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I sighed. “I’m not interested in a relationship, nor am I as invested in producing heirs as you appear to be.”
He chuckled. “Who cares about the relationship? Women are only good for one thing. Breeding. So long as a woman carries my son’s heir, that’s all I care about.” He shrugged.
I may not have had any interest in finding a mate, but the way he’d devalued half the entire population in one sentence made my blood boil.
“It’s a good thing if Markus finds his mate tonight. Without the bond being forced upon some unknowing woman, he wouldn’t have a chance in hell at getting laid, would he?” I kept my face neutral as Mathis turned a shade of red. “Probably a good thing for you as well. Seeing that you view females as nothing more than livestock, someone choosing to spend their life with you seems unlikely, so I see where your offspring gets it from. I’m sure the missus is thrilled with your performance.”
“How dare you?—”
“Just pointing out the facts,” I said, turning his words on him. The server arrived after making other stops in the crowd. He gave me an apologetic look, and I grabbed a whiskey from the tray, patting him lightly on the shoulder to thank him. Mathis schooled his features, letting his cold demeanor take over again. I held my glass up in a toast, then added, “If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be.”
As someone from his House was coming toward us, I walked away, leaving him to stew in his anger.
Taking another drink, I breathed heavily through my nose. Off to a great start and ready to leave. I glanced at my watch, disappointed that time wasn’t moving faster. My shoulders and neck were tense, the muscles bunching up and tightening as I looked through the crowd. The longer I was here, the more Dahlia’s words whispered in the back of my head, and the more I wanted to get out.
I walked through the throng of partygoers, scanning the crowd to find Ysabeau. Each and every one of the supernaturals got out of my way, doing their best to keep their distance. Fear leaked off them as I passed by, and they tried to avoid making eye contact. Mathis was right. My reputation did precede me. Power had a way of doing that.
“I won’t tell you again. Not a chance,” an unknown woman’s voice said coldly.
“You don’t know what you’re missing out on, beautiful,” a male responded. I recognized him as one of my own, and I turned to see their encounter.
A young woman with flowing, blue-ombre hair crossed her arms as she stared down the vampire in front of her. His name was Kym. A low-ranking soldier in my House. “Bruises and bite marks when you choose to cross the limits set by your partners?” she said. “Being threatened if I choose to tell someone what you’ve done to me? Being gaslighted into thinking I somehow misled you and gave you the wrong signals?” Kym took a step back, his lips parting slightly. The young woman telling him off looked him up and down in disgust. “No, I know exactly what I’m missing out on.”
I raised my eyebrows at her candor, and her venom. Her accusations were specific, but it didn’t appear they knew each other. Another woman walked up to stand next to her. Her hair was silvery-white, but she was young. High cheekbones and proud shoulders accentuated her air of superiority. With eyes the lightest shade of blue I’d ever seen, she was intriguing. Beautiful and fierce. A knot curled in my stomach, and a flash of worry coursed through me. It wasn’t needed. Everyone knew when you found your mate, that was it. Whether it was pheromones or fate, there was no controlling oneself. It was one of the few things in life that when you knew, you knew. While the woman in front of me was alluring and had my cock half-hard with a single look, she wasn’t mine.
The wolf standing by her side with matching eyes and fur like the woman’s hair exuded strength and its commanding presence sent people scattering like rats under a spotlight.
I understood that feeling all too well.
“Is there a problem, Adora?” the woman said, stroking the white wolf’s fur. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Without looking at her friend, she shook her head. “None at all, Danni. This douchebag was just learning what ‘no’ means.”
Kym’s dark eyes narrowed, and he stepped into Adora’s space. He towered over her by at least six inches. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said in a low and threatening tone. The wolf growled at his proximity, sending a message that the vampire clearly didn’t get.
I walked toward them, intending to put a stop to it. On a night where we honored keeping the peace, this was headed in an unpleasant direction. I didn’t want to stay to clean up a mess. I wanted to leave.
“That’s enough,” I said as I approached them.
The one named Danni turned, eyeing me, blinking a few times before turning her attention to her friend.
“Kym, you heard the ladies. Move on. Tonight is not your night.”
Adora snorted. “You heard your leader. Move along.” She shooed him away, flicking her blue hair over a shoulder dismissively.
Danni suppressed a laugh, but the wolf curled its lip up further, as if sensing this wasn’t over. As Adora turned to walk away, Kym grabbed her arm.
Her head whipped back to glare at him.
“Bitch, who do you think you are?” he snarled. I shot my hand out, grasping his wrist tightly.
“Let her go,” I ordered, feeling the ulna fracture beneath my palm, warning him I would crush it should he not follow directions.
Adora just smiled at him. “Nova.”
It was permission and a command.
The great wolf lunged, snapping her jaws, holding Kym just above the elbow. I let go quickly, and the animal squeezed. A sickening crunch rent the air before she jerked her head to the side, ripping his arm from his body.
