Chapter 30

Nicholas

"You heard those noises last night too, right? They totally fucked," Aiden muttered under his breath as we prepped Lilly's breakfast request.

Pancakes, smothered in butter and syrup.

Bacon and sausage, both crispy.

Eggs, scrambled.

Biscuits, the flaky kind.

Fruit salad, topped with walnuts.

Toast, sliced diagonally.

And a bowl of cereal, extra marshmallows.

I'd have gladly cooked everything in the damn kitchen if it made her smile, especially today of all days. I wanted to give her the best start to the day, and while I wasn't the strongest cook, I made up for it with my heart—and Aiden's assistance, of course.

"Why do you look so upset about it? That's what we wanted, Aiden. They're meant to be together."

He scoffed. "You say that like we aren't meant to be with her."

I rolled my eyes. "Not what I meant. Lilly is already stuck with us for an eternity, but don't you think she deserves to be with her destined love too? We've been pushing the two of them to try it out, and now that they have, you're upset about it?"

"I'm not upset," he grumbled.

"Right. So you're jealous."

He flipped me off before flipping the pancake he was making. "Fuck off, Nicholas. I'm not jealous of him. He can't rock her world nearly as hard as I can. Besides, it's not like she could ever replace this." He gestured to his dick, and I laughed.

"Just flip the damn pancakes and shove your grumpiness up your ass. We are positive and supportive this morning, got it?" I threatened him with the knife I'd been using.

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

I thought the conversation was over, but thirty seconds later, he said, "Do you think she will still want us? Now that she has him."

His question caught me off-guard. Lilly choosing between the three of us was not something I had considered.

I shook my head and smiled as I thought about her. "No way. She's our girl too. Is that why you're like this? You're afraid she's going to pick between us?" He looked up at me briefly then back down at his pancakes. "Aiden, she'd never do that." He looked back up, a somber expression coloring his normally cheerful face. "She belongs to all of us. She knows that. She likes it."

He smirked a bit and nodded his head. "I guess I'm being a bit ridiculous."

"A bit."

The two lovebirds walked in just as breakfast was ready, spread out on the table buffet-style. Keir walked closely behind Lilly— very closely. He was relaxed, and he even had a small smile on his face. Lilly, though, was radiant, practically glowing. She looked so rested, happy, and content. Seeing her like this made my chest warm and fuzzy. Her robe opened slightly to reveal she'd come to breakfast without any clothes on. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up as breakfast.

"Before either of you ask anything," she started, pointing at me and Aiden, "the answer is no."

Aiden gave her an incredulous look. "How do you even know what we were going to ask?"

"It's written all over your fucking faces," Keir responded as he pulled Lilly's chair out for her, pushing it in when she sat down.

Aiden shot me a glance when Keir sat next to her. I don't think they're telling the truth , he mouthed behind his hand.

I shrugged, ready to dive into the breakfast we'd spent a few hours making. Aiden and I had gotten up early to ensure it was perfect—not that we'd been sleeping anyway.

It had been weird without Lilly in bed, but we both agreed it would be even weirder to return to our own rooms and beds. We'd tested it out the night Mavis slept over, and neither of us got a wink of sleep. This time, we chose to sleep in the bed we'd made with Lilly and eagerly wait for her return.

"This is amazing," Lilly said, taking in the insane amount of food. "I didn't think you'd take me so seriously when I said I wanted all of this." Her smile was huge, contagious, thanks to the effort we'd put into breakfast.

My heart swelled in my chest, and a quick glance at my brothers let me know they were feeling the same. Aiden was smiling wide, and Keir looked like he'd been enchanted by her.

"I take your requests very seriously, baby," I told her. "Any other requests?" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

She thought for a second then said, "Orange juice?"

I bowed. "Right away."

Once I returned with her glass of juice, we filled our plates high and ate breakfast. Aiden told us about his weird dream involving the doorman from downstairs and Ida getting married, how they'd asked Aiden to be their officiant.

"I am not even making this shit up, but they had an elephant as a ring bearer," he explained. "It was so strange."

Lilly laughed so hard, she cried. Even Keir was grinning at our brother's preposterous story.

"She would never!" Lilly exclaimed. "She told me she fancied the new royal tailor, though," she told us through her giggles, enjoying the gossip. "She said he was cute, with his ‘rugged good looks and breathtaking brown eyes'."

