Chapter 10

TEN

Cassia

Princes Zane, Sulien, and Forrest start off ahead of us, whispering among themselves. I feel the warmth of a hand on the small of my back and I'm gently pushed toward the door of the ballroom. I glance back to see Prince Forrest when only moments before he was in front of me. Damn royals and their ability to teleport. What's worse is that his large hand feels nice on my back and has my dirty thoughts wondering what else is large about Prince Forrest.

Not that I'll let him show what he's doing to me. "Do we need to do this?"

Prince Forrest's voice is warm in my ear. "It'll be over quickly, and then you'll be all ours."

Butterflies dance in my stomach, but I force myself to try to sound normal when I say, "So, now you want to let me out of this room? I was more than happy to leave before!"

Prince Forrest laughs, and the sound is deep and rich. "Well, now you're leaving with me, so it's different."

"Different my ass," I mutter, remembering being hunted down like an injured squirrel.

"Speaking of your ass, I approve," he purrs into my ear, sending every hair on my body standing on end.

"Have you ever met an ass you didn't approve of?" Prince Cobar asks, suddenly at his side.

I glance at the other man, and he winks at me. It's like he wants to make sure Prince Forrest isn't the only one who gets to flirt with me. But I guess that's normal, since he thinks I'm his mate. This whole thing is a fucking disaster, and Prince Sulien better have a plan to get us out of it.

Prince Forrest grins. " Your ass does absolutely nothing for me."

"Thank the gods for that!" Prince Cobar says, then throws back his head and laughs.

These two are pretty funny together. I know the princes rotate from palace to palace together every year as a way of keeping the peace between the courts, but I hadn't actually thought about their relationship much… except for the dirty rumors I've heard.

Oh… the rumors…

"So you two have never…?" I point between them, unable to stop myself from voicing the ridiculous question. "Because there's a lot of whispers about the fae princes."

They stop short, forcing me to stop and look at them both. The men look absolutely shocked, so blown away that they seem to have lost the ability to talk, which makes me wickedly happy for reasons I don't understand.

There! Let them be the uncomfortable, flustered ones.

Prince Forrest lifts a finger and shakes it like a scolding mother, with the most serious expression I've ever seen. "My lady, I have never dunked my pen in a manly inkwell."

A laugh explodes from my lips. " Manly ink ?"

His expression grows more serious. He walks toward me and takes my chin in his large hand, tilting me up, up, up to look into his brilliant green eyes. Making it impossible for me not to trace his scar with my gaze before returning to his eyes. "Many fae don't care what, uh, hole they dip their pen into, but I prefer the feminine inkwell."

I'm laughing again, and I can't stop as he gazes down at me in horror. Feminine inkwell? What the fuck?

His serious expression slowly shifts, and then he's smiling. Before I know what's happening, he leans down and brushes his lips against mine. "There's always going to be laughter in our home," he whispers against my lips.

My humor is gone. I swallow hard and stagger back, and I'm relieved when he lets me go. But then I'm bumping into someone else.

When I turn, Prince Cobar is there, smiling at me. His beautiful face is even lovelier when he smiles. "I took a moment to decide if I was offended by your question and decided that I wasn't. I prefer the ladies as well, but there are some awfully pretty fae men, so I understand why you might think otherwise. Prince Forrest included among those pretty men, of course." Then he winks at the other man.

The Fall Fae's cheeks turn bright red, nearly as red as his hair. "Watch it, Cobar, or I'm going to run you through with my sword." But he doesn't sound angry, just flustered.

Prince Cobar flutters his eyelashes. "My, my, you're forward, Prince Forrest, but I'd prefer if you kept your sword to yourself, "

" Cobar …" he hisses, and I can't tell how serious he's being, but it's amusing as hell.

"Though I reckon we'll have to learn how to work our swords together if we're going to properly run our bride through." Prince Cobar leans his head to the side and cups his face while fluttering those long lashes again.

