Page 19 of Foretold

He stands, moves to sit next to me, and wraps his arm around my waist, my face leaning on his muscled shoulder.

“You belong here with us, Princess. You’re going to be the Queen of the Fae Kingdom to rule beside your true mate. Do you know how rare that is? I wouldn’t be in a rush to throw it all away. I know it hurts now, but maybe, in time, you can forgive him and still be happy here.”

“He’s locked me in this room.”

I can’t zip or break out the front door—I’ve already tried. The balcony door is also sealed.

There’s only one way I’m getting out of here, and that’s ifhelets me.

“He’s not going to leave you in here, Rave just needs a little time to calm the fuck down. He doesn’t want you to zip away, which is impressive that you’re able to, by the way,” Soren replies, arching his brow. “And I couldn’t even track you. I could kind of feel you but couldn’t pinpoint your exact location. You’ve got some magic, Princess.”

“Not enough to get me out of here,” I grumble, and Soren chuckles, hugging me tighter.

“This is witch magic he’s used to ward it, so that’s probably why,” he explains just as the door opens, and Rave steps back in. He’s freshly bathed and dressed in his battle leathers, swords strapped to his back. His perfectly muscled body takes up thewhole door frame. I can’t deny he’s a lethally sexy man—those piercing blue eyes, straight nose, and soft yet firm, kissable lips.

I remember exactly how they taste and the things they can do.

I also can’t forget how well they lie.

That familiar sandalwood scent hits me just as those icy-blue eyes narrow on me in Soren’s arms.

Soren tenses, then quickly lets me go while Rave’s eyes flicker from blue to black.

A warning.

Let him have his fucking tantrum, I don’t care. “What do you want?” My voice is laced with venom and sarcasm.

His gaze darts to the man beside me before returning to me. “More vampires have crossed into our territory.”

Soren stands, muttering a curse. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll meet you out front.”

As he walks past Rave, shadows hold Soren immobile, and a gasp escapes him as the smoky tendrils constrict his throat.

“Don’t touch her like that again,” Rave threatens, his eyes still on me.

I’ve heard that when males are away from their mates, they don’t handle it well. This right here is the proof. Soren is hisbest fucking friend, but right now, he’s still seen as a threat.

“Rave, let him go,” I demand, standing up and rushing to Soren. “How dare you hurt him for comforting me!”

I’m going to kill him.

“I’m okay,” Soren promises me, absently touching the scar on his throat as he leaves. “You know I’d never betray you like that, Rave. I was only trying to make her feel welcome back here.” He storms off, leaving us alone.

“I can’t believe you did that to him.”

Soren has always been friendly around me, and Rave has never reacted that way.

“No other male touches you.” He growls, turns to leave, thenhesitates. “I need to go and deal with this situation. Someone will bring you dinner and anything else you need. When I get back, we will talk about everything.”

“If you keep me locked up here longer than one night, I’m going to kill you! I’ll go fucking crazy,” I call out after him, but he’s already gone.

Celeste, my maid, brings up a tray of food and drinks, sheepishly smiling as she places it down on the table. Her blue tunic matches her pretty eyes. “Nice to see you, Princess.”

“You, too,” I reply, looking at what she’s brought me. “How have you been?”

“Good,” she replies, clasping her hands together. “It’s been hectic at the castle since you left. But at least there’s no more darkness. Is there anything else you want me to bring you?”

“He actually left this whole palace in darkness?” I ask, lifting the metal cover from the food and almost moaning at the perfectly roasted meat and vegetables.

---