“You afraid of smelling like a flower?” Marcus raised a brow in a clear challenge.
Havoc growled and snatched the cloth from him.
“Head and heart,” Marcus said, only this time it was more an instruction than a ceremonial chant.
Havoc touched the cloth to both places. When Marcus handed him his pants, he growled again.
“Havoc,” chided Riley.
The Dragon sighed, and took them. Then abruptly dropped all the scales off his body to put them on.
The flash of muscled butt had me searching desperately for a screen of any kind—the best I could do was a waist-high boulder. I tucked myself in behind it and carefully unlaced and pulled off my breeches. The white pants were too loose to bind and too tight to hide the state I was in.
When I emerged with hands semi-casually placed—as though that had a hope in hell of succeeding—I couldn’t help but notice that both Marcus and Havoc had similar issues to my own. Were my pheromones affecting them, even though they were male? The scent was so strong…
They weren’t looking at me. I followed their gazes, and saw Riley.
She was—luminescent—now in her vest and skirt, and so gorgeous that I stopped dead and stared. The vest was not a vest. It was a low-cut bustier that pushed and held the creamy globes of her breasts elevated, and left her lower abdomen bare. The skirt was fitted to hang low over her hips, exposing the delicate curve of her lower belly.
I was gobsmacked, and when she smiled at me—no hands were ever going to adequately cover my reaction to her.
Run, run, run.The chant began in my head, and continued in rhythm to my heart, but it was already far too late.
I wasn’t going anywhere.
I was trapped in a cave with everything I’d ever desired.
And my desire could kill.
52
Riley
The lust reverberating along the link between Marcus, Havoc, and me made it difficult to focus on the task at hand.
Saving Rafael.
Even just conversing aloud with Havoc and Marcus, keeping my tone upbeat and relaxed, was difficult. Everything hinged on us. Because Cara’s parting words, as we’d left on our mission, echoed through my head and heart.
The Liberi Elders will never let him go. If he runs, they will pursue him to the ends of the realms. And then they’ll cage him, like the mongrel beast they think he is.
I’d seen Rafael’s true heart—he’d saved Marcus twice, and Havoc, too. But I’d personally experienced his power, and I’d be blind to not acknowledge he teetered on the edge of darkness.
He was raised by Isobel,Marcus said. He held the animals and Iskar frozen while Isobel drained them. Commanded me, and Havoc, too. Enslaved Havoc. Helped Isobel torture the other Centaurs, even as he tried to heal them. Those are only the things I know about, I am sure there is more.He paused.I think his power has grown, and only time will tell which side of him will win.
My heart knew the truth—that we had one chance to save him. If he walked away from the mate bond, his life would be forever spent running.
And if he ever decided to fight instead—
I shuddered at the thought.
This will work.A warm reassurance came with the words, as though Marcus had folded his arms around me. He was always coming up with ways to translate a mental link into physical sensation.
I hoped with all my heart that he was right. Certainly the scent coming off Rafael was enough to give a dead man a hard-on. Fuck. It had my body burning to wrap itself around him.
Like we needed any help in that category,Marcus added. I glanced over to him—his white pants rode low on his hips and strained to hold what pushed against them.
I’ve never needed that kind of help,Havoc growled.It’s all I can do to not hump a boulder. I’ve been beating off since the battle, and it’s not fucking helping.He now wore identical pants to Marcus’s, and had similar issues.