It's hard not to laugh, even though they're talking about sharing me in the bedroom. Something I haven't agreed to. Hell, I truly figured the worst-case scenario would be me having to go from bed to bed with these princes. But all at once? That's one fantasy better left in the imagination.

Prince Cobar spins to face me and takes my hand. "I swear, my lady, if Prince Forrest and I have to practice day and night until you're ready for us in your bed, we will manage to make our cocks work in sync."

"I am not practicing with you!" Prince Forrest roars, but he still looks more shocked than angry.

Prince Zane is suddenly beside our little group. "Prince Cobar, stop messing with him. We have more important things to worry about." Then he turns to me, his expression impossible to read. "Worry was the wrong word, my lady. You have nothing to worry about."

He offers me his arm, and unsure what else to do, I reluctantly take it. Our pace is more brisk as we continue along, but I can hear the others scrambling to keep up with us.

"The elders simply want to weigh in since this is an unusual situation," Prince Zane explains to me gently, patting my hand with his cold one.

Ah. Here, I sense I might actually get some answers.

"How unusual is it?" It's a question I've been wondering since the spell went wrong. Apparently, my matching with four fae royals is believable, but strange enough to get the elders involved. Probably because there was a war the last time this happened according to the fae in the ballroom.

Which is more than a little scary. Way to add to the pressure.

Prince Zane sighs. "All the courts and houses have relationships where one woman shares more than one mate. It's believed this is because there are fewer women than men among the fae, so if women aren't shared, many men would be left without a mate." It's strange how much I like the sound of his voice. I thought it was as cold as the man at first, but it's more musical. Deep, yet light at the same time. "Fae royals have had fewer shared mates. I believe four or five in history, but only once have I heard of one female being shared by all four royals."

It's hard to swallow around the lump in my throat. "So, this will cause problems?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Most fae have one child, but since it's believed each male can only have one child, in situations like this, the woman often will have the same number of children as she has partners. That means there should still be one royal per family, which would be the number one concern."

Four children. I'm expected to pop out four kids. I mean, I never really thought about marriage and kids, but that's a lot… isn't it? And yet, that's just the beginning of this mess.

"What's the number two concern?" I ask, even though I'm pretty sure that has to do with what I heard in the ball concerning a war.

Yeah, like what humans need is more trouble. War means that the humans will get the short end of the stick, no matter where they stick that stick.

His gaze meets mine, those pale eyes of his stealing my breath. "That we won't be able to share you, and that it'll cause a war amongst the kingdoms."

I was right. War. Death. Famine. It hadn't happened in ages, but peace amongst the fae is always fragile, if our history is any indication.

He pats my hand again. "But don't worry, my lady, we will do whatever it is we must in order to share you, and to keep war from our lands."

I try to smile, but I feel like I'm heading for my doom. The noise of the ballroom is gone, and now there's only the silence of the rest of the castle. We walk down several hallways until we reach one with a bench outside the doors. The Elders' Chambers. There, a few guests mill about. Probably the already married ones who were only at the party to see the matches.

Probably also some of the ones responsible for tattling on me to the elders. I'm just guessing, though. Again, I wish I knew more about the solstice nights and the elders. All of this is so new and confusing to me, making an already difficult time harder.

We stop outside of the imposing doors, and the four of us stand in silence. I don't venture to imagine what they're thinking. There's no telling since three of these four princes think I'm truly their mate, and one is as hard to read as a book with no words.

The elders walk past us, cast Prince Sulien a look, then disappear into their chambers. I glance at the prince again, and I stiffen. The Summer Prince has the look of a man capable of awful things as his intense auburn eyes sweep from me back to the elders' chamber .

What the hell is he going to do or say? How is he going to protect our secret? I don't know, but I'm almost scared of him right now. He's pissed. I just hope that anger is directed at the elders and not me.

"The damn fools like the dramatics," Prince Forrest whispers in my ear, the heat of his breath distracting given the circumstances. "They like to seem all-knowing and powerful, but they're really just a pack of old men hoping to prove their use on the rare occasion they can."

