the room and electrify what remained.
Gods, he was handsome with his damp dark hair tousled and a black shirt hugging his broad chest.
His rich brown eyes seared her, sent another wave of electricity arcing through her, making her sizzle with awareness of him.
“Eyes front,” Ember whispered out of the corner of her mouth, startling Holly into looking towards the altar. “You can feast on your handsome bear all you want later.”
Holly wanted to growl at Ember for calling her bear handsome.
Her bear.
She shivered again as she felt his gaze on her nape, deep awareness rolling through her. He was her bear. He was hers and she was going to stake a claim on him. Her fangs itched at the thought, blood heating further as her mind raced forwards to imagine the moment.
She took Ivy’s bouquet and drifted into position to one side of the altar, did her best to take in the ceremony and even teared up a little as the couples made their vows. She glanced towards Saint, wishing she could see him through the crowd. What did he make of this? It was unusual for shifters to have weddings, and she had never been to one before, but she loved it.
But not as much as she loved the shifter version of getting married.
A mating was a beautiful declaration of love and was an unbreakable vow. It was forever.
“You may now kiss the bride,” Cobalt said, a look of relief flitting across his grey eyes as he lowered his cards to his side and his shoulders relaxed.
Rath gathered Ivy into his arms and kissed her, and Storm did the same with Gabi. Holly’s heart swelled as she looked at the two couples, as she watched Ember going to Cobalt and kissing him too. She wanted the love that they all shared.
And she had the feeling she had found it.
She looked for Saint, grimaced as everyone crowded the two couples, pressing her towards them as they all hurried to congratulate their alpha and Storm. She pushed her palms against one male, twisted and reached for Ember, seeking a way out of the crush.
Her breath hitched as a gap between two people opened and she spotted Saint making a beeline for her, her lungs seizing as her gaze collided with his and she couldn’t look away. Such hunger. Such ferocity. He pushed through the crowd, easily parting them despite his injured shoulder.
“Congratulations,” he muttered to Rath and Storm, and seized her arm the moment he was within reach.
He pulled her through the crowd and over to one side.
“You all right?” His gruff tone backed up the spark of anger in his dark eyes. “You looked like you were getting squashed.”
Holly shrugged it off, quivered from his touch as he flexed his fingers around her bare arm, the heat of his hand on it like a brand. She was on fire for this male, and he had to see it. His eyes dropped to her mouth, scalding her lips, rousing an ache.
A need.
She licked her lips.
Saint groaned and scrubbed his free hand down his mouth. “You look beautiful. You are beautiful.”
She felt exposed as he gave her a slow once-over, his eyes darkening as his pupils dilated to devour the rich brown of his irises, the hunger that ignited in them unmistakable. Arousing. She shivered from his possessive gaze, had a hard time resisting the urge to throw herself at him after all.
Ember had been right. Saint was done for. She could see it in his eyes, in the need that sparked in them, one that wasn’t all about desire.
“I want to get you away from all these males.” His dark gaze flicked to beyond her, narrowed as it scanned the room.
His gaze strayed back to her lips and she knew what he wanted, because she wanted it too.
She didn’t resist him when he led her to the entrance of the marquee where it was quiet and then out into the fading light, didn’t feel the cold as she gazed up at him, unable to tear her eyes away from his lips or her thoughts away from finally kissing him.
She tensed, shaken from her reverie as his hands brushed her shoulders, and smiled as she realised what he had done. He gathered his coat closed around her and then drew her into his arms, trapping her hands against his hard chest. His heart thundered against her palms, rushing as fiercely as hers was as she stared up at his face, as anticipation