His mother lazily rose her eyes from her swirling glass to Cassius, lifting a brow in question.

Cassius took a moment to lazily drape his arm over his chair's arm and loosened the one he had wrapped around me. Reclining back in his seat, he pulled me along with him, causing me to fall onto him as he put on an air nonchalance.

Despite his appearance, the tension I could feel coiling in his fingers as they dug into my skin told me otherwise.

"Last I remember, you tried to publicly humiliate me for deciding to withdraw our soldiers from Kotra's Grove without consulting you first."

"You were a child then, thinking you could keep your land through friendship and peace," she said placing her glass on the table. Everyone's eyes followed it as it sharply cranked against the wood, a drop of its amber liquid sloshing over the side and onto the dark grain.

Cassius's hand tightened. "I was preventing the needless death of our people. It was a trap they had set. I was planning to set one in turn, one disguised as a peace offering, not caring if my methods were underhanded given their own," Cassius shrugged, grabbing his glass and taking a sip. "But you choose to intervene before I could accomplish anything."

His mother rolled her eyes, the action making her appear younger than her son. She waved her hand in the air and materialized a decanter full of more of the amber drink she had been indulging in all throughout dinner. The floating glass poured her another drink.

"Let bygones be bygones, son. I've had to rule longer than I planned due to your absence these last few centuries. I'm tired. I'm sure your beautiful wife would love to help you rule. I, on the other hand, am done. My days to come will now be spent drinking Sorna," she said, grabbing her glass and lifting it in a toast," and waiting for dear Nea here to give me some beautiful grandchildren to spoil."

My face burned red when her gentle yet cunning eyes turned to me.

"Don't keep me waiting too long dear, you have plenty of seed at your disposal so I expect to be hearing news soon."

I didn't know it was possible for my face to heat any further, but I was proven wrong as I tried to hide into my neck like a turtle. At least I wasn't the only one this time. I could see the "seed" She was referring to shift uncomfortably, a slight pink tint showing on the cheeks of all of them save Axel, who gave her a smirk, Ryder, who I wasn't sure even had enough blood in his body to blush, and Zev who had been maintaining his blank expression ever since we had left the Fae Lands. Poor Ezra seemed red enough for the four of them.

"Mother," Cassius chastised, earning a Cheshire grin in return. "It's decided then," he continued in a firm voice. "Our soldiers will prepare to invade in the upcoming months. The Royal concubines will assist in gaining Intel about their respective lands and the challenges we will meet and need to prepare for. I want Asorix to be under Montgomery control before the birth of the heir that will one day rule over it." Cassius took a moment to pause and prepare for how his mother would react before continuing. "After everything has settled down, Stephen will be publicly executed before the court," he said watching her closely.

His mother froze mid-sip, causing Cassius to tense.

Steady, she lowered her glass. "Very well."

Neither Cassius nor anyone else in the room seemed to expect the answer. A stunned silence descended after her words. It was only broken by the high-pitched screech that sounded when she pushed her chair back and rose.

"It's been a long day. I'm sure you, your wife, and your concubines feel the same way after your journey. Hassan should have your quarters prepared for you all by now. You know where to find it," she said to Cassius. After a few parting words to the others sitting at the table, she gave a tight smile before exiting looking like she had aged ten years in the last minute alone.

None of the faces that were familiar to me engaged in conversation like the strangers on the other end as they finished up their meals and slowly cleared the dining hall. Soon it was just me and the seven men I was acquainted with remaining along with silent bustling staff that worked to clear the table.

Once the last unfamiliar face exited the room, Cassius's body relaxed. To my relief, he finally nudged me off his lap. He was quick to rise behind me, forcing me to stumble into the table to avoid being brushed up against. Not a good move considering he had to reach out and grab my arm to stop me from getting a face full of steaming mashed potatoes.

I could see Ares had risen along with us, starting for me when he noticed my stumble.

Once I was steady, I expected Cassius to let go of me, but instead found his touch linger. My brows furrowed when I felt a soft tickle at my neck. It came from the mark that branded me. When I turned to him, part in question and part in fear, he suddenly pulled away.

"Follow me, I'll show everyone to their quarters. We're all located in the same wing," he said, clearing his throat and looking away towards the exit as servants entered to grab another load of dishes.

Axel rose from his seat stretching his arms over his head. The move caused his shirt to ride up, revealing tanned skin and hard muscles.

"Finally," he groaned, turning towards Cassius. "I don't suppose I can borrow the Mrs for a quick dessert, now can I?"

A hand grabbed my own and pulled me back into a hard body.

"No," Ares's hard voice stated, leaving no room for question.

I sighed in relief at his intervention. Just remembering the last time I was in a room with Cassius and Axel had me breaking out into a cold sweat. I had to resist the urge to run my hands over my body to rid myself of the ghost of their touch. I could feel it drift over my skin, leaving a wake of goosebumps behind.

Cassius disregarded Axels question and the threatening glare Ares was giving him as he breathed a heavy breath and walked towards the door.

Axel eyed Ares, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. Tilting his head to the side, as his eyes rose to meet Ares, his lips did too in a grin. "I have a feeling the days to come are going to be fun." His eyes turned to me. "I've missed having you around. Hasn't been quite the same without you."

