C H A P TE R EIGHTEEN

NOX

I’ M ADDICTED to Fallon’s lips. So plump and delicious. So soft. So mine.

My hands roam her curves, loving the way they fit perfectly into my
palms, confirming this female was made for me.
Made for us.
Her thighs encircle my waist, her heat pressed right up against my
groin, but it’s not enough. Our suits are too thick, and the water around us
distorts the sensation below.
I want more.
I want her.
But I agreed to do this Bane’s way—taking it slow.
Fallon has suffered so many years of abuse. She deserves to be
worshipped. Cherished. Adored.
Her pleasure is important, and if she’s content to kiss me all night, I’ll
allow it. I don’t care if my balls ache from the lack of friction or if my cock
throbs with the need to be inside her; it’s her sensations that matter most.
Which is why I’ve only allowed my hands to wander up her sides and
down to her voluptuous ass.
Bane stands behind her, his chest to her back, his lips on her shoulder
and then her neck.
I’m fully aware of his movements, our experiences together allowing us
to be in tune with each other.
When I stop kissing her, he grabs her nape and turns her head to the side
to devour her, and I take over his path on her neck.
She heaves a breath against me, her nails digging into my shoulders as
her lower half arches just enough to apply pressure between her thighs.
 I grin against her throat. “I wish I could feel how wet you are, firefly. I
want to taste you.”
She moans against Bane’s mouth, her fingers traveling up my nape to
thread through my hair. Her opposite hand goes to Bane’s neck, her grip
tightening on us both. “I need more,” she pants. “ I … I feel like I’m on fire.”
“Because you are, sweet flame,” Bane whispers against her mouth.
“You’re burning for us, your intended mates.”
She makes a noise, one that trails off on a delectable moan as I press my
cock against her sensitive center. “We’re burning for you, too, firefly.”
“Indeed we are,” Bane agrees, his own hips rocking into hers from
behind. “Are you ready to move to a room? Or do you want to stay here?”
Her eyelashes flutter as she takes in the darkness around us, the sun
having completely disappeared despite the late afternoon hour.
Winter in Iceland makes for some very long nights.
Something I hope we can take advantage of tonight.
“We’ll do whatever you want, Fallon,” Bane says softly. “We’re yours
to command.”
That’s not exactly true, but I’m willing to play along for this first
session together. Fallon needs a gentle introduction, one that gives her
confidence and understanding of how things will be between us.
We’re not like her former mate, something she’ll understand with time.
Which makes this initial experience extremely important.
Once we garner some more trust, I’ll be able to gradually increase the
intensity and show her some of my preferences. And all the while, I’ll
master her expectations along the way.
Because she’ll always come first. My Fallon. My firefly. My mate.
“The room,” she says, arching into me again. “Let’s go to the room.”
I grin against her neck, my lips hovering right over her thudding pulse.
“As you wish, darling firefly.” I nip at her tender skin, then lave it with my
tongue. “I’ll meet you and Bane there with the key.”
Kaspian has a suite on-site, one he rarely uses, as he prefers his quarters
at the palace. Fortunately, there’s a spare key in the reception area.
And as I’ve stayed here once before, I know exactly where it is.
I brush my lips over Fallon’s cheek, then maneuver her into Bane’s arms
so they can swim back together. She doesn’t protest and neither does he, the
two of them immediately falling into another kiss that leaves both of them
moaning in my wake.
 My mouth curves upward in anticipation.
When Fallon told us that she wanted us, my entire plan for the afternoon
shifted. I originally intended to show her around the lagoon, maybe give her
a mud facial with some of the natural silica found around the edge of the
water.
But that all changed the moment she said, “Please.”
My dick throbs with the memory of that single word, my desire to hear
it again a pulsing need inside my mind.
I want her to beg me to make her come with my tongue. Beg me to fuck
her. Then beg me to do it all over again.
And again.
And again.
“Fuck,” I mutter, painfully hard as I exit the water inside the main
building.
Bane had better not take his sweet time. I need to strip Fallon and
worship her with my mouth. Explore her with my hands. Devour her with
my tongue.
I grab two fluffy robes from behind the towel counter and lay them out
for Fallon and Bane before taking one for myself.
The adjoining hotel area isn’t too far a walk, but I shift into my phantom
form to go through the walls, eager to ensure everything is ready.
Only, I pause as I reach the reception area, my eyes widening a fraction
to see Kaspian leaning against the desk with the key already in his hand.
He can’t see me in my ghostly form, but he’s clearly expecting me
because he’s twirling the item around one finger.
“I know you’re here, Noxious,” he says, using my full name rather than
my preferred nickname.
I appear in front of him and arch a brow. “Is this where you lecture me
and say I can’t fuck Fallon? Because I’m pretty sure that’s not your decision
to make.”
We might play together a lot, but we’re not committed to one another.
“No, I was going to give you permission to take my room.” He holds
out the key. “Although, I suspect you were going to use it anyway.”
“I was,” I admit, accepting the key. “And we both know you didn’t
drive all the way here to give us access to your suite.” I fold my arms over
my chest. “What’s really going on? Did Nolan find something?”
 Kaspian shakes his head. “Not yet. But he’s on his way to New York
City to check out a lead.”
“What lead?” I ask, my brow creasing. New York City is home to a
myriad of Supernatural Syndicates. Surely Fallon isn’t related to those.
“Fallon mentioned patriarchs a few times this morning while suffering
from her ‘episode.’ ” Kaspian’s expression clouds over. “I’ve only ever
heard that term referenced as a rumor, specifically in regard to the Outcast
Coven.”
My eyebrows lift. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“Because it’s just a hunch,” he replies. “One I really hope I’m wrong
about.”
Well, that only confuses me more. I can understand being uneasy about
a link to a Supernatural Syndicate—they’re essentially mafia organizations
that deal in dangerous magic and other sinister bullshit—but an association
doesn’t imply immediate guilt.
“What does it matter if you’re right?” I ask him. “We can’t help where
we’re from, Kas. Being born in No Man’s Land isn’t a crime; it’s just an
unfortunate fate.”
Kaspian’s expression darkens even more. “It’s a Supernatural Syndicate
full of illegal activity. If she’s from the Outcast Coven, there may be
nefarious activities at play.”
“And so you came here to warn us now? Hours later?” I wonder aloud.
“You could have saved us all a trip by expressing your concerns earlier, you
know, after Fallon mentioned the patriarchs.” Not that I was complaining
about being able to take Fallon out, but this whole conversation just
destroyed my evening plans.
Assuming Kaspian is here to make us return, anyway.
But then why offer his room?
“No, I’m not here for that. You asked about Nolan, and I just…”
Kaspian trails off and blows out a breath. “Look, I’m just here because I felt
like I needed to be closer. I can’t really explain why because I don’t
understand it myself.” He winces with the admission, almost as though he
feels it makes him appear weak.
“Oh.” I grin. This is a feeling I very much understand. “You mean
you’re here because you couldn’t stay away from Fallon.” That was a good
reason to interrupt our little date. Much better than casting doubts about
Fallon’s origin and implying she may be harboring evil intentions
associated with her criminal coven back home.
I’ve spent over a year with Fallon. The female doesn’t have a wicked
bone in her body.
Just a very naughty tongue, I decide. One she sharpens whenever
Kaspian is around.
He neither confirms nor denies it, instead saying, “I assume you plan to
spend the night here now?”
“If you’ll allow it,” I hedge.
His dark irises roam over my robe, a calculating gleam entering his
eyes. “Are you going to make it worth my while?”
“Are you craving a show?” I counter. “Because Bane and I are about to
create a masterpiece, and I know how much you like to watch.”
“I do,” he murmurs. “What are the chances Fallon will allow me the
pleasure of observing?”
“We can ask her.” Although, I’m not sure that’ll go along with Bane’s
slow introduction plan.
“Hmm, no,” Kaspian says, either noting my uncertainty or realizing the
hesitation on his own. “She’s not ready for the three of us. More
specifically, me. But I may need you to stop by after you’re done, just to
give me a taste of her.”
“Stop by where?” I ask.
“I’ll take over the room beside my usual suite. It’s technically mine as
well, just designed for guests.”
“Do you prefer we take that one instead?”
“No, my suite is nicer.” He smirks as he adds, “And the bed is bigger,
too.”
“I’m familiar.”
“I know.”
“And I’ll stop by after she’s tucked in for the night. You know, to
properly thank you and give you that taste you requested.”
“Good.” His irises swirl with barely restrained hunger. “You’ll also
detail her orgasms for me.”
“Like you won’t be listening through the wall,” I drawl.
“Hearing isn’t the same as seeing. I want descriptions.”
“You’ll have them, Your Highness.”
He nods, seemingly appeased. “Then go please our mate.”
 My arms fall to my sides, then I flip his key into the air and catch it.
“On it.”
“Thoroughly, Nox,” he says as I begin to turn.
I arch a brow at him. “When have I ever not been thorough, Kas?”
Amusement flirts with his expression. “Just make sure I can hear her
screams.”
“Oh, you’ll be hearing a lot more than that.” Which I know will please
him.
Fallon may call me the voyeur, but Kaspian is the one who truly enjoys
watching. He’ll go a whole night without touching, all while observing the
sensual escapades around him with barely restrained hunger in his eyes.
It’s those mornings after a night of fun that he uses me the most.
I love his particular brand of sexual fun. It’s uniquely him.
Hopefully, Fallon enjoys it, too.
But that’s an adventure for another day.
She requires a slow introduction first. Then I’ll handle Kaspian’s needs
for her, just to keep his darkness at bay. And eventually we’ll graduate to
new levels of pleasure as a group.
Maybe I’ll even let Kaspian demonstrate his proclivities on me first.
Assuming Fallon would like that, anyway.
It’ll all be at her pace, everything being her choice.
Because she’s our mate.
And her pleasure will always come first.
C H A P TE R NINETEEN
 FALLON

O H , stars, I’m going to explode and they’ve barely touched me.

Bane insisted on taking a shower when we reached the room, saying
something about the silica in the water and how it’ll hurt my hair.
I thought it was an excuse to strip me.
But he left my bikini on and focused on shampooing my hair while Nox
soaped up my skin.
Their hands are everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Touching. Petting. Scrubbing. Washing.
It’s an erotic torture that has me squirming between them. If they don’t
remove my swimsuit soon, I’m going to do it for them.
I’ve never felt so needy before. So bold. So hungry.
Bane’s lips caress the sensitive spot behind my ear as Nox’s palms
move up and down my legs. He’s on his knees before me while Bane’s hot
chest burns against my back.
The conundrum is too much.
It’s not enough.
It’s driving me mad.
A moan escapes me as Bane drags his teeth along the tendon of my
neck, his hands clasping my hips.
They’re seducing me. Drugging me on their presence. Teasing every
nerve of my body.
Bane’s fingers toy with the strings of my bikini bottoms while Nox’s
touch drifts down to my ankles.
I wait, holding my breath, hoping Bane will tug on the ties and free me
from my suit.
 But he doesn’t.
He just plays with the knot, taunting my senses.
I lean back into his muscular strength, my head tilting so I meet his
gaze. “You’re torturing me.”
“Am I?” he asks, his dark eyes glittering with amusement.
“You both are,” I accuse as Nox’s mouth touches the inside of my thigh.
It’s an electric sensation, one that intensifies as he draws his fingers up
my calves to my knees.
I look down into his vibrant blue irises, noting the grin in his sparkling
depths.
“Definitely torturing me,” I growl as I thread my fingers through his
damp hair. “You can’t properly wash me while I’m still in this swimsuit.”
“Did that sound like an invitation to take it off, Nox?” Bane asks against
my ear.
“It certainly sounded like one to me, Bane,” Nox replies. “But I think
she needs to say it plainly. Demand we strip her. Tell us exactly what she
wants.”
“Mmm, I agree.” Bane’s breath is hot against my skin, his words a low
murmur that makes my heart race. His Scottish accent is somehow thicker
now, deeper. I rarely seem to notice it, his lilt only coming to light in
certain phrases every now and then.
But I hear it in this shower, in the way he’s speaking against my ear.
It’s still subtle.
As is Nox’s accent.
But it’s so damn alluring. It has me wondering if any of my Irish roots
are showing. I, too, sometimes have a lilt. Typically when emotions run
high.
As they are right now.
“Tell us what you want, lass,” Bane murmurs. “Tell me to untie these
little bottoms and I will.”
“Then you can tell me where you want my mouth,” Nox adds, his words
a breath against my thigh. “Tell me how to use my tongue. Let me lick that
sweet pussy and taste your exquisite pleasure for myself.”
Bane groans. “If you let him do that, I’ll need to sample it for myself.
But I can start with yer tits, lass. Suckle your nipples. Drive you mad.”
“What color do you think they are?” Nox asks, his blue eyes going to
the male behind me. “Rosy pink? A dusky brown?”
 “Definitely rosy.” Bane nuzzles my neck. “Want us to remove your top?
See if we’re right?”
I’m panting between them, their words igniting a fire inside me that’s
burning out of control.
I want everything they just said.
Everything and more…
“Strip me,” I beg. “This suit… it’s too much. Too constricting. Too—”
Bane yanks at the strings of my bikini bottom as Nox grabs the triangle
between my thighs, the two of them working in tandem to yank the material
from my skin.
My top is next, only Bane handles that on his own. “Rosy,” he growls,
the vibration scattering goose bumps down my arms.
“Beautiful,” Nox says, his gaze reverent as he remains on his knees.
I swallow, suddenly aware of the fact that he’s nearly eye level with my
sex. Klas always required me to wax, something I’ve not done in over a
year. Now I’m just trimmed.
Should I have waxed? Shaved more? Prepared for this?
Bane nibbles my earlobe. “Stop thinking, sweet flame. Let us worship
you.”
“You’re perfect,” Nox echoes. “Now tell us what you want.”
I shiver as I meet his gaze once more, his lust shining up at me via twin
sapphire pools of need.
“Everything,” I tell him. “I want everything.” Everything they said.
Everything they want to do. Everything that can possibly exist.
Because I’ve never felt this way before. So free. So alive. So safe.
Klas only ever used me for his own pleasure.
However, Nox and Bane… they’re not him. They’re asking me what I
want. Asking me to tell them what to do. Kissing me as though I’m worth
something to them.
It might all be the spell. A twisted, dark enchantment. But I can’t help
indulging in it now.
One day, I’ll find a way to free Bane and Nox. It’s the least I can do
after how good they’ve been to me.
What if they hate me for giving in to this magically inspired lust? I
worry. Will they forever hold it against me? Or did they mean it when they
said they’ve wanted me from the beginning?
Maybe it’s true. After all, I’ve been attracted to them, too.
 Which is what makes it impossible to turn them down.
Especially when Nox is staring up at me with delicious intentions
dancing in his striking blue eyes.
I tighten my grip in his hair, suddenly feeling as though I need to be
anchored or I may fall over.
“I think you should sit down, Bane, and pull Fallon into your lap.”
Nox’s silky tone sends a thrilling shiver down my spine.
“Only if the lass agrees to take off my swim trunks first.” Bane’s mouth
is still near my ear, his hot body a brand against all my exposed skin. “Will
you turn around and help me, little flame?”
“Yes.” I rotate toward him, my eagerness causing Nox to chuckle as he
shifts back to let me move.
Bane doesn’t match his amusement, his expression instead one of
wonder as his gaze tracks over my nude state.
“Nox was wrong.” His Scottish brogue is at an all-time high now. “Yer
so much more than just beautiful, my lass. Yer perfect. Stunning. The most
exquisite creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
My cheeks heat from his comments, my eyes falling to his sculpted
torso. Solid muscle. Just like Nox.
I knew that already after our time in the lagoon.
But that doesn’t stop me from ogling Bane again. He calls me perfect,
but honestly, both these males redefine the term.
“Are you going to devour him with your eyes or strip him, firefly?” Nox
sinks his teeth into the fleshy part of my ass in the next second, making me
gasp.
It wasn’t a harsh bite, just a nibble, but it was so unexpected that I’m
momentarily frozen as his tongue touches the same spot.
Why does that feel good?
He bites me again on my opposite cheek, the motion waking me up in a
way I could never have anticipated.
Because I like that sensation. It stings a little. But his tongue chases
away the burn and leaves a soothing caress behind.
Bane’s palm drifts up my arm to my neck, where he wraps it around my
nape. “Undress me, little flame.” He leans down to brush his mouth against
mine. “Undress me and we’ll reward you.”
I like the sound of that.
 I also want to see all of Bane. He’s so much taller than I am—they’re all
so much taller—and muscular, too.
I swallow as my fingers go to the front of his swim trunks to loosen the
tie there.
Then, gradually, I start pulling them down.
Down.
Down.
Down.
Stars…
He’s definitely proportionate to his size. And very hard.
I bite my lip as his swimsuit falls to the tiled floor. Nox reaches around
me as Bane steps out of the fabric, the two of them working together to
leave the phantom naked in front of me.
“Do you want to touch me?” Bane asks, his palm squeezing the back of
my neck.
I nod.
“Use your words, firefly,” Nox says, his teeth sinking into my fleshy
backside again. “Communication is important to us.”
“Yes,” I hiss as he follows his bite with a second one. Then I moan as he
chases the hurt away once more with his tongue.
Bane presses his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. “Touch me, sweet flame.
Light me on fire.”
I press my palm to his rigid abdomen, my pale hand a stark contrast to
his tan skin, and slowly trail my touch downward.
So muscular and smooth. So warm. So masculine…
He even has those little dimples by his hip bones.
Stars, I want to lick him…
But first, I need to feel him. Explore him. Know him.
My fingers dance lower, down to the short, dark hairs framing his
impressive girth. He’s so thick, I think. Long, too.
It’s a perfect complement to his muscular frame.
I wrap my palm around him, loving the way his hot arousal brands my
skin.
He wanted me to burn him, but it’s the other way around.
“How does he feel, firefly?” Nox asks, his hands drifting up and down
my thighs. “Does his size impress you?”
 “Everything about him impresses me,” I admit as I stroke him up and
down, my gaze meeting Bane’s. “You’re far more perfect than I am.”
His lips curl. “We’re perfect together.” His grasp tightens on my nape.
“The ideal fit.” He pulls me into him, causing my breasts to pillow against
his chest. “Now it’s time for us to reward you, lass. Thoroughly.”
Nox hums against my spine, his mouth having moved to my lower back.
“Let me see how tight she is first.”
“Mmm,” Bane hums. “Good to make sure she’s prepared.” His mouth
claims mine before I can ask what he means, but I can guess.
I said I wanted everything.
It seems my phantoms are willing to oblige.
I wrap my arms around Bane’s neck as his tongue parts my lips, his kiss
seductively tender. It’s just like him—patient and understanding, but
underlined with experience. He’s telling me with his mouth that he knows
how to make me feel good, but he’ll wait until I’m ready before he truly
begins.
I kiss him back, confirming I’m already there. I want him. I want them.
Nox’s mouth trails along my lower back to my hip and down to my
thigh. I shudder from their sensual touches, my body alive with a myriad of
sensations.
Bane traces the column of my throat with his thumb while his free hand
runs up my side, teasing my flesh and causing my nipples to bead against
his firm chest.
More. More. More, I chant in my head.
“Widen your legs,” Nox says, his fingers pressing on my inner thighs. “I
need access to your sweet cunt.”
A bolt of lightning shoots through my being as I comply. No one has
ever done this to me before.
I went to my knees countless times for Klas, but he never bowed for me.
Never bothered prepping me. He expected me to handle that myself.
And I did because I had to. Even when it took several long minutes just
to coax my body into reacting.
But that won’t be a problem now. I can feel the wetness pooling
between my thighs, my inner muscles clenching in anticipation of Nox’s
intentions.
I’m not even sure what he plans to do. However, it doesn’t matter
because it’s him. It’s them.
 I trust them, I realize, my heart skipping a beat as Bane takes control of
our kiss. I trust them to help me feel good.
I may even trust them to do more than that.
The realization should unnerve me, but it doesn’t. Instead, I just feel…
safe.
Protected.
Happy.
And I convey that to Bane with my kiss.
But it’s Nox who seems to reply, his head sliding between my thighs to
grant his mouth access to my sensitive flesh.
I groan against Bane as Nox’s tongue parts my slick folds, his
movements knowing and perfect and exploring me in the best way.
Bane continues to caress my side, his other palm a brand against the
back of my neck.
It grounds me in the present. Holds me upright. Ensures I’m stable and
capable of accepting so much more.
Which is exactly what Nox gives me as his mouth slides up to suckle
my clit.
A foreign sound escapes me, accompanied by a violent tremble that
nearly buckles my knees.
Never have I experienced such intensity. Such insanity.
Another unintelligible noise leaves my mouth, only to be swallowed by
Bane.
“Fucking delicious,” Nox murmurs, his voice somehow carrying above
the showerheads raining down around us. “And so damn wet.”
Bane hums against my mouth, his thumb stroking my neck. “Of course
she is,” he replies, his voice husky. “She’s perfect.”
“She’s ours,” Nox says as his touch circles the heart of my core. “Now
let’s see how many fingers you can take, firefly. You’ll need at least three to
be ready for Bane.”
C H A P TE R TWE NTY
 BANE

MY L I TTL E FLAME tastes like temptation incarnate.

The way she writhes against me, the way her arms tighten around me,
the way her tongue dances with mine—it’s all enough to bring me close to
the edge before I’m even inside her.
But I can’t pull away or hold back.
She’s addictive. A fiery light that draws me in like a moth.
I want her more than I want to breathe.
And I know Nox feels the same way.
Fallon clings to me as he fucks her with his fingers, his actions
intentional.
Just like I know his mouth is drawing her closer to the orgasmic edge,
inching her into an oblivion that may shatter us all.
But he won’t let her come until I’m buried inside her.
Knowing that has me grinning against her eager mouth, my hand
roaming along her curves as I hold her to me with my opposite palm around
her nape. “Do you like what he’s doing to you, lass?” I ask my darling
flame. “Is he making you burn?”
“Yes.” She shivers. “I like what both of you are doing to me.”
My smile grows. “Good answer, sweet flame.”
“Good answer indeed,” Nox echoes, causing her to jolt. Likely because
he spoke the words against her clit. “She’s ready.”
“Mmm.” I nip her bottom lip. “Do you remember what Nox said about
sitting on my lap?”
She nods, her green irises swirling with lust as she gazes up at me with
a love-drunk expression. “Yes.”
 “Good lass,” I praise her. “I’m going to sit on the shower bench, then I
want you to face Nox and slide into my lap.”
“And as you do so, Bane is going to slowly guide his cock into your
sweet heat,” Nox adds. “Then, once you’re seated to the hilt, I’m going to
devour your pussy while he fucks you.”
Fallon’s eyelashes flutter, her cheeks blossoming with a beautiful shade
of pink. “Oh.”
I study her. “Oh, yes? Or oh, no?”
“Yes,” she says instantly, that word one I’ll never tire of hearing from
her beautiful lips.
I kiss her in response, rewarding her honesty with a subtle swipe of my
tongue, then I step backward toward the bench along the wall of the shower.
It’s all made of marble, but it’s warm from the steam produced by our
prolonged time beneath the hot water.
I sit down while she watches me from beneath hooded eyes, her
expression hungry as I give my throbbing shaft a solid stroke. “I’m very
ready for you, Fallon.”
She visibly shivers, her tongue sneaking out to lick her bottom lip. That
seductive little motion inspires an immediate fantasy of her going to her
knees and wrapping that fuckable mouth around my cock.
Fuck, this female slays me. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted
anyone in my entire existence. She’s so damn perfect. Strong and clever.
Stunning.
Sensual, too, I marvel as she steps closer and turns to sit on my lap as
expected. I grab her hips, helping to guide her ass against my groin.
Her curves are heaven, tempting me to press up against her and claim
her as my own.
Sex will solidify our mate bond for life, tying our souls together for
eternity. I don’t even need to think about what that entails; I accepted this
fate the moment her spirit kissed mine.
I kiss her shoulder as Nox inches forward, his gaze briefly meeting mine
to check in.
She’s ready, his eyes tell me.
I know, I reply, my palms sliding down to her thighs to bring her legs to
the outside of mine. Then I part my knees to widen her stance, presenting
her pussy to him.
 “Gorgeous,” he praises, his nose meeting her knee. “You’re so fucking
gorgeous, firefly.” He starts kissing a path along her inner thigh. “Mmm, I
want to see you take Bane’s cock into your sweet cunt. Can you do that for
me, firefly? Can you lift these beautiful hips and help him slide into you?”
Fallon quivers on my lap, her head bobbing. “Yes.” She leans forward a
little to brace her palms on my legs, her movement granting me better
access to the alluring apex between her thighs.
“Fuck,” I breathe, my dick throbbing at the sight of her eager form
shifting into just the right position.
I wrap my arm around her lower abdomen, needing to hold on to her as
I slip my other hand between us.
Her legs clench in response as goose bumps pebble down her arms. Nox
straightens upward, his height allowing him to be nearly even with a seated
Fallon while still on his knees, and leans in to kiss her.
She melts for him, providing the distraction I need to angle myself up
into the sanctuary between her legs.
Fallon freezes the moment my head nudges her entrance, but Nox does
something with his tongue to coax her back into the moment.
I wait a beat, then gradually push upward into her contracting sheath.
Three fingers might not have been enough, I think, her walls clamping
down around me. Fucking tight…
Fallon seems to agree, her limbs tensing around me as her nails dig into
my legs.
I move slowly, trying to give her time to acclimate.
All while Nox continues to devour her, his palms on her breasts, teasing
her, worshipping her, making her feel good.
I release my shaft and reach around her to stroke my thumb against her
clit. She bucks in response, taking me deeper into her slick center.
A groan rumbles through my chest, that movement nearly undoing me.
It’s been so long since I experienced a woman like this, and the fact that it’s
Fallon—my mate—only makes it that much more intense.
I curse against her shoulder, drawing a chuckle from Nox. “That good,
huh?” he taunts.
“Fucking amazing,” I correct, my arm tightening around her torso.
He draws back to watch me work my cock into her, his gaze hungry.
“Fuck, Fallon. You’re taking him so beautifully, firefly.” He settles between
our splayed legs, his focus glued to where our bodies are joining. “I could
watch him fuck you all night.”
Fallon moans, her body falling back into mine as she grinds down on
me, forcing me in to the hilt.
Another expletive falls from my lips as Fallon’s moan turns into a needy
purr.
Because Nox is now feasting on her pussy like a starving man.
I can feel the stubble of his jaw near where I’ve joined with Fallon. It’s
sinfully decadent. Alluring. Provoking. His touch combined with the slick
heat contracting around me forces me to move. To thrust. To take.
Fallon cries out, the sound bliss to my ears, coaxing me into giving her
more. To moving faster.
I won’t last long. I can’t. This is all too much. Too euphoric.
Her head is against my shoulder, her body tight and hot between me and
Nox. I grab her chin and tilt her head back so I can devour her with my
mouth.
She accepts me completely, her tongue dancing with mine as Nox and I
drive her closer to the edge with our joint attentions.
I can feel her pulsing around me, her inner muscles clenching as she
nears her peak.
Nox growls against her, the vibration seeming to reverberate through
her and into me. It’s fucking erotic and forces me to pump into her harder.
Faster. More powerfully than before.
Fallon pants against me, her chest rising and falling in anticipation. This
angle is so intense, allowing me to feel every inch of her throbbing core as I
plunge in and out of her.
“Be a good girl and come for Bane, firefly,” Nox murmurs. “He needs
to feel you climax around him. It’ll force him to come, too. Then I can lick
you both clean.”
Fallon releases an unintelligible noise as her inner muscles clamp down
around me. “Mmm, you like that image,” I say against her mouth. “Would
you rather I come down his throat instead of in your pussy, sweet flame?”
She doesn’t answer right away, either because she’s debating or because
she’s too caught up in the sensations to speak. But after a few thrusts, she
whispers, “Inside me, please.”
“That’s my preference, too,” I tell her before kissing her again.
 I know she’s on birth control—only because I’ve helped her get
monthly supplies of it—making protection unnecessary. Especially since
diseases are not something we need to worry about.
Which means I can unleash inside her.
But not until she detonates.
Because I need to feel her. I need to experience everything with her. I
need to know her. Well and truly. Intimately. Forever.
I draw my teeth along her plump lower lip. “Ignite for me, sweet
flame,” I beg her. “Ignite for us.”
She draws in a sharp breath, her eyelashes fluttering open as I grab both
her breasts, my fingers tweaking her nipples. Nox follows suit below,
something I sense more than know, his timing almost always in tune with
my own.
“Oh,” Fallon moans. “Oh, stars…”
Her inner walls squeeze me as her entire body goes rigid.
And then she screams, the welcome sound echoing in the marble-and-
glass enclosure, and tightens around me like a noose.
“Fuck,” I curse, her climax demanding reciprocation, her sheath
clenching so severely that I’m left with no choice but to follow her over the
edge into oblivion on an explosion I feel to my very soul.
Everything goes dark. Then light. Hot and then cold, only to be hot
again as my cum spills inside her, claiming my mate from the inside out.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
“Ours,” a deep voice corrects.
I ignore him, too consumed by the sensual goddess on my lap, her body
pulsing and driving mine to the brink of divine insanity.
I swear Fallon comes again, her orgasmic pull too intense to be from
one climax alone.
But I’m too lost in the sensations to take note, too destroyed by the
perfection of the moment to care about anything other than our mutual
pleasure.
She’s my ideal match. My mate. The other half of my spirit.
I didn’t realize how lost I was until finding her.
“No wonder I’ve wanted you all along. You’re flawless,” I breathe, my
lips against her ear. “I’m going to cherish and worship you for the rest of
our lives, little flame.”
She shivers against me, her body replete and utterly sated.
 Nox is still kneeling between our legs, his eyes holding a wicked gleam
to them. “My turn,” he says.
I hum in agreement and gently pull Fallon upward to release my cock
from her luscious heat. But before I can hand her to him, he presses her
back down and bends to lick her clean.
She jolts and moans, her hands going to his hair to pull him away.
But he’s relentless, and soon she’s writhing again, too caught up in his
mouth to care about recovering. His name leaves her mouth, followed by
mine, and I kiss her, helping to ground her in the present while Nox works
his magic between her thighs.
I’m not surprised at all when he brings her to orgasm again, nor am I
shocked to find myself hardening against her once more.
We’ve only begun our time together. Not just tonight, but for eternity.
“Are you ready for Nox to fuck you, little flame?” I ask her. “Because
he has a surprise for you that you haven’t seen yet.”
Her eyelashes part to reveal twin pools of emerald ecstasy. “Surprise?”
she repeats, sounding adorably exhausted.
“Mmm,” I hum, my lips finding her ear. “It’s a surprise you’ll enjoy.”
“What kind of surprise?” she asks.
Rather than answer, I take hold of her chin and turn her face toward a
standing Nox. He kicked off his swimsuit at some point while kneeling,
probably so he could stroke himself as he devoured Fallon.
Fallon blinks, not understanding right away.
Then her gaze goes to Nox’s cock.
And the piercings forming a ladder down his shaft.
Her lips part and I nuzzle her neck. “It looks intimidating,” I tell her.
“But trust me, you’ll love it. Nox will make sure of it.”
He reaches for her then, and I release her.
“Bedroom?” I guess.
“Bedroom,” he echoes, pulling her out of the shower and into a fluffy
towel. “Now that Bane has helped me take the edge off, we can truly
begin.”
C H A P TE R TWENTY-ONE
 NOLAN

