Against the Black

Chapter 18

Even across the field and bonfire, Roman’s eyes pulled me into an intimate gaze. The moment our eyes locked, the background noise faded and the whole world around us blurred. And only his chiseled and fierce features were in focus.

I took a shuddering breath as I tried to calm my racing heart. I was approached by a couple of my warriors and their wives. I broke the trance to talk with them, but I could still feel his eyes on me. His gaze made my skin feel hot all over. But I tried not to pay any attention as I spoke with teens and elders, warriors and mothers.

As I moved through the crowd, his stare followed, boring holes into me. I caught his gaze twice, and each time it sucked me in deeper. This damn mate bond was going to be the death of me. I was pulled away once again by an elder needing my attention.

When I was released from the conversation, he wasn’t there anymore. I looked in the last spot I’d seen him, but he was gone. I swallowed my disappointment and turned back toward the drink table, almost running into Roman in the process.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said, before realizing who it was.

“No worries.” He just stared at me some more before finally breaking the silence. “You pack seems to have many traditions.”

“We do.” I snapped back to my senses and out of the trance, his moving lips were casting over me. “My ancestor set a lot into motion when she founded this pack and we do all we can to show our gratitude to her and the moon goddess. We do that by following in the traditions my ancestors started long ago.” I grabbed another beer from the refreshments table and we walked closer to the fire.

“You show thanks through dance?” He asked, looking quizzically at the ring of dancers around the bonfire.

“We show thanks in many ways. So, in a way, yes. We have dances for every occasion.” I watched his face in the firelight, careful to avoid his eyes and get sucked in.

“What is this dance?” He pointed to the dancers, and I smiled at his interest in our traditions.

“This is the war dance. This is a dance that is usually performed the night before going into battle if we know ahead of time. But we also perform this dance when we have protected our lands from an attack.”

“You have a whole dance just for protecting your pack? Are you attacked often enough to need it often? Your pack seems to know the steps flawlessly.” He looked a little taken aback and my smile grew softer.

“We do. We use this dance more than most of our others, sadly. Though, we use our welcome dance the most. Which is a huge point of pride for me as an Alpha. Even though we dance our war dance frequently, we almost never use it before a battle. It’s almost always performed after an attack on our lands.” His shocked expression turned dark.

“How often are you attacked?” His voice was low and threatening, but I tried not to notice.

“About once a month. Give or take. There are many packs that see us as weak and want to take our pack lands. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, our lands are prosperous. And many Alphas want that for themselves.” I breathed in the night air and closed my eyes, soaking in the feeling of the heat from the bonfire and the chill of the cool night air. “I can’t blame them, though.” I opened my eyes again and looked at him. “Obsidian Falls is the most beautiful place on earth to me.”

He looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel, and I decided to change the subject slightly. I nodded to the dance circle where new dancers were stepping in.

“This is our traditional dance of thanks. We have specific dances like water and earth dances to thank the moon goddess for a much needed rain or plentiful crop. This dance, however, is a dance we use to give general thanks to the moon goddess and our ancestors.” We walked around the circle of dancers and I pointed out how different dance moves held certain meanings.

“How do you know all of these dances and keep track of them all?” He looked as if he couldn’t bear the thought of having to memorize each dance. I laughed. This was a question we got a lot from people coming into the pack.

“We have a strict training schedule. Everyone in our pack trains from the age of five and up. Part of our training is simple strength training, not just combat. So we have our cardio workouts that include the usuals such as running in human and wolf forms. But we also include dance. Dance is a great way to get your cardio in as well as a good way to stretch your muscles. It also improves balance and heightens moods.” I watched the dancers as they moved gracefully in the firelight. They were mostly black silhouettes against the blazing fire. But I knew each one of them.

We stopped back at the drink station for another beer and he asked more questions about our other traditions. We walked through the crowd as I answered his questions and asked some of my own regarding palace life. As the night moved on, I became increasingly aware of his body heat next to mine. The beers in my system were having the desired effect of loosening me up and relaxing me after the fight. But standing this close to Roman, they were also only adding to the mate bond attraction.

He was a magnet, and I was being pulled into his orbit. Our arms brushed lightly as we moved through the clearing and I felt electric tingles shoot across my skin every time his skin met mine. I felt light and bold. Content and daring. Comfortable and adventurous. My head swam with the sensation of it all.

