Chapter Nineteen
Vex
TULUM – Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera
Landing with a softdrop, I stabilize. It’s grandiose in here—nothing I’m used to anymore since leaving royal life behind in Dyre, back in Darchon. When I decided to live my life outside of societal norms for both human and Saephyn alike, I separated myself from nobility.
This place is no different.
From the greenest green you can think of and the tallest tree in the world, neither compare to here. As if made entirely out of a family of trees—wound, twisted, and modeled for a community—I stand inside its castle.
It’s definitely the inside of a massive tree. There are roots tangled everywhere, but somehow, it’s beautiful and not terrifying.
“You must be Vex.” I turn to the sultry voice and am taken aback by pure elegance. She’s green, like lily pads and grass, everything woodland but somehow softer in shade. On her arms and legs are thorns, as if twined around her body in a protective manner. Moss splotches her shoulders and legs, almost as if this realm both grows on her and from her.
“I am,” I confirm, meeting her emerald green eyes. The near-black green staining her lips makes defining her expressions easier. She has narrowed eyebrows as if she’s testing my fight or flight. “Verano?”
She nods. “I’m the queen of Solera, the protector of peace, and the descendant of Soleada herself.”
I want to ask what all that means, but I can’t help but feel entranced by her withering stare. Me being here is a threat, but she hasn’t attacked. While my friendship with Theodora was as timeless as it was strong, it didn’t go to the origin of this place.
I break the stiff silence. “Have you seen her?” A pregnant pause resumes as she swallows, her eyes not leaving mine.
“No. I didn’t even know she was a ‘her.’”
I let out a sigh, realizing she’s just as in the dark as I am. While that shouldn’t offer me any reassurance, it does. It gives a sense of comradery.
“Our bond,” I admit. “It’s very new.”
There’s a soft expression that overtakes her face, like she realizes how sad I must be. But I’m not sad—I’m anxious, desperate, and near willing to run across this entire realm until I find her.
“Raevar wouldn’t take someone unwillingly,” she says, as if she knows this is a matter of fact. Knowing Dulce, and how we were in the middle of a scene, tells me there wasn’t any consent there.
“He did, we were in the middle of...” I pause, not knowing what to divulge. “A very precarious act.”
“What is this Vex my kingdom compliments so much? Is this you? Are you a matchmaker?”
I chuckle, unable to stop myself. “I am Vex, but I’m no matchmaker. I’m simply a very old Saephyn who owns a notable lifestyle club.”
Shock and heat touch her cheeks as she blushes. It’s such a pretty shade of green, and I kind of appreciate the color. “Oh, I was under the impression it was a place to find love.”
I bite my tongue, because filtering my words has never been a strong suit of mine, but especially in front of a queen that could surely cut my very long life short.
“Vex is where you go to get off,” I explain, noting the way she cups her throat, as if the movement is a protectant. That simple action only reminds me that I haven’t fed since Dulce and I’m going to grow weary soon. The ache in my stomach along with the throb of my incisors isn’t lost on me, reminding me immortality comes with a price.
“Like, how?”
“It’s a kink club, love,” I tease. “You go to Vex for peculiar tastes, like sadism, masochism, submission, or even domination.”
With the last word, her eyes burn with heat. Yeah. She’s definitely into that. Looking at her dark attire, the dark dress that hugs all her wide and generous curves, it tells me she could stomp on anyone and they’d ask her for a repeat.
I’ve never been one for submission, but there’s an aura to her that draws me in. Maybe she could convince that part of me to play freely, or at least watch her with Dulce. My little dove would enjoy that.
“Why would Raevar take your mate?”
“She’s stunning,” I reply breathily, thinking of how charming and sensual Dulce is. “She draws you in, like she’s the most hedonistic display of beauty.”
“Mhmm,” the queen murmurs. “She sounds delectable.”
“She is,” I hum, thinking of Dulce. “Before he took her, Dulce was getting me to help her with a ‘fuck it’ list.” I almost wonder if I should’ve kept that to myself, but if it’ll help in any way, maybe it’s worth bringing up. Maybe she’s convinced Raevar to help her with it. The little minx.
Her eyes shimmer. “It has one of my favorite words. What is this list?”
“Things she wanted to accomplish over the duration of Earth’s summer because she quit her job.”
“That’s a big decision,” Verano says, pacing around me as if she’s checking me out. Her eyes trace over my body, my disheveled attire, and she bites her lip without any further words.
“Yeah, it wasn’t made lightly, but I made it my vow to fulfill as many things as I could,” I continue, attempting not to act like a specimen under a microscope.
“What was the first item on her list?”
“She wanted an exhibitionist scene in front of many people,” I explain, thinking of how she wanted to be a naughty feast for the jealous onlookers. One they couldn’t indulge in, but starve while greedily taking her in.
“Oh, dear. My kind of woman.”
“She could be,” I admit with a smile, thinking of my little dove and wanting to be holding her now. “She also wanted to be fucked by two people at once.” The words slip out, and while Dulce probably wouldn’t appreciate my divulging of her list, I think she’ll like Vera. Maybe even enough to make her the third she was seeking.
“And you’re telling me this...” she asks with a raised brow. It’s arched high, the classic expression of a brat tamer.
“Because I have a feeling you’re going to adore my mate and want to help her smile as much as you can. It’s inevitable, she’s a treat, and hearing her happiness is unreal.”
She lets out a fast laugh, almost a scoff mixed in. “What gives you that impression?” Before I can answer, she tacks on, “Why would you be so willing to share your mate? Aren’t there rules against that?”
My mind wanders to the jealousy I feel toward onlookers wanting to touch her, and then I compare it to right now. There’s no animosity for some reason. It feels right and while that makes zero sense right now, I have a feeling it soon will.
