been holed up in Flint’s cabin deep in the woods across the clearing from Ember’s.
Holly was glad for one thing though—Cobalt had insisted on her staying in his own smaller cabin in the woods while he and Ember shared this one. Ember had done her best to convince her to stay here too, but Cobalt had given her the hard sell. His cabin had a modern kitchen and furniture, a running shower and a hot tub fed by a natural spring.
Ember had been worried Holly would feel isolated there, but she had always loved Cobalt’s cabin.
It was peaceful, the small parcel of land that stretched down to the creek always quiet, and it felt like a hundred miles away from the bustle at the main area of the pride’s territory and a million miles away from the craziness she would have been in the middle of had she stayed home with her family.
Ember paused at her work sorting through a tangle of white string lights and glanced at Holly, her grey-blue eyes warm as the firelight glinted off them. “So, what was this book about?”
Holly sank back into the wine-red couch in front of the large stone fireplace and pulled her feet up onto the seat of it. “Some cowboy riding in to save the day and whisking the heroine away to live on his ranch in Montana.”
“Sounds exactly like the last one you read.” Cobalt shook his head and she was tempted to pick up one of the unlit candles from the side table and hurl it at his back.
From the moment he had realised she was spending her time in his cabin reading romance novels, he had been rolling his eyes and shaking his head whenever Ember asked her about them.
“You need to get yourself a real man.” The big blond male twisted away from the kitchen and crossed the floor to them, set a mug down in front of her on the wooden coffee table and then one in front of Ember.
Holly clammed up.
Apparently, she couldn’t escape people probing into her private life at this time of year, no matter where she went. She knew he meant well, but it still rankled her.
“Cobalt,” Ember admonished, but there wasn’t any real anger in her tone.
He shrugged, rolling his broad shoulders beneath a thick, black cable-knit jumper. “I’m just saying.”
“I don’t need a male to make me happy.” Holly couldn’t hold back those words, ones she had said so many times to her family over the last few years. When Ember gave her a look, guilt churned in her gut and she was quick to add, “I mean, it’s lovely that you found your mate, but I’m happy as I am, for now.”
That was the first time she had admitted to herself that part of her hoped this whole situation was just that—for now. Not forever. Gods, she didn’t want to end up some spinster cougar rattling around lecturing the young like a few of the teachers who had been at her and Ember’s school. She would sooner die than spend her entire life without experiencing any sort of spark.
Without knowing the feel of a male’s hands on her, or his breath on her neck.
Or his lips claiming hers.
She grabbed her drink and sipped it, hid in it as Cobalt slid down from the arm of the couch to nestle against Ember. Heat filled his grey eyes, bringing out the gold as he gazed at his mate.
Jealousy writhed inside Holly and not for the first time since Cobalt and Ember had picked her up to bring her to the Creek. She tried not to look at them, tried to shut them out as they smiled at each other, as they toyed with each other’s hands and spoke in low voices.
They looked so good together, and they were clearly deeply in love, and here she was, unable to feel a damned thing.
Cobalt’s grey-gold eyes warmed further. There was so much love in that look.
She felt sure no one would ever look at her that way.
Holly set her drink down and stood, and Ember looked up at her, surprise in her grey-blue eyes that turned to guilt as she eased away from her mate and tucked her fall of wavy black hair behind her ear.
“I’m sorry,” Ember whispered.
Holly waved her away. “Don’t be. I think I hear another book calling.”
Before her friend could say anything else, she grabbed her purple jacket from the rack near the door by the kitchen and