Page 5 of Foretold

“Come in,” I call out.

“The door is warded… only you can go in and out without permission,” Zython explains, frowning when August strolls in like he owns the place. He’s also had a bath and is wearing a black silk tunic, his hair brushed back.

“Wards don’t work on him.” I smirk, letting go of the king and looking at my best friend.

“I’ll have to remember that,” Zython mutters, standing up and offering me his hand. “If you two are up for some company, I thought we could all have dinner together.”

“I’d love to,” I say, taking his hand in mine.

Anything to take my mind off Rave and the situation I left behind.

CHAPTER THREE

Astrid

Once again, I’m the only female at the dinner table. Piling my plate with meats, breads, and vegetables, I glance around the table at Axe and Kai—my brothers. They’ve also been watching me curiously as if they can’t believe I’m related to them. I feel the same way.

“You going to tell us why you’ve run away from your mate?” Axe asks, his green eyes dragging over my face. “Should I prepare the army for war with the fae?”

Zython scowls at him, his wine glass almost to his lips. “Let her be, Axe.”

“Hey, I’m happy she’s here. I want to know what happened,” he replies, strumming his fingers on the table.

“He lied to me about having a child with his ex-girlfriend,” I explain slowly, swallowing a bite of potato. I leave out the rest because I don’t want to speak about my being unable to heal the child. It hurts too much.

August’s head snaps to me, and I realize I never told him the whole story. “Why would he do that?”

I clear my throat. “I don’t know, but I believe he wants his son to be his heir and might have been worried I’d put a stop to that.”

Kai scowls, shaking his head. I suddenly remember that the last time I saw him, I had wondered if he could read minds, so I ensure my shields are up. “He kept that from you? The succubus princess? He should be grateful he got to mate with you. There will be incubus men lining up to be with you. You know that, right?”

“Why?” I ask, my brow furrowing.

Zython sighs and turns to me. “You’re part succubus, whichmeans if they have children with you, your offspring would be more pure-blooded. Given the situation with the curse, we want to keep our line as strong as possible. For the last century, the younger generation has had to breed with other species, which isn’t ideal for us in the long run. Although our blood is pretty potent, we’ve found most offspring do take on our traits.”

I put my fork down. “So, they’d just want me as a broodmare?”

Zython winces, taking a long sip of his wine. “Not just that, but you are special, Princess. The fates saw it fit to bless us with you after a century. You might have broken the curse, which is a big deal for everyone. I don’t know how it will play out, but with you comes change and hope for us. You must be protected at all costs.”

“No pressure,” I mutter, sharing a look with August, who is scowling hard.

Bane steps into the dining hall, his hair tousled like he’s just gotten out of bed with a woman. He is dressed in black-on-black, his tattoos peeking out of his sleeveless tunic collar. His dark eyes go right to me, narrowing slightly. “I didn’t know we were having guests tonight.”

He sits next to Axe on the opposite side of me. My gaze goes to his arms and the corded muscles covered in ink. Is there any part of him besides his face that isn’t covered? Just how far do those tattoos go? And are they magic or just for decorative purposes?

“Astrid and August will be staying here with us,” Zython tells Bane, his lips tightening. “You’d have known if you weren’t out gallivanting around the city.”

Bane lifts a tattoo-covered hand to pick up a bread roll. “If I’d known the princess was coming, I’d have been here much sooner.”

“She’s my sister, and she’s mated,” Axe reminds him in a dry tone, his eyes going to August. “And it already looks like she hasa fucking line formed.”

My jaw drops open at his words. “Can we talk about something else, please?”

“Like what?” Bane asks, his dark eyes shining.

“Are any of you three dating someone? I’d really enjoy some female company,” I say, leaning back in my seat.

“You swing both ways?” Bane asks, nodding in approval, while Kai says, “No one we’d want to bring home.”

---