Chapter 20
Savannah
A ll the guys insisted on coming with me. Walker dropped Athena off at his mother’s place for his sisters to watch her before meeting us here.
When we step into Salvation, Duchess and Lucy are waiting near the front counter.
Grinning widely, I rush over to them. I scoop Lucy into a hug that has her giggling. “I missed you!” I squeeze her before putting her down and wrapping my arms around Duchess. She laughs and hugs me back.
“It’s been one day.”
“I know.” I take a step back. “But I haven’t been away from you both since I’ve gotten here.”
Duchess’ face softens, and she pulls me in for another hug. I sigh happily as I breathe in her familiar scent.
Growls ring out behind me, which has Duchess huffing as she lets me go. “Relax, boys. I’m not trying to steal your girl.”
“She’s not.” I turn around to face them. “I told her I wasn’t into pussy. They look weird.” I scrunch up my nose.
“But they taste amazing.” Duchess chuckles.
“Yeah, they do.” Caleb raises his hand to high-five his sister, but Duchess raises a brow.
“You like to eat pussy?” I ask Caleb, narrowing my eyes. “Because you sure as hell haven’t eaten mine yet.”
Duchess chokes on a laugh as Caleb lowers his hand, a guilty look on his face. “Okay, bad joke.” He forces a laugh. “But I can tell you now, your pussy is the only one I’ll ever eat again, and I damn well know it’s the best tasting one on this earth.”
“Second,” Duchess corrects as she looks at her nails.
“Daph,” Lucy hisses, her face growing pink.
“Sorry, baby.” She laughs, pulling her Omega into her arms. “So, Savvy, how was your first night?” She knows what I’ve told her over the phone after setting up my room.
“It was good.” I grin. “Got to sleep between my pack. Smushed together. I loved it.”
She laughs. “I’m glad. So, you're moving out.”
My smile drops. “Yes?”
“It’s not a question, babe. You're moving out. I’m not kicking you out,” she jokes. “No, I’d never do that. Your pack is where you’re meant to be, but this will always be your home too. That room will stay yours, just in case.”
“Thank you.” My shoulders settle. “I might need to stay over every now and again. They don’t want me coming home if I’m too bloody.”
Duchess snorts. “Well, good luck with that one,” she says to the guys. “Savvy loves her blood.”
“It’s true, I do. It’s so fun and pretty,” I say dreamily.
“I like to take my time, enjoy the slow torture, she doesn’t have the patience. She likes it hard, fast and messy.”
The words have barely left Duchess lips before Lucy and I simultaneously shout, “That's what she said!” before bursting into laughter.
“Oh my god.” Jake chuckles. “You still say that?”
Smiling, I turn to my Alpha. “I used to before?”
“Yeah,” he smiles, nodding. “All the time. For almost everything. It was annoyingly adorable.”
I’m not sure why, but knowing I do something now that I used to do before I lost my memory makes me happy.
“What are you doing here?” Duchess asks Walker. “Thought you were working today.”
“He called in sick,” I tell her.
She raises a brow. “You don’t look sick to me.”
“Oh, he was. Had a really bad case of–” I whisper the last word. “Diarrhea.”
Walker groans, covering his face with his hand as everyone laughs.
“Hey, don’t laugh at him.” I frown. “It’s not his fault he almost shit his pants.”
“Savvy, baby, Little Killer. Stop, please,” he begs me.
I bite my lip. “I’m sorry. Did I overshare again?”
“It’s okay.” He pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my head.
“You know, it was your own fault. You shouldn’t have eaten my cooking.”
“He made us!” Walker blurts, pointing to Caleb. “Said he would stab us if we didn’t.”
“I–ah...” Caleb’s eyes go wide.
“You did that for me?” I smile.
He blinks a few times. “Yes. Yes, I did.” He nods. “Anything for you, Baby Girl. You worked hard to make something for us, needed to make sure they appreciated it.”
