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“If that’s what my mates desire, I’ll never feel sorry again,” Phelix says, his mouth tilting as he teases her back.

“The only one here that hasn’t apologized for their actions is me,” Mezli says with a sigh. Her hand stops caressing my arm, and she looks at me intently. Gazing down at me, she reminds me of an angel—or a very persuasive devil. Either way, it makes my chest expand like I’ve been holding my breath and she’s fresh air.

“I should’ve believed you. I should have trusted your word over those damn fake agents. I should have trusted you, and Phelix, and that the connection we have means more than my fears and baggage. I didn’t, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Mezli, it’s okay.” I push myself up so I’m propped against the pile of cushions at the headboard, and Phelix comes up to sit beside her, wrapping two arms across her back.

“It’s really not. I hurt you. Even worse, I promised I’d protect you while you were here and I didn’t. I told you to go, knowing how dangerous Spire might be for you, even without those fake agents.”

“You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes,” Phelix says matter-of-factly.

She smiles weakly back at him as he brushes away some of her tears. “No shit, Lord Nafar.”

“Definitely not,” I add, scooting in and resting a hand on Phelix, closing up our triangle.

“Does that mean you’ll forgive me?” she asks. “I’d understand if you both wanted to get the fuck off Spire and never see me again. I’m a lot to deal with. Too much, most people would say.”

“Good thing there are two of us,” Phelix says. “The mighty Princeps of House Frye deserves nothing less than two mates.”

“When you put it that way…” She pulls him in and kisses him. Tender, open, and so soft, unlike the forceful, almost punishing kisses she’s given Phelix thus far.

I don’t want to burst this bubble of affection, but I can’t stop myself from speaking. “Are you sure?”

They pull back from their kiss, the weight of both their gazes making it hard to breathe. “Sure about what, sweet Eden?” Mezli asks.

“Sure that you want me involved with you, even though you both are mates. I… I don’t know if I could handle coming between you or feeling like you’ll always matter more to each other because of your mate bond. I’ve waited so long to find someone to love. It’ll hurt to not be with you, but I’ll survive.” I swallow down the lump in my throat and let out a weak laugh. “I have a lot of practice being alone.”

They exchange a meaningful look, and nervous flutters erupt in my stomach. I don’t want them to confirm the reality of our situation, but it’s better to know now. I can go home, cry for a few weeks—or months—and then attempt to move on.

Something inside me revolts at the thought of never seeing them again and I can barely keep fresh tears at bay.

Phelix speaks first. “We realized something after you left.Something that should’ve been obvious if we weren’t so absorbed in our own drama and fragile emotions. You say you’d come between us, that you wouldn’t matter as much to us. But you’re wrong. There is no ‘us’ without you, Eden.”

“You could figure things out without me,” I say, internally screaming at myself for arguing against them wanting a relationship with me.

“What Phelix means is that you’re our mate.” Mezli holds a hand up to me when I open my mouth to argue again. “And not just in a ‘we love you and we want to be with you’ way—though that’s true, too.”

A small squeak of surprise escapes me at her casual mention oflovingme.

She grins at my reaction, and Phelix smiles with tender devotion at both of us. “You’re our mate. Like, our Goddess-given mate. I don’t know how or why, but you are. Both Phelix and I can feel it. We were just too hard-headed to see the signs at first.”

“You feel it when we touch, right? That electric wave of arousal and sense of comfort and rightness?” Phelix asks, stroking the top of my thigh and igniting that exact feeling within me.

“That’s just attraction, though…” I say.

Mezli laughs and shakes her head at me. “No. Trust me, I’ve been attracted to and intimate with many people. It’s different. It’s like something inside both of our bodies connects on a cellular level.” She brushes a curl away from my face, sending pleasant shivers down my spine. “If that’s not enough for you, might I remind you that you took Phelix’s knot? That’s only possible because you’re ourmate.”

“Oh…” My response feels silly, but I’m having a hard time coming up with words to express my confusion and exhilaration. How is it possible that the first people I’ve shared myself with are mymates? The odds are astronomical. Absurd. Like something out of a ridiculous fairy tale, not something that happens in real life.

“How is this possible?” I finally ask. “I’m not a nexxit.”

“I don’t know, some mystical divine shit or whatever,” Mezli says flippantly.

Phelix rolls his eyes at her and considers my question instead of waving it off, which I appreciate. “Mate bonds for nexxit are said to be granted by the Goddess. A divine sign of her approval and blessings. But we’ve known for centuries that there’s something on a biological level that recognizes and signals that someone is your best chance at creating offspring. I’ve studied the extensive research on them, since my work involves finding ways to improve our low fertility rates. Studies have proven that mated pairs have a much higher reproductive success than non-mated ones, however, what exactly causes that has eluded us to this day.”

“That makes it even less likely that I’m your mate,” I say, sighing. Believing the mate bond came from some divine source made it sound more plausible, despite me not being a spiritual person. Divinity leaves room for the potential of something magical. Science is based in fact. “We’re not reproductively compatible,” I say with a sigh. “If a mate bond comes from a biological imperative, then what we feel isn’t coming from that!”

“It’s not just for reproduction,” Mezli says. “My mothers are mates and there wouldn’t have been a way for them to conceive without the aid of technology. Same sex mates are just as blessed by the Goddess.”

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