Chapter 12 #2
“And yet I’m not drunk enough to be standing here talking to you.” I turn on my heel and nearly bump into a server with a tray. “Ah, perfect.” I snatch one of the champagne flutes and press it to my lips.
“Yeah, I think you’ve had enough for one night.” Thane grabs the glass out of my hand and sets it back on the tray.
“Hey! That was mine!” I whine, stumbling a step.
Thane catches my arm, drawing me flush against him. “And you’re mine, which means I make the rules.”
“I’m no one’s!”
I try to push him away, but it’s like moving a damn mountain, so I give up.
Even if my head wasn’t spinning from the alcohol, there’s no way I would be able to fight him off, and he clearly doesn’t care about making me uncomfortable.
In fact, I’m sure he’s getting off on it.
I start to drop my hand, but linger a moment longer, feeling the indention of his abs beneath my fingertips.
It might be the influence of the champagne, but I can appreciate that he looks like a god and still hate him at the same time.
Thane releases his hold, but my relief is short-lived when his arm wraps around my waist. A rush of heat engulfs my entire body as his hand presses against the curve of my back, forcing me even closer.
I can feel every inch of his body against mine, and for a second, I think I feel his cock harden, but banish the thought, convincing myself it’s just his belt buckle.
“Deny it all you want. It won’t change the fact that I own you now.” Darkness fills his eyes as he looks down on me.
“Keep telling yourself that,” I say with an air of arrogance. “Because no matter what you do to me, I’ll never yield.”
Thane cups my chin, trailing his thumb along my bottom lip. “We’ll see about that.”
A feral instinct takes over, and I bite down on his finger like a rabid dog, refusing to let go. He yanks his hand away with a vicious growl, wrapping his other one around my throat.
“I won’t be tamed,” I sneer, glaring up at him with a promise.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he says, tossing my own words back in my face. “It’ll make it that much sweeter when you finally submit.”
He releases my throat, and turns around, disappearing into the crowd.
“That didn’t look so good,” Sienna says, striding over to me with two champagne glasses.
“Is it ever good with him?” I take one of the glasses, not missing the fact that she’s now the one handing me alcohol.
“Touché.”
“Do you really think you should be drinking that?”
I whip around to find Kole standing behind me.
“Really?” I lean into my hip and take a gulp of champagne. “Isn’t one brother monitoring my drinking enough?”
“Apparently not,” he retorts, stealing the glass out of my hand and downing the rest of it before I can even try to stop him.
I exhale a deep breath, refusing to let him bait me. Tonight was supposed to be fun, and I’m not going to let Thane or Kole ruin it.
“Come on.” I grab Sienna’s hand. “Let’s go somewhere we can have fun.”
“Yes,” Kole says. “Let’s.” He grabs my free hand and begins dragging us through the maze so fast that Sienna’s hand slips from mine. I try to get him to stop, but he keeps going until we reach a bar at the edge of the party that I hadn’t even noticed. “Three shots of tequila.”
“What are you doing?” My eyes dart between Kole and the bartender, unsure what to make of this.
“I’m showing you that I’m the fun brother.” A roguish smirk pulls at the corner of his mouth, and I feel my disdain for him slowly slipping with the promise of booze.
“Alright. I’ll bite.”
“Haven’t you already done that tonight?” he asks with a knowing look. I lean forward, beckoning him closer.
“I promise it won’t hurt this time.”
When he leans back, his gaze drops to my mouth for a long moment. “Something tells me you’re not the kind of girl who likes to be gentle.”
“Oh yeah? Then what kind of girl am I?”
Kole’s eyes wander down the dress hugging my body, and I find my pulse quickening with each passing second. When he’s satisfied, he closes in on me, tilting his head down until his face is right next to mine.
“Something tells me you’re the kind of girl who likes to be rough.” His deep voice sends a ripple of desire between my legs, and when his lips brush against my cheek, I instantly forget how to breathe.
It’s been far too long since I’ve shared a bed with a man, and it’s like my body is a starving animal that needs to be fed. Kole straightens without taking his eyes off me, and despite knowing he’s a vampire, I can’t deny that he’s looking like a damn good meal I wouldn’t mind feasting on.
“So… was I right?”
I bite my lip, buying myself time to come up with an answer. Once I’ve got one, I run my eyes down his body just as he had to me.
“Something tells me you’re never going to find out.” I grab one of the shots that the bartender set out and toss it back, drinking away all of the inappropriate thoughts swarming my mind.
“Meno male! There you guys are!”
I turn to see Sienna bursting through the crowd, looking like she was just in a fight for her life. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or her disheveled appearance, but I fall apart with laughter.
“Here. You look like you need this.” I hand her the shot of tequila, and she doesn’t even pretend to fight me on it. “Bad influence.” She tsks, shaking her head.
“Actually, that was all Kole.”
Sienna’s brows shoot up, and she cranes her neck to look at him. “You’re not going to tell Thane, are you?”
“Tell Thane what?”
My spine immediately straightens, and I don’t even bother turning around, hoping that if I just act like Thane isn’t there, he’ll go away.
Kole looks past me toward his brother a second before I feel Thane’s body press up against my back. “Did I not make it clear enough before that you’re cut off?” he murmurs into the back of my head.
I spin around to face him, but the garden seems to spin with me, and Thane immediately grabs a hold of my waist to steady me.
“I told you I couldn’t be tamed. Besides, what are you? The fun police?” I poke his chest with my index finger, looking up at him with a frown.
“Excuse me?”
Laughter bursts from me once again. “You should see your face right now!”
Before I can catch my breath, Thane pulls me into his arms and speeds off. When he lets go of me, I stumble, trying to balance myself.
“My pet doesn’t think I know how to have fun.” His thundering voice draws everyone’s attention. “Should I show her how werewolves have fun?”
Cheers explode from the crowd, and Thane starts to take off his clothes.
“What are you doing?” I demand when two pairs of hands grab hold of me.
Another vampire rips two high slits into my dress, causing panic to flare.
“Don’t worry, human. It’ll be quick.” The vampire grabs my chin, and I spit in his face. “You’re going to pay for that!” he threatens, snatching my arm from one of the other men holding me captive.
He and the one on my left drag me to Thane, who eyes me as he sheds the last of his clothes. I do everything I can to fight back, but it’s useless. Just as the tops of my feet begin to burn from being dragged across the grass, we come to a stop.
Thane bursts into his wolf form, and the two men force me onto his enormous back.
“Hold on tight,” one of them warns right before Thane takes off in a sprint.
I grab his fur as my butt slides down his back, and a guttural scream rips from my throat. The forest trees blur around us while howls echo from the garden, fading into the breeze.
All I can do now is wrap my body around him and hold on for dear life.