“I’ll keep you upright.”
“That’s optimistic.”
“It’s a fact.”
I took his hand.
He pulled me to my feet and led me to the space near the bonfire where others had already started moving to the music. The fiddle played something lilting and rhythmic, the kind of tune that may have been passed down through generations.
Feral tugged me close and started swaying, taking me along with him. His hand settled on the back of my waist. The fire’s heat and his became indistinguishable.
I kept starting to ask him what he wanted from us, from this, but the question would dissolve before I could voice it.
He leaned down and kissed me lightly. I was sure it was a test.
Well, I’d always been good with tests.
I kissed him right back.
He pulled away to check my face. I reached up to his jaw, stroking his stubble, and pulled him back down.
The second kiss lasted longer. His arms tightened around me.
The pack existed somewhere in my peripheral awareness, but the center of my attention had narrowed to the pressure of his mouth and the solid warmth of him against me.
I became aware of the pack again when someone whooped.
Feral’s expression as he glared around dared someone to comment but none came. The music continued. The dancing went on around us.
He swept me around, spinning faster and faster while I laughed, only to stop and lift me up for another kiss.
My mind kept spinning and my heart… Alright, I’d gone from falling to fallen. There was no backing away from this king now.
The question I’d meant to ask had stopped feeling necessary. The answer was happening in real time, written in the way he held me and the heat in his eyes every time he looked at me.
The music eventually stopped, and the pack began dispersing. Some slipped into their tree homes. Others headed for the tree line in groups of two and three.
Feral tugged me close and took my hand.
“I need you,” he growled in my ear.
“What’s stopping you from taking what you need?” The time for being coy had flown.
“Nothing?”
My smile rose. “Exactly. Nothing is stopping you.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Always.”
His snort rang out. He tugged me toward our tree. Inside, he swept me up in his arms again and started up the stairs. One hundred and four of them stretched above us. I watched the steps, counting them out of habit more than any real interest in the number. His breathing stayed even. He took them two at a time near the top, his pace not slowing despite my weight and the distance.
At the landing, he shifted his grip, sliding me down his body until my feet touched the floor.
I loved that he didn’t let go.
I looked up at him, finding his face shadowed in the dim light of the corridor. But his eyes were clear.
