“You want to marry me?” I say, standing up. I’m pretty certain my mouth is hanging open in shock. Talk about emotional rollercoaster. My head is spinning. The most unbelievable part is I want to say yes. That fact itself scares me half to death. Did Ezra just profess his love for me, or have I imagined that part?

He stands with me. “Marry? I’ve never heard that expression before. Is it the same as the Joining ceremony, something that takes place on Earth?”

“In a manner of speaking,” I say, puffing out a breath.

“Of course, it is true to say that the moment you gave me your blood we were bonded. The Joining is simply a ceremonial act that makes it more official. What do you say, Accacia?” he asks, stepping closer.

“Ezra…” I begin, not sure if I can give him an answer.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know. I will give you time, Accacia. I will wait. Despite what Devin thinks, I am a patient man.” He laughs then, and the sound is light, happy.

But that’s just it, that’s part of the reason I’m unable to just say yes, despite my crazy heart wanting me to. There are Devin and Rhain to consider too. I care about them both. My feelings for them are growing rapidly and I’ve not had time to explore them properly. I can’t possibly make such an important decision without considering those feelings first.

Say yes, Accacia.

Devin, what the hell? Now you decide to speak up.

It’s a simple decision.

The hell it is! Ezra wants me to be his wife, Devin. What about…

Rhain? Me? He chuckles, and I have the sudden urge to smack him. I would if he was standing nearby.

“Be my guest,” Devin says, as he walks through the door.

“Brother,” Ezra says. “I was just asking Accacia to bond with me officially, to partake in the Joining ceremony.”

“I know. Red can’t hide her thoughts or feelings all that well. The connection we have through the Binding is most interesting.” Devin grins, winking at me. I blanch. Behind him Rhain enters, he’s also grinning at me. What the hell are they all finding so amusing?

“Actually, I was thinking about the fact that we’ve only just met. I’ve known you all a handful of days. Days,” I repeat.

Devin shrugs. “What does that matter? I have lived longer than a thousand years. That’s a lot of days to be alone, Red.”

“Time is irrelevant when you find the one you want.” Rhain walks over to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. He kisses me in front of his brothers, not caring in the slightest. I’m pretty sure Devin said something similar to me a few days ago when he was trying to persuade me to sleep with Rhain. I laugh hysterically.

“Of course it’s relevant. You are no more than strangers.”

“We are not strangers,” Rhain says, his eyes alight with desire.

I push at his chest. “You know what I mean. This isn’t normal behaviour. You can’t expect me to become Ezra’s wife just like that.” I look between Rhain and Devin, then at Ezra.

“What was your immediate reaction,” Ezra says, stepping closer to me. “When I asked, what was the first thought that came to your mind?”

My throat goes dry and I step away from him, effectively backing myself into Rhain who has, somehow, manoeuvred behind me. “You haven’t actually asked…” I mumble. Behind me I hear Rhain chuckle. Feel his arm snake around my waist, feel my body melt into him ever so slightly. Damn him and damn my traitorous body.

Ezra stops short, considering me. He doesn’t seem at all concerned that Rhain is nibbling at my ear.

“You’re right, I haven’t…”

“Oh no,” I start, waving my hand at him. “I didn’t mean you should…”

Hush, Red, let him. Devin says silently. I turn to look at him, he is leaning against the door, arms crossed, an amused smile on his face. I haven’t seen Ezra this at peace for, well, before the curse.

Devin, stop him. This isn’t…

Isn’t what? Right? You are a member of Clan Lux. You might not have grown up here, with us, but who we are as a people is still there, ingrained within your blood. We love freely, Red. Don’t let those same excuses stop you from making a decision that will make you happy. Besides, it’s too late. Joining ceremony or not, the moment you gave Ezra your blood you were bonded with him for life anyway.

But…

You may not have acted on instinct when you gave Ezra your blood, but the reason why you did it remains the same. You wanted him to live, for us, for you. That hasn’t changed, has it?

No, but…

Devin pushes off from the door and approaches us all. He joins his brothers and they move around me until I am centred in the middle. A broken memory of sultry music and hands covering my body filters back into my head. That disjointed memory is the only part of that night that doesn’t fill me with dread. My heart rate increases as I remember the way it felt to be surrounded by them all. Devin looks at me, a half-smile forming on his face.

“Rhain and I knew what it would mean if Ezra ever accepted your blood. We knew you would be joined for life. We wanted that for him, for you.”

“You don’t care?” I ask, my heart stuttering.

“It’s not that we don’t care. It’s that it doesn’t matter. It is not unusual for our people to have multiple partners. I’ve told you this before, Red. We want you to understand it’s okay to feel something for more than one person at a time.”

“And I’m assuming you mean I should accept the same from you?” I say, feeling a knot tie up in my stomach. The thought of any of them with someone else makes me feel sick. Bugger that. Feeding is one thing, they have to do it to survive, I’m beginning to understand that. But being with someone else, loving them, I don’t think I can take that. Even when I don’t really know how I feel, I know that much.

“No. Never,” Rhain says fiercely. “There will be no one else for any of us.”

Ezra steps forward again and takes my hand. “I’ve been a fool…” he begins.

“But what about everything else,” I say, cutting him off. “There are bigger things going on here.” They look at me blankly. “The curse, the prophecy, the other sisters. My friend, Clover. You came to find me for those reasons. I am here to break the curse. There’s so much at stake, I can’t just marry…” My voice trails off. God, I am a mess of confusion.

“Don’t you think it is about time Accacia knows the full truth,” Nostra says as he walks in the room. He flicks his wrist and the broken earthenware that I hadn’t finished cleaning up mends itself, the tables and chairs straighten, and the rug is pulled flat. The smell of food wafts under my nose, and a loaf of bread, butter, and cheese appear on the table alongside a large jug of red wine.

“Stop crowding Accacia and let her eat. If you are hungry I suggest you go and take blood elsewhere and return when you are satiated. In the meantime, I will fill Accacia in on the full prophecy,” Nostra says dismissively.

“I’m not sure that’s a good…” Rhain starts, but Nostra snaps his fingers and Rhain’s mouth clamps shut. Nostra raises his eyebrow at the look Rhain is giving him.

“Half-truths are nothing but lies dressed up. Accacia deserves to know the truth. Then she can make her own mind up.”

Devin, what is Nostra talking about?

Devin opens his mouth, then shuts it again. He pats Rhain on the back then turns to me, raising a hand to my cheek. “Nostra’s right, we should have told you everything. We only kept it from you because we didn’t want it to affect your decision. We shall get our moment, we have unfinished business you and I.”

I look at Devin helplessly, then at Rhain, who stops in front of me. He doesn’t say a word and I don’t know if that’s because he can’t, or because he won’t. Either way, he pulls me in for a deep kiss and I react the same way I always do when he ignites such desire in me, and kiss him thoroughly. He pulls back, pressing his forehead against mine. “You have become my world, Cia. For me there is only you.”

“I…”

Rhain steps away and Ezra takes his place. He reaches for my hand and runs a finger over the ring that still remains firmly fixed in place. “It is thanks to Nostra’s magic we found you. I hope what he has to say will not send you away again,” he says, those grey eyes of his worried now.

Ezra turns my hand over and lifts my wrist to his mouth. For a moment I think he is going to bite me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he presses a gentle kiss against my middle finger, where I gave him blood the first time, then he slides his lips over the now healed spot on my wrist where his teeth punctured me not an hour or more before.

“I still have a question to ask. I hope that the next time we meet you will allow me to ask it.” With that he turns from me and walks out of the door, following his brothers.