P ORTALS A RE SO MUCH FA ST ER than airplanes, I think as I step into a New

York City alley. Much more discreet, too.
Fortunately, a good friend of mine mated a witch queen. While the two
of them might have run off to rule over the witch’s world last year, the
legacy of my friendship with the witch queen’s mate has afforded me a few
favors.
Such as access to very hard-to-find portal potion magic.
With a little sprinkle of the liquid, I close the portal in my wake and
take in my dimly lit surroundings. When I left Ireland, night was falling.
Which means it’s afternoon here. But the sun isn’t all that bright overhead,
thanks to the towering skyscrapers all around me.
Still a shithole, I realize after only a few steps. It’s all run-down with a
dystopian flair due to decades of criminal activity. There are some nice
areas—those owned by the syndicate boss families—but the city has mostly
faded into ruin.
Alas, I never cared much for New York City. In its prime, it was too
crowded. And the buildings have always suffocated my wings—something
that hasn’t changed even now.
I have my feathers tucked in, giving me the appearance of a normal man
walking down the street. However, I can feel my plumes craving freedom,
to take to the sky and escape these too-tall structures around me.
Rolling my shoulders, I ignore the sensation and focus on the vacant
street.
The Outcast Coven is headquartered in Staten Island, making that my—
 A prickle of warning caresses the back of my neck, causing the hairs to
dance along my skin beneath my leather jacket. I continue forward, my
pace steady as I evaluate my surroundings, searching for whatever set off
my instincts.
There’s no one around, no hints of habitation, and yet, I know I’m no
longer alone. It’s a sudden disturbance, one that has my hands itching to
reach for one of my guns.
Behind me, I realize, the subtle hint of magic tickling my senses in the
wrong way.
But I don’t turn around. Instead, I keep my head high, pretending not to
notice. Not until I have a better vantage point.
Getting closer, I think, feeling the magic strengthen at my back. Ballsy
fucker.
Of course, I’m the visitor here. And this section of New York City is run
by witches.
I pause as I reach the next intersection, feigning interest in the signs, all
the while aware of the approaching presence.
Five, I start counting. Four. Three. Two.
My wings flare outward as I turn, my hand already pulling up my gun
and aiming right at an approaching witch’s head. Her black eyes widen, her
palms flying upward.
But it’s not a gesture of surrender.
It’s a gesture of aggression, something that becomes clear as a glittering
enchantment forms in front of her.
I narrow my gaze. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, witch.”
“Do what?” she demands. “Protect myself?”
I arch a brow. “You’re the one sneaking up on me.” I stare down the
barrel of my gun at her. “Tell me why.”
Her obsidian hair blows in an invisible wind, her power mounting as the
enchantment before her grows. My finger longs to pull the trigger, my
intuition telling me this female is a threat. She may look dainty and delicate,
but appearances can be deceiving. Fallon is evidence of that.
And so is this female—something the growing energy before her
confirms as it pulses in the air.
“Who are you?” Her tone is underlined with command.
A command I ignore. “Someone you don’t want to play with,” I warn
her. “Just move on and leave me be. It’ll save your life.”
 Her lips curl a little. “My life will be just fine, archangel.”
Well, that’s interesting. Most supernaturals can’t guess my origin that
quickly. At least not when I’ve hidden my wings.
“What have you done to Fallon?” she asks in the next breath, her
question giving me pause.
“What?”
“Her aura is all over you. Tell me why and I’ll consider letting you
live.” Black flames dance up her arms while she speaks, all the while that
energy continues to pulse in front of her.
I stare at her for a long moment as my instincts war.
Then I do something I never thought I would do.
I lower my weapon.
“You know Fallon.” Which means I need this witch alive so she can tell
me about my mate. “How?”
That black eyebrow of hers somehow lifts higher. “You’re not very
good at answering questions, are you?”
“I could say the same about you,” I toss back. “Tell me how you know
my mate.”
Now both her brows are in her dark hairline. “Mate?” She huffs a laugh.
“That’s not possible. Nikolas is her mate.”
Nikolas? “I’m her second-chance mate,” I clarify. “Nikolas is dead. The
King of Gold and Garnet executed him earlier this week.”
Nikolas must be Klas’s real name, I marvel, surprised that such a
prominent detail was missing from his files. But it seems that was
purposefully omitted.
“Second-chance…?” She trails off, some of the fire dying along her
arms. “Oh, fuck…” The flames disappear entirely. “When did this happen?”
“When did what happen?”
“The mating,” she says through her teeth. “When did you second-
chance-mate her?”
I frown, the concern in her voice very unlike the commanding tone from
moments ago. “Tell me who she is to you and I’ll consider answering.”
Because, so far, she hasn’t given me much information, yet I’ve
revealed a key detail about my link to Fallon. I also lowered my gun despite
that sphere of energy whirling around her.
If she wants more details, she’ll need to give me a compelling reason to
comply.
 The witch must see the resolve in my expression because she sighs and
draws the sphere-like enchantment back into herself. “Fallon is my cousin.”
Now it’s my turn to arch a brow. “The family resemblance is uncanny,”
I deadpan, noting her black hair, olive skin, and almond-shaped eyes.
This woman looks nothing like my curvy blonde witch.
She snorts. “We’re not related by blood. Her aunt adopted me when I
was a child.” She folds her slender arms over her chest. “Did the mate bond
happen right after the execution?” she asks, drawing us back to the second-
chance-mate conversation.
“Yes. After she came back from the death plane,” I say, watching her
carefully to see if that trip to the death plane surprises her. “She mate-
bonded all four of us the moment she started breathing again.”
“All four…?” The woman’s eyes widen. “Oh, that fucking spell…” It
sounds like she’s talking to herself more than to me, but her words have me
instantly alert.
“What spell?”
“The one that mate-bonded her to Nikolas,” she mutters, her fingers
running through her hair as she starts pacing. “Do the patriarchs know?” she
asks, her long legs eating up the sidewalk. “Never mind. Of course they
know. Or they will. Who exactly has she mated?”
She stops then and looks at me, black flames appearing on her arms
again.
My hand twitches with the need to rise, her threatening expression
immediately putting me on the defensive.
Except her gaze goes over my shoulder in the next second as she softly
says, “We can’t have this conversation here.”
I glance over my shoulder to find the street still empty, but the hairs
along the back of my neck tell me that either it’s a facade or it’s about to
change.
“This way,” the witch says as a doorway magically appears in the wall
of a building.
I stare at the enchantment as she approaches it. “Why should I follow
you?”
“Because I know how to break the fated-mate spell,” she says. “And
I’m probably the only one who will tell you the truth around here.”
Fated-mate spell. “You’re saying it isn’t real?”
 “I’m saying we don’t have time to discuss it here,” she replies as she
reaches the enchantment. “Either follow me or I’ll track you down later. It’s
what I do.”
She disappears through the threshold without a backward glance,
leaving me on the sidewalk.
I narrow my gaze. This is likely a trap. But I’m not easily subdued, even
if I’m taken to a place where I can’t use my wings.
Besides, I came here for answers, and this female clearly knows Fallon.
Which means Kaspian’s instincts were right—she’s from the Outcast
Coven.
But I need more information.
Particularly about this supposed spell.
Right. I run my thumb down the handle of my gun and move toward the
door. Let’s see where you go.
I step through the enchantment, fully expecting an ambush.
Only, I find myself on a rooftop at least fifty stories up. My wings
automatically unfurl, the height teasing my senses.
“Those are impressive,” the witch says from a lounge chair nearby.
“They blend in with the air around you, too.”
“I camouflage naturally.” It’s an explanation she didn’t earn, but I’m too
caught up in the surroundings to care much about revealing such trivial
details. “Where are we?”
Because this doesn’t look like Staten Island.
“Manhattan,” she replies. “On top of an abandoned apartment building.”
“I see.” Not sure why she chose this location, but I’m very comfortable
here. “Tell me about this spell.”
“It’s a fated-mate spell, one the patriarchs like to use to force bonds
between arranged mates.”
I stare at her. “That’s…”
“Illegal? Black magic? Exceptionally fucked up?” Each suggestion
rivals the comments in my mind. “It’s a practice that goes back decades. It’s
how the males control the females in our coven.”
I gape at her. “Why would they do that?”
“To siphon our power, of course,” she answers in a saccharine voice.
“Fallon was given to Patrick O’Neely’s nephew, Nikolas. The ritual was
performed, and I’m guessing that Nikolas’s death shattered the spell, which
led to her soul latching onto yours and… You mentioned there are four of
you?”
My feathers ruffle in the wind as I try to process what she’s telling me.
The mating isn’t real.
But it feels real.
“Are you sure it’s from a spell?” I demand, ignoring her question.
Her brow furrows. “I mean, I guess it could be fate. But you mentioned
four…?”
Yeah, that part makes it a bit more complex. Most souls only have one
mate. Fallon having four is incredibly rare.
Which lends credence to the spell theory.
Yet part of me adamantly disagrees with that notion. Because I’m under
some sort of enchantment? I wonder. Am I being tricked into these feelings
by dark magic?
If that’s the case, why didn’t Fallon say something?
“I assume Fallon knows about this spell?” I hedge.
“Oh, yeah,” the witch replies. “We all do.”
“But you mentioned a way to break it?”
She smiles. “My being here talking to you is proof of that.”
I arch a brow. “I’m not following.”
“My arranged mate would never allow this,” she explains. “But he’s
otherwise indisposed.” She cants her head. “The patriarchs want us all to be
puppets. I simply returned the favor.”
I shake my head. “Your solution is to turn Fallon into a puppet?” Does
that mean I’m technically one right now because of this spell?
“What? No. Absolutely not.” She sits up straight on the old lounge chair
and shakes her head. “I’m clearly not explaining this right. Let’s start from
the beginning.”
That would be appreciated, I think.
Except she looks at me in the next second and says, “Actually, no. You
need to tell me why you’re here first. Then I’ll consider telling you more.”
Hmm. It’s a reasonable request. She’s also given me enough proof of her
usefulness to make me want to reveal a little more about my intentions here.
“Fallon hasn’t been all that forthcoming about her past. So the Gold and
Garnet King sent me here to see if we could learn more about her origin.”
Her brows furrow. “If you’re here, then she’s been at least a little bit
forthcoming.”
 “She mentioned patriarchs earlier today. While that may not be a
familiar term to most of the world, King Kaspian and I recognized it. And
with Fallon being a witch, it seemed likely to be related.”
“Does she know you’re here?”
“No.”
The female swallows. “Good. That means the patriarchs won’t be able
to pull it out of her. But I imagine they know the spell rebounded now.
Which… is either good or very bad. Especially for… Shit.” She pushes off
of her lounge and starts pacing, similar to what she did in the street. “This
must be why I haven’t been allowed to see her.”
“See who?” I ask even though the statement seems to have been for the
woman before me alone. However, since I’m here listening, I would like to
be part of the conversation.
“Issy.” She freezes then, her obsidian irises swirling with panic.
“Fallon’s sister.” I fold my arms over my chest. “She mentioned her
when talking about the patriarchs. Then she claimed her sister is dead, but
King Kaspian knows she’s lying.”
The female blinks a few times. “Wait… You’ve mentioned him a few
times. Is he…? Is he one of the mates the spell clung to?”
My jaw ticks as I debate whether or not to share that information.
But it seems I don’t have to because the witch shakes her head. “This is
bad. Very fucking bad.” She resumes pacing. “The patriarchs are going to
force Fallon into using him. And they’re going to use Issy to make her do
it.”
I stare at her. “This would be the part where you should start from the
beginning.” Because I’m going to need as many details as I can gather.
The female pauses once more, her dark gaze finding mine. “How do I
know I can trust you?”
“You can trust that I will do anything to protect King Kaspian. And
right now, you’ve told me Fallon’s fated-mate bond to both of us is a spell
—one I will break, even if it means killing her. Especially since you just
implied the patriarchs will try to use her to get to Kaspian. So either you
start talking, or I return to Iceland and carry out my duty.”
The words are painful to voice, my soul immediately rebuking my
threat to kill my supposed mate. But I mean every statement.
It’s my duty to guard the Gold and Garnet King. My pledge. And I’ll do
whatever is necessary to carry that out.
 “Or I could kill you,” the witch offers.
“You could try,” I reply. “Or you could start talking and perhaps we’ll
come to an agreement that benefits us both. Assuming you care about your
cousin, I mean.”
Her eyes narrow. “Just because we’re not related by birth doesn’t mean
she’s not my family. And trust me, I will do whatever I fucking can to
protect her. Just like you and your king.”
“Then let’s have a conversation and see if we can find some mutual
ground to stand on.” Because it seems to me that our goals may be
somewhat aligned.
The witch studies me for a long moment, inky flames dancing in her
irises. My fingers flex, preparing to pull out my gun again as my wings
tense behind me.
However, after several beats, the enchantress sighs. “My name’s Ayla.”
It’s not exactly the story I want, but it seems to be her version of a peace
offering.
“Nolan,” I return.
She nods. “Well, Nolan. To understand what’s happening, we need to go
back in time to the night when Ishara accidentally killed several members
of the O’Neely Clan.”
My eyebrow arches. “Ishara?”
“Ishara Doyle. Issy. Fallon’s sister.” Ayla sits down again. “Her actions
were an accident, but they created a significant rift between the O’Neely
Clan and the Doyle Clan. That rift was healed by Fallon’s arranged mating
to Nikolas O’Neely. But I suspect you know him as Klas.”
Yes, I guessed that connection earlier in the conversation.
“Most of the Outcast Coven believes Issy is dead. She’s not. The Doyle
Patriarch keeps her locked up with a sole purpose—to control Fallon.”
Ayla’s eyes flash with barely restrained fury. “I only know this because I’m
considered family. And the patriarchs believe I’m a good little witch on a
leash.”
“I see. And Fallon?”
“Fallon i s … complicated.” Ayla swallows. “She’s powerful. Issy is, too.
But their father has been siphoning their death energy since birth and using
their twin bond against them.” She draws her jean-clad legs up and wraps
her arms around her knees, an uneasy expression on her face.
That look alone tells me I’m not going to like what Ayla is about to say.
 “Fallon and Issy care more about each other than anything else in the
world, and Patriarch Doyle uses that to ensure their obedience—by
torturing Issy.” She shudders at whatever vision is rolling through her mind.
“That’s the only reason Fallon mate-bonded Nikolas. She could have fought
the patriarchy, but they had Issy.”
I’m starting to see the picture in Ayla’s mind. Not literally, but one of
my own making.
A picture where a father abuses his daughters in the worst way possible
while playing with their lives as though they’re cards in a poker game.
“Fallon mentioned an obedience spell,” I hedge. “One that she couldn’t
break.”
Ayla nodded. “Patriarch O’Neely added that to the mating to ensure
Fallon couldn’t break the mate bond. They know she’s powerful. They’ll do
anything and everything they can to maintain dominion over her and Issy.”
Which explains why Fallon hasn’t said anything over the last year
despite the obedience spell being broken—she’s been worried about her
sister’s life.
“They’re powerful links to the death plane,” Ayla continues. “Key
sources of power. I’m fairly certain that’s the other reason Patriarch Doyle
has kept Issy alive—they need her energy to maintain the patriarchy.”
“I’m going to need you to detail this patriarchy more,” I tell her.
“Names, structure, key players. Everything you can give me.”
“Why?” she asks, a humorless expression on her face that matches the
incredulity of her tone. “Because you’re actually going to do something
about it?”
“I might,” I tell her, my wings disappearing into my back.
“A House involving itself in a Supernatural Syndicate affair for
altruistic purposes?” she snorts. “Right.”
“Weren’t you all just invited to participate in the Earth and Emerald
Chancellor Trials?” I deadpan.
“That’s not the same. The leadership was bought. Or they attempted to
buy it, anyway.” Her lips twitch as though amused. “Nikki didn’t play their
game, though. To be fair, neither did I.”
I frown. “You participated?”
“I did.” She cants her head. “The Outcast Coven nominated me. And by
nominated, I mean forced me to participate. Because all the syndicates had
to put forth a contestant, and they needed a female from our coven to be the
face. Can’t risk anyone realizing the patriarchs are the ones holding our
puppet strings, right?”
The bitterness in her tone rivals my own irritation over the entire
situation.
But she’s right. Most Houses wouldn’t get involved with these trivial
affairs. If a criminal organization wanted to control its members with dark
magic, the world leadership would allow it—unless those activities started
impacting someone or something important.
Someone like a House King.
“Gold and Garnet’s interference won’t be altruistic,” I tell her, returning
to her sarcastic commentary about a House involving itself in syndicate
business. “Fallon Doyle is mate-bonded to the Gold and Garnet King by an
illegal dark magic spell. That’s grounds for interference.”
Ayla shivers. “She wouldn’t have done it on purpose.”
“I never said she did,” I reply. Nor am I confident it’s a spell, I think,
still conflicted on that part. “But the fact remains that the Outcast Coven
instigated all of this by placing Nikolas and Fallon in Gold and Garnet
territory. I’m going to assume they had a reason. I want that reason.”
“I don’t have it.”
“No, but you do have some details I need—like the patriarchs’ names
and other relevant information. You also mentioned being able to break the
fated-mate spell.”
She runs her fingers through her dark waves of hair, the edges of which
travel all the way down to her slender hips.
Definitely looks nothing like Fallon, I think, suddenly missing my
mate’s curves. Fake mate, I correct myself. Maybe.
With a shake of my head, I add, “I need all the details you can give me,
Ayla. Including information on how to break the spell.” If nothing else, I
can use that information to test the veracity of the claim.
Or at the very least, offer it to Fallon.
No one deserves to be trapped in an arranged mating.
While she might have hidden these secrets from us, it wasn’t for
nefarious reasons. She wanted to protect her sister.
Fallon probably assumed we wouldn’t help her as well.
Most House leaders dislike the Supernatural Syndicates, and Kaspian is
no different. Hell, he commented on it several times during the Earth and
Emerald Chancellor Trials. Fallon likely heard a few of those statements,
too.
It probably made her feel trapped, like she couldn’t voice the truth
without risking being sent back.
And given everything Ayla has just revealed, I can only imagine what
the patriarchs would do if they got their hands on Fallon again now.
That’s not going to happen, I vow. Real mates or not, Fallon Doyle is
under my protection. And I will not be handing her over to these assholes.
No, I’m going to kill them all instead.
Deliver their heads to her in a coffin.
Then watch her burn their remains.
It’s a date, I decide, my gaze settling on Ayla once more. “Start with
Patrick O’Neely. Tell me everything you know.”
C H A P TE R TWENTY-TWO
 FALLON

