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“You barely even scented me,” the skinwalker rebuked, and Jolon and Dason growled, shifting closer where they stood guard on each side of the small stage.
My hand flew into the air, stopping them before they could rush to my aid and tear this guy a new one for daring to question me.
“Trust me,” I said, “I didn’t need to inhale more. Your scent is so sweet it practically burns.” The guy’s eyes hardened, but I caught a tint of pink working its way into his cheeks.
I’d basically just told him he stunk in front of everyone.
At least two hundred people had gathered to watch me reject men left and right. This little display must have been juicer than evening television. I rather felt like the bachelorette handing out roses, except I kept hoarding them all to myself instead of giving them to eligible bachelors.
“I can assure you my blood won’t call to you either.” Deciding to be a bit more gracious, I added, “I hope someday you find your mate.”
The guy’s nostrils flared as he jerked in a breath, ready to come back with an argument.
Dason cleared his throat and nodded his head sideways toward the group of men I’d already said no to. His expression was as sharp as jagged stone, and if the man hadn’t received the message from alpha number one, Jolon helpfully chimed in, “If you want to keep your life, I suggest you keep moving.” Jolon smirked, but it was dangerous and feral.
Relief filled the sigh that left my lips as the skinwalker left with nothing more than an unhappy grumble. The last thing I needed was for that guy to bleed more. I didn’t think my nose could take it.
Like the lady I was, I pulled a tissue from my pocket, grateful for the small stack Chayton had helpfully supplied for me, and blew my nose in front of everyone. The tip was probably red from how many times I’d rubbed at it to try and clear the tingle of magick and the scent of so many men. I magicked it away and summoned the nearest male.
“Your turn,” I called, and tried to count how many men there were left to go through.
Far too many.
The next guy smelled like sage, and the one after that reeked of sour lemons.
Pushing off my chair, I walked to the edge of the stage and hopped down the two short steps. Murmurs shot through the crowd as I changed the rules of this little game we were playing.
Mara and her friends were on the sidelines, whispering wildly about what I was doing, but it didn’t escape my notice that Mara’s attention mostly stayed on Dason as he trailed after me. That beastly, dominant presence was at my side in half a heartbeat.
“Lorn,” Dason growled. “What are you doing?”
“Speeding this up,” I muttered under my breath, already out of patience to keep up with this charade.
“That’s not how this is done,” Klah called from his place with the other elders a few yards away. They were comfortable around their own fire again, chatting happily while I suffered through the bloodletting.
“Young lady, there are rules,” Elan snapped, half rising from his chair. I caught the movement in my periphery, but I didn’t stop moving long enough to give him my full attention, a choice that might have been disrespectful, though I didn’t mean it to be. I just wanted this whole event over with as fast as humanly—er… as supernaturally possible.
“Let her be,” Ashkii told the ruffled elders. “She knows her duty.”
I sent him an appreciative glance and strode up to the next man in line with a tight smile.
Light, shaggy brown hair framed a set of green eyes, and his skin was naturally tan. Overall, he was handsome, but there wasn’t that tug low in my stomach that drew me to him. That magnetic quality I’d had when I first met Axel then the others.
“Hi. Hello.” I waved awkwardly. Oh yeah, I was great at this. A natural. “What’s your name?”
The man, God bless him, glanced to Dason who stood behind me with all his alpha presence bearing down on us.
“Uh,” he stammered. “I’m Thomas.”
“Nice to meet you, Thomas.” Hand suspended, I waited for him to take it. His green gaze darted to Dason once more until he finally made skin to skin contact.
A low rumble sounded from Dason. Unhappy, irritated.
A genuine smile curved my mouth. Silver lining to this ridiculous night? Getting a rise out of my alpha.
It wasn’t hard to bring my wolf to the surface, and I bit my lip and focused on creating a partial shift. The seams on my shirt protested as my wolf tried to burst through my skin, and I gasped and eased her back.
Calm. Just a paw, I told her.
