“Hey,” he says, quirking a smile. “I never got to propose so…I guess this is the next best thing.”
Hekneels.
And it takes my breath away.
I feel a deep sense of belonging as I join him on the floor, and I suppress the shudder of pleasure that courses through me when I feel her fingers on the crown of my head. The anticipation is already building in the room; amphoria washes over me. I can’t wait to claim her here in front of this court, to show the whole of the Merati Kingdom that not only Fiona is mine, but Kye…
Thisfamilyis mine.
We recite the oath in Merati, unhindered by our translators—each of us saying it in turn and kissing Fiona’s hand. When it comes time, I promise Fiona I’ll hold her ‘til death, to protect her in every way I can, to fight for her heart.
And I glance at Kye at the end, showing him that this isn’t just a bond to Fiona—it’s to him, too.
“Rise,” someone says, but this time it’s not Cressida.
It’s Fiona.
Her voice is strong and unafraid. I feel her reach out to grip my hand, and she pulls me to my feet. The rest of them begin to get to their feet just as Fiona takes the goblet of Elixir with steady hands anddrinks.
Just a small sip, painting her lips silver to compliment the gold streaked across her eyes. Her thick, dark eyelashes flutter open, and her pupils are dilated when I see them again, her natural hazel swirling with the eye colors of the rest of us–amber, silver, blue, andlagoon green.
Fiona takes a heavy breath and then holds the goblet out to me, pressing it to my lips. “Drink,” she breathes. I see her nipples harden under her dress, the fabric so sheer that I can make out every detail of her gorgeous form.
I drink.
And I watch as the others drink too, their eyes swirling with color. Taln’s knees buckle, and I watch as Orion catches him, noticing something strange is happening only by the way Orion’s hands shake.
I’ve never seen him rattled.
The first sultry cries ring out, then—people are starting the aftermath of the ceremony, making love in the pools and across the floor behind us. Cressida leaves us, and then it’s just me, Fiona, Kye, Taln, Ryker, and Orion…the six of us with colors from the others swirling in our eyes.
My whole body blazes with life.
I can’t resist them any longer.
And after this, I never have to again.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
FIONA
The air iselectric.
My skin is warm, and as I look around the dais, I can see that all my men are looking at me the same way I did when I first arrived on the Naiad. Everything that has happened doesn’t matter anymore; the only thing in my mind the raw desire I feel for the men around me.
My heart flutters when I feel Kye’s hand on my spine, his cybernetic finger vibrating against my skin. He leans close to my ear and puffs out a breath against me, sending a shiver down my body. “You look delicious, princess,” he says. “I think everyone here wants to take a bite out of you.”
I laugh as he presses his lips against the crook of my neck, his fingers trailing up toward my shoulder. The gauzy gown draped over me barely covers anything, but Kye is adept at undressing me. When he unclasps the button at the nape of my neck, the halter dress falls over at my waist to crumple at my feet, leaving me clad only in the aquamarine capelet. A string of gemstones hangs heavy between my peaked breasts, and I cast my eyes at the men to see they’ve all got their eyes on it.
Or on me.
Probably on me.
I can feel the other men’s heavy gazes on my chest, raking over my body, taking me in as Kye’s vibrating fingers trail up and down my spine. This always feels good, but not quitethisgood. The Elixir must be working its magic, as the feeling of his fingers on my spine alone works me into a frenzy.
I close my eyes, tilting my head back, and then I feel a smattering of kisses on the other side of my neck. I open my eyes again to see a head of auburn hair trailing down the front of my body. His hands rest on my hips, his slender fingers pressing into the flesh of my ass as his nose runs down my abdomen.
“You’re so wet,” Nereus says. “I can practically taste it.”