O H , stars, I’m about to detonate…

Except Nox pulls his mouth away, leaving me begging beneath him,
needing more. He’s been teasing me for what feels like forever, bringing me
to the brink with his mouth and hands, only to stop right when I’m on the
edge.
“Nox.”
“Fallon,” he murmurs, his mouth curling into a grin against my clit. “Do
you think you’re ready for me yet?”
I groan, my lower half writhing in response. “I already said I am.”
“Well, I just want to be certain.” His blue eyes sparkle with wicked
intent. “When I laid you on this bed an hour ago, you said you weren’t sure
you could take much more.”
Yes. I did say that. Mostly because his piercings intimated me. But
now… now I feel like I’m going to die if he doesn’t finally fuck me.
Bane stretches out beside us on the bed, his head resting lazily on one
hand as he stares down at me with a smile. “I think he wants you to beg
him, sweet flame.” He leans down to brush his lips over mine before
pressing his mouth to my ear. “Maybe ask if you can taste him. I bet that
mouth of yours could easily drive him insane.”
Nox’s pupils flare in response, confirming Bane’s whispered words.
“It would only be fair,” I say, my voice breathless.
“Would it?” Nox asks, lifting a little so I can see how wet I’ve made his
mouth and chin. “You want to taste me, firefly?”
“Yes.” I very much want to inflict this pleasurable torment on him.
While Nox may be the first man who has ever gone down on me, I do know
how to use my mouth on a man.
And I’m very eager to demonstrate that knowledge now.
“All right.” Nox’s gaze tells me he sees this as a challenge, one he
intends to win.
But I’m very motivated to make him lose.
I press against his shoulder, wanting him to move so we can switch
positions. However, he stops me with a palm against my stomach.
“I’ll come to you,” he says, confusing me as he starts crawling up my
body.
I’m about to ask what he means when he reaches for Bane and openly
kisses him while hovering over me.
My lips part in surprise, my body somehow heating even more at the
sight.
Because holy stars, that’s hot.
Their tongues duel above me, their embrace turning feral as Bane
growls against Nox’s mouth.
My thighs clench, igniting an inferno that burns through my veins. I
want to see more. Experience their passion. Their virility. Their heat.
But the kiss ends almost as abruptly as it started, leaving me panting
and thirstier than ever.
“Fuck, she tastes amazing,” Bane says, his tongue sneaking out to lick
his own lips. “I want more of that.”
“Me, too,” Nox murmurs. “Why do you think I’ve been indulging
myself in her pussy for so long?”
“To delay your gratification.”
“An added bonus,” Nox replies. “But the primary reason is the one I just
shared with you. Feel free to enjoy a snack while I fuck her mouth.” His
piercing blue irises return to mine, his lips curling into a smile. “Now who’s
a voyeur?”
“Two hot phantoms making out in front of me?” My voice is raspy, but I
push on anyway. “I would be a fool not to watch.”
“So you don’t mind a little male-on-male action?” he asks, his palm
cupping my cheek.
I shake my head. “It’s definitely a turn-on.”
“Mmm, that’s good to know,” he murmurs, his nose brushing mine.
“Because I suspect you’re going to drive us wild and we’re going to want to
return the favor.” He nips at my bottom lip. “Now how about you give me a
demonstration with that fine mouth of yours?”
It’s a rhetorical question because he’s already moving by the time he
finishes speaking, his athletic body shifting with ease up my supple form.
A fire lights inside of me as he settles his knees on either side of my
head, placing his impressive length near my mouth. He’s longer than Bane,
but not as thick.
However, the metal piercings decorating his shaft give him a dangerous
appeal that has my insides dancing in appreciation.
“Lick me.” His head meets my mouth. “Wrap those gorgeous lips
around my cock and show me what you can do.”
The flames inside me burn hotter, my desire to do exactly what he says
a searing need through my veins.
I want to please him. Learn his preferences. Taste him. And most of all,
demonstrate my ability to blow his mind.
My gaze holds his as I part my lips around him to sample the precum
lingering on his tip. I groan as soon as it hits my tongue, my yearning for
him driving me forward to take more. Swallow him. Lave him. Devour him.
His metal piercings are soft against my tongue, the bulbous ends
tantalizing and unique. What will he feel like inside me? I wonder as I take
him even deeper, forcing his head to the back of my throat.
“Fuck, Fallon,” he breathes, his blue eyes darkening as he stares down
at me. “Look at you taking my cock.” His palm wraps around my nape
before sliding up a little to help angle my head for a deeper thrust. And his
opposite hand goes to the headboard to hold himself steady. “You’re so
fucking perfect.”
“So fucking perfect,” Bane echoes as he settles between my thighs.
I jolt as his mouth meets my clit, my stomach tightening with renewed
yearning. I was so close to coming before, so near the edge of that rapturous
cliff, that I’m almost immediately right back there now.
Bane’s name vibrates in my mouth, the sound muffled by Nox driving
his length farther into my throat.
Having one man between my legs while another is fucking my mouth is
so erotic. So intense. So overwhelming.
“You want her to come while you’re fucking her mouth?” Bane asks
against my throbbing arousal. “Or do you want her to come around your
cock?”
 “Mmm, both very tempting choices,” Nox replies, his grasp tightening
against my nape. “What do you want, Fallon?” He pulls himself out to the
tip. “How do you want to come?”
I shiver, both from the expectant look on his face and from the deep
timber of his voice. I can almost hear his Scottish roots. They’re just not as
prominent as Bane’s, but they’re still there. Lingering. Caressing. Teasing.
He arches a brow. “Would you like me to decide for you, firefly?”
I consider the option and nod. “Yes. I trust you.” And I want whatever
he wants.
No, that’s not true.
I want both options.
But I’m not sure my body will allow it. I’ve never experienced pleasure
like this before, the unending assault on my senses leaving me exhausted
and replete and… needy.
Oh, stars, maybe I can do both…
I don’t know. I don’t know my own limits at all.
However, I mean what I said—I trust Nox.
Actually… “I trust both of you.”
Bane hums in approval against me, the vibration zinging through my
veins and leaving a tingling kiss behind.
I gasp as his lips seal around my sensitive bud, his tongue doing all sorts
of wicked things that stoke my flames so much higher. It’s as though he’s
ignited a fuse that counts down with the beat of my heart. I can hear it
thudding in my ears. Feel it hammering in my chest. Sense it warming my
veins. Preparing me. Forcing me closer.
“Good choice,” Nox murmurs as he pushes back into my mouth, his
eyes holding mine. “Both will do just fine.”
I don’t remember voicing that aloud.
But maybe I did.
Or maybe they’re mind readers.
It doesn’t matter because the maelstrom inside me is spinning out of
control. I moan Bane’s name, then Nox’s name, then realize neither is
intelligible because my mouth is too occupied to produce proper sound.
Stop thinking, I tell myself. Just feel. Experience. Embrace them. This.
All of this.
I grab Bane’s head, holding him to me while my opposite hand goes to
Nox’s hip. I never want to let them go.
 They’re mine.
My phantoms.
My mates.
I fall apart on that last thought, my world shattering as Nox hits the back
of my throat with a groan of his own. He says something about how good I
am, but I’m too consumed by what Bane is doing to my lower half to focus.
The whole reason I wanted Nox in my mouth was so I could
demonstrate my ability to please him. However, I lost sight of that goal the
moment Bane started licking me.
It was all too much.
It’s still too much.
But I’m too caught up in the moment to deviate course.
It’s perfect in its own way, a reprieve from the reality I long to escape.
Nox pulls from my mouth, his tongue replacing his cock in what seems
like a span of seconds. Then I feel him nudging against me below.
This is it, I think, my legs encircling his hips. I finally get to feel—
He drives into me, causing my inner walls to squeeze around him, his
piercings resembling a ribbed sensation that has my toes curling in
response.
It… I’m… I’m so…
“Full,” I whisper. “I feel full.” And… and… “Oh, stars…”
My mind fractures as he begins to move, his hips dancing with mine in
a way that steals my breath. I’ve never felt anything like this. Never knew
this sort of pleasure could exist.
It’s different than it was with Bane.
But both of them are amazing in their own right. Just uniquely their
own, providing me with two very special experiences that I will forever
cherish.
And hopefully experience again.
And again.
Because they’re mine.
I refuse to let them go.
There’s a nagging thought in my mind, threatening my utopian state.
But I ignore it and focus on Nox.
Oh, and Bane… He’s stretched out beside us again, his palm slipping
between our bodies and heading down toward the apex between my thighs.
 I tremble as he brushes my throbbing center, his touch knowing. Skilled.
Perfect.
Nox palms my breast, his tongue mastering mine, his hips engaging me
in an endless dance.
“Come for us again, sweet flame,” Bane says. “Nox needs to feel that
beautiful pussy clamp down around him.”
I’m already close again, the hour session with Nox’s mouth having
primed me more than I realized.
Coupled with everything else… it’s a wonder I haven’t fallen into a
permanent state of ecstasy.
“That’s it, Fallon,” Bane coaxes. “Fuck him back. Ride us both. Find
your pleasure and revel in it.”
Nox growls, the sound a vibration against my chest that has me panting
beneath him. It’s so virile in nature, reminding me of their shared kiss and
making me wonder what they would be like when they fuck each other.
Rough. Hard. Masculine.
What would it be like to be between them? One in the front? One in the
back?
My whole body seizes at the thought, my insides pulsating.
I want that. I want to know. I want so much more.
And I tell Nox that with my tongue.
I reach for Bane, my palm finding his hardness and giving him a stroke,
hoping my message is conveyed. He hisses in response, his thumb pressing
down on my center, his mouth finding my ear. “You’re such a good girl
taking Nox’s cock like that, Fallon. But I need you to come around him.
Give him that gift. Just like you gave me.”
I tighten my grasp on his dick, his words propelling me forward.
These two phantoms are going to fuck me into an early grave with all
these sexual comments and skilled touches.
“Now, Fallon,” Bane demands, making my insides convulse in response.
I tense, shocked that I’m already at the edge again.
Nox tweaks my nipple, and it’s all I need to go soaring into a climax
that blackens my vision. I’m barely aware of the two men growling their
approval, their words of praise sailing somewhere along with me in the
clouds as my body floats and convulses.
Euphoria burns through my nerve endings.
My limbs quake.
 And my vision remains unseeing.
Until suddenly I find myself staring up into a pool of liquid blue irises
brimming with pleasure. Nox’s groan rumbles over me, his own rapture
touching mine and leaving us to shake in orgasmic bliss together.
I can feel his seed inside me, marking me as his own, claiming me, just
like Bane did.
It all feels so real. So final. So unlike anything Klas and I ever did.
Maybe it isn’t a spell at all, I marvel. Maybe this really is fate…
I kiss Nox, hoping with everything I am that these phantoms truly are
mine. Then I kiss Bane with the same vigor, the same desire, and sigh when
he returns my fervor with his tongue.
The two men take turns, our embrace growing heavy as exhaustion
settles into my bones.
My eyes are closed.
My lips are moving.
My body is still shaking with residual aftershocks.
But I can sense sleep weighing down upon me.
It must win at some point because when I open my eyes again, the
phantoms are both lounging in bed beside me with the blankets covering
their hips.
They gaze down at me with reverent expressions that make my heart
soar. I feel as though I’m existing in a dream.
When they praise me for how well I took them, my heart races. When
Bane surprises me with food, my heart swells. And when Nox tells me they
intend to devour me again for dessert, my heart nearly stops.
Only to kick into overdrive as both phantoms guide me into a new level
of oblivion.
It’s so unworldly.
So rapturous.
So unbelievable.
Yet it’s all real.
I’ve lived in a nightmare for most of my existence. But this is a fantasy
come to life.
One I indulge in until I can no longer keep my eyes open.
As I drift into sleep, one thought lingers in my mind. I hope this dream
never ends…
C H A P TE R TWE NTY-THREE
 KASPIAN

MY D ICK THROBS in my hand as I think about Fallon’s screams.

Nox and Bane were thorough, fucking her well into the night. Part of
me wants to remind Nox that he owes me a visit, but I don’t want to take
him away from our mate.
Her pleasure is fucking addicting. I can’t wait to experience it for
myself. To taste her. Slide into her. Make her mine.
I picture her on her knees for me now, all that blonde hair tumbling
around her as I bend her over the bed and drive into her from behind.
That curvy ass of hers would push back against my groin with each
thrust, providing me with delicious friction.
And she would be so damn wet. So tight. So ready for me to fuck her
hard and fast.
I groan, her name leaving my lips as I stroke myself harder, her vision
stark and real in my mind. Her tits swaying as I pump into her. Those
delicious little moans escaping her plump lips.
Mmm, I would fist my fingers in all that hair and pull her head back to
expose her slender neck. It would tease my fangs, make me crave her that
much more.
Then her racing pulse would send me over the edge, forcing me to bite
her. Taste her. Claim her.
Fuck, I can almost taste her now, her heartbeat a steady rhythm in my
mind even while she sleeps.
I release my cock to keep myself from exploding, my entire body strung
tight with need.
But I want to wait.
 I want to savor the torment and let my desire build.
It’s addictive. Consuming. So damn exquisite.
I’ve been doing this for hours, reveling in the activities next door while
torturing myself. I was saving it all for Nox, but part of me wants to give it
to Fallon.
This craving for her is immense, the fate bond overwhelming my
thoughts. However, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve been attracted to Fallon
all along. Especially her disobedient mouth.
She stands up to me when others normally wouldn’t. It pisses me off
while making me hard at the same time. She’s a brat, one I long to tame.
And yet, I wouldn’t have her any other way.
I button myself up again and stand up to pace the guest room, my legs
eating up the small area in only a few strides.
What I need to do is head outside, but I can’t. While I know this area is
safe, I feel this intrinsic urge to guard the phantoms and my mate. Almost as
though they’re all mine to protect.
Running my fingers through my hair, I continue moving and nearly sigh
in relief when my phone buzzes. I’ve taken a few calls tonight for work
purposes, but the one I’ve been waiting for most hasn’t happened yet.
However, Nolan’s name appears now.
I immediately accept the call.
“Did you end up flying to New York?” I ask without saying hello. “I
expected you there hours ago.”
“I used a portal potion ten minutes after hanging up with you earlier,”
he replies as his face appears on a screen before me.
I frown at him. “Why didn’t you call me when you arrived?” That’s
what we agreed upon.
Of course, I wouldn’t have had any updates for him then. But it’s been
almost twelve hours since we last spoke.
“Because Fallon’s cousin ambushed me upon arrival,” he deadpans.
Someone snorts in the background, and he tilts his camera so I can see
the dark-haired female seated across from him.
“Cousin?” I repeat.
“Adopted cousin,” he clarifies. “Her birth parents went missing around
the Arcadia portal, and Fallon’s aunt adopted her.”
“I see.” I lock my gaze with the female’s. “And you managed to ambush
my best assassin?”
 “He was drenched in Fallon’s aura. I felt him arrive and I thought it was
her, so I tracked the soul strand and found…” She waves at him. “An
archangel dressed in leather.”
Now it’s Nolan who snorts in the background.
“Do you have a name?” I press, arching a brow.
“I do.” She doesn’t elaborate.
“Ayla,” Nolan answers for her as he turns the camera back around.
“She’s been very informative.”
“Good. Tell me everything.”
Nolan sighs and nods. “You’re going to want to sit down for this.”

An hour later and I’m pacing the room for very different reasons than
before.
Nolan and I hung up five minutes ago, his final words being, “I’m going
to do some reconnaissance around Staten Island in the early morning with
Ayla as my guide.”
He plans to document where all seven patriarchs live and take note of
their security.
Because Gold and Garnet is about to declare war on the Outcast Coven.
They sent an emissary into my territory. An emissary who attacked our
former king. And they gave him a witch to borrow deadly powers from.
Via a forced mating spell.
Which shattered upon his death.
And rebounded by joining that witch’s soul with four others.
“Fuck,” I mutter, running my hand over my face. “Fuck.”
Nox and Bane are next door with her right now, completely unaware
that they’re under a mating spell. While Fallon…
Fallon is fully aware and didn’t say a damn word about it.
That’s the part that pisses me off the most. The woman bloody knew
that her mating spell rebounded, and didn’t say anything. She played along
instead.
“Because she’s protecting her sister,” Nolan said, his voice strained. “I
don’t like that she didn’t tell us any of this, but after everything Ayla has
shared, I understand why she chose to stay silent.”
 I’m not nearly as understanding as Nolan. While Fallon certainly hasn’t
had the easiest life—far from it—she’s in Gold and Garnet territory. And
we take fealty to our House very seriously.
When I said as much to Nolan, he replied with, “A fair point, but did
Fallon ever actually swear fealty to Gold and Garnet?”
My hands curl into fists as I pace, his words playing over and over again
in my head.
How has it come to this? I wonder, furious by all of these developments.
How did I end up spellbound to an Outcast Coven witch?
I can hear said witch moaning next door, telling me the phantoms have
just decided to engage in another round. And I hate that my body reacts to
it. Hate that my body reacts to her.
Because it isn’t real.
She isn’t actually mine.
And she’s not theirs either.
Something she bloody knows but has chosen not to admit.
It’s so damn wrong, telling me she’s not nearly as innocent as she
pretends to be.
“She was protecting her sister,” Nolan argued at one point. “And she’s
likely very aware of how most House leadership feels about the syndicates.
Why would she trust us to help her?”
Because she fake fate-mated us? I think now. However, during the
conversation, I remained silent, mostly to keep from saying something I
shouldn’t.
But maybe I should say something.
Maybe I should fucking yell.
Another moan reaches my ears, making me growl.
Patience and strategic thinking have always been two of my strengths.
However, I can’t seem to call upon either ability now.
My heart and soul are too wrapped up in the knowledge that I’ve been
tricked into a bond by dark magic.
And she knows about it. She fucking knows.
That’s the part I can’t forgive. She roped us all into this fucking mess
and didn’t deem us worthy of knowing the truth.
Hell, she’s even fucking two of her fake mates now.
“The spell can be broken,” Nolan confirmed thirty minutes ago. “Ayla
has provided instructions on how to do it. I’ll text it to you. Fallon will need
to be the one to carry it out.”
“And what if she refuses?” I asked. “Can another witch break the
spell?”
“Yes,” Ayla said. “But I know Fallon. She’ll want to break it herself.”
I snort again now, just like I did then, disbelieving the notion that Fallon
will follow through. This is the woman who kept all these details from us to
begin with and has knowingly played along with Nox and Bane’s claim.
“Sex won’t make it permanent like a fated-mate bond would,” Ayla also
told me. “And, unlike a fated-mate bond, you can’t reject the connection.
The only way out is to break the spell. Or when a mate dies.”
“Or it’ll rebound, apparently,” I muttered.
“That’s not normal, but Fallon’s a strong witch,” Ayla replied. “The
O’Neelys would have needed to layer the spells on her to make her
compliant.”
Compliant, I repeat to myself. Right.
There is nothing compliant about Fallon Doyle. She’s a fiery little rebel
whose moans make my balls fucking ache.
“Damn it,” I snap, heading toward the door. “I need this to stop. Right
fucking now.”
No more playing.
No more thinking.
No time for strategy.
The phantoms are starting to make her scream, and she doesn’t deserve
it. She doesn’t deserve any of us. Not after what she’s kept from us.
A fake fated-mate spell.
I growl low in my chest, livid with the dark magic for existing. Angry
with Fallon for keeping the truth from us.
And furious that it isn’t real.
I’ve lived so long without a connection to anyone. Which is fine. I
haven’t been eager to find a mate. But to finally experience this link only to
have it be due to a spell…
Fuck.
I palm my chest, my breathing coming in pants.
Fuck. This.
Fallon Doyle is going to break me free of this insanity.
Then I’m going to visit her coven and let those patriarchs know that
they fucked with the wrong House King.
 Magic or not, I have an entire army of mercenaries at my disposal.
Staten Island is going to fucking burn.
And Fallon Doyle…
Well, we’ll see, I think, my hand on the doorknob. All right, little mate.
Let’s see how well you can lie now…
C H A P TE R TWENTY-FOUR
 FALLON

I’ M F LY I N G .
Soaring through the sky.
Lost somewhere in a euphoric cloud of masculinity and grace.
Tongues. Hands. Fingers.
Nox and Bane are everywhere, owning my body, claiming my spirit,
and filling me with a hope unlike anything I’ve ever encountered.
Because it all feels so amazing.
So anchoring.
So enchanting.
I’ve never experienced life in this way, so hot and vibrant and vivacious.
I could live here forever, in this moment, and die the happiest woman
alive. All because of—
A crack whips through the air, causing all three of us to freeze. Then
Nox and Bane immediately jump to their feet in the next moment, their
sudden movement leaving me cold and exposed on the bed.
“What the fuck?” Nox demands as a familiar form stalks into the room.
My eyes widen, and I immediately grab the sheets to pull them up over
my nude body, my need to hide making me shrink back into the mattress.
Because Kaspian looks… pissed. Which shouldn’t be new to me—I
constantly seem to infuriate him—but there’s something different about him
now. He appears unrestrained. Livid. Dangerous.
I swallow as he continues forward, my legs kicking a little in response
to help propel me up the bed until my back hits the headboard.
“Kaspian.” Nox steps in between us, momentarily blocking my view of
the furious vampire. “What the fuck are you doing?”
 “Leave us.” Kaspian’s demanding tone has Nox’s muscles tightening in
response, his shoulders going rigid.
“What?”
“Leave. Us.” Kaspian sounds every bit like the Gold and Garnet King
and nothing like the man I usually talk to.
It has me wanting to disappear from view. What’s happened? I wonder,
my heart suddenly in my throat. Why is he speaking this way?
He’s radiating fury to a point where I can almost feel the heat of it on
my skin.
I try to hide a little more in the blankets, naively hoping it’ll act as a
barrier.
But it doesn’t.
I may not be able to see Kaspian around Nox right now, but his ire is
burning so hot that the entire room is filled with it.
“No.” Nox’s response shocks the hell out of me. As does his protective
stance. “No, I’m not going to do that. Not when you’re this close to falling
into a blood rage.”
“Excuse me?” Kaspian somehow sounds even angrier now. “I am your
king. You will do what I say, when I say it.”
“Almost always,” Nox concedes. “But not when you’re behaving this
way around our mate.”
Kaspian huffs a laugh. However, it lacks humor. “She’s not our fucking
mate,” he says, his words dousing me in a bucket of ice water. “It’s a
fucking spell.”
My lips part. Oh, no…
“Isn’t that right, Miss Doyle?” Kaspian asks, his tone taking on a silky
quality that draws goose bumps along my arms. He peeks around Nox, his
dark eyes swirling with savage intent. “Care to enlighten them, or shall I?”
A soft squeak leaves my mouth in response, words failing me.
H-how?
How does he know?
What’s he going to do?
What…? What will Bane and Nox…? I glance at my phantoms, the two
men who just spent the last however many hours making me feel so special,
so cherished, my heart thundering in my chest. Is it…? It’s not… They’re
not…
But it felt so real.
 Everything was so intense. So beautiful. S o … so much like a dream.
Kaspian makes a noise in his throat, one that sounds incredibly
ridiculing.
A sound I deserve, I think with a wince. “ I … I didn’t…”
He scoffs again. “Didn’t what? Didn’t mean to string us all along with
this ruse?”
“What are you talking about, Kaspian?” Bane asks carefully, his
demeanor as calm as ever. And somehow that seems to break my heart even
more.
He’s always been so kind to me. So understanding. But after this… after
Kaspian tells him the truth…
“The Outcast Coven patriarchs tied Fallon’s soul to Klas’s—wait, no,
Nikolas O’Neely’s—soul using dark magic. When we executed him, the
spell fractured, and Fallon’s soul attached itself to four new mates.”
Kaspian’s sharp-tongued summary shoots ice through my veins.
How does he know all of that?
Nox slowly turns to look at me, his blue eyes assessing. “Is that true,
Fallon?”
My heart cracks a little more at the way he asks me that—as though
he’ll trust my response over his own king’s words.
But it’s the worry in his expression that slays me. The worry that
Kaspian may be right. Bane wears a matching look as he gazes at me, both
phantoms waiting for me to confirm their king’s claims.
I swallow, my vision blurring as my inner turmoil threatens to break
free.
How did I go from enjoying the best night of my life to experiencing the
worst moment of my existence?
Because this hurts more than the ceremony that bound me to Klas. Hurts
more than all the torture Klas inflicted upon me. Hurts more than the
suicide verdict and my unexpected visits to the death plane.
T his… this is hell.
Having my hope shattered in seconds.
Realizing that all this pleasure will be short-lived.
Because these males are not truly mine. It doesn’t matter how much
they feel connected to my soul. Everything was the result of a fractured
spell.
And now they know.
 Now they’ll hate me forever.
Leave me with the agony of one beautiful memory, destroyed by my
nightmarish reality.
I swallow again and attempt to clear my throat. All three men are
staring at me. Bane with open concern. Nox with growing suspicion.
Kaspian with pure hatred.
I hurt them by not telling the truth. But… but… “I hoped it was real,” I
admit in a whisper. “I… ” It’s not an excuse. Not a good one, anyway. “It
felt different with you. All of you.” Even Kaspian, really. “I never wanted
Klas, even with… the magic. It was always forced.” My gaze falls. “But not
with you.”
My shoulders curl down, and I suddenly feel more defeated than ever
before.
Admitting how I feel, how desperate I am for this to be truly tied to fate,
just leaves me feeling more inferior than ever. Weak. Because I know better.
I know fate would never be this kind to me.
However, a naive, hopeful part of me wanted this so badly to be real.
But it’s not.
It’s a spell.
And when we break it, these men will never want to look at me again.
Never want to talk to me again. Touch me. Be with me.
My eyes close as I try to keep my tears at bay.
I need to be strong. I need to face this. Face them. It’s what I deserve. I
should have told them the truth.
But I … I needed to protect… My brow furrows. Issy.
I force myself to meet Kaspian’s cruel gaze. “How…?” How do you
know all this? Do you know the truth about Issy? I can’t bring myself to
ask, my heart breaking even more.
Because if he knows about the Outcast Coven, it’s all over anyway. He’s
going to send me back. Or maybe he’ll just kill me.
“I’ll break the spell… when I find out how.” The words are a whisper,
my eyes falling closed again as pain prickles my insides.
Why did it never feel this way with Klas? Because he was evil? Because
I hated him?
Maybe this pain stems from knowing what I could have had in this life.
Bane and Nox were—
“I know how to break it,” Kaspian says. “Ayla told me.”
 “A-ayla?” I force my gaze back to his, the coldness in his dark eyes
making me shiver. “You talked to Ayla?”
“Who’s Ayla?” Bane asks, his voice still exuding calm.
“Fallon’s adopted cousin.” Kaspian folds his arms across his chest as
Nox moves to his side, both men staring down at me with conflicting
expressions. Kaspian appears ready to kill me, while Nox… Nox just
looks… contemplative. Maybe he’s also thinking about killing me, but in
more creative ways.
“I see.” Bane doesn’t join the other two men, instead choosing to sit on
the bed beside me. “And she claims this is all a spell, one she told you how
to break.”
Kaspian glances at him. “Yes. So Fallon is going to break it for us.” He
refocuses on me, his stern expression holding me captive. “Right fucking
now.”
My lower lip threatens to quiver, the notion of severing ties to these
men making me feel cold all over. But I dip my chin in resignation, aware
that I don’t have a choice in this matter.
They’re not mine to keep. Even if I want them.
“I never meant to hurt anyone,” I say, a slight tremble underlying my
words. “ I … I … ”
“You just wanted to protect your sister,” Kaspian replies through his
teeth. “At the expense of everyone around you.”
My fingers curl into my blankets. “I was going to find a way to break it,
to free you all.”
“Sure,” Kaspian drawls. “I’ll believe that after all the other lies you’ve
told.”
I wince, his words a direct hit.
Because why would he believe anything I have to say? I didn’t confide
in him before. And I truly have no intention of confiding in him now. It’s
not like he’ll help me after all of this. So what would be the point?
He’s going to make me break these forced bonds, then either sentence
me publicly for the spell or ship me back to the Outcast Coven.
Either way, my moment of bliss is done.
Reality has returned.
“Tell me what Ayla said.” The words are soft but steady. I’m not going
to fight him. Nor am I going to drag this out any longer. “How do I break
the spell?”
 “Hold on a minute,” Bane says, his palm going to my knee, his touch
burning me even through the blankets. “What if I don’t want her to break
the spell?”
Kaspian arches a brow at him. “What?”
“I’m not sure I believe it’s a spell,” Bane goes on. “Fallon is my mate. I
can feel it in my soul. That may be the result of fate-related magic, but it’s
certainly not forced.”
“I agree,” Nox interjects before Kaspian can speak. “It doesn’t feel
forced for me either.”
“Because you’re both enchanted by her magic.” Kaspian glares at me.
“We all are.”
Bane shakes his head. “No. Fallon said herself that it feels different with
us. But with Klas, it felt forced. She hated him, yet obeyed him because of
that obedience enchantment. Once Nyx broke it, she was able to fight him.”
“I don’t want to fight this at all,” Nox adds. “Even hearing what you just
said, I … I don’t feel angry or betrayed. Just confused. Because it all feels
too right to be a spell. Too natural.”
“Like fate,” Bane says.
Nox nods. “Like fate.”
Kaspian blows out a breath. “You both just spent several hours fucking
her. Of course you feel connected. Once the spell is broken, you’ll see what
I see: a manipulative dark enchantment that’s binding us all together
illegally. And she”—he points at me—“didn’t tell us about it.”
There’s nothing I can say to that, so I don’t speak at all.
He won’t care that I wanted to protect my sister. Nor will he care that
the spell wasn’t of my creation. All he sees is the use of dark magic to
create a fabricated link.
It doesn’t matter that I wished it was real or that it all felt good for a
minute.
He’s absolutely right to hate me. And once the spell is broken, my two
phantoms will join him in that hatred.
“Just tell me how to break it, Your Majesty,” I request, done with this
conversation. There’s nothing left to say here. I’ll follow whatever
directions Ayla gave him, then I’ll await his judgment. It can’t be worse
than what the Outcast Coven will do to me.
It can’t be worse than how I feel right now, either, I decide, my chest
aching with the knowledge that I’m about to destroy the only happiness I’ve
ever really known.
But it’s the only way.
The phantoms weren’t mine to keep. I’ve known that since the moment
I realized we were bonded.
Nothing in this life can ever truly be pleasurable. Not for me, anyway.
I’m a being of death.
Destined to be alone.
Forever and always.
C H A P TE R TWENTY-FIVE
 KASPIAN

MY EYES narrow at the meek blonde on the bed.

