Page 173 of Court of the Fae Princes

My words make his face glow. “Maybe we’ll try to be the assholes you first met every so often to save you from the bumps and bruises.”

“That would be nice!” I exclaim, then grin.

This. This feels right. Being reunited with the princes. Knowing we’re mates and that all the lies and secrets are gone between us. Now, all we need to do is get married… something I’m oddly ready for.

A little while later, the healers come back in and tell me that they need to do more work. Work that would be better done without me. Zane protests, but I’m not about to do anything to slow down their healing, so I promise him it’ll be fine, then head out.

Outside, Lady Nova and Lady Grave are waiting to show me to my room. I don’t want to go. Being near my men is exactly what I need, what I’ve always needed and never known. But knowing that loving them means doing what’s best for them, I go, feeling like I’m leaving my heart behind with each step I take.

EIGHTEEN

Cassia

The room has clearly been arranged for our needs. Big beds have been pushed together to form a bed that takes up a whole side of the room, complemented by soft-looking sheets and warm blankets. The fire is blazing on one side of the room, and a tub with steaming water stands at the ready.

I turn to Lady Grave. “Thank you.”

She nods. “Your friend, Lady Nova, will be two rooms to the right.”

“Good,” I say, looking at Lady Nova. “She deserves a hell of a lot after all she did for us.”

Lady Nova inclines her head, the smallest smile playing across her lips. The woman is confusing and dangerous, but she deserves credit for dropping everything and taking me on a journey to save the men I love. When I’m queen, I’ll make sure she’s rewarded for everything she did.

“Would you like your men returned to this room after their healing? We’ve prepared their own rooms, and they’ll need continued healing tomorrow, but we thought you might want to rest together.”

My throat feels tight, but I manage, “That would be lovely, Lady Grave.”

“There are clothes at your disposal, the bath, and food. I can send in servants to–”

“It’s okay,” I say, “I can take care of myself.”

She looks surprised for a moment before giving a little nod. They walk out the door when Lady Grave looks back. “And can I trust you won’t be using our undead to kill us in our sleep tonight?”

For some reason, I smile brightly, “As long as my men are okay.” Then I shut the door. Let her push her healers even harder.

I turn back to my room. I don’t know what to do with myself, so I just take it one thing at a time. I peel off my clothes, sink into the bath, and scrub the blood, dirt, healing gunk, and scents of death off of me. After I’m done, I dry, dress, and eat. A lot. I don’t know if it’s a consequence of the fae powers or everything I’ve done lately, but I’m starving.

When I’m done, I crawl into the bed, but I don’t sleep. I curl up in the center of the huge space, and wait. The sky darkens. Night falls. And still, they’re not here.

I cry. I don’t know why. I’ve never been a big crier, but the past few days just seem to be hitting me, and I don’t know what to do with all my emotions.

There’s a quiet knock on my door, and then a healer opens it. She doesn’t say a word when I say to bring them in. My men come in, looking like the living dead themselves. The healer closes the door behind them, and I pat the bed. “Let’s get some sleep.”

They slide in around me, Sulien facing me, Forrest behind him, then Zane behind me, and Coban behind him. The warm blankets are around us, and then there’s Sulien’s hands, brushing away my tears. We don’t say anything, not a word, but when I drift off to sleep, I dream about the four of us, cuddled together in this bed, happy and content.

NINETEEN

Cassia

I can’t help but smirk at my reflection in the mirror as I don the eerie wedding dress. It’s black and made of the same material that all the fae in the House of Death seem to prefer. Lace, so delicate that it feels like almost nothing as it lies against my skin. It clings to me, in every way, hugging the lines of my body until it hangs looser from my hips down.

Did Lady Grave really see this, too? Did she know what would happen down to the size of my wedding dress? I laugh. The notion is ridiculous. Still… the dress fits me perfectly. I only wish my father and grandmother were here to see me now.

Tears sting my eyes. Everything has been happening so fast. That’s the story of my life lately. The world has been whipping by me, and I’ve been left clinging to nothing, trying to figure out which way is up and which way is down.

“And what I should and shouldn’t be saying.” I stare at my reflection, thinking about the moment I agreed to marry the princes. I was just trying to keep us moving, to get us and the kingdom to safety, but I should have said I wanted to marry them. That I was scared, but I loved them.

“They’re my mates,” I tell myself, and something inside of me warms.

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