Neo didn't say anything for the longest time. “When Matteo and I are separated and Rasz returns, I will offer him freedom. It will cost me a great deal of power to break it, but I will offer him the choice.”

  I shook my head, knowing it's too little, too late. “What about his other children?” Did Rasz even have any other kids? I felt a little guilty realising how little I really knew about the man.

  “The bargain only covered the firstborn,” Neo replied. “With Nascia dead, any further children Rasz has will be free of it. He will be the last person I swear into my service that way. I vow it.”

  “Good.”

  “Now, I believe it's time,” he said, separating us and sitting up.

  The skull appeared on the sheets in front of us, and I eyed it warily.

  “So what do we have to do?”

  “If I touch it, whatever remains of my soul should be attracted to it, like a magnet.”

  “Should?”

  He gave me a cautious half-smile. “It's my first time doing this.”

  We both stared at the skull a little longer. It was smooth, polished, but obviously old. But still, he didn't reach out to touch it.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I need to make sure I have enough power to reconstruct my body. Would you make one last bargain with me, Cornelia?”

  “Okay.” I tried to think of something to bargain for, then think of the perfect thing. “I want you to change Matteo's sub caste.”

  His grin was immediate. “I knew you'd say that.”

  There was a subtle gleam in his eye I didn't fully trust. A smugness in the mating bond that made me hesitate, but I ignored my gut and carried on.

  “Well, what's the price?” I trusted Neo.

  My mate looked at the skull, then back at me, his black eyes serious and calculating. “Let me unfreeze your fertility.”

  For several moments, I could only blink at him. “You want children?”

  “I want a family with you and Matteo.”

  My heart fluttered, then melted as the image of Neo holding a baby surged to the front of my mind. I was pretty sure my frozen ovaries exploded at the thought.

  “Give us a year to settle in together first,” I bargained. “And a proper mating ceremony. Then yes, we can start a family.”

  “The bargain is struck,” he whispered, swooping in to kiss me.

  When he let me surface for air, I was dizzy from lack of oxygen. Yet Neo barely gave me time to recover before he slammed his hand down on the top of the skull.

  Instantly, his body crumpled. It disappeared in a flurry of shadows that covered both him and the skull, surrounding the room in darkness so absolute that I couldn't make out anything for several long moments. The bed creaked alarmingly, and I shivered as a chill invaded the room.

  There was nothing to do but wait alone in the darkness and pray that both of my mates came out of this alive.

  It took a while for the shadows to fade. When they did, I breathed a sigh of relief. There, where Neo had been, was Matteo's blond, sleeping body. His chest rose and fell softly as his wings shuffled in his sleep.

  On my other side, hand clasping Matteo's across my lap, was Neo, looking just as whole as he had before.

  I was surrounded on both sides by my mates, cushioned by wings on one side and muscle on the other. The two were still unconscious from the power they'd used, but their chests rose rhythmically. So I got to take my time, taking in the two of them.

  They'd split in different ways. Neo no longer had the horns or wings he'd had before. His features were the same, but he'd bulked up more, as if his body had been waiting for the chance to grow even bigger. His crystals remained, seven flashes of yellow bright against his skin, but otherwise, he could be an ordinary demon.

  Matteo, however, retained the wings and horns they'd shared before. Had they been his the whole time? I stroked a lock of blond hair back around his ear and smiled.

  I'd been afraid—given how weak our bond had felt before—that Matteo wouldn't make it. But here they both were. Neo's plan had worked.

  In my chest, both bonds blazed with light, sparkling with my own happiness. They were still close, but Matteo's bond was no longer hidden beneath Neo's. They had their own space.

  Matteo blinked awake first, staring up at me in wonder. His large, deep blue eyes were slashed through with streaks of black, making it look like his pupils had exploded outward. It was eerie, but beautiful. Like fireworks.

  “Did it work?” he asked, staring at where his hand was joined with Neo.

  I nodded, my eyes burning as relieved tears threatened to fall. “I'm so glad you're okay.”

  “You should know by now not to doubt me,” Neo said, his eyes still closed. “Of course it was going to work.”

  He shifted his grip on Matteo until he was touching the Wrath crystal on his hand. The flash of cold against my belly was the only indication of the power he was using.

  “There. Welcome to sub-caste Protection,” he announced with a smirk, finally opening his perfect black eyes. “You’ll be happy to know, you’ve retained the same gifts as your twin—corporikinesis and umbrakinesis—but you’ll need to generate some more power to use them. It seems our split has left you pretty drained.”

  Part of me had expected him to have the same, unique eyes as Matteo, but Neo's new body had no physical reminders of their time merged together. Instead, it was Matteo who'd borne all of the changes.

  Matteo looked at us both and nodded, his throat bobbing as he swallowed the emotion that was swimming in his eyes. “Thank you.”

  It was like a weight had been lifted as he glanced down at his Wrath crystal and smiled. “I… you have no idea what a relief this is.”

  “Well, you'll be more useful if you're not conflicted about generating the power you need to keep our mate safe.” Neo's reply was practical, but there was an undertone of warmth in his voice that neither of us missed. “Our triad cannot afford to be weak. Marcus is dead, but some of his cult remains. I will continue to hunt them until they're eradicated, but it will take time.”

