Page 56 of If the Shoe Fits (Rainbow Tales #2)

Leovar blocked his eyes with a raised arm. The light threatened to blind him. It turned everything white. But then he heard it—soft murmurs of the sort exchanged between lovers. He lowered his arm to see Xander standing before him.

With Zane.

His heart plummeted. The two men were kissing. But then Xander saw him and jerked back.

“Leo!” Xander cried.

Zane stepped around Xander and faced Leo. “Enough of this. I am the one he is meant to be with. Not you. Can you not feel fate wrapped around us, human? Look at us together? I am his perfect match. You are an interloper. A thief. You would steal him from us.”

“No!” Leovar shouted. “I'll stay with him. I'll give up my world for him. I don't want to take him away. Xander deserves this. This is who he is.”

“Yes, this is who he is.” Zane waved a hand at Xander.

The Shining One Prince stood quietly, staring at Leo. No protests. Nor did he come forward.

“Xander?” Leo asked. “Is this what you want?”

“I want you both,” Xander said.

Leo thought he heard a gasp, but it came from neither man. Frowning, he said, “You can't have us both. Choose.”

“You see?” Zane waved at Leo. “So like a human. You can throw away a kingdom for him, but you can't share him. You think your love is unlimited and unconditional, but it isn't.”

“I shouldn't have to share him after I give up so much!”

Zane shook his head. “You still don't understand.

This isn't about you. This is about him. I admit that the touch of fate is upon you as well, Prince Leovar. But despite all your determination and bravado, you will fail. You will fail fate and Xander. I will never fail him. I know what he needs. And I am willing to sacrifice more than power and prestige for him. I would sacrifice myself. Pride. Control. All I am.”

Leovar took a breath. His heart hurt. But then peace filled him.

Zane was right. What did it matter? Would Xander love him less if he loved Zane too?

And could Leo keep Xander away from a man who would help him fulfill his destiny?

Suddenly, he saw it clearly. Xander was a man of two worlds, and he needed a foot in each—anchors.

And what better anchor than love? Zane and Leovar were perfect for the roles—a prince of the mortal world to ensure the peace between the races and a Shining One nobleman to help Xander navigate his new world.

They were what Xander needed. Not Leo or Zane. Leo and Zane.

Zane transformed. His hair paled from lavender to white, and a glow seeped from his skin. The voice that came from him resonated. “Choose.”

Leo stared at Xander.

“You could leave now, human. I will release you from the challenge. This is no trick. You have won two trials, and I grant your life as a reward. You may return to your realm and find someone else to love. Someone you won't have to share.”

“No,” Leo said.

“If you choose Prince Xander, he will never be completely yours.”

“You see, that's where you're wrong. He will always be completely mine. Whether Xander loves another man or not, he will never take back what he's given me. His heart is so big that he can love two men, and neither of us will feel a lack. I know him.”

“Choose,” the glowing man said again.

“Haven't you been listening?” Prince Leovar growled. “I choose Xander. I will always choose Xander!”

With the last roar of Leo's declaration, the illusion crumbled, and Leo found himself standing in the last chamber of the temple before a door. He looked up and up and up the stone wall and saw Xander above him. Smiling down at him.

“You did it!” Xander exclaimed. “Leo, you passed the challenge!”

“I told you that love is the greatest magic.” Leo winked at his lover, but his hand trembled as he reached for another massive stone door. Half of him wondered if it was all a trick. Another test.

But the door slid open with a great grating sound. Leo stepped into the passage beyond, and seconds later, he heard the sound of running feet. Xander.

The Shining One Prince swept the human Prince into his arms and kissed him as the entire court applauded.