Page 142 of Pack of Crooks

His lips quirk. “Something like that.”

Excitement flutters in my chest as I turn in his arms, rising onto my toes. “No running. No escaping. This is home.” And then I kiss him, and he answers with a throaty groan.

Our tongues tangle, bond shimmering, and he breaks away, smoothing his palms down my back. “We should clean you up.”

“Where are Ezra and Maddox?”

“Making food.”

My stomach growls on cue. The energy bars they probably had to force me to eat were definitely not enough to keep me content, but an omega in heat doesn’t have food on the mind.

Kill’s hands travel up my back, slip into my hair, and tug slightly. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” I breathe, arching as he pulls my hair.

“Good.” He steals a kiss before slipping away and turning on the shower. I follow, waiting as he tests the water. The bond is warm and if I focus hard enough, I can make out the links to each pack member. It’s strange, but somehow, exactly what I needed all at the same time.

Kill offers me his hand and guides me into the shower. He follows, grabbing the shampoo as I tip my head back, letting the warm water soak my strands and wash away the mess on my skin. My heart pangs with longing, but Kill invades my space, holding me in his arms and massaging the shampoo into my scalp.

“You were so good for us,” he murmurs, gaze holding mine. “A little greedy, but you were perfect.”

A flush walks up my neck. “You don’t have to?—”

“Let me,” he cuts me off. “Let me praise you.”

“Okay,” I whisper as he guides me back into the spray of water, washing the suds from my hair.

“Ezra and I took you together, do you remember that?”

There are blips of everything that happened in the nest, but I wish I had a full memory of what that was like. I bet they were beautiful taking me together. “Some of it.”

He squirts soap onto a loofah. “Maddox claimed you first. It was beautiful, the way you begged him to make you pack.” The soft material scrapes over my skin. His hands work slowly and deliberately. Taking special care of his omega. “Then Ezra and I marked you next.”

I watch Kill clean me, how he takes care of me, and how I yearn to do the same. As soon as he puts conditioner into my hair, I snatch the loofah and soap it up, smoothing it over his skin, showing him the same attention that he gave me.

There’s silence, but with the bond, it’s not quiet. Every happy emotion is a shout of joy. A cheerful laugh, a song that’s all our own. Me and Pack Lennox. Bonded forever. My gaze lifts to meet his, and he nods.

That’s right, omega. You’re ours. For better or worse.

The nest is clean, sheets and blankets laundered and the apartment mostly aired out by the time Lottie comes back. Milly follows her out of the elevator, eyebrows waggling at me. I press my lips together to keep from divulging all the dirty details in front of my sister.

Some things are too much for a fourteen year old to hear.

Lottie bounces over to me. “Milly took me to the movies, and we—” She cuts off, eyes widening as she takes in the marks. “Oh.”

That one word is defeated and full of loneliness.

Acid fills my chest. The guys grunt as my heartache rushes through the bond. I was so excited to have a pack, I forgot to think about what Lottie might think. My mouth opens and closes, but I’m at a loss for words.

Ezra saves me. “We claimed your sister,” he says, grabbing a packet of paper from a folder on the island. “And this. . .” He sets down the papers. “Is for you.”

Fighting a frown, Lottie shuffles forward, eyes flicking to meet mine.

I shrug. I have no clue what it is. Joining her at the counter, I drape my arm around her shoulder. “I missed you.”

Her focus is on the paper, and she gasps, gaze lifting to meet Ezra’s. “Is this real?”

What did he do? I glance at the paperwork and scan the first page. Words jump out at me and my body floods with love and light. The pack had their lawyer draw up documents to make it so that Lottie is officially part of Pack Lennox until she finds her own pack.