“Savvy!” Duchess scolds me. “You did not cook for them, did you?”
I bite my lips together. “Maybe?”
Duchess looks at the guys. “Do not eat her food. The girl can’t cook to save her life. You're going to get food poisoning. That's probably what happened to you.”
“Wait... so you knew you couldn’t cook?” Leroy asks.
I ignore them. “Well, that Ashley bitch used to cook for them. I didn't want them to think they needed someone else. I thought eggs and bacon would be easy. I thought wrong. They seemed to like it.”
“Babe, I think they just ate it because they didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” Duchess says.
I turn to them. “Did you?” I ask.
They all give me the same guilty look.
“I’m not sure if I should be happy you’re thinking about my feelings, or mad that you lied to me.”
“Both?” Caleb suggests, giving me a boyish grin.
Rolling my eyes, I turn back to my bestie. “Is the crew ready for tonight?”
“Yup.” Duchess grins. “Have some men trailing him. Hasn’t left his house all day. But if he does, they will call you.”
“Perfect.” I nod. “Should I do it at his place, or take him somewhere else?”
“Up to you, babe.”
Grinning widely, I turn to Caleb. “How do you feel about breaking and entering?”
“And murder,” Duchess adds.
“And that.” I nod.
“Is, it makes my cock hard the right answer?” Caleb grins.
“Is that your answer to everything?” Duchess huffs.
“When it involves my Omega, yes.” Caleb winks.
“Good luck with that one,” Duchess says. “Although I think he’s met his match in you.”
“She’s so much better than me,” Caleb responds to his sister’s comment without any hesitation.
The feelings these men give me are so damn odd. I’m not even sure how to deal with them, but I love it. I love the fluttery feeling in my stomach, the way I can’t help but smile, and how I just want to snuggle into them and never let go.
Since getting out, all I’ve wanted to do is get my revenge. Don’t get me wrong, I still do. And I am.
But I feel less... lonely, sad, angry, all three?
All I know is I’ve laughed and smiled more with my pack in this short amount of time than I have in... well, ever.
That makes me better in a way.
I meant what I told Jake. They saved me.
“Let’s get to packing then.” It’s not like I have much. Didn’t see the need for it. All I needed was clothes and my nest. But now I have a new nest, one that is so much better than the one here.
I will miss the roof, though.
“Oh!” Lucy says. “Thor is in your room. He wanted to wait there for you.”
“Thor is here?” Walker growls.
“What the fuck is he doing in her room?” Caleb sneers.
My brows furrow. What the heck did Thor do to get them to look so pissed off?
“Daphne, why the hell are you letting him in our Omega’s room when she’s not around?”
“He’s allowed in there.” I cross my arms. “Why are you acting like this? Thor is my friend. He can sleep in my bed, be in my room, do whatever the hell he wants.”
Walker’s nostrils flare. “You tell us that your guy friend watches you masturbate, and you just want us to be okay with that?” he growls.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” I growl back, getting in his face.
Duchess bursts out laughing. “Babe, did you tell them about Thor?”
“Yes. Of course I did.” My brows furrow. “I had to. He’s the most important thing in my life. I mean, next to you two, of course. And now they are. But still.”
“Did you tell them everything?”
“I don’t know what you mean?” I take a moment to think. “Oh, shit. No, I didn’t.” I sigh, turning to face them. “Thor also takes my underwear from my dirty hamper. Oh! And he likes to sit on the edge of my bathtub while I bathe. He likes the bubbles.” I shrug.
“Daphne!” Caleb growls. “You let this fucking creep in your house when he does shit like this? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Duchess is full-on belly laughing, Lucy has her hand over her mouth like she’s trying not to laugh, and I’m standing there, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
“Savvy, for the love of god, please go up there and introduce Thor to the guys,” Duchess gasps for air while trying to get the words out.
“I don’t want to meet him,” Jake mutters. “Not after finding out this new information.”
