Chapter Eight
Daphne
After our cozy fireside picnic, I hold Gwyneth tight, as if she might vanish into thin air. She chuckles as she pulls away and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
“I’m going to be right next door,” she tells me. “If you holler, I’ll come running.”
I squeeze her one more time before she leaves with Charming trailing after her. My brows draw together as I climb to my feet. I don’t think so, Prince Poopfloof.
Malachi catches my hand and shakes his head. “Your sister is more than capable of gutting a prince with wandering hands. Trust her to be safe.”
Hart smirks as the door closes. “And if he tries anything, I’ll hold him down while you murder him in some chaotic way.”
I glare at the door for a tempo, trying to give off architect of your future vibes to ensure the prince realizes it’s me he should be frightened of, not any Idols.
The brothers drift together so they are facing me, a line of stunning maleness that makes my stomach somersault. But in all fairness, it could also be from the combination of sausage, cheese, and Hallows cakes.
I swallow as I take in the dark looks each of them gives me.
The capons squawk and take off into Hart’s chambers. Sir Sweeps-A-Lot hovers as if he’s unsure of his role in this moment. I jerk my head. “Go keep an eye on Eugene and Hamish.” He darts off, grateful to escape the tension drawing tighter as the knights move toward me.
The genie raises his finger. “I need to supervise my cleaner. I swear she stole my favorite shorts last week.”
How does he wear shorts without a bottom half? Does he lay them over his wispy part?
“Alone at last,” Nash rumbles.
I tilt my chin in the air, daring them to act on whatever sinful thoughts are floating inside their minds.
“Whose chambers are you sleeping in?” Malachi asks.
I knew this was coming, and between the history lesson, resurrection talk, and Idol dismantling, I came to a few conclusions.
“None.”
Malachi shakes his head. “Not acceptable, Daphne. You’ll never sleep alone again.”
“I didn’t say I’d be sleeping alone.” I’m pretty sure they don’t have any intention of sleeping what remains of this night.
“Explain,” Hart demands, his voice rough with restraint.
I nod at the glowing fire. “Gather your furs and pillows and join me in here.”
“That works,” Nash agrees.
Thank the Idols, because I can’t choose. Not tonight.
I lean against the armchair as they work in harmony, bringing mountains of blankets, furs, and pillows to build a nest in front of the fire.
Malachi shrugs off his coat and peels his shirt over his head, and my mind goes fuzzy at the expanse of golden skin and muscle before me.
Hart mirrors him, and then they are both offering me a hand in welcome.
I go willingly and share a searching kiss with each of them.
It’s sweet, unhurried, and indulgent, unlike the desperation of earlier, but no less addictive.
Hart undoes the laces holding my bodice together while Malachi kisses my neck.
My eyes catch on the eldest and darkest knight among us.
He leans back on the sofa, a smile curving his lips as the twins strip me to my underwear.
I had put little thought into this reunion, grabbing the white lace placed on top of a drawer filled with my garments.
But it doesn’t fail to make me feel powerful when he looks at me like that.
I hold my hand out to Nash, trying to draw him to us, but he shakes his head. Because he wants to watch, or because he’s afraid of unleashing himself?
I kiss each of the twins, then drop to my hands and knees and crawl toward Nash. His breath catches at the same time Malachi and Hart curse when gifted a view of my ass.
The low candlelight dances across the shadows on Nash’s face, and he licks his lips as if he can already taste me.
When I reach him, I slide my hands up his legs, his powerful muscles contracting under my touch.
He parts his legs, allowing me closer, and I skim my lips over the fabric of his breeches straining along his inner thighs.
His hands clench at his sides as I get higher and higher. Almost there…
Suddenly, I’m tossed onto the sofa on my back, and he’s on top of me, pinning my hands above my head as he settles himself between my legs, pushing the evidence of his arousal against the delicate lace.
“You don’t scare me,” I whisper.
“I should.”
“I died, and you brought me back with the power of your words. The time for running from whatever you are has passed.” I arch my back, rubbing against him. He growls and settles more of his weight against me. He’s driving me crazy. “Nash, please.”
He grins, those sharp and elongated teeth present once more. They’re not an illusion or a trick of the light. I skim my lips across them in acceptance of everything he is. Can he not feel my heart next to his, thundering for a taste of him?
“Brother, you need Theo,” Hart interrupts.
Nash snarls and pushes his tongue between my lips to flick against mine, and I wrap my legs around his hips, rocking against him.
Desire unfurls from my core and spreads through my veins, lighting me up from the inside.
