Servants appeared, laying plates with bowls of soup in front of us and though I couldn’t place the smell, the taste was delicious. Jules appeared to like it and of course, being Jules, she felt bad about Raife not eating and was holding his hand, running her fingers along the inside of his wrist.

  The woman to my left took that opportunity to lean toward me, her breasts spilling over the low cut gown. “So, tell me about earth”, she asked, her eyes running over me.

  “No”, I had no interest in talking to this Fae woman.

  She placed her hand on my bicep, running her fingers down my arm, “Please”.

  Before I could answer, Jules stood and snatched the knife from her place setting and stabbed it into the table, not a hair away from the woman’s arm.

  “Take your hand off him”, she growled in such a menacing tone that the hair on the back of my neck rose.

  The woman jerked back like she’d been stabbed, her voice rose as she shrieked at Jules, “You barbarian! Human filth!”

  “He said No, you bitch”, Jules' tone was still threatening, but she sat back down, aware that everyone at the table was staring at us.

  Raife leaned toward her, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear, “Are you okay sweetheart?”

  She nodded before finishing her soup and conversation started up around us again. Dinner finally ended after an interminable number of courses and inane conversation at the table. We rose, thinking we could finally leave, but people just continued talking, in smaller groups now, clustered about the room. Landis walked toward us and I thought we may actually be able to get some information out of him, when a tall slender woman, her long blonde hair styled in an intricate braid, approached and threaded her arm through his. She looked our group over before her gaze landed on Jules, her disdain clear. She turned to Landis, suggestively rubbing her breasts on his arm before speaking.

  “Will I see you later tonight darling?”

  Landis extricated his arm from hers before kissing her cheek. “Goodnight Clarissa. I need to speak with my guests.”

  She made a pouting face before running her hand down his chest and letting her fingers skim below the waistband of his pants before turning on her heel and sauntering away.

  Landis turned back to our group, “Sorry for the interruption”.

  “Oh, is that what she is to you? An interruption?” Jules arched a brow over hard eyes as she looked at Landis.

  “She is a friend, nothing more.”

  “I don’t care what you do or who you do it with.” Jules stared at Landis, her eyes hard in the blank mask she wore.

  Raife cleared his throat before speaking, “This was quite a gathering Landis. Are these your closest friends?”

  “Hah, no they are not. These fae were my father’s closest friends and important people in the kingdom, but not my friends. Most of my friends are not interested in attending a dinner like this, or a dinner with these fae.”

  Well, that was a surprise to hear, and he sounded sincere when he said it. Maybe we could get him to open up, even just a little. He was our only ticket home and that meant we needed to get closer to him, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “Why would you invite all these people if you don’t like them?” Jules cocked her head a bit as she asked.

  “As the leader of the Fae it is important for me to be seen and socialize with the right people.”

  Jules snorted before she replied, “Well shit, if these are the right people, then it sounds like the Fae are totally fucked.”

  Landis winced briefly before he caught himself and straightened, the arrogant look back on his face.

  “What you would call totally fucked, I would say is civilized society. It may be hard for you to recognize.”

  Jules' eyes blazed with hatred so fierce that Landis actually took a step back before saying, “The guards will show you back to your suite”.

  Our small group encircled Jules as we moved toward the doors where the guards stepped in front and behind us, escorting us through the palace. Jules remained rigid at my side and where my hand rested on her lower back, I noticed a faint vibration under her skin.

  “Do you need to lose some of this power love, is it building up on you?”

  She sighed and relaxed slightly. “It would be good to let some of it out, yes.”

  I reached behind her and grabbed Raife by the elbow as I stopped walking and leaned in closer to him.

  “We need to take her outside, let off a little steam.”

  The guards all looked at us and Raife spoke up.

  “You need to inform Prince Landis that we will be making a detour to go outside. We need to have a bit of exercise and fresh air before we are locked in again.”

  When the guard began to object, Raife just spoke again in his most authoritative tone.

  “Go and tell him now.”

  When one of the guards walked away, Raife spoke to the other three in the same tone.

  “Take us outside.”

  A short walk brought us to the side of the palace where the formal gardens gave way to a large grassy area that rolled away to the wall, off in the distance.

  “I would really like to let my wolf out for a run Dallas”, Ren looked at me.

  “You go with her Jay.”

  The two of them began to drop their clothes on the ground and I noticed the way Trey moved so he was between Ren and the rest of us, his back to her to shield her from our eyes. It made no difference to me, nudity was nothing to shifters because we’d been around it all our lives, but the protective move from him was interesting. They bounded off in their wolf forms and though I would have enjoyed a run myself, my mate was more important, and now she needed to rid herself of some energy.

  “Maybe just let some wind off into the sky sweetheart, it’s not likely to destroy anything that way.”

  Raife stood close to her side, talking quietly into her ear. Jules nodded and lifted both palms skyward. The torrent of power she unleashed was tremendous, and even though it wasn’t directed at anything, the currents swirling around us lifted our hair and blew our clothing. After a few minutes, her arms began to tremble from the sheer volume of such power and she closed her fists, letting her arms drop to her sides.

