Page 68 of Their Chosen

“Okay.” She nodded to herself, thinking about it all. “And because of y'all's enhanced senses, you can all smell me? Even knowing when I've been with one of you physically?” She asked no one in particular but continued to maintain eye contact with me since I had been the only one to give her answers so far. The other two were too big of cowards to do anything but throw me in her path.

“Ah...yes. We can,” I confirmed, hesitantly, needing to clear my throat during my confirmation. The look that immediately crossed her face had me slightly concerned.

“So, the other night...?” Her voice trailed off in a question, but I knew what she was asking me.

I nodded. “I could smell Baer on you. I knew you had kissed him.”

“And you didn't have a problem with that?” she asked incredulously.

“No. Not since I knew he was one of your consorts. Things here are very different from Earth, especially in this. It’s not uncommon for fae to be with more than one fae at a time,” I tried my damndest to explain it to her, but talking about all this just made me picture sharing her with Baer. I resisted the urge to adjust myself.

“You mean during sex? Or in a relationship?” The panic at the thought was growing, but I couldn't say which one made her more nervous. However, underneath the panic, I caught a glimpse of the heat in her eyes. A part of her was seriously turned on at the thought.

“Both,” I answered pointedly, watching her response closely.

She inhaled sharply at the admission, and just before she realized she should be shocked, I saw hunger. Right then, I promised myself I would find a way to see that hunger again with me as the cause.

The silence hung in the air as she stood there in shock. I could see the wheels turning in her mind but had no clue as to her thoughts. Finally, she turned away from me, some of the tension in my shoulders easing as she started to pace, her heavy gaze no longer pinning me in place.

Instead, I watched her hips as she walked away from me, my eyes snapping up as she turned back toward me. In my periphery, I could see both Baer and Lennox admiring her shapely backside as well. It seemed we all enjoyed her thicker human shape. So much more to grab hold of than the other female High Fae, who were leaner and willowier.

“Okay...” she started hesitantly. “I remember my mom mentioning some of this to me, but it wasn’t the thing that caught my attention, what with her telling me I could be a queen. So, what does that mean for all of us?” she asked, her eyes wide and slightly worried.

“That would all depend on what you wanted,” I answered her simply, letting her know that she was the one in complete control here.

My words did their job, and the fear started to recede. At least until Lennox spoke up. The dick.

“Although I'm hoping to convince you to finish what we started,” he threatened as he sauntered to stand in her personal space, bending down to run his nose along her neck to her ear, inhaling her scent deeply. Rhowyn's body tensed as he drew closer, her eyes fluttering shut at the caress of his nose on her skin. She inhaled sharply as he did the same, getting a lungful of her intoxicating scent.

When her eyes popped open after Lennox had withdrawn from her slightly, the heat in her eyes, which met mine, threatened to send us all up in flames. And for once, I wanted to tempt the fates to see what that heat would feel like.

Involuntarily, I took a step toward her, barely catching myself, afraid that if I got any closer, she would panic. My muscles trembled at the effort it took to hold myself back. She wasn't ready for one of us yet, much less three at once. Her nostrils flared; her chest heaved as she seemed to be fighting the same pull as me.

It must be the bond wanting us to complete it, I thought to myself, thankful for her acceptance of it finally. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if she ran from here screaming, especially after everything she had already experienced today.

“What do you mean it must be the bond?” she asked me, her pupils dilating as her eyes continued to hold mine, Lennox still close enough to kiss her.

I must have said my thoughts out loud, a part of me surprised that she had me that rattled. “While it's your choice, the bond will continue to pull us together until you make a decision. Once you do, it should ease up,” I told her.

“Should?!” she asked, blinking and finally breaking the spell between us all.

“It should. However, since you got here, nothing has gone the way I thought it would, so I can't say for certain.” She nodded, accepting my explanation, running her hands over her face. Glancing back up at me, she looked so tired. I held back the instinct that shot through me, screaming at me to pick her up and cradle her until she fell asleep.

Today had been hard on her in so many ways. I wished I could keep her out of all this, but it seemed we were both at the mercy of the land.

She sighed out, her shoulders slumping at the weight on them. If I could bear the burden, I would have gladly done so. “So, is there anything else I need to know?” she asked me firmly.

“Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow,” I told her. When she went to push for more, I cut her off, speaking firmly. “No. Anything else can wait. You've been through enough today. Now, you need to get some rest.”

I could see the battle on her face, wanting to find out more but also realizing I was right. She was completely spent. “You know I'm right. Argue if you want, but we need you at your best if we’re to have any hope. And right now, you're not at your best,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Gee. Thanks,” she muttered, rolling her eyes at me, but a small smile crossed her face as she gave in.

“Come on, Killer, let's get some sleep,” Baer said, jumping up now that the hard part was done. I tried to glare at him, not pleased, but he deftly avoided my gaze.

I sighed at his antics, deciding not to press him after seeing Rhowyn's eyes light up with a smile as he flitted about her on their way to bed. I watched them the whole way, aware of Lennox drawing up to stand next to me, doing the same.

“I thought it was my turn to stay with her tonight?” he grumbled with an honest-to-fates pout on his face.

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