Set In Sparks (Morningstars Book 2) by Sam Destiny

red hair and the hazel eyes, taking comfort in his Highlander looks. He was huge compared to her, but she never had felt threatened by him.
    Last, but not least, Maya faced the mind reader she hadn’t seen since the last official warrior meeting three months ago. Lex looked uneasy, biting his lip with his brows furrowed over his aquamarine eyes. Seeing him brought a relief to her that had her almost in tears. “Hi,” she breathed and then threw her arms around his neck. He held her tight, whispering apologies into her hair, making her smile. Somewhere on the way she had lost all anger at the warriors. She wanted them by her side, no matter who it was or what they had kept from her. Forgiveness was her greatest strength and biggest weakness in the fight to make her race better and stronger, yet for now she knew she could count on them. The only warrior missing in the room was Jaden and even though that sucked her good mood away like a black hole, she still turned to the murmuring males and females that stood with their backs to the door, obviously ready to escape. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the middle of the room, slowly raising her hands in a gesture to silence everyone.
    “Hello!” She smiled, meeting a few glances. “I’ve met most of the females before tonight. I’m delighted to see that many of your brought partners along. As it is, I provide the most handsome guys as stand-in if you came alone.” She winked at the girls standing alone, then pointed at the five warriors standing to her right. She knew she embarrassed them, but she counted on it lightening the mood.
    “Thanks for making me feel like a piece of meat,” Lex mumbled and Maya heard a few giggles.
    “Sorry, Lex,” she said, mouthing a ‘so not sorry’ to the girls in front of her. More laughter. “For those who haven’t met me yet, I’m Maya. I don’t want to be called Queen or majesty. Maya is totally fine. If you feel more comfortable with my title, expect to call it more than once since it’s hard for me getting used to it.” She shrugged her shoulders in apology and then nodded towards the dancing instructor they had hired. Cany had suggested him and Maya instantly had taken a liking to him since he didn’t have any reservations or opinions about what he wanted to do.
    “Please, everyone, welcome Kendrick, who will be our instructor in this class.” Their guests clapped and Maya nodded at him, stepping back.
    “Everyone, grab yourself a partner, preferably one you like to look at because we’ll be here for two hours,” Kendrick winked.
    Maya couldn’t help but smile before stepping back. She wanted to dance, but she preferred waiting until every girl there had a partner. Maya saw Kaden come closer, but a girl with raven hair intercepted him. Surprise and happiness coursed through him and then he hugged the female, taking her hand to lead her away.
    Nervousness overtook her and she looked up in utter disbelief as Jaden made his way over to her, looking too handsome for his own good: his trademark black jeans hung low on his hips, his chiseled abs hidden beneath a white button-down, the top button open. It made Maya want to run her tongue over the free piece of skin. Jaden actually had pulled a suit jacket over the shirt and Maya’s hands itched to take him out of the room and then very slowly undress him.
    “Hi,” he whispered, leaning in the press an achingly sweet kiss to her forehead, then stepped back. It wasn’t what Maya wanted, but it was better than not having him there at all. “Look at the crowd,” Jaden then added, not taking his eyes of her face.
    A tear slipped down her cheek as she smiled, nodding. “I’m happy with the outcome. There are a few Origins here, so maybe I’ll soon be able to extend my court.” This had been the basic idea underneath the ballroom dancing class: She wanted to find those Origins and bring them together.
    “The guys came, too,” Jaden noticed and Maya nodded