“You think that’s necessary?” I leaned against his arm, letting his bigger body shield me from some of the wind.
“I’m not taking any chances.” His hand tightened around mine.
“But we’ve still lost our personal escorts around campus?” I pressed. Katy would be happy about that.
“For now,” he replied. “But only as long as you’re on campus. Any off-campus trips to town have to be approved by the alphas, and we’ll send a group of guards along.”
I nodded, digesting that. I didn’t have any plans to go into town, but it was sort of freeing to know the school grounds were safe.
Remy sighed and pulled us to a stop. He moved around in front of me, blocking all of the icy wind. “Can I ask you a favor?”
The seriousness of his tone took me by surprise. “Of course,” I answered.
“Just don’t go off on your own for a little while?” His chest rose as he held his breath, waiting for my answer.
“Should we still be worried?” I asked softly.
He shook his head. “No, but it still has me on edge, and I just need to know you’re safe. I’ll have a lot of meetings with the guards and the other alphas to make sure everything is going okay, and it would help knowing you’re protected.”
“Tell you what,” I said slowly, “if I’m not with my friends, I’ll be with my boyfriend. He’s kind of a badass and would probably keep me safe.”
“Probably?” His brown eyes lit with laughter.
I pretended to think about it, tapping a finger on my chin as I looked up at the skelton canopy of trees. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Brat,” he muttered under his breath before kissing me hard.
8
Eyeing the streamers and giant banner hung over the fireplace, I sipped my soda and wondered if Katy had gone overboard with Maren’s Welcome Home party. If she had, the cabin full of teenagers didn’t seem to care as they invaded the Brooks Ridge cabin on Friday night.
That, or they were as relieved as I was to finish the first week of school without any other incidents.
Music was pumping from a stereo in the main room, and the furniture had been shoved to the perimeter of the room to set up a makeshift dance floor. Almost every pack was present at the party that was now spilling outside onto the back deck where it looked like some guys were competing to see who could sit in the snow the longest.
Ainsley was smiling as she walked over to me. Her hair hung over her shoulder like a curtain of caramel silk against the white cashmere of her sweater. She looked completely at ease in the midst of the party while I hung on the fringes, perched on the arm of the sofa near the big picture window of the Brooks Ridge cabin. I couldn’t see anything in the dark, but the window was a cool contrast to the heat all these shifter bodies were giving off.
“Not a partier?” Ainsley asked, standing to my side as she sipped something that smelled alcoholic and fruity.
“Not really,” I said wryly.
She took another drink. “Where’s Remy?”
“With Dante.” I jerked my head towards the stairs that they had ascended a few minutes earlier. Something about pack business with a few other alphas following them.
Ainsley offered me her cup. “Want to try?”
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”
The smile she gave me back was warm and genuine, a vast contrast to the venomous girl I met when I first came to the school.
“God, they’re adorable.”
I looked up to see what—or who—Ainsley was talking about.
With a grin, Rhodes spun Larkin around in a circle before pulling her back into his arms. I watched her head tip back as she laughed, happy and completely at ease. He kept her pressed tight against his body, which was probably for the best since I had witnessed Larkin’s interesting form of dancing when we first arrived.
The circle that cleared a space around her was more for everyone’s safety than to watch her, although there were definitely some odd looks thrown in before Rhodes stepped in and joined her.
Again, another significant change in our pack dynamics from last semester.
I sipped my soda, smiling into my cup at how perfect they were for each other.
“Where is she?” Katy demanded with a sigh, coming up to us and peering outside around me to the window. She glanced down at her watch with a frown. “Her plane landed four hours ago. It takes a little less than two hours to get here from the airport.”
“You realize it’s snowing like crazy, right?” Ainsley pointed out, jerking her chin at the window. “They’re calling for another foot of snow.”
Katy waved a dismissive hand. “But this is Montana. They know how to handle snow.”
“Still,” I said, siding with Ainsley. “They’re probably taking their time and being safe. They shut down the airport an hour ago, so we were lucky her flight could even land.”
Katy pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly fired off a text message. A second later she groaned. “Freaking mountains. There’s like, zero cell service out there. All her messages keep coming back as undelivered.”
Ainsley choked down a laugh beside me. “Want me to grab you a drink?”
“No,” she replied, her eyes flaring wide for a second before she shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans with one hand and grabbed me with the other. “Let’s dance.”
With a shout of approval, Ainsley downed the rest of her drink and set the empty cup on the window sill.
“No, no,” I said quickly, trying to pull away from Katy, but Ainsley grabbed my other arm.
“Guys, I can’t dance,” I told them quickly, my heart pounding faster than the bass spilling from the vibrating speakers.
It was the truth. Thanks to my upbringing, dancing was something I really hadn’t ever done. Since moving to Blackwater, my mom was prone to turning on the radio and dancing around the apartment when I was home, but I never joined in.
Glancing at the girls, and a lot of the guys, on the dance floor, I knew there was no way my body could move with the same fluid grace theirs did. The idea of even attempting it felt strange and dangerous.
The last thing I needed was to be the coma girl who danced like a dying flamingo.
