Page 26 of Tucker's Strike

“Lake,” Tucker growls, my name a warning in that tone. “Knock it the fuck off.”

“What are you talking about?” I demand and glance around the table to see that all eyes are on me. “Why’s everyone looking at me?”

“They don’t know what you were thinking, but they can smell it,” Tucker informs me, sounding more than a little pissed or frustrated.

“Even I can fuckin’ smell it, and I’m mated,” Corbin snarls.

“It’s quite interesting,” Karsyn murmurs, leaning forward to fake whisper. “It’s almost as if you have the scent of desire itself.”

“Oh my God,” I whisper, eyes wide, attempting to bolt out of my seat, but Tucker foils my plans and instead pulls me into his lap.

“Easy, little Fae,” he rasps, his arm going tight around me. “You need to learn to control it. Don’t let it control you.”

“I don’t understand how my thoughts affected my scent?”

I don’t understand. I’m completely confused by all of this.

“It’s the nymph part of you,” Karsyn explains. “I don’t know much more than I’ve learned or in what I’ve heard. What I can conclude is whenever you have a certain thought,” she stops to clear her throat, cheeks brightening, “those thoughts are projected to everyone close. Everyone, including females, it seems.”

“It wasn’t like that before Tucker mated her,” Abel remarks.

“Abel’s right, it was different, but still just as intoxicatingly sweet,” Dane adds.

“Maybe it was?—”

“It was the scent of seduction,” another man states from behind me. I nearly jump out of my skin. I probably would have if Tucker didn’t have a hold on me. So rather than losing my skin, I twist in his arms to see who’s spoken just as they continued speaking. “It’s the scent that causes chaos among men. The scent of sexual pursuit.”

“Orpheus,” Corbin calls in greeting. “Want to elaborate on what you mean?”

So, this is Orpheus, the Vampire King.

“Interesting,” Orpheus murmurs, eyes locked on me. “You are a beautiful creature, aren’t you? Quite the mixture.” His voice trails off as he inhales and releases a sigh. “Quite the unique beauty, for sure. A rare gem. A Fae that shares the blood of a nymph.”

“You want to get to the point,” Tucker growls, his emotions burning inside me in a way I didn’t expect. He didn’t like the vampire looking at me.

Interesting.

If I can feel him so easily. I wonder if I focus on him, would he . . .

“Damnit, Lake,” Tucker snarls, tightening his arm around my waist.

“Okay, so that . . .”

“If you don’t stop right now, woman, I’ll fuck you right here and not give a damn who sees,” he states, cutting me off before I can finish.

“And that right there is the scent of seduction,” Orpheus announces, his gaze going to Tucker. “Your mate puts out a scent that can be used for several reasons. One, seduction, which is what it’s known for. Two, destruction, to distract and eliminate. There’s more than I want to get into at the moment. I have a book that I could lend you,” he states more to me than to Tucker.

“I would like that,” I find myself saying with a nod.

“Then I’ll send for it.” Orpheus gives a curt nod, clears his throat, then looks at Tucker, and then toward Corbin. “The threat you spoke of.”

“The Drakon King,” Corbin remarks.

“How do you?—”

“Let them finish, little Fae,” Tucker orders softly.

“But—”

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