I laughed. “No, you shouldn’t. You and me, we’re meant to be. Everyone deserves to find their mate.”
“Some even get more than one,” Madison said under her breath.
“What?” Sam blurted. “Are you saying you got Xander and another mate?”
My cheeks heated and I was sure my face was bright red.
“Actually, she’s got three,” David said. His arm snaked its way around my waist.
“You’re not helping right now,” I said.
“And you should be offended, Xander,” David said.
“Okay, we have to all let this go and focus on getting this shit done,” I said as I shifted out of David’s tempting grasp. His touch was electric and it took far more willpower than I wanted to admit to slip away from him.
“Some girls have all the luck,” Sam said.
“I don’t know,” Madison said. “From what I’ve seen, it’s pretty complicated having more than one mate. Thank god I’m human.”
“You’re human?” Becca asked. “That makes protecting your mind even easier. We’ve been focusing on humans since they are the most often targeted.”
“Yes, but all our study has been theoretical,” Kate said.
“Oh good, I get to be a test subject for something that’s going to potentially fuck up my brain again,” Madison said. “Remind me to never hang around supernaturals when this is over.”
“I think we’re growing on you,” David said.
“You wish,” Madison said.
“If you need some protection after this, I’m available,” Hadrian said.
We all turned to look at the usually quiet hellhound. He looked totally serious before his cheeks turned pink.
“Well, well, someone has a thing for the human,” David said.
“You’re not going to need me around anymore. I’ve seen how your mate fights. You two will be just fine on your own. Besides, I’m not the type to run around with other dudes.”
“Says the guy who literally follows two other guys around,” Jasper said.
“Are we done with the talk show now? We can discuss all this if we survive.” Shelly walked the rest of the way down the steps and headed to the kitchen. “Anyone going to join me? If we’re going to send Madison back into the lion’s den, we better have a solid plan.”
The mages followed Shelly into the kitchen. Madison, Hadrian, and Jasper went next. I was left standing in the living room with my mates. It was the first time the four of us had been alone together in days. Possibly ever.
“You think this is a good idea?” Elias asked. “If we lose her, we’re going to have to rethink everything.”
“I still don’t like the idea of sending you into the queen’s lair as a prisoner. Even if Madison gets asked to do it and convinces them to keep you alive,” Xander said.
“We don’t have a choice,” I said. “This is getting out of control so much faster than we anticipated.”
“Clara’s involved,” David said.
Elias’s expression dropped. “What do you mean?”
“The twins saw her. She used the stone for the queen. They were under its spell for a while. Madison and Shelly were able to get them back here. Shelly fixed them up,” David explained.
“Don’t you see what we stand to gain by this? Clara’s there. She’s alive. She’s with the stone. We can save her and stop this all at once. Then you two can destroy it and get your sister home.” I ignored the feeling of being punched in the gut that came along with the unspoken idea that they might also want to go home. To another realm. A realm I wasn’t sure I could or would want to follow them to.
“You trust these mages?” Elias asked Xander.