Page 45 of Beltane

“Of course you are.” The man was six-three and two hundred fifty pounds of muscle, requiring a high caloric intake. An enormous bed rested on a raised platform, furs and pillows decorating the top. To our left was a small kitchenette with more food spilling over the countertops and cupboards.

“Please feel free to make yourselves at home for the night,” Siobhan said, her drawn features and the bags under her eyes hinting at her exhaustion. It echoed the same radiating from me.

The impending doom glowed on the horizon, reminding me that this was almost over, that on the other side of this lay heartbreak. We would have to make a sacrifice, whatever that was, and once the end came, all of this would truly be done. Lex likely knew more than he would tell us, and I aimed to rectify that.

“If we eat the food,” Ivy said, “will we be stuck here?”

Siobhan forced a tight laugh and shook her head. “Has that happened before?”

“The wine makes us”—Carter cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders—“different.”

“I promise, should you survive the king’s vengeance, you will be returned to your realm unscathed.” Siobhan met eyes with me, lingering for a moment longer before returning to Carter. “You heard my lady, mates. You are honored guests. No one will harm you, not so long as you are under her protection. And mine.” Siobhan gestured to the food. “Eat. Rest. We’ve been through a lot these last few days, and there is still much left to do.”

“What did she mean?” Ivy said. “We will need this reminder tomorrow?”

Yes, I had latched on to that as well. The queen seemed determined and assured that we would beat the king, but she had ended on quite a somber note.

“Beltane raises the sensuality in our spirits. A lot of power can come from the energy of love. If I were you”—Siobhan took a deep breath and let it out through her nose—“I would spend tonight like it’s my last in this world together. It might very well be.”

“Do you hear yourself?” Carter balked, crossing his arms. “You just promised to escort us back to our world unharmed and then you tell us it might be our last night on earth?”

“Should we survive the king’s vengeance,” Lex cut in, letting the suggestion hang between us. I went back to my earlier suspicion, to the way he’d looked when he’d come back from that conversation with Diana, to the way the trees had bristled when I stepped through the veil. They knew then, and so did Lex.

I hung on Siobhan’s exact phrasing. She had said, “last in this worldtogether.” As if we wouldn’t be together after this. This furthered my melancholy because I had the sinking suspicion Lex had gotten secret knowledge from the queen abouthisstakes in the final battle.

But I knew better. Ivy would never part with Lex, nor would Carter. He was our king, our leader, the sun around which we orbited. If there were an expendable one, well…hadn’t these last few weeks proved it was me?

Lex didn’t believe in silly things like fate or destiny, but I did. And the horrible truth settled in my gut like lead.

Iwas the sacrifice.Iwouldn’t be returning. I would make sure of it. I wouldn’t let any of them do it in my stead. The thought weighed a ton on my heart, damn near yanking me down into the depths of despair. There was a part of me that wanted to let it.

Perhaps that would be better for me in the long run. I wouldn’t have to marry Reginald and I wouldn’t have to worry about the Stuart reputation. Things like joining the royal family seemed so trivial now by comparison.

Fine, then. Let it be me.

Siobhan gave us one final nod and murmured, “Have a nice night, my friends.”

With that, she turned to leave us alone, but I’d come to a final resolution. If tonight was going to be the last I spent with my spouses, the last time I got to hold them and worship them and love them the way I wanted, then goddamn it, I was going to bloody well take it.

17

Ivy

“What’s going on with you?”I mentally asked, grabbing Lex’s hand as I passed him to move toward the table. I hadn’t eaten since we were stateside and now, my stomach ached with emptiness. The food here had always been delicious, and if what Siobhan said was true, I’d need my strength for whatever faced us tomorrow.

“Stay out of my head,”he snapped, glaring as he swatted my fingers away. But I froze. In that split second of connection, I saw a picture of the queen patting him on the cheek, whispering something about him not believing in fate. My heart pounded, and my attention snapped to his hazel eyes.

“Lucifer,” I said, trying to grab his arm again. Miri had already sat down in one of the seats, her arms curled around herself while she inspected the food. Carter loaded up a plate, his head perking at the use of my nickname for my archnemesis turned fiancé turned lover. “What was that?”

“It’s nothing to worry about, X.” He ignored me and walked to the other side of the tent, stalking around to the head of the table so he could grab a dish and pile a thick, juicy turkey leg on top of it.

I didn’t like that answer.

After standing in Miri’s tower with her, holding her hand tightly as we fought off the king together, we’d formed a telepathic link. I still saw myself standing there, even now, holding her close. She had been terrified the king would get to her again, but our being together had chased him away, the same way it had when Lex and I grabbed hands at our wedding. I neededallof my spouses to do this, so Lex couldn’t check out on me now.

I stalked closer to him, grabbing his plate out of his hand and placing it on the table next to the fruit.

He huffed a deep sigh and clenched his jaw. “I’m too tired for your shit right now.”

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