"Breathtaking, eh?" Keir looked so enthralled with her. She could've been reading him the dictionary, and he still would've soaked up every word.

I liked that he was getting close to Lilly, and while they may not have consummated their relationship yet, it was clear something had happened last night. We'd heard her moans clear down the hall, and the way they sat close, Keir watching her every move, led me to believe something was finally budding between them.

"Boys! Lillian!" Ida announced as the elevator dinged. "I came to cook breakfast for the big day! You'd better be up and at the table in twenty, or it'll be cold!"

We were all snickering when she strolled into the room, stopping short when she saw all of us at the table eating already.

"Hey, Ida," Lilly greeted her with a warm smile. "Hungry? Nicholas and Aiden made breakfast."

"Wow." Ida looked at the masterpiece we'd constructed. "I'm impressed, boys." She looked behind her. "I brought company too. I figured that would be okay."

Mavis walked into the room, and our girl squealed with delight, launching from her seat to nearly tackle her friend in a hug.

"Mavis! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Mavis hugged her back, saying it was her mom's idea, that she didn't think Lilly would even be up yet, and that there was no way she would miss out on seeing her best friend.

Keir stood as they continued to talk and grabbed two extra plates from the cabinet. His pleasant expression turned into a scowl when he saw Mavis had taken his seat next to Lilly. Surprisingly, he made no move to cause an issue about it and sat next to me on the other side of the table. Ida sat between Keir and Mavis at the end of the table.

"This looks delicious," she praised as she filled her plate. "I can't say I was expecting to be fed by the ones I am supposed to be feeding this morning, but this was a pleasant surprise."

Lilly whispered something in Mavis's ear, and Mavis's jaw dropped.

"NO. FUCKING. WAY," she hollered dramatically.

We would've had to have been blind to miss the wide-eyed look she gave Keir before looking back at her friend. Aiden choked on his food when he tried to laugh at the glower Keir shot the whispering duo, aware they were talking about him.

Ida cleared her throat. "I hear you've been staying home, Keir. Everything okay?"

He nodded. "Father was just trying to appear ‘merciful' to his people, but it gave me more time to ensure Lillian is ready for today."

The whispering across from us stopped as the topic of today, the real reason we were all gathered around the table, was brought up. Though my eyes were trained on Ida and Keir, I didn't miss the reassuring squeeze Mavis gave Lilly's hand.

"I think I'm finished." Lilly stood and dragged Mavis out of the room with her.

Keir went to stand up, but Ida put her hand on his arm. "Let them go, hun. Lilly will be okay. Mavis is good at this sort of thing. She's got this."

He nodded reluctantly and sat back down.

None of us ate much more, mostly pushing our food around on our plates.

Once Keir announced it was time for us to get ready and go, Ida and Mavis gave Lilly tight hugs and lots of encouragement before leaving.

Keir held out his hand to Lilly once the elevator closed. "Come with me. I've got your outfit in our room."

Aiden and I exchanged glances as she took his hand, letting him lead her to his room. Before we could talk, he returned to the hall, holding the backpack she'd be using for her task.

"I had a set of flame-retardant clothes made up for her. Lightweight, of course, but they'll give her some protection against the dragon. Might buy her a chance to get away should something go awry."

"They won't," Aiden said quickly. "Don't even think like that. She's got this."

"Never hurts to have added assurance," I defended our older brother. He was clearly worried about her, showing his heart on his sleeve with this gesture. It didn't hurt to have a little extra protection.

The door opened, and all three of us stood tall, watching as she stepped out.

My breath was knocked from me as she strutted down the hall toward us. She'd pulled her shiny auburn hair up into a messy ponytail, which swung with each step she took. The bodysuit hugged every delicious curve our girl had to offer, accentuating her sexy hips and round breasts.

The suit was mostly black, since Keir had it designed, but it had details of purple, her favorite color, swirled all around. My heart felt like it was being squeezed as I noticed the specific effort he'd put into this for her.

After noticing all of us drooling over her, she sauntered the rest of the way and did a spin, revealing a hood to complete her outfit—plus how fucking perfect her ass looked in the tight suit.

Aiden whistled.

"Damn, baby," I purred as I strolled to her, spinning her once more so I could take a mental picture. "This is a good look for you."

