Page 27 of Wounded Mate
Valius unloads the sweets from Rizpah, then secures the satchel around my neck. “Is there somewhere private Bela could use to shift and dress?”
“Of course,” says Dominus. “Our room is just through there. Make yourself at home.”
I cross the den and head through the doorway to a bedroom.
It’s decorated much like The Twig, only with more subdued colors. Earth tones prevail, but silks and tapestries are draped over the bed, hung about the walls, and even flow artfully from the ceilings. Jewel tones are mixed in sparingly, and by contrast, the purples, reds, and golds really pop. Easy to see the two personalities blending in harmony as one in this home.
The room smells of its occupants, of flowery perfumes, spicy incense, and lovemaking. It’s cozy, and I’m feeling overwhelmed to be so casually allowed in their private space like this.
I hurry to shift. I don’t want anyone to think I’m standing around gawking at their lovely bedroom. In the satchel are my borrowed clothes, a simple linen tunic the color of wet moss and soft black leather pants that mostly hide the fur on my legs butdo nothing to disguise my big bushy tail. It pokes through a hole Rizpah fashioned for me just below the waistband. I’ve never had anyone modify a garment for my tail before. It’s a luxury I’m afraid I could easily get used to.
But maybe I won’t have to. If Sebastian can break the curse, I’ll say good-bye to this tail forever when I’m in my human form. A shiver courses through me, and an odd sensation grips my stomach.
I ignore both.
This is what I’ve always wanted. An end to the curse. No turning back now.
I have no shoes because I have no real feet, only my back paws poking conspicuously from the leather. Valius has assured me it’s fine, though all my past experiences say it’s not. But I trust my mate. If he says I’m safe here, then I am.
Once dressed, I gather my courage and rejoin the group.
They’re seated in the den, Sebastian and Dominus on the wide couch together and Valius in a rocking chair leaning back against a colorful quilt. No one makes a big deal of my entrance. They go on talking as if my appearance is totally normal.
I relax a bit as I take a seat in the chair across from Valius.
“Bela, would you like a drink?” asks Sebastian. “Some tea or perhaps cherry ale?”
“No, thank you.” My stomach is far too queasy to put anything in at the moment.
“Let me know if you change your mind.” Sebastian leans into Dominus’s side. “Since you’re aware of our true forms, we’re going to drop our glamours. I only wanted to warn you because Dom here is a giant purple sex demon, and you should definitely prepare yourself to drool over him. But he’s mine.”
His grin says he’s mostly teasing, but I appreciate the warning nonetheless. I’m still new to meeting incubi. And I’ve never met a faerie.
The air around them shimmers, and their real forms emerge in the sparkling aftermath.
Sebastian wasn’t kidding. Dominus is even bigger in his incubus form, with dappled lavender skin and two enormous serpentine horns winding up and back from his temple.
My jaw hangs open stupidly. He’s quite a sight to behold. I force my mouth closed and my expression to neutral. They were kind enough not to make a big deal out of my form. I will do the same for them, no matter how stunning I may find them.
Sebastian’s change is less dramatic but no less beautiful. His skin has a shine to it now, glittering like moonlight on the surface of a rippling lake. And two opalescent wings have sprouted from his lean shoulders, tipped in black. His caramel irises have taken on a subtle glow.
Together they’re utterly otherworldly in the best of ways.
Valius changes to his incubus form as well, which is a comfort to me, as that’s the form I’ve spent the last two days cuddled up with. The blue of his skin is blazing bright next to the pastel lavender of Dominus and the fae shimmer of Sebastian. My gaze catches and lingers on my mate.
I’ll never tire of admiring his bold beauty.
“Now that we’re all comfortable, why don’t you tell us what we can do for you, Bela?” Sebastian’s voice is gentle as if perhaps he knows how nervous I am. “Valius says something about a curse.”
I look to Valius for support, and he offers an encouraging smile. I’m stronger in his presence. “If it’s all right, I’ll tell you the whole story. It makes the most sense that way.”
“Please.” Sebastian takes Dominus’s hand, and they both watch me with the ethereal eyes of the preternatural. “Take your time.”
I do.
I start from the beginning same as I did for Valius and tell them all of it. The sad, the tragic, the shameful. I leave nothing out. If I hesitate or become overwhelmed, no one rushes me. Valius occasionally chimes in when it’s helpful, and for that, I’m grateful.
Once the tale has been laid at their feet and the request made, I allow myself to lean back in my chair and take a fortifying breath. It’s out of my hands now. Either they’ll help, or they won’t. Either it’ll work, or it won’t. But I’ll know we tried.
