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“You think so?” he asks as I study his handsome features. “I always thought we looked more fae than anything else. Aside from the round ears, of course.” He chuckles.

Now that he mentions it, I suppose there is something inhuman about his sharp jawline and defined cheekbones. Lux’s too.

“Father was very disappointed when we both came out with human ears,” he goes on. “Lux, slightly more so than me, for obvious reasons.”

“If your father had a mistress himself, then he shouldn’t have been surprised that his wife cheated too,” I mutter.

“I’ll make sure Lux understands your thoughts on mistresses.” He winks while I try to ignore the sting I feel at the thought of Lux with a mistress.

It doesn’t matter if he has a mistress or not. I’m certainly not becoming his wife.

“Tell me about the bond.” I fold my arms. “What is it and why did Lux not tell me about it last night before creating it?”

Castor’s lips twitch. “I was waiting for you to ask about that.” His gaze drops to my chest and I pull the blanket closer to it, trying to hide the way my nipples have peaked.

My breath catches as he rises from his chair again.

“You feel that warmth in your chest?” He draws closer to me. “The one that seems to grow more intense when Lux is nearby?”

My heart is pounding too much for me to feel anything right now, but I remember how it felt earlier in the carriage. The pleasant buzz in my chest.

Gripping the blankets, I nod.

“That is the bond.” He tilts my chin up. “Faeries live for much longer than humans, and due to some complicated scientific reason that I’m sure you do not care enough about to hear me explain, this means it is harder for our females to get pregnant. The bond encourages newly mated couples to be close to each other, thus increasing the chances of conception and ensuring that there are just as many tiny baby faeries in this world as there are human children.”

“So it’s going to force me to fall in love with him?” My voice shakes.

“No, little princess.” Castor swipes his thumb over my chin. “It’s just going to make you want to fuck. A lot.”

My lips clamp shut while he chuckles cruelly.

“You’re embarrassingly innocent.” He drops my chin. Cheeks burning, I slide as far back as the bed will let me. “Relax. I promised Lux I wouldn’t touch you today, so I will not.”

“Why is Lux happy for you to be in here at all?” I demand. “He didn’t like when that healer was touching me, but for some reason it’s fine for you to be here.”

“He explained this earlier, Eden. Lux and I are close. Our magic is connected. I’d trust him with my life as he’d trust me with his.” He smirks viciously. “That, and you ought to get used to me being around. The bond may be making him a little protective of you now, but in time he’ll want to share with his brother, just like he always does.”

“That’s obscene,” I rasp. I shouldn’t want Lux as much as I shouldn’t want him to ‘share me’ with Castor. But heat is pooling between my thighs anyway.

“You weren’t opposed to sharing before, in my club, remember? When Lady Charlotte and her husband offered for you to join them in their private room?”

“That was…” I shudder. “I was drunk. I didn’t even know that was what she wanted.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Castor chuckles, stepping back just in time for my door to swing open.

Shame covers my cheeks as the healer hurries back in.

When he steps up to my side, I wish the bed would open up and swallow me. But of course it doesn’t, and I’m forced to hide my hardened nipples while he produces a black pouch of herbs from his robes.

“This will help with your pain.” He pours some into the water goblet on my nightstand before passing it to me. “It also contains a sedative, to help you rest.”

“How strong is the sedative?” I whisper to him.

He glances at me nervously, but doesn’t reply. Instead, he leaves the room after handing the rest of the pouch to Castor, who pockets it swiftly.

“Drink your medicine, princess.” He returns to his seat. “Lux ordered you to rest, and you’ll need it considering what I’m sure he has planned for you over the next week.” He winks.

There is no way I am touching that ‘medicine’.