“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, naïve 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?
Chapter 24
THORN
The last song ends, and Ember has danced with every male in here but me. Steele twirls her around and dips her low. I can’t take this anymore. I stalk from the room, desperate to put space between me and every male within fifty yards of me before I break the sacred rule of no blood in the temple. If I had my way, I would rip apart any man who touches her.
“Thorn…” Ingrid tries to call for me.
I don’t even look back as I take the temple steps two at a time. Slamming the door shut of my chamber so hard, dust shakes from the stone. I will wait to find her tomorrow because I’m not in the right frame of mind to be around anyone right now. Thankfully, the fire is still lit in the hearth as my feet pace before it.Gods, what is happening to me?
Waiting to see Ember until tomorrow was easier said than done, especially after seeing her in every male’s arms but minetonight. Sleep was impossible. I’ve waited ten years to find my mate, and now that I have her, I’m left waiting again.
Her scent is in my nose. Her kiss still lingers on my lips. My pacing wears grooves into the planks of the floor. Each time I pass the window, the moonlight cuts across me like a blade, accusingly. My mate is upstairs. In this same castle. Breathing the same air. And I am supposed to wait until the next trial to see her again?
I can’t.
I prowl the hall, back and forth, before giving up entirely and letting my feet take me where they want — up two flights of stairs to the third floor. Every door I pass makes my heart hammer harder, until I reach the last one. Her door.
For a moment, I hesitate, fist still raised to knock.Is this a mistake?
Before I can knock, it opens. Ember nearly collides with me, her short, fiery hair glowing even in the dim light. Her eyes widening.
“Thorn,” she gasps, breathless.
The sound of my name on her lips shatters what little restraint I had left. I catch her face in my hands and kiss her. She melts into me instantly, her mouth soft and eager against mine, like she’s been waiting for this moment too.
“Ugh, you guys know I’m here, right?”
A male voice cuts through. I growl, low and possessive, until Ember pulls back, flush and breathless, but still within my arms.
“Thorn,” she coughs, slipping from my touch. “My brother, Roman.”
His face scrunches up and brows furrow in disgust. “I’d say it’s nice to see you again, but—I think I’m going to be sick.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “Oh, go to bed.”
“I’m trying,” he groans, tossing back dramatically, “between your pacing and whatever this is—” he waves at us.
I don’t give him a chance to say more. “Come,” I murmur, threading my fingers through hers. She lets me lead her down the stairs, away from her brother’s eyes, and into the sanctity of my chambers.
The heavy oak door closes behind us with a thud. My room stretches wide and tall, three arched windows spilling sunlight across polished stone. A fire burning low in the grate to the right, while to the left, my bed looms — massive, but empty, always empty. The scent of old cedar beams mixes with the faint smoke of the hearth.
