Eira’s stomach was in knots. Leth still hadn’t explained what the potential issue with his Mother could be, so her mind was running a mile a minute. Not to mention she was still worrying over the grief she’d seen from the two of them. They’d both pasted their smiles back on, and were laughing and joking with each other, and with Josh now they’d collected him and Rose, but she could tell the sadness still lingered for them both. Maybe after meeting the Fae Queen of Summer, and sorting out the whole missing frost issue, she’d be able to help them move past their sorrow, though she was sure it always lingered.

“She’ll love you,” Rose said, coming to walk beside Eira.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Eira muttered.

“Hmm...because I’m as convincing as my brother when it comes to her.” The other woman pulled a disgusted face.

“Things aren’t good between you then?” she asked, checking over her shoulder that her men were still okay. They were whispering together, and looking her way from where they walked several paces behind, but they seemed fine. Hopefully she’d find out what they were conspiring about later.

“They’re not bad, I guess. I’m her heir though, I guess she kind of has to like me.”

“You don’t sound too happy about that.”

“Have you ever had to pretend to be someone you’re not? Constantly? It’s kind of exhausting.”

“You mean Yuna?” Eira cursed herself instantly, she hadn’t intended to bring up the obvious relationship between the two women.

“You noticed that?”

“Hard not to with the way Leth and Yuna were talking.”

“Ah yes, my brother, our only true supporter,” Rose said bitterly. Despite not knowing her well, Eira touched her arm gently, and Rose flashed her a grateful look.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” she attempted to comfort her new sister-in-law. Huh, she hadn’t thought about Rose that way before. But it was true. And if what Leth had said was true, and she had no reason to suspect otherwise, she had multiple new brother-in-laws too, not to mention Josh’s sister, Reagan either.

“We wouldn’t really know. Leth is the only person who actually knows about us.”

“And me, and I’m sure Josh picked up on it too.”

“Yes,” Rose sighed in relief. “Actually, it feels good that someone else knows about us.”

“I’m glad I can help. But why don’t other people know? Is it because you’re both women?” She probably shouldn’t have asked, but curiosity was burning away inside her and Rose didn’t seem to be the kind to get offended. As if to prove her right, Rose laughed, the sound so musical that Eira swore she could have danced to it. Or she could if she’d been any good at dancing.

“I doubt it. It happens all the time in the Courts, the problem is more that we’re opposites. Summer and Winter. It’d be the same if Yuna and Leth were together.”

Eira let out a weird growling noise before covering her mouth. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from,” she muttered, horrified with herself.

“It’s okay, I get the protectiveness, I feel it every time someone looks at Yuna in a way I don’t like.”

“But the way Yuna looks at you—”

“Yes, I know. Our bond is as solid as yours with them,” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder to where the three guys were still following and whispering between themselves.

“Then what’s the problem?” Eira asked, though mostly to herself. She couldn’t get her head around the idea that any mating bond was any less than a miracle. But then, maybe her guys were turning her into a sappy romantic. She snorted. Not likely. A sex addict maybe, but a sappy romantic? Seemed a little unlikely given the past few days.

“Summer and Winter just don’t naturally go together.” Rose shrugged.

“Like me and Leth.” Realisation of the cause of some of Leth’s concern flooded through her. If there was nothing she could do about the three men situation, then there was certainly nothing she could do about being partly winter.

“I honestly don’t know. You’re not fae, even if you are giving off the right signals.”

“Probably something to do with Leth,” Eira muttered, making Rose laugh.

“Most likely. I imagine you’ll also give off witch vibes and whatever the other one is.” She shrugged again as if it was immaterial.

“A vampire,” Eira supplied anyway.

“But yes, Mother may not mind. But then she might, I don’t know, it’s kind of difficult to be able to tell sometimes. Left here,” Rose said, indicating a change of path down yet another corridor.

“Where are we going? Isn’t the Queen at the ball?”

Behind her, Leth let out a bitter laugh. “Mother? At a ball? That would involve spending time with her children.”

“Leth!” Rose protested.

“Oh please, Rose, you know as well as I do that she won’t do that. Eira’s family now, she deserves to know.”

Rose sighed. “True. Mother doesn’t really come to parties. She hosts them because she has to, but she doesn’t go to them. She’ll be in her audience chambers.”

“Which is where we’re going now?” Eira asked.

“Which is where we are now, Frostie.” Leth stepped forward and slipped his left arm around her waist, pulling her to him. “Whatever she says in there, remember you have us,” he whispered quietly.

“You’re not coming with me?” she asked, looking up into his worried brown eyes, the swirls seeming to have dimmed.

“Of course we are, but—”

“Fae are matriarchal,” Rose interrupted, and Eira turned to find a disgusted look on her face. “Most of them long ago accepted that men should be treated as equal, but Mother...she likes to keep to ‘tradition’.” Rose made air quotation marks as she spoke, making her feelings known.

