Page 73 of Smoke and Lure

“I’m no one’s.I’m a grown woman and make my own choices,” Avalore growled.She was tired of being told that some big beast of a man had some authority over her.

He inhaled slowly, and she knew he was smelling her.Then, the man winked at Avalore.“Well, until he claims you, Avalore, you are free to take your pleasure where you see fit.”

She didn't plan to choose the handsome, bold shifter before her.He was attractive but didn’t cause her heart to race or her thighs to ache like—

Nope.Not going there.

“Back the fuck away, Brantley!”A growl erupted through the large room.

Maybe Brantley had an enemy here.Avalore thought as she turned and saw Liekki stalking from the entrance toward them, his booted feet pounding like thunder into the stone ground as his long, black hair flowed in the breeze.His movement made him look like Archangel Michael,ready to defend Heaven’s gate.

Brantley launched up from the table to meet Liekki's barreling form.

Liekki was rounding the long tables, stride after stride, headed for them.

Avalore was surprised Liekki didn’t flip each steel table as he passed them, littering the floor in his wake.

The redhead wasn’t as broad or tall as Liekki, but he didn’t back down as he met Liekki's tangerine to crimson flames.

They growled, both their bare torsos and arms illuminated brightly.

“Don’t touch what’s mine, my friend.”Liekki’s voice was too textured and deep.It sounded like someone was pounding boulders against each other.Boom.Boom.Boom.

“The female says she doesn’t belong to you.Since you didn’t see fit to put a claim on her before you let your saucy, sweet-smelling, little human traipse around the territory, by Drahk law, she can fuck whom she desires.

Shooting to her feet, Avalore waved her palms out before her body, attempting to correct the dragon-shifter, Brantley’s, words.Yes, she was using his flirting to get some answers, but she would not have taken it that far, not even to get out of this land of giant people.“Whoa...I wasn’t going to fu—”

Liekki let out more stone rumbling that seemed to come from some deep cavern in his chest.“What she desires, Smithee, ain’t got shit to do with you.”Liekki stepped closer, practically standing boot toe to boot toe with Brantley, the Blacksmith.

“Is that so—?”

“Hey, dick-swinging men!”She stepped into the narrow space between them.Her head reached the top of his shoulder while the other she met eye to chest.She craned her neck back to stare into Liekki’s face, hating how much shorter she was than him when he had to be close to seven feet.“I can speak for myself—”

“Little lure, don’t test me further.”Liekki’s hot gaze dropped to her.

Boom.Boom.Boom.This time, the heavy sound she heard was her beating heart as she was caught beneath Liekki’s intense stare.

“Look, I—” her voice cracked.Trying to start again, she licked her lips.

He tracked her tongue.

“Everyone, OUT!”he bellowed.The stone walls shook with such a groan that it was impressive that they didn’t begin to crack and crumble around them.

“Let’s go, Chumana.”Avalore shifted and started to take a step back.

“Not you, little lure.”His voice was low, sensually menacing.

“Um, I will wait for you outside, Avalore,” Chumana rushed on before she dashed out the door with the flow of people like the Hebrews crossing the Red Sea fleeing from Pharoah.

Avalore gritted her teeth.No way was she going to tolerate this bully of a shifter ordering her and people around.She’d stand up to him, even if no one else was bold enough to put him in his place.She’d been taking care of herself since she was working at fourteen to help keep food on the table and a roof over her family’s head with her father and stepmother until they wanted her to do the unthinkable for money.

Letting those memories settle back into the recesses of her mind, she focused on the issue before her.Liekki.

Not waiting until the place cleared, she used her pointer and middle finger on her right hand and jabbed them into his chest.“Look here, Liekki—”

Shit.Pain shot up from the tips of her fingers to the joints and traveled up through her arm, making her realize that she should have thought about her move before she made it.Their Great Spirit must have carved him out of granite and lava because the man was hard and hot beneath her touch.

Choking back the pain and blinking away the tears, she continued her rant, “You’re not the Drahks’ Mckenna.So, as I see it, you don’t have any authority to order them or me around.”

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