The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince (9 page)

Corbin suppressed the urge to fidget under Nicolas’s displeased

gaze. So far, his adoptive dad had been nice to Winter, and Corbin

had hoped to find some support there for telling his father. Garth was still not quite over the injury Nicolas had suffered in Elder Adele

Mercier’s attack. While he’d never treated Winter poorly because of

it, Corbin doubted his father would be pleased.

There were so many things he could say to convince Nicolas that

he truly wanted to become Winter’s mate. However, he still didn’t

have things one hundred percent clear in his head. Oh, he was

convinced this was the right thing to do. His inner beast couldn’t be happier at the knowledge that Winter would soon be his. But at the

same time, there were still so many questions on his mind. How

would he, a shifter, manage to be the consort of the future Sidhe king?

Corbin could deal with the responsibilities of the position, but would he be accepted?

More importantly, did Winter feel the same thing Corbin did, or

was he only marrying Corbin because he had no choice?

In the end, Corbin sighed and said, “He’s my mate, Dad. I’m not

sure he realizes it since I haven’t told him. Our connection is there, but it’s not easy to build a relationship when you’re knee-deep in

political intrigue.”

“Fair enough.” Nicolas eyed Corbin, as if assessing his honesty. “I

believe you, and I do like Winter. However, not everyone’s going to

be so accepting.”

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Corbin plopped down on the couch and buried his face in his

hands. “I know. Please, Dad, help me. We’re making the

announcement tonight before all the guests leave. I don’t want to

make a mess of Preston’s wedding day, so I’m worried.”

“Of course you can count on my help,” Nicolas replied. “What did

Skylar say?”

Corbin couldn’t exactly tell his adoptive dad that it had been

largely the Cunninghams’ idea in the first place. Nicolas would

probably interpret it the wrong way. “He agrees it’s best to make

haste.”

“Okay. Now, brace yourself. Here comes your father.”

Corbin suppressed a grimace. This was the problem with telling

Nicolas about his impending wedding. Because of his bond with

Garth, Nicolas couldn’t hide anything from the older lynx. Corbin did not feel at all prepared to face his father.

Moments later, Garth burst into the room, an expression of barely

veiled anger on his face. “Just tell me this isn’t a part of some

harebrained scheme of Byron’s. Just tell me that, and I’ll be happy.”

“It isn’t,” Corbin said. It wasn’t a lie since he truly did want

Winter to be his mate. “It’s true that they are encouraging it for

political purposes, but he really is my mate. You know this, Father.

You’ve seen me with him.”

Garth’s shoulders slumped. “I suppose you’re right.” He sounded

defeated. “I don’t dislike Winter. He’s a good boy. But he’s also royal blood, and that will bring you far too many problems. I wanted

something different for you.”

It was a pleasant surprise to hear Garth wasn’t against the

wedding because of Winter being a Sidhe, but rather, due to the

implications of the Sidhe being a prince and future king. Even if

Corbin shared his concerns, he decided he could deal with them when

the time came.

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63

“I can handle it,” he told his father. “Now, I want you guys to be

ready. We’re telling everyone tonight, at dinner, before the guests

leave. I have to go talk to Winter. I’ll see you in a bit, all right?”

His parents let him go, and Corbin headed out of the room to find

his mate. It was striking how easy it had become for him to think of

Winter like that. He followed his instincts and found Winter still in Byron’s office, together with Skylar.

“We just got off the phone with my uncle,” Winter said. “He is—”

Their eyes met, and Winter suddenly stopped speaking. It was as

if they were lost in each other’s gazes. Distantly, Corbin noted the

moment when Skylar discreetly took his leave. Taking advantage of

their new privacy, Corbin approached the Sidhe.

“Tell me, sweetheart. What were you going to say?”

“My uncle is actually supportive of us. I’m surprised. He even

seemed to know about everything Mr. Cunningham did.”

Corbin mused over Winter’s words, all the while noting how

much he liked hearing the word
us
from Winter’s lips. Still, he needed to address the most pressing concern on his mind. “We can still call it off if you’re not sure,” he told the Sidhe. “Your uncle won’t do

anything now that he knows we have foreign backing.”

“I really don’t know.” Winter sighed. “This is all so confusing.

Just a few hours ago, I knew where I stood. But now…God, it’s too

much.”

Corbin felt for the younger man. Since the decision had been

made, everything had turned into a whirlwind, until Corbin had

completely lost direction and forgotten why they were doing this in

the first place. It was as if he’d become a leaf whirled around in a

tornado, involved in issues that were far too big for him to fully

comprehend.

But Corbin wanted to understand. He wanted to be the mate

Winter needed. “Do you trust your uncle?” he asked.

“Not really, no,” Winter replied. “I still don’t know why marrying

Shea was so important to him, especially since Shea is only a baby.”

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Winter gave Corbin an almost desperate look. “God, Corbin, I don’t

want to involve you in this mess, too.”

There was no point in saying Corbin had become involved ever

since he’d set eyes on Winter. That wouldn’t make the sweet fae feel

any better. Instead, Corbin wrapped his arms around Winter and

kissed the Sidhe’s forehead. “We’ll be fine as long as we stick

together. It’s all very confusing now, yes. But our marriage is

supposed to cement an age-old alliance, something your uncle won’t

be able to block.” He paused for effect and added, “And personally,

I’m quite happy being your mate. If you’ll have me.”

“Oh, Corbin. Why are you being so great about this?” Winter

asked. “You should hate me for messing up your life, for lying, for

pushing you away.”

Corbin arched a brow. “It almost sounds that you want me to hate

you.”

“Of course not.” Winter looked away, seemingly troubled. “I

just…I’m sorry. I really don’t know how to handle all this.”

