Hart rises above me and lets his gaze rake down my body. My naked body, because I’d shed the torn shirt at some point. He rubs his hands over his face and shakes his head as a groan leaves him. He launches off the bed and yanks open a drawer. Pulling out a fresh shirt, he drops it onto the end of the bed. “You can shower in my bathing chamber. I’ll use one of my brothers’.”
With that statement, he sweeps out of the chamber with an armful of clothing and a towel. I make quick work of a shower, feeling a little sorry for washing away his heady scent from my flesh. On the bed I find a long red skirt along with undergarments. I wonder which brother acquired these?
When I step out of Hart’s bedchamber, it’s to a quad of pensive faces. “It’s a lovely diurnal,” I say, waving at the sun streaming through the window. Theo smirks at me.Yes, yes, your brother has been to the same places as you and introduced me to the fact multiple orgasms are a thing.They have shaken my entire belief system on that front. What if they aren’t okay with sharing me? My stomach flips. What does it matter? Come the next diurnal, I will be in the wind. But I don’t want to drive a wedge between them before I leave. They rely on each other for support, guidance, and comfort.
“Breakfast is on the table,” Malachi says, jumping to his feet and grabbing my hand. He spins me in a circle before dragging me toward the dining area. He drops a chaste kiss on my lips. “And the doubt that is in your eyes needs to disappear. We told you we are in this together. Stop worrying.”
I drag my bottom lip between my teeth as I sit in the chair he offers. I would just have to trust that they were okay and would be when I departed. A lack of a chaos-creating maiden in their lives will make it easier. “Okay,” I mutter as Malachi piles a white plate high with everything from frosted fruit to sausage. My stomach rumbles in anticipation.
Hart drops into the chair opposite mine. “Worked up an appetite?” he asks.
He is playing with me. Who’d have thought the hard master himself would be one to crack dirty jokes? I pierce a piece of sausage with my fork and grin at him. “Ravenous.” I pop the meaty goodness in my mouth and all flirting is forgotten as I sample every food on the table. The guys chat around me, discussing the ball this evening and a spell they have gained to ensure nobody could enter their chambers while they are away, keeping me safe. What they haven’t accounted for is my intention to leave the sanctuary they created. They keep forgetting that I’m no damsel in distress. I’m a maiden on a mission.
“We have been excused from classes and training this diurnal,” Nash says, cutting through my thoughts. “You can’t leave here though. As far as Charming is concerned, the dragon holds you still. That is the best way to keep you safe until after the wedding, which should take place in a few diurnals. Then you will be free to make your return.”
I hum noncommittally. I don’t want to lie to the brothers, but they have learned nothing in the short time they’ve known me. I will save Gwyneth even if it kills me.
* * *
The guys flit in and out all diurnal. I’m never left completely alone though, and they feed me at least four times before they dress in their ball attire, looking delicious in their smart breeches, boots, and jackets. At their sides is a longsword. I assume they are for decoration and there are no plans to skewer the fairy folk this sundown.
Malachi, being the last to return to the chambers, comes bearing platters of food to no doubt keep me entertained while they are away watching my sister fall foul of a forced marriage. I try one last attempt at persuading them their plan is a pile of bunkum poop, because I still have no clue how I’m going to rescue Gwyneth from Charming’s clutches. I’m just relying on my clumsy ass bumbling in a positive manner. It seems to have worked for me so far.
“You all look handsome,” I observe as they stand before me. “You would look even more handsome if you kidnapped my sister and hid her here in your chambers with me.” I bat my eyelashes, blurring the world. Ugh, I need to stop trying to be seductive.
“We discussed this, pretty mouse,” Theo drawls, popping a piece of cheese in his mouth. “The safest course of action is to let the fairy tale play out.”
“Yes, yes, safest for me, perhaps. But they will force my sister to marry and no doubt bear Charming’s spawn. Two innocent maidens will lose their sight. It is not a noble route.”
“Noble, no,” Nash says. He leans down and his hands fall on either side of the armchair I’ve taken up residence in. It’s easier this way, with no wandering Stirling hands to weaken my resolve to leave. Nash’s gaze bores into mine, and for a tempo I’m sure he can see inside my mind to read my intentions. “This plan may not be acceptable to you, Daphne, but this is the way we keep Gwyneth safe, you safe, and the Idols happy. You don’t want to attract the wrath of the Idols.”
I couldn’t care less about the Idols, because what have they ever done for me? Nothing, that’s what, and if The Hallowed would pull their super shiny blessed heads out of their pampered asses, they’d see the Idols do nothing for them either. But I’m not here to start a revolt. I just want to be left in peace with my sister to live a simple life. Maybe find a group of men who will worship me like I am their queen. I swallow the knot of anxiety and glance at the Stirlings. The feeling that I’ve met these men already sits like a lead weight on my chest. It could never last. One maiden can’t make these knights happy. It was a lovely fanciful fairy tale, and I’ll certainly be adding the requirement for daily orgasms to my list of attributes for my man, because that can never be undone.
“I understand,” I whisper. My gaze commits each of them to memory, because when they return, I will not be here.
“We will be back just after midnight,” Malachi says. “We have to watch Gwyneth escape and leave her glass slipper on the steps of the palace.”
“Does anyone not recognize this is backward? She’s already worn the slipper, he’s selected her based on footwear. Why does the narrative now need to play out?”
“It doesn’t matter what order, so long as it plays out,” Nash says, standing to his full height. “Try to not get in any trouble while we are away.”
My fingers flutter across my chest. “Me? Trouble?”
Theo chuckles as he opens the door and exits. They have so little faith. I will not get in any trouble, because I won’t be here at all. They exit, each dropping their assessing gaze on me before Nash throws a bag of dust into the air at the threshold. It shimmers like a gossamer curtain. He winks at me. “Now no one can enter or leave until I return.”
He shuts the door with a smirk. Damn it! He’s seen right through me. My hands rub down my face as Hamish clucks next to me from his position tucked into the side of the armchair. “Now, what am I going to do?” I jump up and start pacing up and down the living quarters, hoping it will shake an idea loose. Perhaps even two, because everyone needs a backup idea. I might even need a backup for my backup, given how often things don’t go according to plan when I am involved.
Eugene lifts her ass up from the floor near the hearth and reveals another egg. “I like your enthusiasm,” I tell Eugene. “And I wish–”
Mist floats into the air, cutting off my sentence. The genie pops into existence, floating above the dining table. “You called me?” he bellows.
I blink. “Did I?”
He widens his arms. “I wish…”
“Oh, oh no, I didn’t mean–” I shake my head and wag my finger at him. “I wasn’t requesting a wish from you.”
“Then don’t start your sentences with the wordsI wish. It is incredibly misleading and disappointing.”
