rowan a baleful stare, and darted toward the stairs. He paused midway up and barked an order before taking off again. “Guard Evie well, Rowan.”

The Winter King growled at him.

“I’m not the hiding type,” I said, wiggling in his arms. “I need to make sure my friends are okay.”

Rowan only held me against him tighter. The kings had definitely grown on me, or I would have kneed him in the nuts for his overbearing behavior.

A knight of the Night Court shot down the stairs toward us. “Lady Evelina, King Rydstrom orders you to stay in the warded underground area.”

That ruffled my feathers the wrong way.

“Too bad for him, he isn’t my boss, and I don’t take orders.”

The knight quirked an eyebrow, and I remembered that technically Rydstrom was my boss since he employed me at the club. I’d stopped tending bar to avoid drawing attention, but he was still paying my regular salary.

“Well, it’s not important who the boss is,” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “What’s important is that I’m not going to sit on my hands. That’s not who I am. I’m supposed to be in the thick of the action.”

“You won’t be in any thick action,” Rowan said, his icy breath caressing my temple, his arm wrapping around my shoulder before I could break free from his grip.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Your Majesties need to drill this into your thick skulls—I’m not some damsel.”

“I never regarded you as one,” Rowan said, his turquoise eyes twinkling. “Baron once mistook you as a helpless mortal girl and got blue balls for his offense.”

The Winter King never missed a chance to ridicule his half-brother, but then Baron wasn’t any better. The rivalry between the Fae kings had been going on for two centuries, so it wasn’t going to vanish overnight just because they formed a temporary alliance and agreed to court and protect me together.

“I won’t make his mistake, Evie. But we’ve discussed your new situation. The fewer people see you in public, the safer you are. You also agreed not to draw any attention, remember?”

“But—” I protested, but Rowan kissed me gently on the lips, sending pleasure all over me and shattering my resolution.

“The secret agents of our enemies might be milling around in the crowd, still seeking you,” he added. “And you have family obligations. If you put yourself in harm’s way, you’ll place your siblings in grave danger.”

I deflated like a popped balloon. The Winter King had learned about my weakness.

“I can’t just hide and do nothing,” I muttered bitterly.

Baron reappeared at the top of the stairs, his sunbeam magic brightening the steps as he trotted down. His golden gaze locked on me, full of heat and concern.

“Why are you back so soon?” Rowan demanded. His grip around me softened as he aimed his distaste at the Summer King.

“There isn’t much I can do up there,” Baron said. “Rydstrom and his goons have the situation under control. They’ve locked everyone in the trap rooms, trying to sift through the weeds and find out who’s responsible for the bombing.”

“Maybe we should go help him sift the weeds?” I asked hopefully.

“This is the Night King’s territory in the mortal realm,” Rowan said. “He doesn’t want our common enemies to know we’re working together. I agree, discretion is necessary.”

“The fucker claimed this was the safest place to train my Evie,” Baron grunted. “This club has become a target. We should move Evie to my safe house by the beach.”

My eyes sparkled for a second. I liked the beach. My siblings liked the beach.

“I don’t think so,” Rowan said. “It’s best Evie stays in my Winter castle. Only a few of my trusted servants and elite guards know about it.”

“Trusted?” Baron sneered. “We can’t trust anyone while there’s a bounty on Evie.”

They could argue all they wanted, but I had more important things to do. Ignoring a twinge of regret, I broke free from Rowan’s arms and headed toward the stairs. Instantly, both kings stalked on either side of me, each trying to pull me into their arms.

I slapped their hands away. “I’m just going to take a quick peek up there. I won’t let anyone spot me.”

Before they could grab me, I sprang up the staircase. I’d only gone a few steps before Drake, one of Rydstrom’s elite knights, slipped out of a shadow and blocked the upper stairs like a massive boulder. He must have merged into the shadows to eavesdrop while the Fae kings had been arguing.

I halted just in time before bumping into him. I’d learned about his strength the last time he’d forced me out the back door of Rydstrom’s office.

“Drake, are you spying on me?” I asked.

“My king said you’d pull this stunt,” he said. “So I’m standing guard right here to stop you from doing anything rash. It’s time we escort you out the back door and get you home.”

“I’ll just check on Indira really quick,” I told him.

Drake rolled his eyes. “The barmaid is tougher than you. And I was warned that you tend to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. So no, lady, we’re getting out of here!”

I flashed him a cloying smile. “Try to bully me again and see how that works out for you.”

“They also said you were argumentative,” Drake sighed. “You wear people out quickly.”

Before I could retort, Baron mounted the stairs in a flash, planting himself between Drake and me. “Back off, guard. I’ll take Lady Evelina home.”

“As will I.” Rowan blew out icy steam from close behind me, menace rolling off him. “And be respectful, knight.”

The kings had a flair for drama, but I didn’t want any more fights breaking out in the club. One vortex was traumatic enough for a lifetime.

“My king also expected the Winter King and Summer King to say that,” Drake continued, unfazed. “The Night knights will join Your Majesties and your knights to escort Lady Evelina home. My men are familiar with the mortal realm. It doesn’t hurt to have extra security. But Lady Evelina has the last say on all this.” He looked at me, as if expecting me to do the right thing.

I called the shots, yet he wouldn’t even let me take a peek at the club’s ground floor? Fae and their contradictions.

I rolled my eyes. “Lead the way.”

As soon as I reached the top stair after Drake, with Baron at my side and Rowan at my back, knights from all three courts immediately formed walls around me, as if they’d rehearsed it. They placed me and the two kings in the center. From my angle, I caught a glimpse of trails of smoke twirling into the ceiling.

The club felt cooler than usual. Frost dotted everywhere, which meant Rowan must have helped contain the fire and smoke situation before he came down to the training room to fetch me.

A wave of relief washed over me as I spotted Indira behind the bar through the space between the giant Fae’s bodies. She had her palms planted on the edge of the ivory bar. The tattoo of a wolf’s paw jumped on the side of her face, and her amber eyes flashed in fury.

I craned my neck, trying to take in more of the club, but Rydstrom’s crew blocked my view to the dance floor and private booths. Those areas seemed to have suffered the worst damage. Did the bombs have anything to do with the bounty on my head, or had they only been intended to hurt the Night King?

“Where’s Rydstrom?” I asked in a hushed, anxious voice. “Did anyone get hurt?”

Drake glanced over his shoulder and raised a finger to his lips as the walls of the knights pushed me toward the exit. They soon whisked me out of the club toward three black vans. Looking back at Claws, Fangs, and Fiends, I saw red ivy vines nearly engulf the entire two-story Victoria building to protect it from prying eyes.

Before Drake could shove me into the second van, I wheeled around and put my hand out. “Where’s Rydstrom?” I demanded. “Is he okay? I won’t leave until you answer me.”

Drake stared hard at me. “All I can tell you is we’ve rounded up the evildoers who somehow got through our wards and carried two sorts of bombs into the club.”

I blinked. “Two sorts? A bomb is a bomb, right?”

“Yes and no.” Drake wiggled his brows. “The first was just a bomb, made by humans, intending to punish my king for harboring a person of interest.” His expression darkened, as if he blamed me for the destruction inside the club. “The second bomb carried a magical virus, designed to spread a plague into the mortal world to thin the human herd.”

“What?” I cried, icy dread choking my throat, and I grabbed his sleeve. “What do you mean?”

He shook me off him. “I can’t reveal more. Now you need to get into the car and go home.”

Baron and Rowan growled.

Drake didn’t spare the kings a glance, but nodded at me.  “My king said he shall visit you tonight, Lady Evelina.”

Chapter 4

I perched in the middle seat of the van with Rowan on my left and Baron on my right, each holding one of my hands. It felt like déjà vu, especially when Baron planted hot kisses on my knuckles and Rowan traced icy kisses from my palm to my inner wrist.

A rush of tingles rippled over me, and liquid flame tongued my sex. I tried not to squeeze my thighs. Then I let my thoughts wander to the promised visit of the Night King, and my stomach fluttered with thrilling anticipation.

The armored SUV rolled ahead, following the van in the front. The third van cruised behind us. After replacing my human glamour—and trading more insults—the kings had worked out the security details on my family and me and negotiated terms they all reluctantly agreed to. They guarded me heavier than the Queen of England, and knights from all three courts would always accompany me in rotation. I had tried to argue the necessity of the super-heavy security, but then I thought of the ten-million-in-gold bounty on my head and zipped my lips.

The kings had also decided that it was safest for me to travel by conventional human transportation—cars.

Teleporting was favored in the magical realm. But in our world, steel and iron greatly weakened magic. If a tech wave interfered with Fae magic, we could be stuck in nowhere or some sort of inter-dimension if we ever teleported.

And the Fae kings weren’t as powerful in the mortal realm as in Elfame. They wouldn’t risk me unless it was absolutely necessary.

I shifted on the seat between Rowan and Baron as my body heated up, lust buzzing on my skin. It was getting more and more uncomfortable, even though I enjoyed the two kings’ undivided, intense attention. Their male desire broadcasted to me in endless waves, and my body responded to each wave in rising heat.

I didn’t know how long I could stand it.

I bit my inner cheek, fighting the urge to climb onto Rowan’s lap to rub against his massive erection. As soon as I tore my dirty thoughts off him, Baron’s cock filled my imagination. I’d had an eyeful of his large shaft. It was beautiful and manly.

No, no, don’t go there!

My cheeks flushed as I remembered how close I’d come to having sex with Baron. Where would that have left me if I’d fucked him? I hadn’t exactly committed to any of the kings, yet I dreaded the moment Rowan and Rydstrom found out.

I groaned inwardly, a troubled, dark feeling coiling in my stomach like messy threads. This entangled relationship with all of them was going to undo me if I couldn’t keep my head straight.

The three kings seemed to have agreed, though reluctantly, to share me, and they fixed on the practice of a fair share. But who decided what was fair?

I’d always been a one-man-at-a-time woman. Though I couldn’t deny my attraction to all three of them, being thrust into a polyandrous relationship without any preparation was going to take some getting used to. I wasn’t brought up that way, yet my body was more than willing to sample and take all the Fae kings.

And I had to admit that I’d fantasized about fucking all three of them, despite the conventional human moral restrictions on such relationships. Color me a slut, but I just couldn’t choose one over the others. Pain stole my breath just thinking of having to pick only one of the Fae kings.

Yet I was sure of one thing—I had to keep my pants on for now if I wanted to survive the coming shit storm.

Which meant I needed a distraction before I made an utter fool of myself.

“Uh, do you guys have Rydstrom’s cell phone number?” I asked as their raw need for me engulfed me, making my core tighten and ache. “I need to be able to reach you if there’s an emergency. I can’t just rely on your knights to pass on crucial information. Fae can use phones to communicate in the human world, right?” I knew I was babbling, but it gave me something to focus on besides their intoxicating caresses. “We should call Rydstrom to ask about the bombs. Drake wasn’t much help and he loves to leave us hanging—”

Rowan suddenly looked up from my wrist, staring hard out the front window. The van in front of us flew into the air and flipped twice. “Stop!” he roared at the driver.

Everything happened at once.

A loud sound like a thunderclap boomed outside, despite the clear sky. My ears rang, and my heart pounded.

Our driver slammed on the brake and the van squealed. Before it stopped fully, the doors had flung open. Rowan grabbed me and pulled me out of the sliding door, his ice magic shielding me as we landed on the side of the road. Baron jumped out right after us, his long sword materializing in his hand.

I watched with wide eyes as the first van plunged into the pond headfirst, creating large waves that destroyed clustered lily pads as they rippled out. The van’s doors flew open, and two Summer knights leapt out and landed on the bank in a crouch, their eyes frantic and their swords drawn. One knight was left behind, struggling to get out of the passenger door and keep his head above the murky water.

The last van bumped into the rear of our vehicle and shrieked to a stop. Rydstrom’s knights exited so efficiently they could have been a SWAT team.

Another explosion blared, and a huge tree collapsed behind the last van to cut off our retreat.

“Ambush!” a Winter knight hollered.

Shadows of all shapes bolted out of the woods to our left, swarming toward us like locusts.

“An army of darkfae,” Baron spat as he raised his sword, the afternoon sunlight glinting off the white blade. “Kill the abominations!”

Three groups of darkfae closed in on us. As offspring of demons and Fae, the hybrids were also called demon Fae. I gawked at the deformed monsters that reeked of sulfur and rotting corpses. They didn’t come out right due to their mixed breeding.

I pulled out Netherbane, the dagger Dad gifted me. Pale blue light streaked down the blade as Netherbane responded to my inner power. Inspired by that, I called for my magic to aid me in the coming battle, but I wasn’t confident it would answer.

“The demon Fae are getting bolder,” Rowan said icily. “They no longer conceal their existence. We can’t allow any of them to live.”

“Alpha Team,” Baron barked. “Form a protection ring around Lady Evelina.”

“I can protect myself,” I protested. “I want to fight.”

But the Summer knights formed walls around me in an instant. The Winter knights assembled as well and posed themselves as the first line of defense, spreading outside the ring formed by the Summer knights. The Night knights took the offensive, rushing toward the coming armada of the darkfae.

We were greatly outnumbered. As if that weren’t bad enough, an earth-shattering bellow shook the air. The ground trembled as a giant stepped out of the woods, blocking the road ahead.

His bluish skin appeared rock hard. His open jaw exposed serrated fangs longer than my arms, and his coarse features scrunched together like a nightmare came alive. He looked more hideous than any demon I’d seen.

“What is that gigantic rock thing?” I shrieked.

“A troll,” Baron said in dismay, two columns of sunbeams pulsing in his palms. “It’s been over a century since we saw a troll. His kind have come out of the old banishment and mixed with the darkfae. I wonder who his new master is.”

“Great,” I said in a high-pitched voice as panic expanded in my chest. “All kinds of bad supernaturals are popping into my world. How do we kill it?”

“I fought a troll before,” Rowan chimed in grimly. “They’re immune to magic and extremely hard to kill.”

How encouraging!

Now I was glad to have two layers of knights and two kings between the troll and me. My relief lasted only a second as my stomach started turning with worry for Baron and Rowan and the knights.

“Have no fear, Evie,” Baron said. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Don’t kill the troll yet, Summer King, even if we can,” Rowan warned. “We need information from it first.”

Baron nodded, understanding flashing in his amber eyes. “If it’s immune to magic, then no magic can bind its tongue. But then, trolls aren’t known to talk much.”

“We’ll work on it if we can capture the creature,” Rowan said.

Okay then, I wasn’t going to throw in my weight on the subject at hand since we had some experts on trolls here, but I still wanted to know how to defeat the troll.

The troll lunged forward, swatting a knight with its rocky hand and sending him flying. More knights charged the creature, hacking at its calves with their swords. The troll lifted its enormous foot to stomp on its opponents, but they jumped away just in time and darted behind it. The ground quivered as the troll’s foot thudded down.

Two Summer knights and a Winter knight ran up the troll and stabbed their blades into its skin—at least that’s what they tried to do, but sparks flew wherever fairy steel hit rock. The creature roared with rage and twisted its body, surprisingly nimble. It grabbed two of the knights and tried to smash them into each other, but the Fae warriors somehow slipped from its grasp and fell to the ground. Before they could regain their balance, the troll swatted them away toward the trees.

My eyes widened. The troll seemed indestructible.

By then, the Night Fae had engaged the first wave of the darkfae horde, cutting through them brutally. The nightmarish creatures hissed and clawed at the Fae warriors. The Winter knights also crashed into the darkfae that had breached the defense line of the Night knights.

Our enemies surrounded us. There was no shortage of monsters wherever I looked.

“Let me fight,” I growled.

The Summer knights around me wouldn’t budge. Rowan and Baron stayed close to guard me as well, watching the battle in cold calculation.

“What is your business here, troll?” Rowan demanded, frosty wind whipping the air around us. “Are you aware of the consequences of attacking three courts of Elfame?”

The troll’s three coal-black eyes swept over Rowan and Baron before settling on me, its mean features twisting together.

“Elfame is no longer what it was, kings,” the troll said, its deformed lips pulling back into a snarl. “The long-promised changes have come. My kind is free now. We will wreck the human world and take back our lost lands. As we speak, we’re already thinning the human herd with a magical plague—Pestilence. It’s not too late to join us, kings. Show me your good faith by giving me the girl, and you’re free to go.”

Anxiety flooded my stomach like cold lead. They named the virus after the first Horseman of the Apocalypse.

“What about Pestilence?” I called. If the virus spread in California, my siblings might get hit first.

“Filthy One!” the troll snapped. “I must bring you to my master. Prepare to be tortured to death!”

“Who’s your master, troll?” Baron hissed, death in his voice.

“Shut up, Jaafan,” a darkfae who had one crimson eye and one yellow shouted at the troll. “Keep bragging and you’ll get your tongue carved out!”

The troll’s eyes flashed with fear, regret, and anger. “The kings tricked me and made me talk. Now you’ll pay the price, human lovers.”

“Fae are anything but human lovers, troll,” I said, unable to resist correcting the racist creature. “You can’t even get that right, can you?”

Jaafan bellowed and crashed through the knights to lunge toward me. The knights hacked at it and many managed to climb over its rocky body, intending to slow it down. Jaafan batted them away as if they were insects and smashed one of them with a sickening sound.

No one could stop the troll’s advance now, and no blades could pierce it. Even its eyeballs were made of stone. The best the knights could do was chip away bits of its rocky skin.

The Summer Fae reeled me back with them as Jaafan neared our group, trying to put more distance between the troll and me. The Night Fae were still battling an army of the demon Fae, endeavoring to prevent the enemies from getting to me from the other side. The knights were skilled warriors, but the darkfae appeared well-trained too, and they fought viciously, full of hatred for the pureblood Fae.

Screams of pain, battle yells, and the brusque clashing of steel rang out amid the trees and asphalt. The stench of blood and death permeated the air.

While the darkfae sagged in heaps, we were losing many knights as well. Meanwhile, more and more darkfae surged out of the forest.

“Let me fight,” I shouted, shoving at the knights shielding me.

Baron and Rowan flung their magics at the troll, but neither the blasts of winter nor the summer powers were making much headway with the creature. Baron and Rowan traded a determined look before they leapt in the air, rode the wind, and reached Jaafan. The creature swung its long stone arm at the kings, its rough fingers turning to claws, but the kings evaded the strike in a blur of speed and easily landed on the giant monster’s shoulders.

Metal ropes materialized in their hands. The brothers must have fought common enemies in the past, as their movements synchronized so well.

Rowan wrapped the rope around Jaafan’s neck, and Baron’s twin metal whips coiled around the troll’s massive legs to halt its advance. Jaafan struggled and yowled in rage, but the kings refused to give an inch. At the same time, their magics lashed out to counter the darkfae’s dark magics, allowing the knights to focus on stabbing the enemy soldiers.

Then a new wave of demon fae poured out of the forest and surged toward us.

“The Night knights need help!” I barked furiously at the Summer knights who wouldn’t let me join the fight.

With a roar, I leapt in the air, surprising myself when I actually landed on a Summer knight’s shoulder. He yelped, not expecting this move of mine. I jumped over him and into the fray, slicing my dagger over the scaled throat of a seven-foot-tall darkfae before he could hack down one of Rydstrom’s knights.

When I ran my dagger into the side of another darkfae, it took some effort. It dawned on me that the hybrids were indeed stronger than pureblood Fae. But Netherbane wasn’t an ordinary blade; it was infused with magic and spells. I rammed the blade into the half demon, impaling his heart.

I felt good. I dashed to another darkfae and quick as a flash, buried Netherbane into its hideous face.

“Evelina!” Rowan roared, cold panic in his voice.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a rush of hellfire rolling toward me like lightning bolts. Rowan’s current of ice spears flew to meet the dark magic attack, but he couldn’t diffuse all the hellfire surging toward me. Baron’s sunbeam shield couldn’t cover me in time, either.

Then a Winter knight, who once interrogated the pizza guy and stopped him from coming to my house, leapt behind me and took the hit of the hellfire that was meant to burn a hole through my back. The knight screamed and dropped to the ground.

He gave his life to save me, and I wasn’t even his friend.

“No!” I cried, hating to see anyone sacrifice themselves for me. Tears streamed down my face as I yanked out Netherbane, the blade still dripping with demon blood.

I desperately called my magic again, but still it didn’t answer.

Baron hurled a sheet of his brilliant sunbeam into the ranks of the new demon Fae force, his fiery eyes glowing with lethal fury. The intense sunbeam toasted a gang of darkfae before they could launch their hellfire at me. But another group already held the magic in their hands, and their hellfire launched at me like blazing volleyballs.

The kings screamed my name, and the knights raced to reach me before the assault, willing to give their lives for me. But no one could make it in time.

A tidal wave of hellfire hit me. The impact threw my ass to the ground several feet back, but the cold, foul magic didn’t burn holes through my skin as I expected. My eyes widened as the flame swept over me, dropping off my skin and fizzling out like mist melting in a blaze of light.

The demon fire had no effect on me, just like what had happened in front of the Veil.

Amid the chaos, a glint of metal hurled toward me, lodging in my flesh below my shoulder blade. Pain bloomed from the spot, and blood gushed out of my wound. I gritted my teeth and struggled back to my feet, not allowing myself to be a sitting duck.

The knights kept cutting their way toward me as I hurled myself into the thick of the action again.

“Hold the troll, Rowan!” Baron yelled and let go of the metal whips around Jaafan’s shins. The Summer King dashed toward me, desperate to reach and defend me.

Partially free, Jaafan swung its arm backward toward Rowan and its rock fist connected to the side of Rowan’s face. Rowan’s head rocked back, and he shouted in pain.

I roared. Seeing the Winter King hurt did a number on me, and something deep inside me snapped. I urgently needed my magic to aid our battle if we wanted to overcome this army of monsters and survive. There was one way to provoke my magic and force it out. I drew the knife out of my shoulder with a scream of pain. My blood shot out like a stream of fountain before spilling onto the ground.

My magic clamored, rising to forestall my impending death from blood loss. But before it could do anything, the troll and all the darkfae suddenly froze, turning their heads toward me as they caught the scent of my blood. Then terror and shock moved over their revolting faces, overshadowing the bloodlust that had previously clouded their crimson eyes.

In sync, they turned and fled, abandoning the battlefield.

Weary from battle, the knights of three courts traded puzzled looks before turning to the bodies of their fallen warriors.

Rowan and Baron zoomed toward me, their faces darkening at the sight of my injury, their eyes burning with fury. Frost hovered over my shoulder wound as the Winter King’s ice magic stopped my bleeding. Then Baron pressed his palm gently over the area to further heal me, enveloping me in warmth and sunlight.

Yet a chill seeped deep into my bones as I darted a sorrowful gaze toward the fallen knights. So many died just to protect me.

I trembled in the arms of the two kings. I’d survived another assassination attempt, and this time it hadn’t been a demon or a pair of trained killers, but a supernatural army.

Chapter 5

When the van pulled into the driveway of my family’s Spanish-style house, Fawn waited outside the door, watching us intently. Relief washed over me, immediately followed by worry. I waved for her to get into the house, even though I’d spotted a team of knights patrolling the perimeter.

I inspected myself again before getting out of the vehicle. Baron had glamoured me with clean clothes so my siblings wouldn’t see any blood.

Fawn flung herself into my arms before I reached the front porch. I could only guess that she’d seen the unfortunate events unfolding, though she couldn’t warn me about it. I wanted to preserve her innocence and childhood as long as possible, so I wouldn’t ask my fragile six-year-old sister about her visions. I wouldn’t make her relive the nightmare.

“I’m okay, angel. We’re okay,” I said, patting her thin back. “But you should get inside. It’s dangerous out here.”

She held my hand and let me lead her into the house, with the two kings on our heels. I no longer stopped them from coming into the house. They were regulars now.

A delicious aroma hit me from the kitchen. Awesome, Rowan’s chef was cooking. It smelled of stewed rosemary rabbit. Maybe dating Fae kings did have some perks, though we weren’t exactly dating.

I surveyed my house. The rest of my siblings—Emmett, Safiya, Asuka, Nox, and Cassidy—all sat around the table, waiting for food. I smiled at them before telling Baron and Rowan that I needed a quick shower and they could start the early dinner without me. Then I rushed upstairs.

When the shower ended and the rivulets still dripped from my body, I was still shaking. I hadn’t trembled in the heat of battle. But now when terrible reality sank in, I was more than terrified for my siblings. They hadn’t seen the demon blood and my own all over me. They didn’t know what kind of danger hunted us now. I only prayed the enemies focused on me instead of them, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe my siblings could stay out of it. When a few more attempts on my life failed, the bounty hunters would go for my family for sure.

My instincts screamed for me to grab them and run, but I also knew we had nowhere to run. I might be clever every now and then, but street smarts were useless against my foes. I had no experience or resources to guarantee our survival.

My only chance was to stick with the Fae kings. I just needed to control my lust and make as much progress with my fighting training as possible, and in the meantime, not piss them off too much.

When I descended the stairs in a pair of faded jeans and my old T-shirt that read: What’s my weakness? Six pack abs and a trail of golden hair, both kings raised their eyebrows, yet their eyes seared with heat.

My heart fluttered, and I tore my gaze from them to scan my siblings. They sat around the table with Rowan and Baron, an empty seat between the Fae reserved for me.

I sighed inwardly. The kings took the practice of fair shares to the letter, even in the seating arrangements.

My siblings’ eyes brightened at the sight of me, and my heart warmed, assuming they were glad to see me.

“She’s back, Baron,” my youngest brother, Cassidy, declared. “Can we eat now?”

I raised an eyebrow as I crossed the room. They were on a first name basis with the Fae kings, having no idea that they were dining with the highest rulers in Elfame.

The children dug in swiftly at Baron’s nod, loading a variety of meat cooked with exotic spices, grilled peppers, and zucchini onto their plates. My stomach lurched as I watched them devour the dishes like starving savages. It wasn’t that I worried they’d forgotten all table manners Mom taught them. Well, that too. But I felt bad for not feeding them properly.

I was such a bad sister, and I didn’t know how to do better. I wasn’t even good at taking care of myself.

I took the empty seat between Rowan and Baron. Inching closer to me, they beamed at me from either side. My heart stuttered and lightened a little while I prayed not to act like a horny fool in front of my siblings.

So, I carried on as usual and started yelling at my siblings. “Slow down! You don’t want to choke yourself. And I don’t want to get a huge medical bill. Our healthcare really sucks, and you don’t even know how broken it is. Cassidy, use the napkin to mop your mouth, please!”

