Page 36 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

“You must calm yourself,” Jared said.

My eyes widened.He did not just…

A rumble from Blake pulled my attention to him, and realization punched me in the gut.My emotions were escalating the violence inside him.His eyes were a killing gold.Veins circled his bare arms like snakes, and the tendons in his neck were tight and protruding.The muscles in his shoulders and chest, his abs and lower, quivered with restraint.He was on the verge of shifting.His wolf demanded control.I hadn’t seen him struggle like this since the mountainside.If Blake lost this fight, his humanity would be eclipsed by his lust for violence.This time, it wouldn’t be caused by a wolfsbane spell.It would be caused by me.

Jared was right.I needed to calm down.

I released my anger and stepped toward the seething werewolf.“Blake.”

“He’s not in control.”Nora’s words were cold but steady.At least she had herself in control.So did the watching vampires.They would only attack if Blake attacked first.

I focused on my breathing as I moved closer, focused on calming my heart rate andconnectingwith him.

“Kennedy,” Jared warned behind me.

“I’ve got him.”I took another step, this time angled so that I stood slightly in front of Nora.Both she and Blake growled.Recognition that I existed.Yay.

I drew in another slow breath, wished it were more calming.Then, just like Blake had at Nora’s wedding and I had last week on the mountainside, I held out my hand and waited.

Blake’s wolf-gold eyes remained locked on Nora, but something in him changed.He becameawareof my presence.

Another small step sideways.This time, he had no choice except to focus on me.

“Kennedy.”My name came out deep and guttural.

Got him.“Yes?”

The question in my single-word response invited interaction.It invited logical thought.And when I finally had his attention, the reality of the situation, of how close he’d come to surrendering to the wolf, hit him so hard he visibly flinched.

“Hey,” I said with a small smile.The amount of gold rimming his eyes didn’t lessen; it softened.He was caging his wolf, becoming the man I knew again, so I started to lower my outstretched hand.

He caught it first and pulled me in close.The move, the warmth of his bare skin, and the intensity in his gaze as he looked down at me and I looked up at him… It all coalesced into a launch of butterflies in my stomach, butterflies that glowed with beauty and passion and a forbidden connection I didn’t know how to resist.

My gaze found his mouth.

Nora’s derisive laugh kept our lips from connecting.“Of course your wolf would U-turn from violence to sex.Don’t be an idiot, Blake.Think with your brain.”

The gold in his eyes sharpened.I wanted to snap at Nora, to tell her to stop being a condescending princess.I’d just stopped her and Blake from doing something they’d both regret.

Blake’s hands tightened on my waist.

Then they loosened.At that exact moment, I realized Nora hadn’t spoken out of cruelty.She was covering for Blake.For us.Because her father would kill him if we had a relationship.Other alphas and vampires would try to as well because a Rain couldn’t show favoritism to any paranorm.The Rains must be fair.They must be impartial.Equality was paramount.

Unless you were looking at equality within a species.Then it wasthou shalt bow to the whims of the powerful.

My bitterness caused me to remain where I was, and Blake’s hands retightened on my waist.He leaned closer, drew in a deep breath, then tensed.

“You smell like him,” he murmured.“I want you to smell like—”

“Ahem!”

Blake and I both swiveled our heads toward the person who had so very loudly cleared their throat.

Marco held out a pair of neatly pressed black slacks.“For all our sakes.”

Right.Blake was still naked.Nora was too, although she was now pulling on a white silk robe.

“Thanks.”I took the pants from Marco and shoved them into Blake’s chest.That made his hands leave my waist, which was good because neither of us was thinking clearly.