Chapter Twenty-One #3
My legs still feel like jelly as Eunho and I stumble our way back toward the main grounds, barely able to keep ourselves upright between fits of giddy laughter. The cool night air does little to calm the flush in my cheeks or soothe the delicious ache between my thighs.
“Careful,” Eunho murmurs as I trip over my own feet, his arm tightening around my waist. The fresh bite mark on my shoulder throbs at the movement, sending another wave of pleasure-pain through my system.
We're almost to the main hall when a familiar, grating voice cuts through our bubble of post-coital bliss.
“Well, it seems it didn't take you long to switch out your escorts.”
I turn, fighting the urge to roll my eyes as Ga-in emerges from the shadows of a nearby pillar.
Her perfectly made-up face contorts in an exaggerated expression of revulsion as she takes in our disheveled state—my swollen lips, Eunho's rumpled clothes, and the proudly displayed mate marks curling around Eunho's arms.
“I suppose I should have seen this coming,” she sneers, her nose wrinkling delicately. “Another halfblood who can't be satisfied with just one male. How … predictable.”
I let out a dismissive snort, too blissed out to engage with her petty barbs. But Eunho stiffens beside me, his fangs flashing in the late sunlight as his lips curl back.
“That's rich coming from you, Ga-in,” he drawls, voice dripping with venom. “Weren't you the one who couldn't be satisfied with just one male? Let alone one brother?”
The color drains from Ga-in's face, her perfectly painted lips parting in shock. For once, she seems at a loss for words.
“At least my mates know about each other,” I add sweetly, leaning into Eunho's side as his arm tightens possessively around me.
I stare as Ga-in's perfect composure crumbles, her painted lips twisting into an ugly snarl.
“You know nothing,” she hisses, her hands clenched into trembling fists at her sides.
Eunho lets out a derisive snort. “Everyone knows exactly what happened. You got greedy, thought you'd sample both Han brothers. And fittingly, lost them both in the end. Now neither one wants you.”
“I never betrayed Dohwan!” Ga-in's voice rises to a shrill pitch that makes me wince.
“Are you delusional?” I gape at her, unable to process the pure conviction in her voice.
“You ignorant halfling!” she shrieks, taking a threatening step forward. “You know nothing about fae politics, nothing about what was at stake!”
“What was at stake?” Eunho's voice drips with sarcasm. “Did someone put a gun to your head and force you to sleep with your fiancé's brother?”
Ga-in's bottom lip trembles, and to my shock, tears well up in her eyes. “It was her idea,” she whispers. “She said … she said it would make him fight for me. That Dohwan would give me more attention if he had to win me back.”
I frown, tipping my head to the side as I try to make sense of this bizarre logic. “What?”
“Who in their right mind told you that?” Eunho demands.
Ga-in lifts her chin, a flash of defiance crossing her face despite the tears threatening to spill. “Lady Han suggested it. She promised me everything—a place in court, leadership of the Han family. All I had to do was succeed.”
My jaw drops, but Eunho just shakes his head, disgust evident in every line of his face.
“You're a fool,” he spits. “If you thought that kind of half-baked scheme would win Dohwan's love, you deserve to be tossed aside like garbage.”
I let Eunho guide me away from Ga-in's shrieking, my mind reeling from her confession. The bite on my shoulder throbs in time with my racing pulse.
“Do you think she's telling the truth?” I ask once Ga-in's voice fades into the distance. “About Dohwan's mother?”
Eunho's face twists into a grimace. “Probably. Lady Han always was kind of a bitch.”
I think back to that tense brunch, the way Dojoon needled and taunted Dohwan while their mother sat there, sipping her tea without a word of reproach. The strange, brittle dynamic between them all suddenly takes on a new light.
“Did Dohwan even like Ga-in?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
A sharp bark of laughter escapes Eunho. “Likely not. The engagement always seemed odd to me. He never showed much interest in her before then.” He pauses, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
His voice drops lower, almost hesitant. “Actually, I never thought Dohwan was much into females at all.”
My head snaps up. “What do you mean?”
Eunho shifts uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, as long as I've known him, Dohwan's always seemed to prefer male partners.” His lips twist wryly. “In fact, the only females he ever showed interest in were conveniently the ones I liked first.”
My mind races, pieces clicking into place.
Dojoon's snide comment about exposing Dohwan's “conquests” from high school takes on a whole new meaning.
When I look up at Eunho, there's an oddly bitter expression on his face that makes me wonder what other history lies beneath the surface of their rivalry.