9. Maven

"I"ve got you,Mayflower. Whatever you"ve been through, you"re safe now."

I frown softly into the darkness of my closed eyes as my senses return to me. This feels…off. Normally, when I wake up after one of my episodes, I"m freezing and feel like shit.

But right now, I feel good. No headache. No lingering pain.

What bizarre witchcraft is this?

And I"m warm. Really warm. So warm that I can"t help sighing because it feels so damn nice. I"ve never experienced a heated blanket, but Kenzie once told me they were a gift from the gods straight out of Paradise. Now, I"m pretty sure she wasn"t exaggerating.

Wait. Mayflower?

I open my eyes and find that Baelfire"s handsome, smiling face is only a few inches away, his irises like warm honey.

"There she is. Prettiest eyes I"ve ever seen."

What the fuck? Why am I in bed with him?

I sit up, taking in my surroundings quickly. I"m in Everbound"s infirmary, which is mildly alarming. But I don"t see anyone here trying to heal me or running away screaming that a convict of the Nether has infiltrated Everbound, which is promising.

Baelfire sits up, too. His warm body is so close to mine that I get tingles in my stomach, which I dutifully ignore. Silas is upright on the sickbed beside ours, his ruby irises soft as he studies me.

But why the hell is he looking at me like that? Weren"t we just fighting?

I feel like I"m missing something.

His gaze drops, and he bites his lip. "Mmm. I much prefer this view, but I"m obligated to let you know that your very lovely tits are on display."

I glance down and frown. Oh, my gods. These barbarians ripped the dress Kenzie gave me.

"You couldn"t breathe, and I panicked," Baelfire says quickly. "But I"ll get you any dresses you want, anytime. Or better yet, we can make Everett buy you a few million dresses. His treat."

I squint at him for a long second, still disoriented as I gather my thoughts. "You"re avoiding a serious conversation. I know you two witnessed my...condition. Tell me what happened after I lost consciousness."

They exchange a glance, and then Silas sighs. "We brought you to the healers, but Crypt killed them before they could examine you. Then the prophetess, Pia, healed you."

Impossible. "What really happened?"

"I can"t lie," he reminds me, his attention slipping down to my bare upper half again.

Oh. Right.

I frown, realizing that must explain how I don"t feel like shit. How the hell did Pia heal me? It couldn"t have been through common or blood magic. I did pick up an odd feeling from her at the Seeking. Maybe I should corner her and demand some answers.

But that will have to happen later. I have a clock in my head, slowly counting up the time that Kenzie has been missing, and when I glance out the stained glass windows of this room, I grit my teeth to see that a couple of hours must have passed.

"So, about this condition of yours," Baelfire interrupts my train of thought, tugging gently on a loose strand of my hair.

The familiarity of sitting topless in bed so close to him has my face warming. I finally pull up a blanket to cover myself, which makes Silas sigh.

"It"s harmless," I lie, checking to make sure I"m still wearing my gloves out of habit. "I just pass out sometimes."

"How often?" Silas demands.

"It"s happening more frequently."

That is not a lie. Each episode has been getting closer together and more severe, which is inconvenient.

"But it"s nothing I can"t handle. It won"t get in the way of me being a decent keeper. A temporary, platonic keeper," I add pointedly, looking between them to let them know I haven"t forgotten about our argument.

Baelfire snorts. "Yeah, no. That ship has sailed. Unless you want to offer a concrete, honest-as-hell reason for insisting we can"t be together, accept that we"re yours to keep, Boo."

I give him a sharp look.

"Mayflower," he amends, winking. "Mate. Cutie Pie. Raincloud. Take your pick."

"I pick fuck off."

"I"m not going to call you Fuck Off," he teases. "That"s just rude. "Fuck Me," on the other hand, could definitely be worked into the mix. Especially if you moan it."

Oh, my gods. This dragon is something else.

Silas examines me like his mind is far away. "You need more sleep."

No, what I need is to find Kenzie sooner than later. And as painful as it is to admit to myself, I"m struggling to progress there. In order to track down the changeling alone, I"d have to find a way to fuel my magic, perform a ritual on its dried blood, hunt it down, probably fight it again, torture it for information, find some brutally imaginative way to kill it…

All great fun, except for the time crunch.

