Page 5 of Unrestrained

River fanned his face. He liked them big and sturdy, like Bodhi. “Um…” He seriously couldn’t think straight.

Bodhi backed away as if nothing had happened. “Next time I see you, you’ll know how my kind make romantic advances.”

Romantic. River liked that. Even though Bodhi’s actions had been more akin to a sexual advance, River enjoyed those too. But the other part of his statement was the thing that really caught River. “Next time?”

Bodhi smirked.

River fought a sigh.

Another dark gaze swept down River’s body before returning to hold his stare. “Yes, next time. I’ll be waiting.”

Holy wow. River was transfixed. Maybe Bodhi was right. His flirting was way better than River’s had been. River was totally in.

Frustration welled up inside Stygian. He had to get out of this cage. He had been testing every inch of his invisible box, but without a physical form, he was useless. Manipulation was the only tool he possessed. It was his nature to corrupt. He knew how to exploit every weakness, and Taurus was the chink in Stellar’s armor. Maybe Taurus wasn’t Stellar’s true mate, but he might as well be. The only reason he had chosen anyone else today for food was Stygian putting the thought in his head. He was an expert at twisting reality. No one had been able to find Taurus. Surely that meant he must be in someone else’s bed. They were his ticket out of here. A hint of jealousy here. A dash of doubt there. That was the recipe for chaos and distraction.

River slipped into the room. His wings glittered with the power of his prince. His unnaturally green eyes sparkled with mischief, matching his smile. “Did it work? Was Taurus jealous?”

Ah, the final ingredient to his plan: a gullible spirit with more belief in love than good sense. “He glowed with fire like I’ve never seen him.”

The blond sprite bounced on his toes and clapped. “Yay. I mean. I still don’t understand the issue. Sex is food. It’s nothing personal.”

The poor summer child. “Not if someone is your mate. No matter the creature, straying from a mate is soul-crushing.”

River tapped the tips of his fingers together in excitement. His eyes glowed even brighter. “Do you really think they’re mates? Wouldn’t there be signs by now?”

Stygian’s patience wore thin. He never knew when Stellar would return. “Yeah, I have no idea. Did you find my brother?”

River jumped as if he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, yeah. I forgot. You didn’t tell me he was so handsome. I almost forgot to ask about your trinket.”

Fairies were a horny lot. They were distracted way too easily. Stygian would roll his eyes if he had any. “He said he understood your need to have at least one thing from your dad. By the way, did I remember to tell you how sorry I am about his passing? Today has been a day.”

Goddess, spare him. Stygian was just thankful Bodhi understood his code. He had asked River to make sure he understood the reason he would not make it to his father’s funeral. He was delayed in Faerie. Stygian had played on River’s sympathies like a master. River hadn’t seen the danger Stygian had put him in. Thankfully, Bodhi could read minds and would know everything with the smallest peek inside River’s head.

“Did he give you anything?”

A bright smile lit River’s face. He pulled a large ruby from his pocket. His smile vanished, and his brow furrowed. “I’m not sure how to give it to you, though. Here. Let me just try this.” River pressed the stone against the invisible barrier. His expression turned triumphant when the stone passed through. “Ha. It seems things can get in but not out. That’s fascinating.”

Wickedness grew inside him alongside his satisfaction. “That’s not what happened at all.”

“What do you mean?” River was back to looking puzzled.

An evil laugh burst from Stygian. In an instant, he slipped through the hole the magic ruby made. He left his trap behind and slid right inside River. The skin was smaller than he was used to, but he could make this work.

What have you done?

Go to sleep, River.

The way River immediately disappeared made Stygian chuckle. A simple mind. Stygian loved it.

Chapter Three

The warmth at Stellar’s back was a comforting familiarity. He never stopped being aware of Taurus’ presence. He shouldn’t have let Stygian get into his head this morning. Two hours of no one knowing where to find Taurus and Stygian’s nonstop talk of Taurus being in someone else's bed had broken him. That was the biggest reason he had accepted River’s offer. The move hadn’t been meant to hurt Taurus. Sex acts were food. Stellar shouldn’t even be thinking about this. He had River on his knees to torture Stygian with what he would never have. Rage consumed him. Taurus wasn’t his mate. They weren’t a couple. He had done nothing wrong, but Stygian had won this one chess match. He felt guilty. Stygian saw too much. Knew too much. While Stellar had always believed his true mate would end up being his best friend, Lysander, Stellar had always been in love with Taurus. The thing was, neither of the two were his mate. He had lived too long to keep track and hadn’t found his other half. Maybe one wasn’t in the cards for him. Stellar hated to admit it, but he wanted a partner for eternity. He was old. Tired. There was nothing he hadn’t done a million times. He had reached a point where he wanted to relax and hold someone’s hand. While Stellar would never wrinkle and turn gray, he had an elder’s mind. He wanted quiet. Stellar wanted that life with Taurus. Unfortunately, good sense always prevailed. One day, a mate might very well come along for one of them. Stellar was Taurus’ prince. Any mate Taurus found would likely stand aside to appease him. That would be unfair to everyone involved. Fuck, he was exhausted from having this conversation with himself.

Taurus placed his hand on Stellar’s shoulder and squeezed, pulling him from his thoughts. His father stared at him with anticipation. Stellar had no clue what he waited to hear.

Taurus saved him the way he always did. “King Cassius wants to hear about your latest escapade in the human world.”

Thank Goddess someone had been paying attention. “Of course. I was trying to think if there was truly anything to tell. I went to support Lysander during his time of need. His mate was sick. Beyond that, nothing much happened.”