My little brother nodded curtly like a soldier and followed my order. He worshipped the ground I walked on ever since I drove away the demonca and scared away the pizza guy with my elephant gun.

“Nox, finish the food on your plate before you go after another serving. In this house, we don’t hoard food!”

Safiya gazed at Rowan then at Baron with stars in her eyes, which irritated me. “Safiya, wipe that stupid dreamy look off your face and eat your vegetables!”

She glared at me.

“The younglings are fine,” Rowan said, putting a bowl of veggie soup in front of me. “You need nutrition, my lady. You had a trying day today.”

And Baron was busy piling food on a large plate for me. “Eat, Evie. Discipline the younglings after you have a full stomach and more energy.”

That sounded good.

Emmett stopped shoving pieces of steak into his mouth and peered at me. “What trying day, Evie? What happened?”

I gave Baron and Rowan a warning stare to stop them from spilling about the battle.

In the end, I might have to break the hard news to my siblings that we weren’t safe, but I’d shield them from that knowledge as long as I could. They didn’t need to live in fear.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just dealt with some jerks at work. Baron and Rowan helped.”

Fawn trained her sorrowful and worried gaze on me, and my heart clenched. She was too young to shoulder any burden.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

Cassidy slanted a glance at me, swallowing a mouthful. “Baron and Rowan are competitors,” he informed me.

How did he learn about that? He was only eight years old.

I frowned. “So?”

“We’ll have to protect our best interests,” Cassidy said.

“And what is our best interest then?” I snickered sarcastically while spooning veggie soup into my mouth.

“That’s you, Evie,” Cassidy said. “And we haven’t decided which bachelor to root for. Team Rowan or team Baron?”

I almost choked on my soup before I glared at him.

Rowan patted my back. When I straightened to swallow better, Baron brushed a kiss on my temple, his lips lingering while he inhaled my scent.

The Fae kings never hesitated to show their affection toward me in any circumstances.

I blushed, pondering if I should shove them away, and if I could without hurting their feelings. I still needed to maintain a big-bad-sister image in front of my siblings. I’d demanded they treat me as their commanding officer to keep them in line.

Safiya’s eyes went big and round as she watched the Fae kings compete for my affection. Envy brimmed in her brown gaze. She always wanted what I had, no matter what it was.

Emmett darted a cautious glance at the kings, then at me, before he shrugged a shoulder and went back to his pie.

The twins grinned at us like identical idiots. I knew as long as I fed them well, they had no care whom I ended up with.

Cassidy clasped his hands and smiled like a pimp. “Healthy competition is good. So, Rowan and Baron, what do you have to offer Evie and us? Our family’s votes decide which suitor Evie will go for.”

I blinked at him. Seriously?

Rowan and Baron smiled indulgently at my little brother, enjoying the game he proposed. Then they scanned my other siblings, who peered at them expectantly, even Fawn.

Baron whistled, and two Summer knights sauntered into the dining room with several big boxes wrapped in fancy ribbons. They opened four of them and laid the boxes of every kind of the best chocolates and cookies over their arms like fancy New York waiters. Some of the goodies looked shipped overnight from other countries directly to my house.

My siblings gasped at the sweets in greedy glee.

Baron waved a hand generously. “Have at it, young ones.”

Then he picked up a piece of dark Belgian chocolate and brought it to my lips.

My siblings dove for their treats like a bunch of bandits while still managing to watch Baron feed me.

I flushed furiously.

Rowan selected a bar of delicate white chocolate, ignored Baron’s glare, and brought it to my lips as well.

This was getting ridiculous again. I hoped this wasn’t the Fae kings’ idea of courting.

“Thanks.” I snatched both chocolates from the Fae kings and tossed one at Asuka and the other at Cassidy.

The boys caught it.

“Thank you, Commander,” Cassidy said with a salute before he bit into the chocolate with an appreciative grin.

A knock rapped on the front door, and my heart leapt. Rydstrom was here.

How was I going to handle one extra sexy god-like being in my humble abode while keeping my siblings from embarrassing me?

Chapter 6

Everyone’s attention snapped toward Rydstrom as he strode inside without waiting for anyone to answer the door. The Night King fixed his eyes on me for a few seconds, ignoring the hostility and menace rolling off Rowan and Baron, before taking in my siblings.

Nightly shadows coiled around the Night King, but my siblings couldn’t see through his Fae glamour. From their dropped jaws, I could tell how impressed they were with Rydstrom, the same way they’d reacted to Baron and Rowan when they’d first hung out with the two Fae kings.

They weren’t afraid of the Winter King and Summer King anymore, but they didn’t know Rydstrom. They instinctively perceived a predator roaming among them. Naturally, primal fear spiked in their minds and eyes along with awe.

“What are you doing here, Rydstrom?” Baron growled before I could greet my boss.

Rowan breathed out a trail of frosty air, not happy either.

Rydstrom bared his teeth. “Must I explain why I need to see Eve?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but my little sister beat me to it.

“Welcome,” Fawn said, smiling enigmatically. “All courts and kings are welcome.”

All three kings blinked at her. The bone witch in my sister knew they were Fae kings, but the kings didn’t know that an ancient witch who could glimpse fragments of the future cohabitated my little sister’s body. And I wasn’t keen to share the information either.

“Uh, Rydstrom,” I cut in hurriedly. “We’ve just finished dinner. Maybe I can heat up something for you?” Then I realized offering a king leftovers might be offensive. “Or for your knights?”

Rydstrom hadn’t led any of his people into the room, but through the window I caught a glimpse of Drake and a few other Night knights.

Now there were more than two dozen knights from all three courts milling around in my front and back yards, snarling at each other. At least they wouldn’t draw blades and charge each other while their kings dined in my house.

It couldn’t get weirder than this.

“I’m fine, and so are they. But thank you,” Rydstrom said, a smile curling on his lips, and my body warmed.

“Now we’ve got three of them!” Cassidy exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “And the new guy brought gifts, too!”

I ran my hand over my face in embarrassment.

My siblings all beamed at Rydstrom, their appreciative gazes skipping the bottle of very expensive wine in his left hand and resting on the large, exquisite basket full of goodies in the other.

Rydstrom grinned and put both the wine bottle and basket in the center of the table.

“Sorry, kids, the wine is for the adults, but the rest is for you,” he said smoothly.

My siblings squealed in excitement. Cassidy, Nox, and Safiya all grabbed the basket and dragged it toward their end of the table. Asuka also jumped in to help Nox.

“Stop it!” I hissed. “Mom taught you better!”

My siblings froze, but they still wouldn’t let go of the basket.

“It’s fine. The gifts are for them,” Rydstrom said as he ambled to the chair across from me since the seats on either side of me were taken by Rowan and Baron. Emmett immediately vacated his seat for Rydstrom without him asking. The Night King thanked my brother and took the seat as if it was rightfully his.

“So,” Cassidy said, standing upon his chair to appear bigger after giving up the basket to the twins. The twins were a force when they worked together. “You’re all Evie’s suitors. I’m not a bit surprised. As everyone can see, she’s a catch.” He gestured at me with his small, chubby hand. “She’s hotter than a supermodel. And more importantly, she’s my parents’ favorite and a jewel in the family.”

My gods, my eight-year-old brother was pimping me.

Baron and Rowan leaned back in their chairs, listening to the boy’s pitch with interest and amusement.

“Shut up, Cassidy,” I growled.

Rydstrom laughed. “Go on, boy. We want to know more about your lovely sister.”

I gritted my teeth.

“Evie has never lacked boyfriends,” Cassidy bragged at the encouragement, and the kings frowned, not liking this part.

Well, they asked for it.

“Dudes are crazy about her. She’s the flame and they’re the moths.” He noticed my livid expression and quickly averted his gaze. “As I see it, we have fierce competition here, but Commander Evie can only choose one of you.” He sent the kings a meaningful look.

Fawn giggled. Emmett looked thoughtful. The twins traded a look no one could decode. Safiya gazed between the three kings, a calculated light waltzing in her eyes. She might be thinking of pursuing one of the kings who lost the competition or maybe going straight after the one whom she thought I would select. That was how my spoiled middle sister’s mind worked.

“We’re her family,” Cassidy raised his voice like a showman. “And as her lieutenant, I must help her decide which one of you she should bed—I mean wed.” His face flushed a little and his hazel gaze pierced the three kings. “I have a list of things I’d like to have. I’ll give each of you a copy after we have ice cream, and we’ll see what you can do. Nox might have a few requests, too.”

The twins nodded in agreement and started to search for pens to come up with a list.

“Emmett is old and a grownup now, so you don’t need to worry about him,” Cassidy continued. “Fawn is the youngest among us, so she’ll need some stuff as well. That’s pretty much it.”

He didn’t mention Safiya at all, and her brown eyes burned with fury.

“I’m not that old,” Emmett grunted. “I’m still a teen, and I wouldn’t mind having a collection of the new edition of the manga comics—”

“That’s enough!” I growled, humiliation burning my face. “We don’t ask for things from anyone. If Dad and Mom saw you like this—”

“They’re not here now,” Asuka, the quieter twin, murmured. “Mom and Dad aren’t here to take care of us anymore.”

“I’ll take care of you!” I said, pain, grief, and disappointment coiling in my stomach. “But this is not how we run things. We have standards.”

I thought I’d pulled them together when I’d vowed to find our parents. But the pain and insecurity that flashed in their eyes proclaimed my failure.

“I’m still here,” I said softly and firmly. “And Mom and Dad will be back soon, as I promised.” I wouldn’t accept the other option. I’d get our parents back. “That’s why I recruited the help of all the men here today. Their teams are here to protect you since there are bad guys in the world, but they aren’t here just to give you things and satisfy your every whim. We already owe them a debt we might never be able to pay back. So stop being entitled brats and grow up before I have to knock some sense into your small, hard skulls!”

My siblings’ looks changed from worried to sullen, but their shoulders relaxed. Somehow my combination of harsh words and promises made them feel safer.

“Fine, Commander,” Cassidy said reluctantly and slumped back into his seat. “I’ll toss my list.”

“Don’t worry, young ones,” Baron said with a doting smile. “I’ll get you everything you want.”

My siblings’ eyes brightened again.

“Don’t you start, Baron,” I warned, glaring at him. “You’re a bad influence already, and I’m the authority figure in this household.”

“I apologize, my lady,” Baron offered quickly. “I didn’t mean to undermine your authority.” He grasped my hand and kissed my palm, his warm, sensual lips sending wild tingling all over me and conjuring up a carnal need.

I tried not to shiver with pleasure and fought to put on a stern look, especially since my siblings were watching. Then Rowan took my other hand, caressing my inner wrist with his thumb, knowing I liked the way he stroked me.

Rydstrom narrowed his eyes, shadows weaving behind his broad shoulders. My siblings shuddered and looked over their shoulders, instinctively feeling danger saturate the air. I glared at the Night King, and he eased back. The shadows and menace evaporated.

I drew my hands back from Baron and Rowan. “I want to finish the soup before it gets cold. I need my hands please, gentlemen.”

Rydstrom looked pleased that I broke free from the two kings.

“Kids,” he said in a velvety and firm voice. “We’ll take care of you and your sister. You have my word.”

My siblings nodded.

“We should each sponsor two younglings,” Rowan suggested, “and reduce the burdens on Evie.”

My siblings soon dove into an argument on which gentleman should sponsor them. Cassidy went with Baron—the devil he knew. The twins preferred Rowan, commenting that he was super cool. Safiya turned her new fascination toward Rydstrom.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Okay, children, you’re done with dinner. Go back to your rooms.”

“Come on, Evie,” Emmett grumbled. The rest of my siblings stared at me with mutiny in their eyes.

“Soldiers,” I barked, the edge of steel in my voice. “Leave the table and return to your upstairs stations. Do your homework and then retire to your bunkers! Any subordination won’t be tolerated, and you’ll also lose points with your sponsor!”

Still, none of them were quick to move. Safiya’s lips moved, and though I didn’t catch what she whispered, I could guess.

“Now!” I raised my voice, power rolling off my words. To make sure my siblings knew I was serious, I also pulled out the high-powered whistle.

They immediately slithered off their chairs and fled toward the stairs in a shuffle of feet, but not before they each grabbed a box of treats from the table.

Chapter 7

Now just the kings and I sat at the dining table.

Faint golden light shifted through the windows. My heart fluttered, my skin warmed, and my breath caught, responding to their proximity, their powers, their beauty, and their heated gazes.

Maybe I could get used to having all of them in my embrace. But then a sense of insecurity trickled in, coiling in my stomach as I studied the three powerful males around me.

They drew me in like the ocean calling the storm. The more I resisted, the harder I fell for them. Part of me said to go easy on myself and stop fighting the attraction so I wouldn’t drive myself mad. But I also knew that the kings were too feral, too powerful, and too hot for one woman to keep up with them.

And I had a family to consider. If they ruined me, my siblings would go down with me.

“What are you afraid of, Evelina?” Rydstrom asked, his voice like a dark song in my veins. “You know what you mean to us. Speak your mind.”

“Actually, I don’t know what I mean to you, to all of you,” I said, a little frustrated as my emotions bubbled over. “There are too many obstacles. The gap between us is miles wide, our upbringings worlds apart. I don’t think I belong in your courts, any of your courts.”

“You haven’t seen our courts yet, Evie,” Baron disagreed.

“I don’t need to venture further into your courts to see the entire forest,” I said. “I’ve met enough Fae, including you and your knights.”

“You don’t like what you see?” Baron demanded, an edge to his voice.

“You sure you want to know what’s on my mind?” I nearly sneered.

“By all means.” He folded his arms, the picture of male arrogance. “You’re my future queen. I’ll always listen to your counsel.”

“I’m not your future queen, but I’ll be straight with all of you,” I said. “You’re Fae kings, who have ultimate power in your realm. And kings love to break things, which is also in your blood. When we were at the Veil, I learned that each of you has dark secrets and baggage from centuries ago. I don’t even want to peek into the iceberg of your dark issues to confirm if you’re already damaged men or not. Lots of women love broken men, thinking they can fix them. Maybe I’ve walked on the wild side once in a while, but I’m done with that now. I like an easy life and simple relationships. And you’re everything but simple men. None of you will ever change who you are for any woman. You aren’t even aware that you have many flaws.”

Rowan’s brows pinched, the air cooling. Rydstrom simply watched and waited for me to continue.

Baron narrowed his eyes, quick to challenge me. “What flaws?”

The kings thought they were flawless, divine beings, didn’t they? When the Summer King had strutted about my property the first time, he’d told Rowan that any female would feel thrilled to be allowed to suck his cock.

“Ready to hear a part of the list?” I snickered.

“As you wish,” Rowan said.

“You are all vain, possessive, arrogant, self-absorbed, cruel, ruthless, demanding, controlling, volatile, violent, insensitive, aggressive, and unreasonable.” I counted on my fingers to illustrate the extent of their shortcomings. “The list goes on and on. All three of you are dicks and the biggest alpha holes. Only a crazy idiot would want to entangle you between the sheets, and I’m not that kind of chick.”

Yet my heart still fluttered for them, and my sex clenched in aching need. I just worked harder than any woman to resist them, so I wouldn’t act on my horny impulses. Even so, I’d almost failed earlier when I was with the Summer King alone in the training room. I’d nearly gotten myself fucked to oblivion.

“According to your list, we have no merit at all,” Baron sneered after he got over his initial shock. Never had he thought he bore any imperfections or that I actually had a long list of them.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I said, spreading my arms. “All three of you are damn good-looking. I bet you’ve never lacked women in your beds.”

A sudden rush of jealousy and rage surged in me. I wanted to strike down their women and the kings as well for fucking them. I held back my snarl and schooled my face to a cold snicker while sweeping a dismissive hand toward them to indicate their perfect physiques.

“You have amazing abs that women drool over, but pretty isn’t everything, if you know what I mean.”

Rowan stared at me, frost coating his eyelashes, which indicated he wasn’t pleased with how I perceived him. “This isn’t the direction I expected this conversation to go,” he murmured drily.

Rydstrom laughed.

I scowled at him. “I wasn’t joking.”

A breeze chose that moment to blow in from the open windows, bringing in the scent of lemon, honeysuckle, and other blossoms. I inhaled, and the kings sniffed the air. Wild heat that had been lurking in the depths of their eyes arose and intensified. Their gazes brimmed with raw male needs, slamming into me.

My heart fluttered like wild wings. Around them, I was always aroused, but I really hoped they didn’t smell that again.

“So, uh,” I said, trying to distract them from my scent, but I was at a lost for words when they looked at me as if they wanted very much to lay me on the table and ravish me right there. “Uh, anyone need more wine?” I managed to pick up my thought.

Rydstrom had opened the bottle after my siblings left, and it was the best wine I’d ever tasted. I suspected that it might have come from his Night Court.

“Now that you’ve spoken what’s on your mind,” Rydstrom said, amusement dancing in his deep sapphire eyes, “Baron and Rowan can work on their issues.”

Rowan hissed out a stream of icy fog. “Speak for yourself, Night King. I don’t have issues. I’ve always respected Lady Evie. I’ve been a gentleman to my mate from the beginning.”

I arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t treated me so chivalrously before he believed I was his fated mate. He had been more than willing to go along with Baron’s shenanigans when his half-brother tried to compel me to perform a blowjob. He hadn’t protected me then. But it was pointless to recount the tales just to show them that I was quite petty and loved to hold a grudge. I was the kind of chick who might forgive, but I never forgot.

“Do not think for a fucking second that you’re better for Evie, Rydstrom,” Baron growled, annoyance and spite in his hard voice. “My mate likes me just fine.” He sent me a scorching, meaningful gaze, which hinted he was still replaying our shared intimate moments in the training room.

Heat rose in me, and my body wailed in frustration as I glued myself to my seat by sheer will instead of jumping one of the Fae kings. Getting laid isn’t everything, I hissed at my base body. Fucking the most powerful, formidable Fae of fairyland came with a cost, a cost I couldn’t afford or might not be willing to pay yet.

And damn the hottest, baddest Fae kings. I could barely handle one of them, and now with all three of them scorching me with pure male, animalistic lust, it was getting hard to keep my thoughts straight.

I stared back at them hard, ignoring the liquid fire tormenting the tender flesh between my thighs, ignoring the primal part of me urging me to climb onto their laps. My body wanted to ride each of them brutally and claim them for my own.

“Admit it, kings,” Rydstrom said, trying to breathe easily as he fought to control his lust. He leaned back on his chair, one ankle on his knee. “You two are slow to change. But the old ways no longer work. The world has shifted and the immortal realm is fading, faster than we’d like. Magic in Elfame grows weaker every day. If we want to survive as a Fae race, we need to adapt, and fast.”

I nodded. “That’s true. You all have to change. You can’t just take whatever you want when you want it. The new world and my generation won’t put up with that.”

I raised my chin. I wasn’t the kind of woman who just waited to be claimed per the old Fae law.

“Dimming my light isn’t going to brighten yours, Unseelie King.” Baron sneered at Rydstrom. “Bear in mind, I won’t rest until I have my mate in my arms for eternity.”

One moment they formed a joint task force, the next, they fought again. That was what happened and would always happen when you put three red-blooded alpha Fae males in the same room.

“You guys talk about change, but nothing has changed.” I set down my wineglass a little harder than I meant to, and the glass clinked against the wooden table.

The next second, Rowan grasped my hand between his large ones and brought my palm to his icy lips. Shivers of pleasure radiated to my nerve endings.

“I’ll change for you, Evelina,” he murmured. “You know I’ll do anything for you.”

“Of course I can change,” Baron chimed in sharply. “In fact, I’ve changed a lot for you, my Evie. You’re worth it.”

I almost rolled my eyes at him. The Summer King would say anything to get into my pants. Well, all the kings had been gunning for that. Rydstrom had achieved that in the fantasy realm, and he now wanted me even more in the real world. I hadn’t had a chance to confront him about that yet. I would, eventually. I was only delaying it, for fear that the confrontation would end up with an explosive, passionate mating again.

“We’re running out of time,” Rydstrom said, and his sapphire gaze that held the mystery of midnight dreams and danger fell on me, caressing my every inch. I shuddered. “We can’t afford to court you for months anymore, Eve,” he continued, a warning edge and regret in his rich voice. “I understand your hesitation to move quickly with us, but we need to claim you as soon as possible to form and fortify the mating bond between us. Everything changed when you opened the Veil. You’ll have to decide soon when and how you want us.”

My blood sang in my ears and my body wanted the Fae kings more than ever. My instinct agreed with Rydstrom. However, my upbringing and the human morals ingrained in me for over a decade didn’t approve that the kings were imposing their will to stake a claim on me so they could legally fuck me according to the tradition and customs of the Fae courts.

“I’m not going to decide anything soon,” I said defiantly. “I’m not even sure about the legitimacy of this mating bond you mentioned. There isn’t such a thing as fated mates in my world.”

“You aren’t one of them, Evie,” Rowan said, his desire fueling the icy fire in his deep blue eyes. “You’re one of us. You belong with us. And with the mating bond, we can always keep track of you and protect you.”

“What? So this mating bond is like a magical beacon and tracking device?” My brows pinched and I yanked my hand back. “Pardon me, but I want none of that!”

“The mating bond is the most powerful, mystic force in the universe.” Baron gave a smug smile. “No one and nothing can break the bond once formed. You’re our fated mate. It’ll be just a matter of time until we all claim you.”

“You can try,” I spat viciously, though a deep part of me purred at the kings’ determination to claim me. “So the three of you are now besties who sing the same song and dance to the same tune? I bet you don’t care about my objections. But know this, I already said no when you proposed, and when a strong woman says no, it means no. Forget that and you’ll get your cocky asses kicked!” I tried to project a steely voice, but a hint of a whine undercut my tough declaration. I blamed it on the rising temperature and extremely high sexual tension in the room, since the Fae kings kept radiating their carnal heat.

“I like how fierce you are, Evie,” Baron said with a sparkling smile that he’d probably used on thousands of women and had his way with them every fucking time. I refused to be a sucker, yet my pulse raced at his charm. “But we all know you want us badly too.”

His nostrils flared, and I wanted to blanket myself so he couldn’t smell how turned on I was despite my dark mood.

“Why not just express your feelings and confess your attraction to us? You’re our woman and that’s forever. The more you fight the mating pull, the more you’ll suffer, darling. In the end, you’ll run to us when we barely wiggle a finger.”

Oh, I wanted to punch him so hard.

Rowan nodded, not noticing that my mood had turned violent. “We must make sure this prophecy about you comes to fruition before your enemies reach you again.”

My throat tightened at the reminder of the bounty on my head, and terror raced through my veins. I didn’t share the kings’ confidence that I was that one queen who would bond them all and set everything right. After three assassination attempts, I was getting really worried about my future and my family. This last time had been a pretty heavy hit.

“Tell me about today’s attack on the road, please,” Rydstrom said, locking his gaze with Baron and Rowan, a miasma of darkness swirling around him. “My knights briefed me, but I want to hear your thoughts.”

Both kings glared at him, even though Rydstrom had added “please” to his demand.

“We fought a troll and it was like a moving mountain,” I complained, trying to smooth the tension between them. “And an army of darkfae swarmed out of the trees.”

“Few have the power to free trolls from their long banishment,” Rydstrom said darkly. “The three of us didn’t do it, so it must have been Brigantia.”

The Dawn Queen, the phantom enemy I had yet to meet.

“The troll revealed their target to be Evie,” Baron said.

“The entire realm knows now the Veil opened again briefly,” Rowan said. His gaze flickered at me before fixing on Rydstrom, turning frosty again. “We can no longer hide the truth. The supernaturals all felt the flare of massive power that day. Many pureblood Fae grow ambitious again, talking about taking back the mortal realm. The troll also leaked that they were thinning the human herd with Pestilence, a magical plague.”

Rydstrom let out a ragged breath, shadows coiling in his hard eyes. “One of the bombs in my club today carried the plague. All the human girls in Claws, Fangs, and Fiends were infected. They are under quarantine now. My mages are trying to come up with a cure.”

My heart pounded painfully and went out for the club girls. Then cold dread crept further, clogging my chest like chunks of ice. If Pestilence spread, humans wouldn’t know what hit them until it was too late. Millions would die.

This was going to happen. This was happening. My breath shortened at the looming horror and my blood turned glacier-cold. On top of my apprehension, guilt slammed into me. I’d been the catalyst. If I hadn’t opened the Veil, none of this would have happened.

I thought I had only the bounty to worry about, but now I faced a bigger, more ominous conspiracy that could destroy my world, with my siblings along with it.

“We must stop them!” I cried.

“We will,” Rydstrom promised, and the other kings nodded.

“What can I do to help the girls from the club?” I asked in a shivering and determined voice. “I want to visit them tomorrow.”

“Absolutely not,” the kings uttered at the same time.

Just as I thought they were getting better, their annoyingly overprotective and overbearing streaks rushed back.

I glared at them. “Must I kick you in the head again to remind you that I’m my own woman?”

“We can’t risk it before we have a cure for the plague,” Rowan said, his voice icy and steely.

“Rowan is right this time,” Rydstrom said in his rich, deep voice. “If you can’t follow the rules, I’ll have to ban you from coming to the club.”

“We have a magical contract,” I said, my jaw clenched. “You can’t ban or fire me.”

Rydstrom arched an eyebrow. “The one you signed with a fake signature and wrong birth date?”

He knew about that?

“I won’t just sit on my hands,” I said, feeling a bit guilty. I’d lied to Rydstrom a lot. “I have young siblings. I won’t let harm come to them.”

“We’ll protect them the same as we protect you,” Baron said, his warm hand on my shoulder. “Let us worry about the plague. You focus on training harder and preparing for your Turning.”

My throat parched. The kings wanted me to harvest all my potential powers during the ritual of the Turning. My parents used to have high expectations of me, and now the kings did too.

No pressure.

“If Brigantia is behind this chain of events,” Rydstrom said, a crimson speck flashing by his sapphire eyes, “she’s holding almost all the cards at the moment. One of us will need to get closer to her as the inside man.”

“Why don’t you take the role?” Baron sneered. “No one’s stopping you. She’s tried to fuck you for over a century.”

Possessive fury ignited in me, and I was about to lash out at Baron for saying that, or better yet, I would rip out the bitch queen’s throat for trying to sink her claws into my man.

I blinked at my savage aggression. Rydstrom wasn’t my man. Not exactly. None of the kings were mine, and I had told them just that. So why did I have such primal, feral possessiveness toward all of them whenever the situation arose?

