Chapter 2
two
CLEMENTINE
I was sweating something fierce when I finally made it through the castle’s monstrous, heavy doors. Though I was able to move fast, I was out of shape, which meant said fast motion was exhausting. My leather leggings and half-missing top that kept threatening to fall off entirely didn’t help. The whole top was askew, and one of the cutouts was precariously close to one of my tits.
The metal doors were at least two stories tall, and engraved with images of nature over every inch. Vines were woven through the metal, and I wasn’t sure whether that was to make them stronger, or to make it so the fae could control them. Fae controlled plants, after all.
Kai was sitting on a throne, studying a mural on the ceiling, when I walked through.
“How the—hell—did you—beat—me here?” I panted, bending over and putting my hands on my knees as I sucked in breaths.
My top’s cutout migrated closer to my nipple, which was not covered by a bra. It was unfortunate, not seductive. But I didn’t have the energy to care.
“I’m not trapped in the fae realm. You are.”
“You—portaled—and didn’t—bring—me?”
“I’d have to be mated to you to bring you, Five, and that clearly isn’t going to happen.”
“Clem—en—tine.”
“That’s a lot of syllables.”
“Three.” I held up three fingers, then dropped my hand back to my knee.
“I get the feeling you don’t run much.”
I flipped him off, still huffing and puffing and overall feeling like I just might pass out.
“Orvin!” Kai yelled, making me jump a little.
“Yeah?” a guy shouted back from the other room.
“Come here.”
I heard swearing on the other side of the door, and my eyes widened as a guy stumbled in from another room, stuffing his hard, wet cock into his pants. He had light skin and pitch black hair. And yeah, he was gorgeous, but he had clearly been in the middle of having sex about thirty seconds earlier
“I need you to mate with her.” Kai gestured toward me.
Orvin blinked at me, his zipper only half up.
Jeans without underwear?
Shudder.
“Orvie?” a desperate woman’s voice called from the other room.
Orvin scratched his head.
“No way,” I said, finally straightening up and folding my arms.
“Yeah, I’m with the ginger on this one, boss.” Orvin finally finished zipping his pants up. “I can find someone else, if you want? After the eclipse?” He eyed the door he’d come through, not bothering to button his pants.
“She’s a siren,” Kai said bluntly.
He looked back at me, suddenly more interested.
“No,” I said sharply. “If you try to force me to mate with someone I don’t want, you’re going to get your war at the end of this whether you like it or not.”
Kai sighed. “Go find Steve.”
He obviously wasn’t talking to me, because I had no idea who Steve was.
“After the eclipse?” Orvin said hopefully.
“Now.”
Orvin’s face fell.
“I’ll find my own mate,” I said, turning back toward the doors that led out of the castle.
It shut hard behind me, and I halted.
Something told me it wasn’t going to open again unless Kai allowed it. It was the vines. They were the something .
“Find Steve,” Kai repeated, his voice hard.
Orvin disappeared up a staircase.
His lover called for him again, and I wrinkled my nose.
“I told you, our land is eclipsed. No one is in their right minds. You leave my castle, you risk falling into the hands of someone much worse than me, Orvin, or Steve.”
“Just go back to Mistwood and end it.” I gestured to the door, though I obviously knew Mistwood wasn’t on the other side of it.
“I tried. I’d exerted too much of my energy making the portals.”
“Then find more energy.”
“How do you suggest I do that, Five?” he drawled.
“I don’t know. Sleep? Eat?”
“There’s not time.”
An idea struck me.
It was a terrible idea, really, but I blurted it out before that fact set in.
“I could feed on you. My magic is liquid life, right?”
He studied me, and there was something in his expression that I really didn’t like.
I couldn’t name it, though.
“If I feed you, it will ignite the beast in me before I have the chance to get back to Mistwood,” he finally said.
“I think I can handle pushing you away, Seven. That’s one thing sirens are actually pretty good at.”
His eyes flashed. “Alright. Do it.”
Now, I had a label for the look he wore.
Challenge.
He didn’t think I really would. He probably thought I was scared of him, or that I despised him too much to do it.
I was a lot of things, but definitely not too prideful to drink from a gorgeous, powerful man when the opportunity arose.
I’d probably never get the chance to taste a king again.
