Eira smoothed down her skirt, kind of nervous about the upcoming meal. She’d never really been on a date before, and hadn’t intended to be asked out on the first one in quite the way she had. But there was nothing that could be done about that. She’d briefly considered standing him up, but in the end it had just felt wrong. Which was ridiculous, she hardly knew the man, she shouldn’t feel bad about considering not wanting to see him.

“Evening Frostie.” Leth’s lyrical voice came from behind her and she spun on her heels, surprised to discover that he was wearing a dark blue suit complete with a dark red tie and braces. All of a sudden, she felt both very under and over dressed in her baby blue dress. Its floaty skirts said just enough innocence to offset the daringly low cut sequined top half and make it seem classy rather than desperate, but now she found herself wishing for the floor length dark red velvet number she had at home.

“Evening,” she said, almost choking over the word. Leth smiled, the action lighting up his face in a way that made him appear more boyish than he had before. She had to admit that it was a little endearing. He nodded at someone and they were whisked off to a cozy table for two in the corner of the room. Eira was secretly relieved it was so small, otherwise she could have seen Rueben and Josh turning up too, and while that could be fun, she doubted she could deal with all three of them at once quite yet.

To her surprise, Leth pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit down before pushing it back under. She pulled the napkin off her plate and began to run her fingers over the seams in an attempt to calm herself. She couldn’t quite explain the sudden onset of nervousness. Normally she was completely at ease around men, much like she had around Leth the night before. Probably because her magic took hold and she didn’t need to actually do much to hold their attention.

But this felt different. This felt like it actually meant something. Unlike most of the men in her past. Actually, like none of them. The only one who’d ever mattered before this week was Josh. Now she had two more names to add to that list. She really should sort out why she was so okay with that. But like spending time with Leth, thinking all three of their names in the same breath felt right.

“So, Special K, how was your day?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair in a surprisingly intimate gesture, only made more intense by the dim lighting and flickering candles surrounding them.

“Fine, yours?” she answered, surprised by the normalcy of what he was asking. She’d kind of expected him to get straight to the point, and the fact he wasn’t just seemed odd.

“Better now I can see you, Weetabix.” He smirked at her, and she scowled in return. This was not going to be acceptable in the slightest.

“What’s with the cereal names?” She laced her tone with as much threat as she could, and failed miserably, but he at least had the decency to look abashed.

“Frost magic, Frostie, Frosties?” he offered, still smiling, but a little more sheepishly now.

“Well stop it. I don’t like it.” She leaned back, crossing her arms and tried to keep a straight face. Damn him. Why was he making this so difficult?

“Frostie is okay though?” He seemed hopeful, and his summer coloured eyes widened pleadingly. Something in Eira broke, and she could tell he knew she was about to cave.

“Fine, Frostie is okay,” she answered. His face lit up again, and she was glad that she had, something about his smile just made her happy.

A waitress came over to take their order, and she rattled off her favourite pasta dish, her thoughts straying to Rueben’s earlier insistence that he could not only eat garlic, but he loved it too. Odd for a vampire maybe, but she’d go with it, especially if that meant he could bring her here. Maybe all four of them could come here.

Her eyes widened as she realised the complete one-eighty she’d done from not wanting the other two here, to thinking about all four of them together. Her mind strayed further, wondering if a date with all three of them would end the same as a traditional date with just one. Eira took a sip of the wine that Leth had poured her, trying to use the moment to regain her composure.

“Did you have fun with Josh earlier?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

“Erm—” she started, unsure quite what she should be saying to him.

“It’s okay, Eira, I know.”

“How?” she demanded instantly. She’d figured that Josh and Rueben had been talking without her, they’d probably exchanged numbers just after she’d given hers to the vampire. Knowing Josh like she did anyway.

“If we all want to spend time with you, then we’re better off actually talking to one another rather than just competing.” He shrugged and Eira’s mouth fell open and closed a few times as she struggled to find what to actually say. That wasn’t what she’d expected. “Cat got your tongue?” He leaned back with a smug grin on his face, making Eira glare at him.

“More like a fae,” she muttered, having spent the day mulling over what he was and coming to that conclusion. It was the only race that made sense given the way that his eyes and hair glowed. Which just raised anther question. Mostly what his father had been. Izzy’s best friend was fae, or at least, Eira thought she was. Rhianna had certainly never admitted it. Just like Josh. Maybe there was something in that. But Eira had recognised her for what she was instantly. It’d had taken a bit more doing with Leth because he seemed to be a different type, but she was sure she had him pegged. The thing was, that male fae didn’t exist. Well, they did. But they were only halflings, or even quarterlings she reckoned. Not that anyone would ever call one that. It wouldn’t be taken all that well by a lot of them.

“Ah, you figured it out then?”

