With a shudder, he shifts out of his unseelie form into his human body and plants his leg beneath him. A second later, his staff appears in his hand, and he props it beneath his arm. While he’s begun using his staff and prosthetic in equal measure, I think he’s still fondest of the staff. I look him over, finding him dressed in his nicest trousers, but he wears no waistcoat or jacket, and his shirt is untucked. Luckily, tonight’s dinner is the casual sort, so I don’t have to force him to go get dressed.
He crosses the room to me, circling his hand around my waist once he reaches me. I place my hand on his chest then lean in for a kiss. His lips press into mine, and I breathe in his scent, noting pine and snow and the unmistakable lingering aroma of wolf fur—a smell I’ve grown surprisingly fond of. Just as I’m about to pull away, he deepens the kiss, pressing me even closer. A buzz of excitement flutters in my chest, heating my core. I yield to him, parting my lips to feel his tongue slide against mine. Not so much that those around us would notice…but I certainly do. When we manage to separate, he gently nips my lower lip, his arm still circling my waist.
I grin up at him. “You’ve only been out running with the wolves for a few hours, but you act like it’s been days.”
“What can I say? After the beauty of the woods and sky, I come home to you and am stunned by what you do to my heart.”
I blush and lean in for another kiss. Again, it lingers far longer than it should.
“It’s time for dinner,” I mumble against his lips.
He lets out a frustrated groan. “Is it, though?”
I pull away, laughing. “Yes, Elliot, and my sister is coming too.”
“Surely, we can sneak away to the bedroom for just a second.”
My lips pull into a mischievous grin. “Trust me, when I get you alone tonight, we’re going to need far longer than a second.”
His grin mirrors mine, and I break away from him before he can reel me back in. My head feels light from our flirtation, my heart doing somersaults as I make my way to the table. Elliot takes a seat at the head of the table, his eyes burning into me while I help Bertha lay out the final dishes. I flash my mate a grin. “Stop staring, Elliot. When will you ever learn?”
“Never,” he says with a wink. “You’re just too freezing beautiful.”
Blackbeard, who decided to keep the adopted name even after his memories returned, makes a mock-gagging sound and lowers into his seat. “Get a room.”
The king throws a hand in the air. “She won’t! She insists we must have dinner first.”
Ellen, the wolf we used to call Gray, comes padding into the room in wolf form. “Did I hear dinner? Sorry, I was taking a bath.”
“Finally,” coughs Blackbeard. Ellen somehow manages to twist her canine features into a scowl, then joins the other wolves around the deer.
Bertha and I finish laying out the final plate just as our guests arrive.
“Gemma!” Nina runs to me, and I embrace her.
“How was your honeymoon?” I ask when we pull away.
A blush creeps up her cheeks, and her smile grows wide. Her eyes flash to her new husband, who shifts awkwardly from foot to foot as he looks from Nina to the dinner table, then to the pack of wolves. “It was wonderful.”
I turn toward her husband. “James, it’s great to see you again. I’m so glad you could come to dinner. Although, I do hope my sister warned you about us. We aren’t a formal household.”
He gives me a shy smile. “She has told me much about you and…and His Majesty.” He bends into an abrupt bow, and I turn to find Elliot approaching.
“Oh, none of that,” my mate says, then gives my sister a hug. To James, he offers a handshake. “It’s just Elliot on casual occasions like this.”
James stammers before finding his words. “Elliot? But is your name not Flauvis?”
The king grimaces, then smirks at me. “That’s only my name when I’m in trouble. Isn’t that right?”
I swat him playfully on the chest, then turn my attention to our third and final guest. “Mr. Cordell, I’m so happy you could make it.”
“Oh, come now,” he says as I pull him into a hug. “I know it’s only because I brought with me the newestGoverness in Lovebook.”
My eyes widen. “No! It’s out already?”
He pulls a cloth satchel from his shoulder and withdraws a rectangular package wrapped in brown paper. “You’ll be up all night. Trust me.”
“We’re already planning on that,” Elliot says, earning another playful swat from me. He then greets the bookseller, who has become a regular dinner guest of ours.
