Page 169 of Court of the Fae Princes

He looks so ashamed. So disappointed in himself. “You did well,” I tell him, and smile. “You all did well,” I say, looking at my injured men.

But I can tell none of them believe me.

I turn back to the woman in front of me, hating what I’m about to ask. “What can you do to help them?”

Seriously, as dangerous as I know these House of Death fae are, I doubt they’re going to be picking up their swords and going to battle. They seem more in the realm of dealing with the dead than fighting the living. And with my control over their dead, I have a feeling they’re not quite as dangerous as before.

So, I have to be smart. I have four injured men here, iron demons that may be on the loose soon, and a long way home. Getting help, even from them, might not be the worst thing. If we’re careful.

Her expression never changes. She’s a statue at my service. “I can marry you now to restore their powers and hold the barrier.”

Everything in me tenses. Is that really what would happen? If I marry them, will things get easier for them? Will it save the kingdom in some bizarre fae-magic way? I have no idea.

Prince Forrest staggers next to me, bearing Prince Sulien’s weight, and I turn in surprise. “Not a chance. I’ve learned my lesson. No one is going to make you feel rushed or forced into marrying us. No one.” He follows his words up with a glare leveled at Lady Grave.

Prince Zane’s firm voice comes from behind me as he draws closer. “This is our burden to bear, and our problem to solve.”

Then Prince Cobar comes closer. “Marrying us to save the kingdom is the last thing we want.” There’s pain in his eyes as he speaks. “Seriously. Don’t do this.”

My gaze finds Prince Sulien’s, and his eyes are intense. “I will never marry a woman who doesn’t want to marry me.”

Wow. What a change in their tune. Before, they didn’t even seem to see me as a person. Just the mate they connected with, who would fall all over herself for them and marry them without a thought. It breaks my heart that they had to go through all this to realize that our relationship needs to be more than that, but some small part of me is glad they learned the lesson.

And… I’ve changed too. The terrible weight I felt on my shoulders at just the idea of marrying them is gone, because, what’s really holding us back now? My dreams have shown me that having four husbands might be a hell of a lot better than having one, at least if they’re these four men. Prince Sulien’s revelation has erased my fears about being married to men I’d spend my life lying to. As a fae, my family is safe no matter what I do. All my fears are gone.

I want to marry these four insane men, even knowing they’ll turn my life upside down. Even knowing that, if the tree spirit’s predictions are true, I’ll have my vagina torn apart by four giant fae babies. And even knowing that my family and I won’t be able to spend all year at the Summer Court, since we’ll be living in the middle of the four court’s lands. Knowing everything, I still want to be with them.

So, why delay marrying my mates?

“Do you think the barriers will come down if I don’t marry you?” I ask, looking at each of my men one by one.

“We’ll do everything we can,” Prince Zane says, his tone filled with guilt.

But they can’t stop it.

The choice is easy. “I’ll do it.”

Prince Sulien shoves away from Prince Forrest, and then his hands are on my arms. Hands covered in blood. Our gazes meet, and this time I’m overwhelmed by the sight of the cuts and bruises covering his body. He did all of this just to get me back.

“You don’t need to take this on. We’ll find another way.”

I gently place my hand on his cheek before facing the other three princes. “It’s happening,” I say. Then I make sure to look at each of them. “Because I kind of love you idiots.”

It takes everything in me to pull away from their expressions of disbelief and walk over to Lady Grave. “Let’s do this.”

She bows her head. “Everything will be prepared.”

A rumble of dissent rises from Prince Frost, Forrest, and Cobar. I hold my hand up in the air, waving it to silence them. “The decision is made.” Then my eyes lock with hers. “But I want your word that we’ll be safe here.”

“You have it,” she promises easily, and for the first time in my life, I feel the power behind a fae’s word. Something I don’t think I was sensitive to until now.

I release my hold on the strings to the dead, and I hear every fae there take an unsteady breath. Even Lady Grave looks like she might topple over for the briefest moment before she corrects herself once more. It’s strange, this fae magic. But I like it.

“You’re a very deadly woman,” Lady Grave whispers.

I smile, taking the compliment for what it is. “You have no idea.”

SEVENTEEN

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