“Hard not to with you summering all over the place,” she retorted, thinking back to how warm his hands had been on her skin the night before.

“You worked that out too then?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You’re fifty degrees hotter than I am,” she said with a small laugh, finding herself relaxing even more.

“Hardly fifty, Frostie. Fifteen is probably more like it, and that’s only cause you’re so cold. I’m not much hotter than a normal human.”

“Because you’re only half?” she asked before her hand flew to cover her mouth. She’d literally just been thinking that she shouldn’t say things like that, it wasn’t the best idea to blurt things out. What on earth was wrong with her? This man affected her in ways that she wished he didn’t.

“Something like that.” He leaned back, smirking and showing that there were no hard feelings. Odd. She’d heard that fae could get really funny about it.

“So, you promised me an explanation,” she said after a moment’s silence. She’d double checked after Josh had left earlier, and the frosts were definitely late, and that was a big problem. If they didn’t come on time, then winter would be delayed, and if winter was delayed, then spring would be too. In fact, the knock-on effect could mean complete global disaster.

“I did,” he responded, still looking annoyingly amused at everything.

“And?”

This time, he sighed, and a far more serious look crossed his features. A look that she instantly decided that she didn’t like. It made him look different. More melancholy, and not in a good way. She needed the information, but after that, she was going to do anything she could to make him smile again. Even if that meant letting him call her cereal names again. The damn fae. As if she didn’t already have enough to deal with.

“It’s a long story.”

“Dinner isn’t here yet, I’d say we have time.” He cracked a smile at her words, warming her insides and making her fall that little bit more for him. She was a goner. Which was a little odd considering the feelings she’d had for Josh for years.

“I see we’re going to get along just fine, Frostie.” He smirked.

“I should hope so,” she responded quietly, knowing he’d be able to hear, but still not wanting to talk any louder. Maybe then she could avoid the truth that bit longer. Alright, not avoid it. She’d just about accepted what was happening already, but it would be hard to explain to everyone else. Not many people walked around with three men mated to them...though that did open up some interesting possibilities in Eira’s head. It was a little odd that she’d gone from zero to three in the space of a day, but then the bond tended to happen the moment mated paranormals met, so it couldn’t have happened in any other way.

“Yes.” He acknowledged her words with a nod of his head, leaving little doubt that he felt what was between them too. She waited for him to continue, taking another sip of her wine, but not allowing the alcohol to affect her like it had the night before. Now was the time for taste, not one for losing her senses to the drink. “I think a fae is stopping the frosts from coming,” he said finally. She stared at him for a moment. She didn’t even know if a fae would be able to do that, nor why they’d want to. A winter fae maybe? But surely they’d want to help the frosts come not hinder them.

“You think?” She really hoped he was wrong. If he wasn’t, then she was about to have a real issue on her hands. It certainly wouldn’t be as easy as just hunting them down. Which was a stupid thing to think anyway. It wasn’t like the frosts lived in one particular place. They were like magic. They were a part of the world in their infiniteness, always active in one place or another, even if they weren’t being used right there and then. The only place they could possibly be considered to be, was the spot within Eira where she went to call on them once a year.

It had always been a little bit of a mystery why Eira’s family was even needed. It was always winter somewhere after all, and yet she was just one person. She wasn’t required to travel around the world, and she only had to make sure the frosts did anything once per year. It was strange, that was for certain.

“All the signs point that way.” He shrugged again.

“That’s really not helpful, Leth.” She rolled his name over her tongue, enjoying the way it sounded. It was certainly a name she could get used to saying. Or screaming. Oh, how she hoped she’d have a reason to scream it.

“Sorry, I’m not certain of the specifics.”

That didn’t sound right. She could almost swear that he was hiding something. What kind of something, she wasn’t sure, but definitely something. Maybe it was as simple as him being certain it was a fae. Or maybe it was something to do with it being him holding the frosts back. But no, that couldn’t be possible. Male fae just didn’t have that power, only a full fae would and a powerful one at that. Or at least, Eira assumed that was the case. It was hard to think otherwise considering that it’d never happened before. Ever.

It was that moment that their meals arrived, and she noticed that he’d ordered the same as her. Yet she had no real recollection of him doing so. He looked up from his pasta, his warm summer eyes meeting hers and all thoughts fled from her mind. Well, that could be why she didn’t remember. She hoped she’d become more immune than this, it’d definitely be a pain if she kept forgetting what she was thinking every time Leth was around. And here she’d thought that vampires were the only ones with hypnotism powers.

“So, what do you do?” she asked, deciding to ignore the more burning question of what they hell she was going to do about the missing frosts for after they’d eaten. But if he thought that she was just going to forget about it, then he had another thing coming. It just wasn’t the way she worked.

“Don’t laugh.”

