“They must be mated,” he confirms. Stepping close, he inhales mere breaths from my face. “Yes, indeed. A mating bond. Those are rare, you know. No one does them anymore.”
“The Woodland never do,” she agrees. “They must be a Heartbond.”
Heartbond? I never suspected—never dreamed?—
Is that why everything feels more heightened? As if we’re two dancing moths to a flame, never to be rid of the other?
I want to see my mate and my patience for these idiots grows thin. “If you’ll excuse me?—”
“But she is not Fae.”
“No, decidedly not.”
“She is something else.”
“Decidedly, yes.”
“I am a Blut Coven Witch,” I say, exasperated. I can’t help but roll my eyes as they gasp. “Yes, yes. Rare. I know.”
“The Dark Queen, Ruler of Blood.” Her eyes grow large and impressed. “No wonder they do not like her.”
Now I’m intrigued. Tilting my head, I watch the couple sway. “Who does not like me?”
“The Veridian Queen, of course.” She giggles as her companion dips her low. “But you already knew that.”
I must be obvious.“Yes. I knew that.”
The queen also must not be keeping her disgust with me private. That means I no longer have to.
“You know, the Woodland have a custom,” the male begins, stopping behind me. My shoulders tense as his breath ghosts my neck. “Many pairs trade partners. It keeps others happy. The king often traded for others in his bed.”
Explains where Mal came from.
His fingers trail over my exposed arm and I whip my head to glare at him. “Do the Dark Fae have such customs?”
“No.” Frankly, I don’t know. Zelos had a harem. I can only assume he took—not traded.
“If you should ever find yourself needingsomething…” He trails off, voice dipping low for my ears only. His friend looks on hungrily. “I am all too willing to provide. The Woodland Fae have been known to have largeappetites.”
A hand grabs his finger, bending it backwards and a pop is heard. A long, mournful beat that swells in the room as it swallowed his scream.
“You wouldn’t be touching my mate, would you, Oran?”
He winces behind the mask. “I was merely telling the queen how delectable she looks?—”
“Wrong answer.” Kaden snaps the man’s wrist, shoving him to the far back wall.
He’s a powerful Fae with broad shoulders, black tailored waistcoat and intricately designed red swirls along his arms and lapels. He’s easily taller than both Fae, and whereas their masks are plain, his is extreme and monstrous. With long horns pointed above, carved lines along the cheeks and chin, painted gold and black, he’s a prettified picture of the beast he once was.
As his shadows rise to pin the man to the wall, I think of the image I had to kill in my purification ritual. This is that Kaden now.
“I mean no disrespect, Dark King,” he stutters. “I only wished to convey it. Aoife has spoken so poorly, it was refreshing to see this beautiful creature in our ball?—”
“Aoife is not the one you should listen when it concerns my mate.” His black eyes gleam with a madness I’ve not quite seen before. It steals my breath, halts my heart, and fear drifts off of me in ugly waves. “Has anyone told you how the Dark Fae mate, Oran?”
He shakes his head, a bead of sweat falling off his chin. “No, Dark King. I’ve never had the pleasure.”
“Clearly,” he drawls. “They mate for life,” he explains casually. He slides his hands into his pockets, never looking away from his prey. “And as such, my mate is onlymineto think about. Every breath, every beat of her heart, ever flutter of her eyelashes belongs to me. That includes what her face looks like right before I make her cum on my tongue, or how she screams my name in the bedweshare.” His eyes flash, madness high. “My queen is no one else’s butmine. She is not some courtesan to be shared. None of you will get the privilege to experience her.”
