Page 28 of Stray
No… That wasn’t it.
She was burning hot. Her skin was flushed, and she finally realized it was due to more than mere infatuation.
Ella froze, the imaginary melody she’d been keeping time to in her head coming to a screeching halt. Her heart was pounding in her ears, which made her feel even dizzier.
His eyes were locked on hers, piercing and inescapable. He knew. In that moment, there was no doubting it. Humiliation washed over her, but there was something about the way he was looking at her that gave her pause. A glimmer of something, something dangerous and sharp as a knife, threatening to cut deep into her soul.
Lust.
She’d seen it before, in Bishop’s gaze before he’d pushed her up against the tree. She recognized it, if only as the reflection of the flame burning in her core.
Her hands were still on his chest, she realized. His had both drifted to her hips, and wherever his fingers made contact, her flesh burned with desire so intensely that she was sure there would be marks left on her skin when he pulled away.
For a moment, fear edged into that desire. She was alone with a strange tom in a confined space, and no one else knew she was there. It would be so easy for him to take advantage of the situation under normal circumstances, to say nothing of someone in her position.
A queen in heat could be taken. Marked. The bond was not one meant to be forced, but that hadn’t stopped unscrupulous toms from committing such treachery in the past.
Of course, that was all based on the premise that she could overcome her insatiable hunger for the man in front of her. From the lithe muscle rippling beneath his shirt to his silvery eyes, he was the epitome of perfection, the perfect blend of masculine beauty and sophistication. Ever since they’d started dancing, shameful fantasies had been flitting through her head.
She should have known. She should have seen it coming, and yet, how could she have? After all this time, now of all occasions…
“You’re in heat.” His voice was gentle but stiff, as if he was trying to measure his own tone. She felt a wall go up between them as he took a step back and her humiliation only grew.
Ella brought a hand to her lips, taking a stumbling step back. She’d come so close to kissing him. What the hell was wrong with her? She knew heats could be overpowering, but she felt like another version of herself, on autopilot and nearly senseless.
“I’m sorry.” It was the only thing she had the presence of mind to choke out, but the confusion on his face made the absurdity of the answer plain to her.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, I just…” He trailed off, seeming to be at a loss for what Ella was quite certain must have been the first time in his life. “Don’t you have the implant?”
“Implant?” she asked, at the risk of him thinking she was even more foolish.
His frown deepened. “The exam. I assume you had it sometime last year.”
Ella’s mind was racing. She knew she had to be missing something, and was going to kick herself once she realized how obvious it was. No matter how she tried, she just couldn’t figure out what he was talking about.
The last time she’d been to a doctor, it was because she had sprained her ankle badly after slipping on the icy driveway carrying groceries in from the car. Emily had insisted she was fine and could just walk it off, but the next day, when Ella’s ankle was still bruised and swollen, she had finally decided to consult a doctor.
She hadn’t had the time for a trip into town back then, but the pride doctor frequently made house calls. He’d mentioned nothing of an exam, other than asking Ella if she had already gone into heat. When she’d answered no, that was that.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Whenever a queen reaches maturity, it’s common practice for her to receive an implant to prevent her from going into heat before she’s mated.” His voice was free of the condescension she had expected, but it was humiliating nonetheless.
All this time, how could she not have known? Granted, Emily was the only female figure in her life who might’ve told her about such things. Beatrice was human, and knew only as much about shifters as she was paid to.
“Oh,” she said, feeling her cheeks inflame once more. “I wasn’t aware. No, I.… I haven’t had anything like that.”
“I see,” he murmured. He was so hard to read. Surely, he must think her an idiot, but at least his calm demeanor was settling her nerves. She felt safe with him somehow. Perhaps against her better judgment. “We should get you to the clinic. This is really a matter for the doctor to handle.”
Ella wasn’t at all sure how she felt about something so personal and humiliating being a matter foranymember of the school staff to handle, but she was too overwhelmed to argue. She followed him down the hall, freezing when they walked past a small group of toms coming in from the sports field.
She saw the first hulking male who rivaled Axel in his muscular build sniff the air before his gaze landed on her. His eyes went from normal to gleaming in an instant, and there was no mistaking the predatory intent in them.
Ella’s throat tightened and she took a step back as Mr. Bryant stepped in front of her, his right arm outstretched protectively. Her heart was racing, and she was torn between the drive to flee and the knowledge that it would only make her pursuers more ravenous. There was nothing that intrigued a feline shifter more than quick, flighty prey. She knew that well.
“Gentlemen, I suggest you continue on your way to class,” Mr. Bryant said in a growl she’d never heard before.
The three males looked at each other, their gazes now equally hungry. They all turned back to Ella, and she could see their muscles tense, as if they were ready to spring.
