The unmistakable sound of water exploding from someone’s mouth, followed by violent coughing, came from Soraya’s left as she bit into her last, buttery roll.

  “Did you just say mate?” Nokoa choked out.

  A low hiss filled the space around her.

  “Say it a little louder, Nokoa. I don’t think the rest of the people in the tavern heard you,” drawled a second male voice.

  The hand wrapped around her shoulder pulled her tighter into a solid, warm body. As Soraya chewed the last of the delicious bread, a mouth brushed against her ear.

  “Did you enjoy the bread? Would you like want more food?” The raspy voice whispered in her ear.

  “Do you think it’s wise to stay here with her, Raz?” the second voice asked in a hushed tone.

  “If she is still hungry, yes, Sakari.”

  More food sounded wonderful. Soraya turned her head to say just that when she became ensnared by a set of beautiful golden eyes.

  She stared, transfixed. His eyes were like molten gold, and considering how close their faces were, she swore the gold in his eyes was churning—melting and swirling in the heat she found there. His bronze skin only made them glow brighter in the shadows of his hood. And…his eyebrows— they were white as snow. It was…beautiful. He was beautiful. What’s with all these beautiful men?

  “Raz?” Sakari hissed but was ignored.

  The longer they stared at one another, the more Soraya could feel a low, thrumming sensation deep in her chest. It was like a warm ember, and something about it felt familiar—comforting, even—as though she had felt it before.

  “Congratulations, Raz. I’m really happy for you—and you, of course, my lady,” Nokoa whispered. “It’s an honor to witness your first meeting.”

  Raz’s hand came up to graze her cheek. Her eyes fell closed as she shuddered at the tender touch. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  Soraya opened her eyes and felt torn between closing them again or staring at the stranger for all eternity.

  A white strand of hair fell across his forehead. It looked soft to the touch.

  He chuckled, the sound smoky and promising.

  “Do you like what you see, sweetheart? Have my charms robbed you of all speech? I often have that effect on people.”

  Someone to the left sighed heavily. Soraya continued to stare at him.

  He winked at her. “Is the need setting in, love? Should we skip the meal and head for bed?”

  “As much as I would like to be sensitive to your budding mating bond, this is not the place or time. We could be surrounded by enemies, and attacks are happening at a much higher frequency. You should leave the territory with her, and we can check on the refugee situation and find out if our witness survived,” Sakari whispered harshly from their right.

  “And where will they go?” Nokoa snorted from their right. “Last time I checked, there isn’t exactly a safe place for us. Even our base is seconds away from being discovered. I say let them have the night—you only have your first meeting once. We can worry about the future when it happens. Besides, no one knows we’re here.”

  “Your strategic insights are truly something to marvel at, Nokoa. And it’s cute you think they’ll stop at one night.”

  An animal-like growl emanated from her right.

  “Ignore the idiots, my love. My name is Raziel. You may call me whatever you like. Should I make up a name for you?”

  Soraya licked her lips. Everything felt so overwhelming. Too much was happening, and their conversation was too confusing to keep up with. Were they talking about the play? Were they ad-libbing? She was too hungry for all of that nonsense.

  “I have three plates of the house special. Can I get you lads anything else?” the bartender asked, breaking up the moment.

  Soraya took the opportunity to pull her gaze away from Raziel and look over at the bartender. She gasped and jumped into Raziel, almost bonking her head against his nose in the process. His other hand came up, and he pressed her back into his front as he straightened behind her.

  “Do you know this barkeep?” Raz’s voice shifted from gentle and coaxing to razor-sharp.

  Soraya shook her head. Indeed, she was robbed of all speech as she gazed at the red-headed bartender with pointed ears. A memory wiggled at the back of her subconscious.

  Pointed ears. This wasn’t the first time she had seen pointed ears.

  Her stomach growled.

  Theater.

  She was at some sort of pub with theater people. Actors.

  She smiled weakly at the red-headed man.

  He scowled down at her before moving on down the bar to assist with other customers.

  “Are you okay?” someone asked, but it didn’t quite reach Soraya. She was too focused on the plate of steaming food in front of her.

