Bonds of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 2)

Okot doesn’t come back for hours. It’s well after dark when he saunters back to our mini-cave with some watery soup and a loaf of bread in tow.

“Where did you go?” I ask, sitting up from where I’d been dozing on Evert next to the fire he built.

After setting down the food, Okot comes over to me. “Here, my beloved,” he says, handing me something wrapped in cloth.

I put it in my lap and start to unwrap the cloth coiled around it to find out what this mystery item is. When I uncover it, all I can do is stare.

And stare.

And stare some more.

When I blink and it’s still there, I look up at him. “Ummm. It’s a hand. A severed hand. There’s still blood on it. And the bone is poking out. The cuticles look terrible,’ I ramble. ‘You gave me a severed hand… Why?”

He points at it proudly. “The guard named Gammon. He struck you with that hand. Now that hand is yours.”

Realization settles in, and I gasp. “Aww, you cut off his hand for me?” I croon.

He grins. “I did, my beloved. No one is allowed to hurt you.”

I jump up, forgetting the severed hand was still in my lap. We watch as it rolls across the floor. Huh. That went farther than I thought it would.

I throw my arms around Okot’s neck. “Thank you!”

I kiss him square on the mouth. Okot doesn’t even hesitate before cradling my neck in his massive hand and deepening the kiss.

“What the fuck?” I hear Evert mutter. “That’s how you react when he cuts off some guy’s hand and brings it to you like it’s a fucking daisy?”

I pull away from Okot, my lips pink and swollen from his very thorough attention. “So sweet, right?” I beam.

Evert shakes his head and walks away, but I’m pretty sure I hear the words “crazy fucking cupid,” as he leaves.

“He’s obviously never had someone sever a hand for him,” I say wisely.

Okot nods. “Obviously.”

A thought crosses my mind and I frown. “That was dangerous, Okot. You could’ve gotten caught.”

“He never saw me.”

“…You managed to cut off his hand, and he never even saw you?”

He nods. “Correct.”

Huh. I don’t know whether to be impressed or leery.

To my surprise, Okot and Evert get along without a hitch and conversation comes easily as we wait out our time in our little cave.

Still, I’m having a hard time not feeling a little bit guilty about my time with Evert. Would Okot be upset if he knew?

I don’t know what’s appropriate to do with one in front of the other, either. If I touch Evert’s hand, will Okot get jealous? If I nuzzle Okot’s neck, will Evert get pissed? I don’t know, and it’s killing me. This is new territory for me, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.

When Evert goes outside to look for wood, leaving Okot and I alone, I set myself beside him and lean against his shoulder. He pets my hair and breathes me in while I bask in the fire’s glow.

I can’t look him in the eye as I broach the subject, so I continue to look at the flames. “Okot…are you really okay with all of this? I won’t be mad if you aren’t. I’ll understand. You deserve a perfect mate. I don’t want you to have to share if you don’t want to.”

He stops playing with my hair for a moment before resuming. “You are my perfect mate. Lamassus may not normally have shared mates, but it is not unheard of for fae. Many breeds share mates.”

I pick at my nails. “So you really aren’t bothered? I just don’t want you to be resentful or upset. I don’t want to mess this up or be selfish. I care about you, and I want you to be happy. It’s not just about me here. You have a say. I don’t want you pressured into anything.”

He kisses the top of my head. “You are a caring mate, and I am lucky to have found you. If I were bothered by the genfins, I would tell you. But I’m not. You have nothing to worry about. The five of us are a team now.”

“We’re a covey,” Evert corrects, not bothering to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping as he walks back in with some more firewood to throw on the flames.

“A covey,” Okot agrees. “You are ours, and we are yours. You don’t have to be shy in your affections of us.”

I look up beneath my lashes at them. “Really?”

Okot nods. “Really.”

“You better not hold back, Scratch,” Evert scolds me. “The five of us are a covey now. You hear me? There’s no room for being shy. We’re way past that. Besides, aren’t you the one who blatantly admitted to wanting sex the very first day we met?”

I shrug, unconcerned. “It was my first day with a real body. You’d have done the same. I want lots of orgasms.”

He laughs, showcasing both dimples. “Fucking demanding little thing, aren’t you?”

It’s my turn to smile, but I look between them one more time. “So this is really okay?”

“Yes, Scratch,” Evert says, sitting down so that I’m sandwiched between them. “Now stop worrying so much and just enjoy our covey.”

“Emelle’s Covey. Covey Lust-and-Love. Cupid Covey. Covey Cupid,” I ramble off. “Hmm. I’ll work on our team name.”

Evert shrugs. “Don’t care what the fuck you call us as long as you remember that in the end, I won first place. I was the one that got to be your first kiss that you always fucking talked about back on the banishment island. And now I got your first orgasm. So fucking there.”

“You did end up winning first place. Even though you sort of tricked me into my first kiss.”

He smirks cockily and leans back, putting his hands behind his head. “Yep.”

Instead of getting jealous, Okot just brushes my hair to the side and leans in. “He may have stolen your first kiss and earned first place for it back on the banishment island, but once we confirm our mate match, I will be the first one to be inside of you. That is one title I am looking forward to earning.”

Liquid heat pools in the pit of my stomach, and I clear my throat loudly. These guys are going to be the death of me. Can someone die from too much arousal? I feel like I should know this.

Evert just rolls his eyes. “Fucking lamassu.”