Might as well embrace the shittery of it.
I strode across the room and sat down on his lap, ignoring the expanse of the throne stretching above us. His nails dug into the armrests, the first sign I’d seen that he was actually struggling to maintain control the way he had claimed.
“You know how sirens feed?” I asked.
“Of course. Your shirt is…” he trailed off.
His nails dug deeper into the armrests as he fought for control.
I glanced down.
My tit was officially out.
Yep.
Cool.
I adjusted the damp, sweaty fabric, so my nipple wasn’t free anymore. Then, I slipped my hands into his hair and gave him a small smile, putting a little of my magic into my voice. “Don’t fall in love with me, Seven.”
Something in his eyes sharpened, but before he could reply, I kissed him.
His lips were softer than I expected.
Gentler, too.
He didn’t kiss me back, but when I parted his lips, he let me in.
I dragged my tongue over his sharp incisor, surprised to find it descended in his mouth. Guess the eclipse was to blame for that.
His hands caught my waist and gripped tightly.
I finally slid my tongue against his and tapped into my magic, pulling lightly on his emotions.
Desperation.
Fear.
Hopelessness.
Kai yanked me down against his erection, and I sucked in a breath at the feel of him against my center.
His fingers dug into my skin hard enough to bruise.
Desire.
Need.
Lust.
I gasped into his mouth as he tore my leather leggings with his hands, shoving my thong to the side and filling me with two thick fingers.
He’d warned me that I would ignite the beast—but if the beast wanted me that badly, maybe I wanted him too.
I inhaled more, harder, drowning myself in Kai’s emotions as he fucked me roughly with his fingers. He dragged me over the edge until I climaxed more intensely than ever before.
I pulled away as I came down from the high, panting and reaching a shaking hand toward my lips as his fingers curled inside me.
He wasn’t stopping.
Shit, I really had set him off.
He had the button on his pants undone and was reaching for his cock before I had time to recover.
Fuck, he wanted me.
Or… maybe the eclipse just made him want sex.
That shut down my enjoyment immediately.
I put a hand on his chest and pushed him away as I slid off his lap. He caught me with a growl and a hand on my hip, but I shoved him again and freed myself from his perfect, talented fingers.
My body ached for more, but I ignored it.
“Go to Mistwood,” I ordered, gesturing to the door once again even though it definitely wasn’t the way there.
Kai’s chest rose and fell heavily, his eyes locked on me.
“Now, Kai,” I commanded.
If he really was beastly, maybe orders would work?
After another moment of silence, he finally vanished.
I let out a heavy breath as he did, sagging against the armrest of the chair.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs Orvin had disappeared up. I quickly sat back down on the throne and closed my legs, hoping I could hide the massive tear Kai had left in my leggings.
No such luck.
I put an arm over my lap and looked down at my shirt.
Shit, my boob was out again.
I readjusted my top.
Orvin and the guy with him stared at me when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
I cleared my throat, and Orvin snapped out of it, gesturing to the other guy. “This is Steve… siren. Steve, this is your new siren.”
Steve blinked.
His hair was a wreck.
“Were you just in bed with someone?” I asked him, forcing my voice to come out upbeat. I still wove magic into it, like always. It was more instinct than actual effort.
“Yes,” Steve said, taking a step toward me.
“No thank you,” I said, giving him a small but pleasant smile. “You can go back to bed.”
Steve looked at Orvin.
Orvin shrugged.
Orvin’s lover moaned his name again, and he looked at me.
“Go ahead,” I agreed.
Both men disappeared up the stairs.
I slumped over, letting out a long puff of air.
If this was all the fae realm had to offer, I wanted a refund.
…on everything except what I’d done with the king.
Despite the sex noises coming from the room Orvin occupied, as well as a few others nearby, I managed to doze on and off a little as a few hours went by.
When I woke up to a silky drawl of, “Which one of you told her she could sit on my throne?” I realized that the noises were gone.
Thank goodness.
I rubbed my eyes as Orvin asked, “Is she one of the vampire queen’s sisters?”
“Yeah. The wolf queen’s, too.”
“The wolf mated to a siren?”
“Apparently. And you know what would happen if we went to war with the vampires and wolves.”
“Nothing good.”
“Exactly.”
“So we need to find her a mate,” Steve said.
