Crimes of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 3)

The princess and her advisors, including the commanders for the rebel force, argue for days. They debate about our next move for so long, in fact, that my period comes and goes.

Mossie also comes and goes. A lot. Mostly to add more names to her love list. She just added a seelie fae named Peekabu, I shit you not.

We’re sitting in the formal dining room, eating what has to be a twelve-course dinner. I’m sandwiched between Evert and Ronak, while Sylred sits across from me, and I have all three of their tails wrapped around some part of me. If it’s possible, they’ve been even more touchy-feely since I emotionally declared my love for them. Sylred has his tail wrapped around my ankle, Ronak has my waist, and Evert keeps wrapping his tail around my arm, even though I keep shrugging it off so that I can eat. Not that it stops him.

When he does it again, I sigh. “Evert, if you keep doing that, you’re going to make me spill,” I set my goblet down before his tail can make me dump its contents all over my dress. “Can’t you anaconda some other part of me?”

He gives me a wicked grin and leans in close so that his mouth is against my ear. “Scratch, I’ll bend you over this table and give you my anaconda right here.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m pretty sure the princess wouldn’t be too pleased with that at her dinner table.”

Evert just shrugs and leans back, putting his arm over the back of my chair. As soon as I reach for my fork, his tail wraps around my arm again, making me drop it against the plate.

“I give up,” I say with a huff.

“Good. Let’s go back to our room and you can tell me more about where you want my anaconda.”

I try not to encourage him, I really do. But sometimes the laugh just slips right past me.

“I’m so glad you’ve returned to us, Ronak,” I hear Princess Soora say from the head of the table.

Ronak finishes chewing his bite and nods. “Thank you, Princess.”

“I’m told you and your covey have been very instrumental in helping train some of our rebellion force. We are indebted to you.”

Ronak shakes his head. “The only debt that needs to be paid is by King Beluar and Prince Elphar themselves. They are the ones bringing death and tyranny to the realm, and they will answer for it,” he says, his voice hard. I know that the attack on his island sits heavy with him.

The princess opens her mouth to reply, but she never gets the chance.

A huge sound cracks through the air, and the entire ground starts shaking violently. The princess tries to get to her feet, but when another blast sounds from somewhere, I see her stumble back into her seat, and her hands clutch her head.

The room is still shaking, and Ronak yanks me under the dinner table, while he and the other guys start yelling for everyone else to do the same. Covering my head with my arms, I look over at princess Soora’s little sisters under the table, their faces pinched with panic. “What’s happening?”

Just when the shaking stops, another boom resounds, and the ground trembles again. I see the princess’s legs wobble, and then her knees buckle and she’s lying prostrate on the floor.

Despite the rolling and shaking of the ground, I crawl over to her, missing the broken plates and smashed food where it litters the ground. People are yelling, and I’m pretty sure this manor is about to fall on top of us if the shaking doesn’t stop.

The princess’s face is shockingly pale, with barely a hint of her usual purple complexion. I watch, alarmed, as a trail of blood begins to fall from her nose and ear.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I ask her.

When there’s another boom, she winces and clutches her head. “The…barrier. It’s…breaking,” she pants out.

“What?”

But she can’t answer, because in the next heartbeat, she passes out cold.

“Shit, shit, shit.”

Hands pull her away from me, and I see her brother Zalit cradle her in his arms. He turns his orange eyes on me. “We need to get out of here before the place collapses!”

I nod, and Zalit yells at his sisters and father to bring out their wings and get ready to fly out. At the yelling of my name, I scramble back, passing servants who are also taking refuge under the table. When another huge boom hits, I fall against the floor, yelping when I hear pieces of the ceiling crash against the table above me.

Sylred gets to me first, latching his hand on my arm and yanking me toward him.

“Ronak is holding up the ceiling,” he says, shouting in my ear so I can hear him. “We need to get out of here now!”

I nod in understanding, and I can hear Evert telling everyone else to do the same. I watch all of the fae bring their wings out and zoom out from under the table. “What about you? You don’t have wings!”

“Ronak’s strong enough to take us. Don’t worry. We’ll be right behind you,” Sylred assures me.

“Come on, Veil female,” I hear Belren tell me, his silver wings already out on display. “This place can’t take much more.”

With a nod, I crawl out from under the table. As soon as I’m on my feet, I leap in the air and fan my wings out wide.

Ronak is a good thirty feet above me, and he is indeed holding up the ceiling from falling on us all. His muscles are straining with the weight of the massive stone ceiling and his wings are flapping vigorously to keep him up.

I watch as the last of Soora’s family and the servants zoom out through the broken windows, leaving the five of us behind.

“Come on!” Belren says, tugging on my arm.

I fly behind him through the window, and when I’m safely through, I see Ronak let go of the huge chunk of ceiling. As soon as he does, the rest of the ceiling and walls begin to crumble and cave in. With my heart in my throat, I watch as he swoops down, where Evert and Sylred are already waiting, their forearms raised above their heads.

Ronak latches onto them, one in each hand, and then uses his momentum to fly all three of them up and out through crumbling ceiling. Then the entire manor collapses.