  “Are you going to eat that?” she asked no one in particular.

  A beat of silence.

  Raz’s hand reached out and brought the plate of food in front of her. “It’s all yours. Eat. Afterward, we’ll retire somewhere safe for the night.”

  Not waiting for a second invitation, Soraya grabbed the fork that Raz offered her. Before she could tuck into her food, his fingers combed through her hair, brushing it behind her right ear where they paused.

  She mumbled her thanks—at least, she thought she did—and tucked into the food. The dish was filled with white rice, spiced meat, and vegetables slathered in a savory brown sauce. She packed her fork with rice and a piece of meat before stuffing it into her mouth. She moaned around the food, and his hand, still resting on her stomach, tightened.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  She liked that too.

  While eating her fill, she heard Raz say, “You two should eat while you still have the chance. As Sakari said, too many things are happening to be a coincidence, and I have a feeling things are about to become—” his finger traced the rounded curve of her ear—“more interesting.”

  “You mean how Makoto and Alkimos claimed to have also found their mates?” Sakari whispered.

  Soraya’s ears pricked up at the names. She knew those names, but from where?

  “Yes,” Raz affirmed. “Information not openly shared with the public, given the circumstances.”

  “You mean how they each lost their mates,” Nokoa snorted as he grabbed a plate of food. “How does that even happen?”

  “It happens more often than you think,” Sakari said matter-of-factly, doing the same.

  There was a slight pause before Raz continued, “I heard they share a mate.”

  The other two fell silent. Soraya’s fork scraped across the plate as she tried to pile more rice onto it. With each bite, she could feel the hunger ebb away and her mind becoming sharper, one tasty mouthful at a time. It helped as she eavesdropped on their fascinating conversation.

  “Well, that’s…When was the last time two kings of Alphame shared a mate?” Nokoa wondered, mystified.

  “Eons,” Raz said distantly. “Not since the age of Asteria.”

  “Do you believe they share a mate?”

  Raz continued to trace Soraya’s ear. It was becoming rather distracting as she continued to eat. “It’s possible.”

  Nokoa blew out a breath. “Do you know her name?”

  “No.”

  A beat of silence passed before Sakari spoke up. “I heard that the other kings—“ A heavy sigh. “It can’t be a coincidence.”

  Raz paused his tracing of her ear. “What did you hear, Sakari?”

  Sakari shifted next to them. “I thought it was just rumors, but…there are whispers that Tariq and Sorenth also found their fated.”

  A heavy pause followed.

  “And what of Lestis?”

  “There is no information on him, as usual,” Sakari said, his cloak rustled as he shrugged.

  “What does it all mean?” Nokoa asked.

  “Nothing good,” Sakari answered warily.

  They are really into their role-play, Soraya couldn’t help but think. She might have heard of this play before. A lot of it sounded familiar.

  She finished the plate and finally felt some semblance of being full. She sighed with contentment.

  “I think we are hurtling toward a new age—one where the truth and our people will be set free. We can finally expose King Titus for what he is and get the aid Nhifili needs.”

  Raz reached for a tankard that had been placed in front of their group by a gorgeous waitress, who gave him a flirtatious wink.

  Raz ignored her, picked up the drink, and brought it to a surprised Soraya’s lips. She was about to object, but her dry throat made her think better of it. She took a sip and politely started to push his hand away. The tart, zesty taste of wine blossomed on her tongue before washing down her throat. It was surprisingly crisp and refreshing. Pursing her lips, she tugged on his hand, and he brought the tankard back to her lips.

  She took a sip, then another, before greedily taking the mug from his hands. He willingly let go. His hand came back down to rest on her stomach in a much-too-familiar way she was slowly beginning to realize.

  But he continued role-playing with his friends. The storyline sounded interesting enough: a nation in distress, an evil king, and the innocent in need of a hero to save them all. She pitied the fictional character and hoped the hero had a happy ending. She was tired of the stories where the hero dies a tragic death.

  “Right now, we need to confirm that the refugees are okay and that our key witness is still alive. I’ve already sent a message to Naia to gather what warriors she can to provide aid for the people of Azureth,” Raz informed. “It’s not a coincidence that they attacked Coral Bay. Do we have any reports yet?”