“I was going to make you mate with her.” Kai gestured toward Steve.
“She turned him down too,” Orvin explained.
“Guess I’ll have to find someone Earthside.”
“Probably a good call anyway. She’ll want to spend most of her time there. Josh might do the trick.”
“If Josh finds out she rode the king’s fingers, he’s not going to touch her,” Steve countered. “Then again, if anyone finds out she rode his fingers, they’re going to refuse her.”
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” I asked, groggily. “You want me to mate with someone who had his cock buried in another woman five seconds earlier, but I’m damaged goods if Kai finger-fucked me?”
“It’s not a damaged goods situation,” Orvin clarified. “Kai’s known to ruin women.”
I blinked.
Kai rolled his eyes. “It’s a myth. There’s no evidence.”
“What do you mean, ruin ?”
“People say he curses the women he touches. He makes them climax so hard, no one else can do it for them afterward,” Steve explained.
“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed.
“Thank you.” Kai gestured toward me, as if emphasizing my point.
“He’s not even that good,” I shot back. “I could get myself off twice as fast as he did.”
“We both know that’s bullshit,” Kai said, his eyes brighter and his whole personality lighter than it had been before he disappeared.
I figured that had something to do with the eclipse, which seemed like it was probably over.
“The lady is a siren. I’m sure she has plenty of experience,” Orvin said, gesturing toward me like Kai had, but wearing a grin. He looked back at Kai. “Unlike you, recently.”
“One person in this fucking kingdom has to keep their head on straight, and it’s obviously not either of you bastards.” He glared at both of them, and they both looked up at the ceiling. “Orvin, go tell Austin I need him to mate with the siren. Steve, bring Jordan back, just in case Josh isn’t interested.”
My defenses rose. “The last werewolf alpha was willing to kill for me, okay? I’m more desirable than you gang of assholes seems to think.”
“Sweetie, you’re desirable enough that our prude of a king couldn’t keep his hands out of you. No one’s questioning that. It’s your magic and your connection to the other kingdoms that’s working against you,” Orvin said, then disappeared.
“I’m going to kill him,” Kai muttered.
Steve disappeared too, and the king reluctantly looked at me. He waved me toward him, and I narrowed my eyes.
“Out of my throne. You need to shower and change before your potential mates show up.”
I reluctantly rose, holding a hand over the tear in my pants. My thong was not enough cover, even though the king had technically already had his hands on the goods.
If I was going to try to choose someone I thought I could fall in love with, he was right. I did need to shower and change. I’d just have to borrow some pants or something.
“How long do I have to get ready?” I asked, as I crossed the throne room and followed him through a door nearby.
“As long as you want.”
“How long until they get here?” I rephrased the question.
I didn’t want to keep them waiting. If one of them really was my Prince Charming, I wanted to make a good impression.
“Hard to say. Time passes about seven times faster Earthside than it does here.” Kai dropped smoothly onto a mattress in the gigantic room we’d entered.
I stopped in the middle of the room. “Seven times faster?”
“Yeah. A day there is a week here. So it’s hard to say when they’ll be back. If it takes them half an hour to get Josh and Jordan showered and presentable, they’ll be here in about three and a half hours. If it takes them an hour, they won’t be here for seven.”
Kai pulled off his shoes.
“You’re stripping in my bedroom?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“I’m changing in my bedroom. You’re showering in my bathroom.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“We’ve been eclipsed for a month, Five. Every surface in this castle outside of my room has been anointed with bodily fluids. You can have your choice of bedrooms—but if you don’t want to be laying on someone else’s dried release, you’re going to be stuck here until the staff has time to get everything cleaned up.”
I grimaced. “Lovely.”
“No fucking kidding.” Kai lowered his head to his pillow, closing his eyes.
“Why did your friends call you a prude?”
His nostrils flared. “My realmside advisors give in to their instincts along with the rest of my kingdom. I fight mine so I can attempt to end the eclipses for good, which makes me a prude.”
My eyebrows lifted. “You think you can stop them?”
“They happen far more frequently than they used to. The last king must’ve screwed something up. When I figure out the problem, I’ll be able to fix it.”
“I’d fight my instincts for that too,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around my stomach. “Do you have paper? I need to write down my questions for the potential mates.”
