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Chapter Twenty-Three

Saylor

I wake up alone and seriously pissed off about that. Peeling my face off the pillow I was drooling on, I grab the blanket and climb off the bed.

It’s a whole ordeal.

I trip over the edge of the material as I try to stand and end up spending more than a minute fighting with the blanket to get it securely wrapped around me like a toga.

The mirror above the ancient vanity isn’t kind when I do a quick appearance check. My hair is stuck to my cheek, either with sweat or possibly bodily fluid—whose bodily fluid is anyone’s guess. Peeling my hair off my skin, I tuck it behind my ear.

I really wish I had a hair tie.

Humor and amusement fill the bond, and no matter how hard I try to pick out who it’s coming from… I can’t.

It’s just an overwhelming feeling of happiness and ease. I hope that means they got good news, although my brain isn’t working well enough to guess what kind of news that could be.

Maybe they got the passports for Valor and Omen?

I stagger toward the door, rubbing my eyes and trying to figure out what day it is. I can’t remember if Valor ever joined me in bed after returning from the store.

It’s all hazy and foggy, but I don’t think he did, and that makes me angry all over again.

He was supposed to come find me.

He told me he would before he left. More than anything, I just need to know that he’s okay.

And borrow some of his scent.

I’m saturated in pheromones and semen from the other three, but one important piece of the puzzle is missing.

Making it into the hallway, I swerve my way to the stairs and down them. Getting to the first floor without breaking my neck is a whole endeavor. Once I hit the bottom step, I follow the bond and the laughter.

I come around the corner to the kitchen and stop dead in my tracks. My shoulder leans against the hall, both for support and to keep myself hidden.

Shaw is busy telling an animated story about a fire ant nest? Or fire ants in his nest?

That makes no sense.

He’s not an omega.

It doesn’t matter what the story is about. My heart flutters wildly watching my four bonded mates stand around the kitchen, chatting and laughing.

Valor leans against the countertop, pulling a bottle of beer to his thick lips. He still looks like hell from the fight he got into before being put in lockdown. Some of those wounds might be from the damage he did to the guys they put him with in the hole.

A shiver runs down my spine.

McCabe said to forget about the facility as soon as I was free, but I’m not sure how anyone could do that. There are still people locked in there at this very minute.

Maggie.

Conrad.

Elyse.

And a whole lot of others on A block alone.

Every fiber of my being wants to make whoever runs that place pay, but I can also understand that my pack can’t be the ones to do it. We don’t know how many locations there are or who runs it. McCabe said very powerful men keep it in business, and I have no trouble believing that’s true. Hopefully, whatever his mission was, McCabe managed to complete it.

I still don’t know if he’s a good guy. I imagine he’s a lot like my men. They live in the gray and do illegal things, but they’re also not evil.

At least, not at their core.

Leo has been making sandwiches at the kitchen island, and he spins around, shoving a plate at Omen before carrying the other to Valor.

“I see how it is,” Shaw mutters, but a half second later, he cracks a playful smile. His dimples appear in his short beard, and I lick my lips.

“I’m making ours next…” Leo goes on, but I lean farther around the corner. My body is hyper focused on how incredible Shaw felt stretching me to capacity. He was tender and slow for our first time, but all the times since… I really loved seeing him half-feral.

And the three of them share so well, it’s scary.

That’s right.

I came down here for a reason.

I grab the blanket where it’s tied together to keep it from falling open and step into the room, jabbing a finger at Valor.

“I’ve barely seen you, and you didn’t come cuddle with me to let me know you got back,” I growl. Okay, it’s the most pathetic attempt at a growl I’ve ever heard, but I think it conveys my displeasure. “I woke up alone. I’m pretty sure you’re never supposed to leave an omega in heat alone. It’s probably a law or something, and if it’s not, we’re making it a family rule.”

“Oh, shit.” Ridge’s voice comes from behind me, and I spin around to find him leaning against the wall right next to where I just came into the room. Due to the angle, I wasn’t able to see him before. He chuckles. “You four mighty pissed off your girlfriend.”

My lips push together, but something inside me lights up at being called their girlfriend.

I mean, we’re bonded.

It’s way past that, but I love hearing someone else acknowledge our connection.

I’m so lost in thought that I don’t realize Valor has snuck up behind me until he weaves his hands around my middle. His electric scent hits my nose, and my entire body shivers as he pulls my back to his chest.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

My head shakes, and I glance at him over my shoulder. “No, but I’m not nauseous, so now might be the time to try to eat.”

Valor chuckles. “All right, Ridge. Time to go. No one gets to see our omega clad only in a toga and bodily fluids.”

My cheeks heat.

Dammit.

Are all four of them sadists?

Nah, I have sweet Leo, no matter what.

* * *

Valor keeps me firmly planted in his lap as he feeds me the sandwich that was meant for him. It’s been days of not eating regularly, but I still don’t manage more than half the sandwich. It feels a little like after I had the flu and had to eat tiny meals to get my body accustomed to food again.

Shaw slides onto the chair next to us and turns toward me. “You did good. Can I interest you in a bite of this fudge? The label says it’s homemade from a small family business. Or how about a piece of this apple I just cut up?”

Omen snorts. “Why doesn’t anyone offer to feed me by hand?”

“I would if you were closer.” I really would be happy to, but he’s all the way on the opposite side of the table. My arms aren’t long enough to manage that.

Valor’s huge hand rubs over my stomach. I feel a little ridiculous being clad in a blanket, but it’s just the five of us since Ridge headed out to the guest house.