This has to be an act. Some sort of ploy to avoid judgment.
Because this isn’t the Fallon I’ve come to know. This is some
submissive form of her that I’ve never seen before. And I am not pleased
with the development at all. Primarily because it makes me feel uneasy, and
I don’t appreciate that sensation at all.
Not when I know I’m in the right here.
She lied and withheld important information. Information that fucks
with not just my life but also the lives of those around me.
A forced mating spell.
One that clearly has my phantoms enthralled because they’re staring at
me with accusations in their eyes. Like I’ve done something wrong here,
not Fallon. All because she’s cowering on the bed, waiting for my
instructions.
“Just tell me how to break it, Your Majesty.”
Her words play through my head. Primarily the last two. It’s the first
time she’s ever addressed me in a formal way without a hint of sarcasm.
And now she won’t even look at me.
Her head is bowed toward her knees, her entire demeanor closed off and
frightened, like she’s anticipating the worst from me.
She’s been abused by authority all her life, I think, recalling everything
Ayla and Nolan said. Is she expecting that same abuse now? From me?
My heart pangs uncomfortably in my chest, that thought stabbing
through me with the sharpness of a well-aimed dagger.
 Her comments about Klas come filtering back through my head. She
called it forced, a word Bane used purposely as well, but mainly to say he
doesn’t feel forced to be with her at all. Even Nox said it feels natural to
him.
I study her for a long moment, trying to decipher how this bond actually
makes me feel. Beyond my anger—which isn’t bond related so much as
betrayal related. I don’t appreciate lies, especially when they directly impact
me.
And in this case, her lies very much apply to me.
Especially where the mating bond is concerned.
Yet the notion of rejecting her bothers me. Which doesn’t make sense.
Ayla said rejection wouldn’t work to counter the spell. She also said sex
wouldn’t solidify it, either.
So Bane and Nox having fucked Fallon shouldn’t matter. Yet they both
clearly feel fate-bonded to her. Because of the spell, or something else? I
wonder, my gaze narrowing even more. What if…?
I frown, not wanting to finish that thought.
However, it whispers through my mind unbidden. What if this is the real
thing?
The very idea of hurting Fallon in any way bothers me. Observing her
now, I have this intrinsic need to fix this and find the fiery female hidden
beneath her broken stature.
This isn’t my Fallon. She’s stronger than this. And yet, I’ve severely
upset her.
I can see it in the way she won’t meet my eyes.
It could be guilt. But somehow, I know it’s more.
Is that the spell? Or is it something else entirely?
From what Ayla said, the dark magic creates a link that allows the males
of the Outcast Coven to access power through their arranged mates. An
obedience spell is often cast on top of it to ensure the female can’t fight the
connection.
There are no romantic ties.
No sexual inclinations.
No feelings involved whatsoever.
Because, as Ayla put it, “That would create a conflict for the male mate,
and the patriarchy can’t allow that. They need their men in charge at all
times, not influenced by love or affection.”
 So why do I care about Fallon’s feelings now? Why do I feel like I’ve
destroyed something precious?
My throat works as I stare at her, some of my ire melting away. She
didn’t tell us the truth because she was protecting her sister. It’s an
admirable reason, even if I don’t appreciate it.
But it’s the reason I dislike it that matters most—I don’t like that she
doesn’t trust me.
I want to be worthy of Fallon’s trust. Worthy of her secrets. Worthy of
her.
Those feelings have been with me for a while now, which is why she
constantly frustrated me. Knowing everything I do now, I’m still frustrated
for the same reason.
Because I need her to have faith in me.
I take care of what’s mine. I always have. It’s one of my strengths, a
core foundation of who I am as a master vampire and leader.
But Fallon has never once had faith in me to do right by her.
She’s constantly fought me, hidden away her truths, and disliked me at
every turn.
I only now understand why—because I represent an authority figure in
her life. And thus far, all those who have been put in charge of her fate have
failed her.
And I’m acting no better right now, I tell myself.
Nox and Bane are convinced this is real.
What if they’re right?
If they are, then I’ve royally fucked up my chance at happiness.
Because there’s no way in hell Fallon will ever accept me.
Unless I fix this, I think, my gaze on her quivering lip.
She’s still waiting for me to tell her how to undo the spell, her obedient
pose one I craved mere days ago but hate right now.
Because of what it implies.
She’s bowing to me as her superior, not because she’s my mate or
because she respects me. But because she fears me.
I don’t want her to fear me.
And that has nothing to do with a forced mating spell.
“I need a moment alone with Miss Doyle,” I tell Nox and Bane.
Both phantoms stare at me, their expressions indicating unease.
 “I’m not at risk of a blood rage,” I say, addressing Nox’s earlier concern
regarding the notorious vampiric urge to fuck, fight, or feed in response to
strong emotions—especially anger. “I just need to have a private word.”
“If you’re going to force Fallon to undo this mating, then we deserve to
be here for it,” Bane replies.
“You do,” I agree. “I simply need to speak with her alone for a minute.”
I look between the two men and add, “Please.”
Nox arches a brow, aware that I don’t usually add platitudes unless I
feel they’re absolutely necessary.
Bane simply stares at me for a beat. Then he gives Fallon’s knee a
squeeze and slips off the bed to grab a pair of pants from a drawer nearby.
They’re technically my pants, but I don’t say anything to dissuade him. He
snags a second pair for Nox and throws them to him.
“We’ll be in the hallway.” Bane’s gaze meets and holds mine. “Don’t
break our trust.”
With that statement, he heads toward the door.
Nox doesn’t immediately follow, his attention going to Fallon. “Call us
if you need us, firefly. We don’t care about the spell. We’re still yours.”
She blinks, causing one of the tears lingering on her lashes to fall.
But she doesn’t reply to him.
Nor does she look up at him.
Which causes him to give me an irritated glare before heading toward
the door. “Don’t break our trust, Kas,” he echoes, making me sigh.
I fucked up by coming in here angry. It’s not like me. But hearing
everything Ayla and Nolan said set me off, and no amount of pacing calmed
me down.
I needed to see Fallon. Question her. Demand answers.
But that wasn’t what I did at all.
I blindsided her and the phantoms, broke through Fallon’s barriers with
a few pointed words, and reduced this strong female to a shell of a person
by exuding my dominion over her.
Normally, she fights back.
But something about this situation destroyed her.
And I hate that I’m the cause.
“Fallon.” I can’t help the hint of command in my voice. It’s mostly to
try to seize her attention. “I need you to do something for me.”
She gives a small nod. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
 Fuck, those two words again. They slam right into me in the worst way.
I much prefer her sarcastic address over this defeated formality.
“I need you to reject me,” I tell her.
Her brow furrows. “What?”
“I want you to reject me,” I reiterate.
Her green eyes remind me of liquid emerald as she gazes up at me, her
sadness piercing my very soul. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I don’t
understand. Rejection won’t break the spell.” Her frown deepens. “Is that
what Ayla told you?”
“No, she told me rejection won’t impact the spell either way.”
“Then I still don’t understand,” she says slowly. “What will the
rejection accomplish?”
I sit on the bed near her legs, but I’m careful not to touch her.
“Rejecting me will tell us if this is real or not.”
Her watery irises study me for a beat. “It’s dark magic, not fate,” she
whispers then, her gaze lowering once more. “I know better now than to
wish for anything else.”
I catch her chin and gently return her gaze to mine. “It probably is dark
magic,” I concede. “However, I would like you to reject me anyway. It
likely won’t do anything, but at least we’ll both know.”
She swallows. “Doing this implies hope.”
“Yes, I suppose it does. But I need to know this isn’t real. And I think
you do, too.”
“This isn’t real.” Her voice is a little stronger, but the pain in her
expression is heart-wrenching.
I hate hurting her. But Fallon has to be the one to reject our bond. It’s
the only way I can be certain of whether this is fate or a spell.
“Prove it,” I dare her. “Prove to me that it isn’t real. Reject me.”
Some of the water in her gaze sizzles as a hint of fire enters her eyes.
“Why? So you have more proof for your formal sentencing?”
“Who said anything about a formal sentencing?” I ask, arching a brow.
Her lips part, but no sound comes out for a long moment, like my words
somehow shocked her. I can’t see why or how. I haven’t said anything at all
about sentencing her for her actions.
“I see,” she finally murmurs, clearing her throat. “Okay.”
“You see what, exactly?” I wonder aloud, unclear of how we’ve arrived
at this vague point in the conversation.
 Rather than answer me, she shakes her head. “I’ll do what you want,
Your Majesty.”
“Fallon—”
“Kaspian Antonik, I reject you.”
I gape at her, stunned that she was able to speak the words so clearly
and without flinching. So unerringly. So thoroughly.
They sail right through me.
Surround me.
Echo in my ears.
Pummel my chest.
“I… ” I trail off, unable to voice whatever I intended to say. Because I
don’t have enough air in my lungs.
It’s like she’s sucked the literal life out of me, dismantling my soul,
demolishing my reason for being, slaying my damn heart.
Her name is a benediction on my tongue, one I can’t seem to voice.
Everything hurts. Burns. Rips through my veins.
Fuck.
My knees feel weak and I’m not even standing.
My vision is blurring.
My world… is ending.
It’s real.
All of it… is real.
And she just rejected me without so much as blinking.
Because it’s what I deserve. I’ve mistreated her at every turn, trying to
force her to open up to me even when she made it clear she wasn’t ready.
Used my power over her to intimidate her. Forced my way in here to
demand an explanation from her while she was in the middle of playing
with her true mates.
The mates she didn’t reject.
The mates she actually wants.
“Kaspian?” Her voice sends shivers through my body as the fractured
pieces of my soul beg her to take it back. To not reject me. To want me.
I need to say those words to her. Reject her. Make this even.
But I can’t.
Because I don’t want to reject my mate.
I … I deserve this—her dislike and rejection. I’ve approached this all
wrong. Approached her all wrong.
 She needs someone she can rely on. Someone she can openly confide
in. Not someone she feels compelled to obey.
I drag my palm down my face, my surroundings suddenly out of
balance.
Everything feels broken. Wrong. Devastating.
I go to stand, only Fallon’s hand on my shoulder holds me back.
“Kaspian.” There’s a bite to her tone that has me looking at her, my heart in
shambles at her feet.
She hates me.
As she should.
I suddenly feel weak in her hands—a feeling I don’t know that I’ve ever
experienced.
No, not weak, I realize. Vulnerable.
“It’s…” Her gaze searches mine. “It’s real…”
My throat feels tight, so I nod rather than speak.
“I… ” She stares at me. “You need to… to reject me back.”
I shake my head and force myself to say, “No. You don’t deserve my
rejection.” I palm her cheek. “But I have very much earned yours.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I’ve second-guessed you. Demanded your secrets. Doubted the fated
link between us.” Each statement feels like an arrow through my heart.
“I’ve treated you as a prisoner, not a mate, Fallon.”
“Because I put your city to sleep,” she snaps at me, her tone causing my
eyebrows to lift in surprise. “I mean, not me exactly, but Klas using my
power. You have had every right to question me and second-guess me. And
I have been keeping secrets. Obviously.”
The Fallon I know seems to be coming back to life before me, her
despair and sadness disappearing behind an alluring veil of fiery feminine
energy.
How blind I’ve been, I marvel, staring at the beautiful creature pulsating
with growing anger. It’s no wonder I interrogated her myself each time. I
wanted to talk to her, to know her.
She’s the reason I haven’t sought out female company for over a year. I
thought it was a result of boredom, or my fascination with the phantoms,
but I see the truth now.
It’s always been about her.
 I would ask Nox and Bane for an update on her well-being each time
before we’d end up playing in bed in some capacity. But there was a reason
just talking about Fallon made me hungry.
A reason I’ve been denying for far too long.
She was meant to be mine.
But I’ve treated her so poorly, so wrongly. I should have been
cherishing her and making her feel safe. Instead, I chased her away.
I’m a horrible mate.
“I doubted the bonds, too,” she says, drawing my focus to her delectable
mouth. “ I … I hoped they were real. But I didn’t think fate would give me
this opportunity. And I assumed dark magic tied us together. That’s why I
was able to reject you so easily—I didn’t think it would do anything.”
I draw my thumb across her cheekbone, reveling in the soft texture of
her skin. “Fate owes you several worthy mates. Especially after everything
you’ve been through.”
“I still think magic has something to do with it.” She leans into my
touch. “This is all too good to be true, Kaspian. Four mates? In what world
does that happen?”
“It’s not uncommon,” I hedge. “But I suppose it’s not all that common,
either.” I glance at the door and then back at her. “At least your mates don’t
mind sharing.”
Well, Nolan might.
But given the way he defended her on our call earlier, I’m fairly certain
he’s more than accepted the situation.
“I’m sorry I doubted you.” I tuck a strand of her golden hair behind her
ear. “I’m sorry for a lot of things.”
She frowns. “I’m the one who lied and withheld the truth about, well,
everything. I also told you that my secrets weren’t your secrets to know. But
at the very least, I should have told you about the spell.”
“That would have required you to explain everything else, too,” I point
out. Because there’s no way I wouldn’t have demanded a full explanation.
“Which is exactly what I told myself, but that doesn’t make it right. I
should have told you the truth.”
“And maybe you would have had I given you reason to trust me.” I
glance at her mouth before locking eyes with her once more. “I demanded
your trust without earning it.”
 “You also put me in a guest suite for the last year, asked me every day
what you could do to make me more comfortable, and put off Klas’s
execution out of worry for my sanity.” She sounds frustrated with herself.
Maybe even frustrated with me, I’m not sure. “I’m sorry for not trusting
you.”
“You were protecting your sister, Fallon.” I slowly take my palm away
from her face. “I understand your fear and hesitation. But I’m not a
patriarch.”
“I know you’re not.” The words come out on a huff of air. “You’re…
you’re Kaspian.” Her legs shift beneath the blankets as she moves closer to
me.
I stay quiet, hypnotized by her movements.
Then she goes to her knees, causing the sheets to fall away.
“You’re my Kaspian,” she says, her palms going to either side of my
face. “Which is why I need to undo my rejection.”
I grab her wrists. “You don’t need to undo anything, Fallon. I’ve earned
—”
Her lips brush mine, cutting off my words.
Just like when I attempted to reject her.
I try to say her name, but she silences me with her tongue. I should push
her away, tell her she doesn’t need to do this, inform her that I’m okay
living with her rejection…
Fuck, I should do a lot of things.
But I can’t.
Not when her plump lips are against mine.
Not when she’s kneeling before me. Naked.
And wet, I think as I inhale deeply, my vampiric senses allowing me to
scent her sweet arousal. Fuck… How do I say no to this?
Is it even right to refuse her? To refuse this?
I told her to reject me. She only complied because I commanded it.
If she wants to undo it, who am I to stop her?
I want her. I’ve wanted her for months. A year. Perhaps even from the
first moment I saw her. Because she was always meant to be mine.
That damn spell tied her to Klas illegally.
If it hadn’t existed, I would have known Fallon as my mate from the
instant I laid eyes on her.
He stole over a year from us…
 Then I ruined our first day as mates.
Now I refuse to waste another second.
I release her wrists, my palms instantly wandering her curves to pull her
even closer to me. Her thighs part over mine as I guide her into my lap, her
body fitting perfectly against my own. Like she belongs there.
Because she does.
Because she’s mine.
The words hum through my mind as I whisper them against her tongue.
Mine. You’re mine. And I’m yours.
She wants to undo the rejection.
I want to undo it, too.
But I’ll never force her.
Which is why I’ll give her control for our first time together and let her
take the lead. It’s a gift I’ve never given to anyone in my very long
existence. Dominance runs in my blood, my need to be in charge an instinct
I’ve never ignored.
But for her, I’ll bow.
For her, I’ll concede.
Because Fallon Doyle is the House of Gold and Garnet’s future queen.
C H A P TE R TWENTY-SIX
 FALLON

IT’S R EA L .
All of this is real.
Nox and Bane.
Kaspian.
Nolan, too.
I’m so caught up in the euphoria of the realization that all I can think
about is healing the bond between me and Kaspian.
He’s the reason I know this is real.
I was feeling so lost and dejected, ready to submit to my fate once more,
only for him to pull me out of the darkness and back into the light.
All by demanding that I reject him.
And then he wouldn’t reciprocate, saying I didn’t deserve his rejection.
“But I have very much earned yours.”
His words play through my thoughts, his resignation piercing my soul. I
have to fix it. I have to fix us. It’s an intrinsic need I don’t fully understand,
but I’m done thinking. I’m done living in my mind and second-guessing
everything in my life.
This is real, I marvel again. This is well and truly happening.
Kaspian’s tongue dances with mine, the pace slow and seductive. It’s so
thorough and quietly provocative, making my thighs clench around his.
He’s fully clothed in one of his suits, minus the jacket and tie. His
shirtsleeves are rolled to the elbows, and the top button of his dress shirt is
undone.
It’s casual for Kaspian.
And sexy as sin.
 I can feel his arousal through his dress pants. He’s been hard since he
pulled me into his lap, maybe even before then.
It’s a taunt against my sex, encouraging me to grind down onto him. So
I do, and I’m rewarded with a growl.
I need him inside me.
That’s how we fix this broken bond, how I make him mine once more.
I’m torn between taking this slow and savoring the moment, and
rushing to complete us both.
But I’m already on fire for him, amplified by all the teasing Bane and
Nox inflicted upon me before Kaspian arrived.
I rock my hips, pressing my heated center against him, and moan when I
brush his erection.
“Fuck, do that again, sweetheart.” Kaspian groans. “Moan for me
again.”
He pushes his hardness into me, driving another sound from my chest. I
grab his shoulders and arch, my veins igniting with a second wave of
blistering intensity.
“I’ve been listening to you all for hours.” The words are a breath against
my mouth. “Hearing your moans up close is an entirely different
experience, especially with me being the cause of them.”
“You were listening?” I ask, my words barely a whisper.
“Yes,” he replies, his palms going to my hips as he gyrates up into me
once more. “I like to listen, Fallon.” His tongue traces the seam of my
mouth. “I also like to watch.” He kisses me softly. “You know what I would
really enjoy?”
I shiver against him and shake my head, unsure of what he’ll say.
“To watch them fuck you together.” His lips trail across my cheek to my
ear. “To watch Nox take your fine ass while Bane slides into your cunt.” He
nibbles my earlobe. “I would sit in a chair right over there and stroke
myself while you please them.” His mouth goes to my neck. “But I
wouldn’t let myself come.”
“Y-you wouldn’t?” I stammer, my heart beating wildly in my chest.
Because the image of all that… it’s… it’s intimidating in the best way.
Taking Bane and Nox at the same time.
All while Kaspian watches.
Stars…
 “No,” he murmurs. “I would wait until they finished cleaning you up.
Then I would make you messy all over again.” He nips my pulse, making
me freeze as a jolt of ice chases away the flames circulating in my veins.
Kaspian pauses and pulls back, his gaze searching.
“Fallon?” he prompts.
I swallow, my heart kick-starting in my ribs for an entirely new reason.
Kaspian’s a vampire. He’s going to want to bite me. Feed from me. Use me.
“Fallon,” he repeats, his palms going to my face. “Talk to me.”
His near-black eyes burn into mine, the color reminding me of Klas’s
irises. Except Kaspian’s gaze is different. He looks at me with compassion
and concern. Not malice and dark intent. The wickedness is there, but it’s
not the same. It’s… it’s Kaspian.
“Sweetheart, talk to me,” he says, his thumbs drawing across my
cheekbones. “Do you not want me to watch?”
I blink at him. “What?”
“Do you not want me to watch you with Bane and Nox? Does it bother
you?”
My lips curl down. “N-no.” No, that idea definitely doesn’t bother me.
If anything, it reignites the flames inside me. “I… ”
I clear my throat.
This is Kaspian. I need to tell him the truth. No more secrets.
Besides, he already knows this. I explained how Klas accessed my
power. But Kaspian probably doesn’t realize how that made me feel. How
fangs make me feel.
“Klas used my blood to… to absorb my abilities.” I’m not sure if that’s
something all vampires can do or not. But Klas was a vampire-warlock
hybrid. His skills were unique to him. “He did that by biting me. Harshly.”
“Hmm,” Kaspian hums, his dark eyes flashing with an emotion I can’t
quite define. “So you don’t like being bitten as a result.”
“ I … I don’t like being bitten by him,” I hedge. “I don’t know about
anyone else.” Because Klas is the only vampire who has ever fed from me.
Kaspian draws his fingers through my hair, pulling the strands away
from my face and neck. “Do you want me to take those memories away
from you, Fallon? To replace them with what a powerful vampire’s fangs
can do?”
His gaze goes to my neck before returning to my mouth.
 “Or would you rather I didn’t ever bite you?” he continues, his
expression giving nothing away regarding his preferences. “I’ll do whatever
you want, love. Just tell me your limits and I’ll respect them.”
“I… ” I trail off, my focus falling to his full lips. “I don’t know.”
“Then we can address that limit another day,” he replies, his mouth
brushing mine. “I won’t bite you without permission.” Another kiss. “I
won’t do anything to you without permission, Fallon. You’re in charge here.
You tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
I shiver against him, his fingers working magic against my skull as he
massages my head and combs through my hair once more.
This male is enchanting.
And hard.
And mine.
Or he will be, anyway. Once we rekindle our bond.
“Kiss me, Kaspian,” I whisper.
He does, this time with a demanding swipe of his tongue that makes
everything inside me melt. He’s a being of control. A master vampire. A
king.
But he’s letting me lead. I can feel it in the way that he doesn’t push me
along, just holds me to him as he devours my mouth.
It’s overwhelming, this euphoric realization that this powerful male is
granting me authority over him. He said I was in charge, that he’d give me
whatever I wanted.
That can’t be easy for him, something that’s evidenced in the way his
thighs go taut beneath me. He’s holding himself back, forcing himself to be
patient, when we both know this partially rejected bond has to be killing
him.
Because it’s real, I marvel again.
I may never get over that fact. May never be able to accept that this is
my life. Four mates. One of whom is a king.
“Kaspian,” I moan, arching into him. “I need you.”
“We have another limit to discuss,” he says, his words causing my eyes
to flutter open. I’m not sure when they shut, but likely when he started
consuming me with his mouth.
I stare at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
“Do you want Nox and Bane to watch us?” he asks, his head canting a
little to the side and indicating the two phantoms lurking just inside the
door, their gazes hungry as they take in my position on top of Kaspian.
They’re both shirtless, wearing only matching pairs of low-slung black
pants.
I lick my lips at the sight of all that masculine grace.
They’re mine, I think. Truly mine.
“After listening to them play with you all night, I would very much like
to make them watch without being allowed to touch,” Kaspian continues,
his attention on me. “Because it’s my turn now, love. And I’ve been very
patient. But it’s your decision, Fallon. I’ll do whatever you desire.”
Nox and Bane both study me with the same intensity as Kaspian, all
three men waiting for my answer.
Do I want them to watch while Kaspian fucks me?
“Yes,” I breathe, my insides pulsating with intensified need. Being
surrounded by these men makes me feel alive in a way I’ve never
experienced before. It’s so unlike any fantasy I’ve ever even
conceptualized, so amazingly fantastic that I can barely believe it’s
happening to me.
“Fate owes you several worthy mates. Especially after everything
you’ve been through.”
Kaspian’s comments play over in my mind, the adoration and earnest
way he said those words a kiss to my very soul.
Because he believes I deserve all of this.
Maybe I do, I think, staring at him now. But I need to cherish it.
Which is why I need to rekindle this bond and repair what I broke.
Kaspian might have demanded that I reject him, but only I can choose to fix
it.
And he’s ensuring I have that choice not just in accepting our mating,
but in how it’s done.
“Let them watch,” I tell him. “I want them to watch.” Because my
phantoms make me feel safe. Because I want them involved, too. At least in
their own way. They may not be able to touch this time, but Kaspian
mentioned other ideas.
Watching them fuck me while he pleasures himself.
Taking me when they’re done.
A tremble works its way down my spine. Yes, yes. I want all of that.
But first, I want Kaspian.
 To feel him in my soul again. To complete this link. To make him truly
mine.
He’s all power and grace, a sleek vampire wrapped up in expensive
clothes. I want to break his elegant exterior, create more chips in that formal
mask he constantly wears.
I want to see him lose control.
Because even though he’s allowed me to lead, I can tell he’s still very
much in charge. He’s the dominant in this room. He’s just giving me the
space and time I need to embrace this, the ability to set our pace, to say no
if I desire to.
I dig my nails into his shoulders and kiss him as my lower half presses
into his erection. He growls in response, his hands leaving my hair to go to
my hips.
My lips curl against his, loving the way he immediately grabbed me.
But he doesn’t dictate my movements; he simply guides me as I move.
I trail my fingers down his shirt, ignoring the buttons and going straight
to his belt below. His lips part beneath mine, his exhale warm and minty as
he shudders in response.
My name leaves his mouth, but I don’t let him finish, my tongue sliding
in to duel with his as I work on his buckle and start threading the leather
through the loops.
His belt falls to the floor behind me as I finish pulling it free.
Then I go to the top button of his trousers to pop open the material and
lift up so I can start dragging down the zipper.
Kaspian grins, his grip tightening on my hips.
I understand why when I feel his arousal free itself from his pants.
No boxers or briefs. Just all smooth, hard man.
I press my hot flesh against his, wasting no time to feel all that
masculine strength right where I want it.
“Fuck, Fallon,” he says, his grasp turning bruising. “I’m not even inside
you yet and I’m addicted to your cunt.”
“Wait until you taste her.” Nox’s voice is deep and so close to my ear
that I suspect he’s right behind me.
But I can’t look away from Kaspian’s midnight gaze.
He’s staring up at me with such wonder in his depths that I’m drunk on
his presence. Lost to the reverence on his face. The pure, unadulterated
need radiating off of him.
 This is the real Kaspian.
Not the king with the formal mask. But my intended mate.
And seeing him now, I realize I’ve witnessed glimpses of him before.
Glimpses I never truly understood. Moments of heated need while we
argued, all of which I mistook for something else entirely.
Because I was oblivious to our connection before.
Dark magic blinded me, made me incapable of seeing my mates for
who they really are. But I see them now. I feel them.
Even Kaspian.
Despite the rejection, he’s still there, lingering near my spirit, begging
me to accept him once more. To allow his soul to join with mine.
I want that, I think, shifting in his lap once more. I want all of them.
It’s impulsive. Maybe even reckless. But I refuse to fight fate. These
men were meant to be mine. I understand that now.
And I’m done second-guessing it all.
I reach between us, my fingers wrapping around Kaspian as I angle him
upward toward my damp entrance.
His pupils dilate, his intrigue a palpable kiss to my senses.
“I don’t reject you, Kaspian Antonik,” I tell him as I slide down,
welcoming him inside me. “I accept you.”
He thrusts upward, forcing me to take him to the hilt. “I accept you, too,
Fallon Doyle,” he says, his hands beginning to roam. “Fuck, do I accept
you…”
He palms the back of my neck and slants his mouth over mine, his kiss
domineering in the best way.
Then he presses his opposite hand to my lower spine and begins to
move.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he demands. “I need to be deeper.”
I obey, loving the way he’s taking charge without truly meaning to.
Because this is my Kaspian. The dominant I trust. The male I want to bond
with. The vampire I want to call mine.
His tongue slides over mine, easily controlling our kiss as he drives into
me below.
It’s perfect.
It’s him.
It’s exactly what I need right now. Right here. Between us.
 Each thrust brings us closer, our souls rejoicing at our union, as fate
permanently ties our destinies together.
Bane and Nox are still very much present, the heat from their bare
chests radiating near my back. They’re not touching, but they’re close.
Watching.
Lurking.
Being true voyeurs while Kaspian takes me to oblivion.
And I love every minute.
I feel like I’m the center of their world. It’s outlandish and maybe even
a bit arrogant, but I revel in the temporary glow of being worshipped by all
three of them.
My men. My mates. My future.
Warmth touches my chest, hope blossoming deep inside.
With them, I can be happy.
I can be whole.
I can be… free.
Kaspian nips my lower lip, his growl drawing me back to him. “I need
you to come for me Fallon,” he says against my mouth. “I need to feel that
beautiful pussy clamp down around me while I claim you. I need to hear
you scream. Can you do that for me? Can you do that for us?”
I shiver, my insides clenching in response.
It’s like these men have complete dominion over my body, over how I
experience pleasure, over when I come. Because just hearing them utter the
words drives me that much closer.
“Be a good girl and come for Kaspian, firefly,” Nox whispers right
against my ear. “When you’re done, I’ll lick you both clean.”
“And then we’ll make you come again.” Bane’s promise is a soft hum
of sound on my opposite side, confirming that both men are hovering right
behind me, watching as I repair my fate bond to Kaspian.
I must look so wanton riding Kaspian’s cock while he’s still fully
clothed.
It’s an alluring picture in my mind, one that has me slipping my hand
between us to fondle my clit.
Somehow it feels right—being naked while Kaspian is not. Like it
grants him that much more control over the situation.
I prefer it this way. Because I trust him to lead. To guide. To master us
all.
 His fangs skim my lip, causing my eyes to flash open. But he doesn’t
bite. He merely holds my gaze, forcing me to see his desire and hunger in
his near-black depths.
Only it’s not a hunger for my blood; it’s a hunger for me.
I shiver in response, that look sending me that much closer to the edge.
“Nox and Bane are stroking themselves behind you,” Kaspian informs
me softly. “They’re wishing they could touch you, just as I did for the last
several hours.” His lips brush mine with each word. “Give them a show,
love. Let them watch you come all over my cock.”
Another tremble rocks down my spine, leaving me quivering on top of
him.
Because I can hear the two phantoms breathing harder. Faster. More
intensely than before.
Just like Kaspian.
They’re all panting because of me. Because of us.
Stars, this is… this is true bliss…
I arch back, my legs tightening around Kaspian’s waist as I try to take
even more of him inside me. He’s long like Nox but doesn’t have the
piercings. Instead, he has Bane’s girth, making me feel so incredibly full.
And he wants to watch the phantoms take me together.
What if I somehow take all three? One in my mouth… two below…
Oh, but I need Nolan, too.
Although, his loner nature suggests he’s probably not into group
sessions.
What does Nolan like? I wonder, my hips gyrating faster now. Will he
take me alone?
I’m not even sure where he is.
I nearly ask, but Kaspian does something below that has me glued to the
present, to him, to the phantoms behind me, to this moment in time.
It all feels so good.
So right.
S o … stars…
A quake rolls through me, throwing me into an unexpected oblivion, my
body having been so primed from hours of playing that I didn’t realize my
orgasm had approached the edge until I fell headfirst over it.
Kaspian’s name leaves my mouth, followed by my other mates’. I think
I even mention Nolan, my mind too consumed by the pleasure to focus. It’s
all so unbelievable. So perfect.
Because I can feel Kaspian again.
Our bond.
This connection.
How did I ever mistake it for the spell? It’s so much hotter. So much
more intense. So exquisite.
Heat gushes between my legs, Kaspian’s claim searing me from the
inside out and joining those of my other mates.
I feel so full of them. In my heart. In my soul. In my body.
They’ve all driven me to unexpected heights, teaching me a new way of
being. All the while awakening a hope that burns so bright inside me that I
can almost feel it singeing away the cold spires of my past.
Only that heat begins to dim as my climax abates, the warmth slowly
leaving my being with each passing second.
I sigh, missing that orgasmic glow already.
But Bane and Nox promised more.
They’ll reignite my flame in seconds, taking me right back to this
rapturous plane.
I open my mouth to beg for their touch, my eyes fluttering in the
process. “I… ” I trail off, my gaze unfocused and requiring me to blink a
few times.
I expect to find Kaspian’s handsome features, maybe even witness a
satisfied expression or a charming smirk.
But he’s not who I find lurking before me.
Instead, I’m surrounded by seven hooded figures.
“Hello, Fallon,” Patriarch O’Neely greets me, his voice sending a chill
down my spine as his power forces me to bow over a death stone. “It’s time
to discuss your fate.”
C H A P TE R TWENTY-SEVEN
 NOLAN

