Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Saylor

O men’s skin is cool against mine as my cheek rests against his bony pec. I never knew how intimate naked cuddling could be, but it soothes some part of my system. It’s also nice being able to smell all three of our scents melted together. He was very patient in allowing Leo and me to have our first time together. Honestly, it felt like he taunted Leo into participating. I don’t mind him giving us a gentle nudge together. They may not be used to sharing with the other person, but they figured it out, and that leaves me feeling excited about the future.

Leo sits beside Omen, and his hand teases up and down my back under the blanket I’m wrapped in. “I’m not sure covering up is the right call when you’re this warm.”

Lifting my head, I frown. “I don’t want to turn violent, but you’re going to have a fight on your hands if you try to take my blanket away.” I reach over and squeeze his forearm. “Sorry. The urge to burrow is strong. The room seems really open, and my instincts are unsettled.”

It’s also not helping that Valor has been blocking his thoughts and emotions in the bond. It’s hard to tell if that’s what has my stomach feeling so unsettled or if maybe it’s another wave of being sick from coming off the suppressants.

Leo and Omen kept me pretty distracted, but once the wave of heat settled down, I was able to pick up on Valor’s well-being and his emotions.

At least for a while.

I’m not sure why he suddenly walled himself off from the connection, and I almost want to ask Omen if he’s blocked too. Then again, if he’s not, that might actually hurt my feelings even more, so not knowing is probably the better call.

“You know, darling,” Omen says, nuzzling his cheek to the side of my head. “You are quite cute, even when you’re pouting. If you’d like to relocate to one of the lofts, all you need to do is to say the word.”

“We can snuggle you on both sides to see if that helps settle your impulses,” Leo says, smiling softly.

“Maybe in a few minutes. Now that the wave of heat has passed, I’ve got the start of a headache, and my stomach doesn’t feel great.” I snuggle closer to Omen’s cool skin and try not to let any additional complaints slip out.

“I can run out and grab food since Valor and Shaw aren’t back,” Leo offers, teasing his fingers into my hair. “I know you haven’t had much of an appetite, but that could be playing a part in why you’re feeling so run down.”

Omen nods, brushing his lips over my forehead. “You’re going to have a full-blown heat at some point, and you know you won’t want to stop getting railed just to eat.” I grunt, and his forearm tightens on my lower back. “You’ll never have to go through this again. I can promise you that. Suppressants might have a place in certain circumstances, but you’ll never take them again.”

“Agreed.” Leo reaches over and marks my cheek with his pheromones, likely in an attempt to help soothe my system. “You were on the medication for three years. It’s going to take a while for your system to get back to equilibrium, but once it does, you’re free.”

I nod, holding back from asking him to go check on Valor and Shaw. It’s not just the feeling crappy that has me out of whack. It’s also worrying if those two are getting along.

Oh, and what comes next.

I need to get Leo and Shaw to bite me as quickly as possible. I’m not risking them being left behind, trapped in here. I’m sure Shadow Security would come up with a plan to rescue them, but I can’t be without them for however long that would take.

* * *

“Yeah, well, I’m about to wash my hands and do exactly that,” Shaw says, laughing as he comes into the cell.

My head whips up, and I stretch around Leo to see what’s happening. One of his arms is full of bagged lunches and drinks, but he holds the door open with the other.

Valor follows him in, and they both appear to be in one piece.

A relieved whoosh leaves my lips.

Omen chuckles. “I think you underestimate how much they both want to continue fucking you for the next fifty or so years. It’s a solid motivator for them to get along and find some common ground.”

Shaw and I haven’t even taken that step yet, not really , but God, I want to. His short blond hair falls over his forehead as he winks, and my heart races. He’s so sexy that it’s hard at times to comprehend he wants me.

Valor and Shaw drop the food on the table, pull off their masks, and head for the bathroom.

My head tilts.

They’re very chummy all of a sudden.

I don’t want to be overly suspicious, but I hope it’s a good sign.

Warm reassurance pulses in my chest, and I have no idea where it comes from. It takes a few seconds before it finally clicks.

I focus back on Omen and stretch up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for grounding me. I didn’t even realize you were soothing me in the bond. Not until this very moment.”

His face breaks out in faux confusion.

“Me?” He scoffs. “Never. I enjoy chaos far too much for that.”

“Sure you do,” I whisper, giving him a quick kiss. My fingers brush his nipple piercings, and his shaft jumps under my bottom. I’m really going to have to remember to suck on those the next time I get the chance.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Shaw says from behind me. “Could I swap places with you?”

