He tried to think of something to say as he made his way toward where Lyla and Alexander stood.
But when he finally reached them… his mind was completely blank.
“Can I have a word with you?” Boaz asked, staring straight at Alexander. Before the vampire could answer, Boaz turned and walked away, long strides carrying him away from the curious eyes of the pack as he headed for the trees. He stopped at the edge of the lake.
Moonlight shimmered across the dark water. His clothes were still scattered across the ground where he’d left them earlier.
He wished he could go back. Back to that quiet moment when it had just been him and Lyla in the lake. Now it felt like that moment had never happened at all. He should have said something. Should have taken the chance when he had it. Should have asked her to be his.
Instead he had hesitated… and now another man was standing in front of her, kissing her hand like she already belonged to him.
With a frustrated sigh, Boaz bent and dragged his clothes on, disappointment squeezing his chest.
The soft crunch of footsteps over gravel and fallen leaves broke the silence behind him.
“It’s almost dawn,” Boaz said without turning around. “Thank you for the wine. I’m sure you’re ready to return home.”
Silence met his word.
Fuck. Was he going to have to spell it out for him?
When he turned around, he was met by the vampire’s intense stare. The cold blue of his eyes bled into a glowing red.
His eyes had done that right before he bit me.
Goosebumps raced over Boaz’s skin as they continued to stare at each other. He forced himself not to look away, even though every instinct told him to. His heart slammed harder the longer they held each other’s gaze.
“Are you telling me to leave?” Alexander asked after a tense moment.
“Yes, I…” Boaz said, the rest of his words dying in his mouth as Alexander stalked closer and something electric, alive, shimmied over his skin tingling where it had no right to.
Fuck, why?
Boaz balled his hands into fists at his sides, trying to fight whatever the hell this was.
But the feeling only intensified the closer Alexander came. It pinched at his skin, squeezed the air from his lungs, wrapped tight around his chest like invisible fingers.
His body was reacting to the vampire. Reacting in a visceral, instinctive way he had never felt before. Not with anyone. Not even Lyla. It was as if some buried part of him had been asleep his entire life and Alexander had woken it up with a single bite to the neck.
Boaz clenched his fists harder, his nails biting into his palms.
“I want you to leave,” he said firmly. “And stay away from Lyla. She’s…” He hesitated, then forced the rest out. “She’s someone I’m interested in.”
“Is that so?” Alexander said. Only a single step separated them.
Boaz blinked. His heart slammed painfully against his ribs. “Yes.”
Alexander’s eyes glowed in the darkness as he stared at him.
“I can’t do that,” the vampire snarl. “She’s my bride.”
The word hung heavy between them. Shocking and troubling.
“I joined the war because I was destined to meet her,” Alexander continued, his lips curling back revealing the tips his fangs. “And I’m not going to let you or anyone stop me from claiming her.”
He leaned closer, so close Boaz felt the heat coming off his body. The vampire’s nostrils flared slightly.
Was he… smelling him?