A Y L A OPE NS a portal door that leads us to another roof, this one in the heart
of Staten Island.
I pause after stepping through it, my instincts demanding that I survey
the scene.
Clear, I assess after taking in my surroundings. Just like the last three
rooftops.
It seems that’s Ayla’s thing—traveling by rooftop portals.
“That’s a handy trick,” I tell her, gesturing to the door with my chin.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. How far can you go?”
“I can only create a doorway to places I’ve been,” she replies. “And
before you ask, no, it can’t be replicated with magic. It’s a talent that’s tied
to my spirit, similar to my aura-tracking ability.”
I nod, understanding that more now that we’ve spent the better half of a
day together.
Ayla explained that the Outcast Coven witches are different from others
of their kind because of their unique ties to the death plane.
“Most witches come from the witches’ world. We technically did as
well, but our magic has manifested in a different way. A darker way. I guess
you could say death magic infected our coven and changed how we perform
spells.”
“But how?” I asked earlier. “The death plane isn’t another world.” If it
were, I would know about it. Or, at the very least, a portal would exist that
would allow others to visit it.
“No. It’s linked to our coven’s core—our souls.” She shrugged. “The
members of my coven possess death magic. It’s rare and feared, which is
partly why we’re all outcasts.”
That much I knew. “Necromancers,” I translated. “Or that’s the rumor
about your coven, anyway. You’re all necromancers.”
“Necromancy suggests that we can all control the dead.” Her black eyes
met mine. “I can’t. But my powers are rooted in souls, which is a form of
death.”
“And Fallon can mimic deadly sleep,” I added. “As well as disturb the
dead.” Those are the spells we witnessed last year when Klas took
advantage of his forced-mate’s powers.
“Fallon can do so much more than just that,” Ayla told me. “And Ishara
can, too. They just need to break free of the patriarchs’ leashes.”
I asked her how to break the leash, and she shook her head. “If I knew
that, I wouldn’t still be here.”
She paces around now, her movements catlike as she prowls the roof’s
edge.
Most wingless beings would fear the five-story drop to the ground. But
not Ayla. She’s walked the edge like this of every rooftop we’ve stood
upon. Including the one in Manhattan, which was over fifty stories tall.
“That townhouse over there,” she says, pointing to the southwest.
“That’s Patrick O’Neely’s family home.”
I walk up beside her to take in the family home of the Outcast Coven’s
perceived leader.
From what Ayla said, there are seven patriarchs. But Patrick O’Neely is
considered to be the master patriarch.
He’s also the one who forced Fallon to mate-bond Klas.
And is likely the one who sent Klas to infiltrate the Gold and Garnet
ranks.
Which makes him target number one, with Fallon’s father being a close
second.
I’m about to ask her to point out the invisible magical security traps
surrounding the home—something she’s done at our last two locations—
when my phone starts to ring.
“It’s a good thing Ayla lent me some magic to charge my battery,” I say
by way of greeting. “After our last call, you nearly drained—”
“She won’t wake up,” Kaspian interjects, a note of uncharacteristic
panic in his voice.
“What?”
 “Fallon,” he elaborates, his face appearing on the screen. “She won’t
wake up.”
I walk away from the edge with Ayla right beside me, both of us
focused on the screen populating the space in front of me.
Kaspian pans over to show an unconscious Fallon, her white skin a stark
contrast to the obsidian marble floor beneath her.
That’s not her room, I think, recognizing Kaspian’s penchant for dark
colors.
She’s naked, is my next unhelpful deduction.
Her lips are blue, is the thought that finally brings me back to the
relevance of this call. “Have you tried reviving her like last time?”
“Yes. For the last twenty minutes.” Nox’s voice holds the same note of
panic as Kaspian’s.
Bane is on the floor beside her, his black pants unfastened and his hair a
mess of dark waves. He’s checking her pulse. Whatever he finds—likely a
lack of a heartbeat—has him leaning down to blow into her mouth as Nox
takes over chest compressions.
I flinch as I watch, my heart starting to pound against my rib cage.
If she’s really dead, I would feel something, right? A severed link? Her
departed soul?
“The patriarchs must be doing something to keep you from waking her
up this time.” There’s a clear note of unease in Ayla’s voice. “I don’t think
any of us want to know what that entails.”
“I fucking want to know,” Kaspian snaps, his angry tone as
uncharacteristic of him as his panic. He remained mostly calm during our
previous call, almost eerily so. This display of emotion i s … new.
“If we know what they’re doing, we can wake her up,” Nox says, his
focus on compressing Fallon’s sternum. “She’s so fucking cold.”
“Because they dragged her soul off into the death plane,” Ayla mutters.
“She’s not really dead, but her body…” She twists her lips to the side.
“Don’t stop trying to revive her. She needs her blood to circulate, or this
could have lasting damage.”
My jaw ticks. “Lasting damage?”
“Brain damage, among other things.” She looks at Patriarch O’Neely’s
house. “The patriarchs could be there, performing this spell. But I doubt it.
They have secret ceremonial spaces for their meetings that I’ve yet to find.”
“You can’t track their souls?”
 She shakes her head. “Not without them noticing.” She folds her arms.
“You sensed my approach because my magic touched your aura. It would
do the same to them if I tried to hunt them down.”
“So you’re saying you can only track those who don’t mind being
tracked?” That’s certainly a limit to what’s otherwise a neat talent.
“Or someone who isn’t as aware of his or her surroundings,” she replies.
“Fortunately, most people don’t pay attention to their instincts.
Unfortunately, the patriarchs are paranoid asshats and therefore not most
people.”
I decide not to ask if I’m classified as a “paranoid asshat” since I
noticed her following me earlier and instead focus on what matters. “Is
there anyone you could track that may be near their meeting site right now?
Like maybe Issy?”
If the patriarchs have Fallon, then maybe they also have—
“What the fuck just happened?” Kaspian snaps, drawing my gaze to the
screen, where Bane and Nox are hovering over an empty floor. “Where the
fuck did she go?”
Ayla steps toward the screen, her eyes wide and matching my own
expression. Then she swings around, her lips parting as she looks to the
north.
Kaspian, Nox, and Bane all start talking at once, but Ayla is the one
who has my attention.
Because she’s gone completely still beside me.
“What do you sense?” I ask her.
“Fallon,” she breathes, her black irises flickering with dangerous flames
as she jerks her attention toward me. “It’s Fallon.”
“What about her?” Kaspian demands through the screen before I can
say a word. “Where is she?”
Ayla doesn’t look at him, her focus still on me. “She’s back.” She
blinks. “Fallon’s back.”
“How is that possible?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but I feel her.” She swallows, looking to the north again.
“And if she’s where I think she is, then we’re going to need some help.”
C H A P TE R TWE NTY-EIGHT
FALLON
 A FEW MINUTES E A RL I ER

MY FAT E .
That’s what the patriarchs want to discuss.
What gives you the right to dictate my fate? I want to demand, my
instinct to voice the question an overwhelming urge that almost makes my
mouth move.
For over two decades of life, I’ve done everything these men have told
me to do. I’ve obeyed them. I’ve bowed to them. I mated for them.
And for what? To have them continue to control every aspect of my
life? To demand that I die because Klas failed them?
Issy’s been telling me for years to stand up to the patriarchs, to not let
them use her as a reason for my obedience.
I haven’t listened because she mattered more than everything else in the
world. She was my only connection in life. My only reason for surviving.
But that’s all changed now.
I have a renewed purpose, one that I can feel anchoring me in another
plane of existence.
My mates.
Their importance doesn’t replace Issy’s or belittle my connection to my
twin. Their presence somehow strengthens my bond to my sister. Maybe
because my mates are giving me even more reason to survive.
They’ll help me save her. It’s not something we’ve discussed. But
somehow I know I can rely on them. They’ll give us a new home. A place to
be free.
Knowing that sparks confidence in me now.
 Which is why I lift my head away from the death stone to stare down
the hooded men around me.
You want to discuss my fate? All right. We can discuss my fate.
They can’t hear me, but it doesn’t matter. I show them my feelings with
my eyes, tell them with a look that I no longer wish to obey.
I’m done.
We are done.
“Perhaps we need to begin this sentencing with an update on your twin
sister,” Patriarch O’Neely says, a hint of menace underlying his regal tone.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed your inability to communicate with her. Maybe it
reminds you of a previous experience?”
My jaw ticks, my eyes narrowing. The obedience spell. It cut me off
from Issy, making me focus entirely on Klas and his wishes.
Issy? I whisper to her, realizing it’s been too long since I last sensed her
in my head.
Not since they used her to interrogate me after the last time I left the
death plane.
Oh, Issy, what have they been doing to you?
I swear I see one of the patriarchs grin. Or maybe I just feel it more than
see it because their hoods are shrouded in shadows. I can’t even identify
who is who.
And when one of them speaks, the words echo around me.
I only recognize the voice’s owner, not the hood it originates from.
“Your sister has been newly mated,” Patriarch O’Neely continues.
“Unfortunately, her powers made it difficult for us to perform a proper
ceremony, so improvisations had to be made. And, well, she’s rather
indisposed at the moment.”
A few chuckles follow his words while my heart ices over.
Mated? Indisposed?
Fuck.
Issy!
She doesn’t reply. And I can’t sense her at all.
This is unacceptable. I’ve done everything these assholes demanded of
me.
Except the suicide, I realize. They threatened to punish me. But… but it’s
Issy who is paying for my disobedience.
Of course.
 Assholes. I curl my fingers into a fist. You’re all a bunch of assholes.
And they’re still laughing. Enjoying my torment.
No, not just my torment, but Issy’s as well.
My innocent sister who’s cursed with a deadly voice. Who’s lived so
much of her life in a room without windows. Whose very existence has
been ridiculed and hated by our coven.
Yet they mated her to someone.
To whom? I want to demand.
Because whoever it is, I’ll incapacitate him. Maybe even kill him, since
apparently Ayla knows how to break the forced-mating bonds.
That would have been useful information to know a few years ago, but
something tells me she’s only recently learned how to accomplish that.
Otherwise, she would have shared those details with Issy.
Did she learn it during the trials? Maybe shortly after? I’m not sure.
But I’m going to find out. Then I’ll use that knowledge to free my sister.
Because these hooded assholes will not control me or my sister
anymore.
I’m done. We are done.
The death stone warms beneath me, reminding me of my last visit to
this plane. My mates? I wonder, feeling their presence all around me. Are
they bringing me back again?
“Fallon Doyle,” the patriarchs say in unison, their voices whipping
around me and securing my focus. “You have failed us. We require
recompense.”
“The recompense will be taken from Ishara Doyle,” one of the
patriarchs says.
Patriarch McCarthy? I guess, only vaguely familiar with his gravelly
tones.
“Yes,” the patriarchs confirm as a cluster of voices again. “Ishara Doyle
will suffer for Fallon Doyle’s failures.”
“Unless you would like an alternative fate?” Patriarch O’Neely offers,
that silky tone of his filled with sinister intent. “You could save your sister
some pain, Fallon. But it’ll require your complete devotion to our cause.”
I narrow my eyes, this rhetoric growing tiresome.
I’ve devoted myself to their cause my entire life, and where has it gotten
me?
Arrange-mated to a monster.
 Grounded by an obedience spell.
Sexually assaulted.
Buried alive on countless occasions.
Used and abused.
Disassociated from my own magic.
Ripped apart from my twin, both mentally and physically.
Again. And again. And again.
The death stone warms even more beneath me, seeming to grow hotter
with my mounting ire.
Because this is all bullshit.
I’ve done everything for these soulless creatures, just to be knocked
down at every turn.
And now they’ve taken my sister from me again? Threaten to make her
suffer for my supposed failures?
Fuck. That.
“Klas failed, not me,” I tell them, surprised by my ability to speak so
fluidly. Maybe they’re allowing me to speak. That would explain my ability
to move, too. They must not have felt it necessary to chain me this time.
I push away from the death stone, no longer feeling the weight on my
shoulders—the power that originally forced me to bow.
I’m free.
It’s a realization I prove by standing up. It feels good. Powerful. Right.
The deadly magic around me pulsates in agreement, the chilling strands
swirling through the air and floating closer to kiss my skin.
“Fallon Doyle,” the voices echo sharply. “You will obey.”
“I have obeyed,” I tell them. “I’ve obeyed you my entire life. I’ve given
up everything. All for Issy’s safety. But you started this discussion with an
update about her fate.”
I step forward as more icy tendrils swim around me, each one seeming
to melt the moment it touches my overheated form.
It doesn’t hurt. It actually feels quite good. Revitalizing, even. A strange
sensation for a death plane, but I don’t second-guess it. I embrace it.
“I mated Nikolas O’Neely and obeyed him for four years. He chose to
attack the Gold and Garnet King. He failed. And you wanted to reward him
for that failure with my soul in the afterlife.”
I take another step toward the hooded patriarchs.
 “I wasn’t given a chance to obey.” Not that I intended to, but these
assholes don’t need to know that. “The death plane sucked me in and
returned me to new mates. And your response to that was to mate off my
sister?”
Those last four words reverberate through the air, similar to how the
patriarchs sound.
“You cut me off from her. Again. Inflicted an obedience spell on her.
Subdued her. And you think to taunt me with that knowledge, to convince me
to select an alternative fate?”
My words are all beginning to echo now, my voice vibrating in a way
I’ve never experienced.
The patriarchs try to say my name again, a jolt of power seeming to
pulsate around them.
But it doesn’t touch me.
I’m too wrapped up in all the frigid wisps that keep melting against my
skin. It’s like I’ve formed a strange sort of shield. Or perhaps I’ve just
absorbed one. I’m not sure, but I feel safe. Empowered. Emboldened.
“What improvisations were made?” I demand. “How is my sister
subdued? Where is she?!”
Those last three words leave me on a roar as a deadly wind whirls
around me.
“Tell me who you mated her to. Tell me who has my sister!”
The wind turns into a cyclone of energy and rushes toward the
patriarchs, knocking the hoods from their startled faces.
They resemble ghosts here, their souls quivering from the force of my
chilly gust.
It’s strange that they’re ethereal in nature, yet I feel corporeal. A glance
at my hands confirms my solid state.
I’m not just a soul here; I’m me.
Because this place is the source of my power.
I call upon it now, telling it to give me strength. Because I need to
channel it to my twin. Help wake her from her obedience spell. Save her
from her pain.
The patriarchs start shouting, but I ignore them, too focused on the
mounting energy around me.
Siphon through me and find Issy, I tell the deadly magic. Free her from
her confines. Wake her from her slumber. Give her back her voice!
 I close my eyes and command the death plane to do my bidding, the
manipulation of power reminding me of the spells I know that can raise the
dead.
But I’m not playing with souls or corpses right now. I’m simply calling
on the heart of my gifts. This plane is powered by spirits, their collective
energy creating a pulse that fuels my existence.
It requires respect. Reverence. Understanding. Otherwise, it would be
easy to lose myself to the void of power.
Fortunately, I have several anchors that make it easier for me to focus.
Help me strive to survive.
My mates.
My real mates.
I feel their vitality pulling me back into the real world, their presence
stabilizing me as I continue to absorb more magic. My soul is hungry for it.
More. More. More.
Go to Issy.
Wake her up.
Make her whole again.
I no longer hear or feel the patriarchs. They’re a distant memory in my
mind.
This plane has never truly been theirs to own, I think, the mental voice
sounding like mine. Except, I’m not sure how I know that information—it’s
a foreign concept.
But i t … it feels like my magic just whispered that into my mind.
How is that even possible? I marvel, my eyes opening. How is any of
this…?
My thought trails off as I realize my scenery has changed yet again.
Only, I’m not back in Iceland with my mates.
I’m in a dark room. One that feels far too cold.
A freezer, I realize as goose bumps pebble up and down my exposed
arms. I’m naked in a freezer.
It’s pitch black, making it impossible to see.
However, I know I’m not alone in here.
Because I can hear someone else breathing.
It’s shallow and accompanied by a strange beep.
What is that? I feel around slowly, searching for a wall or a door or
anything I can use to see.
 Beep. Beep. Beep.
I move closer to the sound.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The breathing is louder than it should be, almost as though it’s being
amplified by something.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
What the fuck is going on? I can still feel the vestiges of the death plane
whirling around me, the power kissing my spirit and stirring warmth from
within.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I step closer while I dig through my mind for a spell that’ll allow light.
Maybe even fire.
Because fuck, it’s cold in here.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I murmur a phrase in the ancient tongue, one Issy taught me long ago.
It stirs a glimmer of light, one that floats around the small space before
me.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
It’s a machine, I confirm, the glittery bulb swimming around it to reveal
a pump-like instrument that’s pushing air into…
My eyes widen at the horrifying sight unfolding before me. The
machine is meant to help someone breathe.
And that someone i s … “Issy.”
C H A P TE R TWENTY-NINE
 KASPIAN

“W E ’ R E GOING to need a portal spell,” I tell Cara, irritated that I can’t use
one now to teleport back to Reykjavik. Alas, I have to drive. And this is not
the time of year to speed.
Fucking snow.
Fucking magic.
Fucking everything.
“I’ll pass a message on to Slater via our normal channels, see if he can
expedite the request,” she replies. “Unless Nolan already has one stashed
away somewhere?”
“Not in an easily accessible place,” I mutter.
Nolan likes to hide things in elevated places.
The types of places only those with wings can reach. Normally, I would
respect that. Right now, I’m annoyed. Because he’s in New York alone.
With Fallon. And there’s nothing I can physically do yet to reach them.
“What else do you need?” Cara asks, all business.
“I need at least six mercenaries, preferably more, who are willing to join
us in New York. They need to be experienced. And they need to be well
versed in witches and warlocks.”
“On it,” Cara says. “I’ll call Talino, see if his grandsons are interested.
Because if Eryx and Tallis are anything like their brother Khaos, you’re
going to want them on your side.”
“He impressed you?” I guess.
“He bested me. Twice,” she tells me. “He’ll be useful to you in New
York. Trust me.”
 “I do,” I reply. “Which is why you’re going to stay in Iceland to lead
while I’m gone.”
She blanches. “Excuse me?”
“It’s your job as second to stay behind and lead in case something
happens to me. You and Larus have to stay.”
She growls. “I had no idea that agreeing to be your second meant being
taken out of the field.”
“You’re only out of the field when I’m in the field,” I tell her. “And I
have to go to New York. She’s my mate, Cara.”
I already explained this to her at the beginning of the conversation,
much to her surprise. It’s not often that happens, as Cara has seen almost as
much as I have in this world.
But four mates is certainly impressive.
Especially when one of them is an old master vampire like me.
Cara clears her throat. “Anything else, Kas?”
I consider everything we’ve discussed and shake my head. “That’s all
for now. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll have updates ready for you when you arrive,” she promises, ending
the call.
Nox and Bane remain silent in the car, their concern palpable and
rivaling my own.
Our mate just teleported to New York.
To a place we can’t get to anytime soon.
A location where we can’t protect her.
The knowledge of it all sits heavily on my heart, making my stomach
twist with dread.
My only saving grace right now is the thriving link I feel beating
between me and Fallon. She’s still alive.
But the question is, for how long?
We’re coming for you, Fallon Doyle.
And when we get there, we’re going to destroy everyone who has ever
wronged you.
I vow it.
C H A P TE R T H I RT Y
 FALLON

