Chapter 17
17
I prod at the tender skin on my neck where Damien’s teeth broke through, Marking me as his.
He bats my fingers away. “Stop fussing with it or it won’t set cleanly.”
My hand drops to rest on his chest. I lie sprawled naked on top of him, only a thin sheet covering our entwined bodies.
The Heat fever had receded, leaving my mind clear. “How long was I out of it?”
“Only a day.” Damien traces soothing patterns on my back. “With how fast it came on and how soon after I Marked you, you burned through the worst of it faster than usual. Though, I’m not letting you out of here for at least another day. You’re still giving off strong pheromones.”
I tense at the mention of my scent, cruel words from other Alphas echoing in my head. Damaged goods, defective omega, stinking bitch ? —
“Shh, easy,” Damien soothes as my muscles go rigid. “What’s wrong?”
“My…my pheromones…you really didn’t think I reeked?” My throat tightens with old fears. “When I was in Heat?”
Afraid of what I’ll see, I lift my face to Damien’s and find only tender love.
“When I first came into the bathroom, the primary scent was fear,” Damien admits, his hand never ceasing its calming stroke along my spine. “I understood it wasn’t me you feared, but how I’d react to your scent.”
His lips brush my temple in a featherlight caress. “The second that fear faded, your true scent came through so strong it almost brought me to my knees. Sweet and spicy and perfect. It drove me wild with the need to claim you.”
Damien’s words wash over me, soothing the ragged edges of my soul. I don’t repulse my Alpha. Relief comes on so fast that I almost cry.
Large hands skim down my sides to cup my ass, and I can’t suppress a slight wince.
Damien’s touch gentles even further. “Sorry I was so rough with you, sweetheart. I lost control, but that’s no excuse. I never want to hurt you.”
Embarrassment floods through me, heating my cheeks. I bury my face in the crook of Damien’s neck. “When you got all growly and Alpha and…took me, it felt good.”
After the hell I went through, I never thought I’d crave an Alpha’s dominance. But with Damien, it’s different. Safe. His possessiveness doesn’t make me feel like a piece of property. Rather, it fills me with a sense of protection, like I’m a treasure Damien will guard with his life.
“If my pheromones aren’t bad, then why couldn’t other Alphas come near me when I was in Heat before? Even when I was…” I swallow hard, pushing down the fear the memories bring. “Even when I was chained up and offered to them. They all said I stank.”
Damien’s brow furrows as he considers my question. “It’s possible the experiments the Doctor performed on you had an unexpected effect. Instead of only amplifying the scent meant to draw a mate, it intensified all of your pheromones, including the ones signaling fear and distress.”
His fingers card through my hair, a soothing rhythm. “If you were always afraid, as you had every right to be, the scent of fear likely overpowered anything else. It would have warned Alphas away, even when confronted by your Heat.”
Trying to process this new perspective, I chew on my bottom lip. Part of me is grateful that, in a twisted way, the Doctor’s cruelty spared me from being repeatedly bred like livestock. At the same time, I recoil from feeling anything but loathing being laid at the feet of the man who tortured me.
“I don’t know how to feel right now,” I confess. “While I’m glad I wasn’t…used to be bred, I hate that his experiments are the reason why.”
Damien’s arms tighten around me, cocooning me in his warmth. “It’s okay to be conflicted. What you went through was traumatic. But you survived. You’re here with me, and I will do everything in my power to help you heal.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “This is something we can work through with Dr. Foster. You don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
I nuzzle into Damien’s neck, breathing in his comforting scent. “I really do love you. It’s not the trauma or the post-Heat talking. If we’d never met, I don’t think I’d be as brave as I am now.”
“I love you, too. I mocked my brothers and cousin so hard for how fast they fell for their Omegas, but the second I scooped you off the driveway, you were mine.” He groans. “Does this mean I have to apologize to them for not understanding until now?”
I giggle against his skin.
With a pat on my ass, he rolls me off of him. “Come on. We need to get up, eat something, and replenish all the fluids we lost over the last day.”
