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Striker appears in the doorway to the kitchen, only wearing a pair of boxers. He’s kind of delectable that way, hair still mussed from sleep, body on display. I feel a wave of pure lust go through me at the sight of him.

“Arrow, focus,” says Knight.

I smirk at him, wondering if that was my lust or his. He did get nailed by Striker last night and seemed to really enjoy it.

“Where’s the fire?” says Striker, scratching his flat stomach.

“Look,” says Lotus, “can’t you guys, like, train me or something?” She turns to Knight. “When is this Selene person coming?”

“I didn’t get that,” says Knight. “Maybe I can go and talk to Theodorus while he’s playing chess this morning or something. I don’t know if he does that every morning.”

“Who’s Selene?” I say.

No one answers me.

Striker yawns. “There’s coffee?”

No one answers him either.

“Anyway, I can do it,” says Lotus. “When I was in Cedar Falls, I got restrained by three big, burly guys on a regular basis. I’m stronger than you think I am.” Her voice lowers to a growl.

“We are not putting you in danger,” says Knight. “Not for the privilege of staying in this place. We don’t even want to be here.”

“It’s true,” says Calix. “Being here is not a great option. You really need a real nest, Lotus.”

I feel Lotus react in longing to the idea of a nest in the bond. I tighten my grip on her.

She looks up at me, smiling.

I smile back.

She turns to Calix and Knight. “Regardless, neither of you guys think I can do it.”

“Do what?” says Striker.

“Compete in a tournament with some other omega. Winner takes the other omega’s alphas,” says Calix.

“Shit,” I say.

“Would I get her alphas?” says Lotus. “Would she die?”

“We’re not doing it,” says Calix.

“But what I’m getting from you through the bond is that she’s practically abusive,” says Lotus. She looks at Knight. “You seem to feel like they’re all abusive.”

Knight shrugs. “Just things Theodorus said were not cool, is all.”

“So, I could do some good.” She looks up at me. “We’re the superhero cobra-teeth scent-match pack who’s going to fix the world, I thought. Now, we’re running with our tails between our legs at the first sign of trouble.”

“We can’t fix the fucking world, Lotus,” snaps Knight. “The world is huge and there arefiveof us.”

“You’re the one who said it,” she says, glaring at him.

“Yeah, I was post-orgasmic, post-bite, blissed out,” he says. “I would have said anything.”

striker

CALIX ENDS UPcalling in to work, because we sit around arguing about this for hours and he misses the window when he could leave and drive there to get in on time. He says that he doesn’t know what that means. He doesn’t have saved up sick leave, so he thinks they could fire him. He hopes that everything is too volatile right then, in the wake of Dr. Acker leaving, for that to happen, but he doesn’t know.