Page 42 of Ruthless Monsters

“Alone?” Alaric questions gruffly, and for the first time since I entered the room, all four of them seem to finally notice Mason standing there.

The Perstalian prince steps forward, his shoulders pulling back as he peers at my mates. “No, not alone,” he says. “I was with her.”

“I bumped into him,” I add quickly, “and, well, things got a little interesting from there.”

“Interesting how?” Dante asks, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes like he knows exactly what I’m about to say.

I lick my lips, and all four of my mates track the movement. Actually, make that five. Allfiveof my mates watch me carefully. “Well, you know how I thought I’d found all of my mates in Perstalia?” I say slowly.

“Yes,” Alaric growls, and from the way he’s staring at Mason now, I’m guessing he’s also pieced together what I’m about to say.

“No,”Shade squawks in my head.“You’re not trying to tell us that?—”

“Mason is also my mate,” I blurt.

Silence. The room is completely quiet as everyone processes what I’ve just told them, and Mason moves closer to my side.

“So, I guess Lady Fate wasn’t done with me after all,” I say with a tight smile.

Prince Callan curses, Dante shakes his head smirking, and Nate laughs.

“This can’t be Lady Fate’s doing,” Alaric mutters.

“Well, it sure isn’t mine,” I grumble, giving them all a pointed stare, because let’s face it, if I had my way, a Drozac assassin, shifter thief, moody archangel, playboy demon, and now, a fallen prince, wouldn’t have exactly been my picks.

“Whoa, Blake, five mates? Even having four is unusual for demons,”Shade reminds me.

“Yep, Dad’s going to be so proud,”I reply sarcastically, and then I wish I’d never thought about him, because I’m reminded that Dad is in Seral alone.

“As long as I get my time with you, princess, I don’t care if you have dozens of mates,” Dante says with a smirk, and I get the feeling he’s remembering how I judged him for the number of females he’s been with. I want to argue that it’s still not the same thing, but I don’t.

The others look at me like they’re expecting me to rattle off the names of more mates I’ve discovered, so I say instead, “Thankfully, there won’t be dozens. Just you five.”

“You sure?” Nate asks with a shit-eating grin.

“Yes,” I reply, jutting out my hip. I don’t tell them how I know. But, somehow, I can feel it in my core.

“And how do you feel ’bout all this?” Nate asks Mason curiously.

The prince doesn’t hesitate in saying, “I feel like I’ve been given a second chance. Having a fated mate is an honor, and I intend to never leave my mate wanting.”

Nate makes a face. “Great. He’s a romantic.”

I grin, already liking having Mason as part of our group.Now if only I knew I wasn’t going to kill my mates when I bed them, then this would be a whole lot more fun.As the sobering thought of Kai enters my mind, I step forward, intending to grab the jug of water on the table, but I stumble before I can reach it. Mason and Dante are quick to each grab one of my arms to steady me. “Whoa there, I can grab myself a drink,” I tell them.

Knowing that Dante is holding me, Mason pours a glass of water, and hands it to me. “When is the last time you rested, my mate?”

Considering the lines around his eyes, I don’t think he’s one to judge, but I take the drink and down the whole thing before saying, “Probably not since before we were kidnapped.”

Alaric’s brows lower.

“Even a demon princess has limits,” Prince Callan tells me. “We need to be strong when we face King Celzar.”

“Strong? With these cuffs on, that’s not likely to happen,” I point out.

“We should bond,” Dante says. “Now that you’re certain we’re all your mates, maybe your increased power could break the magic of the cuffs.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Mason says. “Once the cuffs are on, they’ll block whatever magic the prisoner holds.”

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