I hope he's right. I honestly do. The elders are often whispered about by the staff, but most of what we know sounds more like fairy tales than the truth. Fairy tales about powerful older fae capable of steering the direction of our court.

Prince Sulien turns to all of us, head held high, shoulders back, and says, "I'm going to meet with them and handle this. Stay with Cassia."

It's frustrating. His voice gives nothing away. Is he worried about this? Is he cocky as hell? I can't tell, and I kind of want to slap the answer out of him.

"You're going to talk to them and put them in their places, right?" Prince Forrest asks, and he absolutely sounds cocky.

The summer fae doesn't look impressed. "I'll hear their concerns and deal with them."

"If these were my elders, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves," Prince Forrest says, and there's a challenge in his voice.

Prince Sulien's expression doesn't change when he answers, "And that is one of the many ways you and I differ." Without giving me the least bit of reassurance, he turns and disappears into their chambers.

Great. I guess I get to just sit out here and twist in the wind. Although, I guess, I prefer this to actually being in there with him, lying through my teeth.

Yet, I feel helpless. And I hate feeling helpless.

Not sure what else to do, I sit on the bench in the hall, gripping the wood, letting my thoughts race. I need to think. To come up with a plan of what to tell the elders. Who am I? How am I a fae? What house am I from? How do I explain working as a maid all these years without telling people about my fae side? How do I explain why I've never shown control over the least bit of magic? They're all good questions.

Unfortunately for me, I don't have any answers.

Suddenly, Prince Cobar sits close beside me. So close that his thigh and arm touch mine. It's bold, and not at all what I'm in the mood for right now, so I scoot the other way down the bench.

"Did you really steal a necklace today?" he whispers into my ear, suddenly beside me again.

Damn teleporting. He could have just moved over. I pull back from him and glare. "You're terrible at breaking the ice. You know that, right?"

He smirks. "But I more than make up for it in good looks."

Despite my best intentions, I smile before I can smother it. "Look, I'm busy right now."

"Busy worrying?" he asks, lifting a brow.

Prince Zane sits down on my other side, his chill oddly nice against Prince Cobar's warmth. "She hasn't dealt with the elders before. Of course she's nervous."

"All the more reason to distract her with questions," Prince Cobar answers with a grin.

"I know a better way to distract her," Prince Forrest suggests, standing a little too close to me, my face cock-level with him.

Shifting back, I lift a brow. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"With you? Yes," he answers slickly.

Yeah, right.

I laugh. "I saw you at the ball. Your reputation proceeds you. If you're going to try to pull lines like that, you might want to try them on someone dumber."

He looks shocked. The other men looked shocked. Surely, I'm not the first woman to call them on their bullshit, right?

"Damn. Our mate is smart," Prince Forrest says to the others, but he actually sounds a little hurt.

Hurt? I wonder why. No doubt a man like him constantly has beautiful women throwing themselves at him. He shouldn't be hurt just because I don't think he's all that and a bag of gold coins.

It's weird.

"So, tell us about the necklace?" Prince Cobar's voice is filled with innocence as he starts his not-so-gentle badgering again.

Seriously? The elders could have seen right through our trick and be currently getting ready to call for my head, but I've got to explain my life to them? I have better things to do.

"Do you think I stole a necklace today?" There. A question with a question. If he's going to annoy me, I'm going to annoy him right back.

"Perhaps." He chuckles.

His answer pisses me off. "Sorry to disappoint, but I was framed by a snotty fae."

"Who?" Prince Forrest says, then his voice goes low and sexy. "We'll have their head."

Okay, that's a little romantic, but I don't need them fighting my battles. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

Down the hall, someone calls for Prince Cobar. A group of ladies. He looks irritated for the briefest moment, excuses himself, and heads down the hall. I try not to follow him with my eyes. He's not mine. Not really. But it's weird. One minute he's over here trying to flirt with me and the next he's distracted by all the glamorous fae.

Stupid men. Stupid princes.

"So you worked here as a maid?" Prince Forrest asks, his voice colder but still edged with curiosity.