When I met Roman’s gaze, I knew I wasn’t the only one affected by the evening together. His eyes were hooded and low, but intense. The desire I’d seen in the hall earlier was back and clearly visible. He licked his lips and my eyes locked on the motion. Every cell in my body was crying out at me to touch him, even just a little. So I did. I lifted my hand and placed it on the side of his face, feeling his stubble against my palm. His eyes closed in response and he leaned into my touch.

I don’t know when we stopped, but we stood in the middle of the crowded clearing, surrounded by people. But they all seemed a galaxy away. I let the heat of his skin sink into my hand. His eyes opened and his pupils were dilated to twice their size. His irises had turned an electric shade of green, and I knew his wolf was near the surface. Kalua pushed forward, meeting Roman’s wolf on the surface.

“Mate.” Roman said. Only it wasn’t him speaking, but his wolf.

“Mine.” Kalua replied, and I could feel her melt into her mate’s loving gaze. She moved back, giving back control, and Roman’s wolf did the same.

We stood there a moment longer; the tension increasing by the minute. Our bubble was burst wide open when a woman approached.

“Alpha, I apologize for the interruption, but the night is winding down and the elders would like to perform the Moon dance before the pack run.”

“Of course. I will come lead the dance and then have Valerie lead the pack run.” She nodded and walked away to inform the elders. I looked at Roman.

“Would you like to experience the last dance of the night?” I hoped he would stay. The mate bond and all the alcohol in my system had me feeling bold. The mate bond wanted us together, and I was in no shape to deny the bond. So I decided the moon dance would be the perfect opportunity to make my intentions known. The moon dance is another of the few dances we performed often. To me, it always felt a little s****l, but tonight, that worked in my favor.

Roman only nodded. I took his hand and pulled him through the crowd toward the fire. His hand in mine only helped settle my resolve. Roman was mine, and he would know it by the end of the night.

I stepped toward the fire and took my position. Women came and circled the fire, filling in all the gaps. The moon dance was a dance thanking the moon goddess and was performed only by the women of the pack. Woman to woman.

The drums rolled and my pulse beat in sync. I closed my eyes as the dance started, feeling each movement roll through my body. My hips rolled, my face and arms lifted to the sky, and my heels lifted until I was standing on my toes. My body welcomed the dance as my chest and hips rolled with each motion. I bent, dropping to my hands and knees and arching my back. We walked on all fours toward the crowd before throwing our heads back and howling into the night. Our howls were met with a chorus of howls from all over the clearing.

When the howling stopped, I tilted my head back down away from the sky and met Roman’s fiery gaze. The look in his eyes told me he enjoyed the sight of me on all fours and I was eager to please.

I stood, and he grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me toward the pack house. I had to jog slightly to keep up. Once we were inside, he pushed me against the wall and slammed his mouth down on top of mine.

The kiss was hot and frantic. His hands came up and cupped the side of my face, and my hands hung onto his wrists for dear life. We pushed off the wall and moved further into the pack house, passing doors and people. We paused twice to kiss widely before moving again. I pulled him by the hand to my suit.

Roman pushed me against the door, and his mouth found my neck. His tongue was hot and greedy against the sensitive skin just above my shoulder. I moaned lightly at his kisses and he lifted my leg, pinning himself against me. My whole body was on fire. I frantically pulled at his shirt, and he pulled away just enough for me to remove it. I stared at his perfectly toned body. Each of his muscles was defined and smooth. I ran my hands down his chest, savoring the tingling sensation in my fingertips. He growled softly and leaned back in, his mouth conquering mine again.

The hand not holding onto my leg slid up my thigh and over my waist. Then traveled up my ribs and under my arm, pulling my arm up over my head and pinning it there. Our fingers laced together as he ground his hips against mine. I saw stars and moaned into his mouth. He pulled away, leaving me panting, and his mouth made its way to my neck again. My hand reached up into his neat hair and gripped tightly. His teeth grazed my neck, and I whined, needing more.

He peppered my neck with kisses, making his way up and over my jaw, back to my lips. His body relaxed against mine as his kisses became slower and less frantic. My body and mind were still wound tight and his light kisses were not enough. He pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against mine. His gaze bore into mine as we both panted lightly. His hands released my leg and the hand he had pinned over my head. They slid across my skin, coming to rest on my hips.

Then he turned and walked away.