Unwanted Fates~ Book Two

A light mist covered Sylvie’s body as she woke next to Kian, the waxing moonlight illuminating the hardwood floors at the foot of the bed.

Sitting up, she lightly touched her body, checking for aches or fever, but the wetness to her skin was foreign.

“You okay, Princess?”

Kian’s warm touch to her shoulder shocked her, and she jerked slightly from a tiny electric shock.

“Yeah,” she breathed, wiping her face with her palm. Damp.

“Did you go outside?”

She padded to the ranch slider window, pulling the thick curtains aside. It was raining. Or, more accurately, drizzling. Kian’s body heat kissed her back before his arms wrapped around her belly. Brushing his lips to her shoulder, she shivered again from his touch. A weird sensation settled in her gut as she sighed. “I don’t remember.”

“Do you sleepwalk?”

She shook her head before pivoting in his arms. “Where’s Elias?”

Kian furrowed his brow for a moment before kissing her forehead. “He called me earlier while you were eating that there were very few options in the forest, so he headed to the office to retrieve some of his personal blood stores.”

“How far away is the office from here?” She tilted her head to the side to peer down the darkened hallway. The small tour Kian offered before she grew too tired to comprehend everything revealed nothing as to their whereabouts besides somewhere remote, with no neighbours within earshot.

“Two hours north from the city and about thirty minutes from Sagehill Town.”

“Sagehill? I thought Sagehill was one of those cult towns.”

Kian chuckled. “No, love. That’s just good marketing. The locals know about our kind but keep us a secret.”

“Why would they do that?”

“We keep the pests away.”

Sylvie rolled her head back and frowned at him. His riddles were triggering her impatience.

“Kian. Are you intentionally being reticent?”

He let her go and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Shifters. The fae warded the town from shifter attacks so our kind can travel freely to the earth realm without being spotted.”

Dread nestled in Sylvie’s chest, and she bit her inner cheek to stop the spiral of thoughts about a few shifters she knew. “Do the shifters attack people?”

“No, the livestock.”

She luckily stopped the whooshing breath of relief from his words, but his eyes narrowed nonetheless.

“You inadvertently made us buy property near the largest and probably only surviving shifter populace in the northern hemisphere.”

Elias’ words about feeling the mate bond subconsciously forcing him to hire her as his assistant all those months ago shot like a bullet into her mind, and she stilled. So what if her picking this home wasn’t a fluke? Kian’s throat clearing stole her attention.

“You know, I did say we should wait for Elias to come back before you share what happened to you, but perhaps you should tell me first.”

Her heart sped up remembering her time with the two shifters, and she turned away before padding to the modern, open-plan kitchen. The white marble bench tops sparkled as she flicked on the drop lights over the centre island.

It was all too complicated. The thought of telling her mates of Rowan’s claims to be her final lover to fit into her sexy romance puzzle filled her with guilt. She had already told Elias and Kian they were hers, and she was theirs. How would they feel about adding another man to their relationship? A man from a species who they both seem to hate. The feeling appeared mutual, but still.

“Not much happened,” she hummed, grabbing an apple from the fruit drawer.

Kian’s crossed arms and furrowed brow scrutinised her as she took a bite and grabbed a glass to chase the sweetness down with a drink of water.

“You know I can feel your emotions, right?”

She took another bite and rubbed at her mate marks. They ached again, almost as if the spot had been bruised.

“I think we should wait for Elias so I don’t repeat myself.”

Kian leaned atop the counter, his skin glowing under the lights. The violet flecks in his eyes glimmered as she mirrored his pose and finished her apple.

“Sylvie,” he started, the unusual lowness to his tone sending shivers down her spine. He never spoke her name, so his gravelly timbre amplified her worry. “Whatever it is, you need to tell us; we won’t be upset with you. You know that, right?”

Eyes filling with tears, she stared upwards to blink them away. “I know,” she replied, her voice thick with emotion. She did know, but for some awful reason, she wasn’t worried about them being upset with her.

