well, I'm a lion in the haze and the lamb in the lightning
oh, these spears and chains of flames around my neck are tightening
He was still as she spoke, but there was something about him, something about the way he held himself, the way the lines drew him up that made him look in constant motion—a wildness, a restlessness that simmered beneath his flesh. But his eyes, green and blue and gold, never strayed from her face. He was blunt with his eye contact, direct as he watched her, studied her, tracing the lines of her face with an open seriousness that would have been impossible to miss. He was a hunter, that much was clear.
At the mention of Taiga, his smile grew wide, a swath of white against the black of his lips. “What luck,” he practically growled, his voice low and throaty. “I had just visited Taiga’s borders. I’d been considering a new home.” He tilted his heavy-jawed head toward her, lips flipping in one corner. “I have to say that it is even more,” a pause as he savored the word, “tempting now that I know who also calls it home.”
Of course, such plans could be tricky, depending on just what she was hiding from him, but he rolled with it. He had nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of. He was, and would always be, unabashed of his nature; he lived lavishly and selfishly, taking life’s pleasures as they came. If they came in the form of a grey mare with secrets in her green eyes, then he would not feel bad for indulging in them.
Still, for a moment, just a moment, the conversation turned, the mention of the bear bringing a shadow to her face. “Never had much taste for bear,” he said easily, shrugging his powerful shoulders. “I would be happy to stick to the deer.” He was grateful when she rolled on, letting the moment of tension slide as she began to guess at his abilities. His laugh was low and thick rolling from his tongue. “Is it that obvious?”
He didn’t bother to hide his amusement at her looking at him. Not that he minded. Alek was well aware that he had been graced with swarthy good looks, dark as midnight minus rare patches of ivory. “Panther indeed.” He gave a rakish grin. “Or, I was, until it was taken from me.” He had resented that—resented that his very nature had been cleaved in two, the predator ripped from him and held apart. “I have every intention of getting it back.” At the mention of her own abilities, he made a low noise of interest in his throat, studying her openly, gaze moving along the lines that drew her up until they found her eyes.
“I think I would very much like to see that.”
Aleksandr