Page 14 of Foretold

“Who doesn’t he hate? He hates August, too,” I reply, taking a deep breath in the chilly night air. “Is this why you’re here, to spy on me and report back to him? Is that why you didn’t tell me he had a child with Vera?”

Her violet eyes flash with what looks like pity. And I fucking can’t stand that. “Of course, I wanted to tell you about Vera and Vale, but I couldn’t do that. Rave would have killed me, and he’s been my friend much longer than you. I’m sorry, though. I really am. I wanted to tell you.”

Sighing, I wrap my arms around myself. “You were right about one thing, though. There was something different about me.”

“Yes, the first succubus born in a century. No wonder you made the princes all crazy,” she replies, absently touching the scar on her lip. “I don’t know what to do here, Astrid. Rave has put me in the middle, and he wants you back. He’s a mess. I’ve never seen him like this in my life. The whole palace is in shadows. And I don’t want to freak you out, but I think he’ll go to war if eventually you don’t return.”

I don’t want to start a war between the fae and the incubi, especially when both kingdoms have agreed to be allies against the vampires.

But I’m also not ready to go back there.

No fucking way.

It hurts to hear he’s a mess, but so am I, and he caused all of this.

She lowers her voice, looking to the tavern entrance where Bane now stands with August, watching us. “But what I really want to know is how the fuck you gothisattention. You got wine-flavored tits or something?”

The sad thing is, I don’t know which one she’s referring to.

CHAPTER SIX

Astrid

“I’m not going to lie, it’s nice to have some female company,” I tell Pandora when we get back to the castle, both of us a little tipsy. We’re sitting in my room with August and Bane, facing each other around the circular table where I sometimes eat. “Not that you two aren’t fun.”

August smirks and pours a drink from the bottle Bane brought with him. “You’ve never really had female friends, have you?”

“I had your mom,” I remind him, my shoulder slouching. “But then I only had you.”

“Well, now you have me,” Pandora adds, tipping her head back as she swallows the shot. “I should drop by here more often. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

“I’m assuming Rave wanted you to come here and convince the princess to return? Or did he want you to try and zip her out of here against her will?” Bane asks, studying her a little too closely. “Because you know if you did that, we’d go back and get her. With ourwhole fucking army.”

Pandora pours another shot. “I’m well aware of what could happen if I tried to steal the princess. But Rave is her mate, Bane. And nothing is going to change that.”

She slides him the shot, and he downs it. “That may be, but it’s up to Astrid if she wants to return to the Fae Kingdom. Maybe she’ll be happier here.”

“They’d love it if I stayed here, had a few children, and potentially break the curse so they could start having daughters again,” I blurt out, eying Bane. “Isn’t that right?”

Maybe I could have one child, and then Rave and I could callit even.

Tit for fucking tat.

My hand stretches out to reach for the bottle, but Bane slides it away from me. “I think you’ve had enough.”

August mutters something about him being either brave or stupid.

My eyes narrow to slits, and I tap my fingernails on the table. “I think I will be the judge of that.”

“I think you stopped being the judge five drinks ago,” he responds, sliding the bottle closer toward him. “And you’re going to regret it tomorrow.”

“Okay,Daddy,” I reply, scowling. His eyes suddenly heat, flickering amber as his nostrils flair. Is he scenting me? “I didn’t know your name was Zython. You can’t tell me what to do.”

Hell, even he can’t tell me what to do. He only just met me.

I stand and swipe the bottle from Bane but then stumble and land in his lap.

On his cock.

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