“I am sure that anyone who has problems with his style of leadership could leave his pack.” He struggled to tamp down his indignation.
She frowned in thought. “Don’t they have to leave their families behind if they do that? And I’ve been told that the Thorolfs were at war with the other major pack on this planet up until recently, and relations are still dicey between the two packs, so they don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“They could always leave the planet,” Treffon muttered into his drink. “I could help arrange that.”
She gave a resigned shrug. “I guess I’ll go to the dance tomorrow night, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope. What are the odds that I’d meetthe onehere?”
He took an enormous swig of his drink and drained it completely, rattled by what she’d told him. “How would you know they were the one?”
She considered this. “Well, there would be an instant attraction. I’d feel comfortable with them. I usually feel awkward around guys, like I’m going to spill something or say something dumb or laugh too loudly, and they’ll judge me for it.” She leaned in again, saying in that confiding tone, “I’m really clumsy. I’ve never made it through a date without spilling something.”
He wanted her to stay close to him, because her scent was so delicious, but she straightened back up again and very carefully took a sip of her drink. “I did not spill a single drop,” she announced proudly. “That time, anyway.”
“You don’t seem awkward to me.”
“That’s because I felt comfortable with you right away. “ She looked at him, as if considering something. “Butyouwould know if you’d met your true mate, right? And it’s a mutual thing? So anything I’m feeling for you right now can’t be that – it must just be purely physical attraction because you’re so incredibly… Wait, was that my out loud voice? Whoops, that must be the alcohol talking.” Her cheeks colored red, which was what happened to humans when they were embarrassed. “See? Awkward,” she mumbled, and quickly drained the rest of her drink.
“Anything you’re feeling for me? Like what?” He really wanted to know, he realized.
“I feel… I feel…woozy,” she said, pressing her hand to her forehead.
She slumped and started to faint. He caught her in his arms and pulled her up against him, holding her upright. Concern for her was his overriding emotion, but even that couldn’t dampen his reaction to the sweet weight of her in his arms. His arm around her waist drew her close against his body, and his breath stuttered as her hip brushed him intimately. His other hand cradled the back of her head. He leaned close to her, noting with relief that she was breathing evenly – she must just have been affected by the drink – and felt that tug in his solar plexus again as he caught her scent. Her breath was soft against his lips and the temptation to press his mouth against hers was almost unbearable.
Just then, he heard shouting from off to his right – two men were shoving each other. Soon, the whole bar would be at each other’s throats.
Treffon quickly maneuvered the human woman to safety, sitting her down in a booth. She jerked awake, staring around her in alarm.
“Stay here!” he shouted.
He shoved his way into the fray, fighting off anyone who tried to go near the booth.
Shouting with fury, he concentrated hard and sent waves of power radiating outwards, blasting at the brawlers. They cried out in pain and scrambled to get away, tripping over each other in their haste.
When the fight finally died down, he hurried back…but her seat was empty. He looked around wildly – she was gone.
Frantically, he started searching for her. Finally he found a bouncer who told him that the little human had hurried out the front door and gotten into a hovercab.
The disappointment that surged through him was surprisingly strong. He wanted her back. She made him smile. She took his mind off of his worries.
She’s gone.
But he knew where she’d be tomorrow night.
