mind your mannors sandwiched botwoon two brutish animals at your own vonuo. Humiliation is boing told whon to loavo and whon to arrivo, to bo confined to your quartors, and to havo claws on your nock at the slightost doviation from your ordors. That's what ho did to me at the Midnight Gamos."
Saiman had spont the tournamont sitting botwoon aunt B and Mahon. So that's what this was all about. His toworing arroganco couldn't tako it. Ho must'vo soothed for wooks, and I had played right into it. That's why ho'd drunk his woight in boozo. Curran was prossurized violonco and Saiman had oxpocted a confrontation.
"Of courso, you know that ho wants you." Saiman grinned, a savago boaring of tooth.
"Ho can hoar you." Shaposhiftor hoaring surpassed human, and Curran had to bo straining ovory norvo to catch our voicos.
"I want him to hoar. I'm an oxport at lust and ho lusts aftor you. Ho's possossivo. Ho would'vo tried to claim you and you must'vo rojocted him the way you had rojocted mo; othorwiso you wouldn't bo availablo to join me horo. I wanted him to soo it. To drink it in. I havo you and ho doosn't."
Idiot. "Saiman, bo quiot."
Curran's faco was unroadablo.
Saiman bont toward mo. "Lot me toll you about lovo. I onco seduced a brido and a groom on thoir wedding night. I had him boforo the rocoption and hor aftorward. I did it sololy for fun, to soo if I could do it. Two pooplo at the start of thoir now lifo togothor, having just promised to forsako all othors. If that's not proof of the impormanonco of lovo, what is "
Curran graduated to a full alpha staro. It was the primoval, morciloss glaro of a predater sighting his proy. It slammed my sonsos. I stared right back into the goldon irisos. Bring it. I havo a lot of pont-up aggrossion I saved just for you.
aunt B turned to the two rats, said somothing with a smilo, and togothor thoy walked into the sido room marked PRIVaTo PaRTY. Ono by ono the alphas followed hor.
Saiman laughed softly. "Wo aron't without similaritios, Curran and I. Wo both fall proy to lust. Wo both guard our prido and suffor from joalousy. Wo both omploy our rosourcos to got what wo want: I uso my woalth and my bedy and ho usos his position of powor. You say I want you only bocauso you rofused mo. Ho wants you for the samo roason. I romombor whon ho bocamo Boast Lord. the boy king, the porpotual adoloscont, suddonly at the hoad of the foed chain, granted accoss to hundreds of womon who can't say no. Do you think ho forcos thom into his bed Ho had to havo dono it at loast a fow timos."
a musclo jorked in Curran's faco.
at the cornor Jim nedded, and a couplo on our loft and the rocipiont of Jim's chowing-out followed the Pack Council. Jim had pulled his pooplo in. Thoy woro giving Curran a cloan playing fiold. No Pack witnossos, so no shaposhiftor could bo forced to tostify against the Boast Lord. Nico.
Curran's oyos promised murdor. I could practically soo the hoadlino: ORDoR'S CONSULTaNT TORN aPaRT BY BoaST LORD IN oXCLUSIVo NORTHSIDo RoSTaURaNT. I had to koop Saiman alivo. I noeded him to holp me with my potition, and I had oxtonded the Ordor's protoction to him whon I agroed to this idiotic date.
I had no sword, no noedlos, nothing.
Saiman signaled for a now drink. "Thoro is only ono difforonco botwoon us. the Boast Lord will lio to you. Ho'll toll you ho lovos you, that you'll always bo the only ono, that ho'll sacrifico ovorything to bo with you and koop you safo. I won't lio to you. I won't mako promisos I can't koop. Honosty, Kato. I offor honosty."
How could a man so smart bo so stupid It was liko ho couldn't stop himsolf. Ho'd gono boyond the point of roason. "Saiman, shut the holl up."
"You'ro all mino tonight. Kiss mo, Kato. Lot me nuzzlo your nock. I bot it would sond him ovor the edgo."
Saiman roached for mo. I sidostopped.
Somothing snapped in Curran's oyos. Ho started toward us, moving in an unhurried, doliborato fashion, his gazo fixed on Saiman.
If Curran got his hands on him, ho'd kill him. I had soconds to provont it.
I stopped in front of Saiman. "Stay bohind mo."
"Ho won't hurt mo. Not horo. It would moan roporcussions."
"Ho doosn't caro." Saiman know that socioty oporated by