Luckily I did not see any more humans on my trek back to the meeting point. I was surely a disheveled mess right about now. When I reached the thick trees of the cherry grove, Selene was already waiting for me.
She had a leather pouch in her hand and was grinning from ear to ear. “Thanks for making out with that mammoth bear. You really gave me the extra time I needed to get in and out.”
My blood boiled as disappointment and rage flooded through me. Now it looked like I was some stupid, hormone-driven wolf who couldn’t keep it in her pants long enough to try and become queen.
“Not that I can blame you,” Selene continued. “He was probably the hottest guy I have ever seen. Yummy.”
“He attacked me!” I said, my voice hoarse.
Right … crap. My mind knew the truth; he had initiated the kiss but I had liked it. For the love of all things shifter, why? I’d been attracted to that male when he was scrawny and underfed – and now … definitely not scrawny. And where in all the hells was his shirt? Seriously, you can’t just surprise a woman with a body like that and then kiss her. It just wasn’t done.
I should have kicked him in the jewels; my slap was nowhere near harsh enough. Shaking it off, I followed the still-grinning Selene out of the woods. I knew by this point the advisors would be watching through Sabina. They would know she’d been the one to retrieve the crystal first, so I couldn’t steal it from her. I had lost fair and square. Damn that bear!
“There is no point stressing yourself over this.” Calista was trying to appease my anger while I took out my frustration on a boxing bag. “Things happen. Selene has the advantage in the final fight, but you are not without plenty of skills of your own.”
Smack, smack, smack. Each thud was cathartic, right up until the bear’s face flooded back into my mind. “It wasn’t just that she won,” I said, huffing between words. I wiped at the sweat coating my forehead, before spinning out and kicking the heavy weight. The bag swung out and back for my next kick. “I let him kiss me. I just stood there for at least thirty seconds and enjoyed every freaking second.”
What was wrong with me?
Calista chuckled, and I immediately swung my head around to nail her with a glare. This was so not funny, and as my advisor she should be appalled by my actions. I was a queen heir to the wolves and he was a bear.
“Arianna, you’re a hot-blooded female and it has been a long time since you had any sort of regular partner. You neglect that part of your body and life because of duty, but the blood of shifter queens run in your veins. You’re sensual, and need someone to kiss you like that every single day.”
I was no longer kicking the bag. She had caught me completely by surprise. I didn’t know what to say. Calista was always nudging me to take a mate, to settle down and do the whole … relationship thing. I grew up with a mother that chose a breeding partner for sperm so it hadn’t exactly put the greatest example in my mind.
“Just next time, please … not a bear, and not during the Summit.” And my advisor was finally back. “I need your focus for just a little longer, we have a throne to win. And our strategy must be absolutely bulletproof for tomorrow. Selene cannot become queen. She is not worthy.”
I rested both of my gloved hands against the bag, sinking into it as exhaustion washed over me. It had been a big day, but my stamina was usually better than this. For some reason I was just wrecked. Every day of being this close to the mecca was changing me. Its energy infiltrating my body.
“Has there been any word on the mecca?” I asked, lowering my voice. We were alone, my guards spread out the perimeter, but you never knew who was listening. “Every day it feels even stronger to me, more out of control.”
Calista had her tablet out in a flash; that thing was pretty much an extension of her hand.
“Nothing official, and honestly, until Violet mentioned the change I never even noticed there was anything up. I can only just sense it now.”
“It’s so strong for me,” I murmured, holding my hands out like I was actually running it through the power. It felt like it was swirling around me.
“Must be an heir thing,” Calista said, shrugging.
I’d have asked Selene, except she was not my favorite person today, or any day really. I couldn’t lose to her tomorrow. No matter what happened in the battle, I had to take her down. An entire race of wolves was counting on me. Not to mention I wasn’t too keen on death.
Calista signaled to my dominants. “We should head back to the suite. I have a bunch of schematics to go over with you, and we should discuss all the possible scenarios for tomorrow.”
I nodded, already unstrapping my wrists. My body ached, and I knew I’d pushed it too far. After arriving back to the main hall, and having to watch as Selene was awarded the points, gold, and spell book, I’d come straight down here. I must have been hitting the bag for two hours at least, and still tension rode my body.
Damn that bear.
Violet was in my suite’s main dining room when we trooped in. A few of my dominants stopped to chat with her for a minute before settling into their normal positions. Poker was definitely on the table again tonight, but probably not for me. No doubt Calista would have me studying.
“Feel free to jump into the first few games,” she said, shocking the hell out of me. “I need to discuss a few of the Summit rules with the council. They have to give me some more details about tomorrow. We’ll get started when I return.”