Page 97 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

“Go look.”

I let out a happy noise and rush off, disappearing through the trees, leaving them all behind. Hidden in a clearing is a massive house. It’s beautiful and lonely, all dark ancient wood and mysterious windows holding secrets that beg me to come explore.

“What do you think?” Blaze shouts.

“I think you want me to fall in love with you!”

He laughs, ignoring the other alphas and their hostility.

“I think I already have.”

If only.

I know he’s joking, but it would be nice to have someone care about me with a tenth of how they have cared for Merle. I am envious of her. She is very lucky.

I dance up onto the porch, listening to it creak, then climb up onto the railing, standing so I can get a better look at the space in front of me.

“It’s the perfect picture,” I murmur, holding my hands up like I’m taking a photo. Four alphas walk out of a dark forest, dappled light dances in front of them. The grass is the greenest; the storm has blown itself out, and the sky is now a patchwork quilt of white clouds and sapphire skies. “Strike a pose, Alpha. I want to remember this moment forever.”

Blaze reaches behind him and loosens his hair tie. His black hair fans out. He looks like he’s walked off of one of those Wuxia shows that Raptor loves so much. Dangerous, deadly, incredibly sexy.

Oh, yes, I could love this alpha.

Easily.

“Come play with me, Alpha. I need a friend.”

He ignores the rest of his pack and comes straight to me, catching me when I jump off the railing and straight into his arms.

His eyes are smoky grey, but there are tiny silver flecks in them that make him seem warmer. His lashes are long and thick, and when he smiles, he’s got dimples.

I reach up and stroke his hair; it’s softer than I could have imagined.

“Hello,” I whisper with a grin. “Your alphas are bristling, getting ready to set the air on fire.”

“Scared?” he whispers back with an unholy light in his eyes that I want to play with.

“Not at all. You could kiss me and really set them off-”

I barely get those words out when he does just that, and I fall into the kiss. One that is as skilled and deliberate as the alpha himself. It’s just the right amount of playful, the right amount of dominance; his kiss demands an answer from me.

How can I say no?

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back with slow, luxurious movements, teasing us both. His scent is in my nose and lungs, on my tongue. My chest vibrates with a purr that I’m fighting to quiet. He’s so big, so strong.

I wonder if he’d take care of me if I took care of him.

A growl wrenches me back to the ever-present danger of the half-rabid pack that is furious I body snatched their omega.

I roll my eyes and pull back.

“You taste divine and kiss like a demon,” I say with a wink.

Blaze tosses his head back, laughing again as I slide down his body and trot up the stairs, ignoring everyone but Roseland, who turns with me, his expression unreadable.

“You’re back,” I squeak with pure happiness.

His frown deepens. “Raven?”