I bit my inner cheek to keep myself on my seat.

“She holds one of mine as hostage,” Rydstrom said, his face and voice suddenly devoid of any emotion.

My heart lurched. Adele, the astral image of the high Fae lady, had once mentioned that the Dawn Queen kept Rydstrom’s beloved captive. Did Rydstrom have a woman already but couldn’t unite with her? I was afraid of asking, for I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.

How did that leave us then, if he had a lover, even though he couldn’t be with her at the moment?

I swallowed the bile in my throat and took the coward’s way out by staying uncharacteristically quiet while I studied the kings, a riot of emotions churning in my stomach like a turbulent sea. With human boys, everything was easy and simple. With these smoldering-hot and dangerous Fae kings, I might just lose my head one day.

“She can blackmail me however she wants. But not in a million years will I fuck her,” Rydstrom said, his pronouncement brushing over my ears. I felt stars and light returning to my eyes until I heard: “So one of you will have to do it. One of you has to be the inside man.”

I glared at the Night King for trying to throw the other kings under the bus. He only smiled at me before his predatory gaze fixed on Baron and Rowan. They stared back at him, equally predatory and menacing.

“We don’t need to decide today, kings, but we’ll have to make up our minds soon.” Rydstrom eased back on his chair, taking a sip of his wine, and changed the subject. “My knights also said the troll and the darkfae army suddenly fled, even though they weren’t losing. What do you think caused that?”

My heart stuttered. Rowan and Baron paused and mused, also drinking the wine brought by Rydstrom.

“The horde fled the battlefield after wounding Evie,” Rowan said, hard ice in his eyes and frost on his lips, which made me want to lick him and comfort him. “We didn’t pursue them. I wanted to cut down every last one of them, but it wasn’t wise to hunt while Evie was hurt.”

Rydstrom’s gaze sharpened, a murderous light ablaze in his eyes. He rose from his seat, ready to come check on me.

“I healed her already,” Baron said, waving Rydstrom back.

“It’s strange they just fled.” Rydstrom studied me. “That’s not the typical behavior of the darkfae, let alone a troll.”

Baron and Rowan nodded solemnly. They had no idea that the horde had fled after they’d smelled my blood. Somehow, the scent of my blood did something to them; it was as if they feared what it would do to them. But I wouldn’t reveal that to the Fae kings. I’d been called the dark one several times by the assassins. I hadn’t confronted the part of my Fae heritage, and I had no clue of my other half either. Even the Fae kings admitted that they couldn’t put a finger on it. What if the other half of my heritage was nothing but horror?

Some secrets are best buried forever. And I had a dark feeling that my parents had moved us around the world to throw hunters off my trail, not just because I was the lost heir to the Dawn Court, but also something to do with my other heritage.

I held the kings’ gazes. I needed to distract them from dwelling on the possibility of my unspeakable dark secret.

“We lost many warriors,” I said with a heavy heart, the sorrow that I hadn’t had time to process starting to crash down on me. So many knights died protecting me. I wondered how many more would have to die safeguarding me.

I must get stronger fast so I could protect them instead of being a liability. And if mating with the kings was the fast lane to reach my potential power, I should agree to Rydstrom’s Fae claiming proposal.

The air seemed heated as my mind wandered to mating. The Fae king’s mixed scents of pheromones, night mystery, hard ice, glorious sunlight, and their raw needs hit my nostrils, driving me half-mad while caressing and cuddling me like nothing I’d experienced.

Maybe this fated mate thing wasn’t a mere myth. There was no other reason that could explain this insane chemistry between us.

“Perhaps we should reconsider our approach,” Rydstrom said, his eyes dark and bright at once as desire and regret warred inside them. “Our mate can’t be pushed around. She’s her own woman, as she said. Even though we’re obviously running out of time, we’ll have to play by her rules, if we ever hope to claim her as ours.”

“Just out of curiosity,” I asked huskily, struggling not to cross my legs and squeeze my thighs to ease the ache there. “What’s your mating ritual like?”

The heat in the Fae kings’ eyes flared like a sun storm, and the new rush of carnal heat from them swamped my already molten channel. The tender flesh between my thighs warmed so quickly that I discreetly checked if my panties had melted off.

“For our mate, we provide, protect, and claim,” Rowan said, icy fire dancing with lust in his hooded eyes. “We—”

“We’ll fuck you to your greatest satisfaction,” Baron said. “You won’t meet any male who possesses the same prowess in bed like us. You won’t be able to help but express your pleasure and ecstasy like no other woman has experienced—that is to be fucked and cherished by the three most powerful Fae kings.”

I arched an eyebrow, though my face burned furiously. “Humble much?”

Rydstrom chuckled. The kings seemed to get along for the moment when they all agreed on getting in my pants.

“No one but you is our one true mate,” Rowan said.

Fire twirled in my pussy; lust roared in my veins.

The Fae kings sniffed, scenting my arousal as if it were nectar.

“We’ll ravish you in every way. Fuck you for hours,” Rydstrom said, a wicked smile gracing his sensual lips that promised unholy pleasure. “Days. Months. We won’t ever stop. We can’t. You’ll be all sore and soft and needy, yet you won’t be able to stop either. You’ll beg for more. And you’ll roar your pleasure and scream our names. And when we release our mating powers, it’ll rock Elfame and be the talk of all the courts for centuries to come. We’re looking forward to you riding our cocks like a beautiful savage—”

I put up a hand to stop him from embarrassing me further since my panties were completely soaked.

“Sorry I asked,” I murmured, my face burning.

Chapter 8

I took a swig of the Irish whiskey coffee Indira made for me.

I hadn’t hung out with the wolf-shifter bartender since returning from Rydstrom’s courtyard. Instead of tending bar with her, I spent most of my time training with the kings and their knights in the club’s underground facility. The kings wouldn’t let me draw attention to myself, and they barely let me stay on the ground floor for a drink.

They argued there were enemy spies around despite the club’s airtight security. The bouncers had to constantly turn away new supernaturals who weren’t vouched for by reliable sources.

But today, I just needed a drink, so I told the knights I’d refuse to train with them if they didn’t let me visit Indira. There were hardly any other patrons anyway.

“So, you won’t work at the bar anymore?” Indira asked as she returned the whiskey to the shelf, annoyance in her voice. She liked to have me around and trash talk, and she was still my main source of rumors and news.

I sighed. “Rydstrom made a temporary arrangement with me.”

“Which is?” She arched an eyebrow.

“He’s trying to make a warrior out of me.”

“He has enough knights already.” She slanted me a suspicious glance. “It must be something else.”

“I need to prepare for my Turning.” I lowered my voice. “I ain’t like you guys. I didn’t even know this supernatural world existed before this year. I’m at a disadvantage.”

“Rydstrom has never fixated on anyone else before, Turning or not.”

I shrugged. “Oh well, I guess he took a shine to me. Or perhaps he pities me.”

“You said he was impressed as hell with you by your can-do attitude on your first day here.”

“One can only impress another for so long, and no one can carry the can-do attitude forever. And why do you still remember what I said on my first day here?”

“I have an eidetic memory. I remember almost everything I’ve heard or read.”

Huh. No wonder she was a good source of gossip.

“It seems not just Rydstrom, but all the kings have taken a shine to you.” Indira wiped down the bar with a rag without looking at me.

I arched an eyebrow, yet my heart beat erratically. She must have tons of questions, but I couldn’t tell her the whole truth, despite our fast friendship.

“I’m not blind, Evie,” the bartender said in a hushed voice, her normally brown eyes glowing amber as her wolf peeked out. “Don’t tell me it’s because they’re just impressed with your sparkling personality. As a matter of fact, not many people here are happy with your attitude or personality, not even K, although you’ve grown on him. He’d never admit it though.”

K, the big, tough bouncer, often got pissed at me for getting in his lane when I started working here. He’s territorial like that. I still believed that he was probably a half-unicorn and half-bear shifter. I hadn’t asked him to confirm it. He took offense easily. I’d seen him shift partially once and his head became an enormous bear’s with two shadowy horns sticking out, and he turned over seven-feet tall.

Though he wasn’t a fan of me, he had a soft spot for Indira.

“You’re more than meets the eye, girlfriend,” Indira continued. “I’m not going to speculate, and I’ll keep things about you to myself. That’s what friends are for. But when you’re ready, you’ll tell me, right?”

She held out her fist, and I bumped it with a nod. I didn’t have many friends thanks to moving around all the time.

“I will. I promise,” I said. “But I can tell you that I have a bounty on my head. So, I have to lie low. The good thing is I still get to hang out with you sometimes.” I couldn’t help but grin big. “And I still get a six-figure salary with full insurance that covers my siblings. Rydstrom can’t get out of the contract because he initiated it. Do you think it’s too much to ask for a raise since I’ve been around for a couple weeks now?”

She laughed. “Don’t get greedy. Only you would dare to demand things from Boss and keep testing his boundaries.”

I sipped my drink. “I don’t think he has boundaries.”

“Maybe not to you,” she said. “But have you forgotten how he slaughtered the Dawn Fae when they pissed him off?”

I shuddered, remembering every ghastly detail when Rydstrom reduced the Dawn Fae to ashes and bones. The Night King was a formidable foe if you got on his bad side, and the Night knights were still talking about expecting retaliation from the Dawn Queen and her court.

“Did you see which fucker set off the bombs yesterday?” I asked.

Indira shook her head. “But K and Drake nailed the mages who carried the bombs in.”

“Drake said the mages released Pestilence, a sort of Fae plague designed to thin the human populations,” I said. “He refused to elaborate further. Rydstrom didn’t reveal much either at my house last night. He said he wasn’t one to give away everything before he had all the facts.”

Indira’s eyes shot wide. “Boss was at your house last night?”

“Yes,” I said, flushing. Why did I have such a loose tongue? “The silly—Seelie kings were there, too.”

After informing me about the ritual of Fae mating and soaking my panties, the Fae kings had solved at least one issue before they left. Rowan won the first date with me by random draw, though I suspected that the Fae kings were only humoring me by following human dating rules.

“They aren’t so bad, you know,” I told Indira with a smile, “if you get to know them a bit more.”

I would get to know the Winter King one-on-one tomorrow. The kings all agreed that I’d take a day off from training.

“OMG,” Indira said. “I thought it was just a fluke when they all showed up here for you last time. But—” She stared at me with awe, fear, and disbelief. “Is it possible that you are the lost—? No, it can’t be.” She sniffed. “And your scent has changed. It gets more complex and confusing every time.”

So, the kings had done a fabulous job not only glamouring my appearance, but also my scent.

Not wanting Indira to focus on my dating life, I snapped fingers in her face, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Let’s talk about bombs,” I said. “Not boys.”

Indira quirked an eyebrow, but she obliged me. “The pureblood Fae have wanted to invade the mortal realm for millennia. I thought they were just talking shit, but shit just got real.”

Just then, a merman whom I had tossed a shot of whiskey at a week ago made his way toward the bar, his hazel gaze fixing on me. I thought he was a werewolf due to his big size, and K had corrected me with a sneer. But who cares about the difference between a wolf and a merman? A shifter was a shifter.

The merman winked at me. I glared at him warily as I polished off my whiskey coffee.

“Mortal girl,” the merman started, cocky with his sex appeal. I admitted he was good-looking. Most shifters were. But he wasn’t my type, especially now that I could tell he smelled like seaweed. “We got off on the wrong foot, and I want to make it up to you. How about I buy you a drink, honey?”

“I’m not your honey,” I said. “And why do I need you to buy me a drink when I can drink for free on the house?”

He clicked his tongue. “I like how you think. How about I take you out for dinner tonight? I know this fun place—”

K cut in between us. “Fuck off, Goldfield,” the bouncer snarled, his sharp fangs protruding. “This mortal girl is off-limits. Never come on to her again, or you’ll get worse treatment than being banned.”

I blinked, surprised that K defended me.

The merman winced. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know she’s yours. I didn’t see the chemistry there, and she’s kind of tiny for you.”

“She isn’t mine, but you don’t want to know who she belongs to,” K said, his voice cutting.

“Cool, man.” Goldfield put up two hands and turned to order a Cuba Libre. While Indira took his money and slid his drink toward him, he winked at her. “How about you and I—”

“Fuck off,” Indira said.

“Women!” The merman shook his head and careened away with his poison.

“Seriously, K?” I asked, frowning at him. “It’s sweet of you to play a big league boy, but you know it’s unnecessary. I’m a big league girl who knows how to take care of herself. And I prefer you stay in your own lane.”

“You stir up shit any chance you get,” he said. “You can’t help it. And you were about to punch a guy double your size. I have a strict order from Boss to keep an eye on you.”

“Rydstrom needs to get over his trust issues,” I said, rolling my eyes. “And you judged me unfairly, but this time I’ll let it slide since I’m not petty. However, I have a question for you. I heard that you did an excellent job catching the mage bombers.” I stepped closer to him and pat his forearm to show him that we were in this together. “Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

“No,” K said.

I glared at him.

He leapt away from me, keeping at least three yards between us, and growled. “Try not to get me killed.”

The Night King had informed me that he would kill anyone whom I flirted with. I’d thought it was a joke.

“Don’t be an ass, K,” Indira said. “At least not to our Evie.” She wheeled to me and slid a new shot of coffee toward me. I didn’t even know when she’d made it. My half-Fae, half-shifter friend was magical in mixing all sorts of drinks.

“How much have you learned about Fae history?” Indira asked.

“Uh, I’ve picked up a little bit here and there,” I said, giving K a baleful look as if it were his fault that I didn’t have solid knowledge on the supernatural world. He parked away from me like a mountain, his bulky arms across his massive chest. Maybe he was half-troll. “Fae were on Earth before humans. They claim that they were the first race here, but I don’t trust Fae much.”

When humankind showed up, growing in numbers and rising technology, Fae as the older species faded into the background. Rowan had revealed that their race still kept the ancient chronicles, which recorded two long bloody wars between Fae and humans. However, any mention of other intelligent species had been purged from human history.

No wonder mortals weren’t aware of the existence of immortals and a parallel realm right beside them, separated by the Veil.

“The majority of pureblood Fae have been waiting to reclaim the other side of the Veil,” Indira said. “Dominance is in their blood, and they hate humans in their bones. And now with the rumors running amok that the Veil opened, no matter how briefly, the Fae purists are gathering forces to prepare for a great invasion into the human world.”

Damn. My heart pounded with guilt. Why did I have to go see the Veil and be tempted by it?

“You mean the Fae kings will also wage war against humans?” I asked. I was now super distracted. If the kings were using me—no, I shook my head. I shouldn’t doubt them. They weren’t the bad guys. In fact, they’d helped prevent havoc in the human realm by slaughtering the demons coming out of the Veil.

“I’d say the Dawn Queen is the evil mastermind,” Indira said. “All the purist dicks are gathering around her now.”

“Drop your voice,” K hissed. “You never know who’s listening, even in our territory.”

Rowan, Baron, and Rydstrom each owned extensive spy networks in both the mortal and immortal realms, so it made sense that their enemies had spies as well.

Despite their spies, the kings hadn’t found my parents yet, but they did have prime suspects as to who placed the bounty on my head—either the Dawn Queen or Lucifer.

It seemed a far stretch to think the devil might want me dead. Rydstrom had insisted that Lucifer had been secretly searching for the lost Dawn princess as long as anyone. What could Lucifer possibly want with me?

I could understand the Dawn Queen’s motivation, though, since as the lost heir to the Court of Dawn, I threatened her throne.

“I know in my gut that bitch is behind it all,” Indira insisted, but her voice hushed. “The purist Fae want to bring the world back to a primitive age without technology, iron, and steel. Their magic would grow stronger. Humans would fear and worship them as old gods, and they’d dominate every realm again.”

“They’re living in a fantasy,” I blurted out. “But if that happens, it’ll be super bad. Seriously, if we return to a primitive age, toilets won’t even flush. And I have six siblings in the house. I won’t put up with that.”

Both K and Indira gave me a weird look.

And I had a horrible feeling that I’d played a big part in the coming disaster. My opening the Veil, however temporary, had opened Pandora’s box. And now all sorts of horrors were lying in wait—the Pestilence plague, brutal wars between Fae and humans, demon infestation, and who knew what else.

“Shouldn’t we inform the humans about Pestilence, so they can prepare?” I whispered in dread. “Maybe the scientists will find a cure faster than us, before the plague spreads?”

“Don’t be naive,” K snorted. “Fear makes humans do crazy things. Haven’t you studied their bloody history? If they know that supernaturals exist and that we’re superior to them in genetic makeup, they’ll try to capture us and experiment on us and then find a way to exterminate every one of us.”

“You’re so full of prejudice, K, and you haven’t changed a bit since the day I met you,” I said. “There’re also a lot of good humans out there, and I won’t see them harmed.”

I wouldn’t allow any harm to come to my siblings, and that had always been my promise to my parents.

“Boss won’t allow this shit to go that far,” Indira said, placing her hand on my shoulder to calm me down. “Rydstrom is a force.”

“We’ll deal with shit our way.” K nodded. “And you’ll need to follow Boss’s orders.”

Following orders? He was barking up the wrong tree.

“Lady Evelina.” Drake popped out of nowhere, suddenly beside me with a glare. “Are you going to debate everyone to death or get your ass downstairs for training? The day is short!”

Weren’t Fae all picnics?

Chapter 9

I stood beside the Winter King atop the white tower of his glacial castle, overlooking the frozen blue lake like a vast gem.

Soft snow covered every inch of the hard land of the Winter realm, icicles dangling from trees like music notes. Harsh wind hollered, but it didn’t reach me, as the Winter King shielded me with his ice magic.

The air tasted fresh and crisp, filled with a chilly magic no mortal world possessed.

My heart flittered with excitement and nervousness. I’d expected my first date with Rowan to be somewhat normal, since the kings were attempting to court me the human way. I’d never imagined he’d bring me to the immortal land.

Growing up, I’d migrated to many places, from Australia to Europe to North America, but I’d never seen any place this pure and utterly enchanting.

“What do you think?” Rowan asked, his minty breath trickling along my temple, sending a shiver down to my curled toes.

“This is nice,” I said, inhaling his intoxicating scent of pine, ice, and male musk. “You own this whole castle?”

He chuckled, pleased with his effect on me. He pulled me tight against his side, molding me to the hard contours of his body, and draped half of his silver cape around me.

He dressed like a medieval king from the era of King Arthur, except he didn’t wear a crown while in his remote territory.

I was thankful for that. I mean, I knew he was a king, but still, I’d feel weird going on a date with a Fae king if his royal status constantly flashed in my mind.

“I possess more than a castle, my lady,” he said, dipping his head and planting a kiss on the tip of my nose.

A mere kiss from the Winter King conjured up a burning desire that made me shiver into his embrace.

“Only a few of my trusted knights and servants can shift into this castle,” he said. “You’re safe here, Evie. One day, you’ll sit by my side on the throne and shine your beauty on our Court.”

None of the human boys I’d dated had ever said things like that. We usually talked about sports, parties, and the music we listened to when we weren’t wrapped around each other. Sure, they often told me I was pretty, but none of them ever demanded I shine my good looks on anyone else. For one, the other chicks wouldn’t put up with that.

Also, none of the human guys or their dads had a castle.

I was in a different world now, plucked out of a future I’d once set my heart on. My college life was a faded dream I could never chase again.

“Let’s not go that far, Rowan,” I said. “We agreed to take it slow and get to know each other first. Perhaps we can talk about our hobbies?”

“Hobbies?” He peeked at me. “Like going to war and leading my warriors to victory?”

I grimaced, realizing that a career king might not have the luxury of hobbies. He might be more into giving orders to have someone’s head chopped off. According to the history books, kings and queens were mostly monsters, regardless of their race or nationality. I’d never met any royalty, so I wouldn’t exactly know. But now I was dating one, and soon three. So, I might have to get used to the new scenery and hope they wouldn’t turn out to be monsters in truth.

“Do you like music?” I asked.

“Yes.” He smiled, icy fire shining in his beautiful blue eyes. “The court bards sing in every festival. We’ll have the Summer Solstice carnival soon, and all the best musicians will perform in my palace.”

Oh boy. I wasn’t sure about the compatibility of this bard thing and my own music taste. I twirled a finger around a long strand of my golden hair. I needed to find common ground for us. But what were our common interests other than mutual lust? Feelings and desire would all fade one day if we didn’t have a solid foundation to build our relationship on.

“So, Rowan. Here’s the thing.”

Before I could continue, he lifted my chin and peeked into my eyes. The honest feelings written in his face made me lost for words.

“I can change for you, Evie,” he said. “I’ll adapt for you. You aren’t like any woman I’ve ever met. I can’t figure you out from one step to the next. And I love it when you surprise and challenge me like no one else. You’re fearless and exhilarating. I need a woman like you, as I’m getting too used to the old ways and becoming stagnant. You bring vigor and freshness into my life.”

“But you frown at me every time I challenge you,” I said, spreading my fingers over his dress shirt that stretched over his cut chest. The Winter King was huge, yet perfectly proportioned. My breath hitched at his breathtaking beauty.

“You can get under my skin. That’s a fact,” he admitted, the calloused pad of his thumb gently tracing my cheek. We seemed unable to keep our hands to ourselves in this lovely frozen world. “And no woman, except you, has ever had the privilege to see through my cold, merciless exterior and find the real man inside. I invite you in, Evelina, to explore me as I want to explore your every inch, and to see for yourself if you can finally trust me. Of course, I’ll keep earning your trust, respect, and love. See into my soul, Evie, and see that you are in its very center.”

It sounded like he was drafting an ancient poem. I kind of like this poetic side of Fae courting.

“Really?” I gazed up at him through my thick lashes. “And you won’t mind me asking you some tough questions?”

He beamed down at me, sending my core shivering. “How about a kiss first, my Evie?”

Without waiting for my nod, he brushed his icy lips across mine, igniting another wave of fire between my thighs.

The day wouldn’t go as I planned if I let myself burn so fast and so soon. I needed to keep my wits about me. I pulled back from the kiss, steeling myself for what I needed to ask.

When Baron and Rowan first appeared in my backyard, they hadn’t known that I understood the Fae tongue. Baron had accused Rowan of stealing a Fae woman named Minerva from him.

“Too bad you couldn’t protect her, and you let her die in your court,” Baron had said, his amber eyes brimming with hatred toward his half-brother. Then he’d pointed at me. “This girl will suffer the same fate.”

That episode had stuck in my mind.

“Who’s Minerva?” I asked, keeping my breath even as I watched my date’s expression closely. “Is she why you and Baron are always at each other’s throats?”

Rowan let out a frosty breath and looked away, staring into the distant glacier world. His arms tightened around me as if afraid I would leave him the next second.

“Baron and I shared the same father, but we grew up in different courts,” Rowan said. “We only saw each other when all four courts gathered during the Summer or Winter solstice. In our young twenties, we were both smitten with a Summer Fae, stunned by her beauty. We thought Minerva was our greatest love. Baron and I fought to win her over, and she played us both. In the end, she chose me and stayed in the Winter Court.

“Two months later, for the glory of battle, I joined the Wild Hunt of the year, a barbaric practice among Fae tradition. But I was too young and naïve to realize that. When I returned, I found her body torn to pieces in the royal garden of the Winter Palace. I’ve been hunting Minerva’s murderers ever since. I still haven’t found her killers. She died in my court, unguarded and alone. The day before, she’d begged me not to go to the Wild Hunt and I didn’t listen. I couldn’t overcome the cold, dark part of me. I failed her. I don’t blame Baron for never forgiving me.”

Icy rage and grief and guilt darkened his blue eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, feeling his pain vibrating to me, “that both you and Baron lost your great love. I hope her spirit finds peace and comfort knowing that you’ll always have her in your heart.”

I grieved for the woman he lost. I understood the profound hurt of losing someone. My heart ached every second for not being able to get my parents back and not knowing what happened to them.

“We were very young then and perceived love and passion differently,” he said. “I once loved Minerva, but she wasn’t my mate. I did not feel the bond with her that I feel toward you. What I once felt for her pales in comparison to what I now feel for you.”

Frost sparkled on my hair from the Winter King’s icy breaths.

I touched his forearm with my fingers. “It’s okay, Rowan. I’m not that petty. What kind of person would be jealous of the dead? You don’t need to make me feel better by telling me that you feel more for me than for her. I’m just terribly sorry that you lost her.”

“Evie, you underestimate the depth of my feelings for you—” he protested, but I put my thumb on his icy lips before tracing his bottom lip. Desire burned in his eyes as he gazed at me.

“You said that you have a vast library full of Fae records and lost history,” I said, wanting a change of scenario and subject, even though I enjoyed being in Rowan’s arms atop his castle and looking at the lake on one side and the snow-capped forest on the other. Sorrow still beat in me for him, the death of his lost love hanging between us.

It was our first date, and I wanted to focus on the living and the future instead of dwelling on the tragic past we couldn’t change.

I felt closer to him than all the weeks we’d known each other after he opened up to me. For a proud alpha Fae male, it was a huge step for him to let me peek into his deep wound and vulnerability. Fae hated revealing any weakness and vulnerability.

I didn’t take it lightly.

“You want to see the library?” He blinked, a teasing smile ghosting his lips. “Every other female has desired to visit my treasure room. I hoard rare jewelry and gold like a dragon.”

My eyes widened. “You have a treasure room? I’d love to check it out after a visit to the library. I’ve never seen a king’s vault of treasure before. It must be spectacular, right? And I’ve loved sparkly things since I was a little girl.”

“Sure you do,” he said coyly.

The Winter King crushed me against his chest, his strong arm wrapping around my waist. My breath caught. The next second, he lifted me into the air, and we were teleporting in a swirl of white snowflakes and a blast of winter wind.

When we touched down on the plush, luxurious carpet, I found myself in the center of a grand room lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases protected by glass panels. Leather armchairs and glass tables with slim seats dotted the space.

“So, this is your royal library?” I asked, not expecting it to be so modern. Considering their castles and the way they talked, the Fae kings seemed straight out of medieval times.

I turned around to take in the elegant interior. Leather-bound books and memoranda scribed on materials that didn’t exist in human libraries filled the high shelves as far as I could see.

“Yes, it’s my private library,” Rowan said, his fingers tracing the cover of a thick Fae book with appreciation and nostalgia. “This volume is two thousand years old. I take pride in rare collections.”

“Isn’t it a bit of waste for one person to have all these—rare collections?” I asked, sweeping a hand at the entire library.

