Page 110 of Poet & Protector

I stood up and offered her my hand.

“Great, the only one without a partner,” Ansel complained. “Where’s Sabine when I need her?”

“I think Sabine might bite you before she danced with you,” Calla said to her brother as she took my hand.

“True enough.” Ansel grinned at her. “I’ll just wait for Bryn to remember she likes me.”

“Good plan,” I told him, and led Calla away from the table.

We’d only had a few seconds of dancing when the current song ended and the next began, which happened to be one of Nev’s ballads. When the music slowed, everyone but Calla and I exited the dance floor and returned to the table. I could have asked Calla if she wanted to stop dancing, but she was in a difficult situation, caught between two men who wanted her, neither willing to back down. If I could run interference between my alpha, Ren, and Shay, I would.

“How romantic.” I kissed Calla on the cheek, slowing our movements to match the new song.

My good intentions lasted about thirty seconds.

Suddenly, Ren was there. I wasn’t even sure where he’d come from. He manifested behind Calla like it was some alpha superpower. The look on his face brooked no argument as to what he expected to happen.

I dropped my arms from Calla’s waist when he stepped forward and fitted his palms around her hips.

“I’ll take it from here, Mason,” Ren said.

Yeah, there’s no way in hell I’m interfering with this.

I inclined my head in acknowledgment of my new alpha and left him to it.

“That was rude,” I heard Calla say as I walked back to the table.

Yikes.

There was an empty seat beside Shay. When I took it, I was greeted by his now familiar scent. I’d first noticed it when he sat with us at lunch. Human scents were usually more muted and muddled than those belonging to Guardians, but for some reason Shay was different. His scent was as distinct as any wolf’s. He smelled of quintessential spring: the brightness of new leaves, the kinetic allure of an approaching thunderstorm. That seasonal mix was the precise counter to Ren’s autumnal fallen leaves and bonfires. I found it very interesting that Calla’s new would-be suitor struck such a clear counterbalance to her intended mate.

The scent thing was only one of several oddities about our new human friend. The fact that he not only wanted, but enjoyed our company was the most obvious. Shay continued to show no fear of us, any of us, not even the alphas. That was very impressive or incredibly stupid because Ren clearly wanted to kill him. Shay didn’t care or didn’t think Ren presented a real threat, which again was impressive or stupid.

Shay didn’t seem like a fool, but he had no grasp of what he was up against. Not only Ren’s Guardian strength and alpha status, but the Keepers’ plans for Ren and Calla. The young alphas’ union and the creation of the Haldis pack were going to happen. Calla would be forever out of reach no matter how much Shay wanted her.

I felt kinda bad for the guy.

Fortunately, Shay was currently paying attention to the music instead of watching Calla and Ren dance.

“Nev’s got serious talent,” he observed. “This song is slow, but the countermelody he’s playing is insanely complicated. His fingers are moving so fast on the frets they’re blurring. I can’t believe he can do that on a twelve-string.”

“Oh yeah.” I grinned. “Nev is exceptionally good with his hands. It’s one of my favorite things about him.”

Shay and Ansel laughed, but across the table, Dax growled.

I spared him a glance. “Problem?”

“Don’t talk about Nev,” he replied, eyes flat and hard.

“You remember he’s my boyfriend, right?” I said. “It’d be a little weird if I never talked about him.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Do I?” I probably should have changed the subject or ignored him. But Dax had developed a habit of griping about me and Nev and I was sick of it.

“No one wants to think about Nev’s hands and why you like them,” he said. “And I don’t want to hear about anything the two of you do.”

“I was pretty non-specific, Dax,” I said coolly. “You’re awfully riled up about nothing.”