Hell's Belle - Eve Newton Page 0,79

scoffs. “We discussed this already.”

“Lian,” Elijah warns him quietly.

“Lian?” I ask with narrowed eyes. Such familiarity. I wonder suddenly if I’ve made a big mistake in trying to get in between them.

I think Elijah realizes this as he comes over to me and pulls one of my hands away from my chest and takes it in both of his, kissing my knuckles.

“He is bad at this, beautiful. He has never had to worry about anyone else when he goes. I asked him to go to Gregory to try and help, but baby steps, I guess.” He smirks gently.

“I’m fine,” I tell them all as breezily as I can. But I give Elijah a grateful smile so that he knows I appreciate his input. “I know you have work to do,” I add lightly to Killian directly.

“Pah, work,” Drescal scoffs, having made himself comfortable on my bed. “I retired to be with her.” The dig is out there before I can wish it away. The last thing I want is the men picking at one another.

“Your job was to fuck other women,” Killian points out, quite blandly. “I should hope you’ve retired. Our Queen deserves that level of respect, and more.”

Drescal scowls at him, but I can’t help the girlish beam that crosses my face. I loosen my tense shoulders and stand up straight.

“No bickering,” I murmur with a look of happiness as I take in these men. I’d hoped that Gregory would also be here, but he is right. He isn’t like us. He is a human and he needs to deal with this in whatever way that humans do. I won’t pretend to get it or understand, but if he wants to discuss it with me, I will give him the respect of listening and taking on board what he says.

“Are we all on the same page about this…” I ask, suddenly full of nerves.

“This being all of us in a relationship?” Elijah asks with a frown.

I focus on Aleister now. He has been silent. I know that he is still worried about his lack of forthcoming about Leviathan. I’ve absolved him, but I guess he needs more from me.

He stands up from the armchair he was squashed into and comes closer. “I believe we are. We had a quick talk while you were…out…” He chooses the word carefully. “We agree that we are here for you and only you. Well, except for whatever you’ve agreed on with Elijah and Killian.”

I chew my lip as I have something to say that might not go down so well. “You are all here because I feel something for you that surpasses anything that I have felt before. You all serve a different purpose, as I explained to my mother, and, yes, we need to figure out the details of that. But I need you all to know that I’m not done. I don’t know if I will need one more or five more males to fulfil my every need. It’s selfish, I know, but I want to be happy and in love. I want what my mother has with my Dad and her other men.”

“Has?” Killian murmurs and I realize with a sinking heart what I just said.

But then I also realize that it doesn’t matter.

“Do you all understand what I’m saying?” I ask.

I get a unanimous ‘yes’ to my surprise. I thought there would be some complaints or concerns.

“Gregory helped us see what this means to you in two sentences,” Drescal says quietly.

“Oh, he did, did he?” I say with a little chuckle. “Dare I ask?”

He shakes his head. “Let us have some secrets,” he replies with a sexy smirk.

I take a deep breath and then a huge leap of faith that makes my hands shake. “Speaking of secrets...uhm, about my Dad…”

35

Killian

I stare at Annabelle impassively as she spins a tale of deception so intricate, I’m impressed. Marginally concerned, but impressed, nonetheless.

The other males, perhaps less so.

“Wait!” Drescal says, looking confused.

It doesn’t surprise me. Everyone knows that Incubi are just a pretty face.

“Are you saying that Luc isn’t dead? That you didn’t kill him to take his power? What does that even mean? That you aren’t the Devil?” He fires these questions at her and I see her stumble, mentally. She is distraught that he is questioning her rule.

“Of course she is,” I scoff, having her back as that is what it means to be with me. Whether you are right or wrong, I won’t fuck you over unless I