“You have to make everything hard, don’t you?” he growls.
“It certainlyfeelslike I do,” I say a little breathlessly as I press my hips further into his.
His eyes dart to my mouth. My head feels light at the memory of his lips on mine. Of his lips on my?—
“Get a room!” someone yells in our direction.
Asmo’s eyes darken. “Sorry, man.” He forces a smile, but it doesn’t meet his eyes. He pulls away from me, revealing the two wolf hybrids watching us from the billiards table beside us. The taller one has sandy-blond hair and eyes the color of a storm cloud, while the shorter one has straight black hair and eyes the color of the sky.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, not faking the blush on my cheeks. “We just got married,” I lie, hoping that’s enough for them to get off our backs.
“No way!” the taller male says. “Congrats!” He walks over to us and offers a hand to Asmo. “I’m Flint. This is Firo.” Asmo takes Flint’s hand and shakes it briefly. I offer them both a smile. “You two don’t look like you’re from around here.”
Asmo chuckles. “Is it that obvious?”
“We’re from the Deer Court. Well, I am. This is my first time traveling outside of my court,” I say, feigning shyness and hoping it comes across as genuine. Technically, it’s not a lie.
“Welcome to the Court of Wolves!” Flint lets loose a howl and pulls me in for a hug. Asmo goes rigid, but the wolf hybrid lets me go.
I can’t help but laugh. “Thanks. Anything we should make sure to check out while we’re here?”
Flint’s smile disappears. “Actually, about that…It’s not exactly a great time to be traveling around the town…” He looks at Firo hesitantly and rubs the back of his neck.
“Why’s that?” I ask, even though I know the answer.Witches.
“Well, between you and me…” He leans forward, lowering his voice toa conspiratorial whisper. “The witches are becoming a problem. Not just around here, but across the kingdom. And we’re seeing more of the Cursed…” he trails off, as if expecting me to gasp or ask him for more information.
I play my part with a sharp inhale. “The Cursed?”
He buys it. He nods apologetically, like he’s sorry he’s the one that has to break the news of the horrors that now plague the kingdom. “Creepy undead monsters the witches control. They only come out at night, but they’re terrifying.”
Just like with the shopkeeper, I don’t fake my shudder. “How do you know that?” Even though we saw witches in the human town, I don’t recall any mention of this being a kingdom-wide problem in any of the newspapers Ivan’s brought home.
His grin threatens to split his face. “You have to promise not to tell anyone. I only tell my secrets to pretty girls. But you’re taken, so I’m going out on a limb here, okay?”
Asmo stiffens beside me at the blatant flirtation. The balls on Flint…
I play into it and lean in closer to him, holding out my right pinky. “Pinky promise,” I say with a flirtatious smile.
He wraps his pinky around mine and lowers his voice even further. “Prince August is my cousin, and he told me that the witches are becoming a problem. He told me all that.” He beams.
I freeze at the truth in his words, then remember the role I’m playing. “You’re kidding!” I say with a dramatic gasp.
Flint’s expression is smug. He’s either a fucking idiot or a hell of a liar. But I’m not feeling any deception. Fucking idiot, then.
“I’ve always wanted to meet him,” I say, and a plan begins to take hold. A shoddy, spur-of-the-moment plan that only a fucking idiot would agree to. “You know what? I have a single friend. She’s gorgeous. She might be a good match for August. Wait, now that I think about it…She might be a good match for you, too.”
Flint’s expression turns from smug to cautious. “Oh, I dunno.”
Fuck.
“I think she mentioned recently going out with Prince Koa, didn’t she? I’m not sure if she’s still single,” Asmo says from beside me, and Iwant to wrap him in my arms and kiss his beautiful brain for catching onto my last-minute plan.
“Oh, you’re right. Too bad, huh?” I say in faux disappointment.
“Well, wait. She must be gorgeous, huh? And you think she’d be a good fit for me?” Flint asks hopefully.
He really is a fucking idiot.
