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“If you didn’t, you’d already be running away right now.”
“I guess so.”
“When you think about being with us all, how does it feel?” he asked gently.
“They’ve elected you to have this conversation with me, haven’t they?”
Cyprus smiled at her, a smile that told her she was spot on in her assessment.
“They figured I was least threatening.”
“And the fact you wanted to talk to me at all convinced Brandon?” she teased.
“Yes. Though our parents are going to take a lot more convincing when the time comes. They weren’t pleased that Ari mated with a bear, so I’m not sure how they’ll react to you being with both of us.”
“I guess that’s not really their choice though.”
“That’s not a no to all of us, Aledwen.”
“You’re right, it’s not.”
He broke the conversation by spinning her under his arm, and she twirled, loving the way her skirts moved, even if the dress itself was horrible.
“If you’re comfortable with it, then the three of us have your back.”
“Three...” she whispered. Something about that number seemed off, and her eyes scanned the room, searching for something, or someone, but she wasn’t sure what.
“Or more?” Cyprus prompted, making Aledwen laugh.
“Up until a few days ago, I had no love life to speak of at all, now I have more than one woman should dream of.”
“Funny how the world works.” Except that he didn’t sound like he actually found it amusing. There was something very off about the expression on his face.
“Something about the reason you don’t talk much?” Maybe she should have left the question unasked, but a part of her was dying to know the reason. Clearly it had affected him, and she longed to know why, but knew it would take time.
To her surprise, he nodded. “I’ll tell you one day.”
“When you’re ready,” she responded.
“I will. Your answer now has helped a lot with making sure it’s not an issue again.”
That was cryptic, and had her brain working at a hundred miles an hour. Maybe it was something to do with a woman? If he’d tried to share with Brandon before, and it’d gone badly, that could explain his hatred of talking.
“So long as you feel good about this too.” She broke his hold ever so slightly, and lifted a hand to his cheek, rubbing her thumb against his soft skin. Yes, she was definitely okay with having them all. Things between her and Drey were great, but she could also feel a connection to Cyprus, and no doubt to the brother who took the spotlight a lot.
“I feel very okay with this,” he murmured and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Something awoke inside her. Not the burning passion like it had with Drey, but something softer, more loving.
Cyprus was gentle, and the admiration he already seemed to have for her shining through in his kiss.
She didn’t care they were in a ballroom full of people. For the first time in her life, she felt like a proper princess.
Thirteen
As little as she wanted to leave the moment she’d shared with Cyprus, she knew she had to go sort the mess with her mother out. Especially if she didn’t want to end up married. Why had her mother signed that first treaty? She’d love to ask, but she didn’t want to in front of the guys, it seemed unfair to bring them into something like that straight away. They were angry enough about the marriage thing.
She walked into the room, Cyprus’ hand in hers more comforting that she wanted to let on. She was nervous about the confrontation over this. It could end particularly badly for them all. Especially if her mother had actually known what she was doing when she’d signed the past treaties.
A low growl filled the room, and she looked around, half expecting to discover a shifted dragon to be filling the room. Except that the noise wasn’t coming from Drey, it was coming from a slightly larger than normal fox in the middle of the room, its teeth bared towards her mother.
