Seven Devils and a Rose

Book 2: Seven Devils and a Rose - Chapter 102

He led me to the table and then pulled a chair out for me, the one opposite Lord Geoffrey.

As I sat, Lord Geoffrey said, "You look beautiful in that dress, Alfie."

I said, "Thank you, my lord." Though he had already seen me in it this afternoon during the interrogation.

Felix took the seat to my right and Caleb my left. As Felix was pouring some juice into my glass, Caleb and Lord Geoffrey started gathering food, oddly enough, onto my plate and after, theirs.

As naturally as that, we started eating in this lovely sort of companionable silence. I guess the lords must be very hungry, and boy could they eat. Aria wasn't kidding when she had told me the lords had big appetites. But of course, this was because of their dark qi, which apparently required a huge amount of daily sustenance to nourish it. I guess the other types of qi, the pure ones included, didn't require as much food to cultivate them. Because I sure didn't have that big of an appetite. Although, I did love food.

It was halfway through the meal when I decided to question them about something that had been nagging at me since this afternoon.

I cleared my throat, and I said, "About the earrings."

Lord Geoffrey lifted his gaze to me, his emerald-green eyes twinkling. He asked, "You don't like them?"

I shook my head. "No, I love them very much, my lord. Brenna said because they have the Acaedien motif, it means that I'm..."

"One of us," Lord Geoffrey said. "You're family now, Alfie."

Oddly enough, I felt my heart glow in delight at hearing this. So I was a part of their family now. How nice indeed. I licked my lower lip and said, "But I'm not of this world."

Felix said, "Does it matter? The fact that we're in love with you proves that whatever your background is and where you're from doesn't matter."

I nodded in understanding. Wasn't it fortunate for me that I happened to stumble into these men's lives? Now I'd become one of them, a part of their family.

I said, "Regarding that, there's only one of me and three of you, my lords."

Beside me, Felix shrugged his broad shoulders. "We don't mind sharing."

Across the table, Lord Geoffrey winked at me with a wicked grin that made my tummy flutter.

He said, "If you don't mind having three suitors, of course."

I stammered, my face blushing hot, "I... I don't mind. Not at all. Fact is, I'm pleased that I don't have to choose."

Lord Geoffrey and Felix burst out laughing, while Caleb reached out and stroked my cheek fondly. I shifted my gaze to him and smiled.

He said, "We're glad you don't mind. If you did, there'd be a problem on our part."

"The thing is, Alfie," Lord Geoffrey said, "you might not end up with just the three of us." He chuckled. "Imagine that. You'll have your own harem." He winked at me again.

He was teasing me, wasn't he?

Of course, I knew exactly what he meant. I knew that the other lords, too—Noah, Aaron, Victor, and Ethan—were smitten with me in their own way. It was hard not to notice, after all. Lord Ethan even declared out loud that he and his comrades wanted me when they had explained to me about the attraction between the pure and dark qi.

I retorted, just to get back at him, "I don't mind having my own harem, my lord, and starting with three is a perfect number for me."

Gosh, I spoke about going into a relationship and having my own harem of hunky men as if it were natural, didn't I? Suddenly, my mind flicked to the demanding question at hand.