EMBER
Olcan smells like arrogance and ambition.
His grip is firm, possessive. The face of the bear hovering above his is obnoxious and unbearable to look at.
I personally hate to look at my kills, and here Olcan has it staring right in my face.
Instead, my eyes remain on Thorn against the far column.
I’m trying not to loop Olcan into a conversation.
I only have to dance; I don’t have to entertain him.
“You know,” he murmurs as we turn, “Thorn almost chose a mate once.”
My steps falter. “Oh?” I keep my voice neutral.
“Actually, she’s right over there. That girl with the short brunette hair and skirt of moss. He strung her along like he always does, but when it came time to choose her in the Chase, he just kept going. Left her tail up in the woods. If you’re looking for a mate, be sure you choose correctly.”
Ice crawls down my spine.
“He’ll do the same to you. Thorn’s just trying to get the priests off his back, he doesn’t really want a mate.
At least that’s what I heard. That was before my time.
Since this is his tenth season and all. I wonder if the only reason the priesthood puts up with his mockery of the trials is because he’s Alpha. Although, that can change…”
“Change?”
“Oh, there’s been talk of a Challenge for years, each year he doesn’t take a mate, the talks grow. So, I’m just biding my time. Thorn can’t handle a woman. He sure as hell can’t handle being Alpha.”
“And you think you can do better?” I ask coolly.
His smile is cruel. “It’s in my blood. Thorn took Alpha from my grandfather, Scar.”
“I see.” There’s cruelness in his eyes. He’d be a ruthless leader. I have a feeling that’s what Thorn was saving his pack from.
Instead, I attempt to change the subject. “What is it like in Alaska?”
“I’m not going to lie to you, it has cold winters. But I’ll keep you warm, baby.”
Gross. “How do you hunt in the snow? Isn’t food scarce?”
“That’s where a strong Alpha comes in. There are years the crop grows scarce, that’s when the hard decisions have to be made.”
“Hard decisions?” What the hell does that mean? But just then the song ends and I pull away quickly, only to be swept into another dance. Then another. All with faces I don’t want to be staring into.
The cool night is a blur of male after male, blustering bravado, quiet promises, hushed whispers, and I’m finally escaping the arms of my last male dance partner when I slip over to the table for something to drink while I catch my breath.
My eyes slide over the faces looking for him, of all the men I’ve danced with tonight, Thorn wasn’t one of them.
As if my body could sense him, a shiver runs down my spine.
I turn just as his ice-blue eyes slip out from the shadows.
His hand is outstretched and I reach for it, when Olcan’s brother slides between us.
“Care for a dance, virgin?”
I sigh, shooting Thorn a sad smile before Olcan’s brother takes me from him, guiding me to the center of the temple floor alongside other couples.
“My name is Ember. What is yours?”
“Koa, precious.”
What is with the nicknames? I literally just told him my name. “What’s it like having a brother so close in age?”
“It’s like having your own personal best friend all the time.”
“Interesting. Don’t think I’ve had a friend like that.” I look over at Dove, maybe I never did. Dove’s dancing with a male in an elk pelt, antlers reaching out from his shoulder blades like wings. I don’t miss the daggers Leif is shooting from the sidelines.
“Olcan was telling me about the winters in Alaska. What do you think of them?”
“I think my brother and I can keep you especially warm with double the body heat. We don’t mind sharing.”
Sharing? Oh gods.
“I’d love to keep you all to myself, if you’re not ready for that either.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that,” I confess.
“Your loss.” He shrugs.
I glance down at the matching bear pelt across his shoulder. “Do you share everything?”
“Almost.”
“So, you’ve … shared women before?” Gods, now I really sound like a virgin.
“Ah, intrigued, are we?” He leans into my ear.
Over his shoulder, I see Thorn clenching his fist across the room.
“I promise it’s more for you than it is for us.
Imagine being pleasured with four arms instead of two.
Yes, we have a lot of experience in that area, and we both are waiting to show you. ”
I gulp and look at our clasped hands instead. His touch does nothing to me. When he says these dirty things, it doesn’t appeal to me. I can’t imagine doing them with anyone but…
“Thorn,” Koa announces as he approaches, and the song ends. Then Koa turns from my grip, grabbing Thorn before I can. Steele steps into Koa’s place and glides me away from Thorn yet again.
Every eligible male has danced with me but Thorn. I’m starting to think that this is a planned assault to keep us apart at this point.
“I see you had a nice time with Koa; I hope he hasn’t been too forward. He always was the impulsive one.” He shrugs. Steele is larger than the brothers, with stormy gray eyes and a strong jawline.
“Not any more than any other male that has danced with me.”
“I see; that says a lot about his restraint then.”
“I don’t know about restraint … he did proposition to share me.”
He snorts, flashing me a devilish grin. “He would proposition you on the first dance. I’ll at least wait until the second…”
That earns him a smirk from me. “I don’t think I could handle two lovers. I can barely handle one.”
“Oh, sweet, na?ve virgin, you miss the whole point.”
“I…” I blush thinking of the things Thorn did to me with his fingers and his mouth. Could I imagine that double? No. No number of hands and fingers — or tongues — are worth the feelings that I get from Thorn. If these dances have shown me anything, it’s that I feel nothing with anyone but Thorn.
But what if Olcan is right, and he’s just biding his time to ride off to the Sacred Tree without me in the end?
Then what?