What is it with these guys and their questions?

Oh, right, I'm supposed to be their mate. I guess it's natural that they're curious about their supposed mate, a mate who they've only heard weird things about. Still, I'm not in a mood for this. I haven't even gotten my story straight with Prince Sulien.

"I believe me being a maid was covered," I tell him, my words clipped.

He smirks. "And where do you live?"

Damn it. I don't know what I'm supposed to say! Isn't it enough to sit here in suspense?

"Is this some kind of interview? Where do you live? Where do you work?" I snap, firing off the questions with more anger than necessary.

"You got under her skin," Prince Zane says, but there's no judgment in his voice.

I look away from the Fall Fae and back to Prince Zane. "I just don't see a purpose in all these questions."

Instead, the Winter Fae stares, his expression sincere. " I'm sorry if you don't like all the questions, but you must understand, you're our mate, so we'd like to get to know you." His eyes sparkle. "And to answer your questions, I have the esteemed privilege of residing in the Winter Palace, and I'm the prince of the Winter Fae. If you ask around about me, you'll learn a lot, but not all of it is true." He extends his hand to shake mine like this is the first time we're meeting.

Prince Forrest smirks. "Do you want to learn more about Old Frosty? Or can we get back to you?"

Me? No thanks. "I'd like to learn more about Prince Zane," I tell him as matter-of-factly as possible as I turn to the Winter prince.

For a second he seems to be considering his words, and then he says, "I didn't want to match with anyone today. The truth is that I've always felt that I don't need to be mated with anyone to be able to rule my court. My subjects are my main concern. Maintaining order and prosperity top my list of priorities, so bringing an unknown person in to help me rule was a hard idea."

I'm surprised to hear that. I guess I never spent a lot of time thinking about how the princes would take this. Not that I've had much time to process it all myself.

Prince Cobar comes ambling back our way. His face lit up with a smile. "I was just visiting with some very heartbroken women."

I study him blankly. He's handsome, but something about him irritates me. He's blithe, as if he has no cares in the world. It's not that I prefer him falling all over me, but flirting with women after meeting your mate seems like such a weird thing. I wonder if he, like Prince Zane, doesn't actually want a mate, either.

He comes to stop in front of me again, his smile still bright. "They really wanted to be chosen, and they're so disappointed. You're the envy of the evening." Then he bows before me.

I stare him down, bothered for reasons I don't understand. "There's nothing stopping you from going back there and choosing one of them."

To my surprise, he laughs. "Still playing these games like you don't want me?" He kneels in front of me and leans in close to my ear. "That won't last."

I roll my eyes. "We'll see."

My words don't seem to discourage him. He squeezes into the space on the bench between me and Prince Zane and puts his hand on my knee. I swat it away, annoyed. I'm here trying to figure out my game plan, and he's here bouncing between flirting with other women and flirting with me.

"Come on," he continues, "I saw a twinkle of curiosity in your eyes when I danced with you. You liked being in my arms. You fit perfectly. I promise you'll love being in my bed even more."

I snort in a very unladylike way. "Do I need to take a number? Or do I just join the line down the hall?"

Prince Forrest tosses his head back and roars with laughter. "She already knows you, my friend."

The Spring Prince finally scowls. "There's no line needed, not now that I have my mate."

"Tell that to the ladies down the hall," I counter, pointing at the women, still waiting, casting wistful looks in our direction.

He gives me a pleased look. "You are jealous."

I feel my cheeks heat. "Never!"

"You are!"

"I couldn't care less!"

He wraps an arm around my shoulders, half on the back of the bench, half on me. "If you want to know the truth–"

"He's a complete womanizer," Prince Forrest says smugly.

Ugh! I'm embarrassed, I'm frustrated, and I just want to go home and forget all about this.

"It seems to me you all are," I tell them, sighing. "Now, sit down and shut up, or get out of here."

I hold my breath, knowing these men will be talking again before I can even clear my thoughts. What have I gotten myself into?