Bussy faltered for half a second and then firmed her chin. Her defiance lost some of its punch when a blob of face cream slid off her jaw and landed on her bare foot. She ignored it. “There can be intimate contact,” she said. “It’s encouraged that the prize, also known as Nadia, makes sure she’s physically compatible with all challengers. That part is absolutely fine.” She lifted the bat slightly for emphasis. “You can cavort wild and naked to your heart’s delight during a trial. Outside of the trials is completely unacceptable.”
Caidrik growled, sounding like the wolf at his core.
Bussy pointed the bat at Caidrik. “Don’t you forget, Caidrik McGregor, that if you’re disqualified at any point, you’re out of here. Forever. And members of our pack can choose to hunt you for sport.”
“Now wait a minute.” Nadia held up a hand. “We were just kissing.”
Bussy snorted. “Ha. I know kissing when I see it, and that wasn’t just kissing. You were heading into disqualification territory, and you both know it.” She shook her head. “I’ve been married almost a century. You think I don’t know what kissing leads to?”
Nadia gulped as embarrassment burned through her. “I don’t understand,” she said. “If I can kiss everybody during a trial?—”
“You can’t,” Caidrik cut in bluntly. “No kissing anybody but me.”
Nadia’s head snapped toward him. “You don’t get to decide that.”
Bussy tapped the bat on the floor again. “According to the rules and the grimoire, she has the right to kiss anybody.”
“Fuck the grimoire,” Caidrik said, his gaze never leaving Nadia. “You plan on kissing anybody else, we’ll deal with it right now. Make sure it’s not an issue. I’ll mate you here and now.”
The fire in his eyes was intense enough to make her breath hitch. It shouldn’t have intrigued her. It did. He was possessive, yes, but he also made her feel safe, and that mattered more than she liked to admit. “I’m not planning on sleeping with anybody,” she said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Because it wasn’t. Her life was still her own. She was dedicating herself to the pack, yes, and it looked like she’d end up mating the Alpha, but it was still her choice. Mostly.
It sure wasn’t Bussy’s.
Bussy studied Caidrik for a long moment, her sharp eyes moving from his face to his stance, as if she were measuring how much of a threat he really was. Then her gaze softened slightly. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Well enough,” he said shortly.
The room still felt charged, the air heavy with cold and heat at the same time. Snowmelt pooled near the window, creeping across the floorboards in thin, uneven rivulets.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“Oh.” Bussy brightened instantly. “I’m one of the two lupine aunts.”
Caidrik’s body didn’t move, but his eyes flicked to Nadia before returning to the woman in the doorway. “Do I even want to know what that is?”
“Of course you do,” Bussy said cheerfully, rocking back on her heels. One of the curlers shifted, and a streak of cream slid closer to her eyebrow. “My sister and I are here to ensure this kind of thing doesn’t happen.” She swept an arm around the room, indicating the bed, the window, the very idea of what she’d walked in on. “We’re meant to make sure Nadia is left alone for the duration of the trials and that no rules are broken.”
“So, you’re Solomon’s assistants,” Caidrik said flatly.
Bussy’s lips pursed. “Absolutely not. We’re not anybody’s assistants. We have a title.”
“This is unbelievable.” Nadia wanted nothing more than to crawl deeper under the blankets to hide her face and the rest of her body. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure she would have stopped Caidrik if Bussy hadn’t burst in. He’d been seconds away from putting those big hands on her breasts, and she would have been lost. Completely.
And the way he kissed.
Yeah. The Alpha wolf could seriously kiss.
“All right.” Bussy pointed the bat toward the window. “Out. The way you obviously came in.” She glanced down at the puddle on the floor. “Wipe that up before you go. We’re not ruining good wooden floors just because you decided to sneak in here.” She rolled her eyes and looked at Nadia. “I expected better from you.”
“Why me?” Nadia asked, heat creeping back up her neck.
“You know why,” Bussy said. “You were kissing him back just as thoroughly as he was kissing you.”
Well. That was true. Nadia sighed, pulling the covers a little tighter. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Oh yes,” Bussy said brightly. “Tomorrow is exciting. We find out all about the first trials.” She smiled, excitement glittering in her eyes. “Trust me, Nadia. You’re going to need your sleep.”
