Page 24 of Fool's Bargain

“Listen, Ijustdiscovered the existence of your kind wasn’t a dream today. I was happy to pretend all this higher-races stuff was a figment of my overactive imagination until Deva walked into my shop with my ex. All it takes is solid evidence for me to get on board with something even as crazy as this, but that doesn’t make it easy to absorb.”

“What can we do to ease your mind?” Kyril asked, clasping his hands in front of him, clearly eager to please.

Despite his solicitous demeanor, my skin grew hot under the intense stares the other two fixed on me. My nipples were hard as pebbles, and my insides were a tangled mess of both a desire to fall into their arms and a need to find somethingmore, though what I had no idea. I’d wished out loud to meet these men earlier in the day, and here they were, but I had zero clue what to do with them. Well, besides the obvious, but I had a strong feeling sex needed to wait, for my own sanity if nothing else.

“We can take you home with us,” Kyril offered. “The Yule festival is going on in the Haven as we speak. You can learn firsthand what our world is like.”

Dorian shook his head. “We can’t go back without visiting you-know-who first. We made a promise. Zarya, there is no point in fighting what you feel, and there’s no going back. You belong to us.”

I bristled at his proprietary tone, but before I could respond, Theo had grabbed his friend by the collar and shoved him against the wall. “She isnota fucking toy, you shit. If she’s bloodline, which she clearly is, that means Deva’s hounds have gotten involved somewhere along the way. She could be a chimera. If she is, then there’s only one of us who belongs toher, not the other way around.”

“Can’t you sense the River in her blood?” Dorian’s eyes slid to me, blue irises swirling. I felt a comforting sway to the world for a moment before he smiled. “She isn’t affected by my magic. She is no chimera, Theo. I think she’s all nymphaea deep down under that human exterior. The question is whether she’s got enough nymphaea blood to be a match to all three of us. If she does, I’ll concede your point. In that case, we areallhers.”

I reached out and tugged Theo’s big arm free of Dorian.

“Listen,” I said, “I don’t know how this all works. Deva and I sang a song that was supposed to send her hounds to find me a mate. If they brought all three of you to me, great, but how do you guys not know that’s what you’re here for? Can’t you see the hounds? Doesn’t this magic of yours tell you what’s what?”

“Fate magic is not that straightforward.” Theo let go of Dorian and turned his attention to me again. He rubbed his sternum and frowned. “Do you feel drawn to us at all? It’s possible you’re only a stepping stone to the real one.”

“You want my honest answer?” I asked. He nodded. “I think if you offered to fuck right now, I’d start climbing you like a tree.” I held up my hand when they straightened up, their eyes glinting with fresh desire. “Please don’t. I’m telling you because I really need younotto ask until things start to make more sense to all of us. Yes, I’m absolutely drawn to you, but that’s not enough of an answer.Areyou all meant to share me? Or am I supposed to choose one of you? Also, are there really only three of you? Because I have the weirdest feeling something—someone—is missing.”

Muffled music started to play from somewhere above us, a heavy bass beat followed by the faint strains of guitar seeping through the stage and down into the warren of hallways and dressing rooms beneath. We all tilted our heads, the music calling us as clearly as if it spoke our names. It was the same song I’d sung with Deva earlier that day. God, I wanted to give into them, agree to Kyril’s offer to disappear to wherever they’d come from, but I couldn’t yet. Why was I resisting?

I looked at Theo as he lowered his gaze back to me.

“You shouldn’t ignore the tug of Fate’s threads,” Theo said in a cryptic tone. “But I’m not willing to walk away from you now that I’ve found you. I don’t think any of us are.”

My mouth quirked and I crossed my arms. “No? If you’re staying, there’s a concert we’re missing. This is the first chance I’ve had in two years to hear this band without being buried in a fucking avalanche of emotional baggage, so I intend to take advantage of it. You guys want to head up? There’s bound to be a staircase around here somewhere.”

I tamped down my desire and pushed past them, following the exit signs. Before I knew it, all three men appeared out of thin air in front of me, blocking my path. I stopped short, barely suppressing a yelp of surprise.

“Jesus fuck, can you not do that? The exit’s that way.” I pointed.

“Let us take you up,” Kyril said. “No need to hunt for the stairs. Theo, find us a spot to land.”

Theo disappeared with a pop, leaving behind the faint aroma of a gin and tonic. The other two engaged me in a stare-off. “Well?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“He’ll pick a private location for us,” Dorian said. “We can enjoy the music and get acquainted, even though our souls are already telling us we are meant to be.”

After several minutes, Theo reappeared. “Sorry for the wait. I found the perfect spot. Milady,” he said, taking my hand and sliding his fingers between mine, then lifting it to his lips to kiss the back. The gesture was sweet and I’d have rolled my eyes if the warmth of his mouth against my skin hadn’t stunned me and sent a bajillion filthy images racing through my head at once.

I didn’t miss the fact that both Kyril and Dorian shook their heads at Theo, and I was sure Dorian had also rolled his eyes. I didn’t get a chance to comment before a sudden rushing sound filled my ears. Pressure with the force of a big wave slammed through my middle and the world spun, like I’d just surfed into a barrel and come out the other side.

When the world righted again, I gasped. We’d landed at the top of the amphitheater with the entire Hollywood Bowl stretched out below us. The seats were only about two-thirds full, and there wasn’t a soul to be seen within a twenty yards of us. The ticket I’d picked up at will call had placed me somewhere down in the orchestra—a premium seat thanks to being a friend of the band.

“Ah, you guys don’t have tickets to this thing, do you?” I asked.

“We weren’t invited,” Kyril said. “Please don’t tell security we snuck in.” He gave me a sly grin.

Theo ushered us down a row, and I chose a seat at random. Dorian parked himself two seats over and Kyril hopped down to the next empty row below us, settling sideways on a seat with his long, denim-clad legs stretched across three more of the folding seats.

Theo reached over the back of my seat and produced a large basket that clanked with the sound of glass bottles inside. “I didn’t know what you preferred, so I picked up an assortment.” He reached inside and drew out a dusty bottle, handing it to me. I brushed the label and peered at it, but it wasn’t in a language I knew, much less an alphabet. Uncorking it, I sniffed and my eyes watered.

“Whoa, that’s some strong shit,” I said, leaning back. I gave it another tentative inhale, then a sip. Heat filled my mouth first, followed by the smooth, heady warmth of fine whiskey. The oaky softness lingered on my tongue like fresh caramel and I couldn’t help but take another sip. I stared at the label again. “Where did this come from? It looks ancient.”

Theo pulled out another bottle, this one just as ancient looking, and uncorked it. The aroma of agave reached my nose. He took a long drink, then stared at the bottle for a moment in silence. The other two watched him, neither of them making a move to answer my question. The silence took on a sense of gravity that made me both apprehensive and curious.

Finally, Theo took a long breath and shook his head. “We were the prisoners of a monster for a while, but we weren’t forgotten. Our sister Thiasoi set aside a stash of our favorites in a cellar hidden off the coast of Greece. They added a bottle for every decade we were held captive. We’ve barely had a chance to enjoy it since we were freed and this seemed like the perfect occasion.”

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