Chapter 47
Vesper
Veylor gave me one of the biggest bedrooms in the house. We all had our bedrooms, but for the past two weeks, this was the space where we all sought rest together.
Light dominated every corner. Not merely from the dozens of candles and wall-mounted torches, but from the bright spheres Veylor had collected from the grounds and suspended in midair throughout the chamber.
The bed was the size of two California Kings, the plush comforter gold as most of the room.
It was like heaven had invaded the room.
Light touched every surface. I swear that if I lay naked on the white furs that sat in front of the fireplace that was always lit but never made the room too warm, I could sunbathe.
I could get my tan back in no time.
For now, I stood in front of the closet, filled with dresses, shoes and… toys that had appeared in a cabinet overnight. I rubbed my temples and shook my head.
How was this my life?
As the closet doors clicked shut, I caught sight of Benedict standing in the doorway. A silver tray balanced in his hands with wine and hors d'oeuvres for the party that would soon start downstairs.
Gone was his usual butler's uniform, and it was now replaced by a tailored velvet burgundy suit that caught the light with each subtle movement.
The black shirt underneath created a striking contrast, while a silk scarf draped around his neck completed his transformation from servant to sophisticate.
He didn’t look like a regular butler tonight, but an ordinary person going to the event. Which was the idea, because even those that worked here were going to look for their mates tonight.
“Benedict, you didn’t have to do that.” I smiled and walked toward him to take the tray. He let me and watched as I set the tray on the small table by the window.
For the past two weeks, this window seat had become our sanctuary. Oryx, Veylor, and I shared quiet breakfasts while watching the sunrise that never quite came through the mist.
Outside our peaceful corner, the mansion buzzed with preparations. People darted through hallways with fabrics and flowers, their voices carrying up from below as they fussed over every detail of tonight's ball.
Veylor had offered to bring in outside help, but these men and women insisted on preparing everything themselves. Each one carried some debt of gratitude from when he'd stepped into their lives and changed their fates.
Still haven’t been told that story yet…
“Why is there only one glass?” I asked while Benedict poured me the wine.
"The wine is a gift from your gentlemen," Benedict said, his voice softening.
"They're waiting below. In the old courts, the bride always descends alone—makes quite the impression when she appears at the top of the stairs while everyone holds their breath.
" He smiled knowingly. "Veylor wanted to keep that part of the old ways.
He wants the room to see you first, before they see you as a triad. "
I made a disgruntled face. I didn’t particularly like being put on show like that.
“This is to calm your nerves. It’s the same drink you and I have in the kitchen. Already chilled, so we don’t have to drench it in ice.”
I hummed thoughtfully and took a sip. “Don’t you want some?”
Benedict shook his head. “Not when my mate could be downstairs. I don’t want any inhibitions about it. Once she’s mine, I’ll claim her tonight. I’ve got my room prepared.”
I smiled and shook my head. Yeah, Benedict was ready.
“Stitches still good then, I guess?”
Benedict cupped himself. “All thanks to you,” he purred. “All the seams are sealed, I don’t even look like I was sewn from scratch, thanks to you.”
I hummed in acknowledgement as I stepped toward the window. Carriages filled the courtyard and overflowed past the gates. I guess that will happen when you have invited people from far beyond.
We might have to hold more of these balls.
“Is tonight the night then?” Benedict nudged me as we both watched the parade of finely decorated people crowd inside the house.
My fingers traced the soft nape of the red velvet dress Veylor had crafted for me, remembering how he'd presented it during our first real encounter. The fabric whispered beneath my touch as I smoothed it over my hips—a perfect circle from that initial gift to tonight's ceremony.
Benedict stood quietly while I gathered my thoughts.
We waited to do this bonding. Veylor had been strategically working on the complications of him being paired with Oryx and me.
Oryx and I don’t even know what would happen tonight, Veylor had kept that part hidden in his mind and made sure that neither of us would go hunting in his mind to find out.
Which was rather rude.
I took in a large breath and let it out slowly. “Yes.” I swallowed. “Tonight is the night.” I placed my glass on the table.
And telling the truth to the people in the room of what we are.
Benedict smiled and nodded. “I am excited for the three of you. And how wonderful to be such a rare breed of fae. I never saw it coming, and it explained everything so perfectly.” Benedict tilted his head. “Do you believe your father is still alive then? After finding out this information?”
I frowned. “Mother said he was dead. She could have said that to protect me. What was I to believe? I never met him, never had a picture of him. And if it’s true that they are mated in triads, would it mean I would have another father, or I mean, my mother would have had another male?”
Benedict shrugged his shoulders. “You are as clueless as I. Sylvaine may have better answers.”
Just as I thought. But Sylvaine was always busy every time I tried to speak with him. Did I find that to be worrisome?
Yes.
But Veylor had his own issues he was worrying about, like researching about his soul for bonding. Oryx needed to be around me constantly and he didn’t like the idea of me being around Sylvaine or any male for that matter.
His jealousy was… outrageous right now.
Veylor attributed all of this to the bond.
Not to mention we were all up for hours into the night fucking each other. Another lengthy unbonded triad side effect.
It was only going to get worse as time went on.
Benedict patted my shoulder and picked up the tray. “I’m sure Sylvaine has his reasons. He’s preparing a document for those who don’t know about bonds, and he is preparing the room we have provided, just in case his mate is here as well. It’s a busy, wonderful time.”
