“Are you alright, Bahira?” he asks, sliding a hand over my own. I clench my jaw and remove myself from his touch.
“Quite fine, thank you.”
His gaze lingers on me before he flicks it in Kai’s direction, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “Glad to hear it.”
The music starts up again as everyone begins to eat. A group of people—each holding a long stick with large rounded ends—enter the open space between the tables and form a straight line. The firelight dances over them, showcasing the males’ broad naked chests and the females’ minimally clad bodies. Black fabric is wrapped strategically around them, and even in only the glow of the nearby flames, it’s impossible not to notice their muscular statures.
“They are fire dancers,” Kane supplies, leaning in close enough to brush his arm against my own. “They will provide tonight’s entertainment as we feast.”
My meal is abandoned as I focus my attention on the dancers.
They move in unison, falling to one knee and striking a long match against the sides of their sandals. When they rise again, they each light the ends of their sticks, balls of fire now glowing against the night. They twirl their fire sticks like batons in feats that seem entirely magical though none is being used. The beat of the music aligns with their movements, the orange glow of the flames illuminating their golden skin and stark tattoos. They perform throughout the entire meal, never once faltering in their steps or showing signs of exhaustion. Occasionally, my gaze clashes with Jahlee’s across the way, and every time, she responds with a wide, terrifying smile.
We all clap when they finish, the dancers turning to Kai and bowing in his direction before exiting the center space. The drums pick up once more, the sound a little softer and the beat back to a slow and sensual cadence. Leaning back in my chair, I truly take in the beauty of the night sky for the first time since being on the island.
“It is a beautiful view,” Kane says softly from my side.
“Indeed,” I respond, turning to look at him.
His eyes dip down to my mouth, his own curving up into a bright smile. “Do you want to dance, Bahira?”
“You said you’d try to convince me.” I fold my arms over my chest, tilting my head as I stare him down. “So do it.Convinceme to dance with you.”
Kane laughs, turning in his chair until his knee brushes against the side of my leg. “Where are you from?”
“Honna,” I reply as Kai instructed me to.
He hums, nodding his head as if this answers some unasked question. “They don’t have parties quite like this there.”
I shrug and gesture with a hand to the party attendees now heading out to dance. “There’s dinner and dancing. Entertainment. Seems like a generic party to me.”
“But they don’t dance like this back in your small village.” When I send him an incredulous look, he juts his broad chin out. “Watch.”
Indulging him, I observe the crowd gathered on the dance floor. The females grab onto the fabric of their skirts, lifting them to their knees as they sway their hips to the sultry beat. The males are no less fluid in their movements—some dancing alone, others with hardly a space between them.
Kane’s fingers trail up my arm slowly, his touch delicate—too much so. “Look at how they become one with the pulsing of the drums,” he whispers near my ear. “Do you see how they all move together? How in sync they are?”
Sure enough, my gaze snags on a female pressed between two males, each one giving her ample attention as they writhe to the band’s beat. Heat curls low in my belly as I watch them, my nails tapping on the table. I didn’t consider myself inexperienced in bed, but I’d never been with two men at once. What would that be like? To have Kane’s mouth on me at the same time Kai—
I stand abruptly, gripping Kane’s arm. “Let’s dance.” I don’t look back at the king as I lead us both into the throng of people. While everything about the trip to the island and my arrival thus far has been less than ideal, the only thing that has completely thrown me off is Kai. I can’t fathom why I react to him the way that I do, like a pathetic moth drawn to a flame.
Kane’s body envelops mine from behind, his hands gripping tightly on my hips as we nestle between the other people dancing. It doesn’t take long for me to mimic the movements of everyone around me, my body relaxing more with every melodic beat of the drums. Kane pulls me closer to him, my back completely flush with his front as we move together. I lift my arms up above me, my head resting back against his chest as I twirl them slowly in the air. His scent rushes over me—earthy with the smallest hint of something floral. It’s not abadsmell, but I have to fight the urge not to recoil. It isn’t the one I want.
Unable to help myself, I search around the dancing shifters until I find Kai, still seated on his throne. His eyes glow golden in the flamelight as he watches me, the act sending a shock of desire to my core. Kane’s hands tighten on my hips, guiding them in synchronicity with his. Yet, even with the male behind me moving his body so closely with my own that the fabric of our clothes between us may as well be inconsequential, I still can’t look away from the shifter king. From the way his eyes bore into mine until I feel that deep heat once more curling within me. My thighs strain to squeeze together, my breaths coming at a wild pace. It’s only because I haven’t had sex in a while.
Kane spins me around and pulls me close, his erection pushing in on my stomach. “Tell me you want to go somewhere private?” he growls, his eyes brighter despite the pocket of darkness we inhabit amongst the other dancing bodies.
My lips part, indecision a momentary flicker before I snuff it out and answer, “Yes.”
He wastes no time, pulling me harshly through the crowd—sweaty bodies gliding past us until we reach the steps outside the palace. “Where is your room?”
“Second floor to the right.”
“The royal wing? That’s a surprise.”
The what?Why had Tua put me in the royal wing of the palace?
We round the corner of the split staircase, going up the next set of stairs and making it a few steps before Kane backs me up towards the wall. He crashes his lips onto mine, his tongue spearing into my mouth as his hands begin to roam my body. My fingers grip onto his hair, and I yank him back from me, holding him in place with another hand braced on his chest.