“Questions?”
“Yes. I’m not mating with someone who disagrees with me on vital things, like how many kids we want. Or whether we keep dating after we’re mated. Or how much time we spend here and on Earth. What if I forget to ask something, and end up with a mate who doesn’t like it when I go swimming?” I shuddered.
The absolute horror of that situation would be tremendous.
Hale had bribed Blair with the world’s most gorgeous pool.
Porter had given Izzy a lake.
My mate wouldn’t be able to give me a gorgeous body of water, but as long as he wasn’t against me swimming, I would be fine with that.
If he was… well, we were going to have problems.
Hence my questions.
“No one would mate with a siren if they couldn’t accept that she’d spend a lot of time underwater,” Kai said, his eyes still closed.
“People mate with sirens for selfish reasons all the time. Our happiness is rarely a factor,” I said sharply. “Look at you—you already tried to pair me with both of your buddies, even though they both were literally buried balls-deep in other woman at the time. Now, do you have paper, or not?”
“Check the desk. If it’s empty, the rest of the paper is contaminated. And for the record, every fae in this realm but me was likely having sex in that moment. Plenty of the Earthsiders too.”
I wrinkled my nose, but checked the desk like he’d said.
Thankfully, there was a pad of yellow, lined paper in it that looked like it had come from Earth.
I grabbed that and a pen, and headed into the bathroom.
When I saw the tub in the corner of the room, my eyes lit up.
“Wet dream bathtub,” I announced. “Do all of the rooms have this?”
“Doubt it. I’m the king,” Kai mumbled back.
Right.
And he was probably trying to sleep.
Oops.
Still, I’d enjoy the tub while I could.
I stripped down and turned the water on, humming as I perched on the edge of the tub. I found some liquid soap that smelled yummy, so I added a little. The scent was kind of masculine, but bubbles in a bathtub three times bigger than normal?
I’d take double.
I started on my list of questions while the bath filled. I thought I felt eyes on me at one point, and looked through the arch separating me from Kai. He was clearly asleep, though.
I must’ve imagined the feeling.
Considering I was trapped in another realm, new feelings seemed reasonable.
But if he had looked, he would’ve seen my entire body, with the way I was sitting out of the tub.
Since he hadn’t, I didn’t bother getting in early. There was something intensely satisfying about slipping into a full tub. I rarely got in before it was filled.
When I finally turned off the water, I sighed as I slid beneath the bubbles.
Ohh, that was the life.
Wet dream tub for the win.
I relaxed against the back of it, closing my eyes for a minute and breathing in and out slowly.
The bubbles smelled manlier than I expected, but that was fine.
Probably.
I sniffed them again.
“Will any fae guys be put off if I smell like you?” I asked Kai, before realizing he was sleeping.
“Not if you tell them why,” he grumbled.
Oops.
“Sorry. Go back to sleep,” I whispered.
He didn’t flip me off or anything, so he probably wasn’t that mad.
I relaxed into the bubbles, coming up with another question and adding it to my list. I was still humming a pop song I liked, but I didn’t think he could hear me. I was quiet. Quietish, at least.
“Do you have an off button?” he growled from the bed.
“No. Do you?” I tossed back.
He rolled onto his side, so his back was to me, and pulled a pillow over his head. I felt kind of bad for annoying him, but it wasn’t my fault he was a grumpy asshole. And he hadn’t ever asked me to be quiet. Just insulted me.
“Note to self,” I said, as I wrote down another question. “Pick a mate who doesn’t ask if I have an off button.”
“I’m going to throw a pillow at you, woman.” His voice was muffled by the one over his head, but I could still make his words out clearly.
“Go ahead. It’ll make me even more comfortable in here.”
He sighed.
I smiled.
Two points, siren.
Still a million for everyone else.
I hummed quietly as I continued making my list. It ended up taking both sides of a sheet of paper, but that was fine. It would make sure my conversations with the potential mates would actually help me decide. I’d take notes of their answers too, of course.
I’d felt like I had totally screwed myself when I first got to the fae realm, but actually, I had landed myself in the perfect position.
I had no choice but to take a mate—and if I turned down enough suitors, Kai had no choice but to keep bringing me more of them until I found one I liked.
My smile widened.
Maybe I liked the fae realm after all.