Page 14 of Luca

Cair’s eyes widened minutely, and he paused for contemplation. “He’s…”

I snorted. “Be nice.”

“Sweetheart, you wound me,” he said, and I shook my head. “Your friend makes my brother happy, and I would like the chance to get to know him better—as the human my brother fell in love with, not just the eccentric creature you’ve told me about.”

“He is very eccentric,” I agreed. “But that’s what drew me to him. He was fun, seemingly carefree, and I needed that in my life. I think Teighan did too.”

“Yes, their personalities balance each other out.”

I laughed at his very accurate analysis. “Beyond that though, he’s honest, he’s generous, and he cares fiercely for the people he loves. They’re good for each other. They’ve both been through a lot, and they’re both as stubborn as mules, pretending everything is peachy when it’s not, but… at least they’re on the same team now, supporting each other. Even if they took a hot minute to work it out.”

Similar to how Teighan only had Cair, Alex only had me, and when I’d first run off to get mated, I felt a little guilty leaving my best friend on his own. He’d never been on the best of terms with his family, especially since his younger brother, Theo, had cut contact several years ago. He barely saw his elder sister, so his mother had been his only tie, but even before she’d disowned him, she may as well not have been there at all.

Thankfully, he now had someone else in his corner, someone who would give him all the stars in the sky if he asked, and I didn’t feel quite so uneasy.

He was in good hands.

“So, you approve?” I said as we rounded the corner. Cair’s building was at the end of the block, and it never failed to astound me just how magnificent it was.

“Of course I do,” he asserted, gazing down at me to show his sincerity before staring ahead again. A distant look fell over his face, as if he was lost in a memory. “I love my brother dearly, and for the longest time, I worried for him. He never asked for anything, he hid his pain behind a mask, and though I was always there, it was clear that loneliness ate at him. He’d never have admitted it, but he often struggled to see his worth because, from the time he was a youngling, he was forced to suppress all those agreeable traits that he only ever showed to me. His passion, his protectiveness, his loyalty. He was raised to be a warrior and expected to give up on the notion of finding a mate because ‘no one would want to be tied to a male who only knew bloodlust.’

“His emotions were locked tight, but since Alex came into his life, he has softened. The boy has encouraged him to be vulnerable, to show his true self, and he finally has someone to lavish all those caring instincts on. Someone to protect and keep safe, to love and worship, and be given the same in return. It warms my heart to see my brother genuinely content, and I have Alex to thank for that.”

My chest felt heavy. I was equally saddened by the mention of Tee’s struggles and elated that he no longer had to suffer under his father’s control.

“When we first met, I thought Tee would glare me into an early grave,” I said, recalling the early days of my employment at The Veil. “I pegged him as this big grump with the emotional range of a teaspoon, but after a while—and a lot of wearing him down with my awesome personality—I noticed a few soft spots peeking through his hardened shell.

“The day you were taken from me, I saw a fraction of that protective streak in him,” I carried on. “That caring, almost gentle side that slipped free because I was in distress and he reacted instinctively. He’s still a grump, but I know he’d never intentionally hurt Alex. He’s good for him, and I’m just glad they’ve found each other.”

Cair smiled. “As am I.”

We reached Cair’s apartment building and Mal, his assistant, greeted us at the elevator, using the gold card in his jacket pocket to send us up to the top floor. Since the penthouse was where we’d successfully portalled in before, we didn’t want to run the risk of messing up by changing the location. We could’ve tried opening one at the lounge, but it was safer to stick to what we knew worked. We couldn’t be certain the energy from the Veil wouldn’t interfere with the magic. Besides, Cair had wanted to speak to Mal about keeping the place in order while we were gone, so it wasn’t exactly a wasted trip.

While my mate discussed wards and other security measures with his assistant, I circled the apartment, taking in the view that still deserved a top spot on my Best I’ve Ever Seen list. It made me feel as if I were standing on the clouds, looking down at the little patch of paradise that was the monster side of Edenglas. Not much would ever compare, though I’d save my full judgment for our trip to the Outerlands. I had no doubt there would be many beautiful scenes to rival this, especially so far from the palace, where the land was in its most natural and simple state.

Peeling away from the windows, I scoured through Cair’s endless supply of records. It had shocked me to learn that my mate had a fondness for human music, especially hits from the seventies. I’d always pegged him for a classical guy, the pianoforte or opera type, but he’d said that after a lifetime of his interests being dictated to him by his father—and whathethought was appropriate for royalty—he enjoyed rebelling a little. I liked that about him. It made him seem less godlike, less out-of-reach Fae prince, knowing he had regular ole hobbies and passions like regular ole people.

The penthouse filled with expensive furniture may have shown off his status, but whenever we came here, I could almost pretend we were just two normal people, living out normal lives in the big city.

A break from reality.

“I miss this place,” I expressed with a sigh. “The view, having dinner at the table, the comfy couch… everything we used to get up to here.” I sent Cair a teasing wink, slotting the Aladdin Sane record back into its rightful place. Mal had already left, so we were alone and I was feeling nostalgic. “That last night in particular.”

I was referring to our visit six months ago, the night we had returned to the apartment after Alex and Teighan’s mating. Cair had stripped me naked, instructing me to place my hands on the window before he knelt behind me and fucked my life force out with his tongue and fingers. I’d come all over the glass the second he’d whispered against my skin how he hoped the entire city could see how pretty I looked with my hole stuffed. To this day, I wasn’t confident everyone in the building opposite hadn’t actually seen. I could barely look at that window without my belly heating.

I swore I could still see handprints if I squinted.

Cair studied me, his gaze lingering on my cheeks before flicking upward. “It never fails to amuse me how you deflect whenever your friend mentions sex, but you have no qualms reminiscing about the times you’ve begged me to breed you. Why is that?”

I spluttered, my face flaming. I’d actually forgotten that teensy weensy detail, but guessed it was unavoidable now. “That’s… because we’re in private, behind closed doors. No one can hear it, and it’s just between us. Plus, when we’re in bed, your dick makes me forget my own name, so dirty talk just flows.”

Cair hummed in thought. “So it’s the public aspect that has you squirming?”

“I don’t squirm,” I said vehemently, though it was a total lie. “But yes. I can’t help it. I’m no prude, but talking about sex casually, in public, makes me cringe. I mean, since meeting you, I’m constantlythinkingabout it—which I don’t believe I can be blamed for—and I’m not against telling the odd sex joke, but usually that’s when my mouth runs away with me.”

I’d never really been an overly sexual guy, but the draw between Cair and me made me feel things I never had before, as cliché as that may have sounded. With my ex, I wasn’t all that interested, and he never really gave a shit about my pleasure, so I’d retreated into myself in turn. He’d made me feel self-conscious and not worth the hassle, but Cair was the total opposite. He was doting. He made me feel safe enough to express my fantasies, and he heated up my entire body in ways I never knew were possible.

From our first meeting, he had awakened a need deep inside me that I now struggled to keep restrained. At the time, I’d thought it was magic, that he’d cast a tricksy Fae enchantment to fill my head with wild thoughts and desires like those my mom had warned me about. But I’d come to realize it was our chemistry, the tie between us. I was still private about it all, but he’d given me the courage to come out of my shell, the freedom towant, and now even just a look from him gave me butterflies.

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