Nazrin lowered his head. Damn. She was gone. The human male who’d interrupted Essa’s spying peeled off his clothing and chuckled while he joined his friends in the river.
The moment she’d neared, he’d scented his mate. He’d detected her sharp intake of breath, the gradual speeding of her heart, and he’d decided to reward her curiosity. Had the human not startled her, Nazrin would have given her a display to validate the sweet scent of her arousal.
He huffed out his frustration and finished bathing. As he strode through the village, the savory charcoal of roasting meat and frying fish made his raptor salivate in something other than lust. The townspeople gathered for a feast to celebrate the replanting. He scanned the fields, which were no longer barren. Stalks of green shot upward from the chestnut brown of freshly plowed fields. A child scurried past him, laughing as another chased her. So like his niece Amaya. He grinned. One day, he and Essa might have children together as well.
He focused on his future mate, across the town square. A human maiden handed Essa a chalice. Stalking to her side, he wrapped his fingers over hers on the chalice’s stem. He lifted their hands together to his mouth and swallowed the contents.
“That was mine.” She scowled at him. “Fetch your own.”
“Oh, I intend to. I also intend to keep you away from anything resembling mead.” He leaned forward and purred, “At least until you’re fully recovered.”
Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink; hopefully she recalled that night. His scrutiny drifted lower, to spy not only her skin clean and dry, but her clothing as well. He clenched his jaw. She’d used her powers without his consent.
He inhaled against her hair. “You’re awfully clean for a woman who’s spent the day planting in a field.” Her muscles froze. “Did you enjoy your swim, Sirena?”
“I might have taken a spill into the river.” She hitched her breath and quipped, “By accident, of course. Wobbly legs.” She jiggled one. “The sun is so scorching today, it dried my clothes.”
“Mmmhmm.” His hand dropped to rest on her hip and she shuddered. “If you wished to swim, you might have stripped, as you spied the rest of us do.”
The chalice slipped from her fingers, clinking against the ground. “I most certainly did not.”
He raised a brow at her, a rumble deep in his chest. “It’s not proper to be sneaking around, Lady Essa.”
She shrugged out of his grasp. “How can you be certain where I was? Mayhap it was you spying on me.” Her chin tilted in defiance.
“I scented you, Sirena.” He pulled her close and purred into her ear, “Believe me, nothing could drown out the sweet sound of your panting as you watched me bathe.”
***
Damn him. Him and his perfect body and the perfect smile upon his lips. And his abnormal senses. Essa struggled to gain control of the muscles in her body, which turned traitorous the moment Nazrin touched her. He smirked at her as though her body had already abandoned the debate of her mind.
As though her surrender pleased him to no end.
A young lass tugged on her arm, breaking their contact. “The dance is beginning.” Bobbing on her heels, she beamed and towed Essa toward an accumulating crowd.
The red-haired nymph MaKenna addressed the gathering. “This dance is a special one we perform every year. The young maidens represent the new blooms, praising the gods, especially Demeter, for the renewal of the Earth.” She cast an icy glower toward Essa. “And to protect it from those would cause it harm.”
Essa flinched and prayed no one else noticed.
The strumming from a lyre trilled, drawing her focus to the maidens forming a line. MaKenna led them through the dance. The maidens swirled their arms through the air, spinning on their feet, intertwining hands and looping through each other’s arms. They mimicked the petals of flowers, opening to the kiss of the sun. Then they waved like branches in the warm summer breeze.
Essa stole a glance at Nazrin, who stood in the back, his eyes hooded. MaKenna danced beautifully, captivating the attention of her audience—including his. Swaying seductively, the nymph caressed her body with her hands and twirled. Her gaze steered past the crowd, toward him. Toward only him, as though everyone else vanished in the flames of the bonfire.
First surprise, then something raw and hard flashed in his eyes. What unspoken words were passing between them?
Clenching her fists, Essa regarded the ground instead. Finally, the dance ended and the crowd thinned. Those with children headed home to put them to bed. The women clustered around the fire or stole away with lovers into the darkness.
MaKenna seized her arm and whirled her around. Nymphs couldn’t cause physical harm, but they sure could blaze with fury. MaKenna’s blue depths were near incandescent. “He might find you amusing for the moment, but make no mistake, Nazrin always comes back to me.” She leaned in closer and purred, “And do you know why? Because he’s my mate.”
Essa gasped, her stomach twisting. Nazrin was her mate? Her mind spun from the shock, the betrayal. She frowned at the sudden forced smile on MaKenna’s face, but caught a glimpse of Nazrin heading toward them. Instead of joining them, however, he strode past them, a hard mask cloaking his expression, while he followed the other men into the taverna. Was he not even going to attempt to explain?
“A pity.” MaKenna sighed after Nazrin and stroked Essa’s locks once as though in assessment. “We might’ve been friends.”
Stiffening, Essa murmured, “Oh, I doubt that.”
“Humph.” The nymph lifted and dropped one shoulder before sauntering off.
Sweet gods, what a disaster.
How could Nazrin have kept this from her? She stared at her hands. Even worse, how could he have been disloyal to his mate?
Ugh.
She scrubbed her fingers across her lips, desperate to erase every one of his tainted kisses. Rage at having been lured into this charade boiled inside her, igniting her determination. She stormed to the taverna.
At the heavy wooden doors, she breathed in and out deeply, steadying herself and fanning her indignation. Shoving through the doors, she squinted into the dim lighting. She scanned the room. The men were in various stages of sobriety. Here, one spouted jests and smashed his cup on the table. There, another had passed out with his face in his goblet.
Nazrin reclined near the back, staring into his mug. She marched straight to him.
“You shouldn’t be in this place.” His tone carried a warning. Of what? Of him?
“I’ll go where I please.” She met his gaze, refusing to waver.
“Aye, I saw you made a new friend.” His words were careful, dripped in frustration. Why? What did he conclude had passed between her and the nymph?
“If all your lovers turn out to be so charming,” she leaned forward across the table, “I may find hundreds of new confidantes.”
“Thousands.” His eyes flashed copper. He had to push her, didn’t he? Well, she could do the same.
“What are you drinking?” Essa plucked his mug and sniffed, taking a deep swig before he snatched it. She choked as the liquid burned in her throat. Strong stuff, whatever it was. He would be inebriated in no time for sure.
He scowled at her. “Why do you have to fight me so?”
“Why do you have to control me thus?” she countered. “Know you this, Lord Nazrin, I’ll have no part in this game between you and MaKenna.” The very notion that he belonged to someone else churned her insides.
“Game?” His brows drew together.
“Yes.” She winced. “Stay away from me. I do not want you.”
“Aye?” Bitterness flickered in his eyes. “Well, that’s not what your lips were crying earlier.”
She spun on her heel, hissing, “A mistake, I assure you.”
“Where are you going?” he growled, leaping over the table and seizing her wrist.
“Where do you think?” she snapped and wrenched her arm free. “The farthest place away from you.”
Swallowing the bitter declaration, she ignored the clenching of her heart. Her resolve blazing, she straightened her shoulders and hastened out of the taverna. The heavy doors closed with a thud, sealing the finality of her words.
Her ire dissipating, Essa shuddered. The chill of the night crept around her with unfriendly tendrils. She peered into the darkness. Well, she was on her own. She rubbed her arms. It would have been wiser to confront him after he’d escorted her home. A shiver crawled under her skin. What if MaKenna wasn’t the only one who viewed her as an enemy?
Essa padded toward the bonfire. As she rounded the corner, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Another clapped over her mouth, muffling her scream.