By the time Lucien was led onto the viewing platform, I was sure I was a mess from crying, but the second I saw him, I didn’t care.
Not about how I looked, not that he was covered in gore, not that we had an audience of hundreds.
I forced myself through the crowd as quickly as I could, dodging and darting between the large centaurs’ bodies, narrowly missing getting my foot smashed by a hoof multiple times in the process.
But as soon as I broke free, I threw myself into his arms. His lips met mine in a bruising kiss, and before I realized what was happening, my hands were in his hair, and his hands were on my ass, lifting me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around his powerful waist, and a rowdy cheer startled us out of the kiss.
“Get it, girl!” Leigh’s encouragement could be heard over the crowd, ever the troublemaker.
Lucien laughed, dropping his forehead to mine a little breathlessly. “I take it you’re happy to see me again?”
“So fucking happy,” I whispered. My cheeks blushed at the language I didn’t usually use, but I didn’t regret it. I hid my burning cheeks by burying my face against his neck, where his scent was strongest, and sucking it in as if I might never get another chance to embed it in my memory.
Our high alpha cleared his throat at Lucien’s side, and finally, a tinge of embarrassment hit me. But Lucien wouldn’t put me down when I squirmed, shushing me lightly and keeping me clutched tight even as we turned toward Kane.
“I’m sure you two would like some alone time, but it would be considered rude if all members of our pack didn’t attend the welcome feast this evening. If you leave early, well, no one would blame you.” He winked jovially, then strolled away toward the rest of the pack, where Brielle waited for him with open arms.
“Hot damn, I think our alpha just told us to duck out early and get naked.” Lucien’s voice was colored with repressed laughter, and I couldn’t help it, I burst into giggles right along with him. It was absolutely, utterly absurd, but it was also exactly what we were going to do.
The feast was actually lovely, held in the largest of the open-air buildings where tables had been set up, each covered in a variety of food. They’d even made one table just for us carnivores, with nothing but roasted meat and fresh cheeses of every kind.
I only picked at the food, even though it was delicious. I couldn’t bring myself to settle in, calm down after the long, treacherous day.
Lucien was safe at my side every single minute, but still, there was some part of me that needed reassurance that the blood drying on his bare chest wasn’t his. I needed… more. I couldn’t put my finger on what, but the restless urge rattled around under my skin just the same.
Within an hour, it seemed every centaur on the island had come by to slap Lucien’s back or shake his hand. They were a blur of new faces and brightly colored coats, and honestly, I mostly tuned it out, focusing instead on the feel of Lucien’s hand, warm and comforting in mine.
But when he stiffened at my side, hand gripping mine tightly before catching himself and loosening his grip, I turned to see who had walked up.
“Councilman Fortier,” Lucien said, every part of him from his toes to his tone stiff as a rail.
“Councilman Vasilescu.” The centaur-who I vaguely recognized now that Lucien had identified him as a member of the IGC-nodded in greeting, studying Lucien grimly as he towered over us, standing out from the rest because instead of Grecian-inspired clothing, he wore a pinstriped suit.
No, I corrected myself-he was studying Lucien’s scar grimly. I was nearly overcome by the urge to insert myself between them, to block him from staring. Not that it would work when I was shorter than Lucien by a good bit, and they’d be able to see it over my head. Still, I knew how much that scar bothered him, and I didn’t want him ogled like a zoo animal. I sidestepped closer, protectively wrapping my arm around Lucien’s waist.
He hugged me back, and some of the building tension loosened just a smidge in my chest at his warmth.
“I didn’t know you were here when we arrived.” Lucien kept his tone light, even though his grip on my hip told me he wasn’t entirely pleased to see a member of the IGC here.
“I wasn’t. When Asithius called and told me of your pack’s unusual request, well, I made it my business to be here.”
I could feel the tension in Lucien’s stance, but you’d never know it from his smooth-as-butter response. “Ah, well, I’m sorry you troubled yourself. This was pack business, not IGC business.”
“So, it would seem. However, when a member of the council is abducted in broad daylight from the streets, the whole council takes that seriously. I’m here to get a report on what happened and find out if the target was you personally, your pack, or the council itself.”
Shoot. It made sense, actually, that other council members would be concerned about the abduction, but I hadn’t thought of that before with everything else going on. It was obvious to us why he’d been abducted, but they probably all thought they could be in danger too.
“We should speak privately, then, if you’d like the details. It does affect the rest of the council.”
Councilman Fortier hesitated only a moment. “I’ll leave you to your mate tonight, as you’ve had a trying evening. But before you leave in the morning, gather any members of your pack you’d like to join us, and we’ll borrow one of Asithius’s private rooms. And remember-officially? I never saw you.”
Lucien nodded, turning and pulling me away from him without another word.
“You think it’s not safe to talk here? Surely…” I was about to say Petr?’s name, then thought better of it. “Surely they don’t have this much reach? It’s so remote here.”
Lucien spoke quietly as we weaved through the crowd, just enough for me to hear, but not the raucous celebrants around us. “His father had fingers in many pies, and his son is surely taking those connections over as quickly as possible. We don’t know who is friend or foe in any supernatural circle on the planet.”
Wow.
I’d been on the fringes of the pack’s drama so far, and getting sucked straight into the middle of it was eye-opening. My birth pack had been small, Podunk, many would have said. This level of political drama and intrigue didn’t make its way out to our part of backwater Arizona pretty much ever.
Granted, we also weren’t getting kidnapped, hunted, or any of the rest back then either. There were benefits to small towns.
Lucien sidled up to Reed, whispered something to him, and Reed nodded, casting a glance around and spotting Kane and Gael. “I’ll let them both know. We’ll handle it in the morning, whatever comes of it.” Reed slapped Lucien on the shoulder with a companionable grin. “You two sneaking out? I was thinking the same thing, personally.” The look he gave Fiona was scorching, and in the past, it would have made me jealous.
But tonight? Tonight, I had my mate’s hand in mine and a scorching fire of my own burning in my belly and demanding more. There was no room for jealousy. Just excitement and a new need that I was ready to explore.
“Yes, we’re sneaking out. Cover us?” I directed the question to Fiona, who shot me a wink and a nod in response.
Lucien looked down at me with surprise, but when his nostrils flared, I knew he was scenting me, which just amped me up even more.
“Yeah, we’re out. See you tomorrow.” Lucien said to Reed, never breaking eye contact with me. The look in his eyes had morphed to delicious heat, and I knew he had picked up on what I was thinking. And while I wasn’t experienced with men, the speed with which he moved us through the crowd to the exit told me he was fully on board.
Heck yes.
I followed him happily, his larger size acting as a buffer between my smaller frame and the huge centaurs. And when we broke out of the crowd into the empty courtyard, he didn’t drop my hand. He turned back to look at me, wearing a panty-melting grin that promised trouble.
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