I hesitate, then force myself to say it anyway. “I’m attracted to all of you.”
My cheeks burn hotter.
“I like being around all of you. I feel… better when you’re there. Safer.” My voice dips, softer, more honest than I meant for it to be. “Protected.”
The word hangs there.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I finish, almost helpless now, my gaze dropping before I force myself to look back up. “And I feel like I’m doing something wrong.”
The silence that follows feels endless. Then, there’s a quiet huff of breath. Almost… amused.
I blink.
Sylvian is the first to move, his expression softer than I’ve ever seen it. “You’re not doing anything wrong,” he says gently.
Oberon lets out a low breath, shaking his head slightly like something in him has just settled. “Not even close.”
I stare at them. Confused.
Relief flashes across Sylvian’s face, quick and bright. “You have no idea how good that is to hear,” he says, a crooked grin tugging at his mouth.
Cassius studies me for a long moment, then nods once, like I’ve just confirmed something he already suspected. “Your response is logical, given the circumstances.”
That doesn’t help.At all.
“I just told you I can’t choose,” I say weakly.
“Yes,” Sylvian says. “You did.”
“And you’re… okay with that?” I ask, completely thrown.
Oberon’s mouth curves slightly, something rough but genuine in it. “This is not the first time one woman has cared for more than one fae man.”
Cassius nods. “We once mentioned to you that there were even four ruling fae who fell for one woman.”
Ashton huffs out a quiet laugh. “Pretty sure we’re all feeling a lot better at least knowing that you feel something for all of us, rather than some of us getting our hearts broken.”
I look between them again, my confusion only growing.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I say.
Cassius straightens slightly. “With humans,” he says, “it wouldn’t.”
Sylvian glances at him, then back at me, something careful and deliberate in his expression. “But we’re not human.”
“And things don’t work the same way for us,” Oberon clarifies.
Ashton grins. “Not even a little.”
I stare at them, my heart starting to race again for a completely different reason.
“Then how does it work?” I ask, barely above a whisper.
“We’ll explain,” Cassius says.
He clears his throat, stepping forward slightly. There’s a brief hesitation there, like he’s deciding how much to say, how to say it.
“Remember when we explained that in fae society things work differently?” he begins, voice measured. “It’s notuncommon for a woman to take more than one partner. That’s actually more common that a two person partnership in many of the courts.”
