When people looked over at him with admiration, he raised his glass in salute, smiling brightly. He was really feeling the scene now. If most of the Earth was like this…sunny and gold, green and fresh, with clear air…then he could get used to it.
He joined a small group standing by a gazebo, smiling as they accepted him into the group. He noticed two of the men appraising him and couldn’t hold back a chuckle.
Humans may not be aware of it, but their animal instincts are still strong. They can’t help but compete a little with a potential rival.
“Hello,” a young woman in a flashy silver dress greeted him. “I haven’t seen you before, Mr.?”
“Onyx,” he said, shaking her hand. “Onyx Cullen.”
“What do you do?” she asked, blinking coyly at him.
He kept his polite smile, but he was a little taken aback by her obvious flirting. She was very slim and definitely not his type. Something about the way her eyes greedily took in his gold cufflinks and ruby studded rings really bothered him.
“Oh, many things,” he said mysteriously. “I am simply enchanted by how yellow the sun is and there’s only one and how green the grass is. It is lovely here.”
The girl looked at her companions and giggled. The two men nodded to each other and smiled knowingly.
Let them write me off as a simpleton. Like I care.
He wandered off, forgetting the people as soon as he turned around. He had no need for anyone else’s approval, and their opinions meant little to him. He could smell competition in the air all around him, and he was a little disappointed in humans on the whole.
Is every social interaction a pecking order dispute?
He was drawn toward the back of the house without knowing why. He tilted his head back, realizing there was a faint hint of a scent in the wind. He couldn’t place it, but he had to know where it came from.
You’re probably just hungry.
As he walked into the courtyard directly behind the back doors of the house, he was struck by the vision coming toward him. Onyx’s champagne glass almost slipped from his hand as his attention was completely taken by the woman walking out of the back of the house.
That’s her.
There could be no doubt. This was the one Gerri wanted him to meet. Her brown hair was thick and glossy, falling in waves around her shoulders. Her pale brown eyes reminded him of amber, the light of the sun reflecting deep within them, glinting with points of gold.
Her figure was full, with big, round breasts barely contained by her tasteful but tight gown. She walked with a swing in her step, making her hips sway, and her breasts bounce. He made a strangled sound deep in his throat, and his hand tightened on the glass so hard he almost broke it.
She seemed to be getting closer. He didn’t care how or why, just that he reached her. The scent was filling his nose, invading his mind. He realized that he was walking toward her as if he were being pulled by an invisible string.
Must claim her. Must mate her. Now.
Shut up.
Onyx had never felt anything like this before. It was overpowering, magnetism beyond what planets felt for the sun or suns in Nova Aurora’s case.
I’d be swallowed by her. I’d be nothing, burn myself to ash, just for a moment of being close to her.
Almost there. His fingertips throbbed. Almost close enough to touch.
Must touch her. Must have her.
“Onyx!” a voice said sharply. He didn’t want to stop. He could barely acknowledge the distraction, but something in the tone made him pause.
Gerri stepped right in front of him. She was incredibly striking in a bright blue gown that set off her pale hair. The way she moved was commanding and confident…this was a woman who was used to being obeyed.
“Gerri,” he muttered, still staring at his mate.
“Not now, Onyx.”
“What?” he whispered, the words not registering.