Chapter 1

Moon

I wake with a groan and reach up to rub at my aching head. Fucking hell.

A foul odor, like congealed blood and magic, permeates the air as I try to get my bearings. Grunting with effort, I attempt to haul myself upright into a seated position but fail miserably with a cry as I collapse back onto the ground. Fuck it, this is as a good place to rest as any.

"Oh, she's not dead," a feminine voice says, as I blink my eyes open and look up at my own reflection. No, not my reflection… Well, my face, but also not my face. Ugh, my head really hurts…

"I just healed you, Moon," Lust grumbles as he kneels beside me. I'm still on the porch, so I must not have been unconscious for long. I reach my hand out, so Lust can help me sit up. It's weird how easily I can trust him, and yet still be so fucking pissed at him.

As I look into his eyes, I can't feel any true anger, though. Mostly just fear. I was so scared I'd lost him forever.

"Thanks," I murmur, reaching up to rub at my temples once more. "What happened?"

"I'm going back inside. I need food," Love huffs, before stomping away. She's a peach. How the fuck magic managed to clone me and make her so very much unlike me, I'll never know.

"You glowed purple and passed out," Lust states with a huff, and Grams steps around the herd of men that were surrounding me. I have my own herd. A small army. A squad… I wonder if they would wear matching jerseys… I feel like this was a missed opportunity in the Games.

"Your full power has manifested, now that you've found all your Heart Bonded," Grams says."Your mother and I were discussing such things before we were rather rudely interrupted." Grams gives Lust a pointed side eye, and he cringes.

"Sorry," the Phoenix murmurs, looking dejected as he hangs his head.

"Umhum." Grams knows Lust wasn't in control. All things considered, I think she's going easy on him. On Love too, actually. "Anyway. Your last Heart Bond must have been Lust."

"Oh shit. When she said I had to mate everyone, I thought my mom meant I had to have sex with all of you," I gasp, and then grin sheepishly at Grams. "Sorry, TMI."

"I'm old, Moon, not a nun. I've heard worse. Hell, I've done worse." She wiggles her brows at me, and I make a disgusted face. Worse than sleeping with eleven men all at once? Ew.

"I love you, but ew," I respond with a gag, making her cackle.

"Help her get inside," Grams orders, waving toward me. As one, all my men move in to help me up. When Kili and Tristan bump heads, the former pulls a knife on the latter. My ever-chaotic lover.

"Woah, calm down captain crazy pants," Tristan chuckles, as he dodges three attempts to slit his throat. Thank fuck my Elven prince—ex-prince?—is fast.

"Kili," I sigh, looking to Crow for help. "My head hurts far too much for in-harem attempted murder, guys."

"He's not been body snatched, brother," Crow grumbles, clearly over his sibling's nonsense, and Warrior steps up.

"Why do you always think someone has been body snatched? Why do you think it would be so easy for one of us to be replaced when we are always together? Always surrounded by so much magic. Would it not be impossible?" Warrior asks, tilting his head like a curious puppy. Kili seems to really consider this for a moment, before sheathing his knife.

"Valid point brother," Kili agrees, patting his newly discovered brother on the back, and Crow's jaw drops.

"Seriously? What the absolute fuck? For years, Kili, years, I have been trying to say the same fucking thing!" Crow gripes while whipping his blond head around to glare at his brother, to which Kili shrugs one shoulder. "He's been in our lives for eight minutes, and you already believe him? The fuck…"

"His argument was more compelling. You said you could not be body-snatched… You never said you could not be body-snatched without myself or others noticing." Kili holds a hand out to me, and I take it. "Who are you?" he growls low, but I don't see the old familiar look of crazy in his eyes. He just wants to hear me say it.

"I am yours, Kili," I tell him, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Damn right, you are, Mistress."

"If he weren't my brother, I'd kick his ass," Crow grumbles, as he walks ahead of me into the house with Silas and Tristan. Warrior follows them, grumbling something about his question being serious.

"Good thing he is then, huh?" I ask, and he tilts his head from side to side as he turns back to address my reasoning. The curious glint of his golden eyes flashes as he works through the argument.

"I suppose," Crow continues as I let Kili lead me inside. I don't bother to complain when he manhandles me all the way to the couch.Taking a seat, I look up at my Elven Champion. "Are you okay, Pixie?" Crow asks as he crouches in front of me.

"My head hurts, but I'm fine. I think." I try for a reassuring smile, but it comes out as more of a grimace. The throbbing sensation behind my eyes is killing me, but these men aren't really helping with that.

