Page 28 of Lifeblood

My core clenched and I bit my lip. Thankfully, Mordred had already turned around, so he didn’t see. I really just wanted him to come back and taste me more. But he was to the door and opening it before I could find a way to voice the thought and say, “Fuck it,” to his and the other kings’ rules.

So instead, I stood there, watching him walk through the door to the great hall and wondering how the hell I was going to do this three more times with my other mates.

CHAPTER11

By the time I’d collected myself enough to leave the parlor off the great hall, the demon kings had all dispersed, leaving staff to clean up after the string game and the wraith attack. On the one hand, I supposed that meant the palace was safe once more since the kings had left me alone. But on the other, I was starting to become more and more aware of the void their absence left around me.

I waved to the staff, who only nodded mutely in acknowledgement in return, and began to make my way out of the great hall. To where, I wasn’t sure. Did I have full access to this palace? Or would guards sweep in and lock me away?

I decided not to test it and headed back to the chambers I’d been in before. The room was large and beautiful, with gorgeous, stained-glass windows that sent color scattering across the marble floor in the sun. It was there on the ornately carved windowsill that I saw the folded piece of parchment shimmering faintly in rainbow-colored magic.

Lance. I couldn’t help but grin as I opened the folded letter. Mordred might have nearly tempted me into breaking the kings’ rules they’d imposed for themselves, but as Lance was the cheeriest of the bunch, I had to admit he was the king I was most excited to share time with.

Ava, please allow me to pull you from the other kings for a midday meal. It will be more than worth your while. Lance.

Of that, I had no doubt. Fae were known for being great hosts—less known for allowing naive guests to leave intact, but great hosts nonetheless. Since I was pretty sure I didn’t have to worry about the more fae side of Lance—making bargains, accepting food and drink—I allowed myself to be excited for the chance to spend time with him again. Even if it was a manufactured excuse to start using my blood.

Don’t trust us. Tristan’s warning swam to the forefront of my thoughts in that moment. It was just loud enough in my mind to give me pause. To have me set down Lance’s invitation.

Tristan had warned me not to trust them because they were still demon kings. Monstrous ones, regardless of whether or not they currently could access those true monstrous forms. They also had curses, curses they made them act… what? Out of control?

The only one who seemed out of control and constantly angry about it was Gareth.

And I’d just accepted Mordred this morning.

I looked out the window before me on the beautiful northern Cornish shore. The water was closer to teal in color, the sun cresting each wave and making them look aglow. To the left, beyond the magic hiding the palace from view, the remains of Tintagel stood amongst the rocky outcropping.

I wanted this doubt to go away. Whether or not I accepted this five-way mate bond, I couldn’t deny its existence. And because of it, and the situation with Morgan le Fay, it’d granted me a new lease on life. If I enjoyed this mate bond in the meantime, who would blame me?

But I didn’t want todoubtit. Or the kings. Or any of their intentions.

So why was I letting Tristan’s words burrow so deep?

I closed my eyes and reached out with my awareness, searching for the ethereal pull of the mate bond. Even from this distance, it was there. All five strings of magic pulling us together.

I had to trust in that. Ididtrust in that.

It was time to have lunch with a fae demon, then, and test it.

* * *

Midday arrived quickly.I spent the rest of the morning exploring the chambers given to me a little more thoroughly. Although doing so didn’t uncover any exciting secrets or finds, I did discover more beautiful dresses and shoes than I could ever hope of wearing.

I changed into one of the dresses, a shorter, flowing, pink summer dress, that I felt more fit the tastes of a fae demon. In some ways, I’d expected the demon kings to simply line up one after another and do as Mordred did. And when I’d offered a date for each of them, I hadn’t actually expected it to happen considering how they’d barely agreed on sharing me to begin with. But here I was, waiting for Lance to appear anyway and wondering when the other two might appear to havetheirtastes.

At noon on the dot according to the delicate, multi-gear clock on one wall, a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” I called, despite knowing nearly anyone in this palace would probably do so anyway. I still wasn’t sure exactly what my role was here. What was allowed and not allowed, where I could go. They had said I wouldn’t be a prisoner, but I wondered how far that really went.

The door swung open and Lance appeared, dressed in a light-gray suit fit for a celebrity on the red carpet, not a king in his own castle. A shimmering layer of his rainbow-colored magic seemed to flow endlessly over his form. He grinned and extended a hand. “If you’re ready, Ava.”

I joined him by the door and smiled as I took in the sight of him. “You look ready for a premiere or something, not a simple lunch.”

He gestured to the hallway and we began walking. “Dining with a fae is never ‘simple.’ You also look ravishing.” He emphasized the statement by taking nearly longer than appropriate to study me and the pink dress.

“Faedemon,” I said to bring him back to the conversation. “How does that work again?”

Lance made atskingnoise. “So caught up in semantics. Who has time for that?”

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