Chapter 1
Surrounded by the Fae kings, I stared at the reflection of the stunning woman in the dark glass.
My reflection.
Frigid mountain wind wheeled around me, my golden hair billowing and glowing. My pointed ears twitched, and my green eyes glowed like a burning forest.
“How do I turn off the headlights?” I asked in a small, panicked voice, failing to keep my cool.
“Headlights?” the Winter King asked, his face scrunched in icy confusion, as he parked behind me like a solid mountain of hard muscles.
“My glowing eyes,” I said with exasperation, waving a hand before my face. “I can cover my pointed ears no problem, but I don’t want to look pretentious, always wearing sunglasses. Drawing attention to myself is the last thing I want right now. I want to look tough and plain, exactly like I did before.”
“You were never plain, my lovely Evie,” the Summer King said, his knuckles tracing my high cheekbone, sending a shiver of pleasure all the way to my curled toes.
The Fae kings’ mere touch could do that to me. It wasn’t fair.
“I liked your sweet, soft look before,” the Summer King continued, a nib of amusement in his velvety, sexy voice. He was being optimistic at exactly the wrong time. “And I love your new Fae look just the same.”
“Any woman would kill for your unparalleled beauty,” added the Winter King.
“I don’t want it,” I said. “I’m a chick who’s more into character than looks. Most importantly, I need to look like the same old Evie for my siblings. I’m all they have now. The last thing I want is to freak them the fuck out. I need to get my glamour back.”
The Fae kings, despite their rivalry, traded a glance. Yep, I knew they liked my new appearance better. They preferred a Fae female over a human woman as their mate if they had a say in the matter.
Over their silence, I wheeled to survey them as they crowded me. They each stood over six-foot-six, with broad shoulders, chiseled chests, and strong legs.
The ruthless Fae kings each ruled a court in Elfame, the land of the immortals.
Rydstrom, the Night King, seemed forged from the darkest night in a deep galaxy with his jet-black tousled hair, savagely gorgeous face, and sinful lips that promised every wicked pleasure, which I could vouch for after having had a taste of him.
Rowan, the silver-haired Winter King, resembled the element of his court, as if he had been carved out of the hardest Arctic glacier. Whenever he trained his gaze upon me, his steel blue eyes burned with icy fire that called to me like a siren song. The ice king held dark secrets.
And the flamboyant Summer King, Baron, was a sun god incarnate with his claret hair, molten amber eyes, and sensual, cruel smirk. He was like the capricious summer rain before the storm. His specialty was melting panties, and that was before he met me.
My knees grew weaker for them as the days passed, but I needed to stand my ground and remain a strong woman. I didn’t exactly believe in fated mates, especially not being fated to three guys at the same time.
“Here’s the deal,” I said, sharpening my voice and trying to glare instead of ogle them. “Whoever can restore my former looks will have a favor from me.” I swept a hand over them to stress my point. “But whoever is useless won’t get a sniff of me again.”
Somehow, my scent was like catnip to the Fae kings, so I had to take advantage of that. When Rydstrom first interviewed me in his Pasadena club, he’d categorized me as vulnerable beyond measure despite a bad attitude. As green as I was, I had to use every resource at my disposal.
Baron narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you just call me useless, Evie?”
I’d bet my life that no one ever dared call the cruel Fae kings anything unflattering if they wanted their heads to stay on their necks. But with me, the kings wanted more than my head, so they’d have to put up with my sassy style.
“What favor will you grant us, Eve, if we do your bidding?” Rydstrom purred.
My eyes widened at Rydstrom’s sexual insinuation. The heat in his sapphire eyes made my blood race and my skin hum with warmth. Lust swirled to life, pumping in my veins.
To hide the dirty thoughts and erotic images flashing in my mind, I squinted at the Fae kings hard. I only hoped that they didn’t smell my arousal and announce it to embarrass me. Baron enjoyed doing that.
The Fae kings were no picnic.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I said, eyeing them with suspicion. “You Fae always want something in return if you decide to do anything half-nice for someone. I don’t like to rush to action around you or promise things I’ll for sure regret later. Legend says all Fae are cunning tricksters and great manipulators who can find any loopholes in any bargain!”
“I regret that you have such a low opinion of us because Baron screwed up our first impression,” Rowan said, ice and heat twirling in his gorgeous blue eyes. “But I’ll never trick you. You can always count on me, Evie. You aren’t just any woman to me; you’re my fated mate.”
Baron glowered at his half-brother.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot lately,” I said, lifting my chin. This time, I’d get my way. I would get back my glamour that had been burned away when I tore open the Veil, the barrier between the mortal and immortal realms. “But words are cheap. So how about you all prove something to me with actions instead of words and remove this ridiculous fairy look from me? Consider this my first challenge to you if you’re up for it. And if you do it right, you’ll get a hot date from me.”
So there, I enticed the Fae kings with a date. I wondered if I would have to pay for everything if I went on an actual date with any of them. I wasn’t being cheap, but I had to save every penny to feed my siblings. Living in California was damn expensive.
“I’d love to have a hot date with you, Evie,” Rowan said, his eyes growing hooded. Well, if he thought a date meant having sex in Fae custom, he had another thing coming. I wasn’t the type of girl who rushed to bed with anyone on the first date. Well, most of the time.
“How about a kiss to seal the deal?” Baron asked, a naughty spark in his molten amber eyes.
You give the Fae kings an inch, they’d ask for a mile.
Rowan nodded with a blazing smile. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Evie.”
My pulse spiked at their male need, my lips moistened, and my nipples went taut. My body responded to the Fae kings like a fiddle waiting to be plucked.
Rydstrom smirked like a champion. “I’d do anything to have another kiss from you, Eve.”
He’d kissed me in Claws, Fangs, and Fiends, and that kiss had rocked my world. I wouldn’t mind having another go with the Night King. But by revealing our kiss, he meant to rile up the other kings. He couldn’t help it anymore than Baron and Rowan.
Fae were naturally vicious.
Baron and Rowan snarled, guttural sounds similar to a beast’s rumbling from their chests. Baron had another form—a massive golden lion that loved to laugh and carve out assassins’ hearts. And Rowan had fought the demons in his enormous silver wolf form. If they transformed, I’d have another stupid and dangerous fight on my hands.
“Fine,” I said, distracting them from their rising antagonism. At the same time, I shuddered inside with thrilling anticipation, as if some kind of ecstasy drug had already spread in my bloodstream at the promise of kissing all the Fae kings. “One kiss each and you’ll help me with the glamour. Uh, who wants to go first? Should you line up here?”