Cameron bounces on his toes, nearly vibrating with excitement. “I’ve convinced them to have a tournament.”

  “A tournament?” I repeat, brows high.

  “Yes!” he squeals so loudly my eardrums flex. “So, me and August were talking, right? And he mentioned this tournament thing that Elas used to take part in on the other side. Something to do with boulders, but I’ll admit I wasn’t really listening to the details.”

  Bash has his signature expression of alarmed and intrigued on his face, and he leans forward as I try not to laugh at him.

  Cameron’s whole body lights up, shoulders bouncing in a little victory dance while he claps his hands together, barely able to stand still.

  “They’ve agreed to a fighting tournament,” he says. “I was trying to plan this thing so I could, like, steal the water hose from the garden to get them all wet—”

  “Hey,” Reyes argues, “that is not why that spigot is there.”

  Cameron waves him off. “Oh, come on. It would be hot, and you can’t tell me otherwise. So many abs.”

  “Don’t let Ronan hear you say that,” Reyes teases. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a drama queen tantrum. We’re probably due.”

  “Probably,” Cameron agrees with a manic grin, then shakes his head. “Anyway, I was also maybe doing a lot of shit-talking, and now they’re full of adrenaline and raring to go.”

  Sprocket rushes by in a blur.

  “I am so here for this,” she shouts over her shoulder as she pushes past Cameron.

  “Yeah, not to be dramatic, but I’m with her,” Cameron says, then runs off as well.

  Reyes shakes his head and flashes us a smile before he goes inside to find Nyx, and Bash takes my hand as we walk down the pathway towards the roar of voices.

  Lillith, Matuk, and Elas chatter excitedly together, and Ronan and Daiwyn are deep in conversation. Ronan’s hands move as if he’s showing her maneuvers, and she’s fully engaged as she listens to whatever advice he’s passing along.

  Closer to the treeline, Aryn sits against a trunk with a book in his lap, with his wavy onyx hair falling over his shoulders. Cato hovers nearby like he can’t decide whether to stay or bolt, but Aryn doesn’t even seem to notice his presence.

  It’s painfully awkward, and I’m giddy as I stare.

  “Are you fighting?” Cato asks. His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, and his shoulders are stiff in a way that’s nothing like his usual cocky sprawl.

  Aryn glances up at him, then stares over toward the makeshift arena for a beat before focusing on Cato again in quiet curiosity.

  “Why would I?” he asks in his usual calm tone, obviously puzzled by the question.

  The response seems to irritate Cato, and he takes a step back, arms crossing over his chest.

  “It was just a question,” he snaps. “Thought you might want to do something other than read for once.”

  Aryn hesitates, his brows arching in a subtle V as he glances at his book, then meets Cato’s eyes with a slow, quizzical blink, head tilting slightly like he’s waiting for the rest of the sentence.

  “I like to read,” Aryn says after a pause, stretching the words.

  I’ve known him long enough to recognize he’s just confused about why he needs to explain, but the statement comes out condescending. To a stranger, it sounds like he’s concerned Cato might not understand that books are more than just pretty covers.

  From the way Cato’s jaw tightens and his nostrils flare, that’s exactly how he’s taken it.

  “Never mind,” Cato grits, turning on his heel and marching toward us, face flushed as red as Aryn’s skin.

  “I thought you said he was nice,” he barks at Bash.

  I bristle at the way he’s speaking to my mate, ready to step in, but Bash beats me to it. He raises a hand, calm as always.

  “He is,” Bash says, visibly confused as he glances at where Aryn stares at the back of Cato’s head with a frown. “I’ve known him for years, and he’s incredibly polite.”

  “Could’ve fooled me. He never pulls his nose out of his own ass long enough to bother speaking.”

  “Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to you,” I say sweetly, then grunt as Bash elbows me in the gut. “Okay, sorry, let me rephrase that. Maybe he thinks you’re an asshole.”