But Silas doesn"t need anything to fuel his magic except blood. I may need to swallow my pride to speed this process along. For Kenzie"s sake.

I take a deep breath. "I want your help."

His brows go up, and then a wicked grin curls his lips. "Absolutely. I"ll gladly help you get to sleep, especially if you need to be worn out first."

I open my mouth and then close it. Then I rub my face to hide the warmth blooming there.

"That"s not what I was talking about, and you know it."

"Do I? You said it yourself that you want an orgasm or two. I"ll give you plenty."

Baelfire leans close to my ear to whisper. "I"ll double whatever he"s offering. All the orgasms you want, as long as you come on my face and make me beg for it."

Oh, my fucking gods.What the hell has gotten into them?

I can"t hide the flush on my face as I shake my head at their matching grins. Clambering from the bed with the blanket still wrapped around me for modesty, I stomp toward the door.

"Forget I mentioned wanting anything. Fucking legacies."

But my exit is cut off by Crypt, who appears directly before me. His smile twists as he scrutinizes my appearance.

"Fashionable."

"Quilts are all the rage," I deadpan, then tip my head. "You missed the Matched Ball."

That sobers him. "Am I too late for a dance, love?"

"I don"t dance. Were you avoiding Somnus?"

If Crypt is bothered by the mention of his father, he has no reaction. "No. I was held up."

"By?"

His lips twitch. "My, my. Aren"t you curious tonight? One would almost think you missed me."

It"s a marvel of nature that they manage to stand upright with heads so big. Obviously, the Nightmare Prince has no intention of telling me where he was. He couldn"t have left Everbound Castle, so what was he up to?

"The bodies?" Silas asks Crypt as he stands and joins us.

"Disposed of."

Baelfire joins us, too, wrinkling his nose as he folds his brawny arms. The seams of his poor shirt look ready to pop under the strain of those muscles. "Do I want to ask?"

Crypt"s smile is one hundred percent psychopath. "Absolutely not. Your delicate lizard stomach couldn"t handle it. However, our beautifully morbid keeper might enjoy the details. Care to hear, love?"

Yes. Disposing of bodies in mysterious ways is a fascination of mine.

"Later," I say, meaning it. "Perhaps when I"m wearing real clothes."

He hums. "Or no clothes."

Clearly, their hive mind is active right now, and it"s focused on one thing. Unfortunately, so am I—I keep recalling Kenzie"s erotic art and the newfound fantasies I"ve been having. I wonder if jumping headlong into a blazing sex romp would help me get over my haphephobia...

"I"m on a mission," I blurt to keep myself from doing something stupid, like asking one of them if I can try sucking their cock to see if it"s as enjoyable as people make it out to be.

Crypt nods. "We know. You"ve told us of your blood oath."

"No, I have another far more time-sensitive mission. A rescue mission, to be precise."

Baelfire frowns. "Rescue mission? For who?"

My throat tightens. Even though I try not to let my emotions show, I know the worry I"ve been trying to keep at bay seeps into my voice.

"Kenzie."

All three of them exchange glances, and then Crypt leans down to meet my eye better.

"If you believe she may be somewhere within this castle, I can find her quickly."

"How?"

"I read auras."

"He does," Baelfire confirms. "Bragged about it constantly when we were kids. It was fucking annoying." Then he tips his head. "I"ve always wondered, what"s my aura like?"

"Just as obnoxious as you are but a hundred times as bright."

They glare at each other, but Silas ignores them completely as he studies me. "Crypt can go looking for her aura, but if there is another way you believe I can help you, I will. On one condition. Come to my private dorm with me."

"You"re not fucking me," I say immediately. "I still hate all of you."

He huffs. "Believe me, I"m painfully aware of that. This isn"t about getting you in my bed. I need to speak with you alone, and in return, I"ll help you however I can."

I consider that before nodding. It"s convenient that Silas can"t tell bald-faced lies. It means I can trust his words even when I don"t know where I stand with him.

