Page 18 of Kiss of Embers
“Thanks for wasting everyone’s night.”
I clenched my jaw. How was thismyfault? It wasn’t. And now, I most likely had a target on my back. And the attention of two dragons who believed fate had awarded me to them like a prize in a claw machine. Worst of all, Bolveg and the other demons might decide to boot me from the Games. The elixir would be out of my grasp, and my pack would continue to suffer.
Brader opened his mouth.
“Save it,” I snapped. “I don’t want to speak to you. Or anyone.” I stalked toward the path. Drute quickly caught up to me, and he was a silent, steady presence at my side as I kept my chin high and tried to ignore the stares and judgmental whispers that followed us.
But as I continued up the path, I couldn’t ignore the weight of the dragons’ stares in the center of my back.
Chapter
Six
STRUAN
Istood just inside the tent’s entrance watching rain descend in a steady sheet. The drumbeat of raindrops thundered against the canvas above me. The clacking sound of a laptop keyboard peppered the air at my back.
Finn had dug his computer from his pack the moment we returned from the clearing. Then he’d plunked his ass down in front of the screen and proceeded to ignore me. When I’d asked what he was up to, he’d muttered “research” and waved me off.
“How are you doing research without an internet connection?” I’d demanded.
His response had been accompanied by a raised eyebrow. “Satellite, Struan. Get with the times.”
Two hours and nonstop keyboard noises later, my mood soured by the minute.
Lightning flashed outside, briefly throwing the base camp into stark relief. Low-lying clouds hovered above the soggy ground. The moon gleamed overhead, its face full except for a narrow sliver. Its heat caressed my skin, and the first faint notes of its call tugged at my bones. In another two days, the song would grow too loud to resist, and I’d have to hunt.
Wind gusted, shifting the rain so it poured sideways. Lanterns swung from poles outside the tents, some of which were two stories high and reinforced with magic to keep them from collapsing. Most likely, the silly contraptions belonged to the vampires. The bloodsuckers were notorious for flaunting their wealth.
Ordinarily, I would have teased Finn about his pretentious cousins. But right now, all I could think about was big brown eyes and a pair of impossibly long legs. Wheat-colored hair and full, pink lips.
Sighing, I lifted the apple I’d dug frommypack and held it to my nose. Drawing a deep breath, I let the fruit’s sweet fragrance fill my lungs. Frustration gripped me. The scent was a poor substitute forher.
Zara.
Thunder rumbled. Through the tent’s opening, the rain continued to soak the ground.
My woman was out there. Fate had given me a tall, gorgeous werewolf—and she wanted nothing to do with me. The knowledge was a hollow ache in my chest.
More lightning flashed. Rain misted my face.
“We should go to her,” I announced.
Behind me, the clacking noise finally fell silent. Still holding the apple to my nose, I turned around. Finn sat at the dining table across the tent. He faced me, the table length between us, but he kept his gaze on the screen.
“Did you hear what I said?” I asked.
“Aye.” He didn’t look up. Just stared at the screen, his skin bathed in blue light.
A wave of annoyance washed through me. “Catching up on your holiday shopping?”
“No.”
The wave built. Why was he being such a dick? “Our female is steps away, and she hates us.”
“She doesn’t hate us.”
I lowered the apple. “We should be figuring out how to claim her, not”—I groped for a word—“whatever the bloody hell you’re doing.”