I H AV E no idea how I ended up here. I’ve never teleported before. But I’ve
also never been to the death plane until this week.
Nor have I ever stood up to the patriarchs.
And what was that with all the power absorption? I wonder. That was
certainly new.
I feel so incredibly alive right now, like I’m bursting with energy.
Which is strange, given that death magic is usually draining. It typically
takes a lot out of me to perform even the smallest of spells.
But somehow I teleported to Issy’s side without much effort at all. If
anything, it all felt very freeing. Like I just removed a set of invisible chains
that have been weighing me down for years.
I roll my shoulders, convinced that everything feels lighter. Easier.
More… vivacious.
It’s invigorating.
However, the scene before me is anything but.
“Issy…”
I cast another flare of light, sending it to the machine pumping air into
my twin. It’s archaic-looking. But it seems to be keeping my sister alive.
There are tubes going into her mouth and down her throat, the image
grotesque and making my stomach twist. “What have they done to you?”
It’s so wrong.
So horrible.
I’m going to destroy all of them, I tell her through our broken bond. All.
Of. Them.
 I place my hand on her chest, right over her heart, and flinch at her
frozen frame. She resembles an ice cube.
“How long have you been in here?” I wonder before casting more light
spells, causing over a dozen flickers to flutter around the small freezer
space.
This spell would have exhausted me mere hours ago, especially having
uttered it so many times. But I feel perfectly normal now. Those little lights
are fresh from the death plane, the twinkles reminding me of stars. I cast
them all around Issy, needing to see what they’ve done.
She has an intravenous line inserted into her arm, the plastic tubing
connected to a half-full bag of saline liquid. Otherwise, apart from the
machine and her nearly frozen state, she appears to be mostly untouched.
She’s wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater, just like she normally
would. Her blonde hair is a little longer than the last time I saw it. And
she’s lost weight over the last few years, too. Although, she’s always been
more slender than me. I’m the curvy one. She’s the taller, thinner one.
“All right,” I say to her, my gaze narrowing. “How am I going to wake
you up?”
Issy is the spell master, the one who has read all the ancient death-magic
texts. I’ve learned a lot from her over the years, but this is a moment where
our connection would be most beneficial because she would be the one with
the answers right about now.
However, that’s clearly not going to work.
I twist my lips to the side, my hand still over her heart. Can I somehow
push the energy into her? I wonder. I absorbed it for her. Or that was my
intention. So maybe… maybe I can… shove it into her…?
My brow furrows as I attempt to push some of the power into her chest.
Nothing happens.
You know, I really need you to magically wake up, I tell her through our
shattered connection. Because I could use your advice here.
Of course, she doesn’t reply.
My jaw ticks. “It’s not like you to give up this easily,” I say
conversationally. “You’re usually in my head, demanding that I fight. So
how about you do the same?”
It’s a taunt, one my sister would normally rise to, but there’s nothing
normal about this situation at all.
The lights in the freezer start to dim, causing me to create more.
 They flutter around as I pace the freezer.
I only pause once to try to open the door. I’m not at all surprised to find
it locked. A problem for after I wake up Issy, I decide.
They have her in some sort of magically induced coma, no doubt to
keep her quiet.
And she’s mated now, too.
“Did your mate put you to sleep?” I ponder aloud. Because that’s
definitely something Klas would have done. A freezer isn’t all that different
from being buried alive.
Nyx pulled me out of a gravesite when she found me last year. Then she
used her goddess magic on me to break the obedience spell.
I don’t have that kind of power.
But I do have a lot of excess energy, I think, sensing the chilly essence
of the death plane crawling over my skin. It’s all about souls, the power
rooted in spiritual energy.
And Issy is lingering at death’s door, I realize. The machine is literally
keeping her alive, her heart likely having slowed to a dangerous rate.
I check her pulse to confirm, my jaw tightening.
This is fucking cruel.
The patriarchs lack humanity, their goal to control everything and
everyone around them regardless of the cost. This is no different.
They used Issy to control me, and the second they felt it no longer
worked, they put her in this frigid coma.
I hate them. They’ve held dominion over me for too long.
But not anymore.
I have a new loyalty now—a loyalty to myself. And to my mates.
Stars, they must be so confused right now. I wish we were telepathically
bonded like my sister and me, but we’re not.
However, I can feel them in my chest, our bonds pulsating with life.
And power, I realize, frowning. Is that related to the death plane or
something else entirely?
I can sense their souls, at least the three I’ve officially mated myself to.
Only Nolan is missing, yet his essence is lingering near my own, almost as
though his spirit is circling mine.
It’s a strange feeling to sense my soul bonds in this way, but it’s also
second nature. Because souls are the literal root of my power.
 So where’s your soul? I think at Issy, my gaze narrowing. Where did the
patriarchs put you?
I walk back over to the metal table she’s lying on and place both my
hands on her torso, near her heart.
Where are you? I demand, my eyes falling closed. You can’t be far…
The death plane appears around me once more, but it’s different now.
It’s… less cold. And there are no hooded figures this time. No death stone
to bow over. Just an expanse of eerie landscape, the array of rocky
tombstones reminding me of a graveyard.
More wisps of power linger in the air, resembling a frosty fog hovering
near the ground.
I wander through the cemetery, noting the names along each of the
graves.
Many of them are ones I recognize from the past—former witches who
have all died.
A few, however, depict live witches. Future gravesites? I wonder. Do I
have one?
From what Issy has told me, our souls add to the magic in this plane.
Both when we’re alive and when we’re dead. Perhaps that’s the link?
I wander through the morbid courtyard, reading each name as I pass.
The gravestones are all in pristine condition, the surfaces smooth and
appearing freshly engraved.
It’s almost eerie how perfectly spaced each one is, too. How picture-
perfect the entire scene i s … until it’s not.
There’s a noticeable deviation ahead. A cracked surface. One that draws
me forward with interest.
Amala, the tombstone reads, the last name indecipherable due to the
cracked marble.
My brow furrows.
I’ve never met Amala, but I’m familiar with the exiled witch. The
patriarchs made an example of her shortly before my forced mating to Klas.
Apparently, she refused to follow their orders. But rather than kill her, they
banished her.
And cracked her stone? I wonder, frowning. Why?
I continue searching, this time looking for Issy’s name and for more
fractures in the perfect facade. It’s all instinctual. I need to find Issy’s soul,
and something pulled me here. My power, maybe. Or perhaps even her.
 Where are you?
My bare feet whisper over the cool ground, the icy tendrils of power
whispering around me with each step.
I’m still absorbing the energy, almost as though my spirit is starved and
needs every bit of vitality that I can take. It’s that or my soul needs the
death magic to survive this plane. But being here feels too natural for it to
be a threat to me. If anything, the kiss of death invigorates me.
Mist curls around my fingertips as I walk, the cold fog gliding up my
bare arms and swirling around my neck.
I embrace it as I move, my gaze scanning for Issy’s name and not
finding it anywhere. Does she not have a tombstone?
No. She has to have one.
Her soul is here somewhere.
I can feel it. She’s my other half. My twin.
Where are you? I repeat, my eyes narrowing at the vast graveyard.
Which site is yours?
Minutes seem to pass in a blur as I search for Issy. Those minutes may
turn into hours. I’m not sure. Time is strange here.
I can feel my mates tugging on my heart, their constant pull a reminder
that I’m still alive. Still theirs.
I palm my chest, my corporeal form making me wonder if my body is
truly here with my soul. It’s strange. This isn’t a realm or another world so
much as a state of existence. A place only a soul should be able to go. Yet
somehow I’m walking around.
Do the patriarchs ever do this?
The few times I’ve been here now, they’ve been hooded and stationary.
Completely unmoving. Just creepy voices that echo.
I picture their ethereal states from earlier, my lips curling down. They
actually appeared ghostly, like apparitions being projected into this plane.
Because they can’t actually exist here? I wonder. None of the
tombstones bear the names of warlocks. Only witches. Are males not
allowed to be here?
If that’s the case, then how is the patriarchy accessing the magic here?
By siphoning it off of their mates? Like Klas did to me?
I shiver, the realization slapping me across the face.
That’s exactly what they’re doing.
So how am I free? How have I broken…?
 My thoughts trail off as another damaged headstone comes into view. I
walk quickly toward it, curious to learn the identity associated with the
grave, and gasp when I read, Fallon. The crack through my last name
makes it illegible.
Very unlike the headstone beside mine.
Issy Doyle.
I study it for a long moment, comparing my gravesite to Issy’s.
Why is mine fractured while hers is intact?
I run my fingers along the jagged marble, then trace the smooth
contours of Issy’s gravesite.
She’s here. I can sense her beneath the surface. Not buried in the ground
necessarily. Just… trapped.
I frown. How do I set you free?
I glance at my grave again, then down at my solid form. Is this related?
Did I break free of my grave?
How symbolic that would be. Over a year ago, a goddess freed me from
the ground and shattered my obedience spell. Is that what damaged my
headstone? Or is this a more recent development?
I don’t have time to debate it.
I need to break Issy’s headstone and see if it frees her.
The only question is, how?
I circle our graves and try to think of a spell that might fracture the
stone. But I didn’t cast a spell to break my own gravestone.
Although, Nyx might have when she destroyed the obedience curse.
I kneel on my gravesite.
Did Nyx do this? Or did I?
Because I doubt Nyx broke Amala’s stone. Amala was exiled well
before Goddess Nyx’s arrival.
So Amala probably broke her own gravestone. And maybe that’s why
the patriarchs really exiled her.
She rebelled.
And so did I …
I glance at the misty ribbons circling my hands and melting against my
skin. This started when I decided I was done adhering to the patriarchs’
wishes. It’s like I broke free of their hold and started absorbing power to
replenish my empty reserves.
 I originally wanted to siphon it into Issy. But that’s not what happened.
My soul has been inhaling magic and bolstering my inner power.
That’s why the repeated flickering spells were so easy. Why I was able
to travel back here.
I couldn’t push the energy into Issy’s physical form, but maybe…
Maybe I can shove it into her grave.
Not necessarily into the ground—which appears to be made of solid
rock—but into her stone.
It’s… it’s like the death stone I kept bowing over. Only it’s ice cold.
Although, I suppose mine was like that initially as well, but then it started
to warm beneath me.
When I started to fight back, I realize. Does that mean I need Issy to
fight back? To break her own stone? Or do I have the power to free her?
There’s really only one way to find out.
I kneel in front of her name and rest my palms on the hard surface. Then
I close my eyes and call every ounce of my rebellious need to the surface.
I think of my years of torment. Every sacrifice. Every false promise
from the patriarchy. Their oppression. The way they used my twin as
collateral. My mating to Klas. That damn obedience spell. The things my
mate made me do. The feeling of being cut off from Issy.
Her vegetative state in that freezer…
I did everything I was supposed to do to protect her. And it wasn’t
enough. But I understand now that nothing would ever have been enough
for the patriarchs. They want absolute control over every aspect of our
lives.
And I refuse to give them that.
I refuse to give them another drop of my anything.
This power is my birthright. Not theirs. My plane. Not theirs. My life.
Not theirs.
Energy hums around me, creating a chilly breeze that caresses my warm
skin. It grounds me. Makes me feel whole. And reminds me that I’m not
alone.
My mates are here, I marvel. Not physically. Not even spiritually. But
within me. Holding me together. Protecting me from everything else.
It’s a bizarre sensation that anchors me in the moment and provides me
with the focus I need to thrust this abundance of power into Issy’s
tombstone.
 There’s yelling in the distance. Masculine voices. Chants. But I ignore
them, my attention on Issy. On my mates. They’re doing something to
protect me, my ties to them seeming to have dismantled my association
with the patriarchs.
Is that how I fought back? I wonder. Did they help me sever some sort
of tie I didn’t know existed?
I force more power into the stone, my eyes falling closed as ominous
echoes circle around me.
The words are of the ancient tongue, the male tones reminiscent of the
patriarchy.
They’re trying to stop me.
But they can’t.
This is my plane now.
My power. My world. My right.
I scream as a burst of vitality rushes out of me, followed by a deafening
crack.
It’s not enough, I tell myself. More. More. More.
I repeat the action, this one even more painful, but needed. So very
needed.
Again.
Another sharp pulse leaves my spirit, followed by a thunderous rumble.
The masculine chanting sounds urgent now. I ignore them and push
everything I can into the gravestone.
My chest aches from the effort, my throat raw from my screams, my
limbs weak from the power I’ve just expelled.
But I still do one more.
One more expulsion.
Then everything goes quiet. The chants. My breathing. The sound of
grating rocks.
Nothing.
I sigh, my arms falling to my sides.
Issy? I whisper, my mental voice tired. Issy, are you there?
The silence that follows has my hands clenching into fists.
Issy.
I wait a beat.
Issy!
 This felt too right to be wrong. If she’s not here, then where is she? I
open my eyes, my focus on her fractured gravestone.
My efforts worked.
So why isn’t Issy answering me?
I swallow and slowly sit back, my body exhausted from everything I’ve
just done. But the cold fog is already surrounding me once more, the chilly
kiss of power a welcome embrace against my clammy skin.
Maybe I need to try again. My mental voice is as tired as I feel. Maybe I
just needed a little…
The thought trails off as I take in the full scene before me.
Wait…
I blink at the desecrated graveyard. I didn’t crack just Issy’s headstone,
but… but all the headstones around me. Maybe even more.
Every single one within eyesight is split along the witch’s last name.
Oh, stars…
I stand up on shaky legs and move forward.
It’s all of them, I marvel. I … I destroyed all of them.
I continue walking, passing dozens of splintered stones.
What does this mean? Did I go about this the wrong way?
Probably, a voice replies, sounding tired. Depends on what you did,
though.
I freeze. Issy?
Mmm, she hums.
I spin around, searching for her. Where are you?
Not sure. It’s… it’s cold…
My eyes widen. The freezer.
How do I get back there? I spin around like I’ll find a door. A ridiculous
proposition.
No. I need to focus like last time and demand to see Issy.
If only it could be that simple, I mutter to myself as I close my eyes. But
nothing is ever that simple.
Still, I try. I focus on wanting to find Issy, telling my soul to go to her,
and wait to see if I feel any magic helping me along.
When I don’t, I sigh and open my eyes again, fully expecting to see the
graveyard. But I don’t. I’m shrouded in darkness once more.
I instantly cast a flicker of light and see Issy on the metal table. You’re
still unconscious.
 I am? She sounds confused. I’m in my room.
No, you’re in a freezer. I’m looking right at you.
She’s quiet for a long moment. I knew something was wrong when my
books kept showing me blank pages.
What?
Nothing. It’s not important. But I need you to help me wake up.
What do you think I’ve been trying to do here? I ask her. Tell me how to
wake you up.
You really should have read more books when we were younger, she
replies, as snarky as ever. They’re very useful.
Why do I need spell books when I have an omniscient sister?
I’m not omniscient, just well read.
I start to reply, when the sound of metal clanking outside the door
makes me freeze. Someone’s coming.
What?
They’re unlocking the door. Issy, I … I need—
Repeat after me, she says, a series of ancient words following.
I immediately utter them out loud and follow her instructions, all the
while ignoring the sounds at the door. Fortunately, it seems they have a lot
of locks to undo.
The last word leaves my lips just as the lights are turned on in full,
momentarily blinding me.
“I thought I might find you in here.” Daithi O’Neely’s voice slithers
around me like a dangerous snake, his power venomous and eager to bite.
He’s on me before I can reply, a spell slipping from his lips that steals
the literal air from my lungs.
“You’ve been a very bad little witch, Fallon Doyle,” he says against my
ear. “I’m going to enjoy watching what they do to you.”
My mouth moves without sound, my body suddenly feeling incredibly
weak.
Weaker than in the death plane after my explosion of power.
Weak… like I’m not getting enough oxygen to properly breathe.
Because I’m not, I realize. My lungs aren’t working at all.
Whatever he just did has caused my body to shut down.
He’s made me resemble death.
I begin to convulse.
Which makes him smile broadly.
 “Don’t worry,” he murmurs. “You’ll wake up in a few minutes. Then
you’ll get to experience this all over again until I lift the spell. Maybe a few
days like this will help you relearn some manners, hmm?”
My fingers long to flex, to move up to my throat, to demand that I
breathe.
But I don’t move at all.
He’s turned me into some sort of frozen corpse.
I’m still standing. However, I can’t feel the ground. I can’t feel anything
other than the burning in my chest that begs me to inhale.
Only I don’t.
Black spots begin to dance through my blurring vision.
This is worse than being buried alive…
“At least my mate understands obedience,” he continues, his focus
going to Issy. “She’s such a pretty little frozen doll, isn’t she?” He starts
toward her. “I’ve been given permission to warm her up a little this week.”
He glances back at me. “You know, to have a little fun.”
My stomach twists at the insinuation in his words. You will not touch
her, I want to snarl at him. But I can barely see him now.
He’s chuckling about something, maybe my torment, or the thought of
what he wants to do to my sister. Either way, he’s a monster.
Just like the patriarchs.
When I wake up, I think, my vision going fully dark, I’m going to—
Wind whips through the air, reminding me of the death plane. Only it’s
a different sensation. A different sort of power.
Daithi growls in response to it. “You.”
“Me,” a familiar voice says.
Ayla? I can barely think her name, the world around me disappearing.
Issy screams something in my mind.
Then a jolt of power hits me dead center, and my body goes flying
backward into the air.
I blink awake, confused by the sharp pain encompassing my being and
relieved by my sudden ability to breathe again. I cough and choke and grasp
at nothing as I go sailing through time and space.
What is happening to me? My vision is slowly coming back to me. Why
does it feel like I’m falling?
My legs and arms come alive at the same moment, my limbs flailing
around me as I try to grasp at something to hold on to.
 Fallon! my sister screams.
I try to look for her, but all I see is glass. And a night sky.
What…?
I blink again.
And then I shriek as I realize the glass is a wall of windows. On a
building. A very tall building. That I appear to be flying alongside of.
Not flying. Falling.
I glance down to see the ground rapidly approaching.
Oh, shit!
My arms and legs pinwheel as I try to lock onto the death plane again,
needing to teleport, to do something. But there isn’t enough time!
Focus, I tell myself. Focus and—
I slam into a hard object, the impact making my head loll. Is this it? Did
I just hit the ground?
A fall from that height should kill me.
The hint of minty aftershave tickles my nose as the sound of beating
wings touches my ears.
Am I dead?
Because I swear I’m being held by an angel.
“I’ve got you, Fallon,” a deep voice says. “I’ll always catch you when
you fall.”
C H A P TE R THI RTY-O NE
NOLAN
 SEVERAL MINUTES E AR LI E R

“W H E R E I S SH E ?” Kaspian demands as he steps through the portal.

“Where’s Fallon?”
I shake my head. “Ayla still hasn’t been able to reconnect to her aura.”
And it’s been hours since she could last sense her.
“It’s like she just disappeared,” Ayla said when it first happened. “I
don’t understand. She was here and now she’s gone.”
We were standing on a rooftop, observing one of the O’Neely
residences, when she initially lost the connection. Not a home owned by the
main patriarch, but by someone high up in his family clan. Daithi O’Neely,
Ayla called him.
“She was in there, though,” Ayla added. “I’m certain of it. But she’s…
she’s not there now.”
“What about Issy?” I asked.
Ayla just shook her head. “No. I haven’t been able to track Issy for the
last few days. I’m not sure what they’ve done to her, but her aura i s …
untraceable.”
I fully intended to break in and grab Fallon, but I paused when Ayla lost
her aura. We needed to keep the element of surprise. And my barging into
an O’Neely home would ruin all of that.
“It’s only worth showing our hand if we know Fallon is in there,” I told
Kaspian earlier after bringing him up to date on what we found here. “But
Ayla can’t sense her anymore. I don’t want to alert them to my presence
unless I know I can save Fallon.”
Kaspian agreed with my plan, telling me he would be here soon with
reinforcements.
 I now watch with an arched brow as all those reinforcements step
through the portal.
“I’m surprised Cara and Larus didn’t demand to join,” I comment as I
fold my arms over my chest.
“They’re my seconds. If something happens to me, I need them in
Iceland to act as King and Queen of Gold and Garnet,” he replies.
“I’m sure they loved that speech,” I drawl.
Nox snorts as he joins us. “Cara said she didn’t agree to be his second
just to be put in time-out when something fun happens.”
Bane twirls one of his blades, his dark eyes flashing with dangerous
intent. “How are we doing this?” he asks, cutting straight to the point as the
portal closes behind the last of the mercenaries.
We’re back in Manhattan again, playing on the rooftop of the
abandoned building Ayla seems to favor. I learned why when I met Amala
—the witch who taught Ayla how to break the forced-mate-bond magic.
Apparently, the exiled witch cast a deterrence spell around the upper floors
and roof of this building, making it an area that most supernaturals avoid.
“I have to live somewhere,” Amala explained with a shrug. “And I
certainly don’t want to live in Staten Island.”
She stands beside Ayla now, her purple hair blowing in the breeze from
being so high up in the sky. Like Ayla, she seems undisturbed by the fifty-
plus-story drop off the side.
It’s a sentiment the mercenaries Kaspian brought with him don’t seem
to share.
Well, the gryffin-god hybrid seems at ease. The others, not so much.
Meanwhile, Nox and Bane seem fine. And Kaspian just seems
impatient.
It’s a feeling I understand.
I’ve been standing around for hours, waiting for Ayla to pick up on
Fallon’s aura again, while also hoping she somehow made it back to
Iceland.
Alas, no one knows where she is.
And something is brewing in Staten Island. Ayla said she could feel the
power rippling through her coven, leaving her uneasy.
Even Amala could sense it, despite being exiled.
“The patriarchs are doing something,” Ayla told me, her hands rubbing
up and down her arms as though she felt cold. “I don’t know what it is, but I
can feel it. Something big is coming.”
Which is why we need to work quickly.
Ayla pulls up a map of Staten Island—one she casts in the air using
magic. We’ve already mocked it up in color to show the various patriarch
homes. I point at each one to say the clan name and also show where
Fallon’s aura was last felt.
“Who is this Daithi O’Neely?” Kaspian interjects. “Why would he have
Fallon?”
“He specializes in obedience spells,” Ayla replies. “As to why he would
have Fallon, I’m not sure. But something drew her aura to his home.”
“And we’re certain she’s not still there?” Kaspian inquires, the question
one that’s been asked a few times now, not just by him but by Nox, Bane,
and me. Because all of us are eager to track down our mate.
“Her aura isn’t in his home,” Ayla tells him. “The only links to her aura
that I’m sensing right now belong to the four of you.”
Kaspian studies her for a beat and nods before looking at me.
“Continue.”
“Ayla and Amala think the patriarchs may be holding Fallon captive in
the death plane,” I explain. “She suspects Issy is there, too.”
“As well as dozens of other witches,” Amala mutters, her green eyes
flashing. “The patriarchs use our souls to bolster their own magic. They’re
like fucking leeches. And they do it all through the death plane.”
I nod. “So the theory holds merit. Which is why I agree with Ayla’s
recommendation for how to proceed—we need to take out the patriarchs. If
we do that, we sever their magical hold, and that should allow Fallon to
come back to us.”
“Or trap her there indefinitely,” Bane says, his brow furrowing. He
looks at Ayla. “We were able to pull her back when we had her body before.
But earlier, she didn’t respond to us at all. And without her body now, we
can’t even try to replicate what worked the one time.”
“I think they did something to counter your ability to revive her this
time.” Ayla doesn’t sound entirely confident, but it’s a theory I agreed with
when she mentioned it to me before. “If we disable the patriarchs, it should
disable that spell.”
“But we still don’t know where her body is,” Bane points out.
“It may be in Daithi’s house.” Ayla lifts a shoulder. “I just know her
aura—her soul—isn’t there. But it’s possible we’ll find her body.”
 Nox’s eyebrows lift. “If that’s true, then it has probably suffered
catastrophic damage since we weren’t there to keep it alive. You’re the one
who said to keep doing compressions…”
Ayla shakes her head. “If the patriarchs have her body, they’re keeping
it alive. They wouldn’t want her to deteriorate too quickly; otherwise, they
would lose their ability to use her.”
“She’s right,” Amala agrees. “They need Fallon intact. She’s too young
and too powerful for them to allow her to rot.”
I know all this already because we had a similar argument shortly after
Fallon’s soul disappeared. While I didn’t want to blow my cover
prematurely, I also wasn’t going to just let Fallon’s body start to
decompose.
But Ayla and Amala convinced me this was the right path.
“So we need to take out the patriarchs,” I say, bringing us back to the
plan. “We don’t know where they are, just where they live. And Ayla thinks
they may have some secret meeting locations in the city, too. But I think we
should start by taking down their homes and declaring open war on their
clans.”
Kaspian nods. “I’ve already spoken to a few other House allies on the
topic. They’re aware the Outcast Coven attacked us first. Not that it truly
matters—this is still No Man’s Land and fair game—but I wanted them all
informed.”
“Chancellor Ward knows as well?” I guess.
“She does,” Kaspian confirms. “She’s neither supportive nor
unsupportive. She’s neutral.”
Given that she recently escaped this hellhole, I’m not surprised. She
probably wants nothing to do with Supernatural Syndicate issues.
“All right, so I assume we want to hit each house at the same time, take
full advantage of catching them off guard?” Nox proposes.
“Yes. That’s the general idea.” I glance around at the group. Kaspian
brought eight mercenaries with him, all of them more than qualified for this
mission. “There are fourteen of us, so we’ll go in pairs.” I look at the
phantoms. “I suggest you two split up. If all four of us head to different
locations, we have a better chance of finding Fallon.”
Nox and Bane dip their chins in acknowledgment.
“I’ll partner with Khaos,” Kaspian says.
The shifter-god hybrid arches a brow. “You sure?”
 “You bested Cara in a fight. Twice. I’m sure.” Kaspian starts divvying
up the group and pairs me with one of Khaos’s brothers. I haven’t spent
much time with the three hybrids from Talino’s territory in Finland, but I’m
familiar with their impressive mercenary records. So I agree to the pairing.
“All right, we—”
Kaspian’s words are cut off by Ayla’s gasp, her knees suddenly buckling
as she begins to collapse. Amala catches her, only for her own legs to give
out on her, sending both females to the ground.
I dart forward at the same time Bane and Nox do, but all three of us
come up against an invisible barrier of sorts. One that’s ice cold and
prickles goose bumps all over my skin.
“What the fuck is that?” Nox demands.
I shake my head.
Bane simply frowns. “It…” He doesn’t finish his statement, his brow
furrowing as he prods at the air around him.
Kaspian wears an expression that matches Bane’s. “It smells like
Fallon.”
“What?” My nostrils flare on impulse. “All I smell is New York City.”
Two of the shifter mercenaries snort at my comment but otherwise stay
quiet.
However, Bane and Kaspian seem to be entranced by whatever they’re
sensing around the witches. Nox joins in on their fascination in the next
beat, his head canting to the side. “It feels like her.”
“It does,” Bane replies. “But I don’t understand why.”
My heart pangs a little in my chest, my lack of a true connection to our
mate making me feel inferior in this moment. I haven’t had a chance to
bond with Fallon like I’ve wanted to. She probably doesn’t even know I
want to accept our fated links.
Ayla gasps again, her body shooting upright into a seated position as
Amala swiftly follows, the two women sharing alarmed gazes. “Did
that…?” Ayla trails off.
“Yes,” Amala confirms.
“All of them?” Ayla stresses.
Amala nods, her face a little white. “That’s what it feels like, yes.”
“All of what?” Kaspian asks. “What just happened?”
“Fallon just happened.” Ayla pushes up off the ground, her limbs
noticeably shaky. “I don’t know how she did it. But she… she just set us all
free.”
My forehead crinkles. “Free?”
“From the patriarchs’ hold,” Ayla explains, her focus on something off
to the side. I try to follow her stare, but all I see is more rooftop. “She just
shattered their control over every woman in the Outcast Coven.”
My eyebrows shoot upward. “What? How?” She already said she
doesn’t know how, but the questions are automatic. Because that… that’s
incredibly impressive.
“What are you doing?” Kaspian asks, his gaze narrowing as Ayla begins
weaving a spell in the air.
“Going after Fallon,” Ayla replies. “She’s back.”
My wings flare out of me on impulse. “Where?”
“Same place,” Ayla says.
I start toward the ledge, prepared to fly to Daithi O’Neely’s home in
Staten Island.
But Ayla stops me by adding, “I’m creating a portal that’ll go right to
her.”
“You know exactly where she is?”
Ayla nods. “Yes. And it’s a place I’ve been before.”
“Why didn’t you do that earlier?” I demand. When she sensed Fallon
then, she couldn’t get us closer than the rooftops.
“Because I wasn’t positive of her location.” She glances at me. “And I
wasn’t sure I could break through Daithi’s protection barriers.”
My eyebrow arches. “But you feel more confident now?”
She nods. “I do. Because I’m free.”
Amala chuckles, drawing my focus to her and causing my brow to lift
even higher.
“All hell is about to break loose in Outcast Coven territory,” she muses.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all that. Only it’s women, not
woman.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Khaos says, his words seeming
to be for one of his brothers.
“The patriarchy has kept the women of our coven on magical leashes
for years, forcing us to mate whomever they choose, all in the name of
giving the males power and dominion over us,” Ayla explains. “They’ve
been using our magical birthrights to empower themselves.”
 “How?” Khaos asks. “If your birthrights make you the more powerful
of the duo, how have they managed to subdue you?”
“By taking control of the most powerful members of the coven at birth,”
Amala replies. “Powerful members like Fallon and Ishara Doyle.”
“When you’re raised in a world that calls you weak, tells you that it’s
your place to obey, convinces you that your only worth in life is as a
marriage commodity to a superior male, you believe them,” Ayla adds. “But
it seems something helped Fallon wake up.”
“Someones,” Amala corrects, her green eyes dancing over Nox, Bane,
Kaspian, and then me. “Her links to you have provided her with new
perspective. She just may not realize that’s the cause.”
“Her desire to save her sister would also have been a motivating factor,”
Ayla murmurs, her eyes falling closed. “I’m almost done.”
This portal seems to be taking her a lot longer than the others. I’m
guessing it’s related to the protection barriers she mentioned.
“When I open this door, there will be no going back. They’ll know I’m
involved. But something tells me that I will be the least of their concerns,”
Ayla says, a smile in her voice. “Once the others realize they’re free…”
“Blood will be shed,” Amala finishes for her. “Fucking finally.”
“Ready?” Ayla asks after a beat, her gaze roaming around the rooftop.
“It’ll open to a small freezer area, but I don’t know what’s waiting for us
beyond. I just know both Issy and Fallon are there.”
I stare at her. “Wait, you can sense Issy again?”
She nods. “Whatever Fallon did to free us all freed Issy, too. They’re
together.”
“In a small freezer,” Kaspian growls. “Did I hear that right?”
Ayla clears her throat. “You did. It’s… it’s one of Daithi’s favorite
torments.”
My eyes narrow, but it’s Nox who says, “This Daithi needs to die.”
Bane twirls a pair of knives in his hands as I pull out one of my guns.
“He does,” we say at the same time.
“Open the portal,” I add. “We’re very ready.”
The mercenaries behind me all make noises of agreement, the sounds of
weapons being armed littering the air.
Let the war begin.
Ayla pauses for a moment, her shoulders squaring. Then she nods and
mutters a few words in a language I’ve never heard before.
 A second later, the door opens to reveal a scene that has my blood
running hot and then cold.
Fallon’s naked.
Her face is turning blue.
And the male inside is chuckling. Although, that chuckle dies swiftly
when he sees Ayla’s portal creation.
“You,” he growls.
“Me,” she returns, black fire dancing down her arms.
I assume this brown-haired male is Daithi and quickly take aim at his
head. But he blocks my bullet with a spell, his hazel eyes glittering with
power.
Ayla tries to hit him with a fiery sphere. He sends it to the side, then
does something that lifts Fallon from the ground, causing me to freeze.
There’s a maniacal gleam in his gaze that shoots ice through my veins.
This male is not sane.
Power bursts from his fingertips—power that goes right into Fallon as
he throws her through the portal door with a force that has time stilling
around me.
“Fallon!” Kaspian yells as her body sails across the roof, the spell
taking her right over the edge.
My wings flare out around me as I take off after her, my heart racing in
my chest.
She’s moving with such incredible speed… Too fast. She’s flying too
fast!
I dive off the roof after her, determined to catch her. To save her.
This can’t be happening.
A fall from this height will kill her instantly. There will be no
recovering from it.
We haven’t even mated yet! I want to shout at her. Don’t you dare die on
me, Fallon!
I can hear Nox and Bane yelling from above, as well as the sounds of
fighting.
But my focus is solely on Fallon.
Faster, I tell my wings. We need to go faster!
The air whips by my face as I push myself to my limits while ignoring
the approaching ground below.
 Fallon’s arms and legs start pinwheeling as she realizes what’s
happening, the motion seeming to dispel some of the enchantment
encircling her.
It’s as though she’s slowing herself down.
Impossible, I think. But somehow, she’s decelerating. Magic?
Whatever it is, I’m thankful for it. Because it gives me the edge I need
to swoop beneath her.
And catch her in my arms.
She jolts against me, her head falling back against my shoulder. I beat
my wings upward, saving us both from an impact with the ground.
And sigh as she stills against me.
“I’ve got you, Fallon,” I tell her, my lips near her ear. Then I bury my
face in her hair as I vow, “I’ll always catch you when you fall.”
C H A P TE R T H I RT Y-T WO
 FALLON

F A L L O N ! Issy screams in my head. Fallon!

