Page 83 of Gemini Wicked

Zephyr’s eye narrows to a dangerous slit. “She will be safest from mortal assassins in Avalon. Especially once she’s crowned. When Zara comes into the full potency of her power—”

“Okay, guys.” I’ve had enough of this shit, for real. “I’m standing right here. Let’s all get a couple things straight.”

Everyone looks at me attentively.

Lucius emerges from his office, briefcase in hand and tweed jacket folded neatly over his arm. Even Neo and Ronin crowd into the kitchen door, with Neo wearing his apron and Ronin toting a dishtowel, to listen.

“Look.” I direct my first remarks at Zephyr. “I definitely appreciate that there’s crap going down in Avalon. I get that Ash needs help. But he’s also a BFD, like a literal Seelie Prince and a badass, so I hope he can hold his own for a minute till we get there.”

A storm of protest gathers in the face of the Dark Fae King.

Typically he isn’t the kinda guy you wanna piss off, he’s really used to getting his way, and he’s worried as fuck about Ash. Consequently, right now he looks fucking lethal.

But no one died and made him king on this side of the portal.

That means he’s just gonna have to cope.

My gaze shifts to Lucius’ alert face. “After what went down last night, I gotta show my face in the classroom this morning. I gotta. Plus I honestly do need to know ASAP what kinda fuckery the Dean’s cooked up for our finals.”

My headmaster gives me a careful nod, which reassures me he’s on board with where I’m heading.

Finally I lock onto Max’s intent and flaming stare.

“And we can’t make any other, uh, big decisions till all that fate-of-the-world shit’s resolved.”

Max’s chest rumbles with a subterranean growl of protest. Even my own inner dragon voices a chirp of indignation like the mouthy bitch she is.

I swallow down that sound and keep right on going.

“So here are my priorities.” Squeezed by my mates’ expectant silence, I count off on my fingers. “First, finals. I gotta pass ’em. And I gotta do better than Cleo on the test to save my crown. The witching world deserves, like, a queen who at least makes her people the priority rather than her next photo shoot.”

Honestly speaking, I’m still not sure I’m all that. The witching world needs saving before we all go extinct, and that’s the queen’s major job.

But let’s face it, I gotta be a better option than Messalina or my lying ex-BFF.

Right?

“Then we help Ash.” I can’t hide my uncertainty from my guys, and I really don’t want to. But I use my queen voice for this little pep talk to brace everyone up, including myself. “We nail down Zephyr’s grip on the Avalon throne. That relative of his doesn’t sound like one of the good guys, and those Unseelie suffered enough under the curse we just broke.”

I give Zephyr a sec to react to that, but my own personal Unseelie has retreated to his usual sphinxlike silence. Once you get past his downturned mouth and possessive stare, he actually looks lonely and kinda lost.

Now, as usual, my stupid heart goes all achy for the jerk.

God. I really wish I could read him like I do the rest of my guys.

While I’m talking, all three of my alphas have drifted close, pulled into me like magnets by the force of our bond. The mounting intensity of their need hums in my bones.

My divided attention hones in on them.

“Once we’ve got both realms sorted… and only then…” I pull in a breath to steady myself. “I guess the next thing on the to-do list could be, uh, babies.”

Neo sucks in a gasp. Our mating bond floods with his excited sense of wonder.

Ronin slings an arm across Neo’s broad shoulders and looks thoughtful, but his barriers are up and I’m not gonna pry. He’ll let me in when he’s ready.

At least there’s no doubt where my shifters are coming from.

Lucius’ wolf gives a sharp bark of triumph and his eyes burn crimson with hunger. Vasili hisses like the rattlesnake he is (but maybe that’s a hiss of protest). Max lets rip with a dragonish snarl and lunges toward me.

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