Page 208 of Star Claimed Omega
The two spirits glimmered together in silence, then dissolved like stardust.
When his wolf spirit flashed back into his frame, Soleil gazed into Xander’s face, relieved to find a smile.
‘Welcome to the Signet family, Red.’
‘Sante.’
It was all she could say as he prowled away.
Soleil closed her eyes and breathed.
When she returned to the fire, the worry inside her eased. Her shoulders straighter, her hands unclenched.
She accepted a drink from Savvine, who pulled her close in a half-hug. ‘I’m over the moon I now have an ally, honey, because this pack is freakin’ strong-willed, Miral included.’
Miral leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. ‘We don’t put up with shit or being messed around, and we don’t suffer fools. We’re wild, rowdy, but always loving, and you’ll fit right in with us.’
Soleil chuckled. ‘I think I’ll be fine. Fact, when you throw me to the wolves, I come back leading the pack as queen.’
Miral reared her head back and snapped her fingers. ‘Oh, you’re feisty, Soleil. I like you more every day.’
‘My bad bitch attitude spices everything up,’ Soleil said with a sweet smile.
The trio laughed, joined in sisterhood as the rest of the night slipped by.
Banter soon filled the air.
Boaz called Mak a ‘show pony’ for his silk shirt and tailored linen pants.
Zev challenged Kaal to a hot pepper duel (which he instantly regretted).
Rigo played mind games with Miral to see if his quick intellect could outdo her high-tech intelligence.
He failed every time but kept trying, coming close to beating her with a complex equation.
‘I pity the woman who realizes your obsession with numbers is what you term as the best foreplay,’ Miral snarked.
Santi, of course, was ever the charming rogue, smooth-tongued and laughing, his wit sharp enough to nick everyone at least once.
Yet his gaze and attention never left Soleil.
She started chiming in, then with more confidence.
Her voice grew stronger, her smile surer.
At one point, she stole a grilled peach right off Boaz’s plate and winked when he growled in mock protest.
Later, as the fire crackled and the stars swam lazy paths overhead, she ended up in Santi’s lap, his arms encircled her waist, her head against his shoulder.
They didn’t need words.
Around them, the pack laughed and argued and toasted the moon.
Soleil was silent.
In the flicker of the firelight, Soleil stared down at her hands.
Where once there had been a secret implanted into her wrist, now there was only smooth, unblemished skin.