“I can’t promise that, laughter is an involuntary reaction.” She gave him a satisfied smirk, feeling like she had the upper hand for the first time.

“True. I’m a veterinary nurse,” he said, the serious look on his face. Without meaning to, Eira giggled. She just couldn’t imagine him with kittens and puppies and the like, though maybe he was more the kind that worked with farm animals. She examined the immaculately clothed man in front of her and pushed that thought out of her mind. He didn’t seem the type, he was definitely the small animals that wouldn’t trample him kind.

“Sorry,” she muttered, taking another bite of her delicious pasta. Thankfully, it was just as good as the last time she’d been here.

“It’s funny I know, but I’ve always wanted to be one. I kind of expected my mate to be a shifter if I’m honest,” he admitted, watching her intently as he said the word mate. She gave him a sly smile, making it clear to that she’d caught the word, but wasn’t going to make anything from it.

“Maybe she is. Maybe she’s a bunny shifter, with floppy ears and a cute little nose,” Eira said, trying to keep as straight a face as she could, but the giggles escalating all the same.

“Maybe. Or more likely she’s a beautiful blonde with a witch and a vampire in tow.”

She blushed, looking down. She knew she was pretty, it just seemed to be a part of being paranormal. But being called beautiful was always a little distracting. Especially when it came from someone who was sure he was her mate. Well, she was pretty sure too, the lack of guilt over being here was enough of an indication about that.

“No arguments, Frostie?” he asked when she said nothing.

“I can’t choose,” she whispered, hating how insecure the words made her feel.

“I’m not asking you to,” he replied. “You can have us all.”

“All? But how would that even work? In a nice circle?” She held back the nervous giggle that welled up inside her at the thought of them all stood around her. While she’d accepted them as hers, she had no clue how it would actually work. In her daydreams, she’d only ever envisaged it being her and Josh. Oh how things had changed in such a short space of time.

“A circle? Where’d you get that idea?” He sounded amused.

“Something I read,” she muttered, thinking back to a book Izzy had sent her a few months back. Leth laughed, the sound lighting up her insides and making her fall that little more. She really had to pull herself together. She wasn’t the kind of woman to just fall blindly, and yet, here she was.

“Well there’s three of us. It’d be more of a triangle than a circle, I think.” He set down his fork and looked her straight in the eyes, his own dancing with amusement.

“Why aren’t you more freaked out about this?” she asked, surprised by just how easily he seemed to be accepting it. In fact, he didn’t seem jealous at all. Which was just odd. Maybe she should have waited longer to broach the subject, but then, she doubted she’d be changing her mind about the three of them any time soon.

To her surprise, Leth pushed his chair back and circled the table, coming around so that he was stood behind Eira. She sucked in a breath, waiting for the moment his hands would touch her, and when they did, they left tingles in their wake. He leaned in closer, bringing his lips close to her ear. “Maybe I like the idea,” he whispered, the words and the feel of his breath against her skin filling her with anticipation.

“You do?” she whispered, turning slightly so that she could look up at his face, their lips just millimetres apart. She was so close that she could feel the hitch in his breathing, and the warmth radiating from him.

“If it means that I can have you, yes.” He finally closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. It was almost as intense as when she’d kissed Josh earlier, but this time there were no sparks, which was probably a good thing given that they were still in the middle of a restaurant. On their first date. Damn, she really should pull back a bit or he’d think she was easy. Oh well, too late for that.

She threaded her hand into Leth’s hair, pulling him as close as she could and deepening the kiss. Just like earlier, she could feel herself refreshing in a way that she really shouldn’t be, at least not from just a kiss. Maybe it was something to do with the connection that was already forming between them. Or maybe she really was just that desperate.

They broke apart, and she stared up at him with what she was sure was a glazed look in her eyes, her lips slightly parted.

“Hi,” she whispered lamely.

“Hi,” he whispered back, the smug smile gone and replaced by an interesting expression that looked somewhere between adoration and lust. She’d have to take advantage of that later. Except she couldn’t. Rueben had said he’d be waiting for her when she got home. Disappointment flowed through her as she realised there’d be no chance for more with the fae tonight. Balancing three men was going to prove a challenge, unless they all just gave in and were there all at the same time. Now there was a thought. A thought she needed to push away if she was going to get anything done.

“You still haven’t told me everything,” she said, finally asking the question she really needed to.

“No.” He sighed and took as step back, putting a regretful amount of distance between them, even if that distance was actually needed. Silly fae. He should come closer to her, not get further away.

“Are you going to?”

He looked indecisive, which helped make her decision. She scraped her chair back, making Leth jump back, and without a backwards glance, she walked out the restaurant, leaving him behind. She couldn’t even tell if he followed her, but if he wasn’t going to tell her what was going on, then there really was no reason for her to stay.