“Are you sure you want this?” he asked quietly.
My heart raced at his words as I momentarily panicked. “Don’t you want to mark me?”
He smiled, his dark gaze so intense I couldn’t look away. “More than anything,beautiful.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
Locke snarled as he took me in his arms. His punishing kiss was like fire, and when he sunk his teeth into my neck, on the opposite side to where Kade had marked me, I moaned loudly, enjoying the burn and the sensation of his venom entering my system. He hissed as he pulled back and licked the wound until it healed and tingled.
I held him as I marked the skin above his heart, my flames striking against his pale white complexion.
And then he moved me, and my back was against the bed as he kissed and licked down my body. My mates closed in on me, more monsters than men as they claimed every inch of me just as possessively as I claimed them.
Because nothing and no one could take this from us. Not Warrick. Not the fae.
We enjoyed each other like the moon wouldn’t rise again, and when I finally curled into their arms on the bed, I smiled, knowing that no matter what happened during the battle, I would always have them.
Asher wrapped his tail around my thigh, over the spot where he’d marked me, and I stroked his soft skin. His cock jumped, instantly hardening and pressing against my side like his tail was a direct connection to the appendage.
“Fuck,” my demon chuckled. “Now, I understand all the hype I’ve heard over the years.”
“That good?” I asked with a grin.
He winked. “You are, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER 31
~ Raine ~
Mymatesremainedcloseto me as they fitted their armor and loaded themselves up with weapons. I began adding plates of leather armor to my arms and shoulders, and Kade helped me tighten the straps.
When he finished, my wolf shifter’s golden eyes met mine. Neither of us spoke. In fact, no one around us did either. We all readied ourselves in silence, the tension thick in the air as we collected our weapons and prepared ourselves for the fight to come. The battle we’d hoped to avoid was here, and none of us knew if we’d survive it.
Asher grabbed two massive axes and his muscles flexed as he slid them into the holsters behind his back. Darian collected his stars, a bow and arrows, and a selection of blades, and Locke slid two long swords into the scabbards by his sides. My mates were like works of art, their lethal bodies crafted as if they were made for this fight, but worry still twisted in my gut.
Locke peered over at me, and I could read the promise in his eyes. He’d die to protect me. They all would. But I’m not sure if they realized that I’d never let it come to that. Goddess help any outlier or fae who tried to take my family from me.
My gaze swept around the hall to the other monsters who were preparing themselves. Clumped together in house groups, the clang of metal, shuffle of boots, and scent of leather filled my senses along with the tang of brimstone.
Cordelia and the House of Saceris hadn’t joined us, and neither had Mabel and the House of Faren. We had four high houses, the House of Silat, House of Worzel, House of Thorem, and House of Axeran. We also had over half of the lower houses from the city, many of which were camped in the caves and forest. No one knew if it would be enough.
Lyr and her mates walked between the different groups, checking on their progress, and goblins scurried around with their arms full of weapons and shields.
And then we were marching through the forest, thousands of boots crunching the leaves under our feet, and moving past trees as we made our way toward the battleground. Rebel scouts had informed us that the fae army had assembled on the stretch of bare land between the fae camp and the city, so it seemed that’s where we would fight.And where many will die.I tried not to think about it.
My monsters walked beside me, and no one around us commented on the marks now covering our skin. No one said anything about us not belonging to a house, or that we weren’t supposed to mark monsters who were of different breeds. None of that mattered right then. My mates glared at anyone who came close to me, and the monsters stayed at a respectful distance, careful not to crowd into our space.
Before long, we exited the trees and marched forward onto the plain. My heart caught in my throat when I took in the fae army, fully assembled and spread across the land in front of us almost like they’d been waiting for us to arrive. The soldiers stood in neat formations, their silver armor gleaming under the light of a full moon shining high above us. Heat bubbled in my belly as I eyed the rows of soldiers that extended far and wide.There has to be over twenty thousand of them.Twelve fae sat on silver horses at the back of the army, and I could only guess it was the king and his closest guards and generals.
I wet my lips nervously as the rebels moved forward in their house groups, forming neat lines, and unsheathing their weapons. My mates and I stayed at the back following the plan Lyr and the other monsters had put forward. As the largest shifter, I was to be the surprise weapon, and my mates refused to leave my side.
Kasey stood leading the House of Worzel with Tristan, and her gaze found Kade across the stretch of monsters between us. Kade didn’t acknowledge her pleading stare, and unease went through me. The wolves hadn’t said anything about the fact Kade had marked me, but Kade still refused to lead because he wouldn’t leave my side. I turned to my wolf shifter, though I wasn’t exactly sure what else I could say. I didn’twanthim on the front lines, but the wolves needed him. Before I could utter a word, the ground began to shake, making my body vibrate.
“What the fuck did that used to be?” Asher breathed as a massive outlier with six legs, two heads, and a long-spiked tail crested over the hill to our right. The creature had holes where I imagined its ears were supposed to be, and massive black horns that twisted into the air. Warrick sat atop the beast’s back, firmly planted on a lavish black saddle.
“Perhaps, a gazelle or a warthog?” Darian suggested like he was discussing someone’s new pet rather than the beast that was undoubtedly going to try to kill us.
Monsters from the high houses of Saceris, Faren, and Nesarin marched behind Warrick along with monsters from dozens of the lower houses. The members of the Taratun council were also there, their billowing robes fluttering in the wind. Even from my position I could make out their red eyes, and a shiver clawed its way down my spine.
