Chapter Twenty-Six

 

 

After wandering for hours, I finally found a dry cave to curl up in and tried to sleep. I was on edge; constantly twitching awake at every sound. Then my exhausted body took over, and I passed out. When I woke, I was surrounded by large, rough-looking men. I lurched to my feet—ready to fight—but the men held up their hands warily.

“We offer you no harm,” one of them said. “We were just wondering why you were sleeping outside of our den.”

“Your den?” I lowered my arms.

“Back there,” another of the men waved a hand behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder and just barely made out a large wooden door in the shadows of the cave.

“You live here?” I asked them in surprise.

“Of course; we're Cu-sidhe,” a third one said. “What are you?”

“She's human, you dolt,” a fourth huffed. “Just look at her; look at those curves.”

“But she's dressed in fairy clothes,” the third said defensively. “Royal, from the looks of it.”

“Why is she here?” A fifth one asked.

Yeah; five against one. Those weren't the best odds.

“I'm running away from someone,” I said. “A whole bunch of someones, I think.”

“You think?” The first one edged closer. He had soft, kind eyes, and a chiseled face. “What's happened to you, my lady? Have you been attacked? Do you require assistance?”

All of them were handsome, but this guy was especially so. They were all muscular as well; I didn't know what a cu-sidhe was, but it evidently came with the lumberjack package. Speaking of packages; they were only wearing loincloths, and they were packing some heat behind their leather. I mentally shook myself; when had I become so focused on sex? Oh, right; when I'd been coerced into sexual slavery by the King of Unseelie.

“I was sent to Seelie by King Drostan, but now he wants me back. I don't want to return to him, so I ran,” I explained.

“King Drostan?” The first guy asked. “That's a hell of a guy to run from. He'll have soldiers all over these woods, looking for you.”

“Not just King Drostan,” another said. “She said she ran from Seelie. That means Queen Tana will be searching for her as well.”

“But we could hide you,” one of the others said.

“If you were to offer us something to make it worth the risk,” a third added.

“My name is Caleb.” The first guy said gently to me before he glared at the others. “These are my uncouth packmates; Ethan, Ruin, Rath, and Jack.”

“Ruin and Rath?” I asked.

“Nicknames,” Ruin explained with a smile. “What's your name?”

“Riley.”

“Riley, we've been without a mate for many years,” Caleb said. “It makes us a little blunt. So, please forgive our rudeness.”

“You want me to fuck you in exchange for you hiding me from Drostan and Tana?” I asked blandly.

The men blinked in surprise.

“I guess she can be blunt too,” Ethan said with a chuckle.

“We want more than sex,” Ruin said. “We want you to be our mate. We'll look after you, and you'll look after us.”

“All of you?” I asked.

“All of us.” Caleb nodded.

“I ran away because I love Prince Trenton,” I said. “He helped me escape, and he'll be coming for me. I don't want to be your mate; I'm sorry, but my heart is already taken.”

“Then stay with us until he finds you,” Caleb offered. “Prince Trenton would not begrudge us the pleasure of your body in exchange for sheltering you. If he cares about you, your safety will be more important than your fidelity.”

“I don't know,” I whispered.

“The alternative would be to return to Unseelie, where I'm sure you'll be treated far worse than we shall treat you, and they will not set you free afterward,” Ruin said. “Do you think Prince Trenton would prefer that?”

“Well, I suppose not,” I murmured.

“We won't hurt you,” Caleb vowed. “You can choose to be with all or one of us at a time, and we will be gentle with you. I swear; we are used to sharing women and know how to treat them with respect.”

“All right,” I finally agreed.

Anything was better than returning to Drostan. That fucking bastard; he wanted me back now that he's had some time to get over his feelings for me? Well, fuck that; hiding in this cave with five men was better than going back to one man who wanted to possess me without giving me any of himself in return.

“But first, do you have anything to eat?” I asked. “I'm starving.”

The men smiled widely.