Crypt blows me a kiss before slipping into Limbo to look for Kenzie. I"m tempted to pray to the gods that he"ll find her, but I learned my lesson about praying to them a long time ago. So, instead, I hope the universe is looking out for her. If anyone deserves cosmic good luck, it"s Kenzie.

Baelfire, Silas, and I leave the infirmary and trek through the castle halls, following Silas"s lead toward his private dorm. Baelfire"s eyes sweep the dim hallways, and he steps a little closer to me with every turn as if he expects someone to pop out of the shadows and grab me. Silas is equally bad, gritting his teeth at every tiny echo in the hall.

"Is the chill pill a real thing?" I ask.

Bael blinks down at me. "What?"

"Kenzie once told me that I"m far too intense and need a prescription for a chill pill. If that exists, you two also need a prescription."

The dragon shifter throws his head back on a laugh. "See, it"s adorably out-of-the-loop stuff like this that should"ve tipped us off."

I don"t know what he"s talking about, but Silas gives him a warning glare. "You"re not coming into my private dorm."

"Nope. I"m just escorting my mate. I trust your ability to protect her about as far as Everett could throw you. Which can"t be far at all, by the way. Have you seen that professor? Scrawny as hell."

"Indeed."

Everett is far from scrawny, but I find myself fighting an unexpected smile at the shit talk. I still don"t fully understand the dynamic of their shared past or why my matches dislike each other so much. But there"s a familiar ease with which they hate one another that"s almost...brotherly.

But saying that out loud would probably start another bout of the Great Wars, so I keep my mouth shut.

Finally, we walk up a staircase that ends with a single door. My hair stands on end as I sense the ripple of magic guarding this space.

Damn. How many wards does Silas have on that thing?

"I"ll see you later at our quintet apartment," Baelfire says, tugging gently on the corner of my blanket to get my attention.

"No, you won"t. I"m sleeping in my own dorm."

He frowns. "But you agreed to be our keeper.

"Temporarily."

"Temporarily, my ass. Did you not hear that horned freak, Del Mar? Quintet rankings are beginning, and we all know you"ll be at the top of the godsdamned kill list along with the rest of us. You"re a walking target. Even with the patch job Silas did on your door, your dorm isn"t nearly safe enough for my dragon to rest easy."

I open my mouth, but Silas speaks first. "Sleep in my dorm. It"s the most secure place in the entire castle. I doubt even the Immortal Quintet could get in here if they tried."

"Here's a thought. I'll sleep wherever the fuck I choose to sleep," I tell them both firmly.

Baelfire relents but gives me one more warm look. "I"ll see you in class in the morning. Get enough rest, and if you have any nightmares?—"

He cuts off, ducking his head when my eyes narrow. Did Crypt tell them about my nightmares? I feel strangely betrayed.

Bael clears his throat. "When you were sleeping off your, you know…"

"Episode," I supply.

He nods. "You weren"t sleeping very peacefully for a bit. So if you keep having trouble sleeping, my bed"s always open. I"m not a blanket hog. I don"t even use a blanket, actually—it"s too fucking hot at night. Also, I sleep in the nude most of the time. I know that"s a massive selling point for you because you check me out whenever you think I"m not looking," he smirks.

I shake my head, allowing myself the smallest smile. "Careful. Your ego may smother you in your sleep."

"I"d much rather you smother me with that sexy ass of yours. I dream about that all the fucking time, actually."

My thighs clench at the rousing mental image that paints, and Baelfire"s nostrils flare as he picks up on my arousal. Before he can finish turning my insides to goo, I turn and slip through the dorm door just as Silas opens it with a low chuckle at my expense.

Once I"m inside, I pause and take in the space. It"s very…Silas.

The dorm is a large studio perfectly balanced between cozy, rustic, and luxurious—and very decidedly of fae design. An antique-looking burgundy fainting couch sits on a plush rug in front of a hearth that flickers to life with a wave of Silas"s hand as he steps up beside me. The kitchen is small but clean, with one entire counter filled with various liquors and another fully stocked bar cart in the living room. A big bed is tucked into one corner by a window, topped with dark red blankets.

