The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince (2 page)

Sterling nodded. “He is the grandson of our two visitors and the

product of a union that was, for a long time, cursed.” He paused, as if for effect. “I want that child.”

Winter’s mind went blank. He couldn’t understand what his uncle

was saying. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure I get what you’re trying to say.”

“That baby has to be here, with me,” his uncle insisted. “I will

demand the child in exchange for an alliance between our peoples, but I have reason to believe that I will be denied. This is why I need you to infiltrate their household, to pretend to be their friend. Once the child is born, you bring it here, with me.”

“Uncle, don’t be unreasonable. I can’t kidnap a child.”

“Of course you can.” King Sterling crossed his arms over his

chest. “You’re a resourceful boy.”

Winter shook his head resolutely. “Even if I did agree to it, such

an act would defeat the entire purpose of me being there. You’d

practically be signing up for war.”

King Sterling waved a hand, dismissing his words. “Don’t you

worry about that. It’s all under control. You just do what I say and obey orders.”

The mere thought of separating a family for his uncle’s pleasure

made Winter sick to his stomach. “No,” Winter said. “I will not.”

His uncle got up and glowered at him. “Winter Tomacelli, as your

king and by my authority and the power of my nation, I am ordering

you to bring that child to me.”

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The words washed over Winter like a shower of ice water. Winter

might be able to take some liberties with small things, but if he

disobeyed his uncle, he could lose all privileges of his throne, and

even his life. Sidhe legislation allowed for the king to execute traitors of the nation, and an outright “no” to an order like that could be

qualified as an act of betrayal.

Was this the real reason of this unreasonable command? Did his

uncle want him dead? It would make sense since there were many

others healers out there that could easily deal with an injury inflicted by magic.

Winter considered his options and realized one thing. If he

refused, he would not be helpful to anyone. His uncle would just

recruit someone else and probably imprison Winter if he didn’t feel

comfortable with killing him.

“Very well,” he replied, the words tasting bitter in his mouth. “It

will be as you say, Your Majesty.”

His uncle grinned at him. “Excellent. I knew you’d see things my

way. You always were a smart boy.”

Winter forced a smile, but in his mind, he was already imagining a

plan. King Sterling had no idea just how smart Winter was. And no

matter what happened, Winter would not allow Sterling to destroy the

nation Winter’s parents had died to protect.

The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince

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Chapter One

The first time Corbin had seen the Alpha mansion on Soren

Wade’s pack lands, he’d noticed in surprise that it held more security than he’d ever seen in one place. That hadn’t changed over the years.

In fact, as Corbin walked through the gates of the mansion, he

mentally noted that the building was surrounded by more people than

usual.

Not that it surprised him. Recent events had made it necessary.

And now, the situation had become worse with the unexpected

involvement of the Sidhe.

Since he was well known here, he reached the front door without

being stopped. Just as he readied himself to knock, the door opened

and he found himself facing his brother.

“What do you mean, you brought a Sidhe in?” he asked without

preamble. “It’s the Sidhe that messed your life up in the first place.”

Preston arched a brow. “And hello to you, too. It’s nice to see you

so well.”

Corbin scowled at his brother. “Don’t mess with me, Pres. Surely

you realize how risky this is.”

His brother nodded. “I know, but we don’t have any choice.”

Preston opened and led Corbin inside. “The spells that were cast on

our guards are only breakable by magic, the type that incubi don’t

have. We need their help.”

That might be the case, but Corbin still wasn’t happy about it. He

couldn’t get over the fact that his own mother had plotted with Elder Adele Mercier to curse Layton into falling in love with Corbin instead of his actual mate, Preston.

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In a way, he was still puzzled about the whole thing. Neither she

nor the elder Sidhe had ever admitted to how they had figured out

Preston was Layton’s mate in the first place. It bothered him, and it gave him the feeling that the Sidhe were one step ahead of him.

“I don’t like it,” he told his brother as they entered a receiving

room.

Preston shrugged. “I haven’t spent so much time with him since

Layton is just as stingy as you about the whole thing. Honestly, I

myself don’t particularly like him. But he’s quiet, and he hasn’t given us any fuss.”

Fussy or not, the man was still a Sidhe. Corbin took a deep breath.

Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to judge an entire nation after only

having contact with a couple of its people. After all, every species had its rotten apples. God only knew there were plenty among the shape-shifters as well. Corbin would give this new Sidhe a chance. The guy

probably deserved that much if he was healing people who considered

themselves his enemies.

“What’s his name anyway?” he asked Preston.

“Winter Tomacelli,” the other lynx replied. He checked the

antique clock on the wall. “Come on. I’ll take you to meet him. By

now, he must be finished with his morning sessions.”

Preston dragged Corbin out of the room and toward the adjacent

backyard. The mansion didn’t have an actual garden since it was

surrounded by trees wherever the eye could see. But benches and

tables had been placed in a clearing close by, and this recreation area was only separated from the main house by tall, ornate fences.

On one of the benches in question, Corbin saw a slender redhead,

seemingly reading a book. There didn’t seem to be anyone else

around, so Corbin surmised that must be the Sidhe.

Winter looked up as Corbin and Preston approached. His gaze

fixed on Corbin, and for a few moments, Corbin was lost in those

beautiful orbs.

The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince

15

To Corbin’s knowledge, most Sidhe were blond, but not Winter.

Winter had long crimson hair, the color almost bloody. Coupled with

his ice-blue eyes, he made for quite a striking sight. Corbin had

honestly never seen anyone more beautiful. He snapped out of his

trance when Preston started to introduce them. “Greetings, Winter.

