Page 47 of Gemini Hunted
Ash sweeps the armed Unseelie into a rough embrace, then swings around to face the room. The smooth maneuver places his own formidable frame between his lover and the demon.
“Dramamine,” Ash announces to the room with a grimace. “Been a while since I did the whole boat thing. I was turning green up there. So I popped a few of those little pills.”
“A few?” In the midst of fetching clothes from his own suitcase for Ronin, Lucius creases his brow in a worried frown. “I believe the prescribed dose is a single tablet.”
Ash hitches his massive shoulders in a wry shrug. “Yeah, well, like I said. Knocked me out cold. Didn’t move a muscle, even though Xhevith musta flew right over me bringing Sparrow in. If not for Neo coming to wake my ass up, I’d still be lights out.”
“I checked the storm anchor while I was out there,” Neo pipes up helpfully. “I was worried it might be dragging again, but it’s holding. The weather might be clearing up. It’s mostly just heavy rain now. I’m gonna see if I can maybe get a weather report on the VHF.”
Without waiting for a reply, Neo ducks back out into the storm.
“Ash,”Zephyr says tightly. “Did. You. Know.”
“About the squid over there?” Ash looks resigned. “Yeah, sure. I knew. He brought us the thingamajig, didn’t he? Says he caused all that ruckus with the insurrection back on Avalon cuz he was bound to it by his last summoner. Sounds like your great aunt Blossom.”
“Blossom?” Zephyr scoffs. “Don’t be absurd. She must be two hundred years old.”
“Whoa. Did you just saytwo hundred?” Still tucked protectively against my side, Zara looks dazed and a little horrified.
“Yep.” Ash gives an easy nod. “Unseelie witchcraft extends a Fae’s life. Mad old Maeve was way up there in the triple digits herself. But Great Aunt Blossom’s kinda feeble. That’s what Sparrow’s getting at.”
“Auntie Blossom can’t piss without a bedpan and a nurse, but she inherited your mom’s old spell books, cuz,” Mordred says to Zephyr. “Besides, good old Uncle Puck egged her on.With those two holding my summoning leash, what’s a demon to do?”
“Puck.” Zephyr’s nostrils flare. I can nearly see his pointed ears twitch.“Fuck.”
We all wait for more, but Zephyr is not forthcoming.
Whoever good old Uncle Puck may be, apparently his nephew considers him eminently capable of treason, demon-summoning, and regicide.
“Your cuz says he’s not jonesing for your throne anymore. Now that Beautiful over there’s calling the shots.” Ash jerks his chin at Vasili, still skulking near the window. “Guess this demon is ours now. Kinda like a genie in a lamp.”
“Ours?”Zephyr’s head tilts. “By the moon, ’tis more accurate to say the demon ishis.Is that not so, Vasili Romanov?”
Vasili speaks at last, in a voice like silk. “Purely a matter of semantics, darling. I’m Zara’s alpha, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, you are.” Zara detaches gently from my side and plants a hand on her hip. “Let’s keep that in mind, okay, Goblin King?”
“Unless I’m greatly mistaken, little queen, those aremymating bites you’re wearing. All three of them. I believe that fact cements my already certain status as your dominant alpha. I’m yours. And he’s mine.” Vasili’s cruel mouth curls in a smug smile. “By that logic, my adorable pet demon also belongs to you.”
I know my Vasili very well.
When he sounds like that, he is not to be trusted.
Zara’s eyes narrow in suspicion.
This is because she also knows him very well.
“Bingo. Now we’re getting somewhere. I ain’t here to pinch Cousin Z’s crown, am I?” Sounding deeply satisfied (which is also suspicious), the demon oozes into our bedroom andswanks across the floor toward Zara. Lean hips swaying, indigo hair swirling, those damnable dimples digging into his swarthy cheeks above his blue goatee. White teeth flash in a lazy grin.
If he fucks like he walks, I swear, he will make any woman (and many men) scream with pleasure.
And he is still coming.
“For whatever reason you are here, if you wish to keep breathing, kraken, you will come no closer,” I snarl, pushing Zara behind me into Lucius’ waiting arms.
Alphas in a royal harem are traditional rivals, but the alphas in this harem are all lovers. To protect our sovereign, we cooperate. (Even Vasili, who does not have a cooperative bone in his entire lethal body.)
Just beyond the defensive perimeter I have established and thickly scented with my brimstone mating scent, Mordred stops.