  “Xen,” Bash hisses. “You aren’t helping.”

  I throw my hands out in exasperation toward Cato. “Now you’ve gone and made Bash mad at me!”

  Bash buries his face in his palms.

  Cato glares at me, but Lillith lets out a war cry and charges into the makeshift ring, and our attention follows. Matuk follows her reluctantly, glancing over his shoulder at where Audra and Samuel cheer him on.

  Their fight is ferocious, and Bash is frozen beside me as he watches them brawl. Dirt forms a cloud as they move around each other, landing punches and kicks so hard they would break a human’s bones.

  Lillith is having the time of her life as Matuk's right hook busts her lip open. He winces, looking apologetic, but she takes advantage of the hesitation and tackles him to the ground. After a few minutes of wrestling, he taps, and Lillith charges around the perimeter of the ring with her fists in the air, screeching about being the champion.

  Taryn finally has to pull her aside and make her drink something, but she’s bouncing on her feet waiting for the next match to start.

  Ronan and Daiwyn fight, although it’s more instructional than an actual battle. He barely breaks a sweat, but when Daiwyn snares his neck with one of her tails, he preens like a proud father and declares her the winner. She blushes, but her shoulders are thrown back when she walks over to Samuel and tucks herself into his arms.

  Elas bounds into the ring, and Ronan and Lillith both jump in and volunteer to fight, but they’re stopped by a quiet voice.

  Aryn saunters past us and into the clearing. “I’ve got this one, if that’s okay.”

  He yanks his shirt over his head and flings it straight at Cato without so much as a glance. The fabric smacks Cato in the chest before he fumbles to catch it, jaw hanging open.

  Aryn prowls into the ring, sinewy muscles flexing as he rolls his shoulders.

  He steps closer to Elas as he pulls his hair into a ponytail, and Elas flashes him a smirk.

  Aryn is around the same height as August and Cameron, and built with lean muscles under his red skin. He carries himself with quiet confidence as he circles Elas, and his tail that's normally draped over his neck swishes behind him, fully alert.

  “Have you ever seen him fight?” Bash asks.

  I shake my head as I watch the two of them size each other up. Elas tears his shirt off and tosses it aside, too, and Cameron whoops as Ronan glares at him.

  “This is what I’m here for!” Sprocket shouts.

  Ego claps beside her with a cheer. “Show me them tiddies, boys!”

  I grin at the chaos, trying to focus on Bash’s question. “I’ve never seen Aryn do much besides work, and Elas has a hundred pounds on him.”

  Aryn and Elas talk so quietly I can’t hear them from here, and after some back and forth they shake hands and separate. Both of them nod at Cameron, who calls the start of the match.

  Elas comes out of the gate swinging, but Aryn dodges him easily. Where Elas is pure brute strength, Aryn is strategy, and the fight drags on for several minutes with neither of them gaining a clear advantage over the other.

  Elas charges, and it looks like the round might be over on impact, but Aryn avoids the blow and swoops at Elas’s leg, knocking him to the ground with a grunt. Elas is shocked, but grins wider as he launches himself to his feet.

  Aryn is toppled by Elas’s longer reach once but rolls out of the way before he can get pinned, and everyone is silent as they watch them fight.

  They’re both panting and filthy from rolling in the dirt when Aryn is dropped to his back. But when Elas jumps over him, Aryn uses his leverage to flip them until he’s straddling Elas’s chest with those two-inch-long fangs on his jugular.

  “Holy shit,” Elas wheezes, completely stunned as he taps.

  Aryn grins as he climbs to his feet. “That was fucking brutal, man,” he says as he reaches to help Elas stand. “Good fight.”

  They shake hands as Lillith charges into the ring, searching for her next opponent. Aryn saunters our way, his long ponytail dusty and frizzy as his breath comes heavy. Sweat drips down his chest as he stops in front of Cato.

  “How’s that for taking my head out of my ass?” he purrs, then tears his shirt from Cato’s grip. He strolls back toward the trees, leaving Cato dumbfounded.