“Let’s make a deal,” Shaw says, catching my attention and winking. “For every bite you take, I’ll feed Omen that many. How does that sound?”

Leo’s low chuckle fills the air from where he sits on my opposite side. “I might have to get in on this action too.”

I laugh, shaking my head.

One day, their hovering might get old, but today is not that day.

* * *

Once I’m done with my meal, Valor sweet-talks me into taking a bath with him in the huge clawfoot tub. The house has a certain kind of charm. Not necessarily something I would pick for myself, but I see the appeal. It’s a lot like taking a vacation and going back fifty or a hundred years in time.

I’m used to a more modern home with a security system and full control panels on every wall, but this place has personality unlike the mansion my dad and I moved to when my mom died.

Valor kept the water on what I would consider the cooler side, and I’m not complaining. I love a bath so scalding, it feels like your skin might melt off for a few seconds as you get acclimated, but that’s not what I need right now. Especially with an overfull stomach from the first real meal I’ve had in days.

Soapy water sticks to my skin as Valor cups his hands, rinsing away the bubbles. My back rests against his strong chest, and as much as I’d like to turn around and kiss him senseless, even I can admit I needed a quick cleanup.

Heats are filled with slick and cum and sweat, which probably makes it a good thing Leo, Shaw, and Omen promised to tidy the room we’ve been using if I didn’t complain about having to take a bath.

I’ve heard heats turn omegas into bossy, pouty gremlins with only one thing on the brain, but I never thought it would happen to me . I’m fully prepared to admit, I’m not immune. If we weren’t already bonded, they’d probably all run away from my ridiculous mood swings, and I wouldn’t blame them.

Valor’s chest rises and falls behind me, and I glance over my shoulder at him. He’s softly chuckling, and my face heats wondering how much of that I was projecting in the bond.

“All of it. You were sending all your thoughts and feelings.” He smiles, and his wet fingers brush something from my skin. “You had some bubbles, but you’re good to go now.”

I roll over in the water, causing a small wave. It doesn’t spill over the edge, and I end up facing my mountain of an alpha. My tits end up just over his cock, and I hold on to his hips to keep from floating away.

“I’m sorry that I’ve been rotten lately. Hopefully it’ll get better once things settle down. I don’t do well with change, but I’m adapting.”

He quirks a dark eyebrow, running his hands over my slick shoulders. “You were kidnapped, tossed into a dangerous place with criminals, and bonded four people. That’s a lot of changes in a short period. I’d say you’re doing better than you’ve given yourself credit for.”

My head tilts.

God, he really is sweet.

I’ve been nothing but a brat to him.

“How are you?” I ask, teasing my fingers over his lower stomach. “Is the fog lessening now that we’re bonded? It’s hard to tell. You’re really good at blocking your thoughts and emotions.”

“I feel clearer than I have in years.” His dark eyes study me intently. “I still hate that these are still visible.” He brings a hand to my neck, tracing the marks left from our bonding.

Sensing his regret through our connection hurts my heart. I wish he could remember the whole exchange from the time McCabe put me in solitary with him. The gaps in his memory leave spaces for him to imagine much worse atrocities, but those things didn’t happen.

It was hot.

I’d do it all over again if necessary. I’m far from traumatized by our bonding.

“I can’t feel them,” I say, referencing the bruises. “They’ve never even hurt. I was actually hoping to negotiate a little choking the next time you slide inside me. If you’d be open to it?”

Valor growls, shaking his head. “Still a bossy little thing. You’re used to getting your way.”

I snort. “I’m willing to behave if you make a few concessions to meet me in the middle.” My face turns serious. “The first being, I need you to stop blaming yourself for what happened when we bonded.” Using my hold on his hips and my toes on the bottom of the tub, I push up in the water. My breasts drag over his pelvis and up his abs.

He really is one of the biggest guys I’ve ever seen, and it’s clear how much time he puts in to keep in shape.

“I’ll do my best.” Valor’s hands land around my ribs, and he tugs me up until I’m hovering above his lap. “But I don’t like the idea of hurting you.”

My hands come to rest on his shoulders, and I study the grim reaper tattoo on the front of his neck. I have no idea why a silly smile breaks out on my face, but it does. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I’d end up with a pack of guys as hot as mine are.

“We’ll work on it. I trust you.” And with that, I push my lips to his.

Valor growls, the sound radiating around the small bathroom as I grind his cock against his lower stomach. It ended up trapped between us when I moved, and the water makes it easy to glide against him.

His electric scent is muted from the soap and water, but my nostrils flare as I pick up hints of it. I heard what Leo said about that scent while I was pretending to be asleep during the first talk the four of them had. I haven’t had the chance to give it much thought with everything going on, but I have no trouble believing it’s true. There’s some deeper connection with Valor that I’ve never felt before.

He made me a little nervous upon our first meeting, but something inside me has always told me that he wouldn’t hurt me.

Not truly.

That link extends to Omen through their bond. Honestly, looking back at everything that happened, there’s no other reason why it was so easy for me to be around them from the very beginning.

Valor’s fingers work through my wet hair, digging into my skull as he takes over guiding the kiss. His other hand squeezes my hip and ass, showing me exactly how he wants me to move.

Slightly feral Valor is my favorite Valor. I love it when he snaps enough to take control. His forearm rests in the indent just above my ass, keeping me trapped close to him.

The combination of his scent and the controlled way he holds me to him sends my instincts into overdrive. My pheromones pulse in the air, and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes when the fog slips in slides into my senses.

But that’s okay.

I melt against him and let Valor take the lead.