Chapter 22 #2
“Yes, you’ve also seen me very naked. Does this have anything to do with this? I mean, I’m not a supermodel or anything, but maybe it’s been a while for you and—”
Ben shook his head. “I’ve seen my fair share of women, Evie. And no, I’m not itching for female company unless you’d like to ditch—”
“Ben, stop antagonizing Caelan.” I pinched the space between my brows. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but we should probably leave.”
The sound of throats clearing got my attention.
“So sorry to interrupt your lover’s spat,” Ethan drawled. “But we do have other business to discuss. The others will be here soon.”
As if summoned, the doorbell rang, revealing Soren and Rowan. They stomped the snow from their boots on the front mat and walked toward the dining room. Rowan grinned when he spotted me, that smile widening when he saw the two men I was sandwiched between.
Soren looked bored as usual. He was dressed like he’d walked off the runway, in black slacks and an azure-blue pullover sweater my fingers itched to touch. I had an eye for cashmere, and the sweater he was wearing looked like the highest quality.
Rowan took the seat on the opposite end of the table and wiggled his eyebrows at me. “You smell like dirt and Ben,” he said gleefully. “Something I should know?”
I sighed. “You suck.”
Rowan laughed.
Caelan relaxed a little in the new Lord’s presence. “Rowan. Nice of you to finally show up.”
Rowan rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb at Thorvin. “Those dicks wouldn’t wait on us. And Soren had to pack an overnight bag but had to pick up his damn dry cleaning before we left.”
Soren winked. “If you aren’t going to look sharp all the time, what is the point of life?”
I pointed my spoon at my empty bowl. “This gumbo for one. The bread is excellent, too.”
Soren grunted. “I prefer meat and vegetables. Rice is too simple of a carb.”
I stared at him. “Okay, weirdo.”
Ben chuckled.
Rowan plopped his chin on his hand. “So, what did we interrupt?”
“Absolutely nothing. Ben and I were having a conversation.”
“About mating,” Ben said helpfully.
Rowan’s eyebrows rose. “Oh?” His eyes flicked to Caelan.
“So that’s why Caelan is so pissed off.” He chewed on his lip. “Brave to poke that bear,” he mused.
“A Lord needs a mate to come to his full strength,” Soren said, his eyes glittering when they landed on me.
My stomach jolted, Soren’s words souring the gumbo I’d inhaled. Was it true? Was there some sort of power imbalance with us not being mated?
Caelan stiffened. “Let’s drop this conversation.”
But Ethan stepped in. “No, this is a good subject and one we should have talked about a long time ago.”
Thorvin stayed silent, like usual, but Rowan surprised me. “Why do you guys have to act like such dicks all the time? They’re not mated, so fucking what? If I recall, Gianna and Caelan weren’t mated either—”
“Gianna came from a powerful family of shifters. It was only a matter of time—”
“The hell it was,” Caelan snarled.
“A mate brings with it an unbreakable bond. A mate cannot betray her mate without death following,” Soren added. “Evie is an unknown with an unheard-of amount of knowledge of our internal systems. It’s only natural for the Lords to be concerned about the lack of a formal bond.”
Rowan scoffed. “You guys are such dicks. Not a single one of you are mated, and you’re giving Caelan—the only one of us in a committed relationship—shit about not having a mating bond?”
Only Thorvin winced.
Soren grinned. “I’m having far too much fun to settle down. Nor do I need to.”
I watched this conversation like a ping pong match. But I was the ball.
Ben finally spoke up. “Perhaps Evie is not with the right Lord.”
You could have heard a pin drop. I leaned over and hissed in his ear. “What are you doing?”
“Oh?” Ethan said. “I believe she dislikes everyone but Rowan. Do you perhaps think it’s him Evie should be with?”
Rowan wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I sighed. “Please stop.”
But as most men did when they had a point to make, they spoke right over me.
“Moving Evie to Rowan’s territory would solve a few problems,” Ethan mused.
Caelan bristled with fury. I put my hand on his knee. “Don’t listen to them,” I said quietly. “Rowan and I are friends.”
“Ben is not talking about Rowan,” Caelan snarled, his eyes ringed with molten gold.