  I meet eyes with Bash and mouth, “What the fuck?”

  Bash shakes his head, just as bewildered as me.

  I grab his arm and steer him away from the others. “Where the fuck did that come from? I know the guy is old, but I’m used to seeing him do science experiments, not taking down a beefcake like Elas.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.” Bash snorts as he nods towards Cato. “Poor guy looks like his world has been rocked.”

  “Serves him right,” I mutter, and Bash rolls his eyes. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me that Cato isn’t one of those douchebags who think size is everything. He probably thought he could kick Aryn’s ass, and now his entire reality has been challenged.”

  “You just want another reason to dislike him,” he accuses, which, fair, but that isn’t the point.

  I stick my lip out in a pout. “You can’t take his side. It isn’t allowed… especially not when I have a present for you.”

  “What is it?” he asks, craning his neck to check my hands for something he might’ve missed.

  I grin at his curiosity and reach into my pocket. When I pull my hand out, I’m holding a small silver band, hammered to mirror the one on my finger.

  “I thought we should match.”

  “Xen,” he whispers as he stares.

  I hold the ring up and twist it, watching the light glint off the angles. “Every time I look in the mirror and see how my mark has changed, I hate that it will never be the same as yours.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” he insists in a rush.

  I stop his argument when I take his hand with a smile. “It doesn’t, but the world needs to know you belong to me, and I want to claim you in every possible way I can.”

  I search his face for permission, and he nods as he spreads his fingers. The silver is a stunning contrast against his complexion.

  He holds his hand up once it’s on. “Where…?”

  “Sprocket helped me.” I glance to where she sits with Ego, watching the fight.

  “It’s beautiful,” he whispers, still staring at his hand.

  “It’s the least I could offer the man who’s given me everything.”

  He smiles as he pulls me in for a kiss, and as I’m wondering if we can slip into these woods for a few private minutes, a twig snaps in the distance.

  My ears perk up, straining to listen.

  I separate myself from Bash, and he goes still as he recognizes how alert I’ve become. I hold a finger up to my lips, and he nods as we sneak down the pathway toward the sound, dodging sticks and leaves that might make noise.

  We don’t get far before a shape forms in the shadows, and I draw on the magic pooled in my belly.

  “Show yourself,” I command, but my power doesn’t react.

  A body steps forward, and when the sun hits a familiar head of golden curls, my guard drops.

  “Sovran!” Bash says with a smile.

  “Is everything all right?” I ask, on alert as I glance behind him.

  “It is only me,” he says, “and yes, all is well.”

  I relax as I nod, releasing my hold on my magic. “This is a surprise. We’re certainly happy to see you, though I have to ask…”

  “Why I’m here?” His lips tilt into one of those stoic half smiles as he nods toward the village. “There are many things we must discuss.”

  We weave through the trees, Bash and I in the lead with Sovran following closely behind us. The others’ attention is focused on the fight in front of them as we step closer, and Lillith pins Ronan to a round of cheers. He’s nearly rabid, teeth bared as he tries to buck her off him.

  When his eyes move in our direction, the sound that leaves him is strained, and he tosses Lillith from his back as he rises.

  To my shock, he lands on his knees, head bowed.

  Confusion sweeps the group, their attention turning to us one by one. Most are perplexed, but when Elas finds us, he kneels as well.

  Aryn follows suit, bowing and kneeling as the rest glance around in utter confusion.

  “I did not know any of your kind roamed this world,” Aryn says, head low.

  I turn to find Sovran with mild amusement on his face, but it’s what’s beyond him that takes my breath. Golden wings spread in a breathtaking arc, veined with gold and shimmering as if spun with threads of sunlight into the feathers.

  “Stand,” Sovran orders, and Ronan and Elas glance up, though Aryn keeps his head down. “I come as a friend. Please, rise.”

