Chapter 194. The Dance
Maisie
Music flowed through the hall, bodies moving in sync around me in a waltz, laughing softly and chattering.
I might not have been able to sit through the rest of the dinner without losing my appetite, or fuming, but I had to admit, there was an untimely beauty about Margaret’s castle.
And there was warmth. It was obvious the Lycans here all knew each other and looked out for each other, which was a far cry from the castle where everyone was constantly at each other’s throats.
I understood why my mates wanted me to experience even a fraction of this, before writing it off completely. And it made me relax enough to accept Jericho’s hand and let him lead me over to the floor of the court.
His hand skimmed the small of my back and even with the four inched heels strapped around my feet, my head direct line of sight was still below his shoulders and I had to tip my head all the way back to meet his amused stare, scowling, "Is it necessary that you are this tall? Or you’re doing it for attention? What are you? Nine foot something?"
His mouth twitched. "I think you have your numbers mixed up, malyshka. I am, indeed, a nine." He pressed me closer into him and I felt his crotch brush against my thigh. "Elsewhere."
Flutters erupted in my stomach and I fought the urge to sneak my hand under his shirt and into his pants in front of all these people.
Damned hormones.
Memah had only prepared the remedy earlier under Soren’s strict supervision, and while I was feeling significantly better after only one dose with the aches and nausea gone, it was going to take a bit of time before this constant barrage of want and insanity stopped.
I shook my head. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jericho."
"You should take your own advice, wife." Then, after a moment, he added, "My father’s line were something of little giants."
The corners of his eyes tightened a little, the only sign of the lingering sadness from a tragedy that happened years ago and I gaze up at him softly as he said, "He had this saying. Tall people are closer to the goddess. Since I am tall I can hear her better, which is why you should always do what I tell you."
A small laugh escaped me. "Just how stubborn were you?"
His lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Very." But that tinge of sadness returned and I couldn’t help but cup his cheek and say, "He sounds like a wonderful man. I would’ve loved to meet him."
His gaze seared through me, filling me with warmth. "He would’ve love you. They all would’ve."
The air between us grew thick and we watched each other for what felt like a second but could’ve been a small eternity before he changed the topic, "I always wondered where you learned to dance."
My heart ached for him but I accepted the change. "Before Mom and Dad died, Lana and I played around a lot. Whenever Dad brought us to the pack, we snuck into the events and hid under the tables. Well, mostly Lana. I was content with eating all of the pastries in the pack kitchens when no one was watching."
Jericho shook his head with a small laugh. "Why am I not surprised?"
I averted my gaze, blushing as I continued. "I should have known Lana had a crush on the Alpha’s son when she came home and asked Dad for an instructor. She wanted to learn to dance like the Lunas did in the ballroom. I was bored out of my mind from watching, but I’ve always been able to grasp things I watched at an abnormally swift rate and I started to..."
I tracked off when I realized I was rambling.
"I love listening to you speak," he said, reading through my anxiety. He drew closer, his warm hand laying flat along my back, pressing me closer. "I love watching you. I loved watching you dance at your sister’s engagement, even if you were with some other man. You were so fucking breathtaking."
My breath hitched.
"I watched you after that night, too," he said, amber eyes glinting darkly. "The first time you slept at the mansion, I couldn’t help myself. And the next night. And the night after. It became a routine, and every day felt—feels—like the first time because I’ll never get enough of you."
My heart hammered in my chest. Though we were in a hall full of people, it was just him. And I couldn’t breathe deep enough. "Jericho, I..."
His gaze lifted over the top of my head and his expression shifted slightly, his jaw setting. "Put your feet on mine," he said suddenly.
My eyes searched his. "Why?"
"You’re not nearly close enough," he grunted, even if my chest was pressed so tightly against his, I could feel his strong heartbeat against mine.
I exhaled roughly, casting a glance at the crowd around us. Soren and Mercer were in deep conversation with some of the other Lycans males from the ridge, though their gazes kept sweeping our way every other second.
Quinlan was reclined against the wall, watching Jericho and I with dark eyes as he waited out his turn for a dance with me. Bastian was dancing with the red head, but his eyes were on us--had been on us the entire time. Much like Kisten and Ryder, while they moved with their own partners.
They had been waiting, waiting to get me alone, waiting for the moment I was being twirled so they could snatch me right out of Jericho’s arms. And I bet Jericho knew that, which is why he was trying to hog me all to himself.
"You are so petty, you know that?" I whispered.
He blinked innocently. "I have no idea what you mean."
I obeyed him anyway, placing my tip toes on his pristine boots. The position was unsteady at first, causing me to wobble and I threw my arms around his neck to steady myself.
Trying to pull back from that particular position proved impossible when Jericho’s arms clamped tightly around my body like a vise. I scowled into his pleasantly smelling shoulder and mumbled, "If you wanted a hug, you could’ve just said so."
His answering grunt rumbled against my chest and sank low between my legs, "Tighter, malyshka."
I was grateful I had his shoulder to hide behind. My face was red again. "Keep ordering me around and I’ll knee you in the nuts," I whispered, but held him tighter anyway.
His response was a rough, Russian whisper.
"Translate," I said, tipping my head back to glare at him, but when our eyes met, my eyes started to race.
His eyes were soft with wonder and dark with desire as he swept me around the room until everyone else faded and it was just us. "You are very beautiful, malyshka."
I was pretty sure that wasn’t what he’d said, but I was transfixed, caught in a little spell. I tried to repay the compliment, but all that came out was, "You too."
Jericho laughed.
It was surprising enough that it drew attention. I blushed. "I mean, you look... you are very handsome..." I snapped my mouth shut as it only worsened it.
"Still indecisive?" he said with a pleased smile, his head inclined towards the ring hanging off the necklace around my neck.
I had grown oddly attached to it. I hadn’t taken it off since Soren placed it around my neck. And with each day that passed, I would often slip it onto my finger and wonder if I liked where it sat a little too much to leave it there.
I bit my bottom lip shyly. "Maybe," I murmured, but it was bullshit. We all knew I was staying. And I had been holding off the decision because I didn’t know how to express my feelings.
I liked them. No. That was a gross injustice to the way they made me feel. Alive. Needed. Craved. Loved. Wild. Happy. It was too much to feel in such a short period and maybe that scared me, but nothing had ever felt more right in my life.
And maybe it was time to stop being so frightened and tell them how I felt. And how I was staying.
My heart raced, my nails curling into his shoulders. And I might have spoken the words if I wasn’t yanked out of Jericho’s arms.
It happened so suddenly, I didn’t even have a second to process it. One second I was staring into amber eyes, and the next, I was staring at hard blue eyes.
The hall felt silent at once, every eye turning our way. Violence brewed in the air as Kisten’s fingers curled around my upper arm hard enough to hurt. I could tell from the reek rolling off of him that he’d had way too much to drink.
"You’ll thank me for this much later," he said to me, words slurred. He wasn’t making any sense.
"Let her go," Jericho hissed, his words cutting through the air.
Kisten smiled. "Mate or not, you can’t deny her time with her family. One harmless dance with my half-sister is all I want. What is the worst that could happen?"