CHAPTER ONE
Saylor
Present
“You told me you were taking me out drinking and dancing.” I frown, crossing my arms over my chest and glancing around the battlefield with a scowl. “Was drinking code word for gate crashing a battlefield?”
Is that a fucking undead army?
My eyes roam over the crowd of warriors, landing on a familiar, handsome face.
Rave.
If I didn’t recognize his imposing build and ice-blue stare, the shadows surrounding him would still easily give him away. I’d call him a cocky bastard, but I know intimately that the Shadow King, as they now call him, can back it up.
Just fucking great. What every woman wants—to run into the male who took her virginity and never contacted her again.
Wonderful.
Oh, and there’s his fated mate next to him, one I heard can make people explode from the inside out.
Shit, she has a strong shield too.
Good times ahead.
“We are just making a pit stop,” Salem replies from beside me, stroking the scar on his cheek—one of his many battle wounds. His eyes narrow when they land on Queen Pandora, the Witch Queen. “Fuck, she’s powerful.”
“And taken,” I remind him, hoping he doesn’t go all crazy on her again. We’re all a bit unhinged in this family, but Salem takes the fucking cake. “You told me you’d leave her alone. They are bonded now.”
“Rion wants our help,” Sage states, ignoring my rant. His tongue plays with his lip ring like he always does when he’s anxious. It’s a tell of his, one of the only ones you will find. His shoulder touches mine from my other side, with Silver at my back.
I’m the youngest of five siblings and the only girl.
I’ve been protected and spoiled my whole life, and the triplets are my very best friends. I haven’t seen my older brother, Shadow, in years, ever since he went missing.
My brothers and I have been looking for him ever since.
“Laurel told us to come here,” Silver adds, resting his chin on my head. Known for his accuracy with his throwing stars, Silver is badass and deadly. The magical moving runes on his neck show the world a glimpse of just how powerful he is. “For what, I don’t know. We shouldn’t get mixed up in this. We don’t want Rave, Soren, and their mates as our enemies.”
I whistle low. “Doesn’t look like much of a fair fight with the undead army.”
“You could even those odds.” Sage smirks, and he’s right.
I’m the strongest illusionist in all eight kingdoms. My magic might not seem threatening to some, but how people see things is important. I could make it seem like Rion’s army had an extra thousand warriors or make Rave think his mate has vanished. I control what people see and can distort it as I see fit. It makes me a powerful weapon that most people never see coming. I’m underestimated, and I love that.
The realm is lucky that I’m a good-fucking-person, or everyone would be in deep shit. In fact, I think I deserve a medal for my outstanding character and self-restraint.
Tapping my heels in agitation, I glance around when my eyes are drawn to a certain warrior. Dressed in black from head to toe, his magic calls to me instantly, pulling me in. He’s tall, and even from here, I can see his muscles straining against his tunic. His hard thighs are encased in leather. Tattoos and runes peak out from his clothing, trailing up his neck, stopping just below his face. And what a face it is—dark eyes framed in thick, dark lashes, sharp cheekbones, and full, kissable lips. He looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days, and it suits him. His strong brow, along with all the tattoos, give him a slightly sinister look.
I like it.
I like it a little too much.
And fuck if I don’t know what that means.
This pull can only mean one thing.
My fated mate.
He’s a mixture of gorgeous and badass, and I don’t know how to react right now.
My vagina wants me to thank the fates and run toward him while my brain is telling me to run away.
I’ve been waiting to find my mate.
But the timing is all off.
I can’t deal with a possessive mate right now. I need to continue searching for my brother, and I can’t do that with six-foot-five of hard muscle watching my every move.
But those dark, calculating eyes? They are on me right now, and I know I don’t have long before he makes his move.
Thunder rumbles in the sky above us, followed by streaks of lightning.
“What’s wrong?” Silver asks, going on alert as he follows my line of sight.
I’m about to tell him when a deep gust of wind appears out of nowhere, pushing my brothers back while I stand unmoving. A second later, I’m thrown over a wide, hard shoulder and zipped to a bedroom. One, I’m guessing, is his.
My mate just kidnapped me.
And I let him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I snap, pinching his tight ass with my gloved fingers.
Wow, okay… ten out of ten.
He’s fucking hot, I can’t deny it. I guess the fates do like me after all, which is something I’ve been questioning recently, but he is so my type—dark, brooding, tall, and tatted.
My mate carefully lays me on the black silk sheets and kneels before me, his dark eyes traveling over every inch of my face. He leans forward and scents me, his eyes closing. When they reopen, they flash an otherworldly amber. He’s incredible.
“Beautiful,” he whispers in a deep, rough, sexy voice, his gaze on my skin like a physical caress. I notice the tips of his fangs peeking out, and I find it sexier than I should. “So fucking beautiful.”
His fingers twitch like he wants to reach out and touch me but is trying to restrain himself. I don’t have the same self-control, so I lift my hand to trace my thumb across his stubbled jawline. He leans into my palm, the move surprising me.
“Who are you?” I whisper, my brow furrowing.
All I know is that he smells so fucking good—a spicy scent that I want to lose myself in.
“Yours,” he replies, his throat working as he swallows.
Yes, mine.
My fingers trail down his tanned skin until they reach his collarbone. “What is your name?”
“Bane.”
Interesting.
I’ve heard of Bane.
The exiled Demon Prince, who now lives in the Incubus Kingdom, was taken in by his father’s best friend, King Zython. He’s a strong warrior and can control the weather, among other things. That explains the wind that took my brothers out. They are going to be frantic looking for me right now. And not for the first time, I find myself wishing I had the telepathic connection the triplets have so I could tell them I’m okay.
“I’m Saylor,” I say, licking my suddenly dry lips. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten any action, aside from my own hand, and being close to my fated mate has my body reacting without thought.