My hands tangle with his so he’s no longer holding me down—I’m holding him hostage against me.
“Nash, stop,” Malachi growls.
No, don’t stop. Go away.
My pulse thunders with anticipation of this pairing. I need him to claim me to complete what we have. I need him to cure the deep ache he’s created. That we never got to do this before I joined the stars haunts me. This isn’t want or lust; it’s need and love.
My tongue catches on his fang, nicking the flesh and making copper taint our kiss. Nash’s body stills, his mouth freezing over mine, and for the first time, I sense the danger he poses. It still doesn’t scare me; it’s merely an acknowledgment of who he is. An acceptance of what he is.
He moves off me so fast that a cool breeze skims across my bare flesh, making me shiver. My chest rises and falls as I blink at the shadows on the ceiling and try to collect my thoughts.
“Daphne, are you okay?” Malachi asks.
“I’m fine.” I squint at the corner of the ceiling where the shadows shift with a presence. I sit up, gazing at the creature staring down at me with hunger. His eyes flash red, making my pulse thunder. “Nash?” I whisper.
“No sudden movements,” Hart advises. “And whatever you do, do not run.”
Run? Where would I go? My feet hit the stone floor, and I take a few steps toward him.
“Easy,” Malachi says. The twins are in step with me, but giving us space like they’re ready to intervene should shit go sideways. This is Nash, my dark knight with an enormous heart. He isn’t the villain.
Nash tracks my every movement, and I can feel my pulse calling to him, the way it throbs in my neck. A flutter of temptation. How is he doing that?
I stop beneath him, his body transformed to wisps of shadows that kiss the air as if they are scenting me.
My hand lifts, and my fingers play with the darkness that is quintessentially Nash.
The crimson orbs focused on me flare as I embrace everything he is.
He’s expecting me to run screaming. Silly knight.
I wiggle my fingers in demand. “I can’t reach you up there,” I point out. “And we all know how heights aren’t my friend. Remember the library incident, or the time I floated to the ceiling and dusted the cobwebs?”
His head tilts at a strange angle that makes my neck ache as he absorbs my words. “Calamity, what are you doing? Don’t antagonize him,” Hart snaps.
“I’m not.” I smirk. “Are you scared of me, Nash?”
“Dangerous words,” Malachi mutters from my other side, but they’re laced with amusement.
Nash doesn’t move. I shrug with my hand still outstretched. “If you are afraid of your future, just say so, but don’t hide out in the corner like a weirdo. It’s unlike you, Nash.”
“What in the Blazes is she doing?” Hart groans.
“Accepting him the way he’s accepted me.”
I can feel the way Nash stretches toward me, desperate to take what I am offering but terrified of it at the same time.
“We’ve faced Idols, princes, deadly queens, ice giants, and death,” I point out. “This is child’s play. What can’t we face if we are together?”
The darkness inches toward me, and a hand congeals out of the shadows, wrapping around mine.
I tug, bringing him closer until his face, terrifying for many folks I’m sure, but stunning to me, is at eye level.
It’s still Nash, but his cheekbones are sharper, his fangs more pronounced, and those eyes, unique and stunning, draw me in as much as the green ones that first stole my heart.
I hold them as I lift onto my tiptoes and press my mouth to his, pouring everything into the kiss.
The joy of finding him and his brothers.
The way they consume me and build me up at the same time.
Their acceptance of everything I am and all that I bring to their lives.
The pain of loss, the agony of the reality that I might not find my way back to them.
And finally, the hope for a new world that they are going to help me build.
Cool hands curl around my neck, and then they become warmer as a body presses against my own. It’s a claiming kiss, not one leading to naked shenanigans in front of the fire, but rather a promise of many more nights to come to get lost in their arms.
He pulls away, and my eyes flutter open to find him in his familiar form once more. “You’re remarkable, Daphne Stone,” he whispers.
I grin. “You’re not so bad yourself, Shadow Daddy.”
He jerks back as if I’ve slapped him. “Nope.”
“Daddy Darkness?”
He groans as the twins chuckle. “Absolutely not.”
“I’ll think of something we can agree on.” I release an enormous yawn, which makes him smile.
He scoops my half-naked body up in his arms and carries me to the pile of furs before settling me among them. I stretch out and raise my hands, welcoming the twins, who join us.
“I’ll just have a nap,” I mutter, my breathing becoming heavy.
“Sleep, Daphne,” Nash says. “Tomorrow, we ride at dawn to find your dragon.”
“It’s time for the damsel to save the beast,” I agree.
Fingers skim across my cheek in a caress. “You already have.”