She blushed and shook her head, unconvinced, and laughed at my compliment. "Oh, stop it." She looked at the other two. "You can pick your jaws up off the floor, boys. I'd hate to slip on your drool."

"Oh shit." I chuckled and brought my fist to my mouth, amused with the confidence our girl had found in herself.

Aiden took the chance to march over to her and sweep her up in his arms, peppering her face with kisses.

Keir stood still, conflicted about whether he should embrace her next or stay put. Unfortunately, he chose the latter as Aiden placed Lilly back on the floor. It didn't seem to bother her, though, seeing as she shot him a cute smile he happily returned.

"Are you ready?" he asked her tenderly.

She shrugged. "Does it matter if I say no?"

He frowned, displeased with her response. "You're ready," he stated like his word was law. "I have no doubt about that." He motioned to the elevator. "Let's go. I'm ready to get this over with and get you back home."

The gaze she gave him would've melted the coldest heart. His words clearly struck her exactly where she needed it.

Keir and Lillian stood side-by-side in the elevator while Aiden and I stood in front of them. Everyone in the lobby stopped and stared as we led our girl to the limo that awaited us.

I felt like part of a bodyguard squad, trying to protect her from prying eyes, the fucking nosey shits who couldn't mind their own business. Everyone knew who she was now, thanks to our father. He'd been parading around, boasting about how he was showing ‘the human pet' mercy by giving her the opportunity to become a demon instead of killing her.

We really thought he wouldn't want word getting out that a human had gotten in, meaning a portal had been opened and shut. Instead, he'd twisted things, making it seem like he was a fair and just ruler, even when it came to humans.

There was an awkward stillness when we all got into the car. No one was really sure what to say. Lilly looked uncomfortable, her hands twisting around in her lap as she stared at them. Keir grabbed one of her hands, and she stopped fiddling to look at him, an obvious peace swiping across her face. He grounded her, and it wasn't fair to her, but a tiny sliver of jealousy worked its way into my heart as I watched them stare at each other.

I'd been on Keir's ass since we'd met her, but he always said no. I was sure Lillian's vulnerability had a lot to do with it. Keir wanted to fix her, just like she wanted to fix him. They really were a match made in Hell.

Lilly turned to us. "I need a distraction. I'm s—so… nervous," she stuttered.

"Now that everyone's on board…" Aiden started. "I have one idea for a distraction." He winked at Lillian, making her shake her head as she blushed.

"For Satan's sake, Aiden. Use the head on top. You're fucking ridiculous, man," Keir continued to chastise him, but he noticed her reddened face and looked at her with a confused expression. "You liked that, princess?" She shrugged and looked away as Keir leaned against the back of the seat. "I'm surrounded by sex addicts, I swear," he mumbled.

"I thought it was funny," Lillian chimed in, giving Aiden a wink back.

"See?" Aiden threw his hands up. "She thinks I'm funny." He puffed his chest out, as though she'd just given him the biggest compliment of his life.

"Your existence is funny," Keir clapped back without looking at him.

Aiden scoffed. "You just don't get humor, Keir. I feel bad for you. Maybe our girl can loosen you up a bit."

" Our girl?" Keir raised an eyebrow, Aiden having caught his attention.

"Yes, our girl. Need I remind everyone who had her first?"

"Oh my gosh…" Lilly shook her head.

"Just saying," Aiden said with another shrug. "It's true."

"Come here, baby," I told Lilly, and she happily obliged, leaving the two to their bickering. She started to sit in the seat next to me, but I pulled her into my lap. "How are you feeling?" I didn't really need to ask. She was shaking, her smiles were forced, and her shoulders tensed.

"I'm nervous." She let out a breath as she laid her head against my chest. "What if I can't do it?" She was speaking quietly, so only I could hear her. "What if I don't make it out?"

"What if you do?" I kissed the top of her head. "What if you succeed? You can't worry yourself. You've been working so hard, and I have no doubt we will be heading home tonight to celebrate the look you'll leave on our father's face." I squeezed her. "You've more than got this."

She was silent for the rest of the car ride, letting me hold her in my lap. Even Keir and Aiden finally stopped picking at one another and just watched the woman in my arms.

My brothers and I exchanged looks. We were all coming home after this, no matter what.