"You feel quite powerful," he says, looking over my body.

"So powerful," Cato growls, and I look up, chuckling. He looks ready to lick me. His eyes glow, as they flash reptilian and back again. As I watch him, he lifts a brow, as if challenging me to say something about the way he's looking at me. I simply smile.

"Oh, gross." Love makes a hacking sound, and I turn to look at my clone. It's so bizarre seeing my face on someone else's body.

"Get used to it. There's eleven of them, it's only going to get worse," I say, before turning to Warrior. "How's your head?" I ask, and Warrior smiles softly.

"Still good, Goddess. You destroyed my tormentor. A fact I will forever be grateful for." Warrior tips his chin down, before leaning over to kiss my cheek. "Her voice is nothing more than a whisper in my memory now."

"Should we give her some space?" Odas asks, and a chorus of no fills the room, making Grams snort when she walks back in.

"Stay here tonight. Recover. I will go to my coven and request their help in saving your mother. We will leave for the Fae Realm in the morning when I return." Grams adjusts the bag on her shoulder and kisses my cheek.

"I'm sleeping outside," Love announces, scrunching up her nose as she makes a funky face, and I frown.

"You don't need to do that. There's plenty of room here," I offer, but she simply scoffs at me.

"Nope. Even if I wasn't more comfortable under the stars, there's no way I'm sticking around for the fuck fest that's about to go down." Love throws her hand up, grabs a pillow off the couch, and marches out the front door.

"She's fun," Tristan chuckles, and I nod.

"I like her," I decide. She's feisty and hardened. If she was raised by the Fae Queen as a pawn, then it's a miracle she's filled with anything but pain and malice. She loves someone. Someone important enough to her that she's willing to risk her own life to save them.

"You can sleep next to me if you want," Daire offers Warrior, who blushes slightly. Their closeness fills a hole in my heart that I didn't know was even there. I have eleven mates, but Daire only has me…If he divides his attention between me and Warrior, I know neither of them will feel neglected.

"We should probably get beds together for the night," I say, but before I can get up, the guys around me jump into action. "Leave Gram's room untouched!" I shout, chuckling. I have my own room here, but my childhood bed would maybe fit one of my mates with me.

The large blue couch that sits in the living room is not enough to fit the sprawl of these men, but we'll be able to make a nest on the floor in front of it. An image of what all those naked limbs would look like surrounding me dances through my head as I wait.

It doesn't take long for the guys to get the room situated, with pillows and a bunch of blankets spread across the rug. I take the pillow and blanket that Silas offers me and lower myself to the floor. Or, I try to. A chorus of growls stops me halfway.

"What do you think you're doing?" Arlo scolds, and I lift a brow as I stare him down. The heat in his magenta eyes almost distracts me from responding.

"Getting ready to sleep?" I offer, holding my blanket up as proof of my intention, but Arlo doesn't even respond. Lust swoops me up off the ground, and settles me back on the couch.

"You sleep here," he commands, and I shake my head. I try to push my way up, but he shoves me down until my head hits the pillow, and then uses the blanket to tuck me in tight. I let him fuss over me like he's a mother hen, fighting him off would probably just result in chaos.

"I'm so much smaller than all of you! One of you should take the couch!" I complain, but all of them make different sounds of disapproval. Cato goes so far as to glare at me like the rabid dragon he is. I look to Odas for help, but he gives me a face that just screams, ‘You're on your own against the dragon, babe.'

"Moonlight, don't argue," Cato grumbles, as he curls up in the corner. Crow nods his agreement.

"It's not fair…" I pout, and the rest of them snort.

"No one cares. Now go to sleep," Tristan snaps, sounding ready to battle this one out.

"There's room for one of you up here," I add, but none of them even respond. "One of you could cuddle your mate at the least…" I huff, but again, I get no response. "What about you, Kili?" I aim for the weakest link, but either he's suddenly a pro at ignoring me, or he's already asleep.

"Moon," Lust warns, and I let out an annoyed sigh.

"What if I say I'm lonely?" I ask innocently. This at least gets a few of them to groan.

"We're not trying to punish you, Pixie. The couch isn't big enough for your eleven mates. It wouldn't be fair for just one of us to cuddle you." Crow defends them, but I grumble.

"You could take turns…" I suggest.

"Go to sleep, Moon, before one of us bends you over our knee," Fen threatens, and I can't help but think of the time Lust used a similar threat.

Rolling over, I face the couch, and tug the blanket up over my shoulder. I close my eyes and try to fall asleep reluctantly.