Nick raised the glass to Raluca’s red-rose lips. Looking into his eyes, she spoke with sincerity and passion. “I drink from your hands. I give you my heart.”
Hearing the ancient lupine vows in his beloved dragon’s voice struck him to the heart. He had to force his hand to be steady as he tipped the glass against her lips.
Raluca drank from his hands.
Our hearts are one, as are our lives, said his wolf. Forever.
Nick echoed his wolf’s words. His voice came out gravelly, almost in a growl. “Did your dragon say anything?”
Raluca smiled. “Nothing so profound, I’m afraid. She said, ‘What took you so long?’”
Nick chuckled as he returned her drink, but his amusement didn’t break the spell. They sat together in silence, wrapped up in the awe of the bond and love of each other.
Raluca’s words echoed and re-echoed in Nick’s mind. He’d never thought much about mates until his teammates had started finding theirs, and even then, he’d never really believed that he too would find his. The few times he had imagined it, he’d vaguely pictured a completely different sort of woman, either a streetwise wolf shifter who was basically a female version of himself, or, on the theory that his teammates might be right that he needed to chill out and maybe his mate could help him with that, someone soft and submissive and sweet enough to make your teeth hurt. Neither of those imaginary women had seemed all that sexy, which was probably why he hadn’t spent much time thinking about it.
He’d never imagined himself with anyone remotely like Raluca. If someone had tried to describe her to him — a foreign princess who’d never eaten a hamburger and didn’t know how to drive because she’d always had chauffeurs, a woman who couldn’t stand to hear the word ‘fuck’ — he’d have thought he’d hate her. And he sure as hell wouldn’t have thought she’d be any sexier than the female Nick or that awful-sounding cross between a school counselor and a nurse.
But here was Raluca, the real person, in her diamond-studded dancing shoes. Raluca, who had wild sex in dressing rooms and risked her life to protect him. Raluca, the ex-princess who’d literally flown away from her entire life for a chance at freedom. Raluca, who understood his anger because she had a rage burning inside her to rival his own.
Raluca, his true love.
He’d never imagined her because she was so much more than he ever could have dreamed. He’d give his life to protect her without a second thought. But more than that, he wanted to live with her. When he’d been alpha of the gang, he hadn’t thought he’d see twenty-five, and he hadn’t much cared. Now he wanted to live to get old, just so he could spend all those years together with Raluca.
“I love you too,” she said softly, as if she’d been reading his mind.
Then she slid off the bar stool and stood up, giving him an amazing view of that wild clubbing outfit of hers. “You cannot dance with me, can you?”
Nick shook his head. “Too distracting. I will some other time, though. After we catch those fuckers.”
Raluca had obviously been expecting that, because she didn’t look too disappointed. “In that case... Want to see my new moves?”
Nick grinned at the phrase; Destiny must have taught Raluca more than just the NaeNae. “You bet.”
Raluca strode on to the dance floor. Several people watched her, curiously or with admiration. Nick bet a few women would catch her after she was done to ask her where she’d gotten those amazing tattoos.
She waited until a new song began. And then Raluca began to dance.
Her hips shimmied like they were made of water, making her glitter skirt flare out like a starburst. Her diamond heels clacked against the floor, drumming out a counterpoint to the hip-hop beat. Raluca moved with grace and beauty, lightness and precision, almost floating above the ground. Nick’s heart lifted even more as he watched his mate dance. He’d guessed she’d be good, but he hadn’t realized she’d be that good.
Nick laughed suddenly as he recognized the song: Pitbull’s “International Love.”
Raluca lifted her head and caught Nick’s eyes. His appreciation seemed to give her even more confidence. She began to dance faster, her feet a sparkling blur, tearing up the dance floor with the wildest, fiercest moves he’d seen in his life. She was getting down like a street dancer, moving with passion and sensuality, fire and grace, and doing some dirty, dirty dancing. Her long silver hair flew out like dragon wings.
At long last, Raluca was cutting loose.
&n
bsp; Nick was hypnotized. So was everyone else. The entire nightclub was watching, conversations falling silent as people stopped talking to stare, other dancers one by one coming to a halt just to watch her.
When the song finally ended, her feet slammed into the floor in perfect sync with the final beat. She stopped with her arms outstretched, going from top speed to statue-still in a heartbeat. Her hair kept moving for a moment after she stopped, then fell like silver rain. Nick leaped to his feet to cheer, and the crowd followed.
Raluca’s eyes widened in startled pleasure. She started to lift a hand to beckon to him to join her, then dropped it, obviously remembering that he couldn’t.
But maybe he could.
Nick gave her a “hang on” gesture, then cut through the crowd to where Destiny stood with her drink in hand.
“I didn’t teach her any of that,” Destiny remarked, her voice pitched so only Nick could hear. “That was one hundred percent Raluca.”