In fact, calming him down should become her first priority. Ignoring her mother, she turned and almost took a step back when she realised Drey wasn’t alone. Not that it was a bad surprise. Quite the opposite. The auburn haired twins stood to either side of him had her heart leaping and anticipation building.
And not just because they were looking so angry on her behalf.
Aledwen could feel the stares of the nearby fae on her as she closed the small gap between them. She touched her hand to Drey’s chest, while holding her other out to Cyprus on the other side. He took it eagerly, and she instantly regretted not having three hands for all three of the men.
She looked up into Drey’s dark eyes, finding them boring into her with a possessive intensity. He was going to have to deal with that possessive side at some point. She wasn’t the kind of woman that would bow down to it. Not by a long shot, and it was better he understood that now, and not a lot later.
“It’s not being signed.”
“I need that treaty,” her mother interrupted sharply. “I can’t not sign.”
“Dwen is not signing any treaty,” Brandon growled, stepping between Aledwen’s turned back and her mother, as if to protect her from something undefined.
“Who are you?” Her mother was getting shrill now, and something began to tick away at the back of Aledwen’s mind. They were in public, and this wasn’t the best way to be representing themselves to their people. Not by a long shot.
“It doesn’t matter who he is,” she answered in Brandon’s stead. “But if we’re going to have this conversation, can we withdraw to the consultation room.”
“Good idea,” Drey replied, his voice already sounding softer as he looked at her. She smiled at him, a secret one that was just for them. And maybe for Brandon and Cyprus too. She’d probably have to have a conversation about that with them at some point. Wouldn’t that be fun.
Well actually, it might be. The twins had come with Drey to the ball after all.
“Fine.”
She felt, rather than saw, her mother storm off, but was distracted by Cyprus tapping a single finger on her arm. She nodded at him, fairly certain he was asking for a moment alone.
“We’ll catch up,” she told Drey, knowing she didn’t need to tell Brandon at all. He knew his brother, and she imagined he already knew about what was going to happen now.
Once they’d left, Cyprus did the only thing she hadn’t expected him to, and pulled her into his arms to join the softly swaying couples all over the dance floor. The song playing wasn’t one with proper steps, which was probably a good thing given how pent up she was.
“You’re probably wondering why we’re here,” Cyprus said, taking her aback. Okay, there were two things she hadn’t expected him to do.
“Just a little,” she replied, trying her best not to blurt out a question about him talking.
“I can see the question in your eyes, Aledwen.”
“You used my full name.” Because that was a great response. So eloquent and informative.
“Someone has to. Everyone else seems to have forgotten it.”
Aledwen laughed. She hadn’t thought about it like that. “Now you mention it...”
“I can call you Dwen if you’d prefer...” He was quick to counteract with the statement.
“Only if you want to, I don’t mind.” And she was just honoured that he was talking to her at all. She’d had no problem believing what Brandon had said about him only ever talking to Arabella.
“I like Aledwen, it makes us different.”
“You don’t want to be like your brother?” That surprised her. They seemed so together in just about everything they’d done so far, that it surprised her to find out they wanted to be different. She chastised herself for that one. Of course they were different. Just because they were identical didn’t mean they were the same person.
“Most of the time. But I don’t want our relationship with you to just be as one item. We’d be three people in it.”
“Four, if you count Drey,” Aledwen added, before instantly wa
nting to recall the words. Why on Earth had she said that? She might be feeling the same sense of trust and connection to the twins as she did to Drey, but that didn’t mean they felt one to her. She shouldn’t just assume that would be the case.
Cyprus chuckled softly. “I see you get where this is going.”
“You want me to be in a relationship with all of you?”