He gave me a thoughtful look. “When you become my queen, this will be yours, too.”

My face flushed. That wasn’t what I meant. And I wasn’t looking forward to being anyone’s queen, though I wanted all the Fae kings. Being a queen running courts was just too much work. It was already too much of a headache ministering to my siblings.

“So, my Evie, you like books?”

“Sometimes,” I said vaguely, not wanting him to test me on stuff. I never liked tests, even in high school.

Rowan simply smiled and extended a hand. When I accepted it, he led me on a stroll around different sections to admire his riches. His silver cape draped behind him like Superman’s, while I treaded on the carpet in my tank top, pale green jacket, and a pair of denim jeans. Since I’d expected a more casual first date, I had dressed down, but the king didn’t mind that I wasn’t wearing a fancy gown like a Fae lady.

We looked like an odd pair for sure, and not just because of our vastly different fashion. In reality, we were also from different eras and places. Yet here we were, lacing our hands and strolling through a royal library in fairyland.

“Where are your librarians?” I asked, looking around. For housing such a large collection of tomes, the library was suspiciously empty.

“The servants are making themselves absent, so we can have privacy,” he said.

Servants, right. I didn’t know if I could get used to this lifestyle. I liked to do things myself.

“What are you thinking?” Rowan paused at an aisle. At its end stood an artificial wall of live moss. It distracted me for a second before he cupped my face and turned me to look at him.

Lust rippled off him, searing the air. He watched me like I was his whole world. His pheromones hit my nostrils, surging into my lungs, until I could barely breathe, let alone think straight.

“Nothing, Rowan. I think—” I struggled to string words together while the only thing in my mind was sex.

I gazed up at him, no longer able to cloak my intense attraction toward him. An instinctive need, so deep and raw, throbbed in me. An ache pulsed between my thighs.

His blue eyes hooded and darkened as he sensed my lust. Rowan dipped his head and slanted his mouth over mine, icy fire caressing my skin with a pleasant tingling buzz. I threw my arms around his corded neck and stretched my body against the contours of his perfect torso.

His tongue thrust wildly into my open mouth, seducing and mating with mine. When the tip of his tongue swept my hard palate in dominant seduction, I was a goner. I whimpered his name, then I was suddenly on the thick carpet, prone on my back. Rowan’s massive body caged me beneath.

Raging mating fever coursed in my veins. I’d put it off for too long and now it singed me with a vengeful heat. I had wanted Rowan from the moment I saw him. I’d heard the mating call over and over, but I had fought it. When the kings bluntly pointed out my need for them, I’d denied it and mocked them. I’d even threatened them with restraining orders.

There was no shield now between the force of the mating fever and me.

I whimpered again as I writhed beneath the Winter King, my carnal need gripping my every move and thought.

“This feels right,” Rowan gasped under the same influence of the mating fever, lust distorting his perfect face. “This feels more right than anything I’ve known in my life, as you’re my mate. I’ve never wanted any woman more than I want you.”

He yanked my pants down to my ankles, and my intense need for him kicked up a notch. I ripped off my jacket, desperate to feel his skin against mine. Rowan peeled off my tank top and lowered his head to my breasts.

He took a nipple into his mouth, suckling it hard before his wicked tongue and teeth joined to savor my flesh. Pure bliss radiated through me, and my back arched at the sensation. Then Rowan had his hand in my panties, tracing toward the needy, hot flesh between my thighs.

I inhaled his intoxicating scent, my eyes widening at his icy beauty, my heart pounding in anticipation. His powerful hand reached my peak, brushed it roughly before palming my pussy.

“Yes,” I moaned breathlessly.

“Like how I touch you there, mate?” he asked huskily.

I moaned again to confirm it, and he thrust a finger into my wet heat. I gasped as pleasure rippled to my nerve endings. He thrust his finger into me again.

“You’re so tight, woman,” he said, his voice straining. “I love how your tight silkiness wraps around my finger. I want it to be around my cock.”

“Fuck me,” I whimpered shamelessly.

I could no longer care about my image or the consequences of our mating. I wanted to fuck him brutally. I wanted him to fuck me with an equally brutal force. The mating heat burned like the surface of the sun, and only the Winter King could ease the ache between my thighs and cool the flame. He didn’t seem to fare any better. He breathed hard, and his handsome face twisted like a beast under the total control of a mating drive.

He withdrew his finger swiftly and traced his lips greedily down my belly. Then his teeth—no, fangs. His fangs tore apart my panties before his tongue found my sensitive clit and lapped at it in great enjoyment. My legs jerked at the sensation, my hands grabbing his silver hair to pull him down and keep him there.

The Winter King pleasured me. He was an excellent, skilled lover who knew exactly how to make a woman purr. I wondered how many women he’d fucked in two centuries, then my brain short-circuited for a second as unexpected jealousy rammed into my chest.

I inhaled sharply to control my riot of emotions. The past didn’t matter. Rowan was with me now.

He was mine.

The king lowered his silver head, and his broad tongue brushed open my folds, thrusting in to taste me. I moaned fervently.

“You taste like nectar,” he murmured in a daze. “I need you, Evie. I can’t hold back anymore.”

The next moment, his cape, shirt, and trousers disappeared. His cock, hard like steel wrapped in silk, sprang free. I stared at it, mesmerized by its beauty and hardness, and my throat burned with want.

I reached for its thick crown, but he pushed my hand away.

“Play later,” he hissed. “I’ve waited too long to take you. I’m more of a beast than a man right now. And you only have yourself to blame, little mate.”

He fit his hard body against me, and my legs parted widely for him. He aimed the hard crown of his cock at my entrance, and with a powerful thrust, he embedded halfway into my tight channel.

I gasped as pain rushed over me, even though I was slick with desire. “You’re too big for me,” I cried.

“You can take my cock,” he said. “You’re made for me.” He rocked his hips slowly, giving me time to adjust to his size.

All the Fae kings kept saying that. Utter male arrogance. I almost protested again, but the Winter King’s ice magic poured into me. Frost lit every nerve ending with cold fire, and the pain washed away with intense pleasure.

He thrust into my depth and didn’t slow. Of the three kings, Rowan had the steadiest poise of a Fae gentleman. But he wasn’t gentle now. He fucked me like a beast, his wolf peeking at me through his darkened blue eyes that flashed with specks of gold and silver.

He thrust into me hard and fast, each stroke more dominating and possessive than the last.

I’d never experienced such rough sex before, and I enjoyed it more than I should have. I propelled my hips up to meet his every plunge, slamming into him, and the Winter King groaned approvingly, his face savage.

As he kept pounding between my thighs relentlessly, relishing me, every cell in my body awoke, fireworks exploding inside me. He thrust harder into me, the friction sending waves of pleasure through my entire being.

I could die from this brutal pleasure, and I wanted more.

Rowan lifted his body and pulled back, the thick crown of his cock now pricking against my entrance.

“Watch how I fuck you, woman,” he commanded.

He heaved my head up and let me watch our joining. His cock plunged back into me brutally, embedding deeply, then pulled back again to my slick folds before penetrating through them again and again.

The sound of flesh slapping flesh when his balls hit my base was so erotic that it burned every shred of reservation and sanity I might still possess.

He was a Fae gentleman in dress and a wild beast in nudity.

I moaned loudly. I didn’t mind his beast side at all.

“Scream my name, little mate,” he ordered.

My kings kept forgetting I didn’t meekly obey. “Mind your tone, Fairy boy,” I challenged.

He bared his fangs, which only thrilled me while I held an ounce of healthy fear.

He drove into me with blunt force and incredible strength, unleashing his beast again. His shaft grew larger and harder inside me, filling me and stretching me to the limit.

I’d survive.

I enjoyed the challenge.

But then, a scream tore through the depth of my throat at the hard waves of pleasure as I watched him pound between my thighs in fascination and heat. We both felt even more electrified watching ourselves screw like this.

“I’ll forever fuck this lovely pussy,” he said. “I’ll never let you go, my mate.”

His ice magic infused into me, feeding me with pure energy. I blinked, my eyes glazing over with delicious drunkenness. Rowan was keeping his promise as my provider—the high of dating and mating a Fae king.

A riot of color burst around me, and every sound intensified. Another worldly, enchanting melody vibrated in the air.

His scent of ice and pine, along with something new that reminded me of singed air after a lightning strike, stirred in the air and enveloped me.

The Winter King was marking me as his.

I didn’t stop him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. And I didn’t want to. I wanted to be his woman, whether I was ready or not.

That moment I decided. I’d move forward with Rowan and see where life would take me on this new adventure. Life was a gamble, and for the first time, I let go and trusted my lucky star.

The mating call hammered me mercilessly, and I finally answered it. It felt right.

Rowan growled. He drove into me repetitively with brutal vigor, his long and hard thrusts mixed with short, rapid thrusts. Pleasure blasted through me, lighting me up. When he delivered another sequence of merciless hard thrusts, fireworks in my middle erupted. Yet he kept going, forcing me to explode around his cock wave after wave.

I screamed his name, my fingernails sinking into the flexed muscles of his back, and the Winter King roared viciously and in male satisfaction as he emptied inside me.

I writhed beneath him, panting, and still, he kept going relentlessly. No human male had that kind of prowess and stamina.

I parted my lips, a sheen of sweat coating my skin, my lust rekindled and spiked.

“Will you ever stop?” I whispered, wrapping my legs around his back, feeling his taut muscles as he moved vehemently above me.

“Only when you can’t take it anymore,” he said, kissing my lips, wild heat saturating his steel blue eyes. He thrust deep into me. “Fae kings are the most powerful beings in all the realms. We fuck more brutally than a stallion. Brace yourself, woman.”

“Speak for yourself,” I said, savage strength and wild need thrumming in me, and I rammed my hips up toward him.

Pleasure ripped through me like shock waves, then a blazing cord of light appeared, threading between our chests before disappearing with a snap. Instantly, I felt an invisible, electric connection ripple between us.

“What’s that?” I whispered.

Rowan pulled out his large shaft, whipped me around, and thrust into my aching heat from behind. His male satisfaction, brutality, and pure possessiveness radiated like an Arctic sun.

“Mating bond,” he whispered in my ear, his torso slick against my back. “You’re mine, now and forever, my mate. And our bond will never break, no matter what.”

Vertigo swept through me as he picked up speed and pounded into me again and again. His ice magic coursed in my bloodstream, roaring that I belonged to him.

Chapter 10

We linked hands, beaming in our wondrous mood, and glided through the rooftop courtyard toward the grand hall.

Ice coated everything. Vines and blossoms crawled over the outer bailey of the castle. A statue of an ice wolf—the symbol of the Winter King’s beast—guarded the entrance of the hall.

“Are you hungry, love?” Rowan asked fondly.

It seemed a bit too early in our relationship to call me “love,” but I didn’t correct him. It might not mean anything for a Fae king.

I grinned at him, still carrying the afterglow of our hours-long sex.

The mating call, sated for the moment, hummed in the background instead of pounding me to the ground like it had every day since I met the Fae kings.

“Starving, Rowan,” I said. “I’m starving.”

He laughed.

“I’ve prepared a feast suited for my future queen,” he said, before brushing an icy kiss over my lips.

And I wanted him again. But I needed some sustenance first.

“Awesome. I love food,” I said. “And Rowan, uh, let’s not keep getting into this queen thing.”

He offered me an indulgent look. “You’re the only woman who doesn’t want to be a queen. But love, you’ll eventually get used to being the queen who outshines all.”

“I ain’t into beauty pageants, either,” I murmured.

“After our meal, I’ll ravish you again,” he said, desire flickering like an electric current in his blue eyes, mixing with his icy fire. Lust swayed in me like a fever song, so potent I pondered skipping the feast that I was looking forward to. He chuckled, obviously seeing my craving. “My insatiable little mate, I’ll satisfy you again for long hours. You’re mine, today and forever.”

I could get used to this sexy Fae talk. I guess I’d just have to go with the flow and unlearn everything about dating human males.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered what my dates with Rydstrom and Baron would be like. How would the other Fae kings take this—my mating with Rowan—after I returned to the human world? They shouldn’t complain too much, should they? After all, they had agreed that I could have them all, and they’d pushed me to bond with them through sex.

But that might just be all talk. I’d see how possessive and dominant all of them were. They’d fight Rowan at the first opportunity when we returned. I sighed and pushed a sudden rise of anxiety and worry to the brink of my mind. Today, I’d just let myself enjoy the moment, thankful that the fabulous sex helped reduce the stress that had battered me for weeks.

I stepped into the grand hall, my boots clicking on the marble floor, and my eyes widened.

An array of diamonds adorned the ceiling like stars. Ice lanterns glowed from the walls. Green vines and violet blossoms draped over the golden columns. Well-dressed servants milled around the golden table, pouring drinks into two silver chalices. At the far end of the hall, a dozen musicians bowed before they raised violin and pressed flutes to their lips. Music flowed as I entered the hall. A lovely female Fae started singing an enchanted song that made my heart ache with longing.

I halted, my breath caught. This was every girl’s dream date, and Rowan had given me the royal treatment.

“Come, love,” he said, his hand on the small of my back as he led me further into the hall of grandeur.

Suddenly, I was self conscious. I glanced down at my jeans and noticed that even the servants dressed way nicer than me. I looked like some destitute chick Rowan picked up off the street as a charity case.

If the servants, knights, and musicians in the room also noticed that, they didn’t show it. Fae were good at wearing masks and specialized in disguising their true emotions, among other things. I wondered if they thought I was human as I was the only one wearing human clothes here.

Well, who cared? Wealth, rank, race, and class didn’t scare me. I lived my own life, which was no one else’s business.

I lifted my chin and carried on with my usual attitude.

As we approached the table, everyone dropped to their knees before Rowan. He waved for them to get up. Then the melody resumed, the servants bustled, and the king’s trusted knights spread out, posting themselves against the sidewalls like heavily armed statues.

Rowan pulled the chair out for me before he strode to the other side of the table. A handsome male servant hurried to pull his king’s chair out for him and bowed deeply.

Rowan lifted his silver cup toward me, and I followed suit.

“To us, love,” he said and took a sip of his fine wine, a content, smug smile lingering on his sensual lips.

Suddenly, I had a hunch what his cocky smirk was all about.

The Winter King has won the first date by a draw, and now he had me where he wanted me. Well, if he was going to brag about having sex with me to either Baron or Rydstrom, he was going to regret ever going out with me. And if he thought he now owned me because we’d fucked, he was in for a nasty surprise.

With Fae kings, things just couldn’t be simple, could they?

Another unnerving suspicion flitted through my mind. Was this going-on-a-date-with-the-Fae-kings also a disguised competition between the kings, another way for them to compare the size of their dicks?

But if it was just sport for them, Rowan didn’t need to treat me like royalty, right?

I pressed the cup to my lips, ready to sip the fairy wine. Then an alarm chimed in my head.

“One question, Rowan,” I said as he waited for me to drink the wine.

I heard hushed gasps in the hall and rolled my eyes.

“King Rowan,” I added for show.

Rowan raised an eyebrow.

“I appreciate the feast,” I said, gesturing at the plates of roasted meat, a variety of veggie dishes, fruits, and freshly baked bread loaded on the table. It all made my mouth water. “Legend says a mortal gets trapped in faerie if she eats or drinks anything there. Don’t get me wrong. Your Winter castle is spectacular, but I have business to tend to and family to take care of in California, you know.”

“You aren’t human, Evie. We’ve established that,” Rowan said patiently, heat rising in his eyes. Whenever I disagreed with him, it turned him on even more.

The Winter King flicked a wrist, and suddenly I was transported onto his lap. I wiggled my ass to try to make myself comfortable, then flushed furiously at the servants’ widened eyes, as if they’d never seen their king behave this way.

The servants bowed and withdrew immediately, making themselves invisible along the walls.

“If you keep moving like that,” Rowan whispered huskily in my ears, “I’ll lose the control I’m barely holding on to. I’ll then have to fuck you right here in front of everyone.”

Oh man, let me combust already.

“And love, legends are often wrong—”he said, amusement and lust laced in his deep, sensual voice.

Then abruptly, he stopped in mid-sentence, blood draining from his face.

The air rippled with malice.

Chills slithered up my spine, seeping into my bones.

Rowan shuddered before he waved a hand and collected himself. Then he was ice and steel again. Just as I pondered the inhumanly cold side of the Winter King that I’d never seen before, he roughly pushed me off his lap and shoved me behind his high chair.

Before I could let out an outraged cry, I was stunned to see two gorgeous, half-naked Fae females perched on his lap, replacing me. They wrapped their creamy arms around him, their perky breasts pressing against his chest.

What the fuck? What the actual fuck?!

It took me a second to realize that this wasn’t a prank.

Ice coiled through the pit of my stomach at a chilling thought. Was this how Fae males actually treated their females—like playthings?

I’d just thought I was having the time of the century.

While my eyes burned and my shivering lips were about to unleash a string of profanities toward the Winter King, over a dozen beautiful Fae females popped out in the center of the hall, all of them in revealing gowns that left nothing to the imagination. Without missing a beat, they started to dance erotically, their gazes burning with lust, affixed on their king.

War drums beat in my blood.

My shocked gaze roamed from the dancers, to the half-naked Fae females moaning on Rowan’s lap, to the king himself.

“What the fuck, asshole?” I asked acidly, yet I was still too stunned to be white-hot angry. My mind couldn’t wrap around his cruel joke.

Rowan glanced at me over his broad shoulder, so cold that I felt as if a speedy train had rammed into my middle. He was no longer the Rowan I’d known. He was a thousand miles away from the Rowan who’d worshipped my body less than half an hour ago.

“Silence, woman,” he commanded viciously. “No matter what you see and hear, don’t make a sound. Stay quiet and invisible as a mouse if you want to live through this. I do everything for a reason.”

Had he just threatened me?

“Fuck you, asshole!” My voice dripped with venom I never knew I had.

I had no desire to further figure out what kind of sick, sadistic game the Winter King was playing. I washed my hands of him. I was done here.

I straightened my spine to gather my wits and courage. I’d find my way out of this cold, cursed castle and wipe this shit off my life. If the nasty douche ever appeared in my house again, he’d be served with an iron bullet from the legendary rifle Dad had left behind.

And I wouldn’t allow myself to fall apart in front of the fucker and his Fae subjects, even though I felt my heart beginning to shatter to pieces.

I wouldn’t hand over my last shred of dignity to my enemy.

Before I made a step, two knights appeared on either side of me, blocking me.

“It’s too late for you to leave now, Lady Evelina,” one of them said. “Don’t draw any attention to yourself.”

I sneered and went for the hidden dagger in my boot. I was glad that I kept it with me wherever I went. If violence was the only way to get out of here, so be it. I was ready to stab anyone who got in my way.

I should probably stick my blade into the cold bastard’s back first and bleed him like the Fae pig he was.

But my hand came up empty. My boots, tank top, and jeans disappeared from my body. A blue gown that flaunted half my breasts adorned me instead, and a pair of dress shoes wrapped around my feet, their strings laced around my ankles. My new outfit was only a little less revealing than that of the erotic dancers on the floor.

This was how the Winter King wanted to play?

Furiously, I summoned my magic. I’d demolish this ice castle with whatever power was granted to me. But to my despair, my useless, spineless power didn’t answer my call.

The singer’s voice turned high-pitched, taunting my failure and mocking how trapped I was. To add insult to injury, the dancers rolled onto their knees, thrusting their groins toward their king, enticing him to get off his high seat to fuck any of them or all of them right on the floor.

The coffee and donuts I’d had at my house before Rowan picked me up threatened to come right up. But I made only a dry heave. With every ounce of will, I ordered myself not to double over, not to show my pain.

A flash of cutting white light with an inky outline sliced the air before a peal of laughter, evil and sensual, vibrated in the hall.

A female in a glowing gown swirled in like a blast of brilliant dawn light, yet I could smell her vileness. In an instant, she’d appeared between Rowan and his erotic dancers.

A company of her giant guards stalked in from the entry and spread through the hall. I recognized the symbol of the Dawn Court—a rising red sun above blades—engraved on their armor.

So, this redheaded Fae was the notorious Dawn Queen.

I stared at her, momentarily forgetting my determination to fight my way out.

The unmatched beauty had brilliant green eyes like mine. But in a blink, I saw through her glamour. Her coal-black, cat-like eyes fixed on Rowan with possessive lust. Her small nose wrinkled, and red lips stretched thin. She was somehow deformed with scar tissue patched on her left cheek. The next moment, her glamour of striking beauty was in place, covering her defect.

I froze, confused by the shifting of her glamour and her true face. I stole a glance at the others to see if they saw what I did. Ensnared by her radiant, pulsing power, they all gazed at her with utter worship, awe, and fear as if she were a major goddess.

Was I the only one who could see through her disguise?

Rydstrom once mentioned that the Dawn Queen was all bright light and great dawn power, yet I noticed that she carried both light and darkness, as if she was a creature of both worlds. Her inky smoke hid and coiled beneath her brilliant light like a lethal serpent waiting to strike her victims.

And judging by how Rowan gazed at her with puppy-like adoration, I wouldn’t be surprised that he was under the spell of her glamour.

“Queen Brigantia,” the Winter King said in a honeyed, baritone voice he’d never used with me. He rudely nudged the half-naked Fae girls off his lap and rose to greet the queen, shiny frost coating him, making him bigger than life. “What a delightful surprise!”

He meant every word of it.

My heart once again sank into ice and sickness twisted in my stomach.

Chapter 11

For the first time, I felt the burning of the Winter King’s icy fire in my veins, yet I didn’t fold as I endured the agony caused by his betrayal.

Queen Brigantia swept her viperous gaze over the racy dancers, who instantly stopped propelling their asses toward their king. The two topless Fae bimbos who had rubbed their boobs against Rowan now hugged their chests to hide their half-nakedness from the queen’s unkind scrutiny. No one dared seduce the king in front of her.

A bruising, invasive power lashed at me. From the fearful and pained looks on everyone’s face, Rowan’s groupies must have felt the queen’s blunt swing as well. I shrugged off her vile magic. Before she turned her full attention to me, Rowan took the bitch’s hand and pressed a kiss on the back of her fingers.

A wave of sickening dizziness shot to my head as I watched my date touch the queen with the same lips that had traced over every inch of my skin with reverence.

The Dawn Queen’s power skimmed right over me and dropped, as she was vastly distracted by the king. What woman wouldn’t be smitten by the Winter King’s icy kisses? That coldhearted, two-faced bastard was excellent at pleasuring women.

“Enjoying your harem, King Rowan?” the queen purred, her voice so syrupy and full of light, in stark contrast to her power that bordered on pure evil. I was probably the only one who could feel the extent of its foulness, just as I was the only one who had seen her true form under her elaborate glamour.

The Winter King was caught in her net too, or he wouldn’t hold her hand with such appreciation on his usually icy face. It might not matter to him if her power was vile, as long as she was powerful enough. Didn’t they say that the Fae worshipped power more than anything?

The two deserved each other. Even though it was like stabbing myself in the gut to even whisper it in my head.

The next second, her words registered.

Harem?

He had a harem?! That’s who the bimbos and erotic dancers were?

He’d courted me as if I were the only woman in the universe. He’d pursued me while he had a harem.

Of course, that was how he behaved since he was a Fae king. While the human world evolved at the speed of bullets, the immortal world remained the same. In the old days, didn’t all the kings have countless concubines? It shouldn’t shock me, but I kept using human moral standards to deal with the Fae. Now I’d just woken up from the other side and plunged back into cold, gritty reality. I’d thought the Fae kings and I were making progress, but none of us had ever been or would ever be on the same page.

It was a tad late to realize that. I’d given myself to the Winter King, which had been more than a flash of passion. I’d fallen for him at the moment when he opened up to me. Now I watched my heart bleed.

Rydstrom and Baron probably had their harems as well. Pain ripped through my entire being. They’d all played me like a fool. I was nothing more than a slight challenge and amusement to them.

The Fae kings called me their mate. They’d said I was their future queen while at the same time they each had a large harem. I was but one addition to their collections. And out of the kindness of their fucking hearts, they probably believed it was a marvelous idea to train me to head their harems.

Try me, assholes.

The Winter King had kicked me hard when I was most vulnerable. I wouldn’t recover today. Not tomorrow, either. But I’d bounce back. I wasn’t the kind of girl who stayed down.

Fuck all the Fae kings to Hell.

Those lying bastards would never touch me again.

Another bleak reality sank in. I could no longer rely on their protection. I’d need to grab my siblings and run as soon as I made it out of here alive.

We’d have to live like fugitives, but we had no other option.

I suppose the Winter King had done me a huge favor by exposing his true colors before he could do me and my family any more damage.

“Who’s the new whore in your harem, King Rowan?” the Dawn Queen asked, her stare pelting me like hail. I could sense her cruel intention. She wanted to use her foul power to cleave me in half to soothe her senseless, jealous rage. Then another realization sliced into me—she was more powerful than the Winter King, and the battalion of guards she brought with her outnumbered his eight to one. “That little slut looks… different than the others.” The queen narrowed her bottomless eyes. “She appears almost defiant, as if she has fire inside. Perhaps I should turn her inside out and find out if she is indeed so spirited.”

An invasive, terrible magic clawed its way up my spine, and I had the feeling I was in the presence of evil worse than the demons I’d fought.

How could such obscenity also carry the brilliant dawn light?

If I hadn’t held my breath and braced myself, I might have vomited at the stench. I reined in my rage as I dropped my gaze, staring at the marble floor, my face a blank mask.

This was the bitch who wanted me dead and had put a heavy bounty on my head, according to the kings’ intel, even though they hadn’t any solid evidence.

I wasn’t a fool to draw her attention to me in enemy territory. Showing anger or hatred in front of one’s foe was a weakness. Displaying any vulnerability might get me carted out as a corpse before I could claim victory over my enemies.

I swallowed my humiliation and heartbreak and black fury. I leashed my boiling emotions in the deep shadow. When I was ready, I’d rain down my wrath on my foes and bathe in their blood with a battle song.

My hatred for both the king and queen had never burned so brightly.

“That wench is nobody,” Rowan snorted in biting disdain, pivoting the Dawn Queen to face him. His fingers traced her jaw line with affection. “Merely Fae trash I plan to toss out after I use her. She isn’t even good at sucking my cock.”

I hadn’t sucked his cock, and now I was very thankful that I hadn’t, by the mercy of fates. But I’d let him fuck me for hours and I’d screamed his name when pleasure hit my nerve endings like fireworks.

