Page 108 of Vengeful Mates

She fawned at the praise, pressing a hand to the side of her face and thrusting out her opposite hand, and driving her hip to the right.

I laughed at them both. Zethan was definitely not in his element, but he did it for her. His daughter. His family. My heart sped up a little, claiming his attention for a few moments. Checking on me. Supporting me. The ultimate show of love. My heart swelled to twice the size at my perfect man. He smiled and went back to his awkward twerking.

Castor displayed some impressive moves, over-exaggerating like the Wii character, making me giggle. My dark, dominant, sexy man definitely had more moves than Zethan.

“Get your butt in here, Alaric, and show these two how to work it!” Slade ordered his brother, knowing my hawk would hear him from wherever he wandered the property.

Mayhem pulled at Alaric’s bond, and I sent him a little fix of tranquil magick, unwinding the tight knots of his bond, letting him breathe.

My points tally dropped as my mate’s dark spell sidetracked me. I didn’t care so long as he was okay. Nearing the end of the song, I was tempted to drop my console and run out to him. A move that risked alerting Mia to his tension and she didn’t need any more upsets.

Surprise, surprise, Mia won the first round, Slade letting her and coming in a close second. I came in third, then Castor, and poor Zethan last. My loyal mate took it in stride and admitted defeat at the razzing he got from Slade and Mia.

“Wanna help me get better, hot shot?” Zethan tickled Mia, making her giggle. “Or are you just gonna steal all the good moves?”

She folded her fingers around his and tugged. “I’ll show you.”

For the next five minutes, she taught him some dance moves and gave constructive criticism that he considered, getting better with practice.

Alaric strolled back into the room, his face a mask of fun, his bond still uneasy but concealed from his daughter.

“Watch out, losers.” He snapped up the last Wii controller I offered him and poked out his tongue at Mia. “The best dancer is in the house!”

Her gaze charged with fresh competitiveness at a new opponent on the scene, and Alaric would give her a run for her money.

Grateful he responded to Slade’s call and that my magick brought down his agitation, I slid in line beside him, hugging his waist and offering a supportive smile and kiss.

“Show me your moves, Elvis.” I nudged him to go as Mia set the next dance to play.

Alaric busted a move. Damn, he was good. Really good. Fluid, graceful, and sharp, just like his hawk. Moved those hips and knees like only Elvis could. His rhythmic actions made me bop my head and get lost in his hypnotic tempo.

Mia noticed and upped her game. Getting a little jealous at his skill, she moved in front of the screen to block him.

“Foul! That’s sabotage. Referee!” He lunged forward, snaked her by the waist, and lifted her into the air.

She squealed and kicked. “Put me down!”

“You two suckers are losing!” Zethan completed the moves, and his points tally slowly inched up from the bottom to rival Slade’s.

Alaric swayed his hips and winked at her, jabbing his finger at his soaring points, challenging hers. “Watch out! I’m catching up.”

“No, you can’t win!” She tugged at his shirt while he bopped to the beat.

“Yes, I can, Little Bird,” he teased, scooping her into his arms again, bouncing her. She squealed, delighted with the game as they both attempted half the moves, their points taking a dive, but they didn’t care because they were having fun.

The next six songs went on with us all mucking around, doing the moves wrong, busting some silly moves to make everyone laugh, and letting Mia win.

Slade’s bond rumbled with joy and contentment as we all finished the last dance.

Zethan laughed so hard he clutched his belly and the bond stung from his cramps, prompting me to lose it and hunch over with him. I never saw him so happy, full of life and fun.

A puffing Castor crushed us in a threesome hug at the end, keeping it PG in front of the kid, while slyly sneaking in some ass, breast, and thigh gropes.

“Champions!” Slade cheered and fist bumped Mia and Alaric.

Slade threw Mia over his shoulders, doing a victory lap of the lounge room, the kitchen, and down the hall.

I laughed, clasping my hands together, welcoming them both with a kiss when they returned. “Congrats, honey. You’re the champion.”

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