Evander steps forward. I think he is going to sing, but instead he approaches the bonfire. He holds out a hand, as if reaching for the flame, and closes his fingers. As his lips move, I watch the flames dance, eyes appearing within them.
Folost?I have never seen the little fire spirit look so mighty. Mary hasn’t been the only one who’s benefited from time in Midscape.
One blink of golden eyes.Yes.But yes to what? My question is answered as the fire burns low, Evander lowering his hands as if smothering it. The lykin then raises his right palm, fingers shifting, pulling it out to the side. Folost moves with Evander, as though the lykin is conducting the fire spirit.
The flames make shapes, of wolves and fanged crowns, of a glowing orb that looks like the sun but I can only assume represents the moon.
It is their history being told through the flickering yellows, oranges, and reds. A story echoed by the primordial, guttural howls that form words in an ancient tongue I don’t understand. Yet…I find myself swaying with them. Breathing with them. The thrumming drums and sharp trills of pan pipes sustaining high notes gives a sweet dizziness akin to too much mead. Heart racing, slightly bubbly, but also the air thick with anticipation.
“Come,” Conri says, just that one word. A command. Yet I heed it anyway when he extends his hand. “Dance with me.”
He pulls me away from the crowd, yanking me toward him. His palm smooths over my hip, grazing around my rear, gripping firmly. My cheeks flush instantly and I glance around. There are so many eyes on us…
“Look at me,” he orders. “Only at me.”
And I do.
The movements are unlike any dance I’ve ever known. I never considered myself much of a dancer. But I have had my share of naked twirling under the full moon. This…is not unlike that. When I would dance in the woods I felt as light as the air itself. Here, now, I am heavy and hot, moving with words and howls and pulsing drumbeats.
Conri wraps his arms around my waist and leans forward. I tip backward, bending at the small of my back. My hips press into his. Conri growls low against my neck. I burn like the fire and my thoughts swim, swirling into an oblivion, leaving a void behind in my mind.
It would feel good…
The voice is back, the one egged on by Conri’s charm. By the magic that makes all the men and women of the pack behold Conri with envy and lust. Conri pulls me up, our chests pressing. He spins me. Lifts me.
Drums pulsing. Sweat rolling down my neck. Howling in my soul and silver eyes that threaten to consume me… I am a ship at sea, being pulled away in the current. A leaf from a tree, helpless of where I will land.
My arms fly out and pain sears through the haze.
I blink, regaining focus. At first, I think I’ve gone too close to the fire. But I should be far enough away. A spark?
My gaze shifts, meeting Evander’s dark stare beyond Folost’s golden eyes. He had the spirit burn me intentionally, I realize. He wanted me to regain my focus.
“Forgive me.” I rest my hands on Conri’s shoulders, playing up my breathlessness. “I grow weary.”
Conri’s smile doesn’t falter. His eyes hold the same burning passion that caused me to almost give in entirely to him seconds ago. “Of course. Let’s take you to bed.”
I am escorted back to the tent. As I sit on my cot, Conri leans over me, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Thank you for dancing with me,” he whispers in my ear, lips brushing my cheek. “I cannot tell you how deeply I enjoyed it. Though I do wish I could show you how many more ways our bodies could move together.”
“I—”
“Not right now.” He leans away with a slight smirk. I wonder if he thought I was going to give in this time. After that dance…I can’t fault him for it. “I have some matters to attend to with my knights and alphas.” Conri cups my cheek, dragging his thumb over my lips. I shiver. “Though, perhaps later, if you are still so keen.”
I don’t have a chance to respond before he leaves the tent. I’m left breathless. Molten at my core. Sweat still rolls down my neck. The insatiable urge to touch myself is mind-numbing. But I resist leaning back onto my cot. If I pleasured myself now, I would be thinking of Conri…I’d be giving in to him.
But would it truly be so bad?
As if to answer the thought, the tent flaps open, revealing Evander. “We need to move quickly.”
“What?”
“Don’t fight me and just follow. There’s something you need to hear. Now.”
Something in his voice compels me to do as he says without delay. I step out and Evander draws me instantly against his side. His left hand on my hip. My flesh is still aflame and I amhyperaware of how his fingers press into me. Of the feeling of his body moving next to mine as he leads me through the camp.
We slink from shadow to shadow. His every motion possesses a grace I’ve yet to see from him. Evander’s eyes shine in the growing moonlight. Sharp and alert. He seems to know who’s around every corner before they say or do anything. I’m confident no one has seen us by the time we round the camp and slow to a stop at a tent on the inner circle—opposite from Conri’s. A tent that seems as normal as the rest of them.
