Page 54 of Riot of Autumn

“Give it back if it’s so wrong.” Ruby holds out her hand, looking like she’s going to grab the slice right out of it. I lean away from her and shove the entire, small fucking square into my mouth.

Ruby laughs and then snaps her mouth shut like she didn’t mean to let that sound out. I grin at her and pluck out another piece of pizza before she can slap my hand away.

“I’m not so stubborn that I won’t eat a wrongly shaped piece of pizza.”

There’s an agitated energy in the air tonight. The moon is huge in the sky and there’s a faintly red tinge to it. Even if I didn’t know all this Fae shit was real, I’d still be questioning if there was some dark entity messing with our energies or the universe was off kilter or something. Or maybe my wolf side wants to come out and run beneath the moon.

“Did you know that a hunter’s moon is a symbol of fertility?” Zara offers helpfully from the other side of Ruby.

Ruby and I both turn to stare at her. Zara smiles at us like she didn’t just casually drop that bit of information into conversation.

“That’s disturbing,” Archer comments as he fishes a beer out of the cooler at my feet and sits down next to me.

His shoulder brushes against mine and then lingers, almost like he’s rubbing up against me. I turn to look at him, but he’s staring at Lena like he’s about to grab her and test the boundaries of that fertility statement.

On the other side of me, Ruby’s hand lands on my thigh as she bends forward to set down her pizza box. Her shirt lifts, leaving a strip of skin on show above her pants. One little slice of skin should not be so fucking tempting, but I want to shred her shirt and run my mouth up and down her back. To lick her everywhere until she’s crying out in my arms.

Her hand slowly inches up my leg, but Ruby’s not even looking at me. She’s talking to Zara. Rhys is behind Zara, dropping kisses on her neck and shoulder in an overly affectionate way that I haven’t seen from him before. Zara’s head is resting on his shoulder, her eyes half closed while she chats with Ruby as if all is perfectly normal.

Miri and Davis are standing behind Rhys, making out like two high school kids. Archer’s shoulder brushes against mine again, and something hovers in the back of my mind. I look around the beach where hundreds of people are gathered in smaller groups. There are other fires dotting the beach and a low, steady pulse of music hums through the air. People are dancing—no, that’s not quite right—they’re practically dry humping each other. Not just couples, but groups of people.

Are those three people all kissing each other at the same time? It looks…complicated. And there’s a lot of tongue. I cut my eyes away from a woman who just stuck her hand down some guy’s pants only to realize that my hand is on Ruby’s back, underneath her shirt.

When the hell did I do that?

Ruby’s hand is nearly on my dick, and Archer’s hand has somehow made its way to my other leg.

“What the fuck is going on?” I growl, shaking off the desire to pull both Ruby and Archer in closer to me.

Archer turns to look at me, his gaze a little blurry and unfocused. “What are you talking about?” He punctuates his words by cupping my cheek.

I point to his hand and his brows pull down in a confused frown.

“Why am I gently caressing your cheek?”

“I’m kind of wondering the same thing.” I pluck his hand off my face, but instead of tossing it back to him I curl my fingers around his instead.

“What the fuck is going on?” Archer grumbles while Lena drapes her arms over his shoulders and starts rubbing all over him.

Ruby’s hand cups my junk, and I force myself to stand up, breaking contact with her and Archer. The fire is roaring at my back, heating me almost to the point of pain. Everyone is extra touchy right now and while I’m feeling it too, I don’t seem to be as affected as the rest of them.

“Something is happening,” I snarl, eyes roaming the crowd as if I’ll find answers waiting for me. “Everyone stop touching. Get away from each other.”

Zara’s the first one to listen, taking a step forward, much to the unhappiness of Rhys. Ruby follows a few seconds later, but she gets too close to me. She’s reaching out and trying to pull me against her body before I realize she’s moved. She’s plastered to my side, her hands immediately finding bare skin under my shirt as she wiggles her body to get closer to me.

“The Duke,” Zara whispers next to me.

I manage to push Ruby out of my arms despite the low growl that rumbles from my chest. That need has nothing to do with magic. I always want her body against mine. On top of me, writhing and screaming my name while she rides me and comes all over my dick.

I blink through the haze of lust and take a second to breathe. Without Ruby touching me, my mind clears slightly, and I can think again without feeling drunk on her skin. Although one quick look at everyone else and it’s obvious I’m getting off easy. Fuck, no. That is the wrong way to say that.

I follow Zara’s line of sight and scowl at the asshole who’s holding court close to the water. He’s sitting in a large chair that does not belong on the beach. Did they bring the fucking throne from Colton’s house here? People are gathered around him, sitting near his feet, reaching out as though they’re dying to touch some piece of him.

“Is this him? Can he create some kind of lust magic and affect an entire crowd of people?” I ask, finally realizing that all the touching and groping going on isn’t the typical out-for-a-good-night kind of behavior.

This is some next level shit. The same thing was happening at his house when Ruby and I were there, but it wasn’t affecting us that night.

“I can sense the magic being used,” Zara hisses. “Although I have no idea how he’s doing it. He’s using magic that isn’t natural to the Summer Court. This kind of influence would require an incredible amount of power.”

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