“We’ll teach you,” Katy said, not accepting my refusal. She grabbed my cup and set it down.
Ainsley nodded and arched a brow. “Trust me. I’m a great dancer. I used to take classes.”
“She really is,” Katy added with a grin. “You should give Larkin some pointers, too.”
I glanced over to see Rhodes pull her back before she smacked someone’s head while waving her hands.
“I’m not a miracle worker,” Ainsley replied bluntly to Katy, shaking her head. “That girl may be a freaking genius, but she has zero rhythm and coordination. But I think I can work with Skye.”
Which was how I found myself standing in the middle of a mass of gyrating bodies.
Ainsley came up behind me and settled her hands on my hips. She leaned into my ear and said, “Just follow what we do.”
Katy came closer to my front with a contagious smile. She flipped her russet hair over one shoulder. “Just feel the beat and move.”
Ainsley added pressure to my sides, moving my hips in time with hers, knees slightly bent. My arms hung limply at my sides as I rocked awkwardly from side to side.
With a loud laugh, Katy shook her head. “Stop thinking so much. You look like you’re in pain.”
“I look like an idiot,” I shot back.
“Because you aren’t trying,” Ainsley answered, stopping behind me. “Okay, close your eyes.”
Still feeling ridiculous and wanting my spot on the couch back, I sighed and closed my eyes.
“Feel the beat? That thump-thump?” She tapped the side of my arm in time with the heavy bass.
I nodded. It was hard not to feel the way the beat echoed in my bones.
“Music and dancing is all about getting in touch
with yourself,” Ainsley added, slowly walking around me. “It’s about feeling and sensing. There is no right or wrong way to dance.”
“Except when Lark does it,” Katy interrupted with a laugh.
“Except then,” Ainsley agreed. “Just let the music flow through you and move.”
Easy for her to say.
“You’re doing it now,” she pointed out smugly and my eyes flew open to see her right in front of me.
“I wasn’t dancing.”
“Your head was swaying to the beat, your foot tapping. You feel the rhythm. You need to sever that connection between your head and your heart and just feel.”
Ainsley danced back, her hips swaying seductively, her hands running up her body as she moved with the beat of the music seamlessly.
Katy gave a low whistle and leaned into me. “If Maren doesn’t come back soon, I may hook up with Ainsley.”
Ainsley laughed, twirling around. “I’m too high maintenance for you.” She made her way back to me. “Now, Skye, close your eyes and let go.”
My stomach flipped nervously. “But—”
Ainsley gave me a look. “Let. Go.”
With a groan, I closed my eyes because if I was doing this, the last thing I wanted was to see the eyes of everyone looking at me.
Feel the rhythm, I told myself. It became a chant in my head until I realized Ainsley was right—I had been bouncing my head to the rhythm.
Inhaling slowly, I let go, slowly rotating my hips the way I had been watching everyone else do. Eyes closed, I let my other senses take over.
I could feel the heat of the bodies pressed in around me. Instead of it being stifling, it was sultry. Hot, I ran my hands up my body and lifted my hair off my neck, letting cool air wash over my exposed skin for a second before I dropped my hair back down.
“That’s it,” Ainsley encouraged, her hands going to my hips again as Katy closed in behind me. The three of us found a rhythm dancing together.
“This is fun!” I admitted with a laugh, finally opening my eyes to see most people didn’t care that I was dancing.
A few guys were staring, but I figured that was more from watching three girls grinding against each other.
Katy and Ainsley let me go, the three of us still dancing together, not caring about the crowd around us. The song changed to something with a heavier beat and several people cheered at the track change.
“Here we go,” Ainsley said with a groan, looking over my shoulder.
“What?” I asked.
A second later, I got what had her complaining as several guys came up, attempting to dance with us. Katy and Ainsley swatted them away, dismissing them without missing a step. One guy even went as far as to wrap his arms around Ainsley, but she stepped back hard onto his foot and whirled around to level him with a glare that sent him stumbling away.
I remembered being on the receiving end of that look a few times last semester; it wasn’t pretty.
Thank God those days were over.
No one touched me, though. In fact, most of the guys studiously avoided my gaze. Those that actually did make eye contact quickly looked away, and they absolutely did not touch me.
“I actually feel bad for these guys,” Katy said, her cheeks flushed a soft pink from the heat of the dancers and moving around.
Ainsley arched a brow.
“Three of the hottest girls dancing together? Spank bank material for years. And they only have a shot with Ainsley since I’m clearly Team Pride and Skye is basically married to an alpha who would gouge someone’s eyes out for looking too long.” Katy’s dimples flashed.
My jaw dropped. “No, he wouldn’t.”
Ainsley licked her lips. “I wouldn’t mind having a hot mate who would rip these idiots apart for touching me.”
Something in me smiled at that, loving that I didn’t have to deal with a lot of male attention since Remy and I were not only bonded, but he was an alpha and definitely not one another guy would challenge.
But a small part of my brain locked on Ainsley’s description that he was ‘hot’. Which, of course Remy was beyond hot, but no female should be looking at him. He was mine.
Ours.
My wolf growled the single syllable in my head, definitely not a fan of anyone looking at Remy.
