Page 6 of Foretold

Zython chuckles, finding this amusing. “Hopefully, they find their mates, but as we know, not everyone is so lucky. Axe will have to find a wife when the time comes for him to take the throne.”

“What kind of magic do you all have?” I ask, my eyes on Bane. I know he has some weird scenting magic and uses that to determine bloodlines, but that’s all I know.

I turn to Kai. “You read minds, right?”

His green eyes widen in surprise. “I can, yes. How did you know? Your shields are pretty damn good… you’ve had me blocked.”

“All incubi have some of the same traits,” Axe says, tilting his head to the side and studying me. “We can sense emotions, almost taste them. We have a heightened sense of smell. We are obviously alluring and throw off pheromones to attract others to us.”

He and Kai look similar, but Axe is taller and more built. They both have brown hair that’s on the long side, but Kai’s is darker.

“And we charge our magic by lust or having sex,” Kai adds, smirking. “But yes, we also have our individual magic, especially since most of us have mixed blood from the curse.”

“I can heal like you…” Zython says with pride in his eyes, “… among other things. I’m also strong, Astrid. So I’m not surprised you are as well. Just like my sons.”

He doesn’t even know about my abilities as a seer. August isthe only person who knows that.

I look at Bane, who is already watching me. He doesn’t offer any information on his magic, and I don’t press. “I’ve been training with magic and weapons every day, and I’d like to keep that up if one of you wouldn’t mind.”

“I can train you,” Bane offers, running his teeth over his lower lip. It’s only then I notice he has fangs pointing out. Is he half vampire? “But I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

“You make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” Zython orders, smiling at me. “You want to be able to defend yourself, and I respect that. Bane will be a good teacher… he’s feared on the battlefield.”

“He’s feared everywhere,” Kai adds, eying his friend.

“And what about you, August?” Axe asks over his glass. “Father says you’ve kept Astrid safe all this time. What kind of work have you been doing?”

August and I share a look, and he winces slightly. “I do mercenary work. I’d try to keep Star behind, but often, she would come along.”

“Someone likes to surround themselves with dangerous men,” Kai comments under his breath, earning himself a scowl in his direction.

“So you’d go around while he… killed people?” Bane asks, his lip twitching. “My, my, aren’t you a surprise, Princess.”

“We’re a team,” August replies, his eyes softening as he looks from Bane to me. “Always have been.”

“Until she mated the prince,” Bane adds dryly. His expression screams of boredom, but something else flickers in his eyes.Anger?

“Well, I got arrested, and Astrid came to the castle to try and help me escape. That’s how the prince found her. And then he said he’d let me go if she stayed,” August explains, his jaw tight.

“Why would he have to barter with you to stay?” Zython asks,resting his cheek on his fist. I don’t know why, but the motion makes me smile. He’s a king, but he’s still just a male. And my father.

“I didn’t want to bond with him at first,” I admit, wondering how the hell I would explain that. No one runs from a mating bond. In fact, people spend their lives searching and begging the fates for it.

Bane chuckles with dark amusement. “I don’t even like Rave, but even I’m feeling sorry for the fucker right now. You didn’t want your mate?”

August takes my hand under the table, a silent show of support.

Bane’s eyes narrow on me like he can see what we’re doing, but there’s no way he could.

“It’s a long story,” I grumble, letting go of August’s warm hand and placing mine back on the table. “But eventually, I came around and agreed to it.”

Bane turns to August, studying him closely, his dark eyes missing nothing. “He must have hated you.”

“You have no idea,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “He even tried to pay me off to stay away from her.”

“Interesting,” Zython muses, a short laugh escaping him. “Seems you’ve been quite a handful for your mate then, my daughter. I heard you kicked off the bond for Rave’s brothers too. Succubi can do that when they are powerful. Not many would know about that.”

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