  “Better?” I brushed her cheek with mine as I spoke, inhaling deeply of her scent.

  “Mmm”, she leaned into me and I wrapped my arm around her waist. There was no better feeling in the world than my mate at my side, even if we were in Faery and had no way home, I would never leave her side. I would gladly walk through the gates of Hell with her if that’s where she had to go. Raife cleared his throat and I realized Landis was coming through the doors, probably pissed off that we were out here. Well, fuck him. My mate needed this and that’s all there was to it. Landis stopped just short of where we were, hands on his hips.

  “What was that?”

  We didn’t answer.

  “When I came out here, what were you doing?”

  “Talking, you know, like a civilized conversation”, Jules answered, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “You know that’s not what I mean, what were you doing exactly, Jules?”

  “Oh, me, what was I doing”, she answered glibly, “I was doing…oh yeah, that would be none of your fucking business. That’s what I was doing.”

  Raife and I just stood calmly at her sides, this was all her. She had to deal with Landis on her own terms, even though I wanted nothing more than to punch his smug face.

  “You need to tell me what that was. You are in my palace, in Faery and I demand to know how you did that, what it was.”

  I took her hand in mine as Raife did the same, because fucking Landis had no idea what she was about to unleash on him, and if she did, there was no way we were getting home. Her body trembled with rage, but I know she understood why we held her hands and she was fighting her temper.

  “I will never answer to you, to your fucking demands. We never asked to be brought here, you kidnapped us, and now you’re holding us captive. You can take your demands and shove them up your ass, that is if they’ll fit with the stick that’s stuck up there!”

  Raife held his hand out, palm up before Landis could reply.

  “Landis, we merely came outside for some fresh air and exercise before we turned in for the night. Surely, you wouldn’t deny us that now would you?”

  Landis spun on his heel and strode back to the doors, calling over his shoulder.

  “The guards will see you to your suite when you’re ready.”

  Jules visibly relaxed when he left as she sat on the ground, her knees pulled into her chest.

  “I know what you said about the prophecy, and I think I even know the importance of it now, but I honestly don’t see how I would ever be able to take that man as a mate.”

  She sighed and rested her forehead on her knees.

  “He is being more arrogant and pig-headed than any Fae I can ever remember speaking with, and I met his father. Now there was an egotistical prick.” Raife shook his head slightly before sitting on the ground next to Jules.

  Jay and Ren trotted back to us, and Ren obviously picking up on the mood, lay down beside Jules, stretching out with her muzzle on her front paws. Jules absently began stroking her fingers through Ren’s coat, the movement soothing to both of them. Jay sat behind Jules, not too close, but in a position of protectiveness, nonetheless. It seemed that we all just naturally gravitated around her, our protective urges strong.

  I sat next to Raife and looked at my mate.

  “Jules, we are behind you one hundred percent, and whatever you feel about Landis is the way you feel. No damn prophecy can force you to be with someone, and you know we would never ask that of you. We love you.”

  Jules looked at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

  “I love you both, more than I ever thought possible, and I feel a tremendous responsibility, because of the prophecy. The thought of failing, of letting everyone down…I don’t know what to do.”

  “You don’t need to do anything tonight sweetheart, you don’t have to make any decisions. How about we just take this one day at a time, especially since we’re stuck in Faery right now.”

  “I can do that. I won’t think about Landis, because…”

  “Because he’s a fucking dick”, I finished for her.

  Jules snorted and grinned at us. “You got that right.”

  We all laid back in the grass for a bit and gazed up at the stars.

  “So, are those the same stars we see from earth?” Jules asked, “because I’m fucking confused”.

  “They are the same, yes. We’re in a different realm, not an entirely different planet”, Raife answered. “Think of it as sharing the same space, but on a different plane.”

  “Yeah, that doesn’t help me at all.”

  I chuckled and Jules slapped my arm.

  “I’m not making fun babe, because I can’t explain it all either. I don’t know if he can dumb it down enough for us to understand.”

  “So, how many different realms are there then?”

  “That I don’t know”, Raife answered. “I know there are definitely two more, but beyond that I have no idea.”

  “What are the other two then?” Jules looked at him intently.

  “Well, you would call them heaven and hell, but they are really the realms of angels and demons.”

  “Oh fuck me, you have got to be kidding!”

  Raife smirked at her a bit before answering.

  “Not kidding.”

  “So, are you telling me that you’ve met an angel or a demon?” Jules sat up now, turning to Raife as he spoke.

  “I have known an angel or two, and I wouldn’t say I’ve met a demon, because that’s not really something you want, but I have seen a few.”

  Jules' mouth gaped as she just stared at Raife.

  “Holy fucking shit! All that religious crap was true all along. Total mind fuck!”

  “Ah, no Jules, not exactly. Religions have their own truths and fables. The realm of angels is not presided over by a God as they would have you believe, and I don’t know what the name of the ruler of hell is, nor do I want to find out.”

  Jules lay back down on the grass, her hand still idly stroking Ren’s fur as she stared up at the stars.