He uses the house phone next to the bed to order the food before we untangle ourselves from each other and dress.
Without the Heat burning through me, I’m still not comfortable being naked around him, but in time, it will get better. It helps that the Band-Aid has already been ripped off, and Damien didn’t flinch at the extent of my scars.
I pull on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, while Damien changes into casual jeans and a T-shirt. As he stands in front of the mirror, fixing his hair, I take in the lines of his broad back. He’s so sexy, even in casual wear.
A loud knock sounds at the front door as we head toward the living room.
Damien’s steps slow, and he holds out a hand to stop me. “That was fast. I only ordered a few minutes ago.”
The knocking becomes more insistent, and Damien’s frown deepens. He turns to push me back into the bedroom. “Wait here, okay? I’ll go see who it is and be right back.”
“Okay.” Worrying at the ties of my hoodie, I stay put as he strides out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
A muffled argument comes from the living room, growing louder, and I stiffen when Damien’s voice raises in anger. “Hey, I didn’t invite you inside!”
My heart races at the sound of the familiar response, laced with desperation. “Where is my brother?”
Oliver, in my safe space. From the sound of it, he’s not happy.
Unsure of what to do, I stand frozen.
Damien’s response sounds like he now stands on the other side of the door. “You need to leave. Now.”
“I’m not going anywhere without my brother.” Oliver’s voice rises. “I’ve come to take him home.”
“It’s not your place to decide that for Seven.” Damien’s words hold an unyielding edge. “He’s an adult, capable of making his own choices.”
“He’s a child!” Oliver exclaims, and I flinch at the words. “He’s not in the right headspace to make decisions like who to fall into bed with! Not after everything he’s been through.”
At the words, my heart sinks. I was an adult when I moved out on my own. Why is he now relegating my mentality to a helpless child, incapable of knowing what I want?
“Seven is an adult ,” Damien says, throat tight with anger. “Yes, he’s been through hell, but don’t negate his ability to choose where he wants to live.”
“You’re taking advantage of him,” Oliver accuses. “This isn’t a game.”
“I would never toy with Seven’s emotions. Never. What we have is real,” Damien growls. “We discuss everything, and we’re working with a therapist to help him heal.”
“You’re using his trauma to get what you want!”
“You’re trying to use your familial relation to force him to go with you!” Damien shouts. “Ignoring what he wants and taking him against his will is no different than shoving him back into a cage. Is that what you want for your brother?”
The sound of a sharp slap jolts me into motion, and I bolt out of the bedroom.
Damien blocks the way to the bedroom, with Oliver standing in front of him, my brother’s hand still raised. Damien’s cheek bears a red handprint, stark on his pale skin.
“What are you doing?” I shout at my brother, latching on to Damien’s arm and drawing him back a step.
Oliver snatches his hand back as he turns to me. “Dylan, I’m sorry. I just… I want what’s best for you. You need space to heal, not to have his desires pushed on you.”
“He’s not pushing anything on me.” I pull Damien down to brush my fingers over his cheek. “Do we need ice for this? You should lie down.”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Barely even stung.” He cups the back of my head, pulling me closer.
Behind me, Oliver sucks in a sharp breath. “You Marked him?”
A tremble goes through me, but I force myself to turn to my brother. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m not a child, and I’m not confused because of what I experienced. I want to stay here, with Damien.”
Oliver searches my face, and his shoulders slump with defeat. “I just want you to be safe.”
“I am safe.” I reach out to take my Alpha’s hand. “Damien keeps me safe. I have…episodes, like what you witnessed yesterday, but we’re working with a therapist to deal with them. I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable?—”
I cut myself off and take a shaky breath. “No, I’m not sorry. Whether or not you like it, Damien is my mate. I will not give him up just because all you can see is my trauma and think that’s all I am.”
Stricken, Oliver takes a step back. “That’s not…”
Damien’s hands settle on my shoulders. “Your brother understands you’re not a child, and that what was done to you does not define you.” The last part comes with a hard edge of warning. “This has been a shock for both of you, so it’s going to take some time to find your new balance. But Oliver will work with you to figure that out.”
