Page 63 of Unhinged

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

brYDGETT

We step out of the shower, water still dripping off the ends of my hair and running down his chest. On the sink, I spot two piles of clothes: mine and Acid’s. Joggers and a tank for me. Jeans and a black T-shirt for him.

I raise an eyebrow, glancing between the bundles. “Who do you think snuck in and dropped these off?”

“One of the two of them,” Acid says, pulling his shirt on like it’s nothing. “Or maybe the shower fairy.”

I snort but say nothing else. I tug the joggers up my sore legs, wincing a little at the stretch, then pull on the tank. I’m still bare underneath, but whatever. It’s not like modesty exists in a nest after a heat.

When we walk out, the scent hits first—familiar and comforting, a mix of them, and now us . Gears and Arrow are on the mattress pad in nothing but their boxer briefs, sitting like they’ve been waiting for this moment all day.

Which, honestly? They probably have.

Both their heads turn when they see us.

“How ya feeling, Gidge?” Arrow asks, eyes scanning me like he’s checking for bruises or missing pieces.

“Good,” I say with a nod. “Great, actually.”

“You sure, Omega?” Gears chimes in. He sounds anxious, which is kind of weird coming from him. “This was your first heat with us. We tried to be respectful and not cross any lines. Next time we can, y’know, talk about kinks and stuff.”

I laugh. “You were amazing. I mean, from what I can remember. I felt safe. Taken care of. And I’m sore, so you must’ve done a good job.”

Acid wraps an arm around my waist and tugs me tight to his side like I’m something he just won in a game. “She’s also cleaned up and mine. Snooze, you lose, fuckers.”

I smack his chest, rolling my eyes. “Don’t be a smartass.”

He just chuckles, smug as hell.

Arrow raises a brow. “What are you on about?”

Acid doesn’t say a word. Just tilts his head and shifts so they can see it. The mark. Shimmery and iridescent, opal-toned where his skin broke under my teeth.

“You bonded?” Gears blurts out, eyes wide.

“Yup,” Acid says, grinning like he just won first place in a bar fight. “Gidge and I are official.”

“Gidge?” Arrow asks, voice lower now.

I sigh and slide my tank strap off my shoulder to show them the matching mark on my collarbone. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big of a deal?!” Gears shouts, throwing his hands in the air. “You’re bonded!”

I shrug like it’s nothing, but it’s not nothing. It’s everything. Still, I can’t help poking at him. “Oh, calm down. If you’re done throwing a fit, maybe you’ll listen when I say I want you two to mark me, too. Right now.”

Arrow stares. “You’re sure?”

“I’m positive,” I tell him. “I’m done running. Done fighting. Fate gave you to me and well, you've kept me safe. You've cared for me, listened to me, respected me. Most importantly, you care about my son."

“We do,” Arrow says. “And we will. Always.”

“Promise me,” I whisper, locking eyes with both of them. “If we have kids of our own, Judge doesn’t become less. He doesn’t get pushed aside. He’s equal. I know it already, but I need to hear it.”

“Promise,” Arrow says without hesitation.

“Swear it,” Gears echoes.

“I told you I’d adopt him. We all did,” Acid pipes in. “He can have my last name or I’ll take yours. Whatever makes it legal. Whatever makes it real.”

My head jerks toward him, eyes wide. “You meant it? It wasn’t just something you said in the moment?”

“We meant every word.”

Something twists in my chest—tight, hot, terrifying in the best kind of way. I rise up on my toes and kiss him, and he meets me there, deep and solid, making me whimper into his mouth.

When we break apart, I glance back at the other two. “Alright. Arrow, you’re up first. Gears, since you threw a tantrum—and well, let’s be honest, you’ve been an asshole the longest—you get to go last.”

“Fuck,” Gears mutters. “You’re gonna give us hell forever, aren’t you, Omega?”

“Sure am.”

“I can’t wait,” Acid says, pulling me close and nuzzling my neck.

“Oh—and one more thing,” I add, giving them both a hard look. “I’m not gonna stop killing. Don’t ask. Don’t try. It’s not up for debate.”

Arrow chuckles. “Like we could.” He stands up slow, like he’s not sure if he should. His boxer briefs hang low on his hips, and he looks at me like I’m something he’s scared to reach for.

“You really want this?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah. I do.”

He takes a step forward, and the scent of him rolls over me. Plum and sandalwood. His scent’s already laced into the nest, but now it wraps around me in full force.

Acid steps away, giving us space, but I feel his presence still, heavy and warm just behind me. Gears doesn’t move. He watches like he’s holding his breath, eyes locked on me like he’s afraid he’ll miss something.

Arrow stops in front of me, so close I feel the heat radiating off him. He brushes a strand of damp hair off my cheek and cups my jaw in one hand. His thumb traces the edge of my mouth, then drops to my throat. His fingers rest right over my pulse.

“I’ve never claimed anyone,” he murmurs. “You’ll be my first. My only. It’s you I’ve been waiting for.”

I swallow. My throat works against his hand. “Then make it count.”

He leans in slowly, giving me time, his lips brushing over mine before he moves lower. He presses a kiss to my shoulder, then my collarbone, right below the mark Acid left.

He finds the spot between Acid’s claim and the base of my neck—right at the junction where it’s soft and vulnerable—and that’s where his mouth lingers.

I tilt my head without even thinking, giving him access.

Just opening up for him. That’s all it takes.

He bites me. Right there between Acid’s mark and my neck.

His teeth sink in deep, not rushed, just solid and sure.

I gasp and grab onto his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as my whole body shudders.

It doesn’t feel like it did with Acid. This one’s different.

Calmer. But strong in this quiet way. It settles into me slowly, almost like a heartbeat in my bones.

My legs go weak, like jelly, and I start to fall, but Arrow catches me before I can. He holds me close like he’s afraid I’ll slip through his fingers.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers into my skin. “I’ve always got you.”

I pull back just enough to look him in the eyes.

“Now, you hold still.”

He goes wide-eyed, and then I lunge .

I sink my teeth into his neck right where I marked Acid; just above his collarbone, where it’ll show. Deep enough to last . My scent floods the air again, mixing with his, thick and heady and complete. When I pull away, I lick over the mark, sealing it like instinct demands.

It’s done. Bond locked. Two out of three.

Arrow’s pupils are blown wide, his chest rising and falling fast. He stares at me like I just broke open something inside him.

“You okay?” I ask, brushing my thumb across the edge of my bite.

He swallows hard. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I just—” He laughs once, soft and shaky. “I didn’t think it would feel like this.”

“Welcome to the club,” Acid mutters from behind us, but there’s no edge in his voice. Just pride.

I take a breath, chest full of heat and something bigger than heat.

“I meant what I said,” I tell them both. “This isn’t just instinct. This is choice. You’ve protected me. You’ve seen me. And now you’re mine.”

Arrow smiles, slow, like he’s barely holding it together.

“Yeah,” he says. “And you’re ours.”