to Gunther in response to her dragon’s own possessive rumblings.
“Good job,” Astra said, then motioned with her hand. “Come on, let me introduce you to some of the others.”
Astra was a whirlwind of enthusiasm who seemed to know everyone at the party. Javin and Val peeled off to go talk to other guests, but Simon remained glued to Astra’s side the entire time, offering blithe commentary when appropriate.
Ksenia found herself happily caught up in the current behind the two of them as she came face to face with dozens of champions and other members of the League. Most greeted her eagerly, congratulating her on a good match and expressing their disappointment in the decision to disqualify her. Several even commented how they liked her style and looked forward to seeing her in the arena again soon.
She didn’t know who was or wasn’t a member of the League Board until after they’d made it through the room to the bar at the other side, after spending more than an hour talking to several dozen people along the way.
Jacob’s wide-eyed look made her brace herself. “Hopefully I didn’t fuck that up,” she said, giving him a cautious glance.
“Oh, honey, not one bit. I think you managed to impress pretty much everyone who needed to be impressed. I kind of want to take you home and make love to you right now.”
“As tempting as that is, I’m having fun. Can we stay?”
“We will stay for as long as you want—all damn night, if that’s what you feel like,” Teague said. “At least if the hosts can tolerate us.”
“The hosts!” Astra said, eyes widening. “Shit, we need to find them. I knew there was someone I was forgetting. C’mon!”
Ksenia barely had time to get a drink from Levi—the tall, bright-eyed cheetah shifter bartender—before Astra grabbed her by the elbow and hauled her toward the deck outside.
She led Ksenia around the side of the house, past a spectacular garden, and down a flight of stone steps that wound around to the lower level. A wide wall of glass panels came into view that faced the lake, not unlike the gym level of her mates’ home. Or was it her home now? She wasn’t sure if she could call it that, but the warmth in her chest suggested that yes, it was her home now too.
“There they are,” Astra said, breaking into a jog and waving at the pair of men who were just visible through one of the open sliding panels. They were talking to someone else Ksenia couldn’t see through the reflective glass.
Beside her, Simon whispered, “Don’t make any bets with those two that you aren’t prepared to lose.”
Ksenia gave him a sidelong look. “Noted.”
The men they approached were both sleekly muscled with black hair, though one had blue eyes, the other dark. She recognized them as dragons a split-second before she remembered their faces from all the vids she’d watched. Her excitement sparked, a smile coming to her lips. It was the Hot Wings duo.
When they approached the open panel, though, Teague let out a soft curse and Gunther groaned. Whoever Hot Wings were talking to came into view—a pair of tall, fit men with pale blond hair, not as bulky as the other pair, but just as athletic. If they were champions, she didn’t remember seeing any vids of them, but obviously her mates knew them. Then her stomach churned as she put the pieces together.
“It’s Silver Fangs, isn’t it?” she whispered.
Gunther only grunted and gave a sharp nod.
Ksenia gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the worst. The two men turned in perfect sync, their identical ice-blue eyes landing on her, then shifting to her mates. Neither man looked surprised.
Astra was oblivious to the sudden tension roiling around them now. She barreled forward, leaving Simon behind.
“Iggy! Bry! This is her! Ksenia, come meet Hot Wings. They’ve been dying to meet you since the match.”
Ksenia made a deliberate effort to focus on the two smiling dragons and ignore the other two. “It’s an honor,” she said, shaking their hands.
“And this pair of twin wolfy wonders are Ryker and Ronin, otherwise known as Silver Fangs. Jury’s out on them,” Astra said, prompting Ksenia to turn and look at the other two. She didn’t miss Astra’s ambivalent introduction.
Before she could utter a “nice to meet you,” one of the pair sneered and said, “Well, if it isn’t the latest cheater.” He glanced at Jacob. “You really one-upped yourself, man. You went from accusing us of