Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

~ Princess Blake ~

F ive mates. I have five freaking mates. I keep repeating it in my head, not sure whether I should be happy or horrified. In demon history, there are no records of a female ever having five mates, but the moment Mason’s lips connected with mine and I smelt his amber and leather scent, I knew.

He is our missing piece. Our missing mate, and the last one we need to complete our bond. My heart races, and I’m a tangled mess of tension as Mason walks me back to my room. Scars still cover the prince’s body, betraying the years he spent in the prison, but he’s cleaned up, the layers of dirt washed away to reveal beautiful brown skin, and he has groomed, so it’s easier to make out the lines of his chiseled face. The male is sexy as sin, so I guess I can’t complain about Lady Fate’s taste there, but honestly, I was hardly handling the four mates I already have.

We stop outside the door, and the way Mason looks at me sends a rush of heat through my body, drawing my awareness to the spot between my legs. “If you do not wish to return so soon, we could escape to my room for a while,” he offers, and there’s a hopeful gleam in his glittering blue eyes.

I smile, feeling oh, so tempted, but I shake my head. “I need to tell them about you. We’ve been through a lot lately, and the last thing we need is more secrets.”

With a nod, he pulls me into a kiss that leaves my lips swollen before he releases me. Waylen and the other guard standing watch shift uncomfortably, but neither of them comment.

Closing his eyes, Mason rests his forehead on mine. “You do realize that now that I know I’m yours, I’ll do anything to keep you safe.” He exhales loudly. “I will do…anything.” His voice cracks with emotion, and I know there’s so much he’s not telling me. I swallow hard. With the others, it had been so different. Even with Dante, given our history, I’d been resistant to accept that he’s my mate, but with Mason it’s different. I hardly know him, and yet, it’s so easy to let myself enjoy being with him.

“I know,” I reply, surprising myself with how much I believe it. This is what I thought it would be like when I found my fated mates. That there would be this instant connection, an instant certainty that we were bound by fate, even before performing the actual bonding ritual that unlocked our powers. While I felt it with my other mates, it all got so complicated so fast. And though, logically, I know it should be complicated with the fallen prince, his instant acceptance of the connection makes it feel so simple.

“Are you a good teacher?” I ask.

Opening his eyes, he pulls back. “I have trained soldiers in the past, on matters related to combat and the use of different weaponry. If you wish for me to give you lessons?—”

“Oh no,” I say casually. “I was just thinking my other mates could use some lessons on how to treat their female.”

Mason’s lips curve upward. “Whatever you need, my mate .” When he says the last two words bumps prickle on my skin. My mate. My fifth mate.

“Uh, thanks.” I hadn’t actually thought he’d agree to that, but if I get the chance, I’ll definitely have to take him up on it. Smiling, I turn toward the door. “You know, you don’t have to be here for this. I have no idea how they’ll react, and I kind of slipped out without telling them.”

Mason reaches over, resting the palm of his hand on the doorknob. “I’m sure they will be eagerly awaiting your return, my mate.”

I grin because I’m pretty sure he’s about to get the shock of his life when he sees what my other mates are like.

“You could have warned me they woke up!” I tell Shade, feeling ambushed when I walk into the room to find four very pissed-looking males glaring at me. Okay, to be fair, Dante and Nate look more relieved than angry, but Prince Callan’s glare could make any beast cower, and Alaric looks like he’s contemplating tying me up and strangling me. Which, now that I think of it, actually sounds pretty hot.

“I could have, but then this wouldn’t be nearly as funny,” Shade replies.

I shoot her a glare, and her laughter rings in my head. “Kidding! They only woke a couple minutes ago, and I’ve been a little preoccupied trying to stop them from charging from the room. You’re welcome, by the way.”

I feel a little guilty for the position I put her in then, and I reach into my pocket, pulling out the handful of seeds the Pecos bird, Shanda, let me have. I place them on the table.

“Annnnd all is forgiven,” she says as she pecks at the seeds hungrily.

Dusting my hands, I give the others a chipper smile. “I trust you all slept well.”

Prince Callan gives me an incredulous look, and I’m about to point out that it sure looked like they were having no trouble sleeping when I left, but then I notice his fatigued expression.

“Where did you go?” Alaric growls, folding his arms across his broad chest.

Dante comes over and presses a kiss to my neck. “He means to say, we were worried about you,” he drawls.

“Thought you were taken for a minute there,” Nate adds. “Lucky your crow friend made a fuss, or we would have made a mess tryin’ to find you.”

I give Shade a grateful smile. “I wasn’t far,” I tell them. “I just explored some of the city. “I couldn’t sleep, and I?—”

“Alone?” Alaric questions gruffly, and for the first time since I entered the room, all four of them seem to finally notice Mason standing there.

The Perstalian prince steps forward, his shoulders pulling back as he peers at my mates. “No, not alone,” he says. “I was with her.”

