I normally wouldn’t either, but these men are Krave’s family. And if he trusts them . . . then I do, too, I guess.
I should. I . . . I do.
“I’m a big girl, faehole,” I whisper to Zaviar with a slow, teasing smile.
His features never change, though.
The warmth of his smooth chest skims against mine, and all I feel for several seconds is the weight of his breath against my neck as he leans in nice and close. I feel him everywhere in this moment.
In places I probably shouldn’t.
“If he fucking touches you, I’ll rip his demon wings off and use them as an ugly fucking umbrella, Crow.” His rasping words race down my neck and shiver right through my core.
Nasty threats like that probably shouldn’t turn me on.
You need religion, child, Catherine chirps from the back of my mind.
His chin tilts a fraction of an inch, and I feel the softness of his lips against my throat for a single breath before he abruptly lets go and strides back across the room toward Damien.
I swallow hard and try to blink through all the feelings swirling chaotically inside myself.
Without looking back, I slink into the shadows like they’re my favorite soothing lullaby.
The inside of the house seems much larger than it appeared on the outside. We trial up several flights of stairs before coming to a long dark corridor. Ryhs strides into one of the room and I linger there at the doorway.
The room is pretty with a sea glass wall on the far side. Shimmering ocean water sparkles from outside, casting beautiful colors across the dimly lit room.
He’s quiet as he flings open the closet. It’s mostly empty but he continues to search through it for me.
I linger in the safe space of the doorframe.
I’ve never been afraid of men. Especially demons. When you grow up royal, it’s ingrained in your mind to feel fearless and untouchable.
Unlike my brother, I trained with a secret group all my life to ensure I really am as impervious as my father liked to believe his crown made us.
But I’m also not an idiot, and I won’t put myself in danger simply for a T-shirt and jeans.
As I’m keeping a firm gaze on Rhys, an enormous man sidesteps past me, his fluid strides soundless as he brushes past, his chest skimming my arm. His long golden hair hangs down the hard lines of his back between oil slick wings that hold my attention.
“This is Maverick,” Rhys murmurs the introduction of his friend as he continues searching the closet.
“Who’s the girl?” Maverick’s voice is a dark rumble and he pauses at Rhys’ side, leaning against the wall as he watches me. His brown eyes take in my bra and panties and makes them feel like they’re growing smaller by the second. I fold my arms casually, but it only draws his attention to my breasts.
Why the fuck am I always in my underwear? There has to be a better way of making a first impression, right?
“She’s Krave’s mate,” Rhys says firmly without looking our way, and Maverick’s attention snaps to his friend.
“Princely Krave?” he asks, a hesitant smile pulling at his lips.
“Krave’s here,” Rhys confirms with a glint in his gaze.
Happiness lights up the man’s face with a manic smile. Maverick backtracks without giving me a second glance. With pounding, rushed steps, he’s striding down the stairs and into an eruption of laughter and chatter that sounds like a lifetime of happiness has been paused until this very moment.
My heart falls as well as my features. This is where Krave belongs.
I think realizing he doesn’t belong with me makes it harder for me to imagine giving him up. I can tell him to go away a thousand times, but I guess I always knew I’d ask him to come back to me. I never imagined him being anywhere else but with me.
It hurts to think about.
“You love him?” Rhys asks suddenly, his gaze hard and unrelenting.
My head rears up with that terrifying question.
In his fist, silky purple material is wrinkled between his fingers. He doesn’t hand them over. He waits with hard features for me to answer what I am sure is one of many questions.
“I mean, he’s my mate. I care about him. Of course, I do . . .” A long pent-up breath pushes from my lungs.
“And those other fucks? You love them?” His harshness isn’t something that can be smoothed out with a right answer.
“If I love all four of them, then that’s none of your business. I’m not going to play your games just to cover my ass with one of your shirts for a few hours.”
Rhys’s eyes narrow on me, and the space in the room seems to be dissolving the longer I stand here with him.
“Are you mated with all four of them or just Krave?” He asks like I’m wasting his time, but I’m so thrown off by his question that genuine confusion slips into my tone.
“All four of them?”
Four is a lot! A whole lot of exhausting testosterone. A lot of bickering. A lot of . . .
A lot of sex, I bet. That’s not super terrible, I suppose . . .
“You’re friends with an incubus, an iron blood, a half-demon, and some kind of fucking cupid boy, and you haven’t paused to wonder why all four of these men are mysteriously in your life?”
“You’re overthinking things. I’m not blessed with too many absurdly attractive men. I just have really bad luck. Bad things like these men just happen to me for no reason.”
His eyebrow arches so hard, I can almost hear it saying righhhtt all by its pretentious self.
A heavy sigh exhales from his lips, and he slowly hands over the soft purple material. When I reach for it, he doesn’t release it, and we’re connected by the thin fabric while he glares down on me so hard, I can feel the hellishness within him radiating into me with each passing second.
“Krave is loyal to those he loves,” he says.
That’s a joke.
I bite my tongue instead of telling him who Krave’s handler is and who the incubus is truly loyal to.
“He’ll do anything for you. He’ll get himself imprisoned for you. He’ll die for you.” The weight of his words hits my chest, and it’s hard for me to think of a response to that. Luckily, he doesn’t wait for me to. “Don’t let him. Take care of him the way I know he’d take care of you. And don’t let your other mates lead him into danger, either.” He lets go of the clothing and strides out of the room.
“They’re not my mates,” I call after him.
He doesn’t respond.
He just leaves me there alone to change.
And to question all the things in my life that might be fate . . .
Or might just be coincidental bad luck.
19
Catherine the Queen
Aries
The clothes Rhys gave me turned out to be a casual silk dress. It flows flirty around my thighs and dips down at the top to tease the curve of my breasts. I have absolutely no idea what three demon men are doing with a cute dress like this, but I’m not complaining either.
I took the time to wash my face in a small bathroom across from the bedroom he left me in. When I start to climb down the dark stairwell, the laughter booming in the kitchen is still going strong.
“Of course, Clara hated you back then. You fucked her brother and never told her until after you’d fucked her!” Nix accuses, pointing a long finger in Krave’s face, which he ignores with a shake of his head.