“Yes, of course.” He crosses his arms over his stomach. “I’m sorry. Caleb said I should give you some space and wait for you to come to me, but I…” Tears well up in his eyes. “I failed you once, and I don’t want to fail you again.”
“You didn’t fail me.” My chest tightens, but I can’t bring myself to cross the room and hug him like I would have before my world changed. “We can talk later, but not about what happened to me or anything negative regarding my relationship with Damien.”
“Okay. I hear you.” He brushes at his cheeks and gives me a watery smile. “I’m so happy you’re alive, Dylan.”
I squeeze Damien’s hand tighter. “I’m not comfortable with that name anymore.”
“O-okay.” He takes a breath. “What should I call you instead? Seven?”
“For now.” I gnaw on my bottom lip. “I haven’t decided what I want. Something new, though. I want to move forward.”
He appears lost. “Okay.”
Before things grow awkward, the front door swings open, and Caleb pokes his head in. His cold eyes zero in on Oliver. “You said you’d behave.”
Oliver’s chin juts out. “Because that’s what you wanted to hear.”
Caleb sighs and comes into the suite. He pinches Oliver’s chin, raising his face. “Didn’t I tell you that you’re only allowed to cry for me?”
Oliver scoffs and pushes his hand away.
One of Caleb’s eyebrows arches, and then he gives Oliver a smile that has me backing up against Damien’s chest.
In one smooth move, Caleb picks my brother up and tosses him over his shoulder. “Someone will be on timeout for the next three days. You can continue your family reunion once you show you can behave. Say goodbye to your brother, Oliver.”
Oliver rears up with indignation. “I’m not done?—”
Caleb’s hand lands with a solid smack on Oliver’s ass. “Don’t make me embarrass you in front of both of our brothers by bending you over this couch. Seven doesn’t need fresh trauma.”
Oliver flushes bright red, and he settles back down over Caleb’s shoulder.
“Good boy.” Caleb turns to us. “We’ll be moving back into my old suite across the hall for a while, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up next week.”
Hand lifting in farewell, Caleb strides out of the room, Oliver closing the door behind them.
I gape after them before turning to Damien. “Is my brother being abused?”
“Oh, sweetheart, no.” Damien cups my cheeks. “Our brothers are just into some kinky shit, and they don’t care if they make it everyone else’s problem. Never, ever, go into their suite. Every surface is filthy.”
“Oh.” Blood rushes to my cheeks. “I didn’t need to know that about my brother.”
“Better to be forewarned, so you’re prepared in case you walk in on something.” Another knock sounds at the door, and this time, Damien brings in our food cart. “If they’re going to be living here, you will walk in on them at some point. I’ll tell Caleb the music room is forbidden, though. They are not allowed to sully your space.”
I trail over to the dining table. “Are you into kinky shit?”
“Nope.” He pulls out the chair I sat in last time before he unloads the meal options. “We may be identical twins, but we have very different preferences.”
“Except in mates.” I settle onto the seat. “Out of everyone in the world, you guys chose brothers.”
Damien pauses before setting a glass of apple juice in front of me. “Is this your way of telling me you want to be put over my knee and spanked?”
I bolt out of the chair and get halfway across the room before I register his laughter. Glaring, I turn back to him.
“It was a joke. Come back over here.” He pats my abandoned seat. “I have zero interest in spanking you, or anything else those two get up to.”
Lips pursed, I return to the table and crawl onto the cushion. “That’s not funny.”
“It was a little funny.” He pulls my chair over to butt up against his. “You’re surprisingly fast.”
I press up to his side. “Joke like that again, and you can sleep on the couch.”
“Yes, sir.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “Now, where do you want to start?—”
He cuts off to pull his phone from his pocket, and the laughter vanishes.
I lean closer. “What’s wrong?”
“The hit team is gathered and ready.” He pulls me closer. “Tonight, we take down the Doctor.”