Calm down, girl.
“I know,” he murmurs, giving in to temptation as his hands reach out to grip onto my thick thighs. “I’ve heard of you. You’re a wolf shifter and an illusionist.”
“I see my reputation precedes me,” I murmur, smirking. He must have manners not to bring up my crazy-ass brothers, too, because that’s usually why people know me. “But if you know who I am, you know you only have about a ten-minute window before my brothers break in here.”
Bane smirks, his eyes traveling over every inch of my face. “They can try. If they want me to start a war for you, I will. You are mine .”
Okay, that was hot.
“Astrid saw a vision of you once,” he murmurs, sliding his thumb across my cheek.
Wonder if she saw that I once fucked her mate.
“Bane—”
My eyes flutter closed as he presses his lips to my jaw, my body starts to tingle. This feels so fucking right, and when he kisses me, I don’t pull away. I kiss him back, threading my fingers through his dark hair and drawing him closer. He tastes so good, and, boy, does he know how to kiss.
I’ve kissed more males than I can count on my fingers, and it’s never been like this.
It’s me who pulls back first.
“I don’t know if I’ll be a good mate,” I blurt out, trying to distract him. “I’m always in trouble, very high maintenance, and I talk a lot. I never shut up, actually. Maybe we should put a pin in this and revisit some other time?”
Like after I’ve found my brother.
I need to focus on that and not on the fact I want to lick every inch of his tattoos and find out if it’s just his face that remains unmarked.
His brows knit into a harsh scowl, and his dark eyes flicker to amber. Interesting . I can feel his power. “We aren’t putting a pin in anything. You can move in here, and I will handle everything. You will be well-protected and taken care of in every way. I promise you.”
“This is moving kind of fast.”
His lip twitches, his dark eyes softening. “When you’re in trouble, I’ll save you. I don’t care how high maintenance you are, I will provide for you. And you can talk all you fucking want. I will hang onto every word. Trust me.”
He’s really not making this easy.
I guess this means I have to cancel the date I had planned with that sexy merman tomorrow night.
When Bane growls and thunder crackles outside, I realize I’ve said that out loud. Shit.
The temperature in the room drops, so I move closer to him to steal some of his warmth. His dark eyes soften slightly, and he brings his muscular arms around me, moving us so he’s on the edge of the bed and I’m on his lap. I’m not a small woman, but he lifts me like I weigh nothing.
“You won’t be going on any more dates, Sunshine,” he says, his soft lips brushing my ear. “Unless they are with me.”
Sunshine?
Okay, that’s kind of cute.
“You’re so beautiful,” he continues, his tone turning husky.
“Thank you,” I reply, swallowing hard. “I like your tattoos. Some of them are runes?”
Runes contain magic. But there’s a price, give and take, and usually, some kind of sacrifice must be given.
Bane tilts his head to the side as he studies me. “Some of them are magical runes, yes. I started getting the tattoos to cover the scars I didn’t like, but…” he trails off, frowning. “I’ve never admitted that to anyone.”
“Well, thank you for telling me,” I whisper. My gaze moves to some red rope hanging off his armoire. He follows my line of sight, swallowing hard before looking back at me.
There’s a sudden gruffness in his voice. “Now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to let you go. You know that, right?”
“Bane…” I trail off, trying to find the right words.
He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes returning to the red rope—the tension in the room building.
Is he going to try and tie me up to keep me here? The thought both interests and makes me angry simultaneously.
“I just need a little bit of time,” I reply, wrapping my gloved hands around his tatted neck while he touches the purple flower in my hair. “Is that the game we’re playing?”
It’s not a game.
Just the way he’s looking at me is so possessive, and while it sends a thrill straight to my clit, it’s not going to work with my plans right now.
But maybe I can allow myself a taste.
Moving on my knees to straddle him, I skim my mouth across his. He takes full advantage, his hand tightening around my jaw, keeping me in position. His hold is firm but not painful. It’s dominant and sexy as hell.
His tongue slips between mine, and I’m lost to him.
Bracing myself against his chest, I feel his thick, hard cock pressing against me, straining against his battle leathers.
He’s blessed, let me tell you that much.
Yeah, I’m thinking the fates do like me.
I’m so wet I’m ready to strip us both naked and ride him like he’s never been ridden before when I hear a growling sound in the room with us. We still. Then, before I can even process what’s happening, Bane stands and pushes me behind him.
“Step away from my sister,” Salem barks, appearing out of nowhere and becoming corporal. At least he didn’t stay invisible because that shit creeps me out.
“Salem—”
“She is my mate,” Bane replies, his hand reaching back to land on my hip. “You can’t take her from me.”
My brother laughs a deep and menacing sound. “No one will force my baby sister into anything, mate or not.”
Thunder crackles outside, and the room becomes colder. I’m going to have to get used to wearing layers to be prepared for all of his emotional weather changes.
“Salem, it’s fine,” I assure him, stepping out from behind Bane. “I’m safe.”
His light-green eyes flicker. He’s unpredictable at best, but right now, I can’t tell what his reaction is going to be. He once stabbed a goblin male simply for touching my hand.
The tension in the room is unsettling. “Guess you two better learn to get along then, hey?”
I grin, but I’m the only one.
Okay, tough crowd.
Wrapping my arms around Bane from behind, I feel the tension in his body soften at my touch. Resting my cheek against his back, I close my eyes and savor the moment.
He’s going to be pissed, but your girl is on a mission, and she can’t be swayed by a sexy, brooding, rippled, muscular demon, no matter how delicious he is.
Mine.
Yes, he is mine .
And I’ll be back to collect when I’m ready.
I can already tell he’s going to be the bane of my existence.
Or, more likely, I’m going to be his.
Before he can grab me, I zip away.