Page 5 of Shrine of Fire

It didn’t make me crave the feel of my body between theirs any less.

Hashir led me into my room. Aki shut the door behind us, finally letting his emotions out, “What a jerk.”

“Right?” Hashir raised an eyebrow, sliding out of his dress jacket. “I almost took his head off.”

“I would have watched.” Aki snorted.

I hovered indecisively for a minute, wondering if they were going to stay the night. I’d asked Hashir into my bed when I realized I would have to endure a heat without my pack. I wanted someone I cared about with me when it did.

I didn’t know how much the stress of losing my pack bonds was going to impact my cycle, but it was all biology. I couldn’t run from the hormones.

Fire curled inside me. Hormones and magic. A winning combination.

I sat down on the chaise lounge that was in front of the fireplace, and waited to see what they were going to do. Aki took a quick circuit around the room, as if he expected someone to sneak in. His training as a guardian at the Order of the Silver Lion made him lethal, and his past had made him paranoid.

Hashir took a seat next to me. “So, an arranged marriage.”

I frowned at Hashir. “You just went right into it.”

Hashir grinned, his spicy scent enveloping me. “I come back from a well-earned hero’s meal to find out you’ve told the King you’ll marry Stefan in exchange for taking up residence in the Shrine of Everlasting Fire.”

I huffed, pulling on a comb in my hair. My thick hair was barely contained by the beautiful combs meant to keep it back. I was half-worried my hair had swallowed one of them.

Hashir leaned over and helped me work the decorative comb out. Aki sat down on an armchair in front of us, watching like we were a pair of an alien species of bird.

“I was trying to outmaneuver him.”

“Obviously.” Hashir’s hands in my hair were heaven, little tingles of pleasure melting over my scalp. “If you were interested in Stefan, you could have said something. You didn’t have to get yourself engaged to him—”

I laughed and pushed him away. “That’s not why.”

“Right. You just so happen to notice he’s got a great butt whenever he leaves. For political reasons.”

I rolled my eyes, still smiling. I needed someone like Hashir in my life. I took myself so seriously, he was good for me.

Damn it. I didn’t want to feel this much for him. It had be almost a year since my pack died. Much too soon.

I pulled myself together. “The Ember King and I were arguing. He forgot that marrying an omega from the Sanctuary meant that we use our own marriage contracts. So now we can name the terms of the marriage.”

“And you want that psychopath for a father-in-law?” Hashir raised an eyebrow. His fingertips brushed down the side of my neck to the base, kneading the tension there.

I hid my shiver. “What choice did I have?”

“Break the engagement.” Aki sat down and pulled a wide array of knives out of his belt. The leather armor of the Silver Lion, dyed red and silver, hugged his muscles tightly, and watching him casually sharpen knives made heat quicken in my core. I pressed my knees together.

Aki kept talking. “You have enough to worry about between bonding the Shrine, helping Zara with the new omegas, and spirit magic, without having to deal with this royal family.”

Aki was right, and yet… It was silly, but I didn’t want to abandon Stefan.

“I want to make sure you’re not marrying Stefan out of duty.” Hashir watched my face, his hand stopping mid-air, with a jeweled comb in it.

I bit my lip. My feelings tangled up inside me. I didn’t know exactly why I’d agreed to the arranged marriage, or even now, why I was resisting breaking it off so hard.

“It’s hardly a precedent we want to set, yeah?” Hashir gently unwound a bit of hair from around an emerald green comb, setting it on the table with the others. He put his hands on my neck again, gently kneading. “The Shrine Omegas shouldn’t have to marry the local prince to have access to their own Shrines.”

I swallowed hard. “You’re right of course.”

Whatever my feelings were, I didn’t have time to sort them out.

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