Page 121 of Ondine: Vol. 2

37

Heat

Ondine

Iawake feeling conflicting shit. I’m too hot and yet seeking warmth. I’m horny but I need everyone to stop touching me. I’m so thirsty but the idea of that powdery, metallic water I’ve been drinking makes me want to wretch from my empty stomach. So, in the end, I wake up crying.

“Shadow!” I yell for the first alpha my instincts want. I can feel the rejection from a handful of people in the bond for my choice. But they quickly snuff it out. I lurch up and see I’m in a different room than the last place I remember.

Shadow climbs over Arnie to get to me. Killer must have been in the bed, too, because she’s awoken from the movement and darts out the door. Arnie grunts and there’s a couple of swear words exchanged.

We are all in bed together. It’s dark, but my eyes have adjusted. All our smells are in the air makes for a beautiful arrangement. Shadow holds me in his arms.

“What do you need, my love?”

“My nest,” I cry. Jake unwinds himself from my legs and stumbles away only to return shortly after with my portable nest. Jake’s tie. Shadow’s book. Arnie’s comb. Sebastian’s hat. I unwind it and put the contents on the bed in front of me. I get on my knees and sort through the contents.

Tears track down my face.

“It’s not here!” I shout, devastated.

Shadow strokes my hair, pulling our foreheads together. “What’s missing, my love? It looks all there.”

I can’t believe he doesn’t know! I go through the items again. My hands are shaking. I’m getting frustrated and upset. And my tears dot on the mattress below.

“It’s not here. It’s missing.”

The men scramble around. Arnie counts my items with his fingers. The bond is stressed.

Finally, Freddie comes to sit in front of me.

My calm causes everyone to stop.

Freddie tips my face up. His long hair fan around his shoulders.

“If something is missing, princess, use your words and tell us.”

My eyes fall to his chain around his neck.

His hand comes up to it possessively. Then he relaxes.

“If you want it. Take it.”

I narrow my eyes at him.

This asshole. I gather my little nest back up. I have a feeling he’s not going to make it easy.

I turn to Shadow and hold out the nest. “Will you..?”

He nods and holds my nest close to his chest.

And before I let them feel my intention, I pounce onto Freddie. He’s quick and jumps back all the way off the bed.

But I’m not going to stop until I have it. So, I’m right there with him, leaping off the bed. He’s either got to catch me or let me fall, and of course my alpha doesn’t let me fall. He holds me in his arms. I pull my arms up and around his neck to fiddle with the clasp.

“Oh no you don’t,” he says and swings us around.

“Freddie!” I screech. He drops us to the rug and when my butt hits the floor he grabs at my arms to pull them off of him.