“Sharing Dulce will be the best reward for us both,” I say, biting my lip. “She deserves to be loved on by many.”
“I must meet this Dulce,” she says, tapping her lips. “She sounds fun.”
“Oh, she is.”
***
Raevar
Mi Razón de Ser – Banda MS
She’s my mate.
Touching her earlier only confirmed that. It now makes sense how staying away wasn’t an option. Every moment I’ve wanted to reach for her, touch her, and the reason why I stole her in the first place makes complete sense now.
Listening to her speak about not being naked out in the open had me near chastising her earlier. She definitely swims naked in the middle of nowhere. Whether she’s aware of the creeps—me, and apparently Cin—who sees her is besides the question.
And that part about not having a queen. With a place that forces their people to rely on each other for workers, it surprises me that they don’t have a head honcho, so to speak.
Without a queen, there’s no structure. She brings everyone to their knees, helping them be better people. How can a place function without such dedication?
“Does it rain here often?” she innocently asks, following my lead as I drag her toward the open fields. There are flowers here, vibrant, and I have a feeling Dulce will appreciate them.
“All the time. Pretty frequently too.” I point at the sky, showing her the color changing.
“Your sky isn’t the right color.” Her eyes squint as if wondering why it doesn’t match the Amantes one, I’m guessing.
“It changes with its sustenance,” I explain, thinking of how Vera explained it to me. “When it rains, it goes into a deeper purple color. When it’s starving for life, it pales.”
“Starving?” she gasps, placing both palms against her chest.
“Yeah, we feed it. Well, our queen does through our people.”
“Is that... good?”
I nod, thinking of how Vera gives back, and in turn, Solera returns the favor in kind. She’s a part of this place, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
“Verano—our queen—she’s connected to the land. Messages travel to her if I touch a tree, lay in the grass, or speak to the wind.”
“Oh, wow,” she exhales, amazement in her expression. “Can I try?”
The loyal part of me agrees, but the selfish part that’s aware Dulce is in fact my true mate, that part wants to keep her away from this realm.
Now that I’m aware she’s mine, bringing her back to give her to my queen, it doesn’t sit right.
Not entirely.
Anything that’s mine is Vera’s, but what if Vera won’t share her? I can’t possibly choose between my queen and my fated. Solera would never be so cruel. To give me two loves and force them together and leave me behind... very cruel, indeed.
“Be gentle. Any pain they feel, she’ll hurt with them,” I explain, thinking of the time I took an axe to a tree without the proper ceremony. Vera sobbed for days, told me their pain lived within her now.
A gloss overtakes her peachy gaze, and she bites her lip as if she’s feeling sorrow for them. “That must be burdensome to hold such kind of weight. She sounds amazing.”
“The best being I know.” My heart hammers as it travels to Vera. She’s everything I’ve wanted in life, but it’ll never happen, and the Fates gave me a mate to remedy the ache that constantly festers where Vera doesn’t feel the same.
“Do you love her?” she asks, but doesn’t look at me as if she doesn’t want to see the answer written all over my face.
“I do. We all do.” It’s the truth. We love her endlessly. There’s no one who’s more dedicated to her job and her people than our queen. My love runs deeper though—thicker, something so selfless and humbling, yet damning all the same.
She nods and meets my eyes. “Think she’ll like me?”
I let out a dramatic hiss, turning her to face me so I can cup her cheeks. Something I’ve been both trying not to do but also wanting nothing more than to do since I can’t resist the draw between us. The sensation is constantly in my bones, pulling me nearer and nearer. It’s why I keep grabbing her palm. There’s no point in denying what I’m very aware of.
I’ll fall for this woman, and there’s nothing Solera can do to stop it.
“She’ll adore you,” I finally admit, not wanting to think of Vera having Dulce without me. Sharing Dulce with Vera would be so easy though. I’d give Vera anything to make her happy, but not having my mate at all will destroy me.
Dulce nods before lowering to the ground. Unlike what I imagined, she lays flat, reminding me of my queen and how she communicates to Solera.
Spreading her arms and legs, trying to expose as much of her flesh to the ground, she wiggles in a gentle but adoring manner.
“It’s like the ground is hugging me,” she whispers fondly, her face full of glee. Her dimples pop out as she smiles, like there’s no place better than the spot she’s nestled into.
“It’s getting to know you,” I reassure Dulce, knowing it’s basically tasting her, recognizing her, and making her a part of us in the only way it knows how. Connection. Gratitude. History.
She lets out a little giggle as vines sprout from the ground, caressing her skin. They’re tender, teasing Dulce’s skin with purpose and intention. It’s almost sensual, like a tongue licking across her flesh, devouring, making it theirs.
Vera.
She’s here.
The feel of her buzzes in the air, teasing my skin through the necklace resting against my chest. Dulce makes a little noise of content, like she’s missed this part of herself without knowing it existed.
“I’m Dulce,” she introduces herself. “I’m a Cupid. I want to see my mate Vex.”
I let out a grunt, wanting to know how Vex will take Dulce being mine too. There’s no denying she’s tied to us both now. Can they feel me connected to her? The bond isn’t solidified. To be honest, I don’t even know how to do the ceremony. There hasn’t been a true mate ceremony in my lifetime.
“Solera will want your intentions. Make sure to think of what you want and be open with it,” I direct her, wanting a distraction from my own thoughts.
She nods, closing her eyes. There’s this tranquility in her expression, almost like she’s having a full conversation with Solera.
I’ve only ever witnessed this with Vera.
Placing my hand over my heart, emotions flood through the bond there. Fear, anxiety, and a little bit of anger.
I pause on the anger, knowing it’s not my fault that I’m entangled with three people.
We’re destined. I’m unsure of how, exactly, but it’s apparent, and when they find out—whenever that is—there’s hope it’ll all go smoothly.