Bonds of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 2)

The guys continue to field endless fake niceties and praises for the next half hour. It’s clear by the set of Ronak’s chin and Evert’s clipped tone that they’re getting impatient. Sylred stays polite and nice, of course, but even he looks restless.

They deny (many times) the requests to dance, too, which I can’t help but be smug at.

“I bet you’d dance with me,” I say.

They totally would. I’m pretty sure. I could probably get a twirl out of them, at least.

The guys do okay with the crowd right up until some dumbass tells Evert he bet against him on the second day and lost a ton of money, and could Evert please reimburse him for the loss?

Evert’s glare turns positively murderous. “You want me to pay you for living?”

Ronak tugs him away before he can snap off the high fae’s pompous head from his slender neck. Personally, I’m a bit disappointed at the interruption, but you know, high society decorum tends to frown upon ballroom beheadings. Ronak breaks them away from the gathered crowd, veering the covey toward the drink table. They fill their cups and toss them back, then refill for a second.

“Umm, hello? What about me? Can you stop mingling and getting drunk for five seconds and talk about me? I’m starting to feel overlooked.”

They finish their second drinks before going for thirds. Every time a fae comes up to speak to them, they glare until the fae awkwardly walks away. I don’t blame them. Before, they looked wild and brutal. Now that they’re cleaned up, they look…just as brutal. Just because they’re in sexy formal wear doesn’t mean their muscles and scowls are hidden.

Sylred breaks the silence. “This tastes a hell of a lot better than that damn stuff we brewed on the banishment island.”

The guys smirk. “I agree wholeheartedly,” I tell him. I look down at my see-through chest. “Well, you know what I mean.”

“Incoming,” Ronak says.

The three of them stiffen, and I whirl around to see Delsheen heading right for them.

“What does that bitch want?” Evert and I both say at the same time.

I grin at him and pat him on the shoulder. My hand goes through it, but I think it still counts.

Delsheen is wearing a dress made entirely of shiny white fur. It hugs her curves in soft draping. The front of it shoves her boobs up practically to her chin. I look down at my smaller ones and scowl. “Hello boys,” she purrs as she reaches them.

Her furry wings are on display again, and her brown hair is gathered on top of her head with a huge claw. I wonder if her hair accessory is from the same animal as her dress.

“Delsheen,” Ronak says in a clipped tone.

She reaches out a finger and trails it down his chest.

“I will bite that off,” I threaten her.

“Do you like my dress? It’s the best fur that money can buy,” she says, drawing their attention to her shapely form.

Evert looks her up and down and then shrugs, unimpressed. “Someone else wore worse fur and looked better.”

I beam.

She huffs but otherwise ignores him. “It’s been so long, Ronak. Did you miss me?”

Ronak captures her hand, stopping its decent before she can reach the waistband of his pants.

She pouts. “Come now, you can’t be mad? That little incident was ages ago, and now everything is over and done with. Your little outburst has been paid for, and everything is set for us to move forward with our mating ceremony.”

“What the fuck?” Evert and I exclaim at the same time.

Sylred looks at her incredulously. “Delsheen, you can’t be serious. That wasn’t a ‘little incident.’ We were banished for five years because of what happened. And you were just openly flaunting yourself last night with the prince.”

She turns to him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. I’m sure it’s a move just to push her boobs up more. “As if I could deny playing the part the prince wanted me to play. Last night was for show, I promise.”

Evert scoffs. “As if your promises mean anything.”

“So what?” she snaps. “My wings emerged. Our mating ceremony was cut short, but the fact that mine came out shows just how close we were to completing the bond. We need to finish it. It’s your duty to me as a genfin female.”

“If you think we’re still bonding with you after you fucked the prince on the eve of our last mating ritual, you are as delusional as you are bitchy,” Evert growls.

She scoffs. “Oh, grow up, Evert. It was just a fuck. And he’s the prince. What was I supposed to do? Say no?”

Evert rolls his eyes. “Please. I’m sure you offered yourself up on a shiny fucking platter. The prince was just another step to climb on your society ladder. You’ve always been a sycophantic cunt.”

The last of Delsheen’s coy expression dissolves from her face. She stares him down with fury and then turns to Sylred. “Are you going to stand there and let him talk to me like that?” she demands.

