Chapter 14
Harper
I’m calm now. Almost painfully calm. Arthur’s words unlocked something inside of me.
He’s right. It might feel like I don’t have any control over my life right now, but I absolutely do.
Even if the ways forward might not be easy.
One of those paths certainly is marrying the princes and the Hollowborn, but there are many paths that don’t end that way.
“Let’s just start with the most important things,” Prince Gareth says.
Drawing my shoulders back, I wait, curious to see what he thinks is most important. I know that whatever it is might be a good sign for what’s to come.
“There shouldn't be any more men in your bed.”
My jaw drops open.
Prince Lucien nods. “It’s not proper.”
“I mean… you’re our fiancé,” Prince Alaric adds.
My gaze slides between the three big men. How can they be so strong, so handsome, and so idiotic all at the same time? Restricting who I hang out with is what’s most important to them? Controlling me? Not all the other stuff that Arthur said.
“You’re sure as fuck not going to tell me what to do. You’re especially not going to dictate any rules in my friendship, including whether or not I can spend the night in a bed with someone I’ve been sleeping with since I was two years old.”
Prince Lucien’s mouth pulls into a thin line. “Not having other men in your bed is just about the most basic respect you can show the men you’re engaged to.”
“Except I’m not really engaged to you, am I?”
All three look confused, but Prince Alaric is the one to voice their concerns out loud. “What are you talking about? Our father just announced it.”
“Because Ebron has chosen your dragons as his mates. Except he hasn’t done that yet, has he? He’s waiting to see if we can sort out the issues between us before linking all of us together.”
“But it’s going to happen,” Prince Gareth says dryly, like what I’m saying doesn’t matter at all.
“Maybe it won’t,” I tell them. “You’re certainly not giving me any reasons to want to marry you.”
Prince Lucien whirls to his brothers. “Say something to her, because I’ve just about had it with her acting like a petulant child.”
“I’m not acting like a child, I’m just disturbing your delicate understanding of your world.
The three of you thought you’d be able to act however you wanted, be as big of pricks as you wanted, and any woman would fall all over herself to have you, just because of your name.
Is it hard to know that isn’t true? Does it hurt your itty bitty feelings? ”
“We’re getting off track.” Prince Alaric begins to pace.
“We need to all accept that we’re engaged.
That we’re connected together through our dragons and also because of the king’s decision to link us.
And we need to come up with rules and boundaries.
The least of which is that we don’t find Arthur, or any other man, in your bed. ”
“The king may have decided your future for you, but he won’t decide mine.”
Prince Alaric looks at me like I’m crazy. “He’s your king. Surely you don’t plan to disobey him?”
“I will if I have to.”
“Is the idea of marrying us that bad?” Prince Alaric asks, then seems to remember our conversation with Arthur. “I mean, I know we haven’t been kind, patient, or loving, but surely you can see that we can be if needed?”
“I do not see that,” I tell him stubbornly.
All the brothers share a glance, like they’re trying to figure out a complicated problem but no one’s coming up with a solution. Although in this case, I guess I’m the problem.
“You know this whole thing isn’t easy for us either?
” Prince Lucien tells me, irritated. “We’re not exactly jumping for joy that we have to marry you.
And that’s not even considering the fact that we’re expected to be okay being linked to a Hollowborn.
We realize you find them kissable, but we don’t want to share our wife with our enemy. ”
“So, what are you going to do about it?” I ask.
“Do about it?” he repeats.
“You’re princes. You have some power, don’t you? Fix this problem.”
There’s disbelief in his perfect green eyes. “What do you expect us to do?”
I shrug, locking eyes with him.
“We could speak to our father and try to get out of this whole mess…”
“Then do it.”
“Absolutely crazy,” Prince Gareth mutters, his jaw working.
“Father has already made up his mind.” Prince Alaric looks uncertain, glancing between all of us.
I stare down Prince Lucien until he finally says, “But we will speak to our father and try to escape this ridiculous situation.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” I tell them.
All three men look absolutely crushed, and I have no idea why…
unless Arthur might have been right about their feelings, which is hard to believe.
It’s probably just the dragon hormones. The tension in their muscles falls.
The frustration and anger in their faces disappear.
They’re just staring at me like I’ve gravely wounded them, and something inside of me wants to ease the pain I feel radiating off of them.
They turn to leave and begin approaching the door slowly. Their footsteps are measured. They don’t look anything like the confident princes I’m used to.
Prince Alaric stops at the door and looks back. “You said Arthur is your best friend. Is that all? Or do you have a romantic connection to him?”
I’m irritated he even thinks he has the right to ask. “Arthur is simply one of the most important men in my life, and he’ll always hold a high place in my eyes.”
That seems to renew their looks of anger as they storm out of my room, slamming the door shut behind them.
I sit down on my bed, realizing that I’m shaking just a little.
The conversation was just… so emotionally charged.
Every time I’m around them it’s like that.
Like lightning is sizzling through the air, and I don’t know.
I’ve been attracted to men before—though never like I’ve been to them—but I can’t think that’s entirely it.
The truth is, I don’t know what’s going on between us, but I know they seemed a bit sad that I didn’t want to marry them.
Or maybe I was imagining it.
Either way, something is in the air between us. Something powerful. Something that almost feels like magic. I have to think it’s because of our connection through our dragons, but even as I have the thought, I know it’s something more than that.
Something that scares me.