He’d buried deep inside me. But now that he’d gotten what he wanted from me, he treated me like garbage. He planned to trap me and humiliate me further before tossing me away.

Fae cruelty had no bounds.

Indira’s warnings had never sounded so true, if cutting. “Don’t entangle with him, or any high Fae. If you do, you’ll eventually fall for them, and then the end won’t be pretty for you. Love is regarded as a weakness and they’ll exploit it like a vulture on a corpse…. High Fae move on from one woman to another faster than changing their underwear… the trail of broken hearts they leave behind, and some broken bodies…. You won’t have anything left when he’s done with you.”

The Winter King didn’t plan to just use me. He wanted to break me. A sudden new insight burned a path in my mind. He wanted to ruin the game for his rivals—Baron and Rydstrom.

I’ll survive this, I vowed. I’d pay him back. But first, I needed to get the hell out of here before the queen’s and king’s poisonous claws reached me again. So I let the dark fire of my hatred sink deep in my bones.

“Your little whore hates you, even though she tries to hide it.” The queen giggled, her laughter making even the knights beside me shudder with fear and sick desire before they blinked back to their reality.

The Winter King didn’t bother to spare me a glance. I was but the dirt under his shiny shoes. He now had eyes only for the queen, as they drank in the sight of each other as if they were each other’s whole fucking world.

Even before the Dawn Queen waltzed into the hall, the Winter King’s demeanor had shifted completely. Nothing of the Winter King I’d come to know was left in this hall. There wasn’t the slightest warmth about him anymore. He did not carry icy fire, but shards of frozen steel. If I hadn’t known better, I would have blamed the bitch for bewitching him.

He made his own bed. He chose her.

“Does she hate me now?” He chuckled, and a torrent of rage screamed through my body. “It’ll only entertain me more when I force her to satisfy my every need, and I’m a male of insatiable appetite. After I use her again, I’ll punish her. I assume that you’ve heard how I punish, Queen Brigantia.”

“I’ve heard,” the queen said, gliding closer to the king. The jewelry on her gown rustled like a rattlesnake. “But I’ve never seen it. Show me, my daring king. Start with that worthless whore. I could use some distraction. This century frustrates me.”

My throat tightened with fear. The Winter King had taken away my dagger when he glamoured me into a Fae slut, and my magic had refused to come out.

How was I going to defend myself? I darted my eyes around to search for a weapon and settled my stare on the sheathed dagger strapped on the thigh of a Winter knight next to me. I inched toward him.

“Let’s pay no heed to the slaves,” King Rowan said. “I’d rather spend precious time with you. Tell me what and who frustrates you, Queen Brigantia. Perhaps I can fix it for you. I’ve heard interesting rumors of late, most of which concern you and a certain person of interest.” He cocked his head, frost dotting his eyelashes. “As you know, I don’t like to be kept in the dark.”

“What have you heard, King Rowan?” Brigantia asked.

“Why don’t we take this conversation somewhere else?” Rowan purred in seduction.

He might want to bring her to the library to screw her, just as he’d led me there to do the dirty deeds.

“That can be arranged at a later time since I plan to spend the night here,” the queen said slyly. “And since you’ve prepared a feast, we shouldn’t let it go to waste. Unless you prepared it for someone else, in which case I’d be interested in learning who has caught your fancy. I’ve also heard rumors.”

Rowan threw his silver head back and laughed. “The feast is entirely for you, Queen Brigantia. Two can play the game. I had a feeling you’d come, so I set it all up in advance. It delights me to surprise and please you. But do enlighten me—how did you know I was in the castle, which I haven’t graced for ages?”

My heart skipped a beat. Had one of his people been the queen’s spy? I hoped he tasted the betrayal bitterly. Let treachery fill his life and none of his women remain faithful to him.

“I have my ways,” Brigantia said as he held her hand and led her toward the golden table.

The servants jerked like they’d been kicked into motion again. They instantly pulled the two chairs at the table apart, one at the head of the table, maybe a Fae custom for a king and a queen to sit.

“Leave it,” the Winter King ordered them harshly. He flicked his wrist, and the two chairs moved next to each other. The Winter King gestured for the Dawn Queen to sit, and he sat close to her.

I rolled my eyes mentally. Why did the fucker even bother to have two chairs? He could just have her sit on his lap, like the two Fae concubines who had perched on his thighs before the vicious queen showed up.

As soon as they settled, the Winter King grasped the queen’s hand in his as if he held gold.

“Some little birds told me that you’ve been visiting my immortal enemy frequently,” Rowan said, bitterness ruining his velvety voice.

“My, my, Winter King, are you jealous?” Brigantia giggled, her eyes pits of coals and ashes. “You’ve never displayed that intriguing trait before. But as you know—as everyone knows—I’m the prophesied queen who shall bring all four courts together. For the prophecy to come to pass, the Night King must submit to me first and become my first consort. However, my spymaster suspects Rydstrom has been compromised. He set up an extension of his court in the mortal world to find the imposter—my rumored sister—and then use her to overthrow my rule.”

“But the princess heir died a stillborn,” Rowan whispered.

My drumming heart rammed into my ribcage, and my blood roared in my ears, drowning out the next sentence she uttered. She took a sip from the silver cup, and when she set it down, I could hear again.

“King Rowan,” Brigantia said in a deadly voice, her lips turning blood-red. “None of your servants can be allowed to live after hearing this information.”

Her long-nailed hand raised, ready for an execution. Before I could take cover and scream for my magic to defend me, Rowan grasped both her wrists and brought them to his lips.

“You’re tense, Queen Brigantia,” he purred, his sweetness toward her making my skin crawl. “Deciding the fate of my subjects is well within my jurisdiction. You may not kill my most useful servants. You know my reputation. I’m not being merciful, merely practical. And you should have faith in my shield magic. I’m the Winter King, after all. None of my subjects heard our discussion.” His voice turned hard with icy steel in it. “You wouldn’t think I was so careless as to forget to erect a sound barrier when we have an audience, would you?”

The queen gasped at his harshness, yet she gazed at him with twisted lust. She then scanned the room before a cutting, tight smile floated to her thin lips under the glamour of her sensual, full lips. She seemed satisfied that no one could hear their conversation, except for me. But she didn’t know that. Even the Winter King had somehow forgotten that his shield magic didn’t work on me.

I’d heard every fucking word that came out of their mouths.

“However,” the Dawn Queen drawled and turned her head, her stare falling on me like the vulture of death, but I’d already lowered my head. “That new whore still bothers me. There’s something about her, something off, and I wonder what it is.”

She turned her attention on me and sniffed, and my blood turned glacial. The powerful Dawn Queen, my enemy, was about to discover me, and I couldn’t do anything about it. But Rowan cupped her face and turned her back toward him, demanding her full attention. And then he crushed his mouth over hers.

I hated him so much, yet tears still threatened to flow from my burning eyes. Something in me just snapped and broke. Then, I realized what it was. The unseen thread that once linked the Winter King to me like starlight paled to a spark of amber before it dulled and sank into a pile of ash.

If I wasn’t mistaken, I’d swear a look of horror and agony flitted by Rowan’s glassy eyes, but he kept kissing her as if she was all that mattered.

Brigantia looked shocked, dazed, and pleased, lust pooling in her eyes.

Finally, Rowan pulled away from her, his composure never slipping.

“My, my,” The queen giggled, her bone-white fingers groping his cut chest. “You should have shown me your magnetic beast side a century earlier, Rowan.”

“Blame yourself for being irresistibly delicious, Brigantia,” purred the man whore. He then turned to his knights, frost coating his blue eyes, turning them ice-white. “Take my whores, all of them, back to their chambers. And do not disturb me and the queen for the rest of the day.”

Chapter 12

A Winter knight hustled me into the ranks of his king’s harem, and then two knights hurried us out of the grand hall with a harsh command. Despite my cold rage, I lowered my head and scurried amongst the Fae dancers.

Several Dawn guards peeled from the walls and stalked toward us, but a lead Winter knight parked himself in their path and blocked them.

“Back off. This is Winter business,” the Winter knight said icily. “No one from other courts is allowed near King Rowan’s women.”

The Winter King and the Dawn Queen snapped their head toward the confrontation between the guards of the Winter and the Dawn courts. The Winter King quirked an eyebrow at the queen, and she flashed him a sweetened smile before waving for her guards to stand down. I bet she’d been so impressed with his carnal kiss that she’d oblige him anything.

Also, she was in his territory.

Her guards returned to their former positions.

The weight of the Dawn Queen’s malicious glare fell on me before I exited the hall with the harem. I could feel her urge to impale me with her inky power. She would reach me any second.

Cold sweat dampened my back. Then suddenly, the unbearable, cutting heaviness lifted off me, and the queen’s sensual giggles rippled through the hall. The Winter King was probably touching her, but I didn’t dare look back.

I bit my lower lip and tasted the tang of my own blood.

Focus on escape, Evie. Return to your family. I ran the sentence in my head over and over, so I wouldn’t let waves of pain overwhelm me, ruining my one chance of survival.

I breathed out slowly as I stepped out of the hall.

I lifted my eyes and quickly scanned the surroundings atop the castle. Some of the women from Rowan’s harem glanced at me with pity, and some bore disdain and dismissal in their eyes. They’d all heard what their king had called me—Fae trash.

The Winter King would use me again, then abuse me. After he fucked the Dawn Queen to his satisfaction, he might decide to remember me again. And when both of them came to me for their sadistic amusement, I might not live through it.

Dad had taught me that in any hostage situation, the longer you stayed with your captor, the slimmer the chance you’d ever escape. So, I’d have to take the first opportunity to flee.

The knights appeared absent-minded while corralling their king’s half-naked harem. With the two powerful monsters gone, this might be the only open window I’d get.

I must escape now or die trying.

When I’d admired the spectacular view during the Winter King’s grand tour, I’d never thought I’d have to run for my life mere hours later.

I lifted my long gown and bolted toward the edge of the rooftop.

“Stop, Lady Evelina!” the leading Winter knight shouted.

How ironic he still called me a lady while his king called me trash and a whore.

Three knights came running swiftly after me. Good thing I wasn’t out of shape. I’d always been a runner even before the Fae kings and their knights started training me.

A bearded knight jumped at me from the side, but I sidestepped and kicked him in the knee with my heel. The knight stumbled back with a curse, and I broke into a blistering run again.

I reached the edge of the roof while the pursuing knights were still several yards away, and I climbed onto the railing lithely.

“Lady Evelina,” a Winter knight pleaded. “Please don’t do this. His Majesty will execute me.”

I tore the hem of the gown to prevent it from hindering my jump.

“Fuck your asshole king,” I said. “Tell him he can rot in Hell.”

The knight lunged for me, his fingers brushing my wrist as I flung my arms open and leapt.

I plunged toward the far ground, face up toward the white misty sky. The world appeared so pure while I just had one of the ugliest days of my life.

Horror was etched on the knights’ faces as they reached the brink and stared down from the top of the castle, thousands of feet high. From this angle, the glacier castle appeared to float in the air.

I might not be able to conjure up my magic, even in a crisis, but I knew in my blood that plants were my affinity and I owned every inch of vine on earth.

At my summoning, vines shot from the castle wall to my aid, stretching and entwining and making a nest around me. The nest shot to the ground, and soon I could no longer see the stunned expressions on the knights’ faces.

I waited for them to cut the branches of the vines from the top to drop me. It wouldn’t work, though. The vines would sprout from the ground to hold me up. And if the knights attempted to harm me in that way, I’d mercilessly command the thorny tendrils to drag them down from the top of the castle and let them plunge to their death.

But the knights just stared down at me. To my surprise, none of them shouted for their king to announce that I’d escaped. None of them sprang into pursuit, either.

As soon as the nest of vines touched down outside the confinement of the castle, I stepped off my makeshift elevator and waved away the vines. Then I bolted toward the snow-covered forest a mile away.

Too bad I’d lost a shoe when I kicked that knight in the knee. Now I had to run barefoot while holding the other shoe in my hand.

As I ran, the icy ground burned the bottoms of my feet, and I’d never hated ice so much. I hated anything that associated with the Winter King.

I didn’t stop as I ran for my life and freedom.

The soles of my feet shredded, leaving a trail of blood on the path of hard ice when I reached the edge of the forest. Coldness numbed my pain before heightening it again.

I didn’t mind pain. I was no stranger to it anymore. I now welcomed the burn, for it made me feel alive with hatred, filling the void that once blossomed with affection and desire.

I looked back at the castle in the distant light.

The knights hadn’t come for me. It was probably beneath them to hunt trash.

The wind bellowed harshly as I dove deep into the frozen forest.

A beast howled somewhere, rattling thick chunks of snow from the branches above, pumping fresh fear into me.

Fear, however, didn’t freeze me as my rage rose to meet the challenge.

Chapter 13

I couldn’t tell north from south or east from west, as the sun and stars all abandoned this frozen world. There was only the endless white sky and deep forest.

The Winter King had brought me to this godforsaken realm to trap me, but I wouldn’t be his victim. I wouldn’t let my enemies win. In a sick sense, I was fortunate that the bastard and the Dawn Queen were so smitten with each other that they hadn’t paid me much mind. The two psychos were probably fucking each other’s brains out right now.

Tears stung my eyes, flowing down my numb face. I steeled my resolve to expel the pain howling inside me. I wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Swatting away the streaks of ice on my face that instantly formed from my tears, I headed in the opposite direction of the castle. I now had one foot in the high-heeled dress shoe, the other wrapped in vines and leaves that I roughly made. It was better than nothing.

I limped forward. My thin gown did nothing to shield me from the frigid wind. I hugged my middle to keep myself warm, but my arms felt like frozen twigs that could fall off at any time.

I lost track of how long I stumbled forward. Time seemed to stop in this damned world. My mind registered nothing but unforgiving cold, and I doubted I’d ever feel warm again.

While hunger surfaced, gnawing my stomach like insects, worry and fear for my family choked my burning throat.

I had to make it out of here alive. I wouldn’t abandon my siblings. We might have already lost my parents. No, I hadn’t lost them. I couldn’t lose Mom and Dad. I pushed back the bleak thoughts as my body grew colder and weaker.

The wind howled again, and beasts yowled in response. How long had it been since they enjoyed a hot meal? Apprehension and adrenaline pounded in me as an urgent sense of danger spiked in my bloodstream. I was being hunted, not by the Winter King and his bitch at the moment, but by untamed beasts.

A second flitted by. Silent paws barely touched down on the snow and ice and thick leaves. They were faster than a blink and they were coming for me, full of hunger and the thrill of the hunt.

White shadows whooshed around me, lethal fangs and claws flashing in a blur. Fae were a monstrous race. Even their beasts were more terrifying than their counterparts in the human world.

As the beasts bellowed and poured out of the silver trees, I roared in rage.

Roots exploded from the ground, shoots of black vines surrounding me, ready for battle and eager to destroy. We wanted to see blood spilling on the white snow, too.

My magic hadn’t answered my plea in the Winter castle, and my vines hadn’t obeyed my wish for them to appear and yank out Rowan’s blackened heart as they’d once done to the demons in front of the Veil.

I was still angry at my recalcitrant magic, yet I also understood. In Rowan’s domain, my magic couldn’t overpower him. I was a novice when it came to magic and all things supernatural. I’d only become acquainted with my long-caged power a few weeks ago.

And if the Dawn Queen had detected my magic, she’d have done everything in her power to murder me, and before she snuffed me out, she’d have tortured and broken me.

The wind screamed, and the beasts launched for me. The thorny tendrils of my vines lashed out at the Winter King’s minions, tearing into their hides. I’d kill each and every one of them and let their corpses pile high on his frozen land as a souvenir.

A mighty roar shook the forest. More thick snow and chunks of ice tumbled down from the branches of the ancient trees. A massive golden lion tore into the beasts’ rank. His enormous black and golden claws slashed into everything in his path and his fangs pierced a creature’s throat before moving toward another one for the kill.

He was an unstoppable force and a sight to see.

My heart beat erratically. I knew that magnificent lion—the Summer King’s other form. He’d once yanked out the throbbing heart of an assassin who came after me, but I’d never seen him so ferocious and enraged.

Yet, he was but one lion amid an armada of bloodthirsty beasts that were just as big as him. A giant boar sank his fangs into the lion’s rear flank, and Baron bellowed in rage. Black shoots of my vines dashed toward the boar at lightning speed, dragging it off Baron and flinging it toward the sky. It came down, hitting the ice ground in a bloody heap.

The lion landed his golden gaze on me as he fought toward me, blood tainting his beautiful fur. Baron was vain to the end, and I bet his lion didn’t appreciate this mess either.

In a swirl of black wind, another magnificent being landed in a crouch. When he arose to his feet, a long black sword flashed in his hand, and his shadowy wings spread to full length in his wrath.

“Took you long enough!” the lion grunted in a gruff voice.

The lion talked! It complained.

While I was stunned, the Night King crashed into the horde of the beasts.

“What the fuck are you waiting for?” Rydstrom shouted in fury. “Take Eve and go!”

The beasts swarmed toward us like white shadows.

Cold light glinted off Rydstrom’s blade as he whirled and slashed in a blur, cutting into the beasts, making a clearing for the lion and me.

The lion reached me in no time at the Night King’s aid and shoved me onto his massive back.

“No, we can’t….leave him!” I cried, my voice trembling in the cold wind. “He came….for me. We must….fight together!”

“Go, Eve. I’ll find you,” Rydstrom barked while he spun in the air horizontally—it was an unbelievable and impossible move—and cleaved his sword into three beasts in a blur. Where his blade touched, blood flew up, then splashed on the snow-covered ground.

Beasts yowled and dropped in a whimper.

“Rydstrom knows how to take care of himself,” the golden lion said. “We must go.”

Before my numb, blue lips could issue another objection, the lion had leapt in a great arc over the river of beasts. His mighty, merciless claws sent nearby monsters flying. With one hand I grabbed his mane as if holding on to a lifeline, while my other hand directed my vines to whip away the pursuing beasts.

The lion dashed away from the battlefield like lightning as I lost sight of the Night King, and the battle wails faded.

Snow started falling, and the flakes touching my lips tasted more bitter than a citrus peel.

Chapter 14

The landscape kept shifting as the golden lion carried me like an arrow out of the frozen forest. Ahead, it opened up into rolling green hills dotted with blossoming shrubs.

The snow had stopped falling a while ago. There was no trace of ice on the new ground. We’d left the harsh winter behind, and the spring breeze brushed my face.

“Lion,” I called. “Where are you taking me?”

“I’ll explain later,” he grunted.

The lion shot up the hill. A cluster of shrubs, blue hydrangea and purple crepe myrtle, blurred by me, and I jerked forward, gripping his thick, silky mane. We reached the top of the hill in no time, and the lion paused. As one, we both stared at the crystal-clear lake half concealed by colorful trees on the other side of the valley.

If I wasn’t in a terrible, fearful mood and still suffering from frostbite, I’d admire the view.

“Lion,” I said again, my voice more steady now. “I want to go home. Take me home.”

“Soon,” he said. “I’ll get you home soon.” Then he sprang toward the lake.

When we reached the bank, the lion lowered me from his back. I climbed off him on stiff, wobbly legs. Both of us were covered in blood and gore. Did the lion want me to clean up before he took me home?

In a flash of sunbeam, the magnificent golden beast shifted back to Summer King. His fiery amber eyes roved over my body, assessing me for damage, silent rage simmering in their depth.

I stared back at his gorgeous face, sensual lips, and perfect physique. His male beauty took my breath away, as usual, but then another male’s perfect shape flashed in my head. The Winter King’s shadow still haunted me, even though he wasn’t here.

I’d thought Baron was the cruel one between the two kings, but it turned out that his half-brother was tenfold more heartless. I’d tried to keep a distance from the Fae kings. Males like them were made to rule kingdoms and break hearts. But in the end, I hadn’t stayed away, and I’d gotten burned as soon as I’d let my guard down.

I’d believed the Winter King’s sweet lies and melted when he opened up to me about his painful past. I had wanted to comfort and accept him, only to have him turn on me. He’d used me and then trashed me. The unfortunate, intimate scene flooded back, making me feel dirty and ashamed.

“You’re safe now, Evie,” Baron whispered, moving toward me to pull me into his arms. “I’m with you. I’m here.”

I’d been okay with the lion, but when he shifted to the Fae king, all I could see was the image of the cold bastard Winter King overlapping him.

“Stay away from me!” I cried and staggered back, throwing up a hand in front of me to fend him off.

Baron stopped in his tracks, hurt, hesitation, worry, and fury twirling in his amber eyes all at once. “You’re my mate,” he whispered. “I’ll never harm you.”

“Don’t call me mate,” I said, my shivering voice dripping with venom. “I’m no one’s bitch, and I’ll never be one of your Fae bitches in your harem. You don’t own me. And none of you will ever touch me again!”

“What did he do to you?” he asked quietly, shades of sorrow and rage coating his eyes.

I spat.

He winced and swallowed. “I don’t have a harem, Evie. I’ve never had one. I might have a past, but you’re the only woman in my life since I met you, and you’ll always be the only one.”

“I don’t care about your lies,” I sneered. “All Fae kings have a harem, and the Winter King paraded his right in front of me.”

Baron blinked. “He wouldn’t stoop that low.”

I snorted, and Baron reached my side in a blur. Before I could shove him away, he’d put his jacket on me. His scent of summer and sunlight warmed and safeguarded me, and I hated that he still had such an effect on me. I hated that I craved to lean on him even after what his brother had done to me.

The longing and need in his eyes spelled how much he wanted to have me in his arms, but the torrent of rage in my eyes stopped his advance.

“What really happened, Evie?” he asked, fury churning in his molten golden eyes. “You were on a date with that lucky bastard. Why weren’t you tucked safely in his castle? Why were you wandering alone in the perilous forest, unguarded and unprotected?”

“It wasn’t a date,” I said, my eyes burning with cold, phantom fire. “It was a trap. The Winter King lured me in, and then the Dawn Queen showed up. They were plotting my demise before I made my escape. My friends warned me about your kind. Nothing good will ever come from entangling with a Fae. And don’t tell me that you’re different. Sooner or later, you’ll show your true colors, just like your half-brother.”

My gaze swept over the slope of the valley, and my stomach suddenly churned with intense worry. Rydstrom hadn’t caught up with us. I’d left him behind to face an armada of monsters alone. Then to ease my guilt and anxiety, I tried to harden my heart. He and Baron might have come for me, just as Rowan had once saved me from the assassins in the woods. But as soon as I didn’t fit into the kings’ agendas, they’d turn on me.

Yet, it still didn’t feel right leaving the Night King to his fate.

“I heard a distress call,” Baron said, his expression shuttered. “Both Rydstrom and I heard it. I’m better at tracking in my lion form, and the Night King specializes in covering up our trail. I’m sorry we were late in reaching you and you suffered, but we couldn’t let the enemy force detect our presence, for fear that our foes would harm you before we could get to you.”

I still glared at him as pain, numbness, shock, rage, and humiliation bombarded me like a hailstorm.

“I don’t care,” I said. “I’m walking away from you, from all of you. I’m leaving this behind—”

“No, you don’t get to walk away from me,” he said fiercely, “as I’ll never walk away from you.” Then he was in my face like a flash, his hands grabbing mine and shoving my palms against his temples. “Search me. See if I have any deception against you. Look into my soul and see my true feelings for you.”

His pain, desire, pride, and ambition rushed to me, but just under his riot of emotions, his unbridled love and loyalty and commitment to me took deep root. I dropped my hands from his temples as if burned, and staggered back.

“It’s called scalding in Fae magic,” Baron drawled, studying me. “I’m an open book to you now.”

It dawned on me that no Fae would ever let anyone scald their mind. “I only peeked at the iceberg of your past.” I didn’t want to take advantage of him.

“You’re welcome to scald further,” he said, a faint, tight smile on his lips. “I’d do anything in my power to keep you.”

Unlike the “gentleman” Winter King, the pompous Summer King was true to me. And in the Winter castle, the Dawn Queen had complained about Rydstrom refusing to bend his knee to her. I could still trust both the Night King and the Summer King.

I’d been unfair toward Baron, and it was unreasonable and stupid to hate the entire Fae race just because one Fae king had wronged me, and one Fae queen tried to kill me.

Deciding not to fall into a victim mentality also meant not allowing the villains to dictate what kind of person you were and would continue to be. I’d not let the Winter King and his bitch shatter my trust in the truly worthy males whom I’d come to accept into my life and my heart. No matter how few there might be, there are good, solid men and women out there, and I couldn’t let anyone take that faith away.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Baron,” I said, holding his smoldering golden gaze as the hard ice encasing my heart started melting.

“Evie, you never need to apologize to me. You know that,” Baron whispered, shaking a stray claret hair out of his eyes.

The small gesture was so intimate and sexy that my heart stuttered. Even in such a distressed state, I could still appreciate that. Maybe my heart wasn’t as dead as I thought.

The renewed attraction between us crackled the air, electrifying. Heat rose, buzzing on my skin, and raw need alighted in me, tugging me toward the Summer King.

“You and Rydstrom both came for me.” I breathed, a wave of gratitude pushing away the coldness in my bones.

Baron held my hand and pressed it against his pounding heart, and I walked into his open arms, leaning my head against his broad shoulder, inhaling his masculine scent. His summer heat and sunshine, the opposite of the essence of the Winter King, were exactly what I needed now.

More than anything, I wanted to scrub the scent of the Winter King off me. I wanted Baron’s sun power to burn away the last trace of the chilling winter in my veins.

“Always,” Baron murmured above my ears. “You’ll always have me.”

It was time to delve deeper into my heritage. I’d tried to avoid that thorny subject and pretend that I still lived a normal life. With the bounty, deception, and danger following me everywhere, and a powerful king and a queen both wanting me dead, it was time to pull my head out of my ass.

“Who’s the Dawn Queen to me?” I asked, blood pounding in my ears. “Why did she want me dead so badly when I was just a baby? Are she and I actually related?”

“It’s a long story,” Baron said, his fiery eyes never leaving me. “In the beginning, I thought it was but a rumor. The former Dawn Queen, Maeve, never named her heir until Ileana, her youngest daughter and the Morning Star, was born. On Ileana’s naming day, Brigantia, Queen Maeve’s oldest daughter, announced that the baby was stillborn and that her queen mother had died of a birth-related infection. Brigantia took the crown that night.