Pleading to the nice one of the group is a smart strategy, I’ll give her that. But Sylred just shrugs. “He’s right, Delsheen.”

She turns about three shades of red. “Well it doesn’t matter what you two think,” she snaps. “You’re not the alpha in this covey. You didn’t grow up in noble houses. You have no idea the pressure Ronak and I are under. I may be a sycophant, but at least I didn’t come from the proverbial gutters back at home. You were nothing. Nothing until Ronak bonded with you. You should be kissing my feet that I would even consider mating with you.”

Gods, this bitch. I’m gonna make her fall in love with the ugliest, stinkiest, poorest fae I can find. Or a troll with their steaming sex juices. Either way.

I can feel the fury rolling off Evert. Even Sylred has a hard glint in his eye.

“So I suggest you fall in,” Delsheen tells them with phony sweetness. “Because we are going to finish this mate bond as soon as we return home. Everything is already arranged. Let’s go, Ronak.”

All four of us look at him. He studies Delsheen like he’s seeing her for the first time. He looks her square in the face, cold mask in place, and finally says, “No.”

She blanches. “What do you mean, no?”

“No, Delsheen. We won’t be bonding with you.”

She laughs in his face. “A united front, is that it? Well you can’t say no to me, remember? You’re the alpha. That means that for you, it’s your animal side that chooses the mate. And your animal chose me a long time ago,” she says in a victoriously sultry voice, pressing up against him.

“So you have no choice but to go through with it, unless you want your animal to rage and fight against you for all eternity. He’ll reject any other female because he already chose me. You have to finish the mating ceremony. Your animal won’t accept anything less. Besides, since we already started, you won’t get your magic or your wings unless it’s me. So be a good alpha and control your covey, yes?”

She reaches around and grabs hold of Ronak’s tail while her own starts wrapping around his leg. Evert curses under his breath. By the look on the guys’ faces, it’s obvious that this tail-touching thing is a super big deal. For a moment, Ronak looks defeated.

Until his animal side comes roaring out.

And I mean that literally.

He roars. In the middle of the ballroom.

People scream dramatically and run away. Even Delsheen jumps. It’s awesome.

Ronak’s eyes are no longer his own. Now his animal is in control. His neck cricks to the side in an animalistic way, and his golden eyes flash at where her hand still has hold of his tail.

Like a feral beast, his lips lift into a snarl, baring his teeth. His growl is deep and loud and super scary, especially considering what everyone saw his animal do in the culling.

Delsheen pales and her own eyes flash gold. She immediately whimpers and drops her hold on his tail like it burns, while her own tail unravels from his leg. She bows her head and cowers submissively. When he growls and snaps his teeth, she takes the hint and starts backing away.

Once she’s twenty feet away, she turns and races from the room. I pump my fist in the air. “Yeah! You better run!”

Ronak continues to snarl and gnash his teeth. His whole body is tense, like he’s ready to spring for attack.

“What are you looking at?” Evert snaps at all the staring fae gathered around. “Go dance and shit. Mind your own business.”

When Ronak growls at the spectators, Sylred moves to stand in front of him and blocks his view. Ronak growls at him, too.

Sylred raises his hands. “Easy. Ronak, come back out.”

“Yeah, you can cut the alpha shit, genfin. You scared the shit out of her. Did you see how far her tail was tucked up her ass? She’s not coming back,” Evert says with a chuckle.

“Ronak,” Sylred coaxes again.

Finally, the gold bleeds out of his eyes, and his posture shudders. When he blinks, his dark eyes look back at his covey.

He looks equal parts shocked and confused. “Did my animal just publicly reject Delsheen as a mate?”

Evert grins. “Sure as fuck did. It was awesome.”

“I’ve never heard of alphas rejecting a mate they previously chose,” Sylred says.

“She must have really pissed your animal off,” Evert adds gleefully. “Good. Glad that shit’s over. If your stupid ass animal still wanted to keep her, I was going to be pissed.”

Ronak just blinks, like he can’t believe that just happened.

Evert refills their cups and passes them around. “A toast to the poor assholes that end up mated with that crazy bitch.”

They clink their glasses together and drink.