Epilogue
Eden
Eden wandered the castle, his mind restless as he pondered over the next steps of his plan.
What could he do to further things along? How could he get the two men that he knew were meant to be his on the same page?
Only one of them knew of his existence. They'd met briefly, though he doubted the other man would even remember.
Not because Eden was forgettable, but because the man had been swarmed by others hoping to get his attention.
He was popular. The horde loved him, and men and women alike flocked, wanting to present themselves as a possible mate.
It always made Eden angry when he saw that. He knew that dragon was his, knew it as well as he understood he was a Little.
But he couldn't just approach the man. There were issues at hand.
To add to the complications, he was also sure that there was another for him.
His family had joked he was more than a handful to deal with since he was Little.
Eden understood he was a brat. Most days he enjoyed it.
When it came to his mates, however, he was helpless.
How did he navigate getting the two of them in the same room together with him alone so that he could convince them that they needed to pack up their lives, move into the castle, and have their wicked way with him? Preferably at the same time.
Instead of finalizing a plan and truly having the answers, Eden was overwhelmed. He didn't want to explain things to his family. He knew they wouldn't see it the way he did.
Romilly, who'd just solidified his mating with Archer, his little human, had a complicated situation as well in finding his mate. But his was more of the dragon-meets-human, must-explain-the-supernatural-world kind. Eden's was different.
The good news, though, was that the castle itself was calmer.
Archer's presence had created an energy shift.
It brought with it a sort of lightness that had been absent before.
Some of it was due to how Romilly had reacted to Archer, how the pair were so deeply in love that nothing could bring the king's mood down.
As a member of the horde, Eden liked that fact.
He could appreciate how smoothly things were running now.
As Romilly's family, he was even more elated.
He wanted to see his oldest brother happy, wanted to know that at the end of the day he'd gained another sibling and they would live happily ever after within the castle walls.
It paved the way for the rest of them to settle down too. Though Soren was too busy being a grouch and dealing with Fae squabbles to take note, and Hadrian was working more with their father than ever.
It was suspicious. Eden knew as much, and if he didn't have his mind wrapped up with his mates, he would point out how much his brother, his partner in crime, had been absent lately. There were more pressing matters at hand, though.
For one, part of the bonding that happened between Archer and Romilly had led to Archer becoming a little less human. He now had powers that were emotion-based. He could pick up on people around him and his intuition led him to find things more easily than anyone else.
It was a gift Eden understood as beneficial for the horde, though he wasn't sure how just yet. Fate would reveal all in due time. It always did.
The late-night wandering led him to the kitchen. Though it wasn't intentional, he could probably admit that his subconscious was very much wanting to self-soothe with cookies.
Nothing could be bad with cookies.
He kept quiet as he walked through the space. There were no traps or sensors to alert Belinda, their head chef, that anything was amiss. However, he knew from experience that touching one thing or moving an item slightly would alert her to someone being in the kitchen.
And if she took inventory and noticed the cookies missing, she would blame Eden first. Hadrian could have been just as guilty, but Belinda knew it was always Eden.
He grabbed his spoils and left the kitchen immediately so as not to have a run-in with anyone.
This time he intentionally went to the observatory.
He liked all of the plants there, and after hearing the story of the Gnomes' history, which he had forgotten in the many, many years since he'd first learned it, he wanted to spend more time with them.
Wanted to see what they were truly about.
The clan that the Gnomes belonged to was vast. If there was news to be found, maybe Eden could bargain with the creatures for the intel. If he could find out what his mates were doing and who they were doing it with, he could set some things in motion.
He had power as one of the princes in line for the throne. He could have someone go out and look. Again, he hadn't really expressed his intentions to the people around him, so he would work around the obvious choice.
When he stepped into the observatory, his heart slowed. The plants were a welcome treat. They surrounded him instantly, swallowing him up as he wove through the pathways until he reached the area he'd last seen the Gnomes. He sat down, crossing his legs, and nibbled on his first cookie.
Normally he would shove the entire thing in his mouth and follow it with several others. He needed to savor them this time. He didn't think he'd be going to bed anytime soon, and if the Gnomes came out, he might feel like sharing some. Hopefully he’d grabbed enough to do so.
The quietness of the room echoed around him.
