The growling grew louder.
The alpha raised his eyebrow. “It seems that your companion is displeased.”
Lannahi shot a look at the wolf at her side. The anger she saw in Ashared’s eyes came as a shock, but when he growled at her, she was speechless.
Asharedgrowledather.
The anger she had been trying to keep in check scrambled in her chest and snapped its teeth.
“A kiss?” she asked, returning her gaze to Amaruk. She was barely in control of her voice. “Is this your last condition?”
“Penultimate,” the man admitted.
“What is the last one?”
“There is no point in talking about it if the previous one has not yet been fulfilled.”
She glared at him, now doubly annoyed. “As I remember, I was threatened with my throat being torn out if I crossed the threshold of your bedchamber.”
Amusement flashed in Amaruk’s eyes. “If that is what you want, I give you my word that nothing bad will happen to you.” There was a hard note in his voice. “Who I sleep with is my business. No one has the right to interfere.”
Lannahi understood that the last words were directed more to the shapeshifters than to her. She wasn’t particularly surprised when a white she-wolf in the corner of the room shifted restlessly and left the building. She raised her eyebrow. “If you planned on annoying your lover, you succeeded. Can we end this show already?”
The angry spark in Amaruk’s eyes dimmed. “It’s not a show, Lannahi,” he said calmly. “A kiss is a sign of goodwill. If I was sure that you knew our customs, I would have kissed you when you first arrived. Consider it a formality.”
Lannahi stared at him, unsure if he was joking. She expected Ashared to growl again, but he didn’t, and Amaruk held her gaze.
She remembered Roshanak’s behavior toward Ashared.
“Fine,” she said eventually.
Hearing the note of irritation in her voice, Amaruk smiled slightly but said nothing, looking at her expectantly.
Annoyed even more, she started getting up. Because of the stiffness in her legs, she had to do so carefully, which made her feel clumsy. Kneeling, she sent Amaruk a murderous glare. In response, he got up gracefully from the floor and smiled insolently, looking down at her. She clenched her jaw and forced herself to stand up, but her legs gave way under her.
“I assume that you aren’t used to sitting on the floor,” Amaruk said, ignoring the clash of the enchanters’ knives and the growls of the wolves that rang out as he quickly stepped forward to catch her.
Because of the pain in her legs that resembled thousands of pinpricks, Lannahi clung to him, but not wanting him to think she was grateful, she looked him in the eye and said angrily, “You are annoying.”
A few laughs echoed in the hall. If this had been intentional, Lannahi would have been happy to lighten the atmosphere, but now all she felt was embarrassment and even more anger. When she regained the strength in her legs, she let go of Amaruk, blushing.
The man prudently took a step back but didn’t stop smiling. “You were supposed to kiss me and not pierce me with your gaze.”
Laughter rang out in the hall again.
“You’ll have to lean down,” Lannahi said through gritted teeth.
Amaruk did so, amused. Seeing his insolent face so close to hers, she felt like hitting it rather than kissing it, but knowing such a rash action would only cause the room to erupt in violence, she stayed her hand. Instead, she lightly brushed her lips against his.
When she began to pull away, the man grabbed her around her waist, holding her in place. “That’s all?” he asked.
A growl from behind told her that Amaruk had gone beyond custom, but when she heard in her mind the command “Step away from him”, the hissing anger in her chest broke the chain.
How did Ashared dare to order her around?
Without thinking, she yanked Amaruk by his shirt, closing the distance between them, and kissed him once more. The man strengthened his grip on her waist and parted his lips, letting her tongue slip inside. For a moment, he seemed surprised by her vehemence but soon responded with no less passion.
As Ashared’s growl grew louder, more anger rose in Lannahi. She slipped her fingers into Amaruk’s hair and squeezed hard. A husky moan came from his throat.