Issy? I whisper back, dazed by everything that just happened. One
minute, I was suffocating to death.
And the next…
I blink. I’m flying. With an angel.
Oh, thank the stars, Issy breathed. I tried to give him time to catch you.
By countering Daithi’s impact spell. But I was worried… I was worried it
wasn’t fast enough.
I frown at the concern in my sister’s voice.
He used me to hurt you, she continues. He froze me under an obedience
spell. Infiltrated our mental connection to let the patriarchs talk to you
through me. Mated me against my will.
She sounds furious now.
He. Will. Die. Those three words resemble bullets in my mind.
Wait, Issy—
No. No waiting. He. Will. Die!
But we don’t know how the forced bond—
A catastrophic boom echoes through the air, jolting me upright in my
angel’s arms. I look around, startled and confused, only to find Nolan
staring down at me as we hover in the sky.
“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.
My eyelashes flutter, my heart pounding in my chest.
Am I all right?
“I’m alive,” I tell him, my brow furrowing a little. “And no one shot me
this time.” The quip comes naturally to me. Mostly because it’s what I
always comment on when Nolan comes around.
His lips twitch. “The day is still young, sweet canary.”
I narrow my gaze a little, another taunt tickling my tongue. But a second
magical explosion has my focus shifting upward.
Issy?
She doesn’t reply.
“My sister…” I trail off as Nolan starts flying toward the battle sounds.
He pauses as we reach a rooftop, allowing me to see the scene before us.
There’s a random door that seems to lead to the freezer room I was just
in.
Outside of it are my three mates, as well as some other men I don’t
recognize.
“Fallon,” Kaspian says, his expression one of intense relief. It’s a look
my two phantoms share as they rush forward.
But they pause as Ayla jumps through the threshold, her leather jacket
smoldering with black flames.
Another female follows her, and the door begins to close.
“No!” I shout. “Issy—”
Ayla looks sharply up at me. “Issy finally has her voice back.”
“What?” I ask, not understanding.
“The mating bond is broken,” the other woman says. “Issy can speak.”
I look between them, still confused. “Issy isn’t silent because of a
mating bond. She’s… she’s silent…”
“Because her voice kills,” Ayla finishes for me. “So let her kill.”
Issy? I call to her. Talk to me, Issy!
A little busy right now, sis, she grates out.
Nolan finally touches down on the roof and helps me to my feet, but
before I can dart forward toward the door, he grabs me and wraps me up in
his leather jacket.
I frown down at it, only then realizing that I’ve been naked this whole
time.
“Er, thanks,” I say to him.
He kisses my temple. “Never thank me for taking care of you, Fallon.”
I glance back at him, startled by this nurturing side of him. “Yet you
expected me to thank you for not killing me?”
He smiles. “Because I meant to shoot to kill, little canary.” He tilts his
head to the side. “But fate wouldn’t let me. At least now we know why.”
 “Wait…” I fully face him. “You meant to kill me?”
“I did.”
I arch a brow. “So you missed?”
“Yep.”
“Meaning you didn’t purposely shoot me in the shoulder, yet you’ve
spent the last however many months insisting you weren’t trying to kill
me.” I fold my arms and narrow my gaze. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to give you more cause to hate me.”
“Yet you’re coming clean now?”
He shrugs. “Kaspian has a thing about lies. If we’re all going to be in a
mate circle, I have to tell the truth.”
“You expect me to accept our mating after you admitted to trying to kill
me?”
“Yep,” he answers simply.
I gape at him. “Seriously?”
“Yep,” he repeats.
I’m so flabbergasted that I don’t know what to say to any of this. He
just… he just… And I …
“Do you want to know why I expect that?” he asks, stepping closer to
me.
Against my better judgment, I find myself nodding.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, then leans down to whisper,
“Because I’m the mate who will never hold back. The one you can rely on
to give it to you straight, no matter how much it’ll piss you off. The one
who will push you even when you don’t want to be pushed. The one who
will ensure you’re ready for everything and anything life has to throw at
you.”
I swallow, unsure if I like all of that. Which I suppose is his point, in a
way.
“I’ll also be the one to protect you with everything I am. The one
willing to do whatever it takes to ensure your safety and happiness. And the
one who will spend eternity trying to prove my worth to you because I fully
accept the fact that I’ve fucked everything up between us from the moment
we first met.”
He wraps his palm around my nape, his multicolored eyes intense as he
pulls back to meet my gaze.
 “I may be entirely wrong, and you might reject me. But even if you do,
I’ll remain devoted to you. Because, Fallon, I’ve wanted you from the
moment you woke up and gave me hell for shooting you.” He presses his
forehead to mine. “There will never be anyone else for me. Only you.”
I’m so shocked by his declarations that I have no idea how to reply.
“And lastly,” he murmurs, his voice barely loud enough for me to hear
over the rooftop wind. “Lastly, I’ll be the one to distract you when you need
it most.” His lips whisper across mine. “Such as right now.”
He releases me before I can speak, then carefully turns me around just
as my sister steps through a portal door.
“Issy!” I rush forward as she runs toward me.
My arms encircle her neck in the next breath as I cling to my sister for
dear life. You’re okay. You’re here. And you’re okay.
She echoes the sentiment in my head as we make up for years of not
being able to hug one another.
“They’re all dead,” I hear Ayla say. It’s probably been several minutes
since I started hugging my sister. But I haven’t been able to stop. “Including
Daithi and a few others.”
“Because of her voice?” Kaspian asks softly, his words sending a chill
down my spine.
“Yes,” Ayla confirms.
Oh, no… He knows.
Of course he knows, my sister replies. He should know. He’s your mate,
Fallon.
But he’s also the Gold and Garnet King. He… he…
He what? she counters. He’s going to lock me in a basement like our
father did? Kill me? What do you think he’s going to do?
I pull back to see the irritation in her expression. Why are you being like
this?
Because you’re doing that thing where you put me first instead of
yourself. She arches a blonde brow. I can take care of myself, Fallon.
I almost point out that I found her in a freezer and had to free her from
the death plane. But her expression changes in the next second.
Thank you for freeing my soul, she says, clearly having experienced the
same train of thought. But you need to start putting yourself first. Fate just
gave you four fine-ass mates to play with, and you’re doubting them
because of your concern for me.
 She looks pointedly over my shoulder at the men in question.
I know he’s a House King. But his mating you makes you the House
Queen. And if there’s one important lesson to learn from all of today’s
events, it’s to never underestimate the power of a female mate.
I turn to follow her gaze and note how all four of my mates are standing
together, watching me and Issy with interest.
Not fear or disgust or even a hint of concern.
Just… interest.
Do you…? I swallow. Do you want to meet them?
Do I want to meet the sexy men fate has chosen for my twin? She snorts.
Stars, yes, I do.
My lips curl a little. You were just on a ventilator in a freezer. And now
you’re…
I’m…? she prompts.
You’re you, I answer simply. Optimistic. Happy.
Alive, she adds. No longer tied down or mated to patriarch assholes.
Assholes? I repeat, frowning at her. As in plural?
She hums, the sound one of confirmation. Four total. And Daithi. She
shudders. They needed my cooperation, and I … well, it took a lot of them to
make it happen.
I gape at her. They force-mated you to five men?
They did. She tilts her head a little. But now they’re all dead, and my
soul is free once more.
How can you be so… blasé about this?
She shrugs. If I dwell on the past, I’ll never be free. She looks at me, her
silver eyes glittering. We need to focus on the future, Fallon. Embrace the
gifts fate has given us. And that includes you embracing your mates.
I have embraced them.
You’ve started to, but I know you, sis. You don’t trust easily. However…
She refocuses on my mates. Those men have earned your trust. They’re
here, aren’t they? Saving you?
The Outcast Coven attacked Gold and Garnet by sending in Klas.
Kaspian had to respond to that, I argue, aware of how politics work in this
world.
While that may be true, he hasn’t left this roof since he arrived. You’re
his primary concern.
 I consider that for a moment. How do you know he’s been here the
whole time?
Because I know things, Fallon, she says, her gaze twinkling when she
looks back at me. I know a lot of things. Including the fact that you’re
currently stalling. She folds her arms. Now stop hiding me and introduce me
to your mates. Let them prove to you how accepting they can be.
C H A P TE R T H I RT Y-T H R E E
FALLON
 A FEW DAYS L AT E R

“F I N L A N D ?” I repeat, my gaze darting between Ayla and Issy. “You’re both

moving to Finland?”
“King Kaspian said we could live wherever we wanted in Gold and
Garnet territory.” Ayla shrugs. “Then Khaos mentioned an opportunity in
Lapland. Apparently, they could use someone with my tracking abilities.”
They also don’t seem to be all that intimidated by my abilities, Issy adds
in my head. Probably because the three brothers that govern the area have
godlike heritages.
“It’ll be a good fit for us,” Ayla adds. “And if it’s not, then we’ll just
come back here.”
Issy nods. Iceland is very beautiful. So even if we stay, we’ll still be
back to visit. Often.
I swallow, unsure of how I feel about this. I just finally got my family
back. And now…
Now they want to move to Finland.
We’re no longer your only family, Fallon, Issy whispers, likely aware of
my thoughts.
Well, technically you are, I say. You killed our dad… And that was after
he killed our mother. I didn’t get to witness any of it, but apparently she
tried to fight him after I released all the bespelled souls in the death plane.
Unfortunately, our father won the battle.
But Issy ensured he lost the war.
With just a few whispered words—ones she hasn’t shared with me. And
I’ll never ask.
 His cruelty toward me was nothing compared to the pain and misery he
inflicted upon Issy. She earned the right to be his executioner.
Hell, she earned the right to kill the entire patriarchy, as far as I’m
concerned.
But she did have some help from other furious witches.
The Outcast Coven is officially being overhauled now, a new
matriarchy replacing the patriarchy.
Ayla wanted nothing to do with it, instead taking Kaspian up on his
offer to join Gold and Garnet.
He gave Amala—the witch I didn’t immediately recognize on the
rooftop the other day—the same choice, but she opted to stay in New York.
Apparently, she’s enjoying her exile. However, she said she would be in
touch if she ever changes her mind.
I doubt we’ll ever hear from her again, especially with the Outcast
Coven realigning their values and restructuring their inner political system.
But I appreciate Kaspian offering her the choice. Just as I appreciate
him giving Ayla and my sister sanctuary.
He didn’t even blink when I asked him about Issy.
“She’s your family,” he replied. “Of course she’s welcome here. Ayla,
too.”
Nox, Bane, and Nolan all agreed with nods.
Then they performed a small ceremony to welcome Issy and Ayla into
the territory, giving them both a gold charm adorned with a solitary garnet
gem.
It was a ritual I knew nothing about, something that surprised Kaspian
when I mentioned it. But he hasn’t said anything about it since.
“So, um, when do you leave?” I ask Ayla and Issy.
Ayla lifts a shoulder. “Maybe in a few days. Khaos didn’t really give me
a start date, just ordered up a place for us to live and said to move at our
leisure.”
“That was nice of him,” I acknowledge.
She nods. “Pretty sure he’ll be making me work for it, though. But at
least I’ll enjoy the job.” She smiles at Issy with the words.
I might have found a way to help her track auras more effectively. Issy’s
silver irises gleam with pride. You know, without being detected.
Oh? I glance between them. That’s impressive.
I know.
 Modest as always, I see, I tease her.
She preens in response, the expression making me laugh just as Nox and
Bane enter the room.
They both pause.
“Oh. Is this a bad time?” Nox asks.
“I told you to knock,” Bane mutters.
“But it’s sort of our room now, too,” Nox replies, his words soft and
clearly meant for Bane. But we can all hear him just fine.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Ayla says, her black eyes casting a knowing
look at Issy.
Mm-hmm, my twin hums. Have fun playing with your phantoms.
I almost correct her and say they’re not mine—a response I made a lot
over the last year when she teased me about my phantoms.
Instead, I reply, I will.
She smiles, mirth flirting with her soft features. Then she winks at my
phantoms and leads Ayla out of the room.
Bane and Nox both glance at each other.
“Sorry, we didn’t know they were here,” Nox says.
I palm his cheek. “You don’t need to apologize. I know how much you
enjoy barging into my room and spying on me in phantom form.” It’s a
familiar taunt from our early days, one that has his lips curling in
amusement.
“I am a voyeur,” he replies.
“I know.” I go up onto my toes to kiss him. “You’re my voyeur.”
He wraps his arm around my back, his opposite hand going to my
throat. “That I am, firefly. That I am.” He kisses me soundly, his tongue
easily mastering mine.
It doesn’t matter how young this mating is; Nox devours me with the
knowledge of several lifetimes, his expert touch and embrace making it feel
as though we’ve done this for hundreds of years.
Bane joins us by pressing his chest to my back, his lips caressing my
neck.
It’s a practiced move that just further proves how perfect these men are
for me.
My phantoms, I marvel, lost to their embrace.
They make me forget everything and everyone. Which is how I don’t
realize we have company until someone clears his throat.
 I look over to find Kaspian and Nolan watching us with hungry gazes.
The former I expect—Kaspian is always hungry.
But the latter surprises me. He’s spent the last few days being
uncharacteristically polite. Nurturing, too. It’s been a bit strange to see that
caring side of him. Nolan is usually all hard lines and serious looks.
“When I told you two to help prepare Fallon, I meant to brief her on the
ceremony, not seduce her for the after-party,” Kaspian drawls.
“Ceremony?” I repeat while Nox smirks at Kaspian.
“Yes.” The Gold and Garnet King steps forward, his attire as formal as
always—a three-piece suit. All black. His shoulders are straight back as
well, his hands elegantly hidden behind his back.
Meanwhile, Nolan is in jeans and a leather jacket, his blond hair
windswept and tousled. He has the whole badass rebel vibe going on, which
is a sensual contrast to Kaspian’s elegant appearance.
And they’re both mine, I marvel. Sort of, anyway.
Nolan and I haven’t yet spoken about finalizing our bond. The last thing
he said to me on the topic was that he’d never reject me, but he wouldn’t
force me to accept him either.
“You told me the other day that you were never formally welcomed into
Gold and Garnet,” Kaspian murmurs. “It’s something I should have realized
from the first day we met—you don’t wear our House colors.”
My brow furrows. “Gold and Garnet?”
He nods. “You’re also not tattooed—which a lot of mercenaries choose
to do over wearing a symbol. But the fact of the matter is, you have
neither.”
“It doesn’t have to be something permanent,” Bane adds as he steps
forward.
Then he pulls a dagger from a holster on his hip. It’s the knife he let me
use to eviscerate Klas last year. I frown as his thumb runs over the gold
handle and the garnet gem on top.
“I wear this everywhere,” he tells me. “That’s how I show my House
affiliation.”
“And I show my affiliation by carrying around this,” Nox says, taking a
tiny vial out of his pocket. It’s clear with a gold cap and appears to be filled
with blood. “It’s Kaspian’s.”
“Kaspian’s…?” I trail off, trying to follow what he’s saying. “His
blood?”
 Nox nods. “Vampire blood is powerful in the right circumstance.
Especially when combined with certain toxins.”
That makes sense. While I haven’t seen Nox play much with chemicals,
I’m aware that he’s quite the wizard when it comes to the art of alchemy.
Specifically, the kind that can be combined with weapons.
“I’m a little more old-fashioned.” Nolan’s deep voice captures my
attention as he pulls a gold chain from around his neck. There’s a charm on
the end—a bloody bullet. “This used to represent my first kill as a
mercenary,” he tells me, his thumb brushing the charm. “But I changed it
last year.”
I blink at him. He can’t mean…
“It’s the bullet from when I shot you,” he says, making my lips part. “A
memory I’ll never forget.”
I … I don’t know how to respond to that. Which seems to be an ongoing
conundrum between us. His truths continue to leave me speechless.
Because I’m realizing there’s so much more to Nolan than I could ever have
anticipated.
He’s dark.
Broody.
And yet, there’s a tenderness to him that he seems to reserve for me. But
it’s not a normal kind of tenderness. It’s the kind of tenderness associated
with keeping a bloody bullet—one that was originally meant to kill me—as
a keepsake.
“Mine is also a little more old-fashioned,” Kaspian tells me, his lips
twitching. “But maybe a little less… violent.” He brings one hand out from
behind his back to show me the ring on his finger. “It’s a House heirloom,
one meant for the king.” He shrugs one shoulder. “I also have some Gold
and Garnet weapons, ones I carry with me often.”
I’m not surprised by his tokens. They’re all very Kaspian-like to me.
Although… “I’m shocked you don’t have a Gold and Garnet three-piece
suit.”
He smirks. “I do, actually. But it’s atrocious and you’ll never see me
wear it.”
“It’s more of a burgundy color with a gold tie,” Bane adds. “But he’s
right—it’s terrible.”
“Now I want to see it,” I say, waggling my brows. “Maybe I’ll think
you’re sexy in it.”
 Kaspian snorts. “You would find me sexy in anything I choose to wear,
Fallon.”
I can’t stop the laugh from escaping me. “Someone has quite the ego.”
“Someone has more than earned his ego,” Kaspian returns, stepping
closer to me. “Besides, I’m all about truths, love. And we both know I’m
right—you can’t resist me.” That last part is a whisper against my mouth,
his boldness and confidence making my knees go weak.
I hate that he can do this to me.
But I also love it.
“I could,” I reply to him softly. “But why would I ever want to?” I go
onto my toes to kiss him, but he catches my hip and holds me in place.
“You need a token, Fallon. Something you can wear that says you’re
part of Gold and Garnet.” His tone holds a sternness to it that is the epitome
of regal Kaspian.
“What kind of token do you want me to have?” I ask him, unsure of
what I would choose.
“This,” he says, his hand—the one he’s kept behind his back since he
entered the room—moves between us to reveal a tiny black box.
I frown at it. “What is it?”
“Open it and find out,” he says, holding it out for me.
My throat feels a little tight as I take the item from him, my heart
skipping a beat in my chest. He brought me a token.
It’s probably similar to what he gave Issy and Ayla—a charm for them
to wear on a necklace or a bracelet.
Except I quickly realize that’s not the case as I open the box.
It’s not a charm at all.
It’s a ring.
My lips part at the beautiful token, my eyes zeroing in on the yellow
gemstone framed by garnet accents and set in a solid gold band.
“Kaspian…” I look up at him.
Only, he’s no longer standing.
He’s kneeling.
And he’s not alone.
All four of my mates are now kneeling around me, their gazes reverent.
“The heart of Gold and Garnet revolves around our fealty pledge,”
Kaspian explains to me. “We’re a House of mercenaries where fortune and
prestige are two of our most important qualities. But it’s the fealty we
pledge to each other—to our House—that matters most.”
I swallow, my head dipping in understanding. He mentioned some of
this to Issy and Ayla.
“That said, I don’t want you to pledge your fealty to Gold and Garnet,
Fallon.” Kaspian’s words have my eyes widening. But he doesn’t give me a
chance to ask for clarification. “I want to pledge my fealty to you.”
My lips part, his words shocking me silent.
“You’re our mate,” Nox adds.
“Our heart,” Bane murmurs.
“Our queen,” Nolan says.
“Our queen,” Kaspian echoes. “We owe you our fealty. Our love. Our
devotion. Our protection. Our truths. Which is why we’re kneeling for you.
We pledge ourselves to you, Fallon Doyle, Queen of Gold and Garnet. And
we’re hoping you will accept us by wearing that ring.”
I glance down at it, realizing now that there are exactly four garnet gem
accents around the yellow stone. One for each mate.
A slight mist seems to disturb my vision, my heart beating a mile a
minute in my chest.
How has this become my existence? I marvel. Going from Klas to… to
this.
You need to start putting yourself first, Issy said to me the other day. We
need to focus on the future, Fallon. Embrace the gifts fate has given us. And
that includes you embracing your mates.
I knew then that she was right.
But seeing my four mates all kneeling for me, pledging themselves to
me … Stars, I still can’t believe this is real. That this is my life. My fate.
Four sexy fated mates.
And they’re all mine, I marvel. Mine to love. To accept. To spend
eternity with.
How could I ever say no to what they’re offering? Why would I even
consider it?
“Yes,” I tell Kaspian. “Yes,” I repeat, looking at each of my mates. “Yes
to everything. Yes to this. Yes to… to all of you.”
That last part is for Nolan more than the others. He’s the only one I
haven’t completed the bond with, and I need him to know I accept him.
His multicolored eyes gleam in response, his gaze intent.
 But it’s Kaspian who takes the ring and slips it on my finger. “We
considered making it a ruby with three yellow diamonds around it, but we
liked the idea of having garnet represent each of us, while the yellow
diamond represents you.” He kisses my hand, drawing my attention back to
him. “You’re our diamond, Fallon.”
Nox takes my hand from him, adding a kiss of his own. “You’re our
firefly.”
“Our burning flame,” Bane says, his lips meeting my wrist.
“Our sweet canary.” Nolan’s words are almost as soft as his touch as he
brushes his mouth against my fingertips. I reach for him as he begins to
release me, needing more than that brief stroke against my skin.
He looks up at me in surprise, his irises seeming to spark with renewed
color. But I don’t give him a chance to react much more than that before I
go to my knees in front of him and kiss him.
He’s the only one I haven’t properly tasted. And I need him to believe
me when I say I want him.
He’s mine just as much as the others are.
I want all of them. All of this. For always.
And I tell Nolan that with my mouth.
With my tongue.
Mine, I’m saying. All of you are mine. I thread my fingers through his
thick hair, my teeth scraping over his bottom lip. And that claim, I’m telling
him with my bite. That claim includes you.
C H A P TE R TH I RTY-F O U R
 NOLAN

M Y H E A R T POUNDS in my chest as Fallon bites my lower lip, her fiery

energy warming my skin. She seems to be trying to teach me some sort of
lesson.
I’m not sure what that lesson is, but I’m enjoying it.
Which is why I don’t immediately take charge of our kiss. I let her play.
Bite. Kiss. Lick.
The moment she starts to pull away, I grab her.
“My turn,” I tell her, taking a fistful of her hair and hauling her right
back to me.
Her eyes widen, but she started this game.
She wanted to prove some sort of point. So I’m going to return the
favor.
And my point is quite simple: If you want to play, we’ll play. But be
prepared, little canary. I play to win.
She trembles against me as my tongue slides into her mouth. I let her set
the pace before because I wanted to give her a chance to explore. However,
now she needs to learn my preferences. My pace. My desires.
One of which is to define her limits.
Master her pleasure.
Draw out the experience until she’s bursting from the inside and
begging me to let her come.
The others all have their kinks. But those are mine.
I love games of passion. I want to take Fallon to the literal stars. Make
her scream for hours.
And I tell her all of that with my mouth. My tongue. My teeth.
 She’s not the only one who can convey messages here through touch.
By the time I’m finished with my part of the lesson, she’s panting, her
emerald eyes glazed with pleasure. She licks her lips, her focus going to my
mouth before she glances at the others.
Kaspian is sitting on the bed, his jacket and vest gone. His dark eyes are
glued to me and Fallon. I’ve never been into group play. He knows this. But
for her… I’ll oblige. Which is why I so openly fucked her mouth in front of
the others.
Bane and Nox are both standing nearby, the top button on their jeans
both undone.
I nearly smirk at the display of discomfort.
If they think my kissing Fallon is hot, they should see what else I can do
to her.
But first, I want her worked up. Teased. Prepared.
“Hmm, I think your phantoms want to play, Fallon,” I tell her. “As does
our vampire king.”
Kaspian arches a brow at me, fully aware that I don’t usually do this.
We’ve known each other for a very long time, and while there have been a
few experiences between us, it’s been a while since we last shared a
woman.
We both vie for dominance in the bedroom.
Which can be good.
And also bad.
But for Fallon, I think we can make it very good.
“What do you think, Kas?” I ask, my gaze on Fallon. “Should we let the
phantoms have her first? Warm her up for us?”
His midnight irises glitter with temptation. He knows what I’m offering.
“Yes. But I imagine you have some requirements?”
“I do.” I look at Bane and Nox. “She’s not allowed to come until I say
she can. Otherwise, do what you want.”
Fallon’s lips part. “What?”
I kiss her again, my grasp tightening in her hair. “Trust me, sweet
canary. I’m going to make you sing in a way you’ve never experienced
before.” I speak the words right against her mouth, then follow it up with a
nibble of my own. “Now be a good girl and let the phantoms fuck you.”
She’s gaping at me when I release her.
 I go to sit beside Kaspian on the bed, my gaze on the phantoms as they
prowl toward a still-startled Fallon. She jumps a little when Nox kisses her
neck, her green eyes finding mine. It looks like she wants to say something
—maybe a rebuttal about my rule—but it’s silenced by Bane taking control
of her mouth with his own.
I’ve never watched the phantoms play, but I quickly learn why Kaspian
is so enamored with them. They move together as one, their hands
mirroring each other as they remove Fallon’s clothes, all while petting and
kissing every inch of her.
“Do you like anal, Fallon?” I ask, curious if she’s ever actually taken a
man in that way.
I have my answer before she speaks, her widening eyes telling me that’s
not something she’s experienced before. “ I … I don’t know.”
“Would you like to find out?” Kaspian inquires, his English accent
deepening with the words. “Because Nox is an expert in the art of fucking
from behind.”
The phantom grins against Fallon’s neck, his chest against her back.
“It’s true,” he says against her ear. “And I’ve been dying to fuck your curvy
ass, firefly.”
She shudders in reply, her rosy nipples beading with clear interest. Bane
bends to take one into his mouth, causing her to moan loudly in approval.
These two have barely begun, and already I can see her sweet little body
tightening with need.
When she comes, it’ll be hard.
And I can’t fucking wait to watch her explode.
“Words, little flame,” Bane says against her full breast. “Tell us what
you want, and we’ll give it to you.”
Except for an orgasm, I think. That’s not yours to give right now.
Fortunately, she seems to know better than to ask for that. Instead, she
looks from me to Kaspian and back again before saying, “I would like to try
it.”
“Try what?” Nox asks against her ear. “You know how we feel about
specifics.”
She swallows, her eyelashes fluttering a little bit. “I want to try anal.”
“Mmm,” Nox hums. “Just anal? Or do you want Bane and I to fuck you
at the same time?”
 Fallon’s body convulses in response to his question, telling me our girl
likes dirty talk.
Noted, I think as I adjust my jeans. They’re starting to feel a little tight,
thanks to the erotic display in front of me.
“I want you to fuck me at the same time,” she breathes.
Damn. Those sexy words leaving her delectable mouth make me that
much harder for her.
Kaspian must feel the same way because he starts to unbutton his dress
shirt.
“We’re going to need to make you good and wet, then,” Nox informs
her. “Bane?”
The other phantom grins against her breast and goes to his knees.
Fallon inhales sharply as he begins to lick her glistening folds. I pull off
my leather jacket while I watch, my gaze traveling between her pussy and
her breasts, watching her skin flush with heightening need.
But every time she nears the peak, Bane pulls back, pleasing me
immensely.
It seems the phantoms know how to respect rules. That’ll be useful in
our new dynamic.
Kaspian folds his shirt and sets it on a bench at the foot of the bed. Then
he takes my discarded jacket to add to the pile. I go ahead and pull my T-
shirt off as well and hand it to him.
Nox follows suit, only he removes everything, not just his top, and
wraps an arm around Fallon to give her some support as they both remain
standing. He kisses her neck, his palm lifting to grab her breast. “How do
you feel, firefly?” he asks her. “Is Bane making you feel good?”
She shivers, that flush creeping higher toward her neck. “Yes,” she says,
arching into Bane’s face as he pulls his mouth away from her clit. A sound
of protest escapes her in response, her limbs beginning to shake.
Good, I think, pleased with her growing arousal. Keep going.
Bane slides two fingers inside her, my vantage point from the bed
allowing me to see just how wet she is as he glides in and out of her with
ease. He adds a third after a few minutes, then returns his tongue to her clit,
his motions teasing more than pleasing.
Fallon groans, her hand going to his head as she tries to hold him
against her. He grins, amused, then slowly slips his fingers backward to her
other entrance. Her eyes fly open as he inserts one digit, her pupils flaring
wide as she parts her lips.
Nox catches her chin and guides her toward him for a kiss, one he uses
to distract her as Bane continues his efforts below.
It’s a beautiful dance, their timing exquisite.
“I see why you’ve been so obsessed with them,” I tell Kaspian quietly.
His lips curl. “This is only the beginning. Wait until they put their
mouths on you.”
I glance sideways at him. “That’s not my thing.”
“They could easily make it your thing,” Kaspian replies.
But I shake my head. “The only mouth I want on me is Fallon’s.”
Because those lips of hers were made to be fucked, not just by my mouth,
but by my cock as well.
She releases another delicious sound as Bane increases the pressure in
her backside, preparing her to take Nox’s pierced shaft.
I’m all for a little pain, but it seems the phantom prefers a different kind
than I do. I’m actually rather impressed. And I’m betting that ladder pattern
makes Fallon feel good.
“She’s ready,” Bane murmurs after another minute of preparing her, his
gaze on her face.
I take in the blush painting her skin, the way her legs are almost
violently shaking, and the dampness coating Bane’s lips. “She is,” I agree.
Kaspian stands to kick off his pants and shoes, then settles back on the
bed near the headboard.
I decide to do the same, the oversized mattress leaving plenty of room
for Fallon to join us with her two phantoms.
Nox leads her to the bed, his mouth occupying hers every step of the
way. Bane trails along behind them while disrobing, his expression heated
by the sight before him.
“Bane’s going to sit in the center of the bed, and you’re going to
straddle him,” Nox tells Fallon. “Once you’re comfortable with him inside
you, I’ll join.” He pulls her hair away from her shoulder and kisses her
exposed skin. “We’ll go slow, firefly. And we’ll stop if it feels like it’s too
much. Okay?”
She swallows and nods. “Okay.”
He kisses her again while Bane settles a foot away from me. Then he
lifts her with ease and sets her on the bed.
 She pauses when she turns toward Bane, her gaze going from the
phantom to me and then to Kaspian.
It’s the first time she’s seeing me without clothes, and the look in her
eyes tells me she very much approves of what she finds.
The feeling is very fucking mutual, beautiful, I tell her with my eyes as I
admire her alluring form.
My look seems to embolden her because she shifts onto her hands and
knees and begins to crawl toward Bane. Her eyes are on me while she
moves, her breasts swaying as she inches forward.
It’s a stunning sight.
One that almost has me demanding to take Bane’s place.
However, I’m not just delaying her pleasure, but my own, too.
“Show us how well you take Bane, love,” Kaspian says. “I want to see
how wet you can make him.”
Fallon visibly shivers, her nostrils flaring. “Yes, my king.”
Kaspian’s lips curve upward, but he doesn’t say anything in response to
her sass. He merely watches with a heated gaze as she obeys his request by
straddling Bane and angling his cock toward her weeping heat.
And sinking downward.
Taking him to the hilt without flinching.
“Fuck,” I breathe, my veins igniting with a fierce need that has my balls
throbbing between my legs. I never knew watching another man fuck
Fallon could be such a turn-on.
And they haven’t even started yet.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Nox asks as he joins us all on the bed. “She takes
us with such natural skill, proving we were all made for each other.” He
kisses the back of her neck. “Isn’t that right, firefly?”
“Yes,” she agrees, her sweet body arching into Bane as she turns her
head to kiss Nox again.
The phantom obliges her, his mouth dominating hers while he positions
himself accordingly behind her. He wraps his palm around her throat to
hold her in place while his opposite palm goes to his groin.
“You’re going to feel some pressure,” Bane warns her, seamlessly
taking over Nox’s previous coaching. “Try to relax for us, Fallon. Trust us
to make you feel good.”
She stiffens a little as Nox starts to push inside, but his movements are
gradual rather than rushed, his touch reverent despite his hand’s location
against her throat.
He’s holding her in place to protect her, to ensure he can feel her
reactions, sense the way she’s swallowing, inhaling, and exhaling. It’s a
display of great care, one that only makes me respect him more.
These men are worthy of our mate.
Now I just need to prove that I am, too.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Kaspian breathes, his gaze on Fallon. “You
look so good taking their cocks, love. So fucking good.” He reaches for his
dick to give it a stroke, something I long to do to my own. But I don’t.
This is about Fallon.
Her pleasure.
And our mutual delayed gratification.
Soon, I tell myself. She’ll be mine soon.
Nox pulls his mouth from hers, releasing a harsh breath. “You feel
amazing, Fallon,” he tells her. “So fucking amazing.”
“You do,” Bane echoes, his hips thrusting up into her. “I can feel Nox
inside you, too. How do you feel, sweet flame?”
She digs her fingers into Bane’s shoulders. “Full. I … I feel full.”
“That’s good, firefly. We want you to feel full.” He shifts his hold, his
fingers threading through her hair to take control of her head. But rather
than pull her back for another kiss, he guides her toward Bane.
She moans against Bane’s mouth, her body vibrating between the two
phantoms as they begin to move in and out of her.
Nox is gentler, his motions ensuring she’s truly ready before he really
begins to thrust.
But soon the three of them are fucking in earnest, their ecstasy an
aphrodisiac that has my balls tightening in anticipation.
Fallon’s arousal intensifies, her cheeks turning a darker pink, her full
lips panting against Bane’s, her chest rising and falling from the exertion.
Alas, it’s not enough. I can see it in the way she’s gyrating her hips,
searching for that additional friction she needs. Bane could give it to her so
easily just by shifting slightly. Or one of the phantoms could reach between
them to stroke her needy little bud.
They don’t do either of those things.
They simply continue to fuck her, their actions giving her pleasure
without allowing her to reach the edge. It’s absolutely perfect. Exactly what
I want. And will lead to an orgasm unlike anything Fallon has ever
experienced before.
She groans a little, her lips moving against Bane’s as she whimpers out,
“More.”
He thrusts upward in response, drawing a scream from her that he
swallows with his mouth while Nox increases his pace from behind.
They’re not going to last much longer. Not that I can blame them.
Fallon is a fucking goddess between them, taking their movements with the
grace of a sensual queen.
Our queen, I muse. Our mate.
Nox’s head falls to her shoulder, a curse leaving his mouth. “Your ass is
even better than I imagined,” he tells her. “Your curves… against my
groin… Fuck, firefly, I’m going to come…”
Bane growls beneath them, the sound borderline animalistic.
Fallon visibly reacts to the primal sound as goose bumps pebble across
her skin.
I note that preference as well, wondering what other feral activities
she’ll enjoy in the bedroom.
Her entire body seems to convulse as Nox erupts behind her, his groan
causing her to arch back between them as another of those delicious
whimpers leaves her lips.
So needy and wet, I marvel, admiring her slick thighs. That’ll be mine to
enjoy in a few minutes.
Or now, I correct myself as Bane follows Nox into oblivion, the two of
them unloading inside Fallon while leaving her primed and not quite at the
edge.
She trembles violently between them, her whimpers turning into mewls
that call to my soul. I push away from the headboard to grab her nape,
pulling her toward me for a kiss. “You did so good, Fallon,” I tell her. “So
fucking good.”
Now she needs a reward. One that’ll set the tone for our future. Solidify
who we are together, and who I’ll be for her.
C H A P TE R THI RTY-F IV E
 NOLAN

