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“And a bloody yacht,” Curran put in with a small shudder. “But maybe we could take a miss on that for now.”

“Agreed.” Emma’s reply was heartfelt.

“As I was saying,” Gabriel went on, “I have a property there that might be a more pleasant place for a pack heat than this relic. But I’m not averse to putting down roots in New York.”

“You’d all be okay with that?” I asked. “Starting over in a new country for us?”

“Rosebud,” Onyx said kindly. “Starting over to make a better life is basically what the three of usdo. You could almost say we’re experts at it.”

A strange, warm feeling was kindling in my gut. I glanced at Emma and found her wiping furtively at her cheeks.

“Well,” I said. “I guess that’s all right, then.”

I’d been to Madrid as a model, but never to Lisbon. Clearly, I’d been missing out. Gabriel’s property was technically located in the village of Reguengo Grande, about an hour’s drive from the city. The place hadn’t yet lost its cozy charm despite the influx of rich expats—with its shops and coffee houses frequented by the locals, tucked among unspoiled hiking trails and hills dotted with windmills.

The house itself was nine thousand square feet of brick and local stone with exposed beams in the white plaster ceilings, a red clay tile roof, and artisan furniture. A flagstone patio abutted a pristine swimming pool sheltered on three sides by the house, while garden paths meandered through green grass and a profusion of colorful flower beds covering the two-acre plot.

The landscaping bill alone probably would have bankrupted me.

I adored it. Emma had fallen head-over-heels in love with it at first sight. And that was before we’d seen the nest.

It wasn’t unusual for these kinds of rich pack houses to have nests as part of the design, but Onyx let slip that Gabriel had never had it furnished. Not until he’d invited us here for my heat.

I had to hand it to his contractors; they’d worked fast. It was far and away the most extravagant heat nest I’d ever seen. Culturally appropriate for the area to the smallest detail, while also radiating privacy and coziness. It was located centrally on the second floor. No windows marred the womblike sense of privacy.

I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of lighting was in use, but whatever it was, it radiated a warm, red glow that deepened the patina of the antique wood furnishings. Every sharp edge was covered with soft cushions or upholstery. Fuzzy, woven blankets draped chair backs and the massive, curved sofa seating that wrapped around a sunken area in the center of the room.

There, the floor itself was made of upholstered cushions. Emma and I had set up a blanket fort there on the very first night.

Despite the age of some of the furniture, someone had taken care to ensure that nothing in the nest smelled of other people. After the better part of a week, it now smelled like us.

The alphas hadn’t intruded, respecting the ancient tradition of not entering an omega nest without an explicit invitation.

“We could invite them, you know,” Emma said, from where she lay curled up in an armchair with her nose buried in a book.

I was already getting broody, obsessively moving things around, only to move them back half an hour later.

“We could,” I agreed. “But I want it to be just for my heat.” I added another pillow to the pile I was building in one corner and tilted my head to take in the effect. “It’s, y’know, part of the whole thing. Inviting them in, I mean.”

“I don’t know, actually,” she said, putting down her book to give me her full attention. “My only experience of heat involved a rented sailboat.”

I paused, straightening from my pillow pile.

“You’re okay with this, right?” I asked, suddenly worried. “I know I tend to get the bit between my teeth when I have an idea. And now we’re in Lisbon, and you—”

“Stop,” she said. “Seriously, Elijah.Stop. You’re fretting.”

I drew in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. Abruptly, I was burning up inside. “Sorry.Shit. I think I’m...”

“Perfuming like crazy?” she suggested. “Um... okay. As we’ve already established, I don’t know what the hell I’m d-doing. But... maybe you should try to eat and drink something while I go get the others?”

I licked my lips. They tingled, along with several other parts of me.

“Yeah,” I said faintly. “Actually, that might be a good idea.”