“I hope people aren’t disappointed if their mates aren’t,” I muttered. I followed Benedict out of the bedroom door and into the hallway.
The music drifted up the hallway, strange stringed instruments mingling with familiar harps and flutes, creating a melody that veiled the murmur of the crowd below.
“They will be fine. They know the risks. All you have to do is have fun.”
Benedict and I said our goodbyes, and I walked up to the balcony.
People were dancing, smiling, and happy.
There were even children playing, running around tables and chairs.
It wasn’t just the ones that hadn’t been mated, but the families of those waiting for their friends to find their loved ones.
I smiled as I started to descend the stairs and the music came to an abrupt halt.
Awkward.
Looking around, I noticed all eyes were on me as I gracefully descended the grand staircase.
“Come down, pet, we are waiting for you.” Oryx’s voice brushed my mind.
The hush that fell over the crowd made my heart race, but I kept my composure and focused on each step, my red velvet gown swishing softly with my movement. The golden candlelight flickered off the walls, casting intricate shadows that danced along the marble floor.
Wait, no music?
Veylor chuckled. “No, all eyes and ears are to be on you.”
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I smiled and let out the breath I had held through each step. Veylor and Oryx stood waiting for me. Veylor’s eyes sparkled with an excitement I couldn’t quite place, while Oryx’s stance was large, proud, and his tail immediately wrapped around my midsection.
The room felt charged with energy, a potent mix of excitement and nervousness that hung in the air. I could sense the collective heartbeat of everyone in the room, beating in time with the music that had now resumed with a lively tune.
Veylor extended his hand towards me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Are you ready, my darling?” he asked softly, his voice barely audible over the music and chatter around us. “Mix and mingle before we claim you?”
My nipples hardened within my dress.
“Mmm, she is aroused. Can we take her here?” Oryx mused, his tail swiped across my breast.
He’s in so much trouble.
Veylor snapped. “As I share my love for the both of you I will not share our lovemaking with anyone else. Are you mad, Oryx?”
Oryx huffed and rubbed the side of his head on Veylor’s cheek. “I’m only thinking of relieving the stress of our mate.”
I giggled and settled my arm into the crook of Veylor’s arm. Oryx moved closer, his presence a comfort at my side as we stood together in the center of the room.
The guests around us watched with bated breath as Veylor spoke, his voice carrying across the room with a commanding presence, and the music paused once again.
“Tonight, we come together to celebrate a bond that transcends time and space. A bond that unites us in ways we never thought possible.”
I gazed up at Oryx as his tail coiled protectively around Veylor and me. The crowd's eyes widened, their whispers hushed to silence as Veylor's fingers traced gentle patterns along the scaled appendage they'd only heard through horror gossip.
Here we go…
"Tonight, I present to you Vesper—not merely as my cherished companion, but as the woman who will become my bonded mate before dawn breaks.
" A ripple of gasps gave way to enthusiastic applause that thundered through the hall, each clap hammering into my skull like tiny daggers until my head throbbed with gathering pain.
As the applause died, my headache didn’t get better, and my vision began to blur.
"Many of you have glimpsed us in the village, those in the outlying villages have not.
Allow me to introduce Oryx properly. What you see before you is not merely a body, but a vessel I crafted with my own hands.
In creating him, my first such endeavor, I selected substantial components to ensure both his durability and his strength.
I wanted him to be capable of defending himself in a world that might fear what they do not understand. .."
Murmurs swept across the crowd.
I leaned up against Oryx who held me up. His nose sniffed into my neck.
“What’s wrong, pet?”
I shook my head. “Headache. Keep going.”
“Lies,” Oryx whispered. “Something is wrong.” His head rose.
“He is perfectly safe,” Veylor said, grabbing Oryx by the arm, “he is intelligent, perfect, and is also the love of my life.”
The crowd gasped.
"He is my mate as well. We are all mates, we will be bonded to each other!" Veylor's voice strained against the growing murmurs.
“There cannot be three!” A man yelled. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
A woman dripping in sapphires clutched her velvet handbag against her chest like a shield. "No one mentioned anything about these 'soul bonds' before tonight," she hissed, her painted lips barely moving. "And now you claim three people can be bound together? What kind of perversion is this?"
The crowd erupted into chaos. "It’s an abomination!" a woman in emerald silk shrieked, yanking her wide-eyed daughter behind her skirts. “That poor woman beside them has to be with those two?”
Chairs scraped against marble as guests scrambled backward, creating a widening circle of empty space around us. Veylor raised his hands, his mouth forming words that disappeared beneath the rising tide of hisses and shouts. A glass shattered somewhere to my left.
Oryx roared, his tail slapped the ground to get everyone’s attention, but instead caused more chaos. “Be still!” He snarled.
Veylor and Oryx moved apart, leaving me suspended between them as darkness crept in from the edges of my vision and the room's uproar dimmed to a distant echo.
I was passing out, being swallowed by the darkness.
“We are a triad!” Veylor screamed. “We all love each other! The fates want us bound! She’s a frostwhisper fae, we are fated as three!”
My legs shook and I fell to the ground. I felt heat near my face and the smell of smoke invaded my lungs.
Then someone lifted me up from the ground.
“Vesper!” Oryx snarled, his hooves galloping from a distance. “LET GO OF HER!”