“A decade later, the Night King informed me that Brigantia was the false queen. Princess Ileana was the true prophesied future queen and the true Fae Queen who would unite all four courts and bind all kings. He promised that Ileana was still alive but lost in the mortal world. Therefore, he set up an outpost in the human realm to wait for Ileana to show up. He said the underground Oracle foretold that the lost princess would stumble into Claws, Fangs, and Fiends before her Turning.”

Baron lowered his head in shame. “I thought the Night King was lying to me until I met you, and recognized what you were to me. I’d been consumed by my hatred toward Rydstrom. I’d sought to revenge my father ever since Rydstrom slew him a century ago.”

“But your father was a monster!” I blurted out.

“He was.” Baron drew a ragged breath. “It took me a long time to accept that.” He grabbed me tighter as if he was afraid of losing me if he ever slipped. “I’ll never be like my father. I had to let go of my blood feud against the Night King. I’ve also learned the Dawn Queen has been working on all courts to pit us against each other for centuries.”

I spat. “Once a bitch, always a bitch.”

He brushed his fingers across my cheekbone. “Your true name is Ileana.”

“And Brigantia is my sister,” I said darkly, disgust and fury simmering in me.

“Perhaps half-sister. We can’t pinpoint the other half of your bloodline, and no one knows who Brigantia’s real father was, either.”

“I don’t even want the crown. She shouldn’t try so hard to kill me.”

“Fae, especially royal Fae, never think that way,” Baron said darkly. “Power is addictive. It’s everything for Fae. We’re drawn to supreme power and forever crave more. Blessing or curse, it’s in our blood. We can’t change our nature.” He let out a long breath as if he was relieved that he could talk to me this way. I’d scalded him while he opened himself to me. “As long as the legitimate queen—you—are alive, you’re a threat to the usurper queen and her throne. At this point, we all agree that Brigantia must know about your existence. She’ll try everything in her power to eradicate you. The good thing is we found you before she did. But we still need to keep you hidden until your Turning, until you’re powerful enough to take back your throne.”

“The Winter King knew my true identity, too,” I said. “He could have just….”

The distasteful scene in the hall of the Winter castle reeled back.

“I’m the prophesied queen who will bring all four courts together,” the Dawn Queen had confided to the Winter King. “Rydstrom set up an outside court in the mortal world in order to find the imposter and use her to overthrow me.” Her gaze had fallen upon me like the vulture of death. “That new whore still bothers me. There’s something about her, something off, and I wonder what it is.”

Instead of offering me to his lady love, the Winter King had done the unthinkable by turning her attention away from me, even though I was nothing but Fae garbage in his eyes.

He could be playing an even more sinister game, but I didn’t want to think further about his cruel plans for me while I was exhausted. I’d have to pick up all the broken pieces and put them back together tomorrow. Right now, all I wanted was to put the Winter realm and its black-hearted king far behind me.

“Take me home, Baron, please,” I said as I snuggled my face into his warm chest and lost myself in his comforting sunshine and masculine scent.

Chapter 15

The aroma of lemon and honeysuckle whiffed toward me as Baron escorted me to the front yard of my Spanish-style house. I inhaled deeply, glad to return to the human realm—the world I was familiar with. Home.

I paused by the fence, surveying the perimeter. The Fae knights blended into the shadows, but I could spot every single one of them easily with my heightened senses. Only Summer and Night knights were left to guard me, so there was no need to take any action against the Winter Fae. If any of them, especially their king, stepped onto my property again, they’d get the iron bullet treatment.

My bloodline marked me for death, and I wasn’t naïve enough to hope I wouldn’t be thrown into the center of the war. But this time, I’d made up my mind. I wasn’t going to be a leaf blown away by the storm. I’d be the storm. War was coming my way, no matter what I wanted, so I’d grab its bloodlust horn and ram it back to the door of my enemies and dent their world.

With cold certainty, I strode toward my house in a simple scarlet dress, courtesy of the Summer King’s glamour. I paused at the door when I heard laughter, chatter, and arguing from inside. My siblings were home from school.

I turned to Baron. “Thank you for saving me, but tonight I want to spend time alone with my family.”

He nodded, brushed a gentle kiss on my cheek, and departed.

I watched his retreating figure merge between the trees before vanishing into the shadows of the night, a longing ache in my chest. But I wasn’t ready to spend the night with him, not after the worst date I’d ever had. I nearly lost my life for trusting the wrong Fae guy.

I took a deep breath and put on a mask of authority reserved for my siblings. No matter what predicament I was in, no matter how shattered I felt inside, I’d always be the rock for my family. I couldn’t let them see me fall apart, because if I did, they’d never feel safe.

I pushed open the door and stepped in, my siblings’ chatting filling the house. Those little buggers were forever loud, but right now their obnoxiousness was comforting, so there was no need to yell at them.

I stalked into the dining room, my gaze skimming from Drake, a Night knight, to a dozen pizza boxes scattered on the dining table. I’d bet Rydstrom paid for them. And I’d bet my little brother, Cassidy, had conned Drake into getting them that many pizzas.

My siblings appeared giddy as they dragged slices of pizza onto their plates. They were allowed pizza only once a week under our tight budget, and we usually ordered no more than three boxes of pizza for all of us.

My siblings looked up from their treat and grinned at me, and my heart warmed. I reminded myself not to scold them for taking charity from the Fae. I was making a six-figure salary now and I could feed all six of them well from now on.

“Commander!” Cassidy saluted me with his greasy little hand. “Drake said the dinner was on the house—not our house, but Rydstrom, your new suitor’s house—so I helped him order the pizza for us. And I reserved a box of pineapple pizza for you.”

Drake darted a glance at me as he tried to hide a spark of amusement in his eyes.

My stomach groaned in hunger, but I had no appetite. Then I was suddenly awash with anger. I didn’t want any Fae at my house. I’d opened my home to them, exposing my family to danger, and one of them had betrayed me.

I understood that Drake had nothing to do with the Winter King’s mistreatment of me and that he was following Rydstrom’s order to take care of my family, but I’d had enough Fae for the moment.

“What are you doing here, Drake?” I asked curtly in the Fae tongue.

Drake’s eyes widened before they returned to normal, and he switched back to the bland expression he always wore in Claws, Fangs, and Fiends. He hadn’t expected me to speak Fae. I snickered. Yeah, shocker! I understood the language and could speak it fluently as it was in my blood.

“Watching your family,” he answered in Fae.

“I’m here now,” I said. “You can leave. And please tell your boss that I want no Fae from any court in my house again.”

My siblings all stared at me.

“They’re speaking French, a beautiful, elegant, and cocky language,” Cassidy explained with pride. “Our Commander is a lady of many talents.”

Drake nodded and exited the house.

“Commander.” Cassidy shot to his feet. “Do you require I pull the chair out for you at the head of the table?”

Safiya rolled her eyes.

The little dude was very good at kissing ass. I frowned at him and waved for him to sit back down, wondering what he wanted from me this time. I pulled the chair out for myself and slumped into it.

I scanned my siblings, grateful they all looked safe and sound and even happy. But worry filled Fawn’s eyes, and I wondered if she’d foreseen how my date with the Winter King had turned out. I didn’t have the energy to discern if it was the bone witch or my own little sister looking at me like that. I darted my weary eyes away from her.

“How was your date, Evie?” Emmett asked.

My siblings appeared excited, waiting for me to reveal something and let them into my adult world.

For a moment, I wanted to cry.

My heart clenched in ice. I’d never go on another date with any of the Fae kings.

“We broke up,” I said as lightly as possible. “You won’t see that silver-haired dude or any of his minions anymore.”

“What happened?” Safiya, my fifteen-year-old sister, asked with giddiness.

I really needed to have a long talk with her shortly. It wouldn’t do her any good to constantly regard me as her competition. She wouldn’t be able to move on with her own life if she kept that kind of mentality. Safeguarding my family also meant protecting them from themselves as well. I owed my parents at least that much.

A lump stuck in my throat. I missed them so much.

“Not all good-looking guys are good men, Safiya,” I said.

“You dumped Rowan?” Cassidy asked, his chubby face scrunching. His curly hair was unruly around his forehead. I’d have to take him to a hairstylist soon, now that I could afford it. Or I would have to do it. The twins and Emmett also needed a haircut.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. There were so many mundane things to take care of in life, and I still had a bounty on my head and the Fae kings to deal with. How had my parents even survived us?

“Yep,” I said, more for my brother’s benefit. “He’s out of the picture. If he ever shows his face here, he’ll get worse than a kick in the teeth.”

Fangs. The Winter King had grazed his fangs over my neck when he’d roared his climax as if he wanted to mark me. He’d pulled back at the last second. I shivered in horror at the consequences if he had indeed marked me permanently. It sickened me even more that a secret, treacherous part of me still craved the Winter King, as if the sadist had branded my soul.

Fawn gazed at me, her big gray eyes that were both young and ancient weighted down with sorrow.

“Let’s cross him off,” Cassidy said. “You still have two rich suitors, Commander, so we’re good.”

The twins looked sullen, since they’d been quite taken with the Winter King. They were like his protégés.

“Maybe you can give him another chance, Commander?” Nox offered. “Rowan isn’t too bad. Maybe you should be more patient and get to know him more?”

Seriously? My younger siblings were schooling me on dating?

“Shut up,” I snapped and glared at them. “Let’s not talk about those guys anymore. We have more important things to worry about.”

“We do?” Asuka asked.

“Like what?” Safiya snickered.

“We still have money, right?” Nox asked. He always worried about money. “Did your boss pay you? If he hasn’t, we’ll take him to court,” he added viciously.

I sighed. These stinkers tested my patience, and I had just softened toward them a few minutes ago.

“We might have to make a change of plans, like moving again,” I said, scanning their faces to see how they’d take the bomb I was going to drop. I had to prepare them.

“No way.” Safiya pouted right away. “I’m not moving again.”

“If we move, how can Mom and Dad find us when they come back?” Emmett asked quietly.

“We have enemies,” I said, hardening my voice. “Dad and Mom never told us that because they wanted to shield us as best they could. They protected us by moving around so our enemies couldn’t find us. We’ve stayed in this place for too long, and the enemies have finally caught up with us. I’ll stand my ground and fight back. But before I can drive them away, I need to make sure all of you are safe, and I won’t give them a chance to come after you.”

My siblings were shocked into silence, their mouths agape.

“That’s why we have so many guards.” Cassidy nodded before raising his chin and pounding his small chest with a fist. “I’m not afraid, Commander. I’ll follow you into battle if you really want.”

“That day will come, but not today,” I said, feeling fondness toward my little brother.

“Who are our enemies?” Emmett asked.

“Lethal creatures from the other world,” Fawn said dreamily. “Evie was born a queen. Some of them will do anything to stop her from returning to claim her rightful crown.”

My other siblings snapped their heads toward her, and a chill slithered up my spine.

“One of us will be taken,” Fawn continued. “You must TURN sooner, Princess Ileana, to survive the Wild Hunt. If you die, all will be lost, and the world will turn dark.”

Ice coursed in my veins. She’d known my true name, my Fae name. There was no denying who I was. There was no turning back.

“Why did your eyes turn white, Fawn?” Safiya asked. “Stop it! It’s not funny, weirdo.”

I glared at Safiya. “Don’t ever call her that, you hear me? If it weren’t for our parents’ sake, I wouldn’t mind leaving you behind, you entitled bitch!”

Safiya looked taken aback by my vicious tone, which I had never used when we’d fought before. She could come after me, but coming after my baby sister? Nope. She glared at me for a second and then dropped her eyes as if she was suddenly afraid of me, and the harshness went out of me.

I pulled Fawn into my arms. “Angel, do you want to go to your room?”

I didn’t want my other siblings to hear any more predictions Fawn might utter, and I’d certainly protect her from anyone. My little sister carried the burden of two souls, and the bone witch who co-existed with her had been sent to me for a purpose. A few nights ago, she had warned me that she must hide from the true dark one who wanted me dead.

And the dark one was the Queen of the Dawn Court, my half-sister, who wanted my head on a silver platter.

The bone witch had also warned, “Three kings have come. One betrays. One breaks the heart. One sacrifices….”

Part of the warning had come true. One of the kings had betrayed me. But who would sacrifice himself? I couldn’t bear it if Rydstrom or Baron died on me.

Fawn blinked and gasped, and her eyes turned clear.

I hated to do this, but I’d have to ask the bone witch to surface again and tell me who’d be taken and who would sacrifice himself. As for breaking hearts, I wouldn’t let any of the Fae kings do that to me again.

“I’m fine, Evie,” Fawn said in her normal voice. “But I think Nox and Asuka have something important to tell you.”

“What is it, Nox? Asuka?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

My siblings would form an alliance whenever they wanted to have their way that opposed my way. Only they didn’t know I had a spy among them now. I shot a hard glance at Cassidy for neglecting his duties before training my sharp gaze on the twins again, and my little brother had the nerve to look innocent and puzzled. I’d have a word with him afterward and threaten to strip some of his privileges as acting lieutenant.

“Make it quick. I need a shower,” I added impatiently.

“A couple of kids died in class today,” Cox said. “They caught some kind of virus, the teacher said. Their eyes glowed red before they started coughing blood. The guards you assigned to protect us pulled Asuka and me out of class right away and brought us home.”

My throat parched, rage and cold dread settling in my stomach like ice bricks. One of my worst fears had turned to reality.

The purist Fae had released Pestilence into the human world to thin the herd. I’d thought it was still in the experimental stage as the plague had just been released into Claws, Fangs, and Fiends yesterday. I’d thought we still had time while Rydstrom’s team of mages worked on the cure.

“Run that by me again,” I said, trying to control my trembling voice. “I want every detail.”

“No human can cure the Fae plague,” Fawn chimed in, her eyes turning glassy again. “It’s begun. The kids in the twins’ class were among the first wave of infected. Their families and anyone in close contact with them will die soon after. The second wave is coming.”

I looked at her sharply. My little, frail sister was the bone witch again.

“Do you know what we can do to counter it?” I asked, and my siblings stared at Fawn as if she’d just sprouted two heads.

Fawn shook her head. “Humans cannot beat this.”

Of course. How could human scientists fight a magical virus designed by their ancient enemy whom they didn’t even know or believe existed? They wouldn’t know what struck them before half of the population dropped dead. I’d been just like any other human, living in oblivion until the Fae crashed into my world and turned it upside down.

The fate of the world hung on a thread, and my family was no longer safe in California. They wouldn’t be safe anywhere in the human world while Pestilence spread.

Cold sweat crept down my spine.

What could I do? My heart pounded, icy panic stuck in my throat. Indira and K had both warned me that the humans wouldn’t believe me if I went to them with the information. Worse, they might blame me for every wrong and misfortune in their world. And if they found out what I was, they’d only lock me away in a lab and open me up to experiment on me.

But I was raised in the human world, home to my siblings, so I’d protect this realm. Also, many supernaturals had integrated themselves into this world and considered Earth their home as well. I’d find allies among them.

And half of the Fae courts, like the Night and Summer courts, wouldn’t want the human world to be destroyed. Rydstrom and Baron were better beings. They’d proved it. I needed to talk to them about stopping Pestilence and the Dawn Queen before the plague spread like wildfire.

“Only you can stop it, Ileana,” said the bone witch. “Become the queen you were born to be and cut the head off the serpent.”

Chapter 16

I couldn’t move an inch, a heavy weight pressing me into my bed as if a truck was parked on my chest. I wasn’t even sure if I was dreaming or awake, only that my paralysis terrified me like cold hell.

I fought off the load on my chest with all I had, and then the air returned to my lungs along with the stench of sulfur, smoke, and foul magic.

I bolted up, tore Legend Heavy from under my pillow, and trained it on the invading shadowy figure. An archdemon came into focus as he leaned against my closed door, watching me broodingly.

His potent Hell power stifled the air, intending to suck out my life, but it could no longer suffocate me. I’d met the former archangel and even battled him when I tore open the Veil. His icy hellfire had slammed into me, but instead of incinerating me, it’d fizzled out on my skin like cold mist. Now in my room, his power still failed to keep me paralyzed.

“Be gone, demon!” I snarled.

I kept my aim steady, though I wouldn’t waste a bullet on him. No human weaponry would stand against such a powerful demon.

“You broke my power again, Inferno Princessca.” He grinned as he uttered old demonic words that I understood perfectly, which made me cringe and chilled me to the bone.

I’d been unnerved when I realized I could understand the Fae tongue. And now the demon tongue as well? What did that say about me? My heart pounded in my ears, and I didn’t dare dig deeper.

Dark secrets were better left unknown.

“I mean you no harm, Princess Ileana,” he said. “I just came to warn you.”

This time, he wore a handsome human male appearance instead of his seven-foot-tall, horned demon form. He thought I’d relate to him better by adopting this new look, but I recognized him just the same by his power signature.

“How did you know me?” I hissed in a low voice.

“I was among the few who believed you survived and were smuggled out of the Dawn Court, Princess,” he said in a sarcastic tone which was utterly unnecessary, but then he was a high-ranking demon who couldn’t help being evil and arrogant. “I knew the Night King had been searching for you desperately, and I’ve been paying attention. The mages hid you well.”

Every little hair on my neck stood on edge at his words. I shot to my feet, my elephant gun still trained on him, while I secretly conjured up my magic. He’d cut through my vine shield at the Veil, but my shadow fire that had burned a demonca might damage him and drive him away.

“Where are my parents?” I demanded. “Tell me and I’ll allow you to get out of here alive.”

The archdemon chuckled. “You aren’t that powerful, Princess Ileana. At least not yet. And I’m eons older than you, nearly as old as your biological father. Even after your Turning, which will be a spectacular event, I’m sure, you’ll still have a long way to go.”

He was baiting me. This demon knew my bloodline, and he wanted me to ask him questions to which probably only he had answers, like who my birth father was. And then I’d be in his debt. The Fae might be a trickster race, but it was said demons were much worse.

Making a pact with a demon is never wise.

So I wasn’t going to ask about my biological father and fall into this archdemon’s trap. In fact, in the depths of my soul, I was terrified of knowing the final dark secret. If I knew, then the Fae kings would know it, too. And if I had any demon blood in me, then I was one of the darkfae they’d been hunting and killing without remorse. They wouldn’t call me mate then. They’d call me an abomination and turn on me like the Winter King had done, and then no one would take care of my siblings after they offed me.

“Where are my mage parents?” I demanded again harshly, feeling icy sand scratching and burning my throat.

The demon cocked his head. “I can help you find them, Princess. After all, I came here to make an alliance with you. I won’t sell you out. I won’t allow anyone to drag you to the realm of Hell and test your true bloodline. Instead, I’ll protect the truth of your lineage if you’ll allow me to train you and make a vow to me. You’re the only superior being who was successfully bred and made perfect amid numerous arduous experiments.

“You’re the true heir who possesses and balances light and dark magic at once. You alone can bring down the Veil, which is a coveted power to any court and any realm. Even your sister can’t hold a flame to your potential.” He smirked diabolically. “I bet you’ve seen through her glamour that covers up her defect. However, princess, your time has run out. The Dawn Queen has learned about you and will soon realize the doppelgänger the Winter King glamoured as you is a phony. The queen is coming for you, and only I can hide you and protect you until you’re ready to take on all the realms.”

Everyone wanted me to either take the throne or take the world.

The archdemon waved a hand, and before I could shoot him or better yet, vanquish him with my shadow fire, a trail of smoke arose before dissipating and playing a holographic video in front of me.

A girl glamoured to wear my face struggled against heavy chains that bound her ankles and wrists. A bloodcurdling scream ripped out of her as long iron nails pierced her palms, pinning her to the wall like a flailing butterfly. Blood streamed from her multiple wounds. The Dawn Queen supervised the crucifixion with a sadistic smile on her thin, deformed lips.

I watched in horror. My body shuddered in the chill. The scene the demon was showing me shared an uncanny similarity to the dream I’d had after my job interview at Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.

In my dream, I was the one being crucified, and the Fae kings had pounded in the nails, commanded by Brigantia.

“I hated you the second you were born, abomination,” the queen had shrieked before she turned to the Night King. “Now drive the last iron spike into her heart, Rydstrom, and fulfill your promise to me—your one true love!”

“I can’t let that bitch kill that innocent girl!” I snarled, gripping my gun, ready to charge out of my house. I still had Fae knights guarding my siblings and me. I could get some of them to help.

“Oh, Ileana, don’t be so naïve,” the archdemon said. “You can’t reach her. If you try to save everyone, you’ll only be a broken doll and get yourself killed before this season is over. That courtesan from the Winter Court was already dead as you watched. And she wasn’t as innocent as you might believe. Consumed by jealousy that you were the Winter King’s new favorite, she brought the Dawn Queen to the Winter castle and sold you out. You have a lot to learn about the true nature of the Fae. They might look better than demons, but they aren’t any better than us.”

Something tapped in my mind. Had the Winter King found out that his courtesan betrayed him, so he meted out her punishment by glamouring her as me and sent her to a horrific death at the hands of the Dawn Queen? Why not just give me up to the cruel queen instead?

“What your dear sister will do to you will be so much worse,” the archdemon said. “She’ll turn you into the ultimate tithe. None of the Fae kings can protect you. The Dawn Queen is more powerful than all the kings combined due to her lineage and unspeakable experiments on her dark magic. The kings don’t know what she really is. Other than you, none can see through her glamour. And for that reason alone, she’ll try everything in her power to eliminate you. Unbeknownst to all the Fae courts, she also commands a hybrid army.”

I blinked. Was the demon hinting that the Dawn Queen was the true ringleader of the darkfae? I’d seen the disturbing sight of a flesh-eating shade shift and hover above her features in the Winter castle.

“What hybrid army?” I asked.

“Ally with me and all will be revealed to you,” said the archdemon. “Princess Ileana, only Hell’s force can truly protect you. I’m Asmodeus, the most powerful dark prince in Hell. All I need from you is a contract, and I’ll shield you till the day you can wade through the river of your enemies’ blood to your throne. Even after your Turning, you’ll need a powerful ally like me to show you the ropes and help unravel your terrifying, forbidden lineage and magic.”

What he’d promised only pumped more fear into me.

“I’m good,” I said coldly, waving the barrel of the rifle at him to dismiss him. “And you should keep in mind it’s not a good idea to make an enemy out of me.”

The demon smirked and leaned away from the door. The next breath, he dropped his sardonic smile, his eyes turning to dark slits. His horns started protruding from the sides of his head, a wisp of smoke swirling around them.

I stiffened as I sensed the potent power of the Night King tearing the fabric of the universe. The Fae kings forever acted as if they owned the air of any space they occupied. Consciously or not, their dominant powers couldn’t help but make a brash statement every single time.

I snapped my attention to Asmodeus. The last thing I wanted was for Rydstrom to catch me with an archdemon in my bedroom in the middle of the night. Before I hissed and ordered the demon to depart right away, he let out a low, soft chuckle.

“The King of the Nightmare Court possesses that title for a reason,” he said. “Watch out for yourself, princess. We’ll continue this conversation soon; you know how to properly summon my kind.”

Asmodeus turned to a small vortex of smoke and sank into the ground.

Chapter 17

Barefoot, I rushed downstairs in my long T-shirt. I’d invite Rydstrom into the common room, so he wouldn’t detect that an archdemon had visited me in my bedroom a few moments ago.

When I pulled open the door, the Night King was checking in with Drake and giving orders to a few of his knights under the lemon tree. Even though his voice was hushed and low, my heart fluttered like a honeybee’s wings. His sapphire eyes snapped to me standing at the doorway, and his heated gaze traced over my body, caressing me in a slow-burn way.

His raven hair was pulled back behind the nape and shone in the moonlight. His sharp features appeared even more predatory while remaining gorgeous. His sinful lips tilted up in a sensual smile, and I mulled over how they would taste on my mouth.

The darkly dangerous king peeled away from his knights and stalked toward me, his taut chest muscles stretched and flexed beneath his dress shirt. My eyes greedily followed his every move, fixing on his powerful legs before returning to his arresting face.

“I thought you were already asleep, Eve,” he whispered, closer to me now.

“I need to talk to you, Ryds.”

We needed to discuss my siblings’ safety, the Pestilence that had spread to the human world, and the Dawn Queen and her lethal games. Rydstrom, Baron, and their teams would have to let me in on their every plan. I had to play in the big league now.

He stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. I shivered, not sure if it was caused by his presence, the cold, or an aftereffect of the archdemon’s visit.

Magnetic electricity charged between us, and my every cell swirled alive.

“Eve,” he murmured, feeling the same pull.

I wanted to apologize for leaving him behind to face a beast horde in the frozen forest, but a thousand words stuck in my throat. So, I just gazed up at him, saying nothing while my body burned for him.

“Eve,” he whispered my name again and pulled me into his arms, his scent of muscular male, midnight mystery, and harsh wind wrapping around me. I threw my arms around his neck and stretched my body against the contours of his hard torso, wanting to banish the rest of the space between us.

My former determination to stay away from the Fae kings had vanished, the concept flickering at the edge of my mind like a faint memory.

Rydstrom crushed his mouth onto mine.

And then, I didn’t know exactly what happened. Suddenly I was leading him toward the basement, where he’d once fucked me in the fantasy realm, where he’d pinned me between his strong arm and hard body, not allowing me to see who he was while he thrust into me wildly.

This time, I would fuck him, and he’d remember every minute of it for a very long time.

I kissed him back with a bruising force and the Fae king let me lead, our passion rising to a fever pitch.

In no time, I pulled him down on the cot and tore off his clothes while he removed my T-shirt. I gazed at his perfect, nude male body—broad shoulders, cut chest, tight six-pack, and powerful legs. My gaze was glued to his massive, hard cock.

He let me have an eyeful, his large hands cupping my heavy breasts, his skillful fingers kneading my perky nipples before his mouth took my left nipple. He suckled it hard, sending a tingling sensation all over me. Then he moved to suck the other one, his teeth grazing over it. I arched my back, my need for him searing inside. He moved me around roughly until I found my legs resting on his broad shoulders and his tongue lapping at my swollen clit.

I moaned his name. His tongue traced down toward my slit eagerly, twirling around it before brushing open my plump folds and thrusting into my heat.

“Yes, Ryds,” I cried. “I want more.”

“Can’t wait to be fucked, little mate?” he asked hoarsely, lust lacing his rich voice. “I’ll show you how the Night King fucks, and I’ll show you how the King of Nightmare Court claims this tight, hot pussy.”

