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“There’s nothin’ like it.” Christy pulled out a shot glass and filled it with vodka before sliding it down the bar to an Elemental at the other end. “What are you in town for?”
Ava retrieved the stress ball she’d taken from the St. Louis facility from her purse. It was still wrapped in the resealable bag. “Trying to track down a Raeth.”
Eyes flashing, Christy leaned forward and inhaled when Ava opened the bag. The bartender frowned. “Can’t say I’ve ever scented this particular guy before. I can ask around, though, if you’d like.”
“That’d be appreciated. We’ll be here for a bit.”
Nodding, Chirsty asked, “What are you drinking? This one’s on the house.”
“This one’s on me,” Remmus countered, pulling out a fifty. “Ava’s my date tonight.”
Christy gave her a saucy smirk. “Who’s your friend?”
“You mean my mate?”
Gaping, the bartender pulled Ava into another hug. “Girl, you did good.”
Ava ordered a flaming drink to start, and Remmus downed a nonalcoholic one alongside her. The kick to her bloodstream had her eager to join the dance floor—and her wolf eager to claw the face off any woman who eyeballed her man.
“Easy, killer,” came Remmus’ voice behind her ear as he steered her toward the throng of bodies below neon lights. “Don’t let that pretty wolf of yours claim me just yet.”
Though a growl stalled before it sounded, the pretty beast whined happily in Ava’s chest, brushing against her skin in an effort to be closer to the Raeth.
When a tattooed arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against him, Ava melted. Remmus’ minty scent made her blood heat in response.
Lights flashed, people danced, and music blared, but none of it could drown out the presence of her mate. His lips found her neck, teeth grazing against the sensitive skin in a sensual caress that had goosebumps trailing his movements.
Reaching up, Ava linked her arms around his neck, fully opening her midriff to his wandering hands. His every touch seemed to scream Mine, and if she was honest, Ava had never experienced anything so potently addicting.
Unable to resist any longer, she flipped in the cage of his embrace, delighting in the way he sucked in a breath when she drew flush alongside his body. Every thump of the music hummed between them, beating them senseless with its intensity and guiding their movements.
Her man could move.
“You’re entirely too smooth on the dance floor, Remmus. You’re making me look bad.”
His eyes shimmered with mischief. “Nothing could ever make you look bad. You’re drop-dead gorgeous.”
Startled laughter burst from her, but it was quickly swallowed by the noise around them. The smell of sweat and alcohol tinged her nose, the crush of bodies becoming closer and closer as the night wore on. Throughout the next hour, several other werewolves approached them and scented the item taken from the clanless Raeth, but none of them recognized him.
Ava had also kept her eyes peeled for any signs of the trio of Raeths who’d murdered her village. It was second nature at this point, although the likelihood they’d wander into the same club she was randomly in after eight centuries was a slim one. While tonight had been a failure on both fronts, she found herself strangely happy. Being with Remmus lightened the dark parts of her soul.
When her feet began to tingle, Ava asked Remmus if he was hungry. It was mostly a formality; she’d never known the man to refuse food.
Fortunately, Remmus already knew a twenty-four-hour, five-star restaurant—this time, in Chicago. By the second course, Ava’s cheeks were hurting. Laughter came easily in his presence, his hilarious anticks whisking hers toward the light. The vengeance mission that had consumed her life had always forced her into stoic and solitary behavior, and though she was a pack animal, she preferred nights alone in her own company.
It seemed her preference for solitude didn’t include her mate.
With a laugh, Ava forked the last bite of her potatoes and looked him dead in the eye. “You, Remmus? You’re mold.”
“Mold, huh?”
“Yep.” A single, dead-pan nod that was entirely unapologetic. “You’re growing on me.”
Something between a scoff and a grunt came from the man across the table. “I’m beyond flattered to be likened to fungi. A true honor.”
What’d been a joke ended up with Ava’s heart tugging at his response, and her sudden realization that she was happy. Here, with Remmus, she found herself feeling fulfilled, content, and eager for what life would bring. The epiphany made her next words all the more honest.
“I like having you around, Remmus. I know I wasn’t very pleasant when you first arrived, but I’m really glad we’re getting to know each other.” She searched his gaze. “I like you.”