“Sure.” Omen nuzzles his nose to mine and pulls back, nodding. “I haven’t had a shower with hot water in days.” He wraps his forearm around my lower back and stands, tilting his face down to meet my eyes. “Not to mention, I’ve got a puddle of drying cum on my pelvis from where you’ve been sitting. It seems to be a combination of all three of us. No one can ever say I’m not a damn good packmate.” My face burns, but he chuckles and looks over my shoulder. “You might want to wrap her up in the blanket kinda like a diaper, unless you don’t mind changing clothes.”

My eyes narrow, but Omen only laughs harder.

Okay, he’s definitely a sadist, with a possible slight degradation kink, but he never takes it past my boundaries.

“I wouldn’t mind a hot shower,” Valor says, but I can’t see him as Omen passes me to Shaw.

“Let me find some pants, and I’ll come too,” Leo says. “If you don’t mind?”

I’m not sure who he’s talking to until Shaw’s head shakes.

“I’ll be happy to stay with the princess.”

* * *

Omen, Valor, and Leo head out while Shaw stays with me in the cell. I frown as he helps me into a T-shirt that smells like Valor before tossing the blanket onto the couch.

He moves to the dresser with the towels and walks over to the table, taking a seat with me on his lap. “Lift up for me,” he says with a lazy smile.

God.

I forgot how intense it is to have his full focus on me. My toes hit the floor, and I push up enough Shaw can slide the towel over his lap.

Great.

Apparently, he wants to follow in Omen’s footsteps and torment me too.

“All right, you can sit now,” the alpha says in a humor-lined tone. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” His light country accent rolls through his words, and I settle onto his thighs once more.

“How did things go with you and Valor?” I ask, running my fingers over his clavicles. He’s in a standard white T-shirt, but it’s snug enough to be able to make out all of his muscles and even a few of his tattoos through the thin material. “Did you run into any trouble?”

Shaw’s head shakes, and he curses under his breath as he stretches to grab one of the bags of food. “Can you just trust me when I say everything is fine?”

My lips push together as my nostrils flare. His smoky campfire scent naturally soothes my frayed edges, but I also have a bad feeling about why Valor shut himself off in the bond. “Did you guys cause any problems?”

Shaw brings a hand to the back of my head. “We didn’t start anything, and I made sure Valor was nowhere close when I finished it.”

“What does that mean?” I ask as my heart rate picks up.

“I met a couple of Russians who held a grudge after the last time Valor dealt with them.” He shrugs. “They’re no longer going to be a threat to any of the omegas.”

My jaw falls, and my thoughts race through his words, trying to decipher their meaning. “Did you kill Vlad and Sergei?”

Shaw’s deep blue eyes rake over my face. The fact his lips micro twitch upward tells me all I need to know. “They were dead men walking the minute they put their hands on you.”

I’m screwed up.

There’s obviously something wrong with me. There’s no other reason my stomach flip-flops wildly as my face softens. “Okay, but I don’t want you to get in trouble. This place is so weird. They have someone who paid for their stay here. That person is probably going to hold a grudge.”

“Possibly.” His hand leaves my hair, and he digs in the bag of food. “I wouldn’t have been able to relax knowing they were walking around, breathing the same air as you. If a problem arises, we’ll handle it. Now, can I sweet-talk you into taking a few bites of this turkey sandwich?”

My hand moves to rub against my stomach. My appetite is still at zero, but I know they’re right. I’ve barely eaten since coming into the facility.

Shaw doesn’t wait for my response, taking a bite of the edge of the sandwich instead. He chews and swallows before offering it to me. “I even handled the crust for you, princess.”

A shiver runs down my spine, and I take a small bite. That nickname is growing on me, that’s for damn sure.

He pulls a bottle of water between us and cracks the lid, offering me a sip. He tips the drink to my lips and manages to not spill a drop. “While we’re talking about issues, I think I have to bring up Samantha.”

An entirely different kind of chill racks through my body, and I sputter as I swallow. “What about my stepmom?”

“You know I’m not fond of her. She’s a fucking snake,” Shaw says, putting the drink back. He takes a bite and swallows before again offering me the sandwich.

I take the bite, but it tastes like ash against my tongue. Leo briefly mentioned something about her. He said he didn’t want to get into it right then, and it never came back up.

“When McCabe made the call…” Shaw curses, shaking his head. “She never passed on that information to your father. At least, not up to the point we came in here. Easton was planning to tell your father what went down with his wife, but you needed to know too.”

