Did you? I must’ve tuned that out along with most everything else you say.
Crypt—Everett starts, frustrated.
“He’s not going to just prance around here ignoring Maven,” Silas points out. “Flighty as he is, we can always count on the fact that he’s as hopelessly transfixed by her as we are. He’ll go back.”
Obviously,Crypt agrees through the bond.I had to scout this celebration to see if the cultists had something untoward planned for our keeper. I dislike it when others are almost as obsessed with her as I am.
Get used to it, because we’re right there with you,I point out.
He makes no other reply, leaving us to focus on Quinn excitedly pointing out the small bonfires to Lillian. Quinn sees a cultist set grapes down on one of the feast tables and quickly drags Lillian there next. The blue-eyed human smiles and waves goodbye at us, clearly happy to spend time with the little water elemental.
The celebration is hitting its stride as we end up wandering to one of the feast tables. I try one of the meat skewers as I ignore anyone who waves at me. I’m sure plenty of people are surprised to see me back and eager to chat, but my inner dragon and I are just getting petulant the longer we go without being around Maven.
Silas and Everett look just as pouty as Silas samples the wine. When Asher Douglas shows up with a few other ex-bounty hunters, Everett tells them to quickly scout the area before joining the celebration. Douglas reassures Everett that his pet hellhound, along with a few other hellhounds belonging to the other hunters, are hanging out in these woods, so there should be no problem.
Once we’re left alone again, I try reaching out to Maven through the bond again. She still has us closed off.
So fucking stubborn.
I get that she needs space and time to talk to her friend, but godsdamn it—can’t she just chat with Kenzie while I hold my mate in my lap and never let her go?
Fucking gods above, Crypt’s voice rasps through the bond.
What?Everett demands.
The incubus doesn’t respond, but a few minutes later, I sense him nearby again. It’s pretty damn nice to not have the ever-living shit scared out of me anymore when Crypt appears.
So when the Nightmare Prince steps out of Limbo beside the meat-skewer-and-wine table we’re standing beside, I’m not surprised to see him.
But Iamsurprised to see how flustered he is. Like the rest of us, he’s in some variation of a suit. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the incubus even remotely dressed up, but he quickly loosens and flings off his tie before rolling up his suit sleeves like he’s overheated.
“What’s wrong? More importantly, is Maven headed this way yet?” Everett demands impatiently.
Crypt huffs and grabs one of the many glasses, pouring wine and downing it all in one go before he scowls. “This celebration will have to be rescheduled.”
“Why?” I frown.
“Because our perfect, merciless keeper is just begging for us to fuck her into insanity for the next week straight,” Crypt rasps, scowling again when his markings light up a couple of times. “You’ve been forewarned.”
When he downs another cup of wine, Silas snorts. “Really? I can’t wait to see what you mea?—”
The fae’s voice cuts off on a choke, and I realize his attention has snagged on something at the edge of the clearing. And when I glance over to where he’s looking?—
Oh.
Holy. Fucking. Gods.
That dress. Thatwoman.
And I thought I was feral before.
Crypt is right. There’s no fucking way we can let her out of bed if she’s showing up in public like…like…
“Oh,fuckme,” Silas whispers, subtly adjusting himself as Maven steps into the cultist party.
Vaguely, I’m aware of the cultists cheering at her arrival, along with several other Reformist attendees clapping and gazing at her in awe. Kenzie is somewhere near my keeper, talking to her, but all I can focus on is Maven.
She’s wearing white. A pure white dress with a slit in the skirt that goes nearly to her hip. Every time she takes a step, I get a mouthwatering glimpse of her toned leg and a pair of simple flats.