  “At least we have time,” I whispered, snuggling into him. “And can we put off hunting them down until after our mating ceremony?”

  “Mating ceremony?” Neo asked, seeming confused.

  “You don't want one?” My heart fell slightly.

  “If you want one, we want one,” Matteo said, before Neo could say anything.

  “It seems a little counterintuitive to have your mating to the Strange God, blessed by the Strange God,” Neo replied. “But if the tradition means that much to you…”

  “It does.”

  It seemed silly, but I'd been dreaming of sharing a mating ceremony with Lulu and making wish boards about it with her since we were small. Of course, we never thought we'd meet our true mates, but our parents had committed to one another without the bond.

  I wanted Matteo to meet my parents. Both of them this time. I wanted pictures I could smile fondly at as I showed them to our children and grandchildren.

  “Then we shall have one. Next week should give Matteo and me enough time to adjust and you enough time to plan.”

  I didn't even have the energy to be shocked by the short deadline. I'd organised Lilith's ceremony in a month, and I didn't want anything so grand for my own ceremony. And I had a secret weapon. Lulu.

  Sisters working together could move mountains, after all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  I was right. By the end of the week, Lulu and I had cobbled together a short, but sweet, ceremony. We'd forgone the door trials and bridesmaids in favour of a small relaxed family gathering, and as we approached the group, my grin couldn't be any wider.

  Our family and friends were seated in a loose semi-circle around the flowering arch looking out over the Mediterranean sea. Sand crunched between my bare toes as we linked arms and glided up the aisle towards the Bishop, Igraine.

  We'd chosen different dresses, but both were simple, light, and decorated with pale lace. They blew around our ankles as we reached the archway, caught in the playful sea breeze. Each motion threatened to smudge the intricate whorls of paint we’d decorated each other with this morning.

  When the four men appeared, I could feel myself smiling. They reached the end of the aisle and stopped, their shirts flapping in the wind. They weren't wearing full suits, but they'd gone with waistcoats in dark colours. Hadrian and Dorian were in deep navy, while Neo and Matteo had chosen black.

  The instant my men's eyes snapped to me, a wave of power washed over me, and I felt a lump start to form in my throat. Matteo looked a little shell-shocked, and even Neo seemed slightly caught off-guard.

  “You look perfect,” Matteo whispered down our bond.

  Neo wasn't so subtle. “What, exactly, are you wearing under that dress, Cornelia?” he demanded.

  My smile slipped into a knowing grin. “The underwear had to be tiny, or it would ruin the effect.”

  The slinky lace would have shown every single line of anything but the tiny cream thong. And it was obvious to anyone that a bra was impossible with the backless style and plunging neckline, which had the added benefit of driving my mates crazy.

  It was still modest compared to Lulu, whose sensual masterpiece of a dress relied entirely on modest patches of lace to cover all the important places.

  What had he really expected? We were Lust demons, after all, with all the hedonism that included.

  “Who comes before the brides?” the bishop asked, cutting into my mates' torment with the traditional words.

  “We, their mates. Gifted to them by fate and the Strange God.” All four men answered. I could feel Neo trying his hardest not to roll his eyes at the traditional response, and knowing smiles erupted on the faces of our friends.

  The bishop didn't hesitate. “Proceed.”

  It was so hard not to rise to my toes and kiss Neo and Matteo as they finally reached me. Hadrian and Dorian took their places on either side of Lulu, and I watched with a smile as the bishop started with them, winding the delicate, glittering chain around their waists before offering them the bridal cup and taking their oaths.

  My twin had been the first to find her mates, so it had seemed fair that she should get to go first. I had to blink fast to stop myself from crying and ruining my makeup as they gazed at each other with the same fairy-tale love-struck look they'd had at the start of their mating.

  But when it came to my turn, I was shaking with nerves. What if I forgot the words? What if I tripped and fell on my face? Okay, so maybe the time for the last one had passed, but still…

  My eyes found Neo's and my nerves melted away. Not because his gaze was reassuring or gentle. No. Because the arrogance there made my spine stiffen instinctively. A moment of boldness replaced the butterflies of panic from before as we stared each other down. It felt natural for me to challenge the superiority he wore like a cloak, and he knew it.

  I sent a pulse of gratitude and love down my bond to him before I softened my smile and turned to look at Matteo as well. I could feel my other mate's exasperation down our bond, but it was tempered with love.

  Bishop Igraine started speaking, unaware of the silent communication we had as she surrounded us with our own, glimmering chain.

  “As you are bound by your bonds, made visible by this chain, so are you bound by Fate herself. May your feet tread many shores together, your hands make many moments side by side, and your lips smile in answer to one another's joy. You chose each other when you made your bond, and may you continue to choose each other again and again, every day, for the rest of your lives.”

  With a swish of her black robes, she returned to the small table beneath the arch that had been set up as an altar. Her hands picked up a goblet of wine and held it out reverently, along with the traditional dagger.