“But what does that mean?” She dreaded hearing the answer, already half expecting it.

“Once we’re in there, we won’t be able to say a word unless someone asks us something directly.”

Eira gaped at him, not wanting to believe what he’d said. “So how will you introduce me?”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Rose gave a small laugh, but it came across as hollow. Dread curled in Eira’s stomach, something told her that this wasn’t going to be the easiest of encounters no matter how it played out. “Ready?” Rose asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Eira muttered, watching as the ornate twin doors swung open, revealing an opulent room filled with a pale golden light.

There were a handful of women about the room, each dressed in gowns of summer colours, including jewel tones and one that reminded Eira of sunshine. To her surprise, there were also eight men, four positioned on each side of the room. They wore nondescript armor, and were pretty much being ignored by all of the women, save one.

At the opposite end of the room to where Eira was now stood, rested a large ornate throne that appeared as if it had been carved from a large tree and gilded with gold. It was beautiful, if a little garish, but it fit with the woman who was sat upon it.

There was no doubt in her mind who the woman was, even if she hadn’t been wearing a crown and looking down on everyone as if they were mere dirt on her shoe. She had the same brown hair as Leth and his sister, hair that shone and looked like it had taken on a life of its own, and Eira was sure that if she moved closer, she’d be able to see the woman’s eyes swirl much like her mate’s did.

Slowly, Rose led the way up to the woman, ignoring the whispers from the assembled women as they looked on, probably trying to determine who they were, and who was with who.

“Your majesty.” Rose’s voice was surprisingly formal as she dipped into a curtsy, and Eira quickly followed suit, spreading the skirts of her dress, and feeling ridiculously conscious of Leth’s explanation about what it meant. Even without saying a word, the Queen knew who Eira was, and the look on her face revealed more about her feelings on the matter than Eira found comfortable.

“Daughter,” the Queen acknowledged coldly. “Who have you brought me?” At least she sounded vaguely interested now, Eira would’ve hated to feel completely insignificant.

“May I present the Lady Eira, Lord Leth’s mate. Lady Eira, may I present our Mother, the Fae Queen of Summer.”

Taking her cue from Rose’s formality, Eira dipped into another curtsy. “A pleasure, your majesty.”

“For you, maybe.”

She tried not to respond, biting her tongue hard in her attempt not to. The two siblings may not have seemed enamoured with their Mother, but she didn’t want to be the one to burn bridges for them. Though given Rose’s choice to omit her surname from the introduction, maybe the bridges were already burned.

“Explain, Leth,” the Queen demanded.

“This is my mate, the Lady Eira, your majesty,” Leth said with a bow. “And her other mates, Vampire Elder Rueben DeLuca and Joshua Bailey.” He indicated towards Rueben and Josh who executed twin bows that any court goer would be proud of. Rueben possessing the skill made sense, he’d been alive long enough for it to be a necessity, Josh on the other hand...she’d be asking him where he’d learned later. It was probably Reagan’s influence again.

“Three?” the Queen asked Eira with an accompanying raised eyebrow.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You should have at least tried for an even number.”

“I’m afraid I don’t pick my men based on symmetry,” Eira responded as sweetly as she could. Rose stifled a laugh with her hand while her Mother’s back was turned, and one of the men coughed behind her. Josh was her guess, but she didn’t turn around to check.

“Think you’re funny, do you?” the Queen seethed, turning around to face Eira with her eyes blazing.

“Not at all. But I don’t like you belittling my mates,” she bit out, sounding a lot more confident than she felt. It was impossible to forget that this woman was royalty, she emanated far too much entitlement for that, and even less possible to forget that she was talking to one of her Mother-in-laws.

“Who gave you the right to talk to me like that?” the woman demanded, though didn’t raise her voice, she was clearly too well trained to do that.

“Mother, she’s—”

“Quiet.” The Queen didn’t even look at her daughter, and the expression on Rose’s face just made her want to reach out and hug the other woman. Thankfully, Leth seemed to have the same idea, as she saw him press a comforting hand to his sister’s shoulder from the corner of her eye. Luckily, the gesture went unnoticed by their Mother, or Eira didn’t know what she’d do. The woman didn’t seem completely stable if anyone asked her.

“Sorry, your majesty,” Rose nodded her head demurely, and completely at odds with the earlier more laid-back version of herself.

“What brings you here Lady Eira?” the Queen asked.

“I came for a party,” Eira answered, the irony of how little fun she was having not lost on her. She’d have to remember to take it up with Leth later. And to say no next time he invited her to visit his home.

“Yes, apparently so. But then, why did my son seem to think bringing someone that reeked of winter in front of me was a good idea?” the Queen asked, her lips curving up into a self-satisfied smile. Rueben took a step forward, but Josh held out an arm to stop him, shaking his head to drive the point home.

“Because he loves me, I’m his mate, he has no choice. Take your pick really.”

