Stellar nudged him. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. Don’t make me forcibly read your thoughts. You know how I hate that.”
Lysander bit back a sigh. Stellar was his prince. He already shouldn’t be lowering himself to check on Lysander. Lysander was in no position to disobey. “I’m not sure. It’s been a while.”
“Why?” Stellar sounded more confused than accusing.
By his king, he didn’t want to talk about this. But Stellar was not only his prince but also his oldest friend, and Lysander never knew what was a mere inquiry and what was an order.
Lysander forced his eyes open, but he still couldn’t look directly at Stellar. He cleared his throat. It was an uncomfortable sound. “Apparently, a mate has been chosen for me.”
Stellar gasped.
Lysander kept going. “It seems he doesn’t want this match.”
“What?” Stellar practically vibrated with rage. “Who is it? I’ll take care of this immediately. The ridiculous idea that any fairy—”
“It’s a vampire.”
Stellar deflated. “I have no authority over those beasts.”
Lysander couldn’t look away from the changing emotions shifting over Stellar’s flawless face.
After a moment, Stellar’s expression landed on determined. “Scoot over. You need the power of my light.”
Lysander couldn’t argue. He made room for Stellar in the hammock and under the blanket.
Stellar snuggled him. Their faces were inches apart. For a while, they simply stared at each other. They had been friends for countless centuries. Time lost all meaning after a while. They knew each other so well, sometimes they didn’t need to speak at all to tell each other everything.
“I think a small part of me always expected it would be us someday. Who else could possibly love us more than each other?”
The confession pulled a smile from Lysander and lightened an invisible weight on his chest. “Though it breaks my heart to admit it, I’ve always known there was no chance of that. You’re too high above me. I never let myself dream of that future. Life would certainly be easier, though. I hate this feeling that’s suffocating me, but neither can I bring myself to feed from anyone other than my mate. If my light extinguishes, I’m so grateful to have you with me.”
“Absolutely not. I’m still your prince. You’re not allowed to abandon me.” Stellar’s mouth covered his. The carnality of the kiss sang through Lysander’s blood. One kiss from Stellar was hotter than any other fairy could muster within hours of the dirtiest of acts. But it was still only a kiss, and that wouldn’t hold him for long.
Stellar pulled away a hair before brushing his lips across Lysander’s a final time. “I know that’s barely a snack, but I won’t demand you to betray your mate. Give me a few hours. I’ll move heaven and earth to fix this.”
“Okay.”
Even as Lysander agreed, he knew it was too late. The combination of starvation and mental pain was too much for his kind. They were sex and light. Lysander had lost those things. He had no idea what Stellar would do to fix what Lysander couldn’t.He couldn’t force Stone to want him. Lysander highly doubted Stellar could get Celeste to change her mind about her choice for him. He didn’t even know how any of that worked. Celeste was the goddess who paired souls. She was the only being who knew how these decisions were made. Lysander hadn’t even thought about gaining a mate. Maybe secretly, he, too, had thought he would eventually belong to Stellar. But he always dismissed those thoughts as quickly as they came. Stellar would end up with someone as powerful as he was. That was how things worked. That didn’t dampen the fact that Lysander had never shared such a strong bond with anyone else. Stellar was a piece of him he couldn’t live without. Lysander saw the difference now, though. This ache to be with Stone was unlike anything he had ever suffered. The pain was unimaginable.
Stellar kissed him again. “Hold on.”
Lysander nodded. “I will.”
Stellar vanished.
Lysander stared at the empty spot where Stellar had been. He wondered if he had just told his first and last lie to his prince.
As Stone paced Frost’s home clinic, he freaked himself out a little more by the minute. Apparently, not only had Frost been back in town for a period of time Stone didn’t recall, but he had also come home with a new daughter. Stone had less than zero knowledge of all this. Everyone acted as if he had shown up for every shift and the news shouldn’t be a surprise. That was terrifying. What the hell had he been doing when he lost track of time? The possibilities were horrific.
A tiny baby sound came from a nearby bassinet.
Frost glanced up from the book he studied.
Stone stole the opportunity to focus on something tangible. He moved to the bassinet and looked inside. Frost and Gemini’sdaughter, Celina, opened her eyes for half a second before she was out again. She was the newest of newborns, and it was hard work growing. No doubt she was exhausted. Staring at her brought him peace in a way he couldn’t explain. Maybe it was just the fact that she was a baby. She represented everything good and pure in the world. He was none of those things.
“She has Gemini’s hair and eyes.”
“No.” Frost’s denial had Stone’s gaze snapping his way. A huge grin split Frost’s face. Despite his friendly demeanor, Frost sounded firm. “I know you’ll still be the same player as you are right now in twenty years, so no. My daughter is off limits.”
