Page 105 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain
My skin is buzzing after our long walk around the city. I hung on Alec’s arm through The Capital without him wearing a glamour for the first time; a king proudly displaying his future queen. Our mate bond is no secret, but our relationship has been kept out of the public eye until recently. I’ve just turned twenty-three, and Alec has officially begun courting me. Our time together is different lately, shifting towards something more intimate than the friendship we’ve known all these years.
Alec’s stare briefly cuts to something behind me, his shoulders tensing. I narrow my eyes at him, and he gives me a loving smile.
“What’s wrong?” I ask about his change in demeanor.
“Nothing, my clove.”
Turning my head, I search for what caught his eye. He grabs my hand on the table, lacing his long fingers through mine and squeezes, trying to turn my attention back to him.
I ignore it.
Glancing over my shoulder, I find a beautiful woman in a low-cut dress at a table behind me. She averts her eyes when I turn; but not before I catch the coy smile she’s attempting to give Alec.
Now I’m tense.
Turning back to Alec, he squeezes my hand again.
“Does she keep looking at you like that?” My tone holds a hint of accusation.
“It does not matter, Ellya.”
Alec moves his chair closer to mine and drapes an arm around my shoulders. He begins running the pads of his fingers down my bare arm, my flesh pebbling as I fail to suppress a shudder. If I wasn’t standing so close to the brink of something hideous, I would melt into the touch. I get the impression that was Alec’s intention.
My want for him only fuels the growing inferno within me.
“Yes, it does Alec. Everyone can sense our bond.”
She’s staring at him now—it’s as if her eyes are boring into my own skin with her lust.
My teeth grind hard as I close my eyes, trying to push down this dark sea brewing inside me. I turn around and give her a death glare when I find her desire drenched gaze directed at my mate.
She’s not even trying to hide her intentions.
My hands ball intotight fists, my fingernails digging deep crescents into my palms and breaking the skin. My face contorts angrily as red splotches across my cheeks.
“I’m going to kill her,” I growl and begin to rise.
Alec pulls me back down, his handsome face holding endless amusement. “You cannot kill her, Ellya.”
“Why?” My death stare turns onto him. I suddenly think maybe I should kill Alec too, if he’s so adamant on her being alive.
Alec’s smile grows as he takes in my reaction. “Because we are in the middle of a crowded street.” His eyes are alive with a light I’ve never seen before, roving over my face and greedily taking me in.
It just makes me want to stake my claim over him more.
“In case I have not told you before, you are stunningly beautiful. If we kill everyone who looks at us with desire, there will be no one left.”
My fire eases with Alec’s compliment, his words soothing me away from the edge of a cliff.
But I can’t ignore that unwanted stare lingering where it doesn’t belong.
Turning to the woman again, Alec catches my cheek with his fingers and guides me back to him. He affectionately kisses the tip of my nose, then my brow, taking me by surprise. I practically swoon, my eyes shining with glee.
Alec leans in close to me, barely brushing his lips against my hair. I let out a soft sigh and nearly combust when his warm breath tickles my ear.
“But it turns out, I do love how jealousy looks on you,” he whispers. The words are laced with a tone I’ve never heard from him before, turning the faint glow around my heart into a burning sun. Alec drops my chin and gives me a soft,dark smirk.
Leaping to my feet,my chair falls backwards with a loud crash against the stone.