I force myself to swallow, wishing I had the water to rinse it down. “She didn’t tell my dad? Then, how did you know where to find me?”

Shaw grimaces, but his eyes meet mine. “They probably hacked the security feeds from the mansion, in addition to intercepting the call. Your father waited three days to call us in, but once Shadow Security was aware of your disappearance, they would have immediately started monitoring your family.”

“My dad waited three days to notify you I was missing?” I ask as my stomach drops.

“Hey.” Shaw drops the sandwich on the table and wraps his arms around my lower back. “It’s not unusual for people to panic when their loved ones are missing. They make shitty calls because they’re afraid of the consequences. He thought a ransom call would come. When he realized it wasn’t, he pulled us in.”

Yeah, or maybe he was hoping it never would so he could simply move on with his new family.

I’ve felt like an outsider looking in ever since he remarried, but I’ve made a lot of excuses for his behavior. I’ve made even more allowances for his excusing Samantha’s hatred of me. She’s never been kind. At least, not to me, and I would have tried to get along with her if she had given any indication that it would be possible, but I’ve always been able to sense how much she dislikes me.

Shaw pulls me closer, and my face rests against his T-shirt.

“He’s not going to divorce her,” I say. “There’s no way. He’ll make excuses for this too.”

“He might,” Shaw says, cradling me to his chest. His muscular arms tighten, and rather than feeling trapped, it helps me feel secure. “You don’t have to interact with them again. Not if you don’t want to. Leo and I, along with Valor and Omen, we’ll make sure you’re safe and cared for.”

“I appreciate it,” I tell him truthfully. “I don’t think I want to go back to school after this. Like, at all. I have zero desire to go back to college.” My teeth dig into my lower lip.

I don’t know what I want to do next, but sitting in a classroom isn’t it.

Shaw nuzzles his cheek to the side of my head, and a few seconds pass before a ragged purr starts in his chest. “That’s up to you. You’re an adult. You get to decide what you want to do with your life.”

“I missed you a lot,” I admit, cuddling closer.

“Me too. I missed you so fucking much. I’m a little afraid that things are so chaotic right now…” He sighs. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets. I’m willing to put in the work to earn back your trust. That’s why I told you about the Russians and your stepmother. I’m an open book from here on out.”

“I appreciate it, and I don’t want to have any regrets either.” I rub my face against his T-shirt as his chest rattles with that underused purr of his. He’s not purposely trying to upset me, but it still gets under my skin. I have enough worries; I don’t want to focus on the past right now. “I’ll get half of my inheritance once I turn twenty-one, but I don’t know how I’ll be able to pay to get Valor and Omen into the States. We’ll need flights and?—”

“We’ll touch base with Easton and work on getting fake papers for Valor and Omen,” Shaw says calmly. “Leo and I will cover their flights. Documents will be significantly pricier, but we’ll work it out with Easton directly.”

My head pops up, and I study his face. “Really?”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” he says, smiling softly. “I told you, I’m with you from here on out. Even if you chose not to be with me, I’d still do whatever I could to make your life easier.”

My fingers move to cradle his jaw, and his short beard pokes my skin. His blue eyes seem so sincere, but more than anything, I want him too. He and Leo are just being extra stubborn about not wanting to rush things. The thing is, this place requires drastic measures to retain even a modicum of control over your own future.

“Thank you so much for coming into this awful place to save me,” I whisper, licking my dry lips.

Shaw is way too hot to be looking at me the way he is right now.

It makes it too hard to think.

I have so much more I want to say, but I find myself leaning forward until my lips brush his. He growls, flattening his hand on my back to hold me in place as he guides the soul-consuming kiss.

I’m especially addicted to the way he grins a little ferally as he pulls back.

I really want to see that sexy smirk cross his face while he’s inside me.

He cuddles his cheek to mine. “The minute I knew where you were, I was coming for you. And trust me when I say, that will always be the case.”

“I believe you,” I assure him, nodding.

“Good, now back to the sandwich. How about you take a few more bites for me so I can relax a little? In my entire life, I’ve never worried so much about what another person does or doesn’t eat.” His lips tip up, and it becomes very hard to think with how hot he is when his dimples pop. He watches me for a few seconds, and it finally clicks—he asked a question.

I’ve been stretched up to kiss him, but I settle back to sit fully on his thighs. “I’ll take another bite whenever you’re ready.”

“You got it, princess.” That lazy smile of his is going to be the death of me.