“How about we start from the beginning?” Corbin suggested. “If

we go by Mr. Cunningham’s suggestions, we’re going to have to get

married soon. So teach me everything I need to know so I don’t

embarrass myself, or you. I learned a few things as basic education,

but it’s hardly enough.”

“You’re right.” The task seemed to center Winter as the Sidhe

suddenly looked more collected. “We’re very keen on ceremonies, so

we’ll start with that. Okay?”

“That’s fine with me, sweetheart.”

Winter smiled at him, and Corbin’s heart melted. For Winter’s

sake, he would learn ten different languages if he had to. Having

Winter as his teacher would just be an excellent plus.

* * * *

The Lynx Who Purred for a Sidhe Prince

65

That evening, the entire family gathered, prepared for everything.

The guests had been told there would be an important announcement

later that evening, but no one except close friends knew what it really entailed.

The Cunninghams were of the opinion that Corbin and Winter

should remain separated until that moment, but Corbin decided

against it. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Winter

now that it had become accepted.

“Do you think they’ll take it well?” Winter asked in a whisper.

Corbin shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But I think that eventually,

everyone will realize this is a good thing. Twenty years ago, no one would have thought shifters could live in peace with each other, but now it’s true. Sure, we don’t always get along, but we’re not actively at war, either. Openness toward other species is the natural next step, and having Sidhe as allies is amazing progress.”

Just minutes before the actual event, Isaac and their swan friend,

Reed, discreetly joined them. “I hear you’re making plans to join the ranks of the traitors,” Isaac commented.

Corbin was startled by the comment until he saw the look on

Isaac’s face. “That’s right,” he replied cheekily, “and quite happily so.”

“Our parents haven’t stopped badgering us all day.” Reed sighed,

his eyes scanning the crowd as if he were looking for someone.

“Seems we’re the only ones without stable relationships.”

“What about Melanie, Jace, and Derek?” Corbin inquired. He’d

seen the three werewolves earlier, and to his knowledge, they weren’t involved with anyone, either.

“They’re all dating people.” Isaac sighed. “Maybe you and I

should date each other, Reed.”

Reed’s horrified look would have been amusing had it not seemed

so honest. “I guess the answer’s no, huh?” Isaac asked with a grin.

“We’ll just have to suffer together.”

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“For the moment, hang around us,” Winter suggested. “With this

news, we’ll be the center of attention and your parents will stop their insistence for a while.”

Reed didn’t seem convinced but nevertheless hung around. They

fell into comfortable conversation, and Corbin marveled at how well

Winter fit in with his friends. He had to constantly remind himself not to wrap an arm around Winter and pull him close. It just felt so

comfortable and right.

He was almost relieved when the moment of the announcement

finally came. Everyone seemed to expect something from Preston or

Morgan, perhaps the arrival of another child. But no such thing

happened.

“On this joyous day,” Skylar said, “we have more excellent news.

I’ll leave Corbin to tell you the rest.”

Corbin was known to everyone mostly because he’d helped out

his father with the Agency. Other than that, he was by no means a

preeminent figure like Skylar or Byron. He felt somewhat out of his

depth when all eyes turned to him but didn’t let it show. After all,

once he wed Winter, he’d have much more difficult things to do and

announce.

“First of all,” he started, “I’d like to thank you all for being here to celebrate with us. Both my brother and my family and friends

appreciate it greatly. For that reason, I am happy to share one of the greatest things in my life with you. Today, I asked Winter Tomacelli

to become my mate, and he accepted.”

Things hadn’t gone exactly like that, but they didn’t need to know

every detail. Murmurs of surprise swept over the crowd, several of the guests looking completely gobsmacked. No one was actually saying a

word out loud, though. Corbin didn’t think that this was very

promising.

And then, somewhere from the back, Clark’s voice came, loud

and clear. “Woohoo!” the lion roared. “Way to go, Corb!”

“You go, Corbin,” Clark’s mate, Angel, echoed. “Congrats!”

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67

Alexis was the next one to intervene. “Congrats, Winter,” the

incubus echoed, this time addressing the comment to the Sidhe.

Corbin could have kissed them for their initiative. In a way, it

didn’t surprise him. Clark and Angel had suffered some backlash

because their mating was considered, in a way, taboo. Alexis wasn’t

much better off as incubi were generally seen as heartless whores.

They understood Corbin and Winter, and their help meant a lot.

After that, more voices joined the first ones. Corbin mentally

thanked his family and friends, who were so supportive. True, they’d

been told ahead of time, but they’d also showed a lot of enthusiasm.

Once they saw the general attitude, the other guests started to get

into the groove, too. They came and congratulated Corbin and Winter.

They were still a little awkward around the Sidhe, but Winter took it all with a smile, charming them in a way Corbin could never have

attempted.

And then, just as everyone was starting to relax, Skylar and Byron

signaled at Corbin to get ready. Corbin shared a look with Winter,

who nodded. “Don’t worry,” Corbin mouthed. “We’ll be fine.”

He wished he could have said more, perhaps an “I love you” like

Winter deserved. But there simply wasn’t time. Before he knew it, the Sidhe delegation made their appearance. Corbin had expected it, and

still, they startled him. It wasn’t their arrival per se that shocked him, but rather the way they looked. Dressed in what must have been

traditional Sidhe finery, they practically glittered. At the same time, however, they seemed so aloof, so distant and unlike Winter that

Corbin balked at the task of getting them to like him.

Shrugging to himself, Corbin decided they might look glamorous,

but that didn’t make them better than him. He could handle whatever

they threw at him. It would be somewhat more difficult with the

current king, but Sterling would not be able to hold onto his crown for love. Corbin didn’t really want to be king of anything, but it was

Winter’s birthright, and Corbin would make sure his sweetheart got