“What the fuck, Sylvian?”
“What’s wrong?” Cassius asks, as both he and Ashton climb out from under different hedges. Everyone is hiding their nude bodies in their blankets the best they can.
When I glance up, I see Oberon’s jaw tic. “Look at him.”
There’s a tense second, a moment when I feel the shift in all of them as they move from confused to pissed.
“Of course,” Ashton says, rolling his eyes. “We’re being hunted by gods know what, and the earth prince is trying to breed the chosen one under a bush.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Sylvian beats me to it. “What we do or don’t do is none of your business.”
“Oh, sowereyou doing something?” Cassius asks.
I’m so embarrassed I feel like I’m going to melt into goop. I’d just had one of the most vulnerable experiences in my life. The last thing I want to do is talk about it with a bunch of fae kings.
“Alette, tell us you didn’t fall for the earth fae’s charm?” Ashton says. I think he’s trying to sound light and teasing, but there’s something darker in his words.
“I–”
Why can’t I just tell them no?If there was any time to lie, it’d be right now. But instead of lying, I just stare, and the four of them stare back, seeming to read me like a book.
“Fuck!” Oberon growls, pacing like a caged animal.
The tension in the labyrinth is so thick I’m surprised it doesn’t burn the hedges. For whatever reason, all of these men seem overly concerned with what I do or do not do, even though I don’t know why it matters. I’m still their chosen one, whether or not I had a… moment with Sylvian.
Cassius’s pale white hair is plastered to his face, but as if aware of it, he ruffles the overly long strands. “Perhaps we can resume this in the morning, when the wolves are less inclined to make us into a snack if we draw their attention with fighting,” he says.
Oberon glowers. “We’re not going anywhere until the earth fae explains what he did.Exactlywhat he did.”
Sylvian steps forward, chest bare. He’s not even pretending to be ashamed. “She’s the chosen one, Oberon. Not a piece of livestock. If she wants me, if I want her, what business is it of yours?”
Oberon’s lip curls. “It should beallof our business if it distracts from saving our people.”
Sylvian squares his jaw, but something in his eyes flickers. “Don’t worry, I can fuck Aletteandsave our people. I’m a man of many talents.”
Oberon lunges, and in two heartbeats they’re a tangle of limbs and blankets and snarls. They end up on the ground, wrestling, the blankets immediately discarded. Their bodies are naked, showing more skin than I can process. Oberon’s back is latticed with old scars, and Sylvian’s thighs are like tree trunks. I turn away, face burning, but it’s impossible not to peek.
It’s a brutal, ugly fight. Oberon pins Sylvian’s arms, but Sylvian bucks him off and gets Oberon in a choke hold with his legs. Oberon punches hard enough to draw blood. Sylvian swears, but doesn’t let go.
Ashton, for his part, is leaning against the hedge, laughing so hard he can barely breathe. “This is the best entertainment I’ve had in centuries,” he gasps. “Look at them! Like two stags in rut. Only one way this ends, and it isn’t with words.”
Cassius gives me a look, bored, maybe, or just tired. “You could stop this, you know,” he says quietly. “They both want you more than they want to win.”
I look down at my hands, clenched white in the blanket. “They don’t want me,” I say. “They want someone to warm their bed. It’s not the same.”
He shrugs, but doesn’t disagree.
The fight is winding down. Oberon’s got a split lip and Sylvian’s nose is bleeding, but they seem less angry, probably high on adrenaline and violence. They break apart, and for a second both are naked, glistening, and utterly unashamed.
Oberon spits, wipes the blood from his mouth. “Next time, I finish it,” he says.
Sylvian laughs, wipes his own blood on the back of his hand. “Any time, flame-boy.”
Ashton claps, giving a low whistle. “Well, that was illuminating. Now, can we please get back to not dying?”
Cassius is the first to turn away, already thinking ten moves ahead. “We need to rest. The wolves are gone, but who knows if they’re going to come back. We’ll take turns watching. And Alette—” he glances at me, cool as a winter lake— “you should probably decide which one of them you want in your bed tonight, before there’s more fighting”
The words hit like a slap. All three are watching, waiting for me to choose.