I R E L E A S E Fallon long enough for Bane to slide out from beneath her. He
presses a kiss to the side of her mouth. “Enjoy, sweet flame. Show Nolan
just how hot you can burn.”
Fallon murmurs something unintelligible in response, her mind clearly
clouding over with need.
It’s a need I feel throbbing through my veins in kind.
A need I want to feed just a little more, extend just a bit longer…
Fortunately, it’s a need I can stoke while inside.
I settle beneath her on the bed, not caring at all that she’s soaking wet
from her gratification and that of her other mates. It doesn’t matter. It
doesn’t make her any less mine.
“Are you ready for me?” I ask her, my fingers sliding into her hair to
hold her in a way similar to how Nox did just moments ago. “Do you want
me inside you?” It’s a question with multiple meanings.
Do you want me to fuck you?
Do you want me to mate you?
Once I do this, we’ll belong to each other forever.
Her pretty green eyes lock with mine, her expression fierce. “Yes.”
There’s no sign of hesitation in her voice or her face, her answer resolute.
“Good.” I thrust upward, joining our bodies and our souls and loving
the way she screams my name in response.
I’m thicker than Bane. Longer, too. I most closely rival Kaspian in size.
Which is going to make this experience something truly special for her.
Something the vampire drives home as he presses his chest to her back.
“Focus on Nolan for me, love,” he says against her ear. “Let him make you
feel good.”
I translate that as, Let Nolan distract you from what I’m about to do.
Fallon doesn’t need a distraction. She’s more than ready to take us both.
But that doesn’t stop me from monopolizing her attention anyway. I’ve
wanted this woman for months. Thought about her so many times, in so
many different positions.
The feel of her, however, doesn’t do my fantasies justice.
Her thighs feel amazing against my legs, her pussy fucking heaven as it
pulses around my cock.
And her tits… Fuck, I love her tits. So full. So firm. So delicious.
I want to take those little rosebuds between my teeth and nibble on
them.
But I take her mouth instead, needing more of her tongue against mine,
longing to engage in another intimate conversation.
Her teeth skim my lip, the action reminding me of how she reacted to
me barely kissing her fingertips after she accepted my fealty pledge.
I smile, translating her action as a warning. “Do you need something,
Fallon?”
“You know what I need,” she returns, the raspy quality of her voice
exactly what I desire to hear. “Please let me come, Nolan.”
“Mmm.” I drive up into her at the same time Kaspian enters her from
behind.
She freezes in response, her lips parted on a soundless noise.
“Too much?” Kaspian asks against her ear, his voice lacking true
concern.
“No,” I answer for her. “She can take it.”
Kaspian nods. “She can.” He punctuates that statement with another
thrust.
Fallon gasps, but it’s not a sound of pain so much as surprise. Then she
flexes her hips forward and back, her body easily accommodating both of
us.
It’s a bold move, one that has me smiling against her mouth. “Mmm, I
feel you, vixen,” I tell her. “Do it again.”
She clenches around me instead, then grabs my shoulders and shifts
once more.
I groan, loving the way her pussy feels around my thick length. “So
fucking good,” I praise her.
 Fate definitely made this woman for us. Because she’s flawless.
Absolutely breathtaking.
I kiss her, this time with a new purpose in mind. I want to worship her.
Thank her. Show her how much she means to me. How grateful I am to her
for accepting me, for allowing me to cherish her.
Kaspian grabs her hips, his dominance showing as he guides her into a
rhythm between us. It’s one that suits my needs, too, something he no doubt
knows. His memory is a good one. And there are some things that never
change.
But my feelings for Fallon are definitely new. No woman—or man—
has ever made me feel so strongly before. Part of it may be the fate bond,
but I suspect most of it is just because it’s Fallon.
This woman has been under my skin since the moment I aimed a gun at
her.
And now she’s mine, I think, kissing her harder.
I keep my hand in her hair while I slip another between us, my thumb
going to her swollen bud. She immediately jerks, her over-sensitized sex
contracting around me.
The phantoms purposely riled her up, only to leave this part of her
without touch while fucking her.
It kept her from reaching the edge.
But now only a few strokes have her panting.
She’s exactly where I need her to be, all desperate and ready to burst. I
massage her until she starts to shake, her orgasm right there, only for me to
chase it away by removing my touch.
Orgasm denial is a delicate dance. It’s all about finding the sweet spot. I
can’t push too hard, or it’ll hurt. I have to make sure it’s just right.
Her teeth sink into my lip when I pull my thumb away for the third
time, her frustration adorable. “Nolan.”
“Yes, Fallon?” I say against her mouth, causing Kaspian to chuckle
behind her.
“Is he torturing you, love?” he asks her. “Keeping you right on the edge
while we fuck you?”
“Yes,” she hisses.
I take control of her mouth before she can say anything else, my tongue
dueling with hers as I drive her toward the brink once more. When I pull
away, she screams, telling me we’ve finally reached the place I need her to
be in.
Kaspian must sense that as well because he lowers his mouth to her
neck as her nails bite into my shoulders.
However, he doesn’t bite her.
He simply presses kisses up and down the column of her throat.
I suspect it’s meaningful somehow, a way to establish trust, because the
action has Fallon squeezing the hell out of my dick.
Or maybe she just likes the sensation.
Either way, I play into it by turning our kiss into something hotter. More
intense. And I do it by letting her feel my emotions, my tongue slowing the
pace as I unleash all my secrets into her mouth.
I tell her how I worried that she wouldn’t accept me. How, deep down, I
don’t think I deserve her. How I’ll spend our existence ensuring I never let
her down. How I’ll forever be grateful that fate gave me such a perfect
mate.
How I’ll cherish her.
Always respect her.
Protect her.
Love her.
My thumb returns to her swollen flesh as I think all those words at her,
vowing each one and solidifying it all with this kiss.
It’s an intense experience, one that makes me a bit breathless as my hips
move with her and Kaspian.
Her body tenses in response to all the sensations, all the unspoken
statements, all the friction. I start to count down, aware of her approaching
her climax.
I could stop it.
Pull my hand away.
Really make her scream.
But it would be too much.
We’ve arrived at her limit, and I won’t push her beyond it. Not tonight.
She deserves so much pleasure, so much happiness, and I love that I’m
going to be the one to grant her that.
Kaspian nips her pulse, his eyes meeting mine in mutual understanding.
He can feel her approaching the edge, too.
 We both pick up our pace at the same time, drawing a low groan from
Fallon as we ensure she feels every inch of us driving into her.
Five, I think. Four…
She’s so close.
Three.
So fucking hot.
Two.
Right there…
One.
She freezes.
Every part of her overwhelmed by the inferno burning inside her.
And then…
She erupts.
Kaspian and I hold on to her, fucking her as she screams, her body
bowing and trembling and rolling in waves of immense ecstasy.
So immense that she falls into a second orgasm right after the first.
Which was precisely my intention.
Someday, we’ll work up to three.
But tonight, she’s having two very powerful experiences.
And I’m about to join her in that fun.
Just a few more…
She clamps down around me so harshly that I find myself trapped inside
her, incapable of moving. All I can feel are her tight muscles and Kaspian
drilling into her from behind.
I groan, my mouth still against hers. “Fallon.”
She needs to let me move.
Fuck.
Her teeth sink into my lower lip, her gaze wild as she stares me down.
Then she thrusts forward, drawing me in to the hilt and forcing me to
follow her into oblivion. It’s so fucking erotic that I don’t even try to fight
it.
My canary just topped from the bottom, I muse, loving the way she
demanded my pleasure.
Kaspian soon follows, his growl causing Fallon to shiver with delight
between us.
Then he takes control of her mouth, kissing her while I try to regroup
my thoughts, my body and soul replete. Every part of me feels whole.
Happy. Entirely at peace.
I rest my head against Fallon’s shoulder, my breaths coming in pants.
Then I smile as she lays her head against mine, her fingers sliding
upward into my hair as she hugs me.
Kaspian presses a kiss to her neck on the opposite side, then pulls away,
saying something about getting a towel for her.
I’m too caught up in holding her to move yet, my soul rejoicing at
having found its other half.
“I guess it’s a good thing you missed that day,” she says softly, her
fingers brushing the chain around my neck. “But you really should work on
your aim.”
A chuckle escapes me at her teasing words. “The only one with better
aim than me is Kaspian.”
“Don’t let Cara or Larus hear you say that,” Kaspian says as he returns.
“They’ll demand a shoot-out.”
I lift a shoulder. “As long as Fallon isn’t the target, I’ll do fine.”
Fallon makes a disgruntled sound that has me chuckling again.
“You’re the one insulting my aim, canary,” I tell her.
“Because you shot me.”
I sigh. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Not for at least a hundred or so years, no,” she admits.
“Hmm.” I pull back to study her beautiful face. “Only a hundred
years?”
“Maybe a thousand.”
“That sounds more accurate.” I smile. “But I deserve it.”
“You do,” she agrees. “And you know what I deserve?”
I arch a brow. “What?”
“Another orgasm.”
Kaspian laughs behind her.
But I don’t. Instead, I study my mate and nod. “You do,” I agree. “How
do you want it?”
Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “Really?”
“Really.” I brush my lips against hers. “I’ll give you whatever you want,
Fallon. We all will. Name it and it’s yours.”
“Especially orgasms,” Nox says from his position on the bed. Both he
and Bane took over the place I shared with Kaspian before.
“Definitely orgasms,” Bane echoes.
 Fallon squirms a little, her inner walls clenching around my still-hard
cock. “You know, Issy was right.”
My eyebrow arches. “About orgasms?”
“No. About the future.”
“What about it, love?” Kaspian asks as he runs a washcloth along her
backside, cleaning her up.
“She said wallowing in the past would only keep us from enjoying the
future. And that the only way to really move forward was to embrace fate.”
She pauses for a moment, her gaze falling to the bullet around my neck. “I
think there are some past events that define us. But she’s right about
needing to embrace fate.”
Kaspian pulls the towel away and tosses it onto some of the discarded
clothes. “I agree with embracing fate.”
“Me, too,” Nox says.
“Same,” Bane agrees.
I nod. “Fate brought us all together for a reason.” I palm Fallon’s cheek.
“To embrace you.”
“To cherish you.” Nox moves forward with the words, going to his
knees beside Fallon.
“To protect you,” Kaspian adds before placing a gentle kiss on her
shoulder.
“To love you,” Bane finishes as he settles on her opposite side, across
from Nox.
Fallon glances at each of us, at the circle we’ve formed around her, and
smiles. “I can’t believe this is my life.”
“It’s real,” Kaspian tells her, a twinkle in his gaze.
“Definitely real,” I agree, my cock twitching inside her.
Fallon’s smile grows. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
“And we’re the luckiest mates in the world,” Bane replies.
“I think we should show her how lucky we are,” Nox suggests.
“She did ask for more orgasms,” Bane murmurs.
“She did,” Nox echoes. “Between the four of us, I’m certain we can
accomplish that.”
“Maybe make her beg us to stop?” Kaspian suggests.
“Oh, now there’s a plan I like,” I admit, my focus returning to Fallon.
“You’ve been so good for us, darling canary. How about we see how long
you can sing?”
 “An entire night of orgasms,” Nox muses. “Her pleasure only.”
“Her pleasure only,” Kaspian agrees. “Slide her off your lap, Nolan. I’ll
start by licking her clean.”
I do as he asks, positioning a startled Fallon in the middle of the bed.
“Consider this our true pledge of fealty, my queen…”
EPILOGUE: FALLON
 A FEW WEEKS L AT E R

Q UE E N F A L L O N , my sister singsongs into my thoughts, making me wince.

Don’t start.
But it has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
I roll my eyes. The only thing I like about it is my new last name.
Fallon Antonik, she says. Yes. Much better than Doyle. So I guess I need
to find myself a mate and change my last name, too.
Or you could just change your last name, I offer. I’m queen now. I can
authorize that.
She snorts. So much for “don’t start.”
There are some benefits to my new role, I admit.
Oh? Tell me more.
I consider that for a second and frown. Actually, you know what? Not
much has changed. I glance around my room. I mean, I live in Kaspian’s
quarters officially now, not in his guest suite. But… they’re honestly not that
much different. Just more masculine. And he has a larger bed.
Something that has come in handy over the last few weeks.
Even Nolan usually sleeps with us.
But there are nights when he asks for me to come to him alone. I’m
learning that his preference is for just me, not group time. However, he
joins us more often than not.
I’m also allowed to leave the palace at will now, I add. So I suppose
that’s different, too.
Your phantoms let you leave the palace without them? Issy asks.
I frown. Sometimes. But definitely not very often. And even then…
Only when Nolan or Kaspian is with me. Otherwise… no.
 So that hasn’t changed much, then.
Not really, no, I reply. If anything, they’re even more protective now. But
I guess that comes with the territory of our bonding.
Meaning what, exactly?
Just that they have different reasons to be protective now than they did
before. I shrug. Not that she can see me. She’s in Finland with Ayla, the
latter of whom keeps sending me pictures of all the snow.
I don’t think so, Issy replies.
You don’t think what? I ask, confused.
That their reasons have changed.
I blink. But they have. I was a prisoner before. Now I’m their mate.
I think their reasons have always revolved around their interest in you,
sis. Sure, they were trying to interrogate you before. But I think they
followed you around because they wanted to, not because they had to.
I snort at that. Pretty sure Kaspian ordered them to.
Pretty sure they offered to guard you, Fallon, she tosses back. No order
required.
I narrow my gaze as though she’s seated across from me. Wanna bet?
Sure. When I win, you have to come visit for a week without the harem.
And when I win? I counter.
Name your terms, she taunts.
My lips twist to the side as I consider my options. I’m about to suggest
something outlandish—just to play with my sister—when Nox materializes
in the room. “You have a very strange expression on your face, firefly.
What are you contemplating?”
“How long have you been watching me?”
He smiles. “A few minutes.”
I shake my head. “Such a voyeur.”
“Guilty.” He shrugs. “But seriously, what’s with the face?”
I blow out a breath and tell him what Issy just said, then add, “My sister
is being a hopeless romantic, apparently.”
Nox considers me for a moment. “I’d argue that she’s being a realist.”
My brow furrows. “What?”
“You don’t think Kaspian offered us other positions in the palace?” he
asks me. “Other opportunities outside of guarding you?”
I stare at him. “Did he?”
 “Of course he did. But Bane and I chose you each time.” He shrugs
again. “We had no interest in sharing you with others, Fallon.” He crawls
onto the bed to sit beside me. “You’ve been ours since the moment we saw
you.”
I shiver. “Oh.”
“Oh,” he repeats, leaning in to brush his lips over mine.
“I feel the same way,” Bane announces as he appears in the room. “In
case that wasn’t clear with Nox’s proclamation.”
“Just as there’s a reason I kept you in my guest suite,” Kaspian adds as
he opens the door, his enhanced vampire senses obviously granting him
access to our conversation without even being in the room.
Nolan follows him in. “Not sure what we’re talking about, but if it’s
about my obsession with Fallon, I lurked outside on your balcony every
night for months.”
I gape at all of them, torn between shock at their admissions and having
some choice comments about eavesdropping.
Fallon? Issy asks, reminding me that I left her hanging.
Uh, you win, I tell her without bothering to elaborate. But I don’t know if
these guys are going to let me visit you for a week without them…
I can almost hear Issy smiling as she replies, I suspected as much. Just
promise to visit soon.
I will.
Love you, Issy says.
Love you, too.
Now stop talking to me and go enjoy your happily-ever-after. You
deserve it.
You deserve one, too, I whisper back to her.
Issy doesn’t answer, maybe because she doesn’t agree.
Too bad. One day, she’ll find her soul mate. Maybe even more than one.
I mean, I did. And if anyone has earned happiness, it’s Issy.
“There’s that look again,” Nox says, his gaze narrowing.
I give him a small smile. “I’m just thinking about Issy and how she
deserves to be happy.”
“You deserve to be happy, too,” Kaspian says as he joins us on the bed.
“In fact, I think you should let us all worship you as you were intended to
be worshipped, Queen Fallon.”
I shake my head. “I’m never going to get used to that.”
 “You will,” he promises me as Bane and Nolan settle on the mattress
with us. “We’ll help you.”
My eyebrow lifts. “Yeah? How?”
“By reminding you every day that you’re our queen.” He leans in to
nuzzle my throat. “Hmm, here, I’ll start.” He moves his lips to my ear.
“How would you like us to please you, Your Majesty?”
My lips twitch. “I don’t know, Your Majesty. How would you like to
please me?”
“Oh, I can answer that,” Nolan says, his hands going to my thighs and
prying them apart.
I’m still wearing my dress from the announcement earlier, the silky
fabric covering me all the way to my ankles. Not that he minds. His palms
are already creeping up beneath the skirt, his expression positively wicked.
“I believe it’s my turn to make you sing,” he murmurs. “So spread your
thighs for me, sweet canary. And let me serve you, my queen…”

T H E END

Are you craving Issy’s happily-ever-after? Follow her journey in Taste Me,
a standalone reverse harem by J.R. Thorn.

Want to learn more about Khaos and his brothers? They’re the heroes in
Mark Me, a standalone reverse harem by Mila Young.

If you’re looking for more in this world, consider reading Crave Me for
King Vesperus’s story with Goddess Nyx.
IMM ORTAL VICES & VIRTU ES
 H E R MONSTROUS MATES

S TA N D A L O N E R E V E R S E H A R E M R O M A N C E S
Covet Me
Protect Me
Claim Me
Mark Me
Taste Me
Bury Me
 C R AV E M E

Once upon a time, a series of portals opened on Earth, allowing magic to

spill into the human world.
Houses were created. Supernaturals were assigned. And a new balance was
formed.
All new arrivals are required to join a House.
But this is the tale of a goddess who refused and the House King who
brought her to heel.

Nyx.
Goddess of Night.
My newest obsession.

The daring female killed one of my men.

Which made it my job as the Gold and Garnet House King to make her pay.

Oh, there were so many things I wanted to do with that disobedient little
mouth of hers. But she was much stronger than she led anyone to believe.
Now I’m left with a craving I can’t quite sate.
Because one bite wasn’t enough.

You may be the Goddess of Night, but I’m still your king.
You will kneel.
You will beg.
And most importantly, you will bleed.

Welcome to the House of Gold and Garnet, where power defines the
monarchy and blood is a preferred currency.
Proceed at your own risk.

Author’s Note: Crave Me is a dark standalone paranormal romance set in

the Immortal Vices and Virtues Universe. Every book in this shared world
is a guaranteed happily-ever-after with a satisfying ending and no
cliffhangers.

For fans of the Blood Alliance series, this is the story of Nyx and
Vesperus, the goddess and her vampire lover that started it all…

AMAZON
 USA Today Bestselling Author Lexi C. Foss loves to play in dark worlds, especially the ones that
bite. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband and their furry children. When not
writing, she’s busy crossing items off her travel bucket list, or chasing eclipses around the globe.
She’s quirky, consumes way too much coffee, and loves to swim.

Want access to the most up-to-date information for all of Lexi’s books? Sign-up for her newsletter
here.

Lexi also likes to hang out with readers on Facebook in her exclusive readers group - Join Here.

Where To Find Lexi:

www.LexiCFoss.com
 ALSO BY LEXI C. FOSS

Blood Alliance Series - Dystopian Paranormal

Chastely Bitten
Royally Bitten
Regally Bitten
Rebel Bitten
Kingly Bitten
Cruelly Bitten

Blood Alliance Standalones - Dystopian Paranormal

Blood Day

Dark Provenance Series - Paranormal Romance

Heiress of Bael (FREE!)
Daughter of Death
Son of Chaos
Paramour of Sin
Princess of Bael
Captive of Hell

Elemental Fae Academy - Reverse Harem

Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Elemental Fae Queen
Winter Fae Queen

Hell Fae - Reverse Harem

Hell Fae Captive
Hell Fae Warden
Hell Fae Commander
 Immortal Curse Series - Paranormal Romance
Book One: Blood Laws
Book Two: Forbidden Bonds
Book Three: Blood Heart
Book Four: Blood Bonds
Book Five: Angel Bonds
Book Six: Blood Seeker
Book Seven: Wicked Bonds
Book Eight: Blood King

Immortal Curse World - Short Stories & Bonus Fun

Elder Bonds
Blood Burden
Assassin Bonds

Immortal Vices & Virtues - Standalone Paranormal

Crave Me (MF)
Claim Me (RH)

Mershano Empire Series - Contemporary Romance

Book One: The Prince’s Game
Book Two: The Charmer’s Gambit
Book Three: The Rebel’s Redemption

Midnight Fae Academy - Reverse Harem

Ella’s Masquerade
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book Four

Nightmare Fae World - Reverse Harem

Their Lethal Pet

Noir Reformatory - Ménage Paranormal Romance

The Beginning
 First Offense
Second Offense
Third Offense
Fourth Offense

Underworld Royals Series - Dark Paranormal Romance

Happily Ever Crowned
Happily Ever Bitten

X-Clan Series - Dystopian Paranormal

Andorra Sector
X-Clan: The Experiment
Winter’s Arrow
Bariloche Sector

V-Clan Series - Dystopian Paranormal

Blood Sector
Night Sector

Vampire Dynasty - Dark Paranormal

Violet Slays
Crossed Fates

Other Books
Scarlet Mark - Standalone Romantic Suspense
Rotanev - Standalone Poseidon Tale
Carnage Island - Standalone Reverse Harem Romance
 5IJTpMFXBTEPXOMPBEFEfrom;-JCSB SZ QSPKFDU

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