“Or she could stay here with me,” Ben said. “The Joy Springs area has at least two Floromancers who can maintain the land.”
Righteous anger filled my veins. “Excuse me?”
Ben turned those beautiful eyes to me. “I screwed up. I know it. I want to make amends for it.”
“So you strongarm me and try to force me into a new territory without asking me? I have a shop in Joy Springs. Friends. A life.”
“You can make that here with me.”
My fists clenched. “I love Caelan.”
“You aren’t mated to him. A true mating is indescribable. It’s…glorious. A true melding of hearts and souls.”
“Humans don’t mate. Their love is no less than a shifter’s or of someone like me.”
“The lady said no,” Caelan said. He leaned over. “I’m trying very hard to respect your autonomy, but as soon as you say the word, I will rip his head off.”
His words made me smile. “No violence on my behalf, please. I thought I handled this nonsense the last time, but apparently, I’m just a wee lassie who needs to be shuffled off to the biggest, strongest man there is.”
“No one is trying to cage you, Evie,” Ben said.
“If I hit you, I’m not going to stop,” I said with a growl in my voice.
“Ben’s territory is ideal,” Ethan said. “But so is Rowan’s. Since she and Rowan have a friendly relationship, he makes the most sense.”
“She and Rowan are friends. A mating bond won’t form.”
Rowan smirked, the picture of ease. “My parents weren’t a love match initially. They have a true mating now.”
“You are not helping,” I hissed.
Rowan winked at me. “Would you rather it be me or Ben?”
A helpless laugh escaped me. “I’d rather it be no one if it isn’t Caelan.”
But they kept on, refusing to heed my warnings, and finally I had enough. I rose and slammed my hands on the dining table. Silverware jerked into the air and rattled, and a glass carafe of salad dressing tipped onto its side, spilling creamy Caesar from the spout.
“Shut up!” I screamed.
All the Lords blinked owlishly at me, but they stopped talking.
“I’ve told you multiple times that I am not a pawn in whatever shitty game you keep trying to play with me. I’m not a chess piece to be moved to an advantageous spot at your whims. I’m not in love with Ben or Rowan—”
“Time will tell,” Rowan sang.
I almost laughed. Instead, I shot him a withering glare.
“My home is in Joy Springs. My life is there. And the man I’ve chosen is there, too.
I don’t give a shit if you like it. I don’t care if you think Caelan is gaining too much power.
I don’t even care if we have a mating bond.
That’s something Caelan and I will discuss later.
Away from you ignorant fuckers. All I wanted was some food and some coffee—”
I turned my withering glare to Ben. “Which I have not had yet. What does a girl gotta do to get a good cup of coffee, especially after she saved your ass from almost certain death?”
A few sucked in gasps.
“Yes, you assholes, I healed your precious Lord, who has promptly thanked me by turning into a pompous pig and still hasn’t given me any coffee.” I slashed a hand through the air.
“But beside that point is my autonomy. If I wanted to, I could take all of you out and not bat an eye.”
Ethan scoffed. “I hardly think—”
“She had you strung up by your feet screaming like a little bitch,” Rowan drawled. “The woman has a point.”
Thorvin ducked his head to hide a smile.
Ben’s brow furrowed. “Evie, there’s no need for you to decide now—”
“There’s nothing to decide!” I screeched, and I hated it because it made me sound hysterical. “I will not marry any of you unless I want to! And If there’s ever a day that Caelan and I sunder, I can assure you, I’d rather give myself a lobotomy than ever get involved with another Lord.”
Rowan grinned.
A crack of thunder sounded in the room. Every Lord snapped to his feet, eyes and head on a swivel, searching for the unseen threat. I closed my eyes and stifled a groan. Of all the times to make an appearance…
The Fae King appeared in a flash of emerald light, in complete regalia.
My father, Cernunnos, stood seven feet tall, eyes burning with magic, wearing a crown of antlers so high they came close to scraping the ceiling.
Bioluminescent moss hung from the tines, and mushrooms clung to his body.
He wore the face I didn’t often see, one of ancient cruelty and malice.
Fae power soaked the room as Cernunnos’ glowing eyes took the measure of each one of the Lords.
If they were not very careful, someone might die tonight.