He didn't give me a moment to respond before turning and heading after Zev who had gone after Cassius. Ryder walked up to me and Ares while Jaxon and Ezra just rose and stood behind their seats awkwardly. They looked unsure as to what to do next as their eyes glanced between the exit and where the three of us stood.

"We should follow after them before they get too far," I said when it became clear they were all waiting for someone to make a move.

The sombre mood that had descended and remained since the eight of us had reunited hung heavy in the air as we made our ways through the wide halls. Luckily the others hadn't gotten so far ahead that we had any problems catching up. The majority of the structure surrounding us was built with old stones and decorated in lively tapestries. The intricately woven designs told tales of past rulers and wars lost and won.

People casually roamed around the stone castle, going about their business until we walked by. When they caught sight of us, they stopped what they were doing, often cutting conversation off midway to show their respects with a bowed head. The serious ones decided to go straight to their knees in reverence. It was strange considering the biggest and scariest looking individuals were the hardest to hit the floor in a kowtow that was sure to leave a bruise on their foreheads.

As we continued to turn down hallways through the maze that Cassius seemed to know his way through, the people we encountered lessened until no one made an appearance in the halls we travelled. The further we got into the castle, the colder it became. Rubbing my hands up and down my arms, I huddled closer to Ares for warmth. Seeing my dilemma, he didn't hesitate to pull me under his arm.

"Axel, you can take this one, and Zev, you can take that one," Cassius was saying as we entered through the large double door he, Axel, and Zev had gone through ahead of us.

"Don't bother me unless you decide I can have a taste, I'm already exhausted from chasing after that one," Axel said as he pointed towards Ezra. "The bonus round in another realm was just a step too far."

At Cassius's acknowledgment of his words, Axel disappeared into his room without a glance at the rest of us. The final glance of his face before his door shut revealed exhaustion he had hidden well throughout dinner with his inappropriate jokes.

"Jaxon, you can take that one, it has a balcony. Ezra, that one is yours," he continued, assigning a door to everyone.

The double doors had opened up into a large, open, and newly renovated looking living space. Along both sides were well-spaced doors; three on each side, a toast of six, seven including double doors above the kitchen. They were evenly spaced along the walls that ran further down into a dining space followed by a large, open kitchen that had an entire wall of glass that overlooked rolling hills and vast fields. Above the kitchen was a landing that held grand-looking double doors. Two stairways situated in the dining area gave access to them.

The open plan of the space gave me a direct and clear view of the magnificent and breathtaking landscape that was visible from the window straight across from me. If the circumstance were different, I would be plastered to the glass as I tried to take everything in, but since I had to worry about whether I'd be raped pregnant tonight, it didn't take much to hold myself back.

The dark and all too concerning thought had me clutching at Ares's sleeve, hiding behind him as we approached Cassius. He had promised to protect me from Jaxon and Zev, not Cassius. He wasn't obligated to, nor would I blame him if he decided to step aside to the frightening man we had learned was a king.

When he stepped in front of me to hide me from Cassius's sight when he turned towards us, I had to bite my lip to hide the smile that was brought on by his action. A warmth began to spread in my chest. It only grew when Ryder stepped up too, blocking me further from view.

Jaxon's loud groan of frustration cut through the air. He rubbed at his chest in agitation. "Stop it," he barked out at me, causing me to flinch back in surprise. Turning, he marched off towards the door Cassius had pointed at, slamming it harshly behind him after he entered. Clinking china could be heard from the kitchen cabinets as the force he used shook everything.

Cassius's tired sigh cut through the air. Equally tired eyes glanced towards Ezra and Zev who stood off to the side watching. They were intrigued by the two men standing before me protectively. Or maybe they were baffled, not understanding the action.

Ezra sharply looked away before my eyes could meet his, continuing to avoid me while refusing to go too far from me. He was a strange one, coming after me just to ignore me as he followed me.

"You two can pick between the remaining two rooms," Cassius said.

"What about her?" Ares asked without skipping a beat, asking what I was silently wondering.

Cassius's eyes shifted to me. "You share with me."

My eyes widened as my throat began to swell shut. I could already picture the horrors that would play out behind the closed doors I knew must lead to his bedroom.

"But," he continued, stopping Ares in his tracks as he stepped forwards him threateningly. "Since I don't plan to start this relationship off any worse than it has already begun, you can choose where you want to sleep for now. Be it by yourself or with one of the others."

My eyes immediately looked up at the pale-faced Ryder, still worried at his weakened state despite seeing a visible improvement.

He looked down at me, a soft knowing smile on his lips. He shook his head. "Ares is in better condition to protect you. I'll hog you to myself once I'm up to the challenges you bring with you, sweetheart," he said with a teasing wink.

"I'll give you time to get used to the idea of... us," Cassius continued, looking at me closely. "But I can't do this according to your schedule. Use this time to come to terms with your fate. Don't waste it on scheming escapes that are doomed to fail," he warned sternly.

His eyes lingered on me before he looked away. Heading for the stairs leading to the room above, he glanced over his shoulder as he took the first step. "Rest well. Tomorrow will be a busy day."