Page 41 of The Heir
“Will you at least dance with me? You would do me a huge honor.”
His flattery made me follow him to the dance floor where the Motlanders were teaching some of the French delegation members their alternative dance moves. Shiva and I laughed when they tried to get us to do it with them.
The beat of the music was easy to move to and Shiva looked so happy when we danced.
“You look beautiful,” he told me and spun me around.
“Thank you.”
“My friends are all jealous.” Shiva pointed to a bar at the other end of the club where a group of six large Nmen stood watching us.
“Why? There are plenty of women here.”
“Yeah, but you’re half Northlander. A man can hope.”
It took me a second to understand what he was saying and as it hit me, I stopped dancing and looked up at the large man. “Wait, are you saying that you’re hoping for more than sex?”
Shiva stopped dancing and moved close enough to talk into my ear. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this but sleeping with a new woman each weekend isn’t as satisfying as you might think. You are part Northlander and understand our need for…” We were interrupted by people bumping into us.
I finished where he had trailed off. “Are you trying to say that I understand your need for connection?”
“Yes.” There was a hopeful expression in his eyes like that of a man offering a flower to a woman he likes and hoping she won’t reject him.
“All I can give you is a hug,” I said and spread out my arms a little.
Shiva’s shoulder’s fell, but then he nodded. “I’ll take it.”
We stood hugging on the dance floor, swaying from side to side for at least a minute until Freya came to get me.
“I need your help,” she told me and greeted Shiva briefly before dragging me away. I waved at him and went with her to a corner.
“Lying lavender, Freya, what’s going on? You’re almost shaking.”
“I thought you might need rescuing.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you danced with that Explorer for a long time. He was all over you.” Freya pulled up a strap on the long red dress that clung to her body. She wasn’t toned and muscular like Aubri, Sparrow, and other Northlander women. Freya was slender with flawless skin because unlike them she didn’t have scars from climbing trees or fight training.
“No, he wasn’t. Shiva and I hugged, that’s it.”
“Well, he’s lucky I was with the men because if I hadn’t told them to stay out of it, they would have broken you apart.”
Leaning to the side a little, I looked past her to the bar and saw Indiana, Mason, and Thor watching Freya and me. Thor was practically glaring.
“They need to calm down and have some fun. We told them on our way here that we wouldn’t tolerate them controlling us.” Taking Freya’s hand, I gave her a look of concern. “Hang on. Why are you so frantic? Your energy is all messed up. When we walked in here you were excited and now I feel like you’re about to cry.”
Her gaze darted all over but kept coming back to one place behind my right shoulder in particular. I turned my head in that direction.
“Oh, did he say something mean to you?” I asked when I saw Victor sitting between two young women with a drink in his hand.
Just as I spoke about him, Victor met my gaze and then he looked at Freya.
“I hate him,” she sneered and pulled me with her.
There was something I was missing, but my senses were overloaded, and I felt out of whack. “What did he say to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just have a fun night together.”
