Free Fated for Forever [Kindred of Arkadia 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) by Alanea Alder Page B

honey, they will be lining up to offer them,” David said with a
    wink. Ashby wiped his hand across his eyes and just grabbed both twins in a fierce hug before pulling
    back.
    “Nic was my only friend for the longest time. He always looked out for me. Then Rebecca came along
    and she opened up everyone’s eyes that people were more than our animals and we met Rian, Damian, and
    Kate. They are the only ones who really made me feel good about myself until you two,” Ashby said,
    smiling shyly.
    “Oh my God he is so damn adorable! I just want to eat him up!” Daniel hugged Ashby in return.
    “Don’t let Gabriel hear you say that,” David joked and Daniel went pale.
    “True,” he said wincing.
    “You know, he’s not the big, bad monster you think he is,” Ashby said, getting kind of mad at the way
    people kept getting scared of his mate.
    “To you he’s not. You’re his mate, to the rest of us, he is one badass motherfucker that you don’t ever…
    ever…want to piss off…like ever,” Daniel said.
    “Think of it this way. Good parents are parents that instill the fear in their children, that if they screw up
    they would rather die than face their parents right? It doesn’t mean those parents don’t love their child or
    try to do the best they can for them and protect them, it just means that child has a sense of right and wrong
    and consequences.
    “Vampires are like really strong, powerful children. Gabriel has to be cold and calculating to instill that
    type of fear into an entire people. But we as his coven know more than anyone exactly how caring he is. He
    has sacrificed a lot to try to keep our people safe. But in order for him to pull that off, the very people that
    he loves have to fear him more than anything,” David explained, his eyes sad.
    “Which is another reason why tonight you have to be more than Ashby the ice cream parlor owner. You
    have to be our prince, you have to show everyone that you not only support Gabriel and everything that he
    does, but you also have the strength to stand beside him.
    “I don’t think I can do that,” Ashby said, looking at Daniel and David, panic growing in his eyes.
    “Of course you can. I think you can do a lot more than you think you can,” Daniel said fluffing Ashby’s
    curls.
    “And will be right there beside you, every step of the way,” David said smiling.
    “Then what are we waiting for?” Ashby asked taking a deep breath.
    “Exactly!” Daniel said grabbing both of Ashby’s hands.
    “Let’s go downstairs and show everyone exactly what you’re made of,” David said. Ashby took a deep
    breath and felt butterflies swarm in his stomach.
    It was just dancing at the club his mate owned, with every paranormal in a fifty mile radius standing
    by and judging his every move, he could do this. Right?

    * * * *

    Ashby felt like he was going to be sick. When he walked downstairs with the twins he knew people
    were staring at him trying to figure out if he was Gabriel’s mate. He plastered a smile on his face,
    straightened his back and stepped out into the club as if he owned it.
    He made sure to keep his face up and met the eyes of any new people the twins introduced him to. He
    pretended like he was a sultan or emperor from the fairy tale books he loved to read as a child.
    “I thought you didn’t know what to do?” Daniel asked amazed. Ashby turned to him and winked.
    “I pretended I parked my flying carpet next to the elephant caravan outside,” Ashby said, dramatically
    brushing the bangs out of his eyes.
    “Is that why I caught you humming Prince Ali from Aladdin?” David asked, eyes wide.
    “Yup, how am I doing?” Ashby asked, his eyes filling with the earnest innocence that the twins had
    come to care for. The twins began to crack up.
    “You’re totally play acting! We thought you had split personalities or something. Thank God!” Daniel
    said, bumping shoulders with Ashby.
    “It was the only thing I could think of to get