His second and third in command pressed their lips together to suppress their smirks. Just then, a blanket floated toward me and wrapped around my shoulders, leaving only my face and hands visible. It was unnaturally warm. He must have been heating it with his powers. God, the warmth felt good. It spread deep into my body almost instantly, and knowing it was his magic made it feel even better for some reason.
“There. That’s a little less… distracting,” he said smoothly, stifling a grin on his flawless face.
This time, Aurelius and Cercies let out a small chuckle. They passed the bottle between them, taking mouthfuls of the mystery liquid and skipping the formality of glasses.
Unbelievable. I was sitting in a room with the three most powerful Fae males in the entire kingdom, and they were acting like a bunch of frat boys.
“Is this the part where I get gang raped?” I spat, narrowing my eyes at the High Lord’s stupid, smug, beautiful face.
“Oh, Guardians, no. Stop being dramatic. Besides, I think you might be a little sore from the other night. I did not think you wouldwant me again so soon,” Titus taunted, wearing a wicked, seductive grin.
Aurelius nearly spit out his drink trying not to laugh. The General looked confused.
“What are you talking about? I would never willingly touch you!” I shot back.
“Do you not recall the homework I sent to your room? You put on quite a show,” he teased arrogantly.
My cheeks flared red. Aurelius was right. He was watching me. Outrage and embarrassment burned through my blood. I scrambled for the one thing I could say that might wound his oversized, stupid ego.
“I did not know you could see me through the fire. And besides, that was a toy, which I am sure is way bigger and feels way better than you, pervert!”
“Are you dense?” he replied, glowing with pride. “I had it made. It is a mold of me, meant to prepare you for the physical union. I was trying to be considerate of your… size difference.”
That was the most I had ever seen the High Lord smile, and of course it was because he loved boasting about himself and his stupidly large cock.
Understanding dawned on Cercies, who burst into a deep, belly laugh. The other two quickly joined him. Then the General added, “Sounds like you have a lot more fun up here in the castle than I do in Dragon’s Maw.”
“How unfortunate to be number three,” Aurelius sneered.
I saw it then. These three rulers, behind closed doors, were friends. Brothers, even. To the rest of the world, they were stern and cold, barely tolerating one another. Perhaps it was a mask they wore to protect each other from their enemies.
Yep. This was definitely the part where I was going to die.
From embarrassment.
I tucked my knees in and pulled the blanket over myself, trying to disappear into a sad little ball.
Their laughter faded, and that was when Titus, his face and tone unreadable, asked me, “So tell me, Delilah. Who are you really? Where did you come from?”
“What do you mean? You already know. I am Delilah, and I came from the mortal realm,” I replied peeking out shamefully from the blanket.
He took another pull from the bottle, passed it along, then leaned forward, clasping his hands together. He narrowed his eyes, digging his gaze deep into my soul. “Do you have a surname? What of your parents?”
“Raye,” I responded. “Delilah Raye is my full name. I do not know who my father is, other than that he got my mother pregnant at a young age. She had nowhere to go except her grandparents’ farm. After she became pregnant, she suffered multiple psychotic episodes and was institutionalized. When I was born, I was sent to my great-grandparents’ farm, and I lived there until they became too old to care for me.”
He leaned back slightly, then rested his elbows on his knees again, hands clasped, nodding slowly as he tried to piece together whatever puzzle was forming in his mind.
“Did you have a profession or trade?” he asked.
Why did he want to know this?
I nodded. “Yes. Unlike your kingdom, in my world, females can hold positions higher than maid or sex worker. After I aged out of foster care, I went to college and became a veterinarian for horses.I
K. ROSÉ
loved it, but I only practiced for a brief time. I became too ill to work,” I replied, my tone etched with sadness.
“An equine mender?” Aurelius asked. I nodded again. “I suppose so, yes.”