  “Not yet,” Nokoa said solemnly. “Eyewitnesses stated they felt a power surge from multiple wielders just before the wave was spotted.”

  Soraya took another sip, and the smell of salt filled her nose. Fascinating.

  “And what of the patrons and courtesans of The Pearl?”

  Sakari swallowed his drink before answering. “They are safe. The Pearl’s defensive shields came up. You know those ancient buildings have a mind of their own. Madame Melusina said it was the first time in recent memory it self-activated. Personally, I didn’t know The Pearl could do that.”

  “I heard whispers that they think it was a coordinated attack from the golden allies,” Nokoa pitched in.

  Raz sighed. “The golden kings would never order or allow such an attack to be carried out. There would be no point.”

  “It has King Titus written all over it. He’s trying to embroil the whole continent into war,” Nokoa hissed.

  “And we will stop him,” Raz insisted.

  Sakari swirled the wine in his tankard. “How do we convince the council that King Titus is the one behind the attacks across Alphame if we can’t find our key witness?”

  “We will find him. Makoto said he would hide him well,” Raz said, then muttered, “Let’s just hope he hid him well enough. And if not…we’ll walk into the gathering ourselves.”

  Both Sakari and Nokoa choked on their drinks.

  “Are you insane?” Sakari demanded, just as Nokoa sputtered out—

  “They will kill you and us on sight! And not to mention—“ He pitched his voice lower, “Your mate. You can’t just leave her behind.”

  Soraya could feel eyes on her. Unfortunately, with a belly stuffed full and a well-lubricated throat from the wine, her stomach chose that exact moment to give the chef her compliments as a wet belch erupted from her mouth.

  “Excuse me,” she said out of polite modesty.

  Someone coughed to cover a laugh.

  “She’s definitely your mate,” Sakari drawled.

  Raz ignored him. “Feel better?” he asked her.

  Soraya nodded her head and then used her words like an intellectual. “Much better, thank you.”

  Raz beamed down at her. “You must have many questions for me. I know I have quite a few for you, my lovely mate.”

  Soraya cringed internally and realized they wanted her to play along. She wasn’t very good at ad-libbing and wasn’t well acquainted with the story they were enmeshed in. Now that her stomach was full and she could think straight again, she needed to thank them for the meal and offer to pay her share. After that, she should leave…

  Except leaving didn’t sound like a good plan. She didn’t want to go back to her dark, empty apartment.

  And maybe she should be a little embarrassed at how she bumped into these men, ate their food, and drank their fine wine without so much as a hello. What was wrong with her? But even so, she would be damned if she had to ad-lib. Better to pay and get out.

  “You are very kind for sharing your meal with me. How much do I owe you?” Soraya asked, stepping out of Raziel’s personal space. His hand slipped away from her stomach, and she felt the acute loss of his body heat.

  Raz stretched his arm out and placed his hand on Nokoa’s shoulder. His cloak, she realized, was concealing her from the rest of the room. She wondered if he was doing that on purpose—hiding her. She didn’t mind it, but it was odd behavior.

  “All I ask is your name, love.”

  She huffed a laugh. “It’s Soraya. And I apologize for my rudeness from earlier, I—I don’t know what got into me.” That was an understatement, but she hoped they would accept her poor excuse—and if they didn’t, she would pay and leave. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

  Raziel gave her a rakish smile, and the sharp canines of his teeth flashed at her.

  Soraya cocked her head. He must be wearing false teeth of some sort.

  “I like your costumes. What play is your troupe performing? I would love to come see all of you on stage.”

  Her question was met with silence until Nokoa said, “I don’t know how to respond to that.”

  “Did she say troupe?” she heard Sakari ask from the other side of Raz.

  Nokoa shifted his head to peer at her. She looked into a pair of bright green eyes set underneath dark brows. ”Do you think we’re actors?”

  Soraya opened her mouth to respond when he gasped, “Her ears!” She watched as his eyes flew to Raz, who never took his eyes off her. “Raz, she’s human!”

  Soraya sighed. Actors.