My blood raced at the wicked promise while ice also coursed through me. I’d been betrayed by a male who claimed to cherish me. I’d been fucked, but I didn’t plan to be fucked again, no matter how much my body begged to be used by the gorgeous, powerful specimen in front of me.

“No, fairy boy,” I purred like a vixen, a hint of revenge in my voice. “You won’t fuck me. Instead, I’ll fuck you. Tonight, you’re mine.”

The Fae kings were so used to taking what they wanted, but I wouldn’t let any of them take more from me. From now on, I would do the taking.

Rydstrom smirked, wicked promise sparkling in his sapphire eyes.

My heart pounded. I wiggled my ass out of his grip, landed with a knee on the cot, and pushed him down. He made no effort to resist but lay on his back, watching me with amusement and lust, his hands resting behind his head.

His every hard line was perfection and temptation. I straddled him, my hands exploring his skin, tracing the hard plane of his stomach. This savagely beautiful male body would be mine, mine to play with and use.

“Your body is made for me,” I declared, though I didn’t sound as badass as I planned.

“Is that so?”

“Mine to use and mine to fuck,” I said, more firmly.

“Then fuck me and use it however you want,” he said, his sensual laughter coiling around me. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Eve.”

I narrowed my eyes at his teasing challenge, yet I felt hotter than ever.

The Night King knew what I wanted after what I’d gone through.

I’d wanted him the moment I laid eyes on him, the moment he stared down at me from the balcony of his steel and glass office, his phantom wings arching above his shoulders.

He’d made the others tremble in fear, yet he made my pussy clench with liquid fire.

I stroked his demanding cock that pricked hard against my butt.

“You’ll get fucked soon,” I said, half-smirking and half-snarling, “and on my terms.”

Rydstrom’s chest rumbled with a low chuckle. Soon he wouldn’t be laughing because I wasn’t joking. I heaved up my ass and moved to sit on his muscled thighs while staring down at his massive manhood. His powerful, gorgeous cock mesmerized me. A clear drop of liquid beaded on its slit. I wanted to lick it off, and from the scorching need in the Night King’s hooded eyes, I knew how badly he wanted me to put his cock into my mouth.

But I had a different plan. Tonight, it wasn’t about his pleasure; it was about mine and my dominance. Tonight, I’d use the Night King to erase every scent and trace the cold bastard Winter King had left on my skin.

My palm wrapped around Rydstrom’s mighty cock, though I could hold only half its girth. No matter, my fingers squeezed it hard, pumping its length up and down.

He growled in harsh pleasure, which only excited me more.

I licked my lips, gazing down at him with pure, predatory lust. A human male would have run from me at this point, but Rydstrom would never run. And I had the Fae king pinned down and trapped beneath me.

He stared at my bare pussy with unbridled desire as I played with him, rubbing my wetness up and down against the side of his massive shaft.

Another bead of moisture formed on his slit. His cock jerked in response to my teasing and taunting, straining to get into my wet heat.

I smirked and lifted my hips, positioning my entrance above the thick head of his cock. I rocked and rubbed his head with my slickness, and he inhaled sharply. Just as I was about to sink on his length, Rydstrom lost control and thrust up. With one brutal thrust, he hit my depth. I gasped, my eyes rolling back, as he filled me. Incredible pleasure crashed into my nerve endings.

My ache and need for him only grew.

I glared at him, despite the shocking pleasure. The corner of his lips tugged up, making him roguishly delicious and too handsome for his own good. I pressed my palms hard on his chest.

“Don’t even think about it,” I hissed. “You’re my ride.”

“Always,” he whispered. “Use me however you want. Fuck me however you like. Take me as you see fit.”

“That’s more like it,” I said, heaving up my ass and slamming down to his base.

I rode him slowly with long glides, enjoying every second, then I went faster and faster, rocking and rubbing him brutally, the tip of his hard head stroking all the right places inside me.

He watched me, his midnight sapphire eyes darkening and darting from my face that was twisted by vengeful lust to my pussy that glided up and down his massive shaft. His cock was granite hard yet silky, fabulous for such a wild ride.

I shifted my position. Now I squatted instead of sitting on him and fucked him with short, rapid moves. He hissed, desperately wanting to thrust into me, as he’d done before. After all, the Night King was an ultimate alpha male, but I pressed a hand on his chest to remind him who was in charge.

I knew it was hard for him to just let me use him, but we had an agreement. Yet during the interlude when I wasn’t riding him too violently, when I arched my back and threw my head back to moan and enjoy the fill of his hardness in me, I let him rock his hips and drive deep into me.

Then his fun was over and mine started again.

I rode him with moans of abandon and a savage grin as he watched my pussy swallow his full, hard length. His chest rumbled with a beast-like sound, full of raw male need, as he was ready to pounce.

He wanted to fuck me in his Fae way, but not yet.

I withdrew, my slick folds barely touching the blunt head of his shaft. My hand held the base of his cock, pumping it mercilessly, before I aimed it at my needy entrance again. I sank deep until my warm sheath devoured his full length once again.

His large, powerful hands fondled my breasts roughly as he bucked his hips to thrust brutally into me. I slammed down at the same time, fucking him relentlessly as I increased my tempo. The walls of my greedy cunt clenched his cock, milking it with my own kind of brutality.

His cock pulsed and throbbed deep inside me, making me feel incredibly good. I moaned and groaned, grinding myself against him wildly to increase the friction of flesh banging flesh. The sound and smell of thick sex charged the room. I accelerated the pace, pleased and shocked with my inhuman speed and strength.

“My little savage mate,” he hissed approvingly while his eyes rolled back in ecstasy.

The mating call intensified, raging in my veins, making my blood boil and my heart ache for the Night King. Then I heard the same song roaring in him like the firestorm. The primal, predatory part of me swirled alive with dominant need to make him mine, completely mine.

A new power arose in me and poured into him like a galaxy wind. Before I could stop it, the windstorm exploded in us. Then I was riding him like a hurricane, watching pain and maximum pleasure twist his handsome face.

He snarled. The Night King’s face morphed into a beast’s, exactly like the stone gargoyle that guarded the door of Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.

A pair of black wings whooshed out of his back, violet hues dusting their feather tips. He was the gargoyle, King of the Nightmares.

A pleased and relieved look flitted by his monstrous face as he saw that I wasn’t even slightly afraid of his other form, but transfixed by his magnificent gargoyle. Pure, animalistic lust took shape again and dominated his features.

My blood sang in a fever song.

King of the Nightmare Court or not, he was mine.

The mating heat roared in me viciously, and I rode the Night King raw and hard. I had never fucked anyone like that, and judging from the mixed pain and intense pleasure etched on his face, I’d bet that he’d been never fucked like this, either.

“Are you going to beg, Night King?” I purred hoarsely. “If you beg nicely, I’ll go easy on you.”

“Woman,” he hissed. “Fuck me again. Like it’s your first and last.”

“I can arrange that.” I grinned. “But what can you offer me, fairy?”

A primal, feral growl rumbled through his chest, and his cock grew larger and harder inside me, stretching me to my limit. I stopped moving and whimpered, afraid of him impaling me.

“Ryds?” I pleaded. Perhaps I shouldn’t play so roughly with the King of the Nightmares.

“You’re my mate. You’re made for me as I’m made for you,” he said. “You can take me in any form, any shape, and any size.”

Easy for him to say, but the next second, my body had remolded around him and accommodated his massive size. The feel of being filled, dominated, and cherished was like reaching the forbidden stars.

I let out a content, if ragged, breath as I lifted my hips, rocking around his cock, and slammed back to his base.

Our flesh was locked so tightly and seamlessly. For a moment, I was afraid I couldn’t fuck him the way I wanted again.

His face morphed back to the devastatingly gorgeous Night King’s, though he growled constantly like a beast at our shared pleasure and the ruthless way I fucked him.

“Your flame burns in my blood like a divine song, mate,” he growled. “From now on, your pussy will be the only thing that ever gets to fuck me.”

Then he thrust up into me again and again with blazing passion and blunt force, and wildfire erupted inside me.

I trembled in shattering pleasure. The pain and humiliation caused by the Winter King’s betrayal evaporated and erased. Rydstrom’s scent enveloped me like eternal starlight.

My pussy milked his cock brutally, and the Night King lost control again. He roared and emptied himself into me. When I shoved my fist toward his mouth to muffle his sound of passion and prevent him from waking up my siblings, he chuckled darkly and grabbed my wrist.

“I put a sound barrier around us,” he said as he kept thrusting into me relentlessly and enjoyed himself tremendously.

While I exploded around his cock again, the house swayed at the onslaught of his night power. It took a full minute for the windows to stop rattling.

A translucent thread snapped in place and coiled between us, burning brightly, weaving fantasy and nightmares alike.

Rydstrom stared at me in awe, and I blinked in a stupor.

“You’ve just marked the Night King, little mate.” He smiled. “We’re now bonded for eternity.”

Chapter 18

“Evelina Greene?” Detective Dallas’s voice sounded urgent and shaky over the phone.

My heart skipped a beat, and I wiped the last bit of sleep off my eyelids. He’d been radio silent over my parents’ case and I had stopped calling him after the Fae kings started searching for my parents.

I hadn’t expected the LAPD detective to contact me out of the blue. I rolled off the cot and threw on the T-shirt Rydstrom had removed from me last night.

While Dallas murmured something, last night’s scene flooded back to me. I’d fucked Rydstrom nearly the whole night like a feline in heat. I’d claimed him, which I hadn’t known was even possible, but my power imprinted him.

He was mine.

My throat moved in thick emotion.

The alpha Fae had smirked and held me against his warm body for the rest of the night. I ran a hand over the space next to where I’d slept. The spot hadn’t gone cold, which meant Rydstrom left not long before I woke up.

The Night King had spent the night with me in my humble house.

He’d allowed me to use him.

Dallas’s terse voice came through again.

“What were you saying, Detective?” I asked, holding my breath.

“I must talk to you, Miss Greene,” he repeated.

Suddenly, he cared about my parents’ cold case? A foreboding feeling wheeled in me.

Please, please don’t let it be bad news.

“I’m listening,” I said, my mouth dry. “So—you have an update on my parents?”

“Yes.” He gasped as if he was having a hard time breathing. “We found the clothes your parents were wearing when they disappeared.”

The blood drained from my face, and my limbs went cold.

“How do you know they’re my parents’ clothes, Detective?”

“Your brothers described what your parents wore the last time they saw them,” Dallas said flatly, yet I could hear a strain in his voice over the phone. “Your father wore a black dress shirt and your mother put on a pale green skirt, right?”

“That’s what my siblings told me, too,” I said, biting my lip.

“Great,” he said, sounding almost relieved.

There was nothing great about finding my parents’ clothes while he couldn’t locate them. The way he’d said it sounded as if he’d found my parents’ remains.

Anger flashed in me, and fear suddenly blocked my airway. A part of me didn’t want to question him further, for fear of hearing the worst, but I had to push through to get to the truth.

“You found only their clothes and nothing else, right?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice even as dread beat in my throbbing head. “What does it mean, then, Detective?” He didn’t answer, but I pursued, my voice rising. “Will the discovery of their clothes lead to my parents? Who left the clues for you?”

He hesitated, his pause longer than normal, as if he had to cover his phone to hide background noise. I didn’t hear anything other than a faint shuffling sound. I mulled over if he brought a team with him. I had hundreds of urgent questions that needed to be answered.

“Thank you for informing me, Detective Dallas. I appreciate it. When can I come to the police station to discuss the matter with you?”

“Right now.”

I peeked through the half-moon window in the basement. Gray-gold light sliced through the summer sky.

“I’ll leave my house now.”

“I’m not at the precinct,” he said.

Of course. He wouldn’t be at the station at dawn. No cop worked that hard.

“I’m at the site—possibly the crime scene—where we found your parents’ clothes,” he said. The mention of the crime scene plunged my heart to ice. “You need to come right now to identify your parents’ clothing and we’ll talk more, Miss Greene. I’m shooting you the address.”

He hung up. The next second, the address came through.

I rushed to my bedroom and grabbed a pair of jeans out of my laundry basket. I had no time to put on something cleaner and more presentable. Shoving my bare feet into a pair of sneakers, I hurried toward Emmett’s bedroom. Lately, he’d been kicking out Cassidy to the twins’ room and had the entire bedroom for himself.

I hadn’t expected Emmett to be a bully. Maybe I needed to talk to him about his recent behavior. Maybe he should see a shrink. I was sure the expensive health plan Rydstrom provided us would cover the treatment.

I pushed open his door. “Emmett—” And I stopped short.

My brother was pumping his fist up and down his dick frantically while he browsed through comic porn in his bed. His junk was kind of small—well, compared to the Fae kings, every other male’s dick appeared unimpressive.

Emmett froze, his hand stopping moving. His junk went limp.

I cursed, wishing I could unsee it all.

My brother’s face turned beet red. “What the fuck, Evie? Do you ever knock? Ever heard of privacy?”

“Cover your Johnson!” I barked. “There’s a blanket. Use it. And we don’t have time for your little embarrassment. I have to go see Detective Dallas now. None of you go to school today, and don’t leave this house. Change of plans. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

I slammed his door, but it bounced back. I ignored his swearing and hurried downstairs.

The first stage of Fae invasion had started when they unleashed Pestilence into the human world to thin the populations. I’d agreed to Rydstrom’s proposal of hiding my siblings in his safe house in Elfame. While I remained a target, the Dawn Queen would likely soon move against my human family.

The Night knights would secretly take my siblings to the Court of Night tonight after the Fae kings returned from the Summer Solstice parlay convened by the Dawn Queen. Rydstrom had refused to attend it originally, but Baron insisted that they all needed to go, so they could see what was in the queen’s cards and thwart her schemes.

I’d pondered what Baron and Rydstrom would do to the Winter King when they confronted him for mistreating me. But I tried not to dwell on it. My plate was already full.

After returning from the meeting with Detective Dallas, I’d have the talk with my siblings and explain to them that there was a supernatural realm out there and that our enemy was a powerful fairy queen. To convince them, I might have to ask a few knights to drop their glamour and show their pointed ears. As for me, I wasn’t brave enough to tell my siblings what I was. It’d devastate them to know that I wasn’t human and that we didn’t share the same bloodline.

I just couldn’t deal with rejection from my family.

No matter what, their world was shattering just by being connected to me. And they were about to lose a lot more, including the stability and their education in the human world, but it was better than losing their lives.

All this inconvenience would be temporary. After I dealt with the crisis and eradicated the threats, I’d make sure my siblings lived a good, safe life under the care of my parents.

As soon as I darted out the front, Drake strode toward me, followed by K, the shifter bouncer from the club, and a few Night knights.

“K, what are you doing here?” I asked.

“Flirting with disaster,” he said, towering over me. “I heard you need extra security.”

“Seriously?” I said. “Isn’t it overkill to have so many people watch me? I’m not even a celebrity. Now it’s just embarrassing. I’ll talk to Rydstrom and Baron about downsizing.”

“I thought you liked to have all the hot guys strut around and pander to your every whim,” K said.

I scowled at him.

“Anyway, why are you up so early? You always whine about the early shift at the club.”

“I never whine,” I said, jogging toward my old family van, but both Drake and K cut in before I reached for the driver side door.

“You can relax today, Lady Evelina,” Drake said. “Boss said you could use some more sleep.”

My face burned. Did all the knights know that their king spent the night with me?

“I’m not going to the club,” I said with a shrug. “I’m meeting a human detective. It’s best I go see him alone.”

“Not a chance,” Drake said. “We’ll accompany you wherever you go.”

There was no point in arguing with the Fae security team since they never backed down, so I shoved him the address Dallas had sent to my phone. It was in Burbank, twelve miles northwest of my house.

Drake rounded up four Night knights within a minute. Before we filed into their black SUV, a leading Summer knight stalked over to us. He and Drake exchanged a few words, and the Summer captain strolled away. The Summer knights and the rest of the Night knights would watch my siblings, who were still slumbering, except for poor Emmett.

K slid into the driver’s seat and Drake rode in front with him after I secured myself in back, surrounded by the rest of the giant knights that made me worry if the vehicle could support them all. However, the SUV rolled smoothly out of the driveway.

“Listen, guys,” I said. “This isn’t like going to the club for fun or a training drill. This is me meeting up with an LAPD cop to discuss my missing parents. So, I’ll go to the meeting alone, and you’ll all wait in the car.”

“No way are we waiting in the car,” Drake said.

“Then you should get out of this SUV,” I said. “The detective won’t tell me shit if he sees all of you big boys pop up. I don’t want him to think I’m with a drug gang or something.”

“We aren’t a drug gang,” K said.

“We’ll secure the location and make sure it’s safe for you to go in,” Drake said. “The human detective won’t see us as we’ve glamoured ourselves. You can conduct your business and pretend we aren’t around.”

“So you can spy on my business for your boss?” I sneered.

“What other business do you have?” K raised an eyebrow and looked at me via the rearview mirror. “We know everything about you after your job interview, including your fake ID and the phony address on your application. You tried to send us on a wild goose chase, didn’t you? I hate to shatter your bubble, Evie, but there isn’t much about you that’s brand new or so intriguing that we’d spy on you.”

My face flushed. “That’s outrageous. I can totally be an interesting person.”

“All we care about is that you’re our charge,” Drake said. “And your safety is everything.”

“I’m so touched. You bunch excel at flattering a lady,” I said.

“Did you mean that, or were you being sarcastic?” K asked.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the window as we sped on and passed by a pond, a junkyard, and a dark forest. The knights stayed alert, watching for any signs of ambush. Even Drake tensed up. We’d battled a big group of assassins and a giant troll around here just a week ago. Fortune had worked in our favor as the humans remained oblivious to the nefarious supernatural activities in the area.

Through the rearview mirror, I noticed a dark SUV trailing us and let out a resigned sigh. The Summer knights had tagged along despite Drake dismissing them earlier. The Winter gang was out of the picture, but these two groups were still in the competition.

Fae court rivals and their politics.

Soon, both vehicles raced on highway 134. K was better at directions and more skilled than the other driver we had before. Mostly, it’d been a Winter knight who cruised me around before we broke ties with the Winter King.

I tore my mind away from the cold bastard, yet a pathetic part of me still craved him, which only made me mad at myself. He’d betrayed and trashed me, yet the mystic connection still pulsed between us now and then, no matter how faint and broken it was, no matter how hard I tried to get my shadow fire to burn it away. All I had succeeded in doing was to shroud it, and I had no desire to dwell on what that really meant. Apparently, it would take more than determination and power to kill that link, or the mating bond, as the Fae called it.

But I took small comfort in believing that all things faded in time. One day, I wouldn’t remember the pain the Winter King had once inflicted upon me.

We exited the highway and weaved around Hollywood Studios before heading toward Verdugo Hills. K drove like a maniac, and even Drake frowned at him. But I didn’t complain since I was anxious to see the detective while at the same time dreading to meet him. Sometimes no news was the best news.

“Evie, you’ve been quiet,” K said, checking on me through the rearview mirror. “Usually you talk a lot of shit and bug everyone to tears, even the boss.”

“You should pay attention to the road, K,” I said. At my encouragement, he drove even crazier. “If you get pulled over by a cop, I’ll have Rydstrom take you off my security detail forever.”

He slowed down a little and flashed me a fanged smile. “Don’t be mean. We glamoured the vehicle.”

I widened my eyes, getting more worried. “What if someone hits us because they can’t see us?”

He laughed.

Yep, I’d definitely have Rydstrom forbid him from driving for me again.

We now sped on a less-traveled road along the rugged mountain range. Why had my parents come to this underdeveloped land? I’d thought I was close to them, only to realize I knew so little about them and their layers of secrets.

K made a sudden left turn and the van veered onto a narrow uphill road.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going, K?” I asked in a surly tone.

“That’s the address you gave me,” he said. “And will you relax, Evie? Where’s the fun girl who constantly stirs up shit in the club?”

He enjoyed irritating me.

“Watch out!” I cried out.

A coyote in the middle of the road had the bouncer veering half off the mountain trail. After passing the animal, K jerked the SUV back onto the road.

Before I could let out a sigh of relief, an unnerving feeling reeled in me like a miasma of smoke. How had Detective Dallas even found this place? The further we drove into the wilderness, the harder guilt and misery and worry pounded in me. Had my parents gotten into this terrible situation because of me?

K didn’t slow down and shrubs of poison oak and witch hazel blurred by, scratching both sides of the vehicle. I’d yell at him or even smack the back of his thick head if it were my van. But Rydstrom was loaded, so he might not frown upon my new driver as I supposed he should.

The road became shadier with thicker native California trees. This area gave me the creeps. I checked the address once more. Shaking my head in annoyance, I called Dallas again.

“Detective?” I asked. “Is the location really in Verdugo Hills? I won’t lie, this place gives me the creeps.”

“That’s—the place,” Dallas answered, sounding almost as if he was gagged. “Are you—close?”

I traded a look with K, and he nodded.

“Yeah. I’m climbing the trail over the hill.”

“There’s an abandoned warehouse half a mile ahead. I’ll—be waiting inside.”

“Is your team with you, detective?” I asked.

“No, I—I’m alone. I’m waiting for you,” he said in a strained, exhausted voice. “Please… just hurry up.” He hung up abruptly.

It was super weird that he came to this remote, eerie place alone and found my parents’ stuff. If he weren’t the detective whom I’d met in person several times, I’d totally think he was up to no good. But I was a bit of a daredevil and I had an armed escort, so I eased back on the soft leather seat and mulled over the coming meeting.

The van bumped along, and then the road suddenly broadened and a ramshackle warehouse loomed ahead.

“We’re here,” K announced in glee.

“I’m going into that warehouse alone,” I said. “There’s only the detective inside and I met him before. He isn’t a threat.”

“Here’s how we run,” Drake said, gesturing a Night knight to my right. “Lean and I will accompany you. We’re not taking any chances. Boss will do worse to us than take our heads if a hair on your head is harmed.”

“My hair will be just fine,” I muttered.

K parked the SUV some distance away from the warehouse. The Summer Fae’s SUV pulled in next to us.

I followed Lean outside and stretched my legs. The rest of the knights started fanning out around the perimeter. I shrugged and strode toward the warehouse, but then I stopped cold when a sense of foreboding slammed into my face.

I’d been too relaxed and confident with a group of armed elite knights escorting me. I hadn’t put any effort into scouting and probing this unknown territory with my hyper senses as I’d usually done. I quickly expanded my senses around the clearing and warehouse.

A cluster of malicious magical signatures popped into the map of my consciousness. Their hostility and intent to kill burned like hot tar on my skin.

A realization hit me like icy hail. This was a setup. Dallas was bait.

My enemies had used a human pawn to get to me, knowing I would never turn down a chance of finding my parents. And who better to lure me to the trap than the detective who handled my parents’ missing case?

“It’s an ambush!” I screamed.

Chapter 19

The SUVs exploded. The impact sent us airborne. K and Drake bellowed, reaching for me, but they were a tad late. Crushing pain blinded me as my head hit a boulder. When I blinked back from the blackout, Drake’s panicked face hovered above me, his arm cradling my upper body. He was still screaming my name and pleaded for me not to die on him.

I grimaced. “Must you be so loud, man? It hurts.”

A wave of relief, worry, annoyance, and rage flitted by his dark eyes.

“You hit your head bad, Evie, and I was afraid of moving you,” he said. “But we need to get the hell out of here.”

“Did anyone else get hurt?” I asked in a shortened breath. The surreal image of the vans being blown into the air a nanosecond before we’d also gone airborne still flashed in my mind.

As I struggled to sit up, assisted by Drake, splitting pain pierced my skull again. I groaned. Had my head split open when I fell? I raised a weak hand to touch the back of my head. It felt slick and wet. I withdrew my fingers and stared at the thick redness on them.

“That’s not good, right?” I complained.

“We’ll get you out of here,” Drake said, helping me to my feet.

The cacophony of battle chose that moment to ring in my ears. I grimaced as my hearing returned.

Two Night Fae near us clamored furiously as they thrust their swords toward a blur of shapes, pushing back the enemy line. Drake ripped the hem of my T-shirt and wrapped the shreds around my bleeding head.

K had shifted to his warrior bear form and slashed into half a dozen demonca. The Night and Summer knights who had survived the explosions pressed their backs against each other in a loose formation, endeavoring to cut through the siege.

The enemy force was a mixed army of Dawn Fae soldiers, demonca horde, dark mages, and the troll we’d fought before. There were too many. All of them seemed to bear a single purpose—kill me.

Our knights fought bravely, but they were weakened in the world of iron, steel, and radio waves that interfered with their magic.

I knew in my bones that we wouldn’t survive without reinforcements, and no one could reach us in this remote area in time. Fear for my family’s safety also speared me.

“K, Lean, to us!” Drake thundered, though his tight expression made me think he’d considered all the scenarios and understood the end for all of us quickly approached. “Clear the path for Lady Evelina. K, get her out as soon as you see an opening!”

He planned to stay behind and sacrifice himself and everyone else.

While we were massively outnumbered, more enemy soldiers still poured out from every direction, swarming toward us like innumerable huge ants.

A terrible thought clicked in my agonized head. The Dawn Queen had made sure to lure both Baron and Rydstrom away while she set a trap for me here. Had the Winter King joined her scheme to eradicate me? The old wound of betrayal reopened, and unexpected angst surged in me.

Screams and shouts and clashing steel rent the clearing as I assessed the battlefield, and Lean and K fought toward me.

K plunged his claws into a demonca’s chest and yanked out its heart. A redheaded Summer Fae fought beside him and was cut down by a silver-haired Dawn Fae.

The troll stomped on a Night knight just as he dodged a Dawn Fae’s sword. A group of dark mages tossed purple bolts of sizzling energy at K. The magic bolts looked similar to the ones that had once trapped a half-Fae girl at Claws, Fangs, and Fiends.

I shouted a warning at K and threw up my hands. Black vines exploded out from the ground, shooting toward our enemies. They cleaved my vines with magic and blade, but more of my thorny vines burst out, slashing and tearing into them.

Drake and two Fae fought by my side fiercely. K and Lean finally tore an opening through the enemy ranks, and K yelled for me to join him.

“Go, Lady Evelina!” Drake barked, trying to push the crashing waves of enemies back with all his might. A demonca slashed its claws across his leg, and the Night knight bellowed in pain and rage before thrusting his silver blade into the demonca’s throat.

Another Summer Fae went down under the enemies’ brutal assaults.

Even if I could escape, I wouldn’t flee. It wasn’t in me to abandon my guards in the heat of battle and leave them to death. I prayed Baron and Rydstrom would continue to take care of my siblings. They would.

