“Fated mates,” I said the words out loud again, not sure I grasped exactly what he was saying.
“Nico, Luca, Finn, Jase, Hunter… all of us are inexplicably connected to you.”
“…Gunner?”
“Yes. Gunner, too.” Lu’s head dropped at the mention of his lost brother. “We’re all fated… to you.”
The idea of fated mates was a common theme in the fairytales Gram told us as children. I always assumed it was a romanticized notion. A way for us to hold on to hope that there was one true love destined for you somewhere out in the world. But if what Lucius was telling me was true, I was fated to not one, but seven.
Suddenly, it all made sense. The little flirtations, their need to protect me. My overwhelming attraction to all of them. “So… what exactly does that mean here in Hiraeth? Are we all together? Like, in some strange prearranged relationship?”
“That’s not quite how it works. Though, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you as mine.” He looked down at our joined hands, then took a breath. “Even if it means I have to share you with my brothers.”
“Share me?” It sounded weird saying it out loud. The idea of being shared by the six of them had me overwhelmed. Gwen had married five—and it didn’t seem strange at all when I saw them together. They made it work.
“If my brothers feel for you the way I do…” He took another deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “It wouldn’t be right to deny them that truth. Please know Michaela, you are in control here. I cannot speak for my brothers. But if you want me, I am yours. I belong to no other.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I tried, Dove. So many times, I tried. What we are experiencing—it’s complicated. I still have a lot of questions myself.”
“Thank you for being honest.”
“I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.” He reached for an errand strand of hair, tucking it behind my ear. “You deserve nothing but the truth.”
There was a tenderness in his eyes I hadn’t noticed before. A longing for understanding and forgiveness. A vulnerability that softened something deep inside me. I wanted him in ways I couldn’t comprehend and he was offering himself to me here, now.
Time had never been promised to me. Was I wasting it hung up on the variables? What if this was it? My only chance for a happily ever after? So what if myever afterwasn’t long. It wouldn’t change the undeniable pull I felt to each and every one of them. What was I waiting for? I’d be a fool to deny myself a chance at happiness simply because my time might be cut short. Thiswasit! I simply had to accept him.
“If you are mine,” I said softly, “then I am yours.”
Lu’s smile lit up his whole face. “Nothing makes me happier than to hear those words.” He gently gripped my chin and pulled me in for a gentle kiss. “Let’s get back to Whisperhold. I have something I want to share with you.” A cunning smirk spread across his face.
“I’ve never had a boyfriend before,” I admitted as he helped me up.
“Well,” he said, brushing the leaves from my dress, “now you’ve got something better. You have a mate.”
Whisperhold was quiet. Nico and Luca hadn’t yet returned. The sun had begun to set, blanketing the sky in a soft pink glow. Fallon was in the kitchen busying herself with the night’s meal.
“Hey! Just you and Lucius? Everything go okay with the Raven’s Hand?” she asked, a brimshade cigarette burning between her lips.
“Dove, why don’t you tell her about Maxfield. I have something I need to take care of. I’ll be right back.” Lu kissed me on the cheek before leaving me with his sister.
“Nice to see you too, Lucius,” Fallon called out after her brother.
“We’ve had… a particularly heavy day.” I wasn’t sure how much I should tell Fallon. Too much had happened since I’d last seen her—things I hadn’t even begun to untangle. “Levi brought us to a healer. Maxfield. He’s apparently retired from serving the throne.”
“Maxfield? I don’t remember that name.”
“He said the king he served had long since passed.”
“Gods, how old was he?” Fallon’s lips curled into a frown, trying to calculate Maxfield’s age.
I chuckled. “He looked… mature. A bit rough around the edges, but he offered me help. I'm going to work with him personally to learn how to harness my magic. In the meantime, he gave me something called sprite ash to keep the Tribulation in check.”
“Sprite ash? I’ve never heard of it.”
I pulled the vial out and offered it to Fallon. “He said it’s similar to faerie dust. Don’t ask how it’s made.” I scrunched up my face. “It seems to be quite powerful. Honestly, I’ve never felt better.”
