Backstage at the Freak Show (Harem of Freaks #7) - Crystal Ash Page 0,15

Tak replied calmly. "My species used to roam the most frozen parts of the northern hemisphere. Now we're monsters in Inuit legends."

"Cool. Next question," Gabe said dryly. "What the hell were you doing with Miriam?"

"Hey," I spun to face him. "I'm right fucking here, you know."

"Alright, fine." He crossed his arms, turning his gaze on me. "What the hell were you doing with him?"

"Dancing," I fired back. "And talking. You know, stuff people do at weddings. Not that it matters to you, anyway."

"Of course it matters to me," he huffed, eyes narrowing. "You're with us. And it looked like you were about to kiss him."

"So?" I challenged. "At least he wanted to kiss me."

Gabe's expression sent a crack shattering through my heart. After all this time, I finally saw what he kept hidden so far beneath the surface.

"I do want to kiss you," he breathed in a pained voice. "Constantly. It's all I think about, Mir. I just--" he raked a hand through his auburn hair. "I just don't want to lose you like I lost my pack."

A pin could drop in that hallway and it would be deafening. Colt stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, and I knew those were the most honest words Gabe had spoken in a long time. To me, maybe ever.

"Then why are you so hot and cold with me?" I asked, holding onto this raw, honest moment like it might be the only time I see it. "Why do you act like I don't matter to you, but do sweet little things that no one else would think of?"

"I can't lose you if I tell myself you're not mine," he muttered, eyes flickering down in shame. "But no matter what, I love seeing you light up. I live for the smile on your face when you're happy, then die a little at the thought of someone like that," he nodded at the human now being zipped into a body bag, "taking you away from me."

"Gabe," I voiced more breathily than I intended. "Then what's with the interrogation about Tak?"

"I don't know, I--" he sucked in a deep breath. "I fucked up, Miriam. I'm sorry. I've been such a dick and I thought you wanted to replace me with him." He looked at Tak. "Sorry, dude. You did a good thing here. We all owe you our thanks."

"I'm just glad the two shaman are safe," Tak looked at me before raising his eyes to the main room where Mel's men fawned over her, blissfully unaware of the fact that someone just burst in to kill them.

All the better. No one needed that stress on their wedding day.

"I'm not replacing you, Gabe," I said, returning my attention to the wounded wolf. "But I was fully intending on kissing Tak, and that's something I should've brought up with you two first." I looked up at Colt, still wrapped around me protectively. "I was acting out of frustration and I'm sorry for that. It's not fair to any of you." I lifted my eyes to Tak, indicating I was referring to him as well.

He was still completely nude and not in the least bit shy. Leaning one large shoulder against the wall, he watched our conversation passively with broad arms crossed in front of an even broader chest. Black line tattoos arranged in intricate geometric patterns decorated the thick, corded muscles of his forearms. Keeping my eyes on his face and not anywhere lower was the biggest challenge of the night.

Colt pulled my attention away from the muscle-bound Amarok, lifting my chin up to make me stare into his gorgeous, golden eyes.

"Do you still want to kiss him, Mir?"

My whole body lit up like a match. I knew exactly what he was asking between those words and wanted to kiss him just for asking. Colt just understood me. There was no game with him, which was what I loved about him.

I nodded yes at his question, my throat too thick with desire to speak.

A naughty smirk pulled at my handsome wolf's lips. "Go get him, then."

I turned to face Tak, whose grin now echoed Colt's. With his clothes gone and the adrenaline still pumping through me at what just happened, I approached him until his arms dropped to his sides. His odd-colored eyes captured me, and his clean, masculine scent was intoxicating.

"Did you want to finish what we started?" My voice was low and husky. I'd never done anything like this before and probably never would have