North groans from behind me. “If we’re going to Iceland, then we’re packing warm clothes.”
“Why were we in the middle of nowhere?” Cain asks. “Did we get lost? We got lost, didn’t we. Which one of you is going to mess up the GPS.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. “You all saw the dream.”
My three mates all grin at me and nod. I sink back into the pillows and press a hand over my eyes, groaning. Did they get the dream, just the three of them? Or did every other fae get that dream too now since we’re all connected?
Are all the fae going to know when I’m dreaming now? “Thank fuck it wasn’t a sex dream,” I muttered.
Just because I don’t care if people know who I’m with romantically, doesn’t mean that I won’t care if they see me having sex.
The men laugh. I glare at them. “What, like you’d be happy if all the fae got to see me in the throes of naked passion?”
Ha. That shuts them up real quick. My mates aren’t the awful jealous type but they are protective of me.
A knock sounds at the front door. “You’ve been summoned to speak with the queen in her chambers,” a voice on the other side says.
Well, no rest for the weary and all that. Although we did get a good night’s sleep. It’s late morning now, and I can imagine that the rest of the fae probably haven’t been up for very long themselves.
We go to meet Queen Tiorelle, who is smiling as we walk through the door. She’s back on her throne and looks healthier than when we last saw her, like a bit of weight has been taken off her shoulders now that Roanac and his poisonous influence no longer seep into our minds. “The heroes of the hour.”
“Your majesty,” I say. We all bow.
Tiorelle inclines her head toward us. “Thank you all for the part that you played yesterday. We could not have succeeded in the battle without you. We would not have even known there was a battle to fight. It is thanks to you that we survive and will, I hope, begin to thrive.”
She turns her eyes on me. “Kiara. Traditionally, the ruler of the fae is the most powerful. Whoever wields the most power among us is the one who is our leader. Because we are all connected by the All-Soul, we believe this to be the best way of selecting rulers, rather than going by a line of biological succession. For a long time, I have been the most powerful fae, but now…”
I can feel my eyes going wide. She means me. I’m being offered the chance to become queen.
“Your majesty, I am honored and flattered. Floored, actually. I had no idea, um. Wow, seriously. But while I appreciate the honor you’re offering me, I must decline. Respectfully, I’m not interested. You’re a great leader to your people. The fae are loyal to you, they did as you said when I was just a stranger to them, and I don’t think they would’ve trusted me, powers or no powers, if I hadn’t come with your backing. You know what it means to be a ruler and you’ve had the training and experience that a ruler needs. I don’t think the fae need to replace a good ruler with a new one, especially one who isn’t interested in the post.”
I hope I don’t sound like an asshole. I know that this is a big honor, I just know that I wouldn’t be happy, and who can do a good job at something if they’re not happy?
Tiorelle considers my words for a moment, and then she smiles. “I think that is a wise decision. I do not wish to push you into a role where you would be unhappy, and I appreciate your faith in my leadership. And it seems, given certain information we received last night, that you are destined for other things.”
Well, there go any doubts that I blasted my dream out to all the fae last night. I’m going to have to keep training my abilities and work to reign that in, or everyone is going to get a peek at a sex dream one of these days, and I’ll have to die out of embarrassment.
“You’re right, your majesty,” I tell her with a smile. “There are some other things I want to do.”
I met my mates, and then all of this insanity started. Or, well, it had already started, since Donovan was on my tail before I met my mates. But it’s meant that I haven’t had time to just relax and be with them, to enjoy my relationship. Now, I finally get to do that. We have the time and space to just be together, all four of us.
I can’t wait.
EPILOGUE
Smoothing down my hair, I study myself in the bathroom mirror.
“Hmm. Appropriately slutty, I think.”
I give a satisfied nod as I adjust my breasts in the sheer bra cups that cling to them. I never would’ve thought getting dressed up in so little clothing could take so much time, but I wanted to make sure it all looked right. This is my first time wearing full on lingerie, and I have to admit, I’m pretty pleased with the results.
My mates and I are taking some time for ourselves at a remote cabin, and I bought this particular sexy ensemble before we left, shoving it to the bottom of my suitcase so that none of them would see it before I was ready.
Because tonight, I’m going to surprise them with it.
I check myself in the mirror one more time, doing a little spin to get a look at various angles. I keep wanting to make sure everything looks perfect, but I know I need to get back out there pretty soon. If I take too much longer, the guys are gonna start worrying about me, and the last thing I need if I’m trying to set a seductive mood is them wondering if I’ve gotten food poisoning or something.
It’s that thought that finally propels me out of the small, well-decorated bathroom. I step outside and close the door behind me, doing my best to keep my footsteps silent in the heels I’ve also slipped on.