Page 73 of Claim Me

“You were a forbidden craving we both shared for over a year,” he adds. “But neither of us could act on it. Not only were you our ward to protect, but you were also mated to another man.” He lifts his shoulder. “Now one obstacle is gone while the other holds that much more meaning to us.”

My brow furrows. “Guarding me has more meaning?”

“Protectingyou has more meaning,” he corrects. “Kaspian assigned us to you toprotectyou, Fallon. He was worried that some members of the House might try to exact revenge on you since it was your powers that Klas used to subdue the city. He wanted youprotected.”

My lips open, then close, my words jumbling on my tongue. “That…”That’s not how I understood any of this.“He doesn’t trust my powers.”

“He doesn’tunderstandyour powers,” Nox murmurs, his thumb dancing along my lower spine as he holds me in the water. “And he’s using that as his primary reason for wanting you to open up. But I’ve realized there’s more to it than just that.”

“Because I told you there’s more involved.” Bane’s voice floats to us on the wind, drawing my attention to where he’s moving through the water with a drink in his hand.

I glance between both of them. “What do you mean?”

Bane comes up beside us and holds the drink closer to me, the straw poised for my lips. “Try this and tell me if it’s good.”

That’s not an answer to my question, but I do what he asks because pretty much everything Bane makes tastes amazing.

And this drink is no different.

It’s a delicious concoction of fruits with a subtle bite of alcohol in its wake. “Mmm, what is that?”

He lifts a shoulder. “A mixture I threw together with some pureed strawberries, pineapple juice, and some sweeter alcohols.”

I swallow another mouthful while he talks, a groan vibrating in my chest. “Sooo good,” I tell him.

Nox’s arms flex around me in response, his body seeming to stiffen. “Fuck, if you sound like that when enjoying a drink, I can’t wait to hear what you sound like when you come.”

I nearly choke on the liquid in my mouth, his words unexpected and entirely too welcome.

Bane chuckles and takes the straw from my lips, only to press it to Nox’s mouth. “Back to Kaspian,” he says as Nox tries the drink. “He wants your secrets because he wants to know you. Trust is important to him, but it’s so much deeper than that.”

“Mm-hmm,” Nox agrees. “And this is really good.”

“I know,” Bane replies, his dark eyes glimmering with approval before meeting my gaze again. “Fallon, we’ve all been enamored with you in one way or another since we met you. Kaspian isn’t an exception. He just displays his fascination in a different way.”

“By demanding answers,” Nox murmurs. “Like today, you scared him by essentially dying again. Then you came back upset, and he wanted to fix it. Only you won’t let him, and that infuriates him.”

Bane nods. “He’s all about control. However, he can’t control a problem he doesn’t understand. And he wants to control it—for you.”

“No, he wants to protect his House from me,” I correct him. “That’s his primary objective.”

“That’s what he tells himself, but that’s just one of many reasons.” Bane shrugs. “Someday, you’ll both see it. But this bond between all of us makes sense. It explains everything.”

I twist my lips to the side. “Does it, though? I mean, it could all be… I don’t know, a mistake. A fluke. Four fated mates? It’s probably a temporary thing brought on by my visiting the death plane. Magic, even.” It’s as close as I can bring myself to saying the truth—that this is all because of a rebounding spell.

But I’m desperate for it to be a lie.

For this to be real.

For these men to truly be mine.

“You don’t think our fated-mate bonds are real?” Bane asks, some of the sparkle leaving his gaze.

“I…” I trail off, trying to figure out how to reply to that without sayingwhyI’m questioning the bonds. “It feels too good to be true?”

He considers me for a beat and nods. “I can understand why you think that after everything you went through with Klas. So let’s pretend it’s a fluke, as you suggested, just for a second. How did you feel about us before yesterday?”

I blink, startled by his question. It isn’t at all how I expected him to address the possibility that this all might be fake. “I… Um…” I swallow, my brow furrowing.