his arms relaxed and wrapped around me. He kissed me back softly, and I opened his mouth to let in his tongue as we made out for the entire party to see.
Finlay’s kisses were warm and open. There was a kindness to his movements that was easy to fall into. His strong body felt like a temple as his lips caressed my own. Kissing Finlay was easy… friendly. It was something I could get used to.
But he didn’t taste like Ethan. The passion wasn’t there. And because of that, it wasn’t enough.
I swear I heard several phone cameras go off as I kissed Finlay— knew the pictures would be in the paper tomorrow— but I didn’t care. My head swam and buzzed with the effects of the alcohol, and I decided to take it a step further. As I pulled away from Finlay, my hands went to the back of my dress, and I unclipped my bra. There were cheers from the crowd— especially the guys— as I gave a cry and tossed it to the room. It fell into a group of shifters, and the guys started fighting over who would get it.
My gaze roamed over the people in the room. Arthur had covered his eyes. Vara was laughing up a storm. Odette, Kiara and Ozzie all looked equally shocked.
But the best part of all was Ethan. He’d gone so white-faced at my actions he appeared to be a ghost.
But I didn’t stop there. Carefully, I slid a hand up my dress, and took off my panties in a slow way so I didn’t accidentally expose myself to the entire crowd. People gasped when they saw the lacy thong in my hand. I twirled it over my head, letting out a woo before tossing it into the air.
It sailed across the room and hit Ethan right in the face.
Jackpot.
By this point, I was laughing maniacally. Finlay’s cheeks were a little red, like he was embarrassed. He put an arm around my hips and helped me down from the coffee table. “I think you’ve had a little too much to drink.”
The faces blended together in the crowd as Kiara and Odette broke into my vision. “Emma, it’s time to go home.” I felt Kiara grasp my wrist. “You’ve had too much.”
A sensation of floating came over me as the girls pulled me out of the party. “Take care of her, will you?” I heard Finlay cry out. A giggle passed through my lips.
The cool night air made me feel like I was jumping into an icy pool, and I regret I hadn’t brought a jacket. Kiara’s heels clicked on the cobblestone as she said, “What’s gotten into you? You went too far.”
“Did you see the look on Ethan’s face, though?” Odette gushed. “Total payback!”
Kiara smirked, just a little, and a warm glow settled around me. Vengeance was sweet. Whatever I’d done tonight, it was totally worth it.
Chapter Seven
Ethan
My phone pinged with a news alert late in the afternoon. My eyes shot open— I’d been asleep all day, skipping all my classes and preferring to stay in my dorm with the shades drawn. I’d been caught in a fitful slumber. Though hours had gone by, I’d gained no rest, and felt just as exhausted as I had when I’d lain down that morning.
Anxiety churned in my gut, making me believe Elijah had passed another sick decree to lead us all down the path to hell. The headline I read was even worse. Royal Betrayal? Did Emmaline Sosna Leave Her Prince Charming for Hot Scottish Beau?
There was a picture with the news alert that showed Emma and Finlay’s lips locked together, kissing for all of Malovia’s entertainment. It made me nauseous to look at.
I groaned and rolled the other way, tossing my phone to the floor. That party the other night couldn’t have been more disastrous. When I saw that… rogue rubbing on my mate, my wolf nearly lost it. I had to maintain every inch of self-control in my body to avoid bursting into wolven form and ripping his throat out.
At first, I thought the demon would react to my rage and attempt to take over, but all the leshane did was revel in glee. It was clear. The leshane wouldn’t interfere when Emma and I were having conflict, because every fight we had drove us further away from our bond… and me deeper into his clutches.
Then… gods… she’d taken off her underwear and thrown it to the room. In public,