Thane
“How have you been?”
Isla shrugs. “Fine, we all have. It wasn’t the same with you gone for three months, though. I missed you.”
I smile at the baby girl, now touching my face with her tiny fingertips. Carrying Ivy wasn’t easy for Isla, and she almost lost the baby more than once. That’s why Ivy is so precious to all of us.
“She’s certainly grown since I’ve been gone.”
“Three months will do that.” Isla chuckles. “It’s her first birthday next week. I was thinking of throwing her a little party. I know she won’t really know what’s going on, but it’ll be nice, don’t you think?”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.” I notice Lyric is suddenly missing, and I feel like a dick for forgetting she was even in the room. “Where did Lyric go?”
“Lyric? The girl who opened the door?”
“Yes, my mate.” I hand Ivy to Isla and look around my suite. I know Lyric isn’t here, but wishful thinking and all that.
Where the hell could she be?
If she wandered off, she’ll get lost somewhere in the castle.
‘Lyric?’ I call her through the mind link, but it doesn’t seem to be getting through.
What the f.uck?
‘Blaze?’
‘Yes?’ He answers instantly.
‘I need you to find Lyric.’
‘Lost her already?’ He chuckles.
‘No! Look, she wandered off somewhere, and I need help looking for her. I’d ask Theo, but I don’t want to worry Harmony.’
‘How do you know she isn’t with Harmony?’
‘Because my mother already informed me Theo and Harmony are in the dining hall.’ I snap. ‘Please just help me find Lyric.’
‘Okay. I’ll take the south and east wings. You check north and west.’
‘Thanks. Let me know if you find her.’
“Thane?” I cut Blaze off when Isla says my name. “That girl was your mate?”
“Yes, Isla. Lyric and Theo’s mate, Harmony, are twin sisters.”
“Oh, crap!” She gasps while pulling Ivy closer to her chest.
I narrow my eyes. “What did you do?” I know it’s something; it always is with Isla.
“I thought she was one of your women. You know how clingy they get. I didn’t see you in the room, so I assumed she’d somehow broken in and was hanging around, waiting for you. Or perhaps you knew she was still here from whatever you’d done with her, and you were waiting for her to get the message and leave.”
I narrow my eyes again. It’s true that in the past, one or two women became clingy after we slept together. They didn’t want to leave because they hoped I’d claim them. But that hasn’t happened in a while, probably because I haven’t slept with anyone in months.
But for those women who didn’t want to leave, I would have to physically throw them out. Though once or twice, Isla stepped in and got rid of them.
“Thane, I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t know she was your mate.”
“What did you do, Isla?”
“I told her I was your wife.”
“What!?!” The room shakes, Ivy starts screaming, and Isla shrinks away from me. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Please don’t be angry with me, Thane.” She shushes her daughter, who quietens because she’s a good little girl. “I honestly didn’t know. How could I? I wasn’t there when you arrived home. I didn’t even know Theo had a mate. I love you and believed she was just someone who wouldn’t leave.”
I sigh and scrub my hands over my face. I’m not proud of how I used to treat women. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve never physically hurt an innocent woman. But I would use them for sex. I’m one hundred and fifty-seven years old; I couldn’t have been expected to be a d.amn monk all my life. Though I regret every woman since finding Lyric.
I never promised any other women anything but one night and never slept with the same woman twice. I didn’t want to give them the wrong idea. It was a one-time thing if they willingly came to my bed because they always had to be willing.
But Isla is correct, sometimes they believed they could have me falling for them, and I’d make them my queen. No one but Lyric will ever be my queen!
“How the hell am I supposed to fix this?”
“Tell her the truth. I’ll speak to her also.”
“You’ve done enough, thank you very much.” Isla bows her head, and her shoulders sage. “Just go to dinner. Don’t mention Lyric taking off; Harmony will freak out. After everything those girls have been through, the last thing Harmony needs is to think her sister left her.”
“What have they been through?”
“Terrible things,” I shake my head. “Torture, rape, starvation, humiliation, just to mention a few things.” Isla gasps, and I see tears in her eyes. “I don’t have time to explain things properly, Isla. Just know that their lives were hell. This was supposed to be a happy place for Lyric.”
“I’m sorry.”
‘Thane, I found her.’
'Blaze, thank Fenrir. Where is she?’
‘Well, I checked the south wing, but she wasn’t there. Then I caught her scent in the west wing and found her in the library.’
Okay, I should have used my nose. The West Wing is the King’s wing, so Lyric hasn’t gone too far.
‘I think you should hurry, Thane. I’m afraid I’ve made things worse. Lyric wants to reject you.’
No!
I rush away from Isla without a word and arrive at the library in less than a minute. Lyric is curled up in my favorite chair, staring out the window. My gut clenches because I feel her anger and sadness.
Blaze sighs and stands from the chair opposite Lyric.
“Has she said anything?”
“Just that you’re a lying, cheating b.astard, and she hates you.”
I smile, despite what she said about me.
“She said she wanted to reject you because she didn’t want to be your mistress.”
My gut drops, and I think the shock I feel is written all over my face.
“I asked her why she thought that, and she mentioned you had a wife, a mate, and a harem. I thought she was joking, Thane, so I laughed and said a harem was one way to put it.”
“You let my mate think I had a harem of women?”
“I was being sarcastic, Thane. Then she withdrew into herself. Even when I told her you didn’t have a wife or a harem, I don’t think she heard me. Why would she even think you had a wife?”
“It’s a long story.” I sigh. “Ivy and her stupid ideas of chasing women away from me.”
“She told Lyric she was your wife?” I nod. “That’s sick. I think I might throw up!”
I grit my teeth. “Shut it! Goddess, what a fucking mess. Go to dinner, make up some excuse as to why Lyric and I aren’t there, but make sure everyone eats.”
“Of course,”
‘You better fix this because I’ll kill you if she leaves.’
‘You can’t kill me, Jagger. Goddess, I’ll fix things.’
‘Don’t test me, you c.unt! That beautiful girl over there didn’t need this s.hit. Don’t you think she’s been through enough?’
‘It wasn’t my fault, Jagger!’
‘Yeah, because nothing’s ever your fault, is it? Just make things right. Grovel at her feet if you must, but you only stop groveling once Lyric forgives you. If she doesn’t? I’ll take over and throw you off a f.ucking cliff!’
‘Alright, dickhead!’
Goddess, help me!