Page 36 of Foretold

“Bet you wish you chose differently now,” Cove says, leaning back in his chair. His blond hair is tied back with a leather band, his pointed ears on show.

“Let’s be real. We all know Rave is my fated mate,” I reply to him, tipping the bottle back for another swig. “The rest of it was my succubus magic searching for a strong source.”

Cove shrugs, his blue eyes turning thoughtful. “Well, my mate is still out there, and I hope to find her.”

Soren and Sinda return with more alcohol and glasses for everyone, and somehow, this has turned into a small party.

Nico pours me a glass and slides it over. “You know if you ever need me, I’m here, right?”

My eyes widen because we’ve never exactly been close. However, he did offer me an olive branch at Beltane. “I didn’t, but thank you, Nico.”

“We’re all happy you’re here,” Elios adds, winking at me.

“Especially now that you’re being so fun,” Soren adds, lifting his glass.

I roll my eyes.Fun. Unstable. Same thing, right?

When Rave returns and finds us all drinking and laughing, his eyes flash with surprise before he masks it. But he doesn’t say anything, just sits next to me in the seat Soren quickly vacates. He pulls my chair toward him with his boot and pours himself a glass of ale.

As I glance around the table, I realize how much I’ve changed since I met these men.

“Are we going out to the inn or what?” I glance, giving Rave a side-eye. “I want to go dance and have some fun. Let’s enjoywhat Aravelle has to offer.”

“I can take her,” Soren offers, his glass at his lips.

“Fuck that, we’re all going,” Cove replies, slapping his hand on Soren’s shoulder.

Rave’s jaw tightens, and he rests his hand on the back of my chair. “If the princess wants to go out, then we will go out.”

The men cheer, then stand to get ready, leaving Rave and me alone. He brings his lips to my ear, his familiar sandalwood scent hitting me full force. “Is this how we’re going to deal with our problem? Instead of being vulnerable and talking about it, we’re going to waste our time drinking the night away?”

“Doesn’t sound like a waste of time to me,” I reply, shrugging.

“If you want to lose yourself, I can think of another way,” he rasps, his tone deep and sensual. His lips press against my neck, his teeth scraping my tingling skin.

“Letting loose now and again isn’t a crime,” I reply, sounding breathless even to my ears.

“Is that what you’ve been doing in Chaos?” he asks, referring to the main city in the Incubus Kingdom. “Drinking and partying while I’m here feeling sick from being away from you, using all my control to stop myself from zipping there and bringing you back here where you belong?”

“Not all of us are pinned down with children and responsibilities,” I reply in a dry tone, and I know I’m being a bitch. And to be honest, Vale is the only person here that I like right now. I bring the wine bottle to my lips and take a big sip before continuing the conversation, “I just want to have a little fun. It’s not that deep.”

“I’ll be deep in you later tonight,” he whispers, tucking my hair behind my ear and kissing my lobe. “Throw whatever you want at me, Princess. Make yourself feel better. Hate me for lying. Hate fuck me all you want. Use my cock. Make it hurt. But I’m still not going anywhere. I’ll fight whoever I have to. I’ll go tofucking war. I’ll zip all over the fucking realm looking for you. I don’t care. But you aremine, and you always will be.”

“Youare psychotic,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“No, just a man torturously in love with his mate,” he replies, kissing my temple.

Our relationship has changed. It started with me running, of course, but afterward, it became almost sweet and then loving once I moved forward from the vision and accepted that it had changed. But now, with all the lies between us, it’s darker. The fairy-tale romance is gone, and in its wake, a deep, possessive, borderline toxic relationship has developed.

But it’s more real than ever, so at least there’s that.

“And I’m yours,” he replies plainly, only proving my point.

“I’m going back to Chaos next week,” I blurt out, raking my fingers through his thick, dark hair. “It will be August’s birthday, and I always bake him a cake. It’s tradition.”

His irises shadow, and his jaw tightens. “Are you going to make me a cake on my birthday?”

“Yes,” I reply, rolling my eyes. August and I never had much, so getting a cake each year was a big deal. We’d manage to pull off a small gift too.

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