A magical breeze fluttered the plants and brought with it the sounds of the beings living within the space.
Various insects and creatures made a song of the night.
The first grumblings of familiar Gnome sounds brought a smile to Eden's face. Good, they were here.
The small men came out of the brush without fanfare. They walked straight up to him, holding out their hands in a line. Six of them had shown up. It was less than he thought might, but he was thankful since he had just enough for these few.
He placed half a cookie in each hand. They could have had a whole one, but a Gnome on sugar was dangerous to the castle. That much sugar, at least. A half a cookie wouldn't do any harm.
For as much as Eden was a brat, the Gnomes were hellions. They would bite and kick when provoked. Some of it was for safety purposes, others simply because they enjoyed it.
They only ever avoided his mother. Not avoided in the way of never speaking to her should she show up. It was that they didn't approach her too closely.
Rumor had it that one of them had tried to bite her once, and her dragon had unleashed hell upon them, showing them who was truly the boss around here. His father had laughed.
Or that's how the story went anyway. Getting the truth out of his parents would be impossible. His mother preferred to be thought of as kind and gentle. She was only formidable when need be.
Eden shook his head, nibbling on yet another cookie as he watched the Gnomes gobble theirs up. When they finished, they sat down, forming a circle with him. He ate the last cookie he had with him, then dusted his hands off on his pants.
"Good evening," he told the group. They dipped their heads at him, staring without blinking in that sometimes-creepy way.
"How are things with your people?" he asked. He let his eyes roam over each one taking in the details of how they looked and sat. He didn't see anyone who stood out as their leader. The group remained silent for a moment before the one seated directly across from Eden spoke up.
"Our people are fine. They are resting, and the others are protecting the plants as needed."
"And your family outside? They're well?" Eden questioned further, stalling before he could figure out how to ask his real question.
"Yes, they are fine as well," the Gnome said. "Now, do tell us what has brought you here, and with a bribe, no less."
He winced at being called out so plainly. The Gnomes never held back their punches. He knew this. Why he thought they would cut him a break was beyond him.
Maybe it was the tiredness, or maybe he was just so lost in his thoughts that it didn't register. Eden swallowed thickly, then admitted why he was there.
"The truth of my visit is that I need to know some things that are happening outside of the castle. I don't want to make anyone go on my behalf, because then rumors might spread. And I don't want rumors about this."
The Gnomes nodded as if to encourage him to continue.
And so he did. Eden explained about the men he hoped to draw to the castle.
He spoke of how his dragon had told him they were his and that he needed help in getting it all sorted.
The Gnomes listened quietly, never once interrupting him or pointing out the flaws in his situation.
He appreciated that, because he knew it was complicated. And anyone who had met those men would as well. But the heart wanted what it wanted.
His dragon, who was never truly patient, had basically given him an ultimatum. He could figure it out, or the dragon would take over. As much as Eden enjoyed when his animal side was spirited, he didn't need the fallout to land on his family's doorstep.
When he finished his tale, the Gnomes huddled together, whispering in their native tongue.
Eden understood some of it. He had spent a great deal of time learning various languages when he was younger.
He was nosy and liked to be in the know.
The more languages he understood, the better he could eavesdrop on conversations.
Especially ones that people didn't want him to hear. Those were the best.
He could put together enough of what they said to pick up that they were hesitant to help him, but that even they could sense in their magic that something bigger than all of them was going on.
Eventually the head Gnome agreed that they would go gather information, since they didn't have any as of yet.
"Thank you," Eden said. He was sincere enough in his appreciation that he was met with wide eyes. The Gnomes backed away from him as if they feared turning their backs on him would make him do something violent or outlandish beyond his general appreciation.
When they were gone, Eden sat there for a moment longer. He was so lost in his thoughts of what came next that he startled when Soren eased down beside him.
"What are you doing here?" Eden asked.
Soren didn't look at him. Their eyes were focused on the space where the Gnomes had left.
Oh no, Eden worried. Had they heard?
When Soren spoke, everything in Eden's world came to a grinding halt.
"The two men you are interested in have just been announced as candidates to fill the Council's open seat. It seems, dear brother, that you have decided to claim rivals as your mates."
Find out how Eden’s story unfolds in
Their Greedy Mate.