  “I’m really glad you are all here with me…thank you.”

  Chapter forty-three

  Jules

  I woke up with my leg thrown over Dallas’ leg and Raife snug against my back with his leg thrown over both Dallas and I. I reveled in the feeling of the three of us being as close as we could physically get. I let my eyelids fall closed, a small smile escaping when I felt Raife’s lips feathering across my neck.

  “Mmmm”, I reached behind me to cup the back of his neck.

  “Good morning sweetheart.”

  “It is now, yes.”

  His arm encircled my waist and he pulled me even tighter to his chest, his thumbs brushing the hardening peaks of my breasts. I ground my hips into his already hard length as my fingers grasped the hair at the back of his head.

  Raife shifted, sliding me under him, reaching down to dip his finger into my wet core and circling my clit. I spread my legs further and locked my ankles over his ass, pulling him into me, where I wanted him.

  He chuckled against my neck. “Impatient this morning”.

  He pulled away slightly before thrusting into me, making me gasp. I looked at Dallas and was met with his sleepy eyes and messed hair, a small smirk on his face.

  “You were impatient love.”

  Raife kept thrusting, long strokes that quickly ignited the heat at my core and I moaned.

  “Oh God, don’t stop.”

  Raife pressed his thumb down on my clit and the pressure built as he sucked one hard nub into his mouth, biting down. My back arched as the orgasm tore through me as Raife slid his fangs into my neck and the pleasure surged, the tremors wracking my body.

  Dallas kissed me hard before murmuring, “So beautiful”.

  Raife held me immobile as he fed and groaned softly before easing his fangs from my neck and licking the punctures.

  I kept my ankles locked over his hips, not letting him pull out, not wanting this moment to end yet. I could feel his cock stirring to life inside me and I pulled him to me, kissing him with all the feeling I had, letting him know that he was everything. He kissed me back with the same intensity and my heart hammered in my chest.

  I grabbed Dallas by the back of his neck and kissed him, pouring all of my love and longing into the kiss.

  He groaned, his arm going around Raife’s back, his hard cock pressed into my hip. I reached for it, grasping him and sliding my hand up his silky skin, rubbing the precum around the tip. I pushed my hand back down to the base and squeezed, tugging a bit before sliding my palm over the head. He moaned into my mouth and I pulled away long enough for Raife to flip us, so I was on top, him still inside.

  While grinding my hips down on Raife, I leaned forward enough to take Dallas into my mouth, my tongue circling the tip before I took him as deep as he could go. His hips bucked up and I held the base of his dick in a firm grip, laving my tongue around the head before sucking him down.

  Dallas grasped my hair in his fist as his hips pushed up into my mouth.

  “I’m gonna come, Jules.”

  I sucked harder and Dallas grunted, his hot cum shooting down my throat as I swallowed, running my tongue gently over the tip before sitting back on Raife’s hips.

  He reached up to cup my cheek, “I love you”.

  Dallas got on his knees behind me, his hands reaching around to cup my breasts, teasing and pinching my nipples as Raife thrust up into me, his thumb grazing my clit.

  Dallas kissed and sucked his way down my neck before biting down and holding on with his teeth as he and Raife brought me to orgasm and I cried out as I shuddered on top of Raife as he reached his own release again.

  We were sitting in the common room with the others, eating breakfast, when the doors opened.

  Landis walked in, motioning to his guards to wait outside, then walked over to where we sat, lowering himself onto the seat next to Raife. He looked a bit out of sorts, not his usual well groomed, arrogant self.

  I wondered what was up with this unusual behavior, but was content to wait for him to tell us. As he sat, not talking, and we waited, I took the opportunity to really look at him, something I hadn’t done since he kidnapped me.

  He was truly stunning looking with his long white blonde hair, his high cheekbones and those emerald eyes! He was truly too gorgeous to be human, and it was easy to realize that once you looked at him closely. He was all broad shoulders and trim waist with very long legs. Huh, I shook my head a bit, jerking my gaze from Landis and looking at my mates. If no one else wanted to start, I would.

  “So, Landis.”

  He lifted his eyes to mine, “Yes”.

  “Is there a reason you’ve graced us with your presence this morning?” I truly hoped I sounded as sarcastic as I meant it to be.

  He leaned forward a bit on his seat, his elbows on his knees as he looked at me.

  “There are spies all over my palace. I do not know who they all are, or how many, but I know that I cannot make a move without it being made known to my enemies.”

  Raife sat forward also, his finger tapping against his lower lip. “Who are your enemies, Landis?”

  Landis sighed, “A very old and well known family among my people have decided that they should be the rightful rulers, and have made a series of moves to undermine me, make me appear incompetent to the Fae.”

  “And that is why you were unable to come to Earth, to come to our aid sooner?” Raife spoke in a very neutral tone, not judging or condemning Landis, as I had done, and it made guilt roll through me. I had judged him and found him guilty, never allowing him any explanation. Like he knew what I was thinking, Raife gave me a small smile.

  “How tenuous is your position among the Fae? Do you have enough supporters to win against this other family?”