“So, Serena,” he begins as he glances over his shoulder, “how long have you been digging all of this?” He waves his bucket-carrying hand over his body.
I scoff and look away, but I can feel the heat in my cheeks grow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You must be confused. Or drunk.”
He spins around and stops so quickly, I smack into his chest. “Oh, I’m very sure I know what I’m talking about. I can feel you, Serena. I can feel your lust, your longing, the appreciation you get when you see one of us without a shirt.” He smirks at the last part, and I narrow my eyes on him, my powers itching in my fingers. “But most of all, I know what you want. And that’s all of us.”
My cheeks blaze bright red. Without thinking, I allow a curse to float into him: “You will project your emotions to me for the rest of the night.”
Dane’s eyes widen, and I grin smugly as I feel his shock and the undercurrents of lust and need within him.
“I guess I’m not the only one, am I Dane?” I challenge, and his eyes darken in a way that sets my body on fire. But then the feedback begins, and my own feelings rebound back to me, and his back to him in an endless cycle. Shuffling around him, I walk on wobbly legs to the group, my body an overload of lust that I’m barely controlling. When I’m about halfway there, I stop and turn.
Behind me, Dane’s hand grips the bucket handle tightly. I take a cube of ice from the bucket as he nears and rest it against my neck to cool the fire raging in me. I place the tray of shots on the table, and he does the same with the beer bucket; the rest of the guys greedily reach over and clear half of the refreshments in a second.
Meanwhile, I move the ice under my jaw to settle the burning rushing through my veins, and Dane watches the trickles of water run down my cleavage. Everything falls away as he grabs my hand again and leads me from our team—who’re staring after us with raised eyebrows—to the center of the crowd, dancing to the music floating around us.
I bite my lip at the promise in his eyes as he spins me around, then crushes me to his body as we begin to sway with the music. Everything inside me reaches for him as I share my longing, my need, but also the joy I have in our friendship and our moments together so far.
Dane’s feelings swirl around him and then me, and it’s like we’re wrapped up in our own cocoon, oblivious to the world around us as we share what we’re feeling, wanting, wishing, and longing for.
As I stare into his eyes and watch them shift as he processes us, I realize something:
I want more.
Chapter 13
The beat of the music thrums through my body, and the glittering lights strung across the field seem to sway with us, like little fireflies dancing in the night.
“Not to sound like I want to jump your bones or anything, but how soon do you think they’ll stop watching us so we can get away from here? I think I’ve had more to drink than I realized,” I say, and Dane grins as he peeks over my shoulders.
“Probably not for a little while. It seems I’m not the only one who’s interested in the fiery woman in my arms,” he grins, and I don’t need to turn around to feel what he feels, subtly filtered through our temporary bond: Rory’s sad eyes, Paxton’s cold aloofness, and Declan’s jealousy fill my mind.
“It may be only a week since we’ve met Serena, but the Trials, living together, learning together—we’ve grown close. You’ve become an important member of our team, and you don’t even realize,” Dane brushes the hair from my face.
“Rory isn’t ashamed of his gifts any longer, Paxton actually speaks, and the stick up Declan’s ass doesn’t seem to be so deep anymore,” he jokes.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” I chuckle as we move closer together—the beat of the music slows to a bass-heavy ballad, and the area around us fills with swooning couples and… a few throuples? I bring my attention back to Dane. “So, what did you get from me?”
He simply smiles, his eyes softening. “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard or had this much fun before you came, Serena. You make every day bright and new. It’s never dull with you around, that’s for sure.”
My eyes narrow on him and the cheek in his words. “So, what happens now?” I ask. What happens if we get close? What happens when I have to betray them?
“You don’t have to feel guilty, Serena,” Dane says, misinterpreting my emotions. “In our society, it’s not unusual to have multiple partners. I mean, it’s not like our gods and goddesses stick to one partner… or gender.” He grins at my wide eyes, and it’s like the world slows around me as I process his words.
They… what? “Are you serious?” I ask, and he chuckles and nods. “Why don’t I know about this? I mean, you’d think everyone would know—”
Now I’m paying attention, I realize the crowd around us is split into smaller groups made up of a mixture of men and women. Through Dane, I can feel the lust radiating from them, the sense of physical and emotional intimacy. There were no real couples, or what looked like couples, anyway. I know our race can be quite promiscuous, but multiple partners? How does that even work?
I picture a game of Twister
