“Apart from the mer and phoenix, all shifters bond through biting. Same with the rest of the supes, aside from witches. They do some weird sex ritual.” He smiles, and I feel my eyes widen when I catch sight of his fangs.
“Holy shit, were they there the whole time?” Nox mutters as I reach out to press my finger against the tip of a fang, but he pushes his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and they retract into his gums before I can.
“Don’t you think you would have felt those on your cock if they had been?” Titus replies dryly, and I feel Nox shudder behind me, but I’m not sure if it’s from disgust or lust. I certainly know what I feel.
“Do you drink blood?” I ask him.
“Not for sustenance like a vampire, but it is enjoyable for both parties during sex,” he tells me.
“Right, well, ah, okay.” I slide out from between the two men, trying to wrap my head around everything I just learned. Just when I thought I was getting a handle on everything, this threw me for a loop. I just need some space from the two of them to clear my head. Nox’s scent of cinnamon and sugar blends so well with the decadent scent of chocolate with a hint of spice that comes from Titus. Combined with the way my body is screaming to bite these two and lock my final mates down, I just need a moment to get my bearings and make sure they actually want this.
“So, uh, what you’re both saying is that neither of you were rejecting me, you’re just assholes with a whole load of issues?” I ask, pacing back and forth in front of the giant bed. Both of them are watching me, Titus with cool amusement and Nox with a sort of desperate concern, like he fucked up everything and is certain I’m going to reject him much like a whole heap of people in his past.
“Yes, but when you put it that way, it sounds really bad.” Titus’s gaze swings upward, and his eyes widen. “Fluffy, no!” He moves faster than the eye can see, but he’s not fast enough. I feel something drop down onto my shoulders, and I freeze, a very unladylike squeal barreling up, but I clamp my lips closed so I don’t scare the viper that just wrapped itself around my shoulders, its tongue caressing my cheek.
“Oh fuck. Is it venomous?” Nox asks quietly, and Titus nods, standing just out of reach, frozen so he doesn’t startle his pet.
“Deadly,” he mutters, not taking his eye off the snake. “Stay still, love, and let him scent you. Hopefully removing the ring and lifting the block on the bond will help you smell a little like me.”
It takes everything that I have not to scream and fling the snake across the room, but I have a feeling that won’t be good for any of us, so I allow Fluffy to become acquainted. He slithers his way around my body, his tongue flicking out constantly like he’s trying to taste my essence. He sticks his head into the cleavage of my top, burying it between my breasts, and I narrow my eyes as he makes this very quiet purring sound that I hadn’t expected from a snake.
“Well, I guess this is a nicer greeting than the one I got from your pet,” I hiss quietly at Nox, and he just chuckles and nods, though his eyes are still shadowed with worry.
“Stormy will get used to you,” he tells me as Titus steps closer and gathers his pet in both hands. The viper happily lifts his head out from between my boobs, and he kind of looks like he is smiling.
“Seriously? Your pet is a perv,” I snap at Titus as he takes Fluffy to another plant on the far side of the room, far away from the bed.
“On a more serious note, are you sure you want this?” When he turns to face me again, his eyes are clouded with doubt.
“What do you mean? Of course I want this, you’re my mate,” I tell him, wondering where the doubt is coming from.
“Yes, but you will be the first queen with a crossbreed mate,” he tells me. “I’m not sure how well that is going to go down with your subjects.”
I shake my head. “Changing the law that outlaws crossbreeds is at the top of my to-do list. I don’t care and nor should anyone else. You can’t help who you love, and you shouldn’t be punished for it. That’s just as bad as punishing people for loving the same sex. I won’t stand for it, and I will be proud to be the first queen with a fairy fae hybrid as her mate, so screw what anyone else says.”
“And anyone who says anything to either of you will have to deal with the rest of us,” Nox agrees firmly. I knew he wouldn’t have any problems with it. His own experience with prejudiced assholes would make him completely sympathetic to Titus.
Titus studies us with serious eyes. I guess he’s trying to gauge how genuine we are. Do the fae have mental powers I don’t know about? Can he read my mind? His lips quirk up on one side, and my eyes widen as he lifts a hand and snaps his fingers and my clothes disappear. Nox shouts, and when I turn, I find his have disappeared as well.
I let my eyes wander his naked body and smirk. “Well, that is certainly handy. Will I be able to do that in fairy form?” I ask Titus who stalks toward us and waves his hand, and both of us go flying backward, tumbling in a tangle of limbs, onto his bed. “Telekinesis too.”
“Sorry, my pretty little mate, but those are from my fae side. The plants and snake are my fairy gifts.” He snaps his fingers, and his own clothes disappear. I swallow down any retort I was going to make.
“Holy shit,” I murmur quietly, and Nox chuckles.
“I know, right?”
Titus is all glittery pale skin and elegant, sleek muscle, and his wings shimmer behind him, drawing my eyes.
“Will I have wings?” I ask absently, distracted by all the naked flesh as Nox pushes me onto my back and leans over me, blocking my view of Titus.
“Probably,” I hear him reply, but I’ve lost interest as my hands skim over Nox’s beautiful, familiar body.
“I missed you,” I tell him quietly, and he smiles.
“You have no idea. I was so close to coming after you. It’s why I came to the Chaos Kingdom. I figured a little more distance may make things easier, but it didn’t. I’m so glad I’m your mate.”
ChapterThirty-Seven
