When Zander finally withdrew, licking the wounds closed with careful attention, Spence slumped against him with a blissed-out smile. His scent was warm, sated, layered with contentment and belonging.
Zander’s gaze found Emmy’s across the small distance between them. His eyes were bright, and the look he gave her was pure possessive satisfaction.Mine,that look said.Both of you.
Emmy shivered and didn’t look away.
The feeding and fucking was going full force all around them, but Emmy’s energy bottomed out all at once.
The adrenaline that had carried her through dancing, kisses, and emotional revelations had burned away, leaving her hollowed out.
Zander noticed immediately, of course.
“You need a bed.” His tone brooked no argument, and he looked from her down to Spence and smiled affectionately. “Both of you.”
Emmy wanted to protest, but he was right, so she didn’t bother.
“Together?” Spence asked, his voice still more than a little dreamy.
“Of course.”
A server appeared with two glasses of orange juice. Zander handed one to Spence, and told Emmy. “Drink, little dragon. Knowing you, you’re going to insist on taking the pole down, so let’s give you a boost of energy.”
Again, she wanted to push back and refuse, but the juice was exactly what she needed. The pole made sense. It was a big burst of energy, but it meant there were only a few flights at the bottom, rather than all fifteen flights.
Five minutes later, Zander kissed them both on the forehead and ordered them to bed, assuring Spence the clean-up would happen just fine without him.
“You aren’t exhausted,” Emmy told Spence when she landed at the base of the pole and stepped away from it. “You’d normally oversee everything being put away after the ball. You feed him all the time without needing to go to sleep.”
“It’s been a long day, and I’m happy to go to bed, but no, feeding him didn’t drain me.”
Spence helped her get the dress off, his fingers gentle on the laces of her bodice, loosening them with practicedefficiency. The gown pooled at her feet, and she stepped out of it wearing only her underwear.
She walked to the drawer with her things and put an oversized shirt on.
Spence hung his tux and tossed the shirt into the dirty clothes. “Zander’s people decide what needs dry cleaning versus spot cleaning,” he told her when he saw her watching.
Before long, he was climbing into bed beside her, and Emmy curled into his side with a contentment that surprised her. Spence’s arm came around her automatically, tucking her close.
“This okay?” he asked, his voice soft.
“Perfect.” Emmy inhaled deeply, breathing him in. Wolf, submission, confidence, andSpence.“Thank you for tonight. For letting me kiss you.”
“Thank you for wanting to, and for taking control.” His hand stroked her hair, gentle and soothing. “I’ve wanted that for a while.”
“Me too.”
They lay in comfortable silence, exhaustion pulling Emmy toward sleep. But before she went under completely, she felt Spence press a kiss to the top of her head.
“Sleep, Emmy. I’ve got you.”
And surrounded by his warmth, his scent, the lingering magic of the aurora still dancing behind her eyelids, Emmy let sleep overtake her.
Chapter 6
Emmy’s growling stomach woke her, and she stretched, feeling the pleasant ache of yesterday’s workout in her muscles. She could do a little more every day, and that meant she was getting her strength back.
Spence’s side of the bed was empty but still warm, and she heard him talking to Zander in the sitting area.
She changed into joggers and a different T-shirt, brushed her teeth and hair, and padded out to find Spencer accepting a large tray from someone at the door.