Taking a deep breath, I shook off the overwhelming sense of possessiveness that surged up.
I really needed to talk to Elias about the mating bond because I was getting more and more territorial when it came to Remy. My wolf wanted to claim ownership, and I was having a hard time reminding myself owning people was a bad thing.
Unfortunately Elias wasn’t coming back to campus until next week. Remy had told me that he was currently working with a few smaller packs that were more isolated and nearing extinction, preparing for the Summit in a few months where he would give a recap to the Alphas attending.
“Incoming,” Katy warned.
Ainsley stiffened, and I watched the guy approaching her from behind. He was tall and I recognized him, but I couldn’t remember his name. He definitely wasn’t one of our pack, but he was zeroed in on Ainsley in a way that said he didn’t care what pack she was from.
At the last second, his eyes went big and he turned and quickly hurried the other direction.
Strong hands slid around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest. The body behind me fell into step with my body as I danced, fitting us together like two pieces of a puzzle.
Remy.
I inhaled deeply, relaxing against him. His steady heartbeat thumped against my back as his large hands settled low on my hips.
“Having fun?” I could feel the words rumble from his chest, hear the smirk in his tone.
“More fun now,” I admitted truthfully, lifting an arm and looping it around his neck, keeping his mouth close to my ear.
His lips grazed the side of my throat. A full body shiver rippled through me as I pulled him closer.
“When can we leave?” he asked, his voice definitely huskier. He rocked his hips into mine, and it was all I could do not to grab his hand and drag him out of the room now.
“Soon,” I managed to get out. His hips rolled against my ass again. I swallowed audibly. “Definitely soon.”
Remy spun me around in his arms so fast I almost lost my footing. He steadied me with sure hands, his full mouth lifting into a soft smile that almost made my knees buckle again. The white of his thin henley was a vivid contrast to his tanned skin.
I wound my arms around his neck, pressing my chest to his, arching into his touch. His hands slid down my hips slowly, his eyes on mine the whole time, gauging me for any reaction.
My eyes slid shut as his hands slid into the back pockets of my jeans, and he pulled me closer by sliding a thigh between mine. His hands squeezed my ass through the denim.
Holy shit.
“This okay?” he asked softly.
My eyes snapped open, and I nodded so fast I probably looked like a bobble head doll.
His eyes glittered. “Good.”
I tilted my head up, not giving a damn that Katy was still dancing near us or that we were in the middle of a group of people.
I wanted his mouth on mine now.
There was no missing the smugness in his smile. Especially not when he lifted the leg between mine barely an inch. But the sudden friction right there had my vision blurring as I gasped a ragged breath.
“Still okay?” His teeth nipped lightly at my earlobe after he whispered the question to me.
Was what okay?
My mind was spinning, my world narrowing until it was just us. I was vaguely aware that we were still dancing, sort of, but all I could feel was the bass and Remy.
Chuckling, he kissed under my jaw, his lips moving down to the pulse fluttering erratically in my throat. “Guess that’s a yes?”
I bit my lower lip as a groan started low in my chest.
“We should go,” I managed to get out.
“I thought we were leaving
soon,” he replied, his tone teasing. He readjusted his stance, rocking his hips into mine while pulling me down to grind against the hard muscle of his leg.
“Now is better,” I said quickly. I was going to go up in flames any second.
With a laugh, Remy lifted his head and looked down at me a second before his lips captured mine. I moaned into his mouth, not giving a damn who heard, as his tongue slid against mine. He licked into my mouth hungrily, devouring me as he pulled me down onto that unyielding leg again.
I tore my mouth from his on a ragged gasp. “We need to—”
“—go,” he finished firmly, his eyes feverish with lust.
His hands slid out of my pockets as he stepped back, his leg slipping from between mine, and I bit back a groan of frustration. He grabbed my hand in his and started pulling me through the crush of bodies to the front door.
Most of the bodies quickly parted a path when they saw him coming, which was good, since Remy didn’t seem to be slowing down for anything.
His hand closed on the front door and he jerked the door open. The cold air swept over my heated skin, but it did nothing to actually cool me off.
Remy stopped so fast I ran into his back. Finding my footing, I peered around his shoulder to see one of the teachers standing in front of the door.
My eyes went wide as I looked behind me at the partying teenagers, wondering exactly how much trouble we were going to be in.
“Mr. Hendricks,” Remy said, not seeming concerned at all that a teacher was standing there.
He cleared his throat. “Remy, I’m glad you’re here. Is Dante inside?”
Remy nodded slowly, his spine going stiff. “What’s going on?”
“There’s been an accident,” Mr. Hendricks explained, his right eye twitching.
“What kind of accident?” I asked softly, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach.
Mr. Hendricks glanced at me and then back to Remy. “The SUV bringing Maren back to campus slid off the road and flipped into a ditch a few miles outside the school grounds. A teacher coming back from town noticed the car. The driver died on impact. There’s no sign of Maren.”
“What do you mean ‘no sign’?” Remy demanded, crossing his massive arms over his wide chest.
Prey (Blackwater Pack Book 2) Page 7