Most of the walls are lined with overfilled bookshelves, and a coffee table near the fainting couch is covered with papers and all kinds of spell ingredients. Off to one side is a carved wooden door leading into a bathroom.

Silas"s dorm is busy but not messy. When I glance at him, he"s analyzing me as thoroughly as I was his personal space.

"Do you like it?"

"That"s not important. It"s your dorm, not mine."

He hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. "It is important, actually. I want you to be comfortable here. No one else has ever been in here since I made it into my own months ago."

"Not even Sierra?"

"Who?" Silas frowns.

I admit it. Deep down, some petty part of me is satisfied that he didn"t bother retaining her name. I"m a bitch like that.

"The fire elemental you fucked a few weeks ago," I tell him as if I couldn"t care less. "According to her, at least."

He grimaces. "I don"t remember details about anyone I"ve been with. Typically, I had to get myself fairly drunk to get through the paranoia before I could even get into bed with someone, and then I"d get out of that bed as soon as it was over just to be safe. I"ve certainly never brought anyone into my own dorm room." Then he pauses, frowning. "Wait. What do you mean, according to her? Was this girl goading you? When was this?"

He"s so up in arms, it"s almost amusing.

Still wrapped in the blanket from the infirmary, I venture deeper into the dorm before stopping in front of the hearth to examine the crackling fire.

"It doesn"t matter. What did you want to talk to me about?"

He moves behind me, brushing some of my hair over my shoulder. We"re near enough that I can smell that mild bourbon and spice aroma on him.

"I need to apologize. The wager we made was my idea. I take full blame for it."

Damn it. If I"d known this chat would be about their stupid bet, I wouldn"t have agreed to come here at all. Some people believe talking about problems will lay them to rest, but I prefer the old-fashioned way—with a rope and shovel. I"d rather sleep in a coffin than talk about this ever again.

"Just forget it, Silas."

"No. I will never brush something under the rug if it has hurt you. We"re discussing this."

"For the last fucking time, drop it."

He pushes on anyway. "You think we were only after the prizes, but that isn"t?—"

I spin to glare up at him, ready to be done with this. "Look, it"s not the first time someone manipulated me into bed and fucked me to get what they wanted. It"s shitty, but I"ll get over it, so let it go."

Silas stares at me for a solid seven seconds, unblinking. Then he snarls, baring his teeth, and?—

He has fangs. Huh. Those are new.

"What?" he roars.

I tip my head. "Do all blood fae have retracting fangs? That"s?—"

"What do you mean, someone manipulated you into bed? Who the fuck did that to you?"

In the flickering firelight with fury and shadows dancing on his face, with pointed ears, eyes red as blood, and gleaming fangs, he truly does look like the descendant of a monster, primed and ready to kill.

Utterly gorgeous.

But such a hypocrite. As if he has the right to get mad on my behalf.

"You did," I point out coldly. "Scútráche."

That"s a fae insult that Lillian accidentally taught me when she was ranting about my father one day. She was scandalized when I repeated it later. It"s quite a severe insult regarding overdrinking and the size of one"s penis, plus a sprinkling of family shame that the fae abhor.

That takes Silas aback. He drags both hands through his hair, tugging and mussing the curls as he takes a deep breath to calm down. When he speaks again, the fangs are nowhere to be found.

"No. I wasn"t manipulating you. None of us were." He looks at me, vulnerability replacing the fury and softening his features. "I made that bet because there"s something I needed. It only hinged on you because wanting you is the only thing we four have ever shared."

I recall what he mentioned in the Matched Ball and arch a brow. "This thing you needed. Was it the Frost ledgers or the dragon scales?"

Silas opens his mouth, closes it, and looks away with a sigh.

He"s probably not sharing because he doesn"t trust me. That"s understandable, but it"s still irritating that he won"t tell me why it was crucial for him to win a bet where nailing me was the determining factor. So although his help with tracking down Kenzie and the changeling would be great, I decide I"ll handle shit on my own instead of putting up with this.

I turn to leave, but Silas holds up an arm to stop me.

"Stay."

"Make me."

Silas"s jaw clenches, and then he does the last thing I expect.

He gets on his knees.