I charged into the enemy line to lend a hand to the remaining Fae warriors.

“We fight and die together!” I shouted, my eyes burning.

My vines rose and burst out from everywhere, attacking our foes with wires and thorns. Plants and trees all around us also answered my summons and joined the battle. The troll tore at the tendrils viciously, the demonca clawed at the branches, the Dawn Fae hacked at the roots, and the mage threw flaming balls to burn my vines.

Pain bloomed in me at the destruction of my vines. I was already greatly weakened by blood loss. I clenched my teeth and darted toward a Dawn Fae, who had cut down a Summer Fae. My boot connected to his hip while he tried to sneak up on Drake and drive his blade into the Night knight’s back. My dagger sank into the Dawn Fae’s spleen, and I watched him scream and fall.

“Stop whining,” I snarled. “Take it for your bitch queen like a man.” I ripped out my blade and moved onto the next target.

Stab. Rinse. Repeat.

I’d become a ruthless killer. I wondered briefly what my parents would think if they saw me fight and kill like this.

Drake wheeled in a half circle and tossed one of his jeweled daggers into the forehead of a demonca, who launched for me.

“Evie, get the hell out of here!” he yelled. “Save yourself!”

I ignored him and buried Netherbane, my beautiful, lethal dagger, into the stomach of a mage who launched a bolt at K. The bouncer doubled over in excruciating pain as the magic burned his side and forearm. He straightened at the next breath and tore into a rank of three Dawn Fae.

I cut my way toward him. Netherbane flashed Celeste blue as I pulled it out of a mage and kicked him down. In a blink, a host of demonca descended upon K and dragged him down. One of them bit into his flesh and started eating his face.

The enemy mages had burnt most of my vines. I directed the remaining plants to hurl the band of demonca away from K, but I couldn’t move them fast enough. The bear shifter lay unmoving in a pool of blood, his throat torn out.

I roared in grief and rage. Before I could lunge at another enemy, one of them impaled the flesh beneath my left shoulder blade. I screamed and whirled around, then plunged Netherbane into the olive-skinned Dawn Fae’s cheek. His long sword dropped from his lifeless fingers. The Dawn Fae’s blood spurted onto the front of my T-shirt, while my own blood, damp and sticky, gushed down my back.

As I surveyed the battlefield quickly, only Drake, a Night Fae, and a Summer Fae still stood. The three Fae formed a protective ring around me with enemies all around us, eager to surge forward and deal the final blows.

Two Dawn Fae shoved a gagged Detective Dallas out of the warehouse. He staggered, his shocked eyes taking in the carnage on the field before they landed on me, guilt and apprehension spluttering in them. At that moment, I believed he registered that he wouldn’t live through the day. He rammed his shoulder into a Fae, trying to break free and run, but a blade went through his gut and he fell in a heap with a muffled scream.

The enemy horde closed in on us, their armor tainted with my Fae guards’ blood. Sunlight glinted off their bloody blades, and the colorful native trees waved in the wind in exhaustion.

My vines were also too weak to defend us and attack the enemies as I was soaked in blood.

I didn’t have long.

“Capture or kill, Captain Fallon?” a Dawn Fae asked several yards away.

“Capture her first,” Fallon said. He bore a similar sinister look to the leading Dawn knight slaughtered by Rydstrom. “If it proves difficult, we slay her and take her head to Her Majesty.” He flashed a sadistic grin. “When we return to the court, we can all play with her squirming brothers.”

Ice clogged my lungs.

They’d gone after my family. The Dawn Queen and the Winter King had pulled the Night King and the Summer King to the fairyland and sent two forces to divide my family and me while attacking us with their maximum assaulting power.

I’d left my siblings in a vulnerable situation. I had left them to danger. I’d been endangering them this whole time while I had a bounty on my head. I’d calculated wrong. Rydstrom would have gotten them to safety tonight, but it was too late now.

My siblings…

Ice coalesced into fire. A storm of rage and grief twirled inside me, threatening to rip me apart.

No, I’d rip my enemies apart before I went down.

I threw up my hands and roared bloodcurdlingly. “Burn with me! Burn them! Burn!”

Shadow fire poured out of my mouth and surged toward my enemies like a flood of black blood. Everything it touched turned to ash. Even the supposedly untouchable troll broke apart into a cluster of rocks before my flame melted the rocks and the black wind swept away piles of dirt.

The last dying scream wrenched the daylight until deathly silence swallowed all.

Only then did my shadow fire recede and fade like the last spark of embers.

The entire acre was turned to scorched, blackened land.

So much power. Only it came too late.

The surviving Fae turned to me, their bloodshot eyes filled with fear and awe and grief.

I stumbled, the corner of my eyes catching a flash of wind and brilliant sunbeam.

Then I was in the arms of Baron and Rydstrom as I sank to the ground. They roared in fury, calling my name.

“She shouldn’t have used this much power before her Turning. She could have died,” Rydstrom cursed in a hoarse voice. “If we were too late getting to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“We were late,” Baron said, his face a mask of rage. “We failed our mate and now she’s bleeding everywhere.”

I blinked at them, realizing that my eyes had started bleeding too. It hurt so much, and my every bone still burned. I might have toasted myself along with my foes. But they were dust now, and I was still here.

“Heal her, Summer King,” Rydstrom demanded. “You have my permission to drain my power for my mate. Take anything you need.”

Death would be a mercy when living hurt so much.

“My mate, I’m here. I’m so sorry,” Baron whispered, pressing his palm over my chest as a ray of sunbeam trickled into my being, then more energy of summer and night poured into me.

“No,” I whispered in broken breathing. “Take me home ….please. They went for….my family.”

“You’re in no shape to teleport, love—”

Even if I wasn’t wounded, it was a great risk to teleport in the mortal realm. When the tech waves interfered with magic, you could get stuck in nowhere or even be torn apart.

“Take me home…please,” I pleaded again, my body boiling in an inferno.

“We’ll shield her with our combined magics while you continue to heal her,” Rydstrom said. “We’ll keep her safe.”

“I won’t fail her again as I failed her today,” Baron said, a tremor in his voice as he struggled to pull himself together.

The particles of the air vibrated, and sunbeam and night wind merged.

A web of lightning struck ahead. With Rydstrom and Baron’s strong arms cradling me, we sifted.

Chapter 20

When we touched down, I no longer bled. But the drained feeling didn’t go away, like I was still dying. My wobbly legs gave way, but Baron and Rydstrom pulled me up and let me lean on them. The Summer King’s healing energy kept seeping into me, boosted by the Night King’s power.

“I’m…fine now,” I said as I struggled to straighten myself, and then my entire body iced over.

A plume of smoke swirled into the sky from the parched land near the half-burned fence.

Piles of demonca and Fae corpses littered the front yard. Only two Fae warriors—a Night knight and a Summer knight—still stood, tattered and bleeding, guarding the house. They held their blades in front of them, their knuckles bone-white on the hilts, their eyes seething with rage and grief.

Seeing their kings, the Fae knights dropped to one knee and lowered their heads.

“We failed, my king,” they said, laying their swords on their bent knees to accept punishment.

Waves of grief for all the lost warriors hit me like freezing hail, but I had no time to process it yet. Icy fear clenched my heart and I bolted toward the blackened house.

I screamed my siblings’ names and they cried mine. I charged through the door, relief washing over me at the sight of them huddling together on the old sofa in the family room.

Their eyes were puffy and wide with terror.

“Evie?” they called tentatively as if they couldn’t believe that I’d returned to them.

I strode toward my siblings with an instinctive need to protect them, not bothering about my appearance and the blood on my clothes. I’d tried my best to prevent this, to prevent them from seeing the brutality of our new reality and the danger they were in, yet they’d experienced it all in one day. I couldn’t shield them anymore.

Everything was in shambles.

I scanned them again and stopped cold.

“Where’s Nox?” I asked quietly, ice burning my throat.

Emmett broke into a sob, shame and sorrow brimming in his eyes as if he blamed himself for being unable to protect the younger ones. Then the rest of my siblings started wailing. Asuka, the other twin, stared into empty space as if he’d lost part of his soul. The twins had been inseparable, and Nox was the speaker for his autistic brother.

“A demonca took him,” a Night knight said from a corner. While the two warriors guarded outside, he’d stayed in the house with my siblings. “We were too late to stop the foul creature when it grabbed your brother and disappeared with him in a trail of smoke.”

Baron and Rydstrom strode in and stood beside me, but their warmth and solidity and powers couldn’t comfort me this time.

“How could this happen?” Baron hissed, his fangs starting to show. “We warded the house. All three of us warded the house.”

My thought snapped to the Winter King, remembering him cozying up with the Dawn Queen.

“It wasn’t Rowan,” Rydstrom said softly as if he could read my mind. To a degree, I bet he could at least read my riot of emotions now, just as I could read his ever since the mating bond formed between us. I still didn’t quite understand the mystic bond, but I’d never felt as close to anyone as to him. My body and soul craved him even when I was devastated. And a realization hit me like light piercing through the deep night. The Night King was truly my mate now.

Rydstrom surveyed the surroundings. “We may have a traitor among us. Someone opened the back door to let the demonca in.” His sapphire eyes were hard yet compassionate, then sharpened again as they lingered on Safiya before turning away. My teen sister’s face paled like a corpse as fear flitted by her big brown eyes. Her shaking fingers clenched her sleeve.

“We’ll get your brother back,” Rydstrom said, gaze softening on me. “We’ll go to war.”

“War is messy,” Baron said. “The war of the courts has come before we’re ready.” Mostly, he meant that I wasn’t ready. “I’ll paint our enemies’ blood on the walls of the Summer Kingdom, and they’ll regret to no end for harming my mate and her kin.”

Fawn padded to me, held my hand, and led me to the base of the stairs.

The prediction of the bone witch rushed back to me, ringing like a death toll in my head. “One of us will be taken. You’ll Turn. You’ll never be the same…”

My blood chilled.

“Where can we find my brother, bone witch?” I asked, barely recognizing my numb, hoarse voice. I couldn’t be gentle with my little sister now. I needed to find Nox and bring him back. I wouldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t lose any of my family again.

She handed me a patch of human skin. “I found this—a dark message for you, Evie.”

Reining in my repulsion and terror, I unfolded the skin with a shaking hand. Letters scripted with Nox’s blood materialized: “Agree to the trial of the Wild Hunt the next moon, or your brother dies.”

I knew who left this for me. I could sense her foul magic.

Baron and Rydstrom reached me. Baron pried the parchment from my grip and swore profusely as he read the message, his amber eyes glowing murderously.

“Like Hell we’ll allow that bitch to drag you into the Wild Hunt. No one ever survives the barbaric game,” said the Summer King.

But it wasn’t up to him or me anymore.

I’d long since been marked for death because of my secret royal Fae bloodline. Even so, I’d allow no one to touch my family.

“If the bitch queen wants the Wild Hunt,” I said, my face cold, my voice colder, “I’ll give her one.”

Baron stared at me for a long second, and then he traded a hard glance with Rydstrom. A silent pact formed between them. They wouldn’t hold me back. The Fae kings were ultimate predators.

Rydstrom placed his hand on my shoulder while Baron linked his fingers with mine.

“We’re changing the game,” Baron said.

“You have us, my mate,” Rydstrom said, his dark, glorious wings unfolding and blocking the light, their silky feathers touching me in caressing tenderness and deep desire.

“You won’t be alone, love. You’ll never be alone.” The Summer King kissed me on the lips, a crimson sheen rolling over his molten amber eyes that captured the last remaining rays of a sunbeam.

“Let’s hunt.” Hard ice thrummed in my veins and shadow fire arose like a dark storm under my skin.

Night Fae (Dark Fae Kings Book 3)

Coming December 2020

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Night Fae (Dark Fae Kings Book 3)

Cruel games. Vicious lips. Lethal lies.

The Dawn Queen thinks she can steal my mates.

I thought the bond between us would never break, but then she bewitches them into forgetting who I am and what I mean to them. At the queen’s command, they hunt me like a wild beast.

To survive, I must become more merciless than any of them, no matter how much my heart bleeds when I hurt them or how badly my body craves theirs.

When even my forbidden magic can’t bring them back, I have to make a terrible choice.

To end the deadly game and make my mates remember me again, I’ll have to leap into Hell’s inferno.

If that doesn’t work? I’ll burn to ashes.

But we’ve come too far for me to not risk everything for our destiny.

Half-Blood Academy 1: Magic Trials

The demigods can’t decide if they want to screw me or kill me.

My name is Marigold. I’m a hunter living in the Great Merge—Lucifer has brought Hell to half of Earth, and four demigods rule the other half.

The smoking-hot Demigod of War rounded up my team to enroll them in Half-blood Academy, aka Half-death Academy, due to the survival rate of the students.

When he sees me, he wants no one else but me. So he offers to spare my team if I go in their place. Problem is, no human outside the bloodline of the gods can survive the magic trials. The demigod insists I’m anything but human, and he’s willing to risk my life to find out what I’m made of.

I’m not the weakest link, even though all the bullies in the Academy mock me. I’m nothing anyone has ever seen before, and when my forbidden power awakens, the demigods will regret they ever tried to make me their bitch.

SNEAK PEEK: MAGIC TRIALS

I had no idea how I’d gotten here.

I was in an opulent apartment in a skyscraper. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, I looked down on a lush park of green and pink. Opposite that window was another overlooking a bustling city under my feet.

Parts of the city had burned. Clusters of fire still smoldered in some buildings, their smoke trails whirling into the windy sky.

It must be the war zone, but I hadn’t spotted Dominion soldiers fighting horned demons down there. Maybe it was too far away for me to see the battle unfolding, or maybe both sides were in a recess.

Everyone needed a lunch break, right? Except the scavengers who dashed out of broken buildings and stores and scattered through the streets, collecting what they could find.

I trained my sights on the intact part of the city where people went on with their lives—crowds in the prosperous commercial districts and streets—strolling, shopping, skateboarding, or burying their faces into their phones, probably texting or something.

I’d never in my life used a phone—nobody in Crack did—but I’d heard that social media was still a thing in the parts of the world controlled by the demigods.

The Olympian gods wanted civilization to continue on, while, according to rumor, Lucifer didn’t care much about it, particularly not social media. He wasn’t exactly a popular guy in any non-demon city. He wasn’t even popular in Crack, but neither were the demigods.

I swept my gaze around the apartment, and my breath caught when I spotted the most stunning view through glass doors that led to a spacious balcony. A pair of massive, black wings spread to their glorious, full length, soaking in twilight.

As they slowly, lazily folded and then vanished, I found myself staring at the bare torso of a giant male who perched on a chair custom-made to accommodate his wings. Taut muscles rippled across his bulging arms and beautiful back as he ran a hand over the thick mane of his dark hair.

I hadn’t met anyone more mesmerizing than this specimen, even though I hadn’t yet seen his face. Unable to resist my need to take a quick peek, I snuck up to him.

At my first step, he wheeled toward me.

His gaze fell on me, so intense it froze me where I stood.

A swirl of dark stars came alive, brightening in his sapphire eyes.

“You came back,” he said, his voice deep, silky, and rich, wrapping me with its potent seduction. I could orgasm just by listening to him talk a little longer. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

A smile floated to my lips. “That’s flattering, but I think this is the first time I’ve met you. Uh, do you have a name?”

Maybe I should also ask for his number and then get a phone.

“You don’t remember me?” he asked.

My face sank a little. I would curse the universe if it had created such an utterly gorgeous man but made him a loony or a creep or something worse.

“Maybe you’ve mistaken me for someone else?” I asked before a new swirl of dismay swelled in my chest. If he mistook me for another girl, then I wasn’t the one he was waiting for and eager to see. Then I had no business here.

He laughed sensually. “Come here, lamb. Last time we didn’t get to talk.” His laugh dropped, and his voice turned into dark silk. “Some force pulled you out of my dream too fast, and I wasn’t pleased.”

What he said didn’t make sense. But then this was a dream, as he’d announced.

My body urged me to go to him, but I stood my ground and narrowed my eyes, still surreptitiously ogling him. “I’m not a lamb. You need to correct your mistake.”

He sighed. “Fine, Marigold.”

I sucked in a breath, happy that I wasn’t the wrong girl who crashed this party.

The beautiful man rose from his chair as if impatient that I didn’t move to him as fast as he’d demanded. Before I made another step, he’d reached my side. His arm lashed out and snuck around my waist.

The next moment, we were on the balcony with me in his lap and my shirt nowhere to be found.

This relationship had developed super fast. Before I even knew his name, I was already cuddled with him, topless.

“I can’t wait to touch you again,” he said, snuggling his nose against my neck as he inhaled my scent.

He smelled of clean male and dirty sex mixed with cinder and night. His scent caressed me, arousing me out of my mind.

I traced my fingers along the ridge of his defined muscles before I pressed my breasts against his hard chest.

I wanted to know how it felt to be skin on skin with him.

He chuckled in lustful amusement, his massive erection throbbing against my butt through his trousers. The uncontrollable desire to tear his pants off and have his large, hard cock inside my heat assaulted me so hard I almost reached for his pants.

Wait a second!

I blinked, trying to regain some control. I didn’t want to be perceived as a savage by this lovely man. Maybe I should slow down. But what if the dream ended abruptly before I could enjoy this man?

Yet I shouldn’t be so willing and eager to get it on with a stranger like this, even in a dream, right?

“What’s the matter, lamb?” he asked, genuine concern in his eyes. “You get this pouty look when you’re worried. What’s bothering you? You know you can talk to me.”

My chest warmed. He wanted to talk instead of having his way with me right away, and he wanted to know my problems.

“I got into this new school by accident,” I said, twirling his silky hair around my finger. “Everyone there knows their place and which house they belong to, except me. No one knows what I am or what kind of power I have. Everyone got their powers upgraded but I just got burned. I’m a freak.”

I thought of all the runes dancing across my body, then disappearing under my skin, never to surface again, like golden coins falling to the bottom of the deep sea.

“Nonsense,” he said, his sapphire eyes warm and loving. “You aren’t any sort of freak. You’re the woman of my dreams.”

I gave him a bright smile with a genuine ease I never felt with anyone else.

“You have the best smile in the universe,” he said, his thumb tracing my lower lip indulgently.

“I know,” I said. “It’s only for you.”

He was the nicest dream man, and it was so easy to talk to him. If everyone in reality was even a little like him, the world would have more peace and less violence and death.

“I won’t share you,” he said. “You’re mine.”

Aha, my dream man was possessive, which wasn’t going to work well since he couldn’t have me outside of this dream. However, I didn’t want to say anything that might upset him and spoil our beautiful moment.

“I don’t even know if I have magic or not,” I said. “Maybe I do, but it doesn’t seem like it wants to be discovered. I don’t blame it. I don’t trust those people in the school either. They only want to turn me into a killer. That’s all we are to them—killing machines.” I untangled my finger from his hair and pressed my palm against his face.

He leaned into my touch, cherishing it.

His skin felt so warm, and his stubble pricked against the heel of my palm. This dream was amazingly realistic with all its scents and textures.

“The three big assholes who rule the school and half of the world can’t figure out me or my powers,” I babbled, grateful that he was still listening attentively. “I love how it frustrates them. They don’t like mystery. They don’t like the unknown. Yet I’ll remain one, and that’s my poetic justice.”

“However,” my grin waned, “I’m a bit concerned that if my power doesn’t manifest soon, or if I’m really a dud, they’ll have no use for me. They’ll get tired of me and my attitude, and then they’ll snap their thick, rude fingers and dispose of me. I bet one of them has already imagined erasing me from the face of Earth. I irked him pretty hardcore.”

“No one will touch you,” he snarled. “You’re mine. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you, even in a dream. I’ll slay them all.”

His wings whooshed out aggressively.

“Uh, thank you,” I said. It felt nice that he was so protective of me, even it was in a dream. When it ended, he would disappear.

But then how come we both realized that this was a dream?

Wasn’t that a bit bizarre?

Or maybe it wasn’t a dream after all, but we’d met in an alternative universe?

Man, I didn’t want to leave this reality. I didn’t want to wake up from it.

“Thank you for listening to me,” I said. “I’ve been whining a lot lately, which isn’t my usual style. From now on, I won’t bitch. Ever. I’ll stay positive for you.”

Mostly for my own sanity.

“That’s my lamb,” he said in approval as his eyes grew hooded from desire.

His mouth slanted onto mine.

He’d held back for so long to listen to my problems. A good man was rare these days, so I needed to cherish him.

But at this point, we both needed some hot, naked action.

His large hands roved over my sides, moving up my chest. I moaned against his lips when his palm cupped my swelling breast.

His tongue thrust through my parted lips, sweeping over my hard palate.

Pleasure buzzed all over me in tingling sensations.

My tongue caught his, tangling in an elegant, intriguing dance.

It felt so natural being with this gorgeous, winged being this way. Like we were meant to be together.

He let out a low groan, tearing his lips from me. His sapphire eyes shone brightly, filled with starlight. “You’re the only woman I can touch, even in a dream,” he said gently yet full of awe. “But even if I could touch another, I’d rather have you here in my dreams than any other woman in real life.”

How could he have a real life? He was a fabricated character in my fantasy. But I had no time to dwell on logic while I was busy pulling him back toward me as I threaded my fingers into his lush hair.

I didn’t want him to escape.

“Aren’t you possessive and impatient tonight, lamb?” he chuckled, his voice husky and so sexy it sent liquid fire licking between my thighs.

“I want to touch you everywhere at once, lamb, and I don’t even know where to begin,” he said, his French accent thickening with lust. “You set my cock on fire.”

Hell have mercy!

I crushed my lips against his.

Our tongues entwined, dueled, and danced.

A firestorm burned through us both, connecting us.

His hand moved down, tracing my warm skin. Pleasure stoked more flames within me at his every hungry stroke.

I rocked my ass against his erection.

A rough groan sounded from the back of his throat.

“I never knew touching a woman could be so delicious and addictive,” he said. “You’ll be my woman forever, lamb.”

He heaved me up with one hand, and his finger rubbed my sex back and forth before sliding between my folds.

I leaned back to give him more room to play with me. Here in this beautiful dreamscape, I’d let him do anything to me.

His finger thrust slowly into me as he studied my reaction intently, like I was his new addiction—his whole world.

My inner walls clenched around his finger.

“It feels so good.” I threw my head back and moaned. “And don’t stop. Never stop.”

He thrust deeper into me.

In and out and in with a smooth rhythm.

It didn’t take long for him to insert a second finger into my tight channel and thrust more urgently.

I cried out as pleasure blasted through me, lighting up my every cell.

I wanted this mystical man more than anything.

I wanted his cock to replace his fingers so I could ride every inch of its hard length.

I propelled my hips forward to ride his fingers first, and he let out a string of lustful curses.

Unable to rein himself in any longer, the sexy hunk dropped his trousers, and I looked down at his cock—smooth, tanned, and huge. It was the most striking sight.

For a second, I hesitated. Would it fit? He was so big and I was tight.

I shook my head, determined not to worry about his size. We could make anything happen because everything could work in a dream.

I planted my hands on his shoulders and rubbed my sex along his hard length.

“Do you want my cock, lamb?” he asked.

He’d observed my every move in fascination, but the hungry way I stared at his manhood brought a smile of utter male satisfaction to his gorgeous face.

“More than anything,” I purred breathlessly.

I hadn’t known that I had this sultry side in me. I could be full of surprises, and this time it was in a good way.

An animalistic groan rumbled from his chest, arousing me even more.

His hands gripped my hips, lifting me up as if I were feather light. He placed his steel rod between my thighs and pushed me down.

I glided down and he thrust up, until we completely joined.

We then remained still, savoring and celebrating this incredible feeling of intimacy and connection.

He started moving slowly, letting me adjust to his size.

I lost patience first. I wanted more of him—all of him. I heaved my hips up and down, sliding along his rock-hard length. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but it felt right, and we both panted in pleasure.

Bliss darkened his sapphire eyes, and unbridled lust twisted his face.

He gripped my hip with one hand as he thrust into me, faster and faster; his other hand buried into my lavender hair.

“Let me do the work and pleasure you, lamb.” He breathed into my lips. “You just enjoy. I need to take care of you.”

He bucked his powerful hips up and thrust deeper into me, his raw sexual need slamming into me, grinding me.

His every inch filled my heated channel, and my depths swallowed every part of his manhood.

My breasts bounced up and down as we joined, parted for a second, and slammed back together.

A knot slowly unwound in me, and I only now realized that I’d been so tense for so long.

His lust, warmth, and scent wrapped around me like a melody from the sky, the ocean, and the depths of Earth.

He thrust into me, harder and faster, sending waves of pleasure washing over every part of my body. I wanted to cling to this sensation forever.

Another series of hard thrusts, and his cock grew even larger and harder inside me.

I moaned. He let out a low, guttural sound, his rhythm growing blindingly fast.

For a long moment, we didn’t speak as he pounded into me relentlessly and I plunged from the tip to the hilt of him with equally bruising force.

“My woman, my lamb,” he murmured, lust changing him, making him an erotic god. “You were made for me to find and pleasure in this pure ecstasy of my dreams.”

“This is actually my dream,” I said between breathless moans.

He ignored my correction and commanded. “Come to me in my dreams every night, lamb, and let me fuck you until dawn.”

I squeezed him. My inner walls clenched every inch of his shaft.

He hissed in pleasure.

His velvet black wings came forward and wrapped around me in protectiveness and possessiveness as our rhythm became erratic with his accelerated thrusts.

Pleasure tossed me to the heavens, and something inside me completely loosened or snapped.

The glowing runes—all twelve of them, symbolizing the powers of the twelve major gods—swirled on my torso like a star chart of the galaxies.

I felt everything inside me—ice, wind, firestorms, lightning, harvest, death, birth, and darkness—racing to the surface.

It was chaos, then order, then chaos again.

I threw my head back as I pounded against him mercilessly.

Claim me. Take all I have.

I felt new. I felt like a whole new universe.

He stared at me in utter shock with his remarkable, sapphire eyes.

His sensual lips parted. “Marigold, what—”

A magical wind swept by, tearing me off him right before I climaxed in waves of wild passion.

Continue to read MAGIC TRIALS

About the Author

Meg Xuemei X is a USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of paranormal and fantasy romance. She finds it delightful to be around drop-dead gorgeous alpha males who are forever tormented by her feisty heroines, unseelie fae, dark vampires, menacing demigods, demon A-holes and fallen angels, fun shifters, and cunning witches.