“She won’t be in your bed much longer.”
“Yeah? And where do you plan to take her? Back to your bed? What with her own quarters being demolished to ash and all,” I drawled, leaning against the wall that led to a slender hallway.
Unlike Kols, I only had one bedroom. Guests weren’t really my thing. Unless they were dark-haired and gorgeous, like the female fast asleep in my sheets. I’d tuck her in properly when I returned.
He frowned. “Did she tell you that?”
I lifted a shoulder, giving nothing away. Because no, she hadn’t told me that. I’d felt it. Kols’s display of power triggered Aflora’s reaction, overloading her connection to the source of the dark arts. Her cries for help had stirred me from my sleep, dragging me into the dawn hours in search of my agonized mate.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated finding her in the LethaForest. It was a miracle she’d survived her trek out there.
A miracle, I assumed, that could be attributed to Zeph’s interference. He’d clearly followed her out there and likely dealt with a few threats before approaching her.
Or perhaps it’d all been a date with fate.
Aflora seemed to adore those.
“Don’t worry, Midnight Prince, our queen is safely tucked into my bed. No need to disturb her or move her.”
“You’re not even supposed to be near her, let alone sharing a room with her,” he replied, folding his arms and doing his best to appear regal.
“Oh, are we playing a game of who can break the most rules? Because I think you’re way ahead of me tonight, Kols. How many oaths did you break by mating her? Or shall we discuss the nightly visits to her dreams?” I pretended to consider our situation and scratched my jaw. “No, those were technically within the parameters of the rules. So how about that collar you never put on her after her little magical display in Warrior Magic class?” Because yeah, I knew all about that.
“Have you been lurking in my rooms?” he demanded.
Another shrug because I’d never give away my secrets. Not to him. Not to anyone. “What do you really want, Kols? There’s a naked, gorgeous woman in my bed that I’d like to get back to, and soon, if you don’t mind.”
“And if I do mind?”
“It won’t stop me,” I admitted with a smile. “Just as my initial claim on her didn’t stop you.”
“Well, you’ll have to take that up with her since she mated me.”
“Is that how Elemental Fae bonds work?” I asked, feigning curiosity. “Because I swore those were mutual arrangements.” Yeah, I knew about that, too. Had sensed it the moment it snapped into place. It’d felt like a fire gnat latching onto our bond and refusing to let go. I hadn’t understood it until I’d found Aflora.
The moment her power went up in flames, the puzzle pieces had fallen into place. I supposed that as a mixed fae, she would have multiple partners. Kols wasn’t exactly my first choice for thi
s venture, but I should have known destiny would require it.
He had probably foreseen it. Just like everything else.
A muscle ticked in Kols’s jaw. “What game are you really playing here, Shade? You had to know about her Quandary Blood origins. That’s why you chose her. What I can’t figure out is your end goal. Was this part of it? Forming a four-way bond?”
“Who says I have an end goal?” I countered. “Maybe someone else is pulling my strings.”
He snorted. “That’s impossible. You despise authority.”
“True,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t seek to fulfill a higher purpose. Perhaps I want to end this age-old feud between our families.”
Incredulity darkened his features. “We both know that’s bullshit.”
“Do we?” I countered, giving him yet another shrug. “I guess we’ll find out.”
He took a step forward, his calm façade cracking. “Cut the shit, Shade. Why Aflora? What’s your play here?”
“Maybe I like her,” I suggested. Not exactly a lie. I did quite fancy—
I ducked as his fist came for my nose, and shadowed out of his reach and across the room just as Sir Black bellowed a warning through the room. The cheeky little gargoyle despised violence. It was the only trait I disliked about him. I mean, who didn’t enjoy a bout of savagery? Especially between a Death Blood and an Elite Blood.