Page 79 of Beyond the Faerie Gate

I don’t understand why my thighs clench beneath the table or why heat blooms in my belly, but I instinctively crave more.

Lore’s nostrils flare. His answering wicked, knowing smirk just makes the ache grow until the rest of my Guards do the same. Jaro’s eyes flash wolf, Bree’s hand clenches around his cutlery, and a vein starts pulsing in Drystan’s temple.

“Get back to what the knight commander said.” Jaro is growling again.

I make a note to ask Kitarni about this whole interaction the second we’re alone. I thought I was supposed to be mated to all of them, so why is there so much… animosity?

Lore reaches over and picks up a small pasty parcel from a plate, holding it up to my lips until I part them so he can feed it to me.

Sweet candied citrus bursts on my tongue, and I grin in delight. Whatever these are, they’re delicious.

His thumb is still covered in soft powdery sugar, and he holds it up, his meaning clear.

I glance around the table in confusion, but Lore swipes the sugar along my bottom lip before I can say anything.

My tongue darts out to taste the sugar, and I accidentally end up licking his thumb.

“Good, pet, lick it clean.”

I have no idea what possesses me to suck his thumb into my mouth. But it’s done. I slurp the sugar off his skin without shame.

At least until the digit pops free and I realise how blatantly sexual that probably looked. Thank goodness the room is empty, and Kitarni doesn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest.

“Lorcan.” Jaro’s tone is strained but uncompromising. “The knight commander. Now.”

The redcap sighs and reaches into his leather jacket, pulling out two letters.

“I’ve got one for you, full of boring safety information.” He hands it over, and Jaro snatches it from his hand. “And one for my pretty pet.” He hands me a smaller letter with a wink.

It’s sealed in gold and white wax, bearing the image of a helmet above two crossed swords. I break it open and almost cry when I realise I can’t read it.

I can make out my name at the top, but almost nothing else. My vision blurs, eyes burning.

“Lorcan, move aside.” Kitarni slides between us, pressing her arm into mine in a silent show of support. “I’ll help you read it, my lady.”

No judgement. Just an open and honest offer. Damn, I want to thank her so badly. The words are dangling on the tip of my tongue, but I know it’s not done.

“You are too kind to me,” I say instead.

Kitarni scoffs. “You won’t think so when I bring you rolls of parchment about the economy later.”

I suspect she’s probably right.

The dryad slowly coaches me through Florian’s letter. His handwriting is messy, bold, and blocky, which makes it harder. In places, even she struggles to read it, which makes me feel better.

My eldest brother hasn’t written a lot—barely a paragraph—but my mind seizes on the line where he says he’s eager to meet me and show me around my home.

Family. Home.

Two things I thought I’d lost when I stepped through the portal.

It’s naïve to hope we can build a sibling bond when we haven’t grown up together like Tom and I did. I suppose it’s stupid to even hope that the knight commander of a city under siege will have time to spend with his sister.

Right?

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