Page 50 of Their Witch Bride

“We will take turns sleeping in her bed,” Arlys promises, even though we’d already promised as much when we agreed to this insane plan. Sleeping and fucking are two very different past-times. We hadn't made an oath we wouldn't keep, just used semantics.

Sleep in her bed. I wet my lips as an image of Princess Tara spread sweetly on her bed comes to my mind, and my blood starts rushing in my veins. The woman is fucking beautiful. So different from any woman I’ve seen in my life. She’s petite, impossibly tiny, with big expressive eyes and full lips.

It’s not just that though. She has a small waist, perfect hips, and breasts that would fit perfectly in my hands. And her scent… her fucking scent. It drives me mad. Teases me. Makes my cock so hard that I’ve stroked it every chance I get, just thinking of her and her scent. If she wasn’t a witch, if she wasn’t my peace bride, I don’t think I could have resisted her this long. Hell, I know I couldn’t, I’d have been all over her, and Drogo and Arlys would be fighting me for her attention.

But we can’t. Drogo, Arlys, and I made that stupid deal. None of us are to touch her. We’ll have no heir with her. We’ll have no relationship at all.

My smile fades.

“Your eyes,” the king says to his son, reaching up to touch his face. “You look just like your mother.”

He did. Arlys’ mother had the same brilliant green eyes. I remember them staring blankly at the sky when we found her that horrible day. She’d fallen from a tree. If she’d landed on anything but her neck, she would’ve been okay. It was just bad luck.

A tragedy.

Arlys had struggled after that. It was customary when pups bonded like Arlys, Drogo, and I had to spend a lot of time together. Bonding like we did the first time we met meant we would share a bride, so it only made sense for us to spend our childhoods bouncing between our various homes. However, when Queen Talon died, everything changed. My parents and Drogo’s parents had handfuls of other kids to spend time with. They felt that Arlys needed us, and that King Talon needed his son, so we remained here.

And our parents were right. I don’t think they ever could’ve pulled out of their depression if not for our presence here, reminding them that their house was still a home.

The king’s head rolls to us, and his hand drops. “You both have the strength of your mothers and fathers. You weren’t the eldest of your families, but you carry yourself like alphas, through-and-through. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, even though I want to say more.

King Talon’s eyes open wide, and another coughing fit takes over his body. This one is so bad that he’s gasping for air and turning bright red.

“Healer! We need the healer!” Arlys calls out.

A woman instantly appears.

“Clear the room, Princes,” she says, shooing us away before she tends to the king.

We congregate in the hall. Arlys looks worried while Drogo looks pissed.

“Princess Tara should have fixed it by now. We made the fucking deal. We married her. King Talon should be better,” Drogo insists.

Thinking back to the table and her surprise about the Illness, I feel the need to defend her. “I don’t think she knows anything about it.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s a witch. A witch created this illness. Therefore, she should have fixed it by now. I don’t care if she was the actual one to spread the illness or not,” Drogo retorts.

I roll my eyes. “Look, I want her to fix the Illness too, but maybe we’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

“She won’t be getting honey from any of us,” Drogo says, pointing at my dick like it’s dipped in honey.

Arlys clears his throat and looks uncomfortable. “Speaking of which, Rinan, you’re first in her room. Just remember the rules. You guard her, and you sleep. No sex. Don’t slip up,” Arlys commands.

Drogo bores a hole in me with his glare. “If we fuck her, we can’t get out of this marriage, so no consummating the damn thing, you got it?

“I got it.” Damn, do they think I’m some young thing with no self-control? I’m going to follow through with our plan. It’ll be a piece of cake.

Drogo moves closer to me, waiting until a servant passes us in the hall. “This is the first time in our lives that I’m telling you not to get your dick wet.”

“No wet dicks? Understood,” I say, feeling a little irritated by his intensity.

“Good luck,” Arlys says, and our eyes lock.

He gets it. He finds her attractive too. Not that we’d tell Drogo that.

“Thanks,” I say. I take a deep breath and head down the stairs to Princess Tara’s room.

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