She leans closer to Aster, resting her hand on his shoulder and murmuring something into his ear, and my hands clench into fists. Luckily, they’re shoved into the pockets of this ridiculous fucking suit Jack found for me. I’m pretty sure he picked one that was at least a size too small for me, so I currently feel like I might bust out of it if I make any sudden moves.
“Aster thinks it’s like being surrounded by hungry wolves,” she says with a tired smile. “I’m thinking sharks. How about you?”
I take a languid look around the room and at the circling, stark-faced sorcerers, all dressed as though they’re fighting to impress but desperate not to show it. “Either sounds about right.”
Jack is talking to a woman his mother’s age, who throws her head back in a laugh that rings out from the other side of the room.
“On second thought,” I say. “Scorpions, maybe. That woman tried to get her claws into Jack years ago, but never managed it. Looks like she’s trying on the charm again.”
“Well, his mother looks like she wants to eat you up like a yummy treat,” Reva replies.
I don’t need to turn my head to feel the predatory gaze on me. His mother strikes me as the type to suck out your life force by whatever means she can manage, and if that’s via your cock, then so be it.
I can’t quite hide my shudder, and Reva steps closer, squeezing my wrist.
“Don’t worry, we’ll protect you,” she says. “Not entirely sure how, when she probably has oodles of magic spilling out of her. But something tells me she wouldn’t like having those little snacks lobbed on her fancy dress, or failing that I could always just punch her in the face.”
My chuckle seems to surprise us both, and Reva grins up at me before turning away again. She’s sandwiched between me and Aster and it’s sending a zing of satisfaction through me. Wilder images of how else she might find herself between the two of us flit through my mind. Her, on her knees with me behind that lush backside, pounding deep into her while Aster fills her mouth. Me, acting as a wall behind and holding her legs wide while Aster buries his face between her legs. I want to run my hands over every inch of her skin, to touch and taste her and bury myself so deep she can’t tell where one of us ends, and the other begins.
Fuuck. This suit really is too small and getting smaller by the second.
I share a look with Aster, and he smirks like he can read my mind. Then his attention focuses on something across the room and his eyes widen. Tapping Reva on the wrist, he jerks his head, and we both follow his line of sight to a balding man dressed in a black suit and a hooded cape.
“That’s him?”
Aster nods, and Reva squeezes his hand, tossing her head back and straightening her shoulders to reveal two bare shoulders. I’m torn between kissing my way between them and hiding her away since none of these fucks deserve to see her delicate skin.
“All right then. We’re all agreed on sticking with the plan? I go in first and then if the nicey-nice approach doesn’t get me anywhere, you can storm in and scare the shit out of him with your growling routine.”
It’s a plan that I’m hating more with every passing second. She looks too perfect in that dress, and something tells me this greasy little fucker is going to covet her, just like he covets power.
And then I’m going to want to snap his neck, and it’ll be a whole mess.
“Fine,” I say, although it sounds a lot more petulant than I intend it to.
“Good. You both stay here.” She gives me a pointed look that I just know means ‘keep Aster safe’.
“Got it. We’ll both keep an eye on you from here. But I’m warning you, one twitch or grimace and we’ll be right over.”
“Sure thing, Mr Growly Bear.” She taps me on the chest and then saunters across the room to the slithering fuck who doesn’t deserve a moment of her time.
Aster’s shoulders are just as stiff as mine, and I can sense his elevated heart rate as he watches on. I force myself to rein my feral side in. One of us has to keep our head, and it’s only fair that it should be me.
“Right, she’s reached him,” I murmur under my breath. “He’s looking at her, smiling. What a smarmy little shitbag smile that is, I’d like to punch it right off his stupid face.” I take a deep breath, cracking my neck from side to side. “He’s nodding. Now he’s leaning closer,and she’s putting space between them. He’d better respect that damned space or he’ll be missing an eyeball in a minute.”
Aster snorts at that, and I find myself grinning back. No one in my life has ever found me funny or laughed at a single thing I say, and yet, he and Reva are here chuckling it up when I’m trying to threaten someone.
“He’s looking serious and nodding now. Talking a lot from the look of things. Nodding. Talking. More talking. Did that look like a ‘come help me’ gesture to you?”
Aster shakes his head, miming scratching his nose.
All right, so maybe Reva had an itch. “If she does it again, we’re going over there.”
Another few minutes pass and I don’t take my attention off them for a moment. Eventually, Reva takes a step away from Northcliff, nodding at him in return and then breaking away. She takes a step toward us and lifts her head to meet my eye, then with another little nod she jerks her head to the side, gesturing toward the exit.
“And not a moment too soon,” I mutter, earning me another snorted laugh from Aster and a slap on the shoulder.
Strangely enough, my bear doesn’t feel tempted to tear him limb from limb for daring to touch me. In fact, he doesn’t react at all. Almost as if he sees Aster in the same way he sees Jack, or Kit, or...
