"Maybe it is soon, but I feel like it’s still therighttime. I want this. I feel impatient. And… I want more of what you gave me at the table." I can’t help but send him a coy, playful gaze.
"Ah…" Snow bares his teeth in a grin. "That." Then he kisses me leisurely. "I’ll give you as much of it as you want, as much as you can take."
"I’ll hold you to that," I whisper.
Then I squint my eyes a bit and say, "So… I’ll meet you at your place. I just need to stop by my room for a minute and freshen up. That whole oceanarium rescue really wore me out."
Snow nods, then pulls me in one more time, and we kiss for a moment. In his eyes now I see a true alpha, full of hunger and unrestrained desire. A low growl escapes him. For that brief instant he isn’t a sorcerer but just a man about to fuck…
"I’ll be waiting," he murmurs, letting me go reluctantly, glancing around as if expecting someone to notice, then straightening and walking away.
Buzzing with excitement, I climb up to my room and head straight for the shower. I shave everywhere I need to, scrubdown hard, then pull on the purple jockstrap I bought with Lake at the mall. Smirking, I check myself in the mirror. I actually look pretty good. The strap frames my ass in a way that’s hard to miss. After the last three weeks, my once skinny frame has filled out, my ass has a solid curve to it. Maybe tonight it finally gets impaled? I chuckle under my breath.
My gaze lingers for a moment on the scars along the lower part of my neck, but I don’t let them dull my excitement. Tonight is going to be perfect!
Clean, fresh, and ready to go, I leap from the balcony. As I’m about to cut through the citrus grove, I spot a lonely figure.
I stop short.
Someone is vaulting the fence and trying, not very smoothly, to hide in the bushes. Of course I head straight toward him, step around the shrub, and plant myself where he can see me.
He straightens with an awkward look.
He’s an omega, mid-thirties, could be more, short, curly hair the same caramel shade as mine, about my height. Attractive, maybe even beautiful, with a softness that would draw alphas to him.
His big, light gray eyes widen the moment he spots me.
We stare at each other for a moment before he blinks and says, "Sorry for breaking in like this, but I need to meet someone here. I can’t just walk through the front door, I wouldn’t exactly be welcome." His voice is pleasant, almost sensual, with a husky edge that borders on sexy.
But none of that works on me. I fold my arms across my chest. I have no interest in chatting, and the gesture must say it all.
He sighs, his face falling into something apologetic, like a sad spaniel’s.
"I really do need to see someone. Snow. I have something important to share with him. Please don’t tell Lake Nolan I came. I promised him I’d never come back here."
He starts edging sideways like he’s about to slip past me, but I take a sharp step to the right and block him. A shiver runs through me as I realize who he might be, though I don’t fully want to believe it.
"Look, I don’t know who you are, and I don’t want anything from you. I just need a few minutes with Snow, it’s important!"
He tries again to sidestep, moving gingerly, but I shift even more aggressively to block him.
His expression twists, almost on the verge of tears. He looks fragile, vulnerable, but I don’t feel mercy. Anger and jealousy rise in me instead.
"You don’t understand," he blurts, his voice breaking. But soon he gathers himself, clears his throat, and mutters, "And honestly, I don’t owe you an explanation, but I need to see him. It’s critical."
Yet, I stay silent, heavy with stormy emotions.
His jaw tightens. He crosses his arms to mirror me and lifts his chin in sudden defiance. "I’m not leaving until I see Snow."
My thoughts spin, suspicion flaring until I can hardly contain it. If this really is Theo, just the idea of him showing up here, especially today, fuels a rage so strong I nearly lose control; I could probably turn him into ashes on the spot.
He must catch some trace of it on my face, because his expression softens again, becoming almost pleading.
"Fine. Then go tell him Theo is here. If he doesn’t want to come, I’ll understand, but at least let him know I was here and that it’s urgent."
The last thing I want is to carry a message from Snow’s former lover, so against my will I give in. With obviousreluctance and a sour grimace, I turn toward the house, and Theo follows close behind.
We walk in silence. It feels like fire walks with me. I’m not a fire mage, but I swear something inside me is clawing to get out.
