Frost Fae (Dark Fae Kings #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,16

They didn’t know what kind of danger hunted us now. I only prayed the enemies focused on me instead of them, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe my siblings could stay out of it. When a few more attempts on my life failed, the bounty hunters would go for my family for sure.

My instincts screamed for me to grab them and run, but I also knew we had nowhere to run. I might be clever every now and then, but street smarts were useless against my foes. I had no experience or resources to guarantee our survival.

My only chance was to stick with the Fae kings. I just needed to control my lust and make as much progress with my fighting training as possible, and in the meantime, not piss them off too much.

When I descended the stairs in a pair of faded jeans and my old T-shirt that read: What’s my weakness? Six pack abs and a trail of golden hair, both kings raised their eyebrows, yet their eyes seared with heat.

My heart fluttered, and I tore my gaze from them to scan my siblings. They sat around the table with Rowan and Baron, an empty seat between the Fae reserved for me.

I sighed inwardly. The kings took the practice of fair shares to the letter, even in the seating arrangements.

My siblings’ eyes brightened at the sight of me, and my heart warmed, assuming they were glad to see me.

“She’s back, Baron,” my youngest brother, Cassidy, declared. “Can we eat now?”

I raised an eyebrow as I crossed the room. They were on a first name basis with the Fae kings, having no idea that they were dining with the highest rulers in Elfame.

The children dug in swiftly at Baron’s nod, loading a variety of meat cooked with exotic spices, grilled peppers, and zucchini onto their plates. My stomach lurched as I watched them devour the dishes like starving savages. It wasn’t that I worried they’d forgotten all table manners Mom taught them. Well, that too. But I felt bad for not feeding them properly.

I was such a bad sister, and I didn’t know how to do better. I wasn’t even good at taking care of myself.

I took the empty seat between Rowan and Baron. Inching closer to me, they beamed at me from either side. My heart stuttered and lightened a little while I prayed not to act like a horny fool in front of my siblings.

So, I carried on as usual and started yelling at my siblings. “Slow down! You don’t want to choke yourself. And I don’t want to get a huge medical bill. Our healthcare really sucks, and you don’t even know how broken it is. Cassidy, use the napkin to mop your mouth, please!”

My little brother nodded curtly like a soldier and followed my order. He worshipped the ground I walked on ever since I drove away the demonca and scared away the pizza guy with my elephant gun.

“Nox, finish the food on your plate before you go after another serving. In this house, we don’t hoard food!”

Safiya gazed at Rowan then at Baron with stars in her eyes, which irritated me. “Safiya, wipe that stupid dreamy look off your face and eat your vegetables!”

She glared at me.

“The younglings are fine,” Rowan said, putting a bowl of veggie soup in front of me. “You need nutrition, my lady. You had a trying day today.”

And Baron was busy piling food on a large plate for me. “Eat, Evie. Discipline the younglings after you have a full stomach and more energy.”

That sounded good.

Emmett stopped shoving pieces of steak into his mouth and peered at me. “What trying day, Evie? What happened?”

I gave Baron and Rowan a warning stare to stop them from spilling about the battle.

In the end, I might have to break the hard news to my siblings that we weren’t safe, but I’d shield them from that knowledge as long as I could. They didn’t need to live in fear.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just dealt with some jerks at work. Baron and Rowan helped.”

Fawn trained her sorrowful and worried gaze on me, and my heart clenched. She was too young to shoulder any burden.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

Cassidy slanted a glance at me, swallowing a mouthful. “Baron and Rowan are competitors,” he informed me.

How did he learn about that? He was only eight years old.

I frowned. “So?”

“We’ll have to protect our best interests,” Cassidy said.

“And what is our best interest then?” I