“I bumped into him,” I add quickly, “and, well, things got a little interesting from there.”

“Interesting how?” Dante asks, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes like he knows exactly what I’m about to say.

I lick my lips, and all four of my mates track the movement. Actually, make that five. All five of my mates watch me carefully. “Well, you know how I thought I’d found all of my mates in Perstalia?” I say slowly.

“Yes,” Alaric growls, and from the way he’s staring at Mason now, I’m guessing he’s also pieced together what I’m about to say.

“No,” Shade squawks in my head. “You’re not trying to tell us that ? —”

“Mason is also my mate,” I blurt.

Silence. The room is completely quiet as everyone processes what I’ve just told them, and Mason moves closer to my side.

“So, I guess Lady Fate wasn’t done with me after all,” I say with a tight smile.

Prince Callan curses, Dante shakes his head smirking, and Nate laughs.

“This can’t be Lady Fate’s doing,” Alaric mutters.

“Well, it sure isn’t mine,” I grumble, giving them all a pointed stare, because let’s face it, if I had my way, a Drozac assassin, shifter thief, moody archangel, playboy demon, and now, a fallen prince, wouldn’t have exactly been my picks.

“Whoa, Blake, five mates? Even having four is unusual for demons,” Shade reminds me.

“Yep, Dad’s going to be so proud,” I reply sarcastically, and then I wish I’d never thought about him, because I’m reminded that Dad is in Seral alone.

“As long as I get my time with you, princess, I don’t care if you have dozens of mates,” Dante says with a smirk, and I get the feeling he’s remembering how I judged him for the number of females he’s been with. I want to argue that it’s still not the same thing, but I don’t.

The others look at me like they’re expecting me to rattle off the names of more mates I’ve discovered, so I say instead, “Thankfully, there won’t be dozens. Just you five.”

“You sure?” Nate asks with a shit-eating grin.

“Yes,” I reply, jutting out my hip. I don’t tell them how I know. But, somehow, I can feel it in my core.

“And how do you feel ’bout all this?” Nate asks Mason curiously.

The prince doesn’t hesitate in saying, “I feel like I’ve been given a second chance. Having a fated mate is an honor, and I intend to never leave my mate wanting.”

Nate makes a face. “Great. He’s a romantic.”

I grin, already liking having Mason as part of our group. Now if only I knew I wasn’t going to kill my mates when I bed them, then this would be a whole lot more fun. As the sobering thought of Kai enters my mind, I step forward, intending to grab the jug of water on the table, but I stumble before I can reach it. Mason and Dante are quick to each grab one of my arms to steady me. “Whoa there, I can grab myself a drink,” I tell them.

Knowing that Dante is holding me, Mason pours a glass of water, and hands it to me. “When is the last time you rested, my mate?”

Considering the lines around his eyes, I don’t think he’s one to judge, but I take the drink and down the whole thing before saying, “Probably not since before we were kidnapped.”

Alaric’s brows lower.

“Even a demon princess has limits,” Prince Callan tells me. “We need to be strong when we face King Celzar.”

“Strong? With these cuffs on, that’s not likely to happen,” I point out.

“We should bond,” Dante says. “Now that you’re certain we’re all your mates, maybe your increased power could break the magic of the cuffs.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Mason says. “Once the cuffs are on, they’ll block whatever magic the prisoner holds.”

There’s a knock at the door, and we all turn as Waylen pokes his head into the room. “Mason, Eliza wants to see you. She says it’s urgent.”

The prince’s body goes rigid, and there’s reluctance in his eyes. “I’ll be right there,” he replies, and when Waylen disappears from the room, Mason turns to me. “I need to tend to this. Will you join me, my mate?”

Instinctively, I want to say ‘yes,’ but it wouldn’t make sense. “It would look strange if we all turned up to your private meeting. Go and do what you need to do. We’ll still be here.”

When he continues to hesitate, I add, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to be doing any more exploring on my own.”

At that, he finally relaxes. “Even if you did, I trust you would be fine, but times are uncertain and sometimes individuals do unexpected things.”

“It’s fine,” I reply. “I probably should try to rest more, anyway.”

He nods, seemingly satisfied with that, and he kisses me stupid before exiting the room, leaving me a grinning, near panting mess.

“So she’ll listen to him,” Alaric grumbles as the door closes.

Ignoring the assassin, I start toward the bed, and Dante moves with me, dropping onto the mattress before I can.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“You didn’t think you were sleeping on your own, did you?” he drawls. Before I can protest, he pulls me down, and tucking me against him, he wraps an arm around my body. Sweet Lady Fate my demon smells good. Unlike earlier when I had laid there alone and unable to shut down, now sleep claims me easily. Despite the desire that has me wanting to climb my demon, my eyes flutter closed, and as warmth rushes through me, the tension in my muscles finally eases, and my body calms. Before I drift off, I hear Dante whisper, “I’ve got you, princess.”