Eira shrugged. Maybe winding up a reigning Queen was a terrible idea, or at least it was if Leth’s hiss behind her was anything to go by. But she refused to let anyone talk about her men like that. After all, they wouldn’t let anyone talk about her that way, it was only right that she protected them too.

“How dare you!” The Queen’s veneer of calm slipped slightly, and an angry look crossed her face. While inside she was twisted up in knots, Eira was determined not to let her discomfort show. She couldn’t, not with what felt like her life at stake. That was probably a little dramatic, but she was facing off with a powerful woman. And one she wouldn’t be able to use her own magic against. Good job she had Josh’s too then.

“No, your majesty, how dare you. It isn’t up to you who your son mates with. It’s not even up to him, it’s up to whatever higher power sodding well decides these things. Leth is mine, and I am his, you’d better get used to that.”

The older woman’s rapid breathing said all that her words didn’t. She was particularly unimpressed with Eira’s words. Well, that was fine by her. Not waiting for a response, she spun on her heels and stormed from the room, leaving the others to trail behind her.

While she wasn’t about to admit it to anyone, her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, and she was feeling slightly sick. She wasn’t used to being so forceful, and if she was honest, she didn’t really like it. That wasn’t the kind of person she was, nor was it the kind of person that she wanted to be.

“Woah, Eira,” Rueben said, catching her as she almost stormed into a wall. “You’re okay, we’re here,” he murmured the words into her ear as he pulled her back against his firm chest. She relaxed slightly at his touch, relieved to see that Leth and Josh had followed too, though Rose had stayed behind, probably to do damage control. For the first time, Eira regretted her choice of words slightly. She’d maybe pushed a little too far, she just hoped it’d be fixable for the Princess.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—”

“It’s fine, E. She pushed your buttons, we know that. We’d have done the same.”

She met Leth’s gaze, trying to work out from his eyes if he agreed with Josh. But he stayed silent, warring emotions flitting over his face in quick succession. At a loss for what to say or do, she loosened Rueben’s hold on her, and moved towards her fae mate, circling his waist with her arms, and pulling him close, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay,” he replied, but she wasn’t convinced. She looked up at him to see the same conflicting emotions on his face, but said nothing. Leth sighed. “It really is okay. Not ideal, but you haven’t ruined anything that wasn’t already bad.”

Eira frowned, not liking the sound of that one little bit. “Will there be any consequences?” she asked, already scared to know the answer.

“Quite possibly, but given what she’s already doing—”

“You mean the frosts?” She gave him a stern look, and his expression finally cleared, giving way to sheepishness.

“Yes. When did you figure it out?”

“Breakfast the other day. I didn’t know for sure until she said winter with such disdain, but she was top of the suspect list anyway,” she admitted. Leth’s frown broke and a small smile replaced it.

“And there’s one of the many reasons I love you,” he murmured, his eyes flicking to her lips. She could get on board with that, and leaned in to press her lips against his.

“But you should have told me,” she said as sternly as she could manage once the kiss had ended.

“I couldn’t, Frostie.” Instead of annoying her, this time the return of his nickname for her settled her mind. He couldn’t be that mad at her if he was using it after all.

“You’ll have to explain all the rules to me at some point.” She sighed, thinking of all the ones she’d encountered so far, and realising that none of them actually seemed to make any sense. It was if the fae wanted people to run afoul of their rules.

“I have a question,” Josh interrupted the moment, and the two of them turned to look at him. “Where was the Spring Princess?”

Eira frowned at him, thinking back over the events of the evening. He had a point. She’d met Summer and Winter, and with Autumn M.I.A., or rather at university with Izzy, it did leave Spring unaccounted for.

“Aledwen?” Leth asked.

“If that’s the name of the Princess, then yes,” Rueben grumbled. “But we wouldn’t know, the rest of us aren’t fae.” He gave Leth a pointed look. Surprising Eira, Leth looked at least a little abashed.

“Yes, that’s the Princess. I can’t tell you exactly where she is, but the Fae Queen of Spring is a little overprotective. I think I’ve met Aledwen a grand total of once, when she was maybe seven or eight? I’m not so sure, she was younger than I was and didn’t interest me. She’ll be having a ball we can go to alongside the Birth.” Leth took a deep breath, seemingly his first while speaking.

“Birth?” Josh raised an eyebrow. She was grateful he’d asked, she had no idea what Leth was on about.

“Of Spring. It’s a tradition, like the frosts coming, the leaves turning or the summer equinox.”

“Hate to break this to you, but I’m not coming to one of these again,” Eira said, moving away from Leth’s arms and resting her hands on her hips. “Now take me home.”

“With pleasure.” Leth drew his magic even before he’d finished speaking, and a door appeared before them. “After you,” he said, opening the door and holding it open for her. She nodded weakly, noticing the looks of relief on both Rueben and Josh’s face. Guess it’d been a long day for all of them.

Eira yawned. Damn, there went any chance of being distracted again.