“You bastard. You’re looking for forever but I’m just a good fuck? Is that it?” Her chest heaved and she took a staggered step back. “I thought…I thought…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I thought because, apparently, I was wrong. I’m an idiot. Well, fuck you, Malik. Go find your perfect wife or whatever the fuck you’re looking for. I don’t need this. I’m better than that.” She turned on her heel and opened the door, practically running from him.
She hadn’t slammed the door on her way out; instead, she’d left it partially cracked, as if she couldn’t wait to get away from him.
He didn’t blame her. He’d been callous, but it was for the best.
Malik slowly closed the door and went back to his phone so he could text Tristan. The man was going to mate with a human and he couldn’t understand that, but he’d give his friend his best. Then he’d do his duty to his people and mate with a lioness.
He’d lost the one woman who could have been his. If only she weren’t human...
Chapter Three
Seth Oceanus pressed his lips together and tried not to smile too broadly or throw up from nerves. Neither would show the others that he was ready for what was to come, but he wasn’t sure he could help it. He was just so damned excited about what was happening, even if it scared the hell out of him.
He wasn’t as old as Tristan, and had seen far more war and pain than Amara had, but from the haunted look in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking, he knew she’d seen more than he would ever want for her. He’d spent his life so far building his strength so he could protect not only his people but also what would one day be his. He wasn’t a prince in truth or anything, not like Tristan, but his family held power. His sister was one of the two Conclave members for the mer realm, and he was in charge of her safety. Though he knew she could protect herself far better than he could on any given day. She was older than him with more experience, after all.
He’d jumped in headfirst with all of that training, however, knowing he would one day need it for his mate, as well. Or mates as it turned out. He couldn’t believe his luck and fate.
Only he could, considering the fact that Tristan refused to truly speak with him and Amara didn’t feel the potential of a bond between them. If it weren’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all.
Hell, that hurt. It felt like someone had stuck a hot poker in his heart and twisted. The thought of having a one-sided bond made him want to retch or throw something across the room. But he did neither. Instead, he tried to focus on what was at hand and find a way to make it work for everyone. He couldn’t give up, even if the odds against them seemed insurmountable.
Amara hadn’t spoken a word since she’d asked Tristan about the Seelie and Unseelie out in the clearing, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t know all the history in the fae world, and Tristan had seemed almost worried at her question, as if he hadn’t wanted others to overhear.
It was clear that both he and Amara had a lot to learn about Tristan’s people. Because of his age, the other man probably had a leg up when it came to the histories of many of the realms, but Seth wouldn’t just lie back and allow his future to pass him by without a fight. He’d figure it all out. He always did.
He’d also noticed that as they moved closer to Tristan’s home, Amara had seemed to steel her spine. She’d rolled her shoulders back and taken a deep breath once they breached the front door. He could only hope that her actions meant they would be able to peel back the layers of what could be between them and find a way to make a bond out of hope and a promise.
“So,” Tristan said with an odd grin. “This is my home.”
Seth looked at Amara, who blinked at him. “It’s…big,” Seth said slowly.
Amara laughed quietly and bumped her shoulder against his arm. “It is that.”
He grinned down at her, liking the way they shared this experience together. Her eyes glittered up at him, and he wanted to lean forward and tuck her hair behind her ear. He only barely resisted the urge.
Too soon, he told himself.
For now.
Tristan snorted and shook his head. “I’d make a joke along the lines of, ‘well if you think this is big,’ but I think we should probably talk a bit more first.”
Seth threw his head back and laughed, and Amara joined him, the tension in the room lessening dramatically. Nothing like a dick joke to bring people together.
Tristan just smiled at him and shook his head. “Before we talk about the giant elephant in the room that concerns the three of us, perhaps we should take a seat in the sitting room. I’ll tell you about the fae world. I know it might have seemed like I was angry or worried when you asked about the Seelie and Unseelie earlier, Amara, and while I wasn’t truly either, there is a history there that not everyone is…peaceable about.” He held out his hand to Amara. “Come, and I’ll tell you a story.”
She slid her hand into Tristan’s, and Seth took her other hand as they made their way to the other room. He’d have taken Tristan’s hand, as well, but he wanted to touch Amara as often as possible. He knew, like himself, Tristan was bisexual and felt the same pull he did. When it was time, the two of them would form a connection of their own, but first they would concentrate on Amara. They would have plenty of time for everything else later.