Mira felt the world tilt without warning and almost let out a loud curse. It felt as if somebody just tied her feet together and pulled hard. Hr eyes widened and she reached for the wall or anything to hold her but her fingers brushed only air... Her breath stopped. She reached for the wall, but her fingers brushed only air.
Her heart lurched, and she braced herself for the fall. Unexpectedly, as all those things happened in the blink of an eye, she never did end up on the ground. Instead, three strong forms closed in around her at once.
One hand caught her wrist. Another curved at her back and the third settled on her waist as the three lords closed in around her.
Mira gasped, startled by how quickly they had reacted to save her. She blinked up then and shot the people a dazed look. Her heart was beating hard because of the near fall and yet, she could feel the three hands holding her in place. She had never been touched so intimately. It was not right for men and women. And yet, this seemed right somehow...
Lord Lancelot was right in front of her, his golden eyes focused entirely on her face. His hand still held her wrist, thumb resting lightly against her pulse. Lord Kalyn stood behind her, his arm supporting her back while Lord Zai’s hand remained at her waist...
For a moment, she could not speak. Something inside her stirred- strange awareness she did not understand but could not ignore. It made her cheeks warm and her breath uneven.
"I... forgive me," she whispered, though she had no idea why she was whispering.
Lancelot bowed his head slightly, still holding her wrist. "Allow us to introduce ourselves properly, Lady Mira," he said, his voice low. He lifted her hand, brushing his lips close to her knuckles. The touch was not even a full kiss-just near enough for her skin to tingle. "Lancelot."
Her heart stumbled in her chest.
Kalyn stepped around her then, his hand sliding from her back. That was wrong... He could have simply taken his hand off, why caress her like that? But even as the thought happened, it slipped away from her as the man bowed before her and said, "Kalyn. And I would say I was sorry for last night but honestly, after holding you twice, I am not quite sorry."
Mira’s eyes widened then. Lord Kalyn was the wolf from last night. His eyes were the same as the wolf that had scared her.
As the third person moved in front of her, this time Mira was sure her eyes might fall out. This was the one who had pushed into her space yesterday.
Zai leaned in last, closer than the others, a playful light in his eyes. "And I am Zai. I hope you remember how close " He brushed the back of her hand with a soft kiss, nothing bold, but somehow more shocking because by now, she should have already jumped away from them..
Mira’s breath caught again. She felt warm from head to toe, and for a moment she wondered if they had cast some sort of a spell on her.
Except this warmth did not come from outside. It came from her and no one could cast on a spell inside, right? No. She needed to distance herself from them quickly.
"I... I thank you, my lords," she managed, though her voice trembled and tried to step back. Her eyes drifted from one face to the next. She could not look away. Something about them pulled at her.
She took a shaky breath and forced her feet to move. Nope. Nope. She needed to maintain her distance from the lords even if they were so good looking and breath taking and... Focus, Mira. You need to make them hate you as per Master’s orders. They wouldn’t hate her if she made starry eyes at them.
So, having reminded herself repeatedly to get herself together, she gave a shaky smile to the three lords and said slowly," My lords, perhaps we... should go for breakfast. I was on my way there."
"Breakfast," Lancelot repeated with a nod. "Lead the way, Lady Mira."
She turned at once, grateful to put even a few steps between them. But the lords walked beside her-one on each side, and one slightly behind. The arrangement felt far too close, too protective. As if they were her guards, making her all the more nervous.
Usually, she liked to talk a lot, but now, surrounded by these three people, she felt tongue tied. What was she supposed to talk about. They were each lords. One of them was even a dark lord, just a little above Aron, who was a dark master. But she didn’t know which of them could command the dark arts... Should she ask them?
No. She shouldn’t. What if she ended up offending them? But even as the thought came, her scowl cleared. It was good to offend them, right? That way, they would not consider her a prospective mate.
Just as she was about to muster up the courage to ask the question, she heard Zai speak, "So, how often do you fall into the arms of strangers? Last night and now today...Should we expect this again at lunch? Perhaps dinner too?"
Mira felt her mouth fall open! What did he mean by that? Did she have a habit of falling? They were the ones who had frightened her last night and then today, it was probably Shiqi who had just now cast a spell.
Stopping mid-step, she turned to Zai and with her hands on her hips, asked," What do you mean by that? Did I fall into your arms yesterday? No, right?"
Zai nodded. "Yep. You didn’t fall into my arms yesterday. I am quite saddened by it. That is why I am asking yoy, when you plan to fall next. I’d like a chance to hold you."
Mira blinked at the blatant words. And then, as she realized what he meant, she turned a fiery shade of red and hurriedly turned away. What a shameless man...