This is my brother, Corbin.”

Winter offered him a small, neutral smile as he got up from the

bench. “It’s a pleasure. My name is Winter Tomacelli. I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Mckenna.”

Normally, when Corbin spoke to a person he was attracted to,

he’d pump up the flirtation. In a different situation, he might have

said, “I’m sure they’re all lies. Well, most of them.” He could almost imagine the scene, with him being his usual charming self and the

Sidhe melting in his arms.

But of course, he could not say or do such things. Winter was not

a prospective fuck, at least not yet. If Corbin decided Winter truly

meant them no ill, all bets were off.

For now, Corbin dusted off his diplomacy skills and went with a

neutral reply. “So have I. My brother tells me you’ve been very

helpful with healing our men.”

Winter shrugged. “It was the least I could do. I can never begin to

understand why Elder Mercier did what she did in the first place.”

“On that point, we’re agreed,” Corbin answered. “I do have a

question for you, if I may be so bold.”

Winter looked startled. “Of course. If there’s anything I can do to

help.”

“Have you made any progress in finding out who was behind my

brother’s situation? No one should have figured out Layton was

Preston’s mate except them.”

“I can’t answer that question, except with guesses. My best bet is

that the warlocks somehow figured it out. They have scrying methods

that go way beyond my power of comprehension. But I haven’t been

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able to confirm these suspicions, I’m afraid, as the guilty parties have been released in exchange for peace.”

“Do you believe that deal was a bad idea?” Preston inquired. “We

did free Elder Mercier in your uncle’s custody as well.”

“I’m not questioning your decision,” Winter shot back. “I’m just

stating the facts. With the guilty parties gone, there is no way I could be able to tell you more.”

“I see.” Corbin interfered in the conversation before his brother

could become even more incensed. Strikingly, even if when he’d first

arrived here, he’d been just as intent to judge the Sidhe as

untrustworthy, he wasn’t so willing to do so now.

Something inside him just begged to reach out and touch Winter.

He suppressed the urge, knowing that circumstances were far too

complicated for him to indulge. He wasn’t the one who’d been hurt

most by the meddling fae, but his relationship with his brother had

suffered greatly because of their interference. He was inclined to trust in Winter, but his instincts could have just been deceived by his

unruly cock.

“Thank you for your answer,” he told Winter formally. “I

appreciate the insight. It’s been weighing on my mind a lot.”

“I’d be happy to help out with anything else you require,” the

Sidhe answered.

He was so lovely, and Corbin wondered if he would be just as

obedient in bed. This time, Corbin couldn’t control the maddening

desire to touch the Sidhe. Leaning in closer, he brushed a lock of

gorgeous red hair from Winter’s face. “And I would be honored if

you’d considered me a friend during your stay here.”

The Sidhe broke away from his hold so quickly Corbin’s head

snapped back. “Thank you for the offer,” Winter said with a tight

smile. “You flatter me. But now I really must go. Please excuse me.”

And with that, the Sidhe took off, leaving a bewildered and very

enchanted Corbin behind. He watched Winter go without knowing

The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince

17

whether to stare at that gorgeous ass or the sway of the beautiful red hair.

“What in the world, Corb?” Preston asked under his breath once

Winter was gone. “You are not fucking that Sidhe.”

“Not yet, I’m not,” Corbin replied, turning toward Preston. When

his brother just glared, Corbin squeezed the younger lynx’s shoulder.

“Relax. I know my priorities. I just have a feeling he’s not so bad as you think.”

“You weren’t quite so insistent earlier,” Preston noted. “I worry

that this is just your cock speaking.”

Corbin didn’t grace that with a reply. Instead, he once again

looked in the direction where Winter had disappeared. Perhaps he was

allowing his libido to rule over his mind, but God, how could he help it?

* * * *

One year later

The huge courtyard of the Cunningham mansion was filled with

people, some of them guests, others staff. Waiters swirled around,

carrying trays with champagne glasses. There was so much hustle and

bustle that Corbin’s head was starting to hurt.

He’d retreated to a somewhat more secluded corner, trying to

avoid the better part of the gathering. Usually, he could be found

where the party was at its most intense, but not today.

Today, Corbin was in a strange mood. His friends, twins Morgan

and Layton Cunningham, had officially registered their matings.

Since they’d always been inseparable, they’d done it in the same

ceremony. As such, their parents had thrown a huge party, inviting all their friends and acquaintances.

Corbin felt a little strange, mostly because it was his own brother

who’d mated Layton Cunningham. For many years, Layton had

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romantically pursued Corbin, even if Corbin had never encouraged

his advances. Oh, Layton was gorgeous, no doubt about it, and if

Corbin wanted to be honest, he’d have fucked Layton a long time ago

had he thought he could get away with it. Thankfully, he’d not

pursued that impulse as it turned out Layton had actually been the

mate of Corbin’s little brother.

Seeing Preston sit together with Layton was quite humbling. It

was true that Corbin’s relationship with his brother had grown more

distant throughout past years, but now, it really dawned on Corbin

that he was no longer the most important thing in Preston’s life. Then again, that had probably changed a long time ago, only Corbin hadn’t

wanted to admit it.

There were a lot of people around Corbin’s brother lining up to

see the new additions to the family, Morgan’s son, Elian, and

Layton’s baby, Shea. Elian was quite good-natured about all the

attention, something probably caused by his half-incubus nature.

Apparently, incubi reveled in emotion, so it was only natural that

Elian would enjoy being fussed over. Layton’s son, however, seemed

cranky, although that didn’t make him any less lovable.