Page 13 of Luca

Cair and Teighan wandered back in from their stint upstairs, and I couldn’t help but watch as Tee strode up to my best friend, wrapped an arm around his waist, and leaned in to kiss him. As if their time apart had been too long. It was adorable, and though they were both total softies underneath, this level of romance was definitely not something I had expected from either of them. But seeing Alex’s genuine smile as he gazed up at the grumpy Fae and the look of pure adoration he got in return was heartwarming. They loved each other, that was plain to see, and it was good to know that they were both finally getting the care they needed.

And deserved.

“You two are disgustingly cute,” I observed, and their eyes snapped to me.

Teighan glared, but Alex grinned. “If you tell anyone, we’ll kill you. Or he will, and I’ll just sit here and finish sipping my Dutch Oven.”

“Duchess of Fern.” Tee corrected him with a fond eye roll, and Alex waved him off.

“Whatever.”

“Oh, believe me, I won’t have to tell anyone,” I scoffed. “It’s like a horned-up romcom in here. Anyone with a good nose and a lick of sense could tell you’re an item. I’m surprised Alex doesn’t have you wearing matching sweaters, at this point. I’m a little disappointed in that fact, actually.”

My friend raised a finger, opening his mouth as if to correct my statement, but Teighan piped up instead. “You’re one to talk,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Alex gave him an appreciative once-over. “As if the months I spent smelling yours and my brother’s unresolved sexual tension wasn’t bad enough, I had to disinfect and fumigate the entire office before I could even sit down and do paperwork.”

I winced in sympathy. Not regret, though, because Cair bending me over his desk had been an out-of-this-world experience. But I still felt kinda bad that Tee had to deal withall thatbefore his takeover.

Alex decided to stop eye-fucking his mate long enough to chime in. “Andall those times you limped around looking like you’d been mauled by a vampire and fucked with a baseball bat.”

My cheeks grew hot, and I wanted the ground to swallow me up. “Touché.”

“Leave my mate be,” Cair said, slotting his huge body in behind me, the rumble of his gruff laugh vibrating against my back. “It’s not his fault he’s utterly irresistible.”

Alex made a face that said ‘see, there’s another point to us’ and I couldn’t disagree. There was no denying that we were all sickeningly in love with our mates. It was unavoidable.

“I’m feeling very attacked.” I pouted.

Cair hummed. “Shall we go before you’re subjected to further ridicule, my heart?”

“Oh, don’t let us keep you,” Alex said. “I’ve been thinking about blowing Teighan behind the bar since you got here, and I might lose my mind if I have to wait much longer.”

I groaned, scrubbing at my face in exasperation. “For fuck’s sake Al, time and place.”

“What? Would you rather I lie to you?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged, leaning on the bar to sip his cocktail. “Then I wouldn’t be me.”

“And the world would be an awful place for it, bird,” Tee cooed, nuzzling Alex’s hair, a smirk on his face that said he was trying to get a reaction out of me.

I swear, they were both just as bad as each other. A perfect match.

After saying our goodbyes, we left the club. We didn’t rush our walk back to Cair’s penthouse. Kor had offered to teleport us there instead, but since we’d woken up early that morning and sprinted over to the club to tell Tee his news, I hadn’t really had the chance to appreciate being back.

As we were on the Fae side of the city, the scenery and decor were similar to the Otherworld, but modernized. It was an ode to both worlds—the high-rise buildings instead of medieval architecture, an abundance of trees and flowers instead of cars and buses. There was magic and there was machinery, and I still felt an overwhelming sense of giddiness at being allowed to experience it.

My thoughts drifted to Alex, as they often did whenever I strolled through these bright and lively streets. It was a shame that even though he now lived on this side of the border with Teighan, he couldn’t see its beauty. He was an artist, and he’d always been fascinated by the monster world. It felt cruel that he was denied it.

After bonding, the two beings’ souls were fused together, meaning they could feel one another from miles away, tap into each other’s emotions, their feelings, and know each other on a more visceral level. With a Fae as one half of the pair, there was also a chance their heightened senses would bleed through the tether. It could give their mate superior vision, smell, taste, and reflexes—and enough stamina to put a rabbit to shame—though it didn’t always happen, especially with humans. I was already half Fae, so joining with Cair and moving to the Otherworld had awakened those traits in me, and had Alex been another creature, it may have worked. He said he didn’t mind it, that Tee gifting him the radharc flower on their mating night was enough, but I knew if he had the choice to view the city as we did, he’d absolutely take it.

Maybe, once I found my dad—ifhe was my dad, and if he didn’t shun me at the door—I could ask him if there was a spell or enchantment that could allow for it. He was a mage, so if anyone knew a way, it would be him, right?

I shook my head, scoffing internally. I hadn’t even met the guy and I was already asking for favors.

I really have adapted to this prince life, haven’t I?

“I’ve been meaning to ask you…” I filled the silence, sidetracking my own thoughts because that was what I did best. At least it was actually on a similar vein, which was a rarity. I waited for Cair’s answering hum before continuing. “What do you think of Alex?”

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