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Amora
I awaketo the smell of cooking meat and casual conversation. My ears twitch toward the sound—it’s odd because it’s so normal. Like opening my eyes after an overnight pack hunt to find my friends shooting the shit and teasing each other as the sun comes up on our hunting party.
But I’m not back home with my old friends and pack.
To be fair, the voices filtering into my ears now do sound like home. Like a new pack. Like something bigger and more important than I’m willing to admit.
Sitting up, I swing my head around to find Kian, Malix, and Frost sitting around the campfire while a couple of unidentifiable skinned animals turn crispy on a makeshift spit.
“Morning, kitty!” Malix calls out with a grin. “We felt like grilled meat this morning.”
He’s stretched out with the soles of his feet only inches from the fire, leaning back on his elbows in a way that puts every inch of his muscular body on display. Despite still being in my wolf form, I take a moment to fully enjoy the sight of him, just because I can.
“Why don’t you take a picture?” he teases, noticing my lingering gaze. “It’ll last longer.”
I give him a low, playful growl, then stand and drop into a bow to stretch my joints before I shift to human form. I expect it to be cold once the fur disappears, but the morning, while chilly, is a lot warmer than the past few days have been. The sound of trickling water fills the cave as snow melts on the mountain above.
Crossing over to join the three men, I sit on the hard-packed ground next to Malix. “Cooked breakfast sounds great. Sometimes I need a break from eating raw. Fuck, I’d kill for a burger right about now.”
Frost leans forward to rotate the cooking animals. I steal a glance at Kian. Our encounter last night is still fresh in my mind, but he’s apparently decided to pretend it never happened. He doesn’t even glance at me or acknowledge my presence, keeping his eyes on the food instead.
Dick.
“What’s the plan today?” I direct the question to Malix. If Kian wants to ignore me… well, two can play at that game. “I know you guys were scheming while I was still sleeping.”
“We were,” Malix agrees, seeming pleased at my admission that I know them well. “The idea is pretty simple. If we want to stop Quinton from trying to break through the barrier between realms, the best way to do that is to take his source of power away.”
“Which is?”
“A stone,” Malix says simply. “It came directly from the shadow realm and is infused with that realm’s power. It’s what he used to create us. If we destroy the stone, he can’t create more of us.”
“Which means he’d never be able to access the shadow realm, even if he somehow found a thin enough spot in the barrier between worlds. That’s good,” I reply. “But if we do that, couldn’t he just get another stone and start all over again?”
Frost’s lips turn down a little at the corners. “It is not quite as simple as that. He came to possess this stone by sheer luck. It’s doubtful he would be able to replace it.”
“Okay,” I say, chewing on my lip as I consider our options. “Do we know how to get to the stone and destroy it? I’m assuming if he sees us coming, he could use the stone and its shadow magic against us.”
Malix grimaces. “Yeah. He could. We haven’t gotten that far in the planning process. We’ll get closer to him, then we’ll figure it out.”
The vagueness of their plan of attack doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in me, but I don’t have any brilliant ideas either, so I guess I can’t complain.
It doesn’t pass my notice, either, that Kian has been surprisingly quiet during this conversation. The grouchy, brooding look on his face isn’t abnormal, but the fact that he hasn’t burst in with his own opinions is odd. As the unofficial “leader” of this little pack, I would’ve expected him to have thoughts on this plan.
After we annihilate the freshly cooked meat, Frost excuses himself to wash up, while Kian and Malix head out to stretch their limbs.
I leave them to it and follow Frost to the water.
If he senses that I’m behind him, he doesn’t show it. He walks to the edge of the stream, and the sunlight shining off the crystal clear water reflects fractals of white light on his golden skin. I watch from behind a tree as he steps into the shallows, then wades deeper, where he vanishes beneath the surface and immediately reemerges on his knees. His hands swipe his pale hair back from his face, then he starts splashing water on his body, washing himself clean.
I do realize I’m the one being a creeper now, like he did that night in Oscura as he watched me sleep. But I’m fascinated by him, just like he was by me.
His tattoo-like shadows, which went completely still in the aftermath of our hot and desperate fuck, have begun to move again. Faster than the other two men’s shadows, as always. I know now that means he’s hurting.
When he’s finished, he splashes out of the water, creating delicate, diamond-like sparks around his shapely calves. His gaze immediately seeks me out behind the tree, and one pale eyebrow raises in an expression that almost looks like amusement.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him break his stoicism like this before.
“What is it you need?” he asks, using his palms to swipe water off his skin. His tattoos move in jerky waves, although he doesn’t acknowledge them.
Heat rises in my cheeks as I come out from behind the tree. I wonder how long he knew I was standing there, staring at him, and if he’s bothered by it. I suddenly feel a little bit shy, and I don’t understand why, since he was literally inside me just yesterday morning.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I tell him. “Privately. About yesterday.”
He wraps his hands around his hair to wring it out, sending rivulets of water cascading down his skin. “What about yesterday?”
“It was…” I trail off, trying to figure out the word. “Intense. And I kinda got the feeling that you hadn’t… I guess that you haven’t done that much.” The heat in my cheeks flares even hotter.
Frost lets his arms fall to his sides. “You’re correct. I had never had sex before my time with you.”
Shock barrels through me, wiping away the shyness as my eyes open wide. “Never?”
“No,” he replies matter-of-factly. There’s no shame in his tone, no hesitation to reveal such a huge secret to me.
“I was your first time,” I murmur, awed by the revelation. “Frost, that’s…”
Shit, I don’t know what I’m trying to say, I’m so freaking tongue-tied. I’m honored he shared such an important first with me; it means something, almost makes our connection feel more special, more real.
But how do I tell him that without sounding condescending? Or like the “experienced” girlfriend cooing over her virgin boyfriend?
Christ, no one ever prepared me for actual intimate relationships like this. My people skills are pretty lacking to begin with, but when it comes to real vulnerability and honest emotional conversations, I turn into a moron.
So I do the only thing I know will tell him how much I care.
I close the distance between us.
There’s a part of me inside, way down deep, that thinks maybe I shouldn’t. For weeks, all three of the feral shifters were off limits to me. I had to hold myself at arm’s length, and it was hard—every minute of it felt like denying something that was my divine right. My destiny.
Unable to stop myself, and not even sure anymore that I have a reason to, I rise up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his.
Frost’s cool lips close over mine, and his arms wind around my body, tugging me closer to him. His movements are soft, sensuous, and for a moment, it’s as if his usual cold, stiff demeanor has melted away. I lean into him, my palms slipping over his wet skin as the kiss deepens.
When we finally break apart, his tattoos have calmed. His creased brow is smooth, and there’s a hint of lightness in his gaze that I’m not used to seeing.
I like it. I like it so fucking much.
He squeezes my hand, reluctance on his face. “We should get back to the cave. We have a long run ahead of us.”
“Okay.” I trace my fingers over his quiet shadows once more, then fall into step beside him as we head back to Kian and Malix.
It’s strange to think I have the power to calm the pain inside him. Honestly, it seems like a giant responsibility—having the actual ability to strip someone of the thing that hurts them most. Having that kind of power scares me.
On the flip side, it makes me happy too.
Frost has been through so much. The idea that I can keep him from experiencing a pain that’s plagued him his whole life makes my heart a little lighter.
He deserves to be happy.
They all do.
* * *
