Page 15

Warrick was frowning when he reached us. “What’s going on?”

“The females are cutting loose,” Relic said. “Mags made some potion, supposed to get you wasted and no hangover.”

He crossed his massive arms. “Who’s in there?”

“All of ’em,” Relic said.

“You been in?” War asked.

“Nope. Was told to stay the fuck out.”

Grumbling, War strode to the door and yanked it open. I followed, the rest of the hounds striding in behind us. We all stopped just inside the doorway.

Fuck.

“Fuck,” Relic muttered beside me.

War shook his head, cursed, then strode across the room and through the door down to the den, and his mate and pup.

Roman and Lothar moved up beside Relic and me and all three of them were grinning.

Dance music pumped through the speakers, and all the females were on the dance floor, bodies and faces decorated with glow-in-the-dark body paint, swirls and colorful designs I just knew Jaz had painted on everyone. They were all barely dressed, hair wild, and obviously fucked up on whatever Mags had given them. More than half of them were tits out, the rest in only a bra.

The Thornheart females were right in the center of it all, Asher with them. Zinnia threw up her arms, spinning, and then Jazzy was suddenly there, bursting from the crowd, her blond hair streaked with glowing pink paint, and unlike their cousins, who wore actual bras, Zinny and Jazzy had matching glowing blue ones they’d fucking painted on. It hid nothing. I was an animal, my sight was excellent, even in the dark, and I could see her tight little nipples perfectly.

I couldn’t fucking look away, and I had a strong and sudden urge to tear out the eyeballs of every male watching her dance and laugh and sing, watching the pleasure on her face as she cut loose. She was right here, in this moment. What would that be like? To not think about the past or the future and just be.

I didn’t want anyone else to see it. I wanted to greedily keep it all to myself, take a picture so I could look at her like this over and over again.

A hand came down on my shoulder. “Brother, you good?”

Relic’s voice called over the music, and I realized I’d been growling, the sound vibrating from the center of my chest.

No, I fucking wasn’t. I wasn’t fucking good. Not at all.

Jasmine spun then, her blond and pink hair flying around her before she spotted us. Her gaze sliced from the hounds gathered around, then her gorgeous green eyes locked on me. She blinked several times, then she swayed a little, before she straightened her shoulders and started toward me with more than a little roll in her hips.

I couldn’t move. There was a design painted on her stomach, swirling around her belly button. I tried really hard, but there was no stopping the way I ate up the sight of her.

She stopped in front of me, tilting her head back. “Ren…why—”

Breanne came out of nowhere and shoved her aside. If Rome hadn’t grabbed her, Jasmine would have hit the floor. Jaz pushed away from Rome and charged Breanne, shoving her back. Bree spun on her, and I grabbed for her to hold her back, but then she was wrenched aside, and Asher was standing over her, snarling in her face.

Ash growled low, the sound coming from her chest. Breanne whined and quickly bared her throat. “You lay a hand on Jasmine again and I’ll fuck you up, bitch,” Ash said.

Ash was an alpha of the Silver Claw pack, and there weren’t many in their pack, male or female, who would take her on. She shoved Bree away, who took off back to the dance floor, then Ash wrapped her arm around Jasmine’s shoulders and pulled her into her side. “Well, aren’t you a scrappy little fucker.” She grinned. “But, babe, you gotta be more careful. Yes, Breanne’s a screaming bitch, but she has fangs and claws and you don’t.”

“I don’t like her,” Jasmine said, still looking pissed off, and her gaze was more than a little unfocused.

“No one likes her, Jazzy,” Asher said and chuckled.

Jasmine’s gaze lifted, locking on me, and as soon as it did, something went wrong in my chest and my gut and I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Ren does. He likes her, don’t you, Ren?” she said.

My mouth was dry, my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.

Asher snorted. “There isn’t a female Ren doesn’t like, babe.”