Page 20 of Outnumbered
Majesty … king. He was calling Caleb his king.
“Ember told us about you. I’m sorry I haven’t come to find you yet. I had planned to call you tomorrow,” Caleb said and held out his hand to shake his. “What’s your name, hybrid?”
“I’m Ambrose,” he said. His eyes darted to me and I felt that slight pull again.
“You feel something?” Riddick asked.
I nodded. “It’s a slight pull, not as strong as the feeling with you four.”
Ambrose took a step forward, closer to me, but his eyes darted to Caleb as if seeking permission.
Caleb didn’t move, so Ambrose took the last step to stand before me.
“Hello, again,” I said and smiled, but it was a bit shaky from nerves.
He held his hand out. “Hello, Ember. You look lovely tonight.”
Reaching out with a trembling hand, I shook his. This time there was no spark and the pull wasn’t stronger, in fact, it lessened.
Exhaling softly, I put on a real smile as I looked up at him. “It’s nice to see you again.” Yes, he was incredibly attractive, but I had enough sexy males to deal with in the four around me.
Caleb relaxed and clapped Ambrose on the back. “Would you like to sit with us?”
He shook his head, frowning a bit. “No, I just wanted to come introduce myself to you.”
“Here’s my card,” Riddick said and held out a business card. “Let’s meet Monday.”
Ambrose nodded. “Okay.” He looked at me one last time, frowning, and headed out into the crowd of dancers.
“While he may be disappointed, I have to admit I feel better knowing he’s not a potential mate for you as well,” Riddick said and brushed back his hair that had fallen forward.
“What?” I asked.
“He’s definitely better looking than all of us. How could we have competed with that?” he said, smiling wide.
I rolled my eyes and laughed. “You’re ridiculous. All of you are attractive and you all know it.”
“We still like to hear it,” Triston said and slipped his arms around my waist, dancing behind me.
Dancing with him, I felt a bit of the stress that had been on my shoulders dissolve and allowed me to enjoy more of the moment.
We drank and danced, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company for hours. It was one of the first times I’d not talked, but just spent time basking in the connection that thrummed between us all.
I admitted defeat after the fourth hour, plopping down on the end of the booth to drink water and give my legs a break.
Caleb and Riddick were talking to Gavin about something, the three of them scowling.
Branson and Triston had their heads bent together on the other side of the booth from me.
It had definitely been a great night out. Just one for us to strengthen our bond, which truly did feel stronger.
A pulse of something magical had me turning to look out towards the dancefloor. Scanning the crowd, I searched for the source and my eyes landed on a white-haired man glaring directly at me.
His mouth moved quickly and as he raised his hand, I realized he was about to attack.
Up on my feet, I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to summon a shield.
The magic he created was bright red and it streaked across the room towards me.