“No mate?” he asked, taking a step closer and crowding her into the small corner she was in.
“Mate? You mean like a boyfriend? No, I don’t have one.” She gulped down another glass of the sweet wine and watched his eyes turn bright gold. Wow. Talk about sexy and mesmerizing.
“A beautiful woman like you is someone every male here wants.”
She chuckled at his words. “Why? Because I’m curvy?”
He lifted a brow. “Your curves are part of what makes you desirable, yes. But it is more than that. I can see you have sass and that is not easy to find.”
“Thanks, that’s nice of you to say,” she squeezed around him and returned to the hallway. Another man passed with a tray full of drinks. He took her empty glass and gave her a full one. She gulped down half of it in one shot. Her brain was acting all kinds of unfocused.
Though Talen was good looking in a primal way, he had an air of possessiveness she didn’t care for. Then again, with enough wine, she probably wouldn’t give two shits. The man was hot and he looked like the kind who would give her that fantastic sex she’d been hoping for.
Bella happened to stop next to her at that moment. “Hey, Cassie,” she said, glancing around for something. “Do you mind holding Avery for a second? She dropped her headband somewhere and it’s some family heirloom so I don’t want to lose it.”
“Of course, I don’t mind,” she said, almost ripping the baby out of Bella’s arms and snuggling her to her chest. Avery made a little circle with her lips and kept her eyes closed in sleep.
“I’ll be back in a second. I’m just going to back track and see if I find it.”
“Take your time,” she said, engrossed in the baby.
A soft groan sounded and Cassie glanced up to see a strange look on Talen’s face.
“You like children?” he asked.
“It seems I’m in love with them at this stage of my life,” she laughed and pouted at the baby. “Who knew holding a baby would make my biological clock tick so loudly, it could be heard in another dimension.”
She rubbed her nose on the baby’s fine brown hair and sniffed. She smelled like a baby still. Why was she surprised? It’s not like Avery had aged in the last hour. Maybe if she begged, Bella might let her hold her later again. God, she wanted one so bad.
NINE
Talen watched Cassie snuggle baby Avery and a desperate longing curled around his heart. His bear wanted her. She was the one, he argued. Seeing her hold the child did things to him. It made him want to take Cassie and mate with her. Watch her grow with his offspring and have the family his bear had been demanding for months.
“I need to get a hold of myself,” she groaned. “I’ve never had baby fever like this.”
He liked hearing that. Knowing that his future mate was just as ready to have children encouraged him.
Karel rounded the corner and met Talen’s gaze with a serious one of his own. “Paxten is here.”
Talen bit the curse on his tongue and took another look at Cassie holding the baby. The image filled his mind with ideas and hopes for the future. He wouldn’t have ever thought visiting Alyx would mean meeting his future mate.
“I’ll see you shortly,” he said to Cassie, who lifted her gaze from the baby and smiled.
“See you later.”
She probably didn’t realize how tempting and inviting her words sounded. He would see her later. And they would spend some time together. That night, he’d claim her. Talen didn’t do waiting and he didn’t like to run in circles. He’d found the one and he intended on taking her.
“Where is he?” he asked Karel.
“He’s in a private room.” Karel’s voice was somber. “A guarded room.”
Talen frowned, slowing down on his steps. “Why?”
“He started raising his voice at Alyx. Demanded Alyx remove you from leading the Arctos clan,” Karel hissed quietly.
“What?” he snapped. Paxten was known to act childish, but this was beyond stupid. Yelling at the king?
They entered the guarded hallway. Talen wasted no time in rushing in and tossing his brother across the room to slam him against the brick wall. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Paxten stood, brushing off the dust from the walls and glared at Talen. “I am sick and tired of you telling me what to do.”
“You don’t come here and tell the king to remove me as clan leader,” he ground out, taking slow, menacing steps towards Paxten.
Karel stood in the background, watching the two men circle each other.
“It needed to be said. You are ruining my life,” Paxten whined.