17. Hayden
I skimmed my hands over the silky fabric. The feel of it was otherworldly. The softest thing I’d ever felt.
Surveying my reflection in the mirror, I almost didn’t recognize myself. I hadn’t done the prom thing after my one disastrous foray into dating. I certainly hadn’t been invited to any weddings or galas. So, this was the fanciest I’d ever looked.
Knox had been right. Having a dress that I’d picked, one that I felt confident in, helped. I’d taken painstaking time with my makeup and hair. I’d rimmed my eyes in a purple so dark it was almost black. But my irises seemed to recognize the undertones, and the violet in them blazed brighter. I’d coated my lips in a sheer light pink that made them look plumper.
I’d spent at least an hour wielding the fancy new curling iron in my bathroom. I’d taken tiny sections, weaving the hair around the barrel. The effect was full, voluminous curls trailing down my back.
Any other time, I’d simply marvel at the miracle I’d created. At feeling truly beautiful. But not tonight. Not when I would have to face the council. Countless unfamiliar dragons.
The last few days had passed in a blur of catching up on studying, trying to avoid Professor Brent, and wondering where Maddox was. He still hadn’t returned to class or home. As much as he didn’t want it, I was worried about him.
A knock sounded on the open closet door.
“Hayden, we’ll be leaving in ten minutes. Are you?—”
Cillian’s deep voice cut off as he took me in. I met his eyes in the mirror. His dark green irises deepened to almost black.
“What’s wrong?” Knox asked, hurrying in behind him. But he drew up short as I turned around.
Cáel barreled in behind them. “Is she okay?”
He, too, came to a jerky halt, his pale blue eyes going wide. “Little One,” he breathed.
“Stunning,” Cillian growled.
Knox grinned, but there was a simmering heat beneath it. “Second favorite outfit ever.”
My cheeks heated, remembering Knox on his knees, gazing up at me.
“Is it too much?”
Cillian strode toward me, his hand cupping the juncture of my jaw and neck. “You’re perfect.”
“Too perfect for these assholes,” Cáel grumbled.
I smiled at that, his words easing some of the tension thrumming through me. “Walk me through it?”
Cillian jerked his head in a nod, releasing me as he stepped back.
For the first time, I really took them all in. God, they were breathtaking. Cillian was in his usual black suit and black dress shirt. They fit him as if the designer had crafted the garments just for him. And maybe they had. He had just a hint of stubble along his sharp jaw, and his hair was freshly buzzed.
Knox wore a dark blue suit that made the green in his eyes pop. It accentuated his broad shoulders and muscular chest. His hair was perfectly styled in an artful disarray. My fingers itched to run through it.
Cáel had taken the dress code and made it his own. While he wore black dress pants and a gray button-down, he’d thrown his signature leather jacket over it instead of a suit jacket. The tattoos decorating his hands, neck, and sides of his head seemed to pop all the more.
They were all beautiful. And they were mine.
“Hayden?” Cillian prodded, concern lacing his tone.
I gave myself a little shake. “Sorry. What?”
“You went somewhere else,” Knox said, brow furrowing.
I flushed. “I, uh, was just admiring the three of you. You look very handsome tonight.”
Cáel grinned at me, the same smile that looked slightly deranged from lack of use. “Handsome, huh?”
“Shut up,” I grumbled. “I’m allowed to look.”
“Our Little Flame does love to watch. It’s something we need to remember,” Cillian all but purred.
Knox muttered a curse. “Do we have to go to this thing? I can think of a hundred better ways to spend our time.”
His eyes went hooded, the gold in them sparking.
Cillian squared his shoulders. “We need to get it over with, or the council will just stay on our backs.”
My stomach flipped. “I want it done. Tell me what I’ll have to do.”
Cillian leaned against the elaborate dresser in the middle of the massive closet. “The council will have pulled a selection of hordes. My guess is around five.”
“Whichever five offered them the highest bribes,” Cáel muttered.
Cillian sent him a quelling look. “You will have to shake each of their hands. The theory is to find out if you are their true mate.”
“But we already know I’m your true mate.”
The set of Cillian’s jaw hardened. “We do, but the council will say they’re just being thorough. You also always have the option of rejecting us and choosing a different horde.”
Cáel shifted, anxiety flashing across his expression.
My chest squeezed, and I moved quickly toward him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I gazed up into those pale blue eyes. “I don’t want anyone but you, this bond. Please know that.”
I’d fallen for all three of them, and I couldn’t ignore the way my heart tugged toward the two others, even if they didn’t feel the same. As complicated as this was, I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Cáel’s eyes sparked with silver. “I don’t want you to go tonight.”
“Me neither,” I said honestly. “But we need to. You’ll be with me the whole time.”
Cáel simply grunted and hauled me against his chest, holding me tightly.
I listened to the steady beat of his heart. It was truly one of my favorite sounds, the certainty of it, the vibrancy. I knew he could keep me safe.
Knox cleared his throat. “If we don’t go soon, we’ll be late.”
Cáel growled at Knox.
I patted his chest and extricated myself from his hold. “Let’s get this over with.”
Cillian’s eyes locked with mine. “Stick close to us tonight.”
Like he needed to tell me that, but, still, I assured him, “I will.”
We filed out of my bedroom and into the hallway. The guys led the way down the stairs, and when they parted, they revealed two more forms.
Easton and Maddox stood in the foyer, staring at me.
Easton’s light brown hair hung down, spilling around his shoulders. It had a natural wave to it that highlighted the gold weaving through. He wore a navy suit that fit him perfectly, and those golden-green eyes blazed as they took me in.
Maddox stood next to him, wearing a black suit with a maroon button-down. It made the golden hue of his skin look that much richer and his amber eyes that much brighter. But those eyes were glaring at me with such rage, I nearly stumbled back a step.
They flashed with gold. “Hell fucking no.”