When he rounded the counter to hug her, she shooed him away with a flimsy swat. “I’m fine. I’m just tired. And hungry,” she added when her stomach rumbled. The stainless steel fridge was stocked with basic ingredients, and she pulled each item out to make a sandwich while Kian sat on a stool and rested his chin on his hands.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

His eyes flickered across her slightly exposed mate markings. “I can feel it.”

“Kian,” she growled, slapping her hand on the counter. “Please, just drop it. It’s my first night in this house, and I don’t want to keep reliving my time in the hands of a pair of psychos.”

Her first night in the house and her first fight with her husband. Off to a pisspoor start. Her head hung as she finished making her sandwich, and shame hit her.

“Princess.”

She took a bite and padded around the counter to sit beside him.

“I wish this all could have been different. You deserve the world, and I don’t know why the Fates are determined to ensure you draw every short straw.”

“I don’t think Fate has anything to do with this. I’m just un-fucking-lucky.”

Kian exhaled a soft laugh and nudged his shoulder into hers. “Yes. Not one, but two supernatural men who would do anything for you. So unlucky.”

That drew a smile, and she wrinkled her nose at him. “That’s not what I meant. You and Elias are the only worthwhile things in my life.”

“Don’t say that-”

“What? I’m a twenty-six-year-old orphan vampire-faery hybrid that isn’t particularly good at anything and has no purpose. I was a shit assistant, and every other job was just some boring fill-in to pass the time till I died. Now, who knows when that’s going to happen considering how fast I heal, but on the other hand, every other supernatural creature in the world wants me dead for some fucking reason, so maybe sooner rather than later.” Her shoulders heaved by the end of her rant, and her mouth dried.

Kian stayed silent, and she resisted the urge to apologise immediately for being so gloomy.

“I’m sor-”

“Don’t, Princess. You’re allowed to feel these things, but you are so important and don’t even know it yet. I don’t yet know why you are the first bonded or kindred in centuries, but there has to be a reason.”

She wondered what he would think if he knew Rowan’s claims. Would having three mates make her more special or a freak of nature?

“Why? What reason could there be?”

“As I said, I don’t know. But the Fates do not make mistakes with mates.”

“You keep referring to Fate. Is that some kind of creature too?”

A sigh crossed the space between them, and Kian rubbed his face. “Sometimes I forget how sheltered you are from our realms.”

She frowned at him, nibbling her sandwich as he raised his hand placatingly.

“The Fates are ancient beings from the conception of the four realms, back when each gateway between worlds remained open and free for anyone to pass through.”

“You mean humans and other things could mingle and cross realms?”

“Yes. Some humans are still trapped in the Fae and Vampire realms. Although, they wouldn’t know any different now. They could travel without adverse effects back then too. Portal sickness was another curse from the Division.”

She swallowed a thick lump of bread and stared at her husband with wide eyes. “Why haven’t I heard any of this before?”

“You didn’t ask.”

Their breathing synchronised before he cleared his throat to continue. “Back then, the Fates controlled the realms. Nobody ever saw them, at least not in the physical sense, but many ancient Fae texts talk about their influence. They decided who would procreate with who and ensured no realm held more power over another.”

His expression darkened. “No one agrees on who started the rebellion against them, but the Fates punished everyone for their arrogance. The realms were closed off to one another with only a few powerful realm shifters able to cross through.”

“Like you and Kerensa?” Memories of her portalling to Evergreen court with Kian’s sister made her stomach flip. She missed her already.

“We’re descended from them, yes. So we share the ability.”

Sylvie’s mind ticked over, her imagination running haywire as she finished her food. It all sounded farfetched or out of a fantasy novel, but so did her relationship with her ‘mates’.

“Okay,” she whispered, rubbing her hands across her tired face. “Well, whether or not I’m special is still up for debate, but I’m still useless right now, at this moment. I have no hobbies or job, and I will not just sit around all day like some spoilt princess while you and Elias tend to my every whim. Fates or not.”

Kian smiled then. “If you want a fulfilling life, then let’s find something you love to do, and I’ll help you any way you need to succeed in it. Even if you want no help at all.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she leaned over to kiss his lips.

“How is it you always know what to say?”

Before he could respond, the light chirps or waking birds surrounded them, and the front door slammed closed.