“You see what I mean? Now he wants more because I can give him more.”
“What's wrong with that?”
“Excuse me?”
“What's wrong with him wanting more from you now that you can offer him more? Attraction can be about more than the physical. Power is a huge turn-on, and you have power. You've become more attractive to Jusso and a lot of other men.”
“I see what you're trying to do, but you know it's different. They don't find me attractive because I'm powerful. They find the thought of the power I can give them attractive.”
“Ember, they still want you for you. They won't have any problem getting it up in bed. So what if it's your magic that keeps them there?”
“I have to fall in love for this to work, Kel. And if I fall in love while they're just after power, it would crush me.”
“Ah, I see.” He took my hand and drew me along again. “So you don't think you're good enough for them.”
“What?!” I jerked my hand out of his. “Fuck you. I'm good enough.”
Keltyr lifted a dark brow at me.
“I am. That's not the problem. You can't make someone fall in love with you.”
“Exactly!” He tapped my nose.
“Huh?” I squished up my face at him.
“You're so wrapped up in your trouble that you can't see the other side.” Kel held up his hand to stop me from arguing, just as I'd done to him. “You think you do, and you see some of it, but not all. They're scared too, Ember. They're worried that even if they give you everything, you won't love them. Then they'd feel humiliated on top of being rejected. The whole fucking citadel will know my—uh, I mean,their—failure. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that would be? What kind of hit a man's ego would take? We're the ones who have to impress you, not the other way around. And you have hundreds of men to choose from. It's . . . daunting.”
“Kel,” I whispered and reclaimed his hand. “No, I didn't think about that.”
“You have all the power here, Ember. In so many ways. You are the lynchpin to the war. We need you, you don't need us. You make that very clear every day we smile at you, and you turn away.”
“Fuck. Kel, I'm sorry. I—”
He waved again as he cut me off. “You've claimed two of us already. Before they knew about what you could do. Ratharin and Xaedren are some of the finest Wraith Lords alive, but they're also hard asses. No one could claim them. Not even for a regular lay. They were unreachable. And believe me, many men have reached. And yet, you come whisking in—a fucking human, no less—and wrapped them both around your little finger in a matter of weeks.”
“They're not wrapped around my finger,” I muttered.
Kel gave me a dubious look.
“They just . . . it was complicated.”
“Uh-huh. They fucking fought over you. They brawled like a couple of ruffians. Dogs over a bone. That has never happened in the citadel.Never. We don't fight over lovers.”
“That . . . Rath was just . . . oh, fuck. I didn't know that was unusual.”
Kel stared at me for a second, then said, “Whatever happened, however it came about, you ended up with both of them. And it's not as if the three of you are switches and fuck each other. They're both yours.Yours, Ember. Not each other's. They decided to share you. That's how much they love you.” He shook his head in amazement.
“They only decided to do that after the Emperor told us about the prophecy. After I had shared my power with Xae.”
“Still, they loved you enough to accept that, and that love came before the Emperor gave them a reason to share.” He made a huffing sound before continuing. “You're worried that the man you fall in love with may not fall in love with you. But do you understand what we risk? First, we have to gain your love, and then, if we can't protect our hearts along the way, and we fall in love with you in return, we'll have to share you. Your heart will never be fully ours, while we will love only you. And all of that is only if we manage to get the balls to go after you, in the first place.”
“Yes, I understand that. Nex said something similar when we first discovered what I can do. And that's just another reason why they'll hold back from me.”
“But you don't think I will?”
“You might. But you wanted me before this shit with my sharing magic came out. You told me it would be different with us. So there's a better chance for us.”
“Forus?”
