I sat in silence, looking down at the mug of tea Adrian had placed in my hands, trying to come to terms with everything I’d just learned.

The four men were vampires, they came from a world called Velar. In this world, vampires and fae existed. They had been at war with each other for thousands of years until a truce was called. The terms of the truce included a decree that a small percentage of the vampire population would mate with a fae woman, and vice versa. But there were many on both sides who opposed the truce, who wanted fae and vampires to remain separate.

My family were fae. They didn’t want me to mate with vampires, though I was chosen at birth to mate with Xavier, Gabriel, Noel and Adrian.

To avoid the mating, my parents had fled Velar to come to the human world, and chose to live as humans instead. Fae had tracked down my parents and killed them, furious with them for turning their backs on their own kind—their own world. Before my parents died, they’d entrusted me to my grandmother, a fae who kept me hidden in the human world. Edelnar was fae; he was a part of the group that killed my parents. He was from a powerful fae family in Velar and wanted me as his mate.

A part of me screamed that none of this could be true, but I couldn’t deny what I'd seen. Now . . . it seemed like all the puzzle pieces had fallen into place. Why Alice didn’t like talking about my parents. Why she didn’t want me to have social media accounts and encouraged me to stay nearby and go to a local college. Why she had approved of stable, boring—human—Brian. And this all explained the dreams I’d had for years, the dreams I now knew were of my bonded vampire mates.

“Liana?” Xavier asked.

I looked up. Xavier, Noel and Adrian hovered, studying me with varying degrees of concern.

“This . . . it’s too much,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“I know,” Adrian said. “You must be overwhelmed.”

“The light that came from my hands,” I said slowly. “How —“

“Vampires have speed, immortality, thrall, and strength,” Xavier said, “while many fae have magical abilities. Your instincts were to protect yourself—and you activated your magic in doing so.”

Shaking, I looked down at my hands. Not only was I not human, I could do magic as well? I closed my eyes. This all kept getting crazier.

“And why does Edelnar want to mate with me?” I asked. “In this world—in Velar—there have to be other fae women.”

“You’re no ordinary fae.”

It was Gabriel who answered my question as he entered the living room. He had a jagged scratch across his face and blood stained his shirt.

“Edelnar,” he said, gesturing to his scar. His expression darkened. “He fought well, but he escaped.”

“Damn it,” Xavier muttered, closing his eyes.

But I was still focused on Gabriel's first statement.

“No ordinary fae,” I repeated, meeting his eyes. “What do you mean?”

The vampires exchanged a glance.

“You just told me I’m a mythical creature from another world,” I said. “Trust me, nothing else you can say will shock me.”

“Your family line is one of the oldest and most pristine in Velar,” Xavier said. “There are no kings and queens in Velar; not anymore. But your family was once royal.”

OK, I was wrong. They could shock me.

The room around me tilted on its axis, and I drew a ragged breath.

“If . . . if I’m royal, and we’re mated,” I whispered. “What does that make you?”

“We come from old royal families as well,” Xavier said. “It's probably why we were mated with you. Edelnar wants you as his mate because there are few fae that have royal blood. It's why the fae were so furious when your parents fled Velar.”

So. I was a fairy princess after all. If I wasn’t so astonished, I would have laughed.

I leaned forward, pressing my fingers to my temples.

“So what happens now?” I whispered. “I assume I can’t just go back to my human life?”

“You have a choice in this. We want to emphasize that,” Adrian said. “You can go back to your human life. We will do the best we can to protect you. But—“

“It won’t be much of a life,” Gabriel said bluntly. “You’ll have to go into hiding. Change your name, your appearance, move frequently. It’s like—what humans in this country call the Witness Protection Program. Now that Edelnar’s found you, he’ll report this to the other fae. They’ll keep coming after you.”

A heavy silence fell after his words. I made myself speak past dry lips.

“And if I don’t go back to my human life?”

“You can accept or deny the mating bond,” Adrian said. “If you accept our bond, you will live amongst our kind and receive the highest level of our protection. If—if you deny our bond,” he said, his eyes shadowing with pain, “you can still come to Velar, but it would be much like living here. You would have to be in hiding and move frequently. We would do our best to protect you, even though it would be more difficult.”

My stomach was in knots. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice.

I looked up at the four vampires, who had fixed me with their characteristic unwavering gazes. I was attracted to them—to all of them. Very much so. But I wanted them on my own accord, not because of some supernatural bond. I wanted a choice.

“If we were bonded,” I said. “How does that work? Is it like a relationship? I’m your girlfriend—you’re my boyfriends?”

“It’s much deeper than that. It’s like a marriage here in the human world, only it can’t be broken. You'll belong to us, and we'll belong to you,” Gabriel said, his blue eyes trailing over my body from head-to-toe. The heat of desire swept over me, and I averted my gaze.

“And . . .” I hesitated, but I needed to know. “And . . . sex?”

“There will be lots of that, cherie,” Noel practically purred, and I had to cross my legs against the spiral of arousal that coiled through me. “If you choose so, of course. You can have us one on one, all together, or —“

“OK,” I interrupted, trying not to let my brain cloud with multiple erotic images of the Adonises. I needed to focus. I took another breath, forcing myself to think past the desire that coursed through my veins.

“The safest thing would be for me to come with you to Velar, and accept the bond,” I said, after a long pause.

Their eyes lit up, but I shook my head. “Hold on. I still want the ability to choose. I want to see this world. Get to know all four of you better. And then I’ll make my decision.”

They all exchanged glances. Xavier stepped forward, taking both my hands in his.

“Agreed,” he said. “We will do everything we can to prove our worthiness to you. You have our word.”