I had so many questions, starting with who was that man and why was Connor asking if it was time? Time for what?

I realized the gorgeous creature wasn’t a man the moment his skin touched mine as we shook hands and a warm, tingling sensation tickled my palm and heat spread up my arm. Now that I’d clued into that much, I quickly picked up on the fact that he had what could only be described as a supernatural golden glow about him.

It occurred to me that I had been standing there staring way too long when he shot me a playful wink and Connor got snarly. “None of that beguiling Fae shit with my mate, Easton. Let go of his hand and step aside before I bite it off.” He growled low in his throat, then smiled as though nothing had happened and clapped the Fae on the shoulder after he’d released my hand. “Now come on, let’s find somewhere to talk.”

Easton was unconcerned by Connor’s caveman alpha shit and simply shook his head. “No, not now, my friend. There are too many others wandering about, aye? Meet me here in the morn at that magical hour when the moon is waning and the sun begins to wake. Bring your brothers, but not their mates—it’s not their time yet, or so I’ve been told.” With that cryptic statement, he turned and walked away.

As Easton slipped away and disappeared into the crowd, I turned to Connor in confusion. “Since when are your brothers mated? And when are you going to start explaining what just happened?”

Connor took my arm and led me out of the temple. “Let’s go back to our room, dearest. We can talk there.”

“Dearest? Nice, but a little old-school, don’t you think?” I quipped at his endearment as we made our way over a cobblestone street.

After a quick stop at the gelato cart in the lobby, Connor and I were sitting cross-legged on our bed, facing each other as he began to fill me in.

“So you’ve met Easton. He’s a Fae prince from the Seelie court, and has been known to be a help to our pack in the past. Hmm… Let’s start with dream walking. Remember how you’ve heard our pack talk about my dads and how they can visit other places, people, and even view past or future events in a dreamscape? My brothers and I share that gift.”

“Your brothers and you share more psychic gifts than is natural, but go on.” I took a bite of my peach gelato and motioned with my spoon for him to continue.

“Okay. Well, my brothers and I have had a shared vision for…” His voice trailed off as he stared down at the bed for a moment, lost in thought. Looking up a minute or so later, he shrugged. “Let’s just say that we’ve been having the vision longer than I can remember. So basically, we’ve had this shared dream of being used to make the old portal that our parents sealed into a gateway between our realm and that of the Fae.”

“A gateway? Why in the world would you want to do that, wasn’t the whole idea of our parents sealing the portal to keep the Fae out of our world?”

Connor shook his head. “We don’t know why yet, or how or even when it will happen, only that it’s our destiny—what we were born to do. We’ve always known that it would be our mission, but even our powers are limited and we’ve had to wait until we were told it was time to begin. But like I said, we don’t know exactly what our roles will be.” He stopped and frowned. “I’m sorry, that’s a lie. We have an idea of what we’re going to be using it for, but I’m not free to say just yet. Even though you’re my mate, this is bigger than even that when the goddess herself is involved.”

“Okay, I can respect that.” I paused to think as I took another bite of my cold treat. “Tell me this, though, what was that comment he made about your brothers being mated? Has something happened since we left?”

“No, they aren’t mated yet. But just like me, they know who their mates are but can’t say anything or act on it until the fates reveal it to their partners. Until then, they are forced to stay quiet. And don’t ask, because I can’t tell you either. It wouldn’t be fair to any of the others, and again, it’s not my right to tell before the fates decree it time.”

I frowned as I remembered that moment on the beach. “It sucks that you guys know and can’t say anything. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s rude and unfair for you guys to know but not the rest of us. Am I correct in assuming that their mates are also in our circle of friends?”

Connor set his dessert aside before reaching his hands up to cup my cheeks. “I can’t tell you, gumdrop. As much as I would love to, my hands are tied. Like I’ve said myself in the past, our powers are both a gift and a burden.”

“You suck.” I pouted playfully.

“Sometimes.” Connor grinned as he scooted onto his stomach and craned his neck forward to slowly lower my zipper with his teeth. He looked up at me with a grin. “And sometimes I even swallow.”

I spread my legs a little wider as I tilted back onto my elbows after taking one last bite of my gelato. “I think I’ll need a demonstration of that, dearest.”

As he swallowed my dick into the heat of his mouth and began to suck, I forgot all about Fae princes, portals, and plans from some goddess. The only thought in my head at this point was fuck, yeah. I loved being mated.