Delphi snorted, making them all look at her. "I'm not nice. I'm honest. You aren't as scary as you all seem to think you are. Ten is perfect to me. I wouldn't change a thing about him."
There was a long silence before Felix made an awwing sound, and the conversation and teasing picked up between them again.
"You're perfect," Tenebrys whispered in her ear, one of his fingers curling in her loose hair. "I can't wait to get you alone and out of this pretty dress." Under the table, his tail slid under her skirt and stroked the sensitive skin of her thighs.
Delphi bit the inside of her cheek before tilting her head and whispering, "Control yourself."
"I can't. Your scent, the feel of you, the sight of you... It's impossible to think clearly," he replied, the thick bulge of his hardening cock nudging her ass. His tail curled higher, the tip rubbing over the silk covering her pussy. Delphi's nails dug into his arm in warning.
"What about the beserker blackouts during the full moon?" Nahir asked, jolting Delphi back into the conversation. "Could you help with those?"
Words. She needed to form words.
"I can try. I'm good at medicines, and maybe we can try some anti-anxiety concoctions to start with. I'm not my parents. I'm not going to give you some hack potion to drink. I used to brew a sleeping tonic for a woman in Bellemere that I might be able to adjust," Delphi said, her mind already ticking over. Nahir seemed about to argue, but she pointed at him. "Don't say it. You don't know me, and no one is going to force you to try it."
Eiran chuckled. "She has you pegged already."
"If he got pegged occasionally, maybe he wouldn't be so sour," Otso declared and slapped Nahir on the back good-naturedly.
"Actually, you assholes, I was going to say that there was a herb that used to grow back in Kisharu called Moon Breath. I don't know if Maela ever managed to get seeds, but when brewed correctly, it would help with any mind-related illness. It only flowered on the full moon," Nahir replied.
Delphi knew a peace offering when she saw one. "Thank you, Nahir. I will check Maela's notebook that she created to catalogue her plants. With any luck, the new magic in the châteauhas restored it precisely."
"You are giving my mate too many jobs to do," Tenebrys grumbled, his hand tightening on her possessively. "Who is alpha here? Only I'm allowed to tell her what to do."
Delphi choked on her wine, swallowed, and then laughed loudly. "You wish. You might be their alpha, but you aren't mine."
The table went silent. Tenebrys reached for her chin and turned it toward him. Their noses almost touched, his eyes flaring animal gold. "You want to run that by me again, my love? I think I misheard you."
"I am not a shifter," Delphi said slowly, not looking away. Danger and desire danced up her spine in warning. "I mighthave the horns now, but you are not my 'alpha.' You are their boss, not mine."
"Uh oh, now you're in trouble, my queen," Felix teased with a yip of laughter.
Delphi scrambled in surprise as Tenebrys stood abruptly and tossed her over his shoulder. "Excuse us, my mate needs a lesson in shifter etiquette."
"Hey! Put me down!" Delphi said and looked at the grinning shifters at the table. "Aren't you going to help me?"
"Not on your life, dearest," Eiran called and gave her a little wave. "You need to be taught how to deal with shifters in the future."
"Make it a lesson she never forgets, Ten!" Otso boomed.
"You jerks can forget about me helping you," Delphi yelled back to them as Tenebrys carried her out of the dining room. "Put me down. This is ridiculous."
"Not until you say I'm your alpha," he said, his tail flicking in irritation.
She reached out and tugged it, making him growl threateningly. "No. I'm not a shifter. You are my mate,notmy alpha."
Tenebrys reached his hand under her skirt, pulled the silk of her panties aside, and rubbed his fingers over her wetness. "Your body knows otherwise. It knows who is in charge."
"Like my pussy can be trusted to make any rational decisions." Delphi wriggled on his shoulder, biting back a helpless little moan. "Besides, you were rubbing it under the table just now. I can't be responsible for the reaction it has when you do that."
Tenebrys thrust a finger in her, causing Delphi's claws to lengthen and dig into his tail. Oh, goddess, it wasn't fair that he could make her feel like this.
"I'll make you admit I'm your alpha before this night is through," Tenebrys threatened. "Save yourself while you can, or we will do it the hard way."
Delphi's thighs clamped around his thick forearm. She knew if she said stop, he would, but she liked this dominance game with him far too much. She hadn't seen him all damn day, and the new mating bond between them was making it impossible to think about anything but fucking him.
"I won't admit…anything…" she managed to say through gritted teeth.