  Aryn’s reluctance is obvious when he finally lifts his face, but the three of them climb to their feet.

  “Who the hells—” Cameron starts, but Ronan silences him when he grabs him and tugs him closer, like he might need protection.

  “This is Sovran,” I explain as I shake my head, “though… I’ll admit the wings are new. He helped us escape Atlanta, and we owe him our lives. I gave him our location should the favor ever need to be repaid.”

  “You walked with the Fates and did not think to mention it?” Aryn demands.

  My lips part in surprise as I twist to look into Sovran’s gilded eyes. “The… Fates?”

  He gives me a stoic nod. “That was a name I once answered to, yes, but that is a story for another time.” His gaze sweeps across the group, taking a few seconds to examine every person here. “Come. We have many things to discuss.”

  “Like how to open the portals?” Bash asks.

  Sovran’s lip flicks up in a small smile. “Such a beautiful mind, Sebastian. You have already gained that knowledge, though I can help you apply it. No, we must decide who will go.”

  “Go where?” Bash asks.

  The group holds a collective breath as they stare.

  Sovran moves those burning eyes to him. “To the other side, naturally. My prophecy has waited a long time for you all to be here together.”

  Author's Note

  I needed a minute to breathe after this one.

  This story has undoubtedly been the angstiest, most painful one I've ever written, and it's been a long time coming in my head. I knew Xeni's story all along. Ever since I wrote him into Elas, I knew who he was and the depth of what he'd been through. I knew who he was beneath the masks. There's something particularly painful about writing a character you love in a way that reflects them in a bad light.

  Xeni was never really portrayed as a villain (unless you count those pages in Elas where they both believed he was) but he was never really given much of a positive light, either. That's how he would've wanted it, after all. He wouldn't want you to see past those defenses, so they stayed up and unraveled by tiny pieces at a time. My hope for this story was to give you tiny glimpses into that soft heart beneath the hard surface—to peel back those layers and give you peeks underneath until you're just as utterly in love with him as I always have been.

  And Bash… sweet, steady, stable Bash, who'd been through more heartbreak than any one person should ever experience. He didn't lose his ability to love or to forgive, while still allowing himself the anger he was absolutely justified in feeling.

  I have so much love for these two, and I hope you do, too.

  The next book is going to be a wild ride of an adventure. I hope you join me for the next part of this in Book 5: Aryn. Thank you for taking the time to take a ride inside my mind, and I hope it helped you escape reality, even if just for a short while.

  Special Thanks

  To my husband — for putting up with my shenanigans, my weird search history, and my constant crying over fictional characters that I put into these terrible positions.

  To Cammy — for giving me the illusion of ducks in a row, and corralling my chaos.

  To Myka, Audra, and Miacha — for being such amazing friends and sounding boards

  To my street team — for being amazing cheerleaders, and for always being eager when I ask, "Wanna see something!?"

  Other Books by G. Eilsel

  Mates Mark Series – MM Monster Romance

  Ronan

  Elas

  Nyx

  Get Your Rocks Off – MM Rock Star Romance

  First Verse: An MM Romance

  Chorus: An MM Romance

  Second Verse: An MM Romance

  One Handed Holidays Novellas—Crossed Swords Edition

  Raising Hell: A Spicy MMM Novella

  Letters to Satan: A Spicy MM Novella

  Quiver: A Spicy MM Novella

  Deviled Eggs: A Spicy MM Novella

  One Handed Holidays Novellas

  Come To Cupid: A Spicy MF Novella

  Irish Cream: A Spicy MFM Novella

  Down the Rabbit Hole: A Spicy Dark MF Novella

  Mother F*cker: A Spicy Reverse Age Gap MF Novella

  Shadow Daddy: A Spicy BDSM MF Novella

  Raising Hell: A Spicy MMF Novella

  Land Ho!: A Spicy MF Navy Novella

 

 

  G. Eilsel, Xeni (Mate's Mark Book 4)

 

 

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