  “Add of yourself to the bridal cup and pledge yourself to each other. The two of you have one centre, but you are all equal parts of this mating. So, when you make this offering, you will pledge of yourself to your brother-in-mating as well as your mate.”

  My men wasted no time, taking the dagger in turn and slicing a thin line down their palms. Their blood dripped into the cup as Neo gently sliced my hand open for me. The dagger was so sharp I barely noticed the pain, and Matteo healed me before it could really register. Then my blood was mixing with theirs, and Igraine handed me the goblet.

  “With this drink, I pledge to choose us for eternity,” I said, my voice surprisingly strong as I raised the goblet and drank deeply.

  Neo took it next, drinking and repeating the words in a surprisingly solemn voice. When he handed it to Matteo, I noticed my other mate's hands were shaking almost as badly as mine, and it made me smile.

  At least I wasn't the only nervous one.

  “This mating is blessed by the Church of the Strange God.” Neo managed not to smirk this time, and I grinned at him. “Nothing in this realm nor any other may break this bond as it is blessed by He Who Knows.”

  Okay, even I wanted to snort at that, so Neo was forgiven for the quirk of his lips.

  The bishop, oblivious to our silent joke, kept going. “Now, the First Fifteen will be observed.”

  The guests turned and filed up the beach, heading for the hotel bar over the dunes, chatting and smiling. Lu and her guys moved slightly off to one side, giving us all some space, and I smiled.

  “Neo,”

  “Remind me again why I can't take you back to my fortress, smudge all of this paint, and have my way with you right now?” he groaned.

  “Because you promised,” I teased. “A full mating ceremony, followed by a honeymoon.”

  “When do we get to know where you're taking us?” Matteo asked, breaking it up.

  I just chuckled. “When we get there. Enzo is taking care of travel and everything.”

  His twin had barely left his side since Matteo had gone to invite Lilith and her mates to our ceremony earlier that week. The reunion between the two had been incredibly emotional to watch. For the longest time, they'd just stared at one another, until Matteo broke down and dragged his brother into a hug.

  Then, when Craven had learned his second son was still alive, there had been another, even more emotional reunion. Matteo wasn't the type to hold grudges like his twin, and so he'd been glad to learn his father was still alive. I know I wasn't the only person wondering if their bond would lead Enzo to eventually forgive Craven as well, but we all knew it wasn't the kind of situation that could resolve itself overnight.

  “Now I'm even more nervous,” Matteo said. “What have you been plotting with my twin?”

  It was a week-long trip to Hawaii. Seven days of relaxation, sun, and sand to recover fully from the stress and worry of the last few months. But it was also a surprise. One of the few I'd managed to keep with Neo sniffing around and unearthing every detail of the ceremony.

  A lone figure appeared on the dunes and waved to us, signalling that the First Fifteen was over. Lulu and I looked over at one another and grinned.

  “Race you to the ring quest!” we both yelled at the same time, taking off over the sand as our mates watched in amusement.

  Both Lulu and I ended up losing our ring quests. Neo claimed the ring from the bowl with a speed that made me certain he'd cheated, but I didn't object when he swung me into his arms and tugged me around the dance floor with Lulu and Dorian. Her quiet mate was quite the dancer, twirling her in graceful spins that looked like they'd fallen out of a fairy tale. Neo was content to slowly rock around the floor, neither of us capable of much more than a basic shuffle.

  Matteo surprised me when he twirled me into his arms afterwards, leading us both in a gentle waltz. I could feel his happiness down the bond, and I couldn't help but kiss him.

  The dance ended with our mouths fused together, both of us ready for more. I could sense Neo watching us. Feel the desire flooding my system from both of them. Somehow, I sat patiently through our mating gifts, accepting them as quickly as possible while I tried not to think about the lust Neo and Matteo were both feeling.

  But when the door to our hotel room was sealed behind us, there was no holding us back.

  I grabbed Neo by his jacket and pulled him into a kiss. He didn't make me wait, hoisting me up against the wall with his hands on my hips as he plundered my mouth. Another mouth descended on my neck. Matteo's lighter, fluttering kisses on the column of my throat were the perfect counterpoint to Neo's fierceness.

  His hands stroked my hair to one side, revealing the path up to my jaw. His lips followed, questing up the side to my earlobe, which he tugged gently into his mouth and nibbled.

  I gasped, my hand fisting in Neo's jacket all over again as my nerves ignited beneath Matteo's touch. My other mate didn't hesitate, sweeping his tongue inside to taste me in an intimate kiss that stole my attention back.

  A hand cupped my breast over my dress, the heat of Matteo's palm scorching me through the thin lace. I arched into the touch, wanting more. Demanding it.

  “If you want to keep this dress,” Neo panted, pulling away, “you'll take it off in the next two seconds.”

  In answer, I rocked my hips forward, brushing my core against the hardness of him.

  Neo reached for the fabric, but Matteo was faster. The chill of the shadow realm kissed my skin as my Wrath mate saved my mating gown from being ripped apart by a hungry god. In under a second, the filmy barrier between my body and my two mates disappeared, leaving me almost completely naked.

  “Those,” Neo growled. “Are not panties.”