He sounded sincere. I reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “You should save those compliments for the ladies of Condor.”
He threw back his head, white teeth sparkling. “Oh yeah, they’re already waiting for our return. Think you can magic us there quicker?”
I shook my head. “Yes, I can totally do that.”
Grabbing my coat and a small flask of my wine, I hurried us all out of the house. Our step-through took us into an alley near the bar that was almost always deserted. We strode out into the street, laughing and joking. Stewie was on the front door, as he was most nights. He was a mountain of a man, almost reaching the shifters in height, and he kept the establishment under control.
“Good evening, Miss Elizabeth,” he said as we reached the door. “Long time.”
I threw him a genuine smile. “Nice to see you again, Stewie. How’s it going tonight?”
He chuckled, teeth white against his black skin. “A lot of dancing. Everybody loves some 90s.”
Oh yes, give me all the 90s. I’d been a huge fan of that era of music.
Ponyby Ginuwine was on when we pushed through to the dark room, and I was already starting to sway, because this beat got me every time. Mary Lou’s was made up of a large main room with a bar running along one wall … wood, of course. There were a few tables scattered around nearby, and then there was the dance floor. It took up most of the room, and right now there were a ton of bodies swaying together.
I quickly dropped my coat at the check-in desk, the boys did the same, and then the four of us ended up in the center of the humans. I took a swig of my wine before I passed it across to the others. Faerie wine was potent; it knocked supes on their asses. It was the best thing for us to get drunk on.
After a few minutes of sharing, we were all dancing together. I slid up between Paulie and Connor, the two of them swaying with me. We used to draw a lot of attention, being one chick and three dudes, but now the locals were used to us and just accepted that we were all together, in whatever means they thought we were together.
Paulie and James still always hooked up with their favorites in Condor, while Connor was more discreet. As if they read my mind, the two man-whores danced away, and soon there were barely clothed ladies pressing into either side of them.
I laughed, and the song changed toI Wanna Sex You Up,which was more than a little appropriate for this crowd. Connor tugged me closer, and there was desire in his eyes as they ran across me.
He leaned down close to my ear. “Louis is a fucking idiot,” he murmured to me, and my toes almost curled in my boots. Why couldn’t I have loved Connor as more than a friend? In some ways it would have been so much easier, even with him being an alpha.
Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer to me. “He’s my true mate,” I whispered, knowing he would hear me even over the noise.
The bear shifter froze, pulling back so he could see my face. “True mate?” he questioned, concern sliding across his face.
I nodded, swallowing hard, the alcohol mist that had been in my head starting to fade. I lifted the wine again and took another drink, needing tonotfeel right now. “Yes, but you remember our history. It’s so complicated, and … I’m not sure what he actually wants.”
“You ran away from him?”
Realizing that was exactly what I’d done, my eyes dropped as I nodded. “Yeah, like a chickenshit. I bailed as quickly as I could. I can’t be hurt by him again.”
I’d been so scared Louis would reject our bond, I’d bailed before I even gave him a chance. Sure, I said that we both needed time, and we did, that wasn’t a lie, but I could have stayed in Stratford. I could have still been near him. Fear of him hurting me again was so strong that it almost took my breath away. But at some point I had to stop running.
Connor pulled me into his arms again, and I forced my worries down. Within minutes our bodies were moving in sync. Sometime later, he pulled back. “I’m gonna get us some more drinks.”
I nodded, my body swaying even once he was gone. Human alcohol would keep our buzz going, which was good because I’d run out of wine. Some of the local men moved in closer now that Connor was gone, and I hid my smile. They always did this, and it amused me because if any of them knew what I was they would run screaming. Apparently the truth of supes had not reached Condor yet, because no one was questioning us, but it would only be a matter of time.
Would I lose this freedom then too? Would they hunt me from their town?
Someone’s hands landed on my hips, and I shrugged them off. Being small was a bitch at times, because you got manhandled a lot. Which pissed me off.
The hands were back again, and I spun around, but he disappeared before I could remind him that he didn’t have any right to touch. James was there, his eyes flickering with anger as he stared down at me. “Stay close, baby girl.”
I winked at him, but I did dance closer. Paulie abandoned his chick too, coming back to me, and I once again felt loved. Connor arrived with our drinks, and then the four of us stayed close and danced out the next few songs.
14
Elizabeth Teresa Montgomery II
After a few hours I’d almost forgotten about Louis—almost—my back pressed to a sexy-ass bear shifter, and surrounded by others. I wasn’t usually this wanton with them, but my heart ached, and I needed this night. Louis kept breaking me, and I realized now that my pack put some of me back together.
Warmth bloomed in my chest then, and panic filtered in through the haze of alcohol that was keeping me content. Straightening, I swung toward the entrance and my heart almost stopped. The small breaths I was managing to squeeze in and out sounded harsh to my own ears.Crazy in Lovestarted to blast through the room, but I barely heard it as I watched him stalk through the crowd. He didn’t move anyone out of the way; he didn’t have to, because they shifted for him. His power was flowing around him, not visible like the darkness, but it made my bones ache with the intensity.
