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Flowers perfumed the air and music scraped across Zander Elios' nerves like a scratchy lullaby. Depressed over the entire situation, he tried to keep his face relaxeed and neutral. It would be just his luck if a reporter took a picture of him scowling at the king's wedding. His father would probably have an embolism. Hmm...that might make the bad press worthwhile...
"Behave!"
The word whispered across his mind with warm amusement but did little to lighten Zander's mood. He dared to flicker another glance at the caramel-coloured Thresl sitting by his side. However, the cat shifter didn't spare him so much as a flicker of attention from his golden eyes.
Damn beast!
This time the thought was entirely his. A flick of the tail showed him his Thresl had at least heard him even if he didn't respond mentally. Zander knew he should be happy for his friends finding each other, but his own love life lacked any sparkle or even hope of future improvement unless some major changes happened. The one creature capable of spicing it up insisted upon keeping his fur.
He sighed as he considered what to do about his problem. There were really only two alternatives—to either pass his Thresl on to somaeone else or to convince the creature to transform and become Zander's perfect other half. With no sign of impending transformation, Zander was beginning to lean towardss the former option. Maybe he just wasn't the right human for this Thresl.
Thresls only converted when they found their mate. After two years of living with and being the intended bondmate for a Thresl, Zander wondered if he'd ever reach the level of commitment shown by his friends. He turned his attention to the men at the front of the room.
The grooms stood on a dais facing each other, their eyes focused exclusively on each other. After watching them for a bit, Zander wondered if the pair even noticed they had an audience. The thrum of love vibrated the air around them and sizzled along Zander's spine. His cock hardened from the sexual energy pouring off the royals. He bit his lip to hold back a curse at his mother. If he hadn't inherited her empathic abilities the wedding would have been so much easier to get through.
He took a slow deep breath to get his feelings under control. Focusing on the ceremony instead of how hot the men looked would probably be a good first step. Traditional Thresl wedding suits of creamy silk with black lapels wrapped both rough-edged men in previously unseen elegance. Kreslan tugged at his jacket only a few times, showing more restraint than Zander would've expected from his volatile friend.
I won't cry! he silently vowed.
The couple's love for each other had people all but holding their breath as the pair exchanged vows. Zander's damn watery eyes apparently hadn't got the notice about drippy noses, red eyes and photographs not mixing well. His family would kill him if he appeared in the media looking less than his best.
There wasn't anything inherently sweet about the marriage between King Vohne, leader of the Thresls, and his mate, Kreslan Piers. Not even when King Vohne handed Kreslan a ceremonial dagger for his wedding present and Kres kissed his cheek. In Zander's opinion, the romantic music added unnecessary drama to the tender sight of the two men legally binding together.
Zander knew Kres thought the event a waste of time since the couple were already soul-bonded and had reincarnated together many times over the past few centuries. However, the king had insisted that the Thresl people needed to see their king marry his mate in order for them to feel settled as a species. If their ruler was happy then they were more likely to feel confident in the future of their race. Kres had eventually given in to his mate's opinion, though with little grace.
Zander privately thought Vohne just wanted to marry his beloved human again and didn't really care who attended their wedding. King Vohne had a surprisingly large romantic streak and indulged in it whenever he could, despite his abrasive mate's negative opinion towardss what he considered mushy extravagance.
However, it wasn't the glamorous audience or the beautiful decorations around the palace that made the ceremony special, but the look in Kres' eyes and the love all but pouring out of the Thresl king. Zander's heart melted as he watched the ceremony. He'd never seen two people so devoted before. He wished to find that same bond with his own Thresl someday, but so far he couldn't even get his cat shifter to change to a man, much less pull total devotion from the beast.
Despite his heavy heart and the low-grade headache poking at the edges of his subconscious, Zander had to smile at the overabundance of trimmings. Not a single space lacked the presence of a bloom or a bow or some sort of decoration. The staff had gone all out to make sure no spot had escaped their attention. Kres must be finding it maddening. As far as Zander knew, the ex-soldier didn't have a romantic bone in his body.
Glancing down at the Thresl sitting at his feet, Zander tried to imagine his beast in human form. What would his Thresl transform into? Would he be completely human or something other? Zander had only heard of one Thresl becoming something other than a two-legged shape because its bonded had lived in the sea. Since Thresls were supposed to become the perfect counterpart for their mates, they tended to be of the humanoid persuasion once transformed. Sadly, once they changed into the ideal companion for their mates they ceased to be a cat. Zander would miss his furry friend, but he damn well wanted the improved version. Not to mention that he could then have sex again. He really missed sex.
A low snarl had Zander smiling. His Thresl often picked up his thoughts. The beast didn't like the idea of Zander being intimate with anyone. Tough.
"If you don't like it, shift." Zander gave a Thresl-worthy mental snarl of his own.
Although he was generally known for his patience, Zander had run out. Now he yearned for his other half.
