Removing the lid, I place it in her hands. Nell gasps from the doorway.
Ignoring the other girls, I carry on. “I also want to apologize for how I acted the other night. It was wrong of me to speak to you that way.”
Vessa peers over her shoulder. “Would you give us a moment alone?”
Nell corrals the medic from the vanity, both giving me a look honed with fury as they disperse. Vessa stands, lightly running her fingers over the gold pendants. Two diamond-studded suns dangle from the ends of a golden cord.
Though it belongs with the rest of the trove, the necklace was lifted off my mother the night she died. Stolen. My sister hunted and torched the vampire who pocketed it for herself. But Demi never could bring herself to wear it. Over a decade it sat locked away in her workbench in the greenhouse, collecting dust. The morning after Vessa’s tour was sabotaged by Shay, I snuck in to retrieve it.
“It’s gorgeous,” Vessa whispers. She takes the necklace from its velvet cushion, admiring the timeless piece in her palm. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” I say, taking the reins.
She turns to face the wall, collecting her hair to one side. Carefully, I wrap the cord around her neck, then loop one end around the other. Satisfied by how the suns lay, I rest my hands on her shoulders. The tips of my fingers just barely touch her skin, but it’s enough to make her shiver. To hear her pulse spike and amplify her intoxicating scent.
My cock is throbbing before I take my next breath.
Do it, the wolf hisses in my mind.Lower your hand. Open the connection. It’s that easy.
Vessa steps out of my grasp and thankfully remains oblivious as she finds my gaze. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to hearing you all trade family stories over dinner tonight.”
“Actually, I wasn’t planning on sticking around.”
“Oh.”
I shuffle my feet. “Nothing personal.”
“Not even at the request of your Luna?”
A drowning sensation takes hold of me when I finally meet those round, disheartened eyes. What I would give to be able to resist them.
Do it, you useless coward! Take off her glove!
As much as I resent my brother, as much as I’d like to believe he hasn’t done shit to deserve this woman, the truth remains that neither have I. I am not a gentleman. I’m not even a halfway decent lycan. But what I’ve come to realize is that I don’t just want her. I want her happiness. And if that is tied directly to Axe, then who am I to stand in the way of it?
It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to walk away from an extraordinary woman, and it may not be the last.
I reach for her dainty hand, slipping off the fabric in one quick tug. “If I were to make an exception for anyone, it would be you. But unfortunately, I must go.”
Holding her eyes, I lower my lips to her knuckles. She swallows deeply at the caress.
“Welcome to the family.”
Axe
By sixteen hundred hours, the sun has set over the mountain. I’ve been so caught up shaking hands and radioing back andforth with the warrior units on standby that after forty-five minutes, I still haven’t managed to stop by the bar for a drink.
And she still isn’t here.
I lean against the counter as the whiskey is poured, twiddling with my cufflinks. There are too many things that could go wrong. What if she has a change of heart? I should’ve apologized the other day. By our law, I was acting within my right. But I could’ve handled that without her witnessing me lose my temper.
Heads up, my wolf says.
Her scent drifts through the forest. I abandon my glass, striding towards it. A flash of a red garment breaks through the trees and finally, Vessa comes into view. My sight locks in on her and my heart stops thumping. Just like the first time.
The world stills. Bustling noises fade into nonexistence. I force myself to blink. Once. Twice. Oh, fuck. She’s coming closer.
Sparkles along the gown catch the soft light that dangles from the evergreen branches. Even more reflect off the red-beaded headdress that drapes over her hair, white feathers dangling at the end of each strand—a personal touch the priestess was happy to fulfill for the ceremony. Her ruby lips curve into a dazzling smile, and I can’t help but check to make sure an arrow isn’t protruding from my chest. Silverfire, she’s perfect.
