SAMANTHA
Jayce held me tight against his chest. His wings were still spread wide, golden feathers catching the light from the halos behind the thrones. We were high up on a ledge at the far side of the room. Far away from Darlington. Far away from Finnian.
Far away from everything.
I could not breathe.
Not because I was scared. Well, maybe a little because I was scared. But mostly because Jayce's arm was wrapped around my waist and his face was buried in my hair and he was sniffing me.
Like a dog.
Like a wolf.
Like a mate.
"You smell heavenly," he murmured against my neck. "That mate scent. I could drown in it."
I wanted to push him away. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run.
But my body would not move.
Then I heard wings.
Darlington rose from the floor below. His dark wings beat once, twice, and then he was hovering in front of us. His golden eyes were hard.
"No," he said. "No way in heaven are you having her all to yourself."
Jayce pulled me closer. "Find your own."
"She is my mate too."
"Then find her somewhere else. I found her first."
"You did not find her first. You grabbed her first. There is a difference."
Finnian rose up beside Darlington. His silver wings shone like moonlight. He did not look angry. He looked tired. Like he had dealt with this argument a thousand times before.
"Can we please not do this right now?" he asked.
"No," Jayce and Darlington said together.
Finnian sighed.
Jayce sniffed my hair again. "She smells like honey. And flowers. And something else. Something I cannot name."
"That is the mate bond," Darlington said. "And I would love to smell her too."
"Too bad."
"Jayce."
"What?"
"Give her to me."
"No."
Darlington's wings flared. "I am not asking."
"And I am not giving."
They glared at each other. The air between them crackled with tension. I was trapped in the middle, pressed against Jayce's chest, watching two winged wolves argue over me like I was a piece of meat.
Finnian flew closer. "You know, this is exactly why Father never lets us have nice things."
"Shut up, Finnian," both brothers said.
Finnian shrugged.
Then Darlington lunged.
He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away from Jayce. Jayce held on tighter. I yelped as my body stretched between them.
"Let go," Darlington growled.
"You let go."
"I had her first."
"You did not have her at all. I am the one holding her."
"Because you grabbed her like a cave man."
"She is our mate. I am allowed to grab her."
"You are allowed to share."
"Says who?"
"Says common sense."
Jayce laughed. It was a cruel laugh. "Since when do you have common sense? Remember when you tried to seduce my girlfriend in high school?"
Darlington's face went red. "That was different."
"How? How was that different?"
"I was young. Stupid. And she was not really your girlfriend. You dated her for three days."
"Three days is still three days."
"It does not count."
"It counts."
Finnian flew between them. "Can we please focus? We are fighting over our mate while she is literally hanging between you two. Look at her. She looks terrified."
Both brothers looked at me.
I was terrified.
But I was also something else. Something I did not want to admit.
Inside my head, Rynn was having the time of her life.
Yes! she cheered. This is what I am talking about! Men fighting over a woman! This is how it should be!
Rynn, they are going to tear me in half.
No, they are not. They are going to tear each other in half. There is a difference.
That does not make me feel better.
Look at them. Look at their wings. Look at their eyes. They want us. Both of them. All three of them. Our mates are fighting over us!
I could not argue with her. She was too happy.
Jayce sniffed my hair again. "I am not sharing."
Darlington's jaw tightened. "You do not have a choice."
"I always have a choice."
"Not this time."
"Our mate!"
The words came from all three of them at once. Jayce. Darlington. Even Finnian. They spoke together, their voices echoing off the marble walls.
Our mate.
Our mate.
Our mate.
Rynn howled inside my head. She was so happy I thought she might burst.
This is wonderful, she said. This is the best day of my life.
They are going to kill each other.
Then we will have one mate instead of three. Still a win.
Rynn!
She did not care. She kept cheering. Kept pacing. Kept scratching at the walls of my mind.
I tried to speak. I opened my mouth to tell them to stop. To tell them to put me down. To tell them that I was not a toy to be fought over.
Jayce clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Ssshhhh," he said. "Little bunny. Let the grown-ups talk."
I bit his palm. He did not even flinch.
Then he launched himself off the ledge.
We were flying again. His wings beat against the air. The throne room blurred beneath us. I held onto his arms because I had no choice. If I let go, I would fall.
Behind us, I heard wings.
Darlington was chasing us.
Finnian too.
"Come back here!" Darlington shouted.
"No!" Jayce shouted back.
He flew to the other side of the room. Then the other. Then the other. He wove between the marble columns. He ducked under the crystal chandeliers. He flew so fast that the air burned my cheeks.
Darlington kept up.
Finnian kept up too, but he looked annoyed about it.
"Jayce, you are being a selfish asshole!" Finnian yelled.
"Thank you for the update!"
Finnian flew faster. He caught up to Jayce and slammed into his back. The impact shook both of them. Jayce's grip on me loosened.
I fell.
The ground rushed up toward me. I screamed. I flailed. I grabbed at the air.
Then Darlington caught me.
His dark wings wrapped around my body. He pulled me close to his chest. We spun once, twice, and then he landed gently on the floor.
His feet touched the obsidian. His wings folded behind him. But he did not let me go.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
His golden eyes searched my face. His hand cupped my cheek. His thumb brushed away a tear I did not know I had cried.
My skin prickled.
Everywhere he touched me, my skin came alive. Hot. Tingling. Needy.
More, Rynn whispered. More more more.
I wanted to lean into his hand. I wanted to press myself against his chest. I wanted to bury my face in his neck and breathe in his scent.
But I did not.
I just stood there. Frozen. Trembling.
Darlington smiled. It was a soft smile. Nothing like Jayce's cruel one.
"You are shaking," he said.
"I am fine."
"You are lying."
"I am allowed to lie."
He laughed. It was a warm sound. It made my stomach flip.
Up above, Jayce and Finnian were still fighting. I could hear them shouting. Insulting. Bringing up old childhood memories that sounded embarrassing and painful.
"She is on the floor!" Finnian yelled. "With Darlington!"
"What?" Jayce looked down. His golden eyes found me in Darlington's arms. "No! That is not fair!"
"Life is not fair!" Finnian shoved him.
Jayce shoved him back.
They kept fighting.
Darlington looked up at his brothers. Then he looked back at me. His hand was still on my cheek. His thumb was still tracing small circles on my skin.
"I should go stop them," he said.
"You should," I agreed.
But neither of us moved.
I wanted to stay in his arms forever. I wanted to run away and never look back. I wanted both things at the same time.
Then Jayce screamed something insulting about Darlington's mother.
Darlington's face went cold.
"I have to go."
He let me go. His wings spread wide. He launched himself into the air and flew toward his brothers.
I stood alone on the floor.
My skin was still tingling. My heart was still pounding. My wolf was still cheering.
Go, Rynn said. Run. Now. While they are distracted.
I looked up at the triplets. They were tangled together in the air, punching and shoving and shouting.
They were not looking at me.
Go! Rynn urged.
I ran.
I ran across the obsidian floor. Past the thrones. Past the marble columns. Past the guards who were too busy watching the princes fight to notice me.
I pushed open the massive doors and slipped into the hallway.
And I did not look back.