“If I meet him, I might stab him,” Caleb grumbles.
“You will not!” I scold him. “Not if you don’t want me to do the same to you. But also, Thor can hold his own, so I wouldn’t count on getting one up on him. He’s quick and scrappy.”
Caleb growls deeper. “So you’re saying he’s stronger than me?”
“Savvy, go. Now.” Duchess commands, the smile still on her face.
“Okay!” I throw my arms up. “I don’t understand why everyone is being such drama queens, but come on, let's go.”
Stomping my way up the stairs, I lead the guys to my room. Stopping in front of my door, I turn to face them. “I really do think you're making a big deal over nothing. Thor doesn’t mean any harm. He doesn’t know any better,” I tell them, and open the door.
There's a crash coming from the bathroom, and I sigh. “Thor, I swear to god, you better not be making a mess in there! I told you to leave the damn toothpaste alone. You’re going to get sick again.”
The guys follow in after me, looking around the room.
“Come here. I want you to meet my pack!” I shout.
There's more noise, making me sigh heavily.
“Is everything okay?” Jake asks.
“It’s fine. He’s just a little dickhead sometimes.” I wave him off. “Thor Loki Ragnarok. Get in here right now!” I shout
“What the fuck kind of name is that?” Caleb mutters.
“Hey, I like his name. I came up with it.” I glare at him, and his brows jump.
Turning around, I grin as Thor comes skittering out of the bathroom.
A loud high pitched scream puts me on high alert. Caleb keeps screaming as he runs and jumps on the bed.
“It’s a fucking rat!” he shouts.
Bending down, I scoop up Thor. “A rat?” My head whips around. “Where?!”
“There!” Caleb shrieks, pointing to me.
My brows furrow, and then I look down to Thor, who chitters before wrapping his little paws around my neck.
“Thor?” I shake my head. “He’s not a rat. He’s a raccoon.”
“Wait!” Walker says, stepping between me and my very freaked-out Alpha. “Thor is a raccoon?” he asks, looking down at Thor with wide eyes.
“Well, yeah... what else would he be?”
Walker’s mouth opens and shuts a few times, saying nothing.
“We thought he was a man,” Leroy explains.
“He is.” I turn to him. “He’s my little man.” I kiss Thor’s head.
“Sweet Girl.” Jake chuckles. “The way you talked about him, you made it sound like he was a human man.”
“What? No way. A man? Why the hell would I let some man watch me get myself off, or take a bath? Eww, a man stealing my underwear. That's just nasty.”
“That’s what we thought, too,” Leroy says.
“You really thought he was a man?” I can’t help but laugh.
“You never once mentioned he wasn’t. And you sure as hell didn’t say he was a raccoon.”
“I didn't?” I cock my head to the side. “Huh, I thought I did. My bad.”
“You're bad?” Caleb growls. “ You're bad? You have a damn rat as a pet!”
“He’s not a rat,” I growl. “And he’s not my pet. He’s my best friend. And my partner in crime.”
“Wait... you bring a raccoon to kill people?” Jake asks, brows furrowing.
“Yeah. Of course. Thor is a great sidekick. He might be small, but he has fists as mighty as a hammer. That's why I named him Thor.”
“I don’t even know what to say,” Leroy sighs, running a hand over the top of his head.
“How did you end up with him?” Walker asks.
“Found him abandoned in a garbage can on my way home from one of my kills. He was screaming, cold, hungry, and trapped. I hopped in, scooped him out, and brought him home. I took care of him because he was only a baby. As time went on, he showed more human traits than raccoon ones. I trained him to come with me on kills. Sometimes, I think he’s more savage than me.” I laugh. “You should see him claw someone's eyes out. He bit a guy's nose once, too. It was awesome.”
“Kill it,” Caleb growls. “Kill the damn rat.”
“Get the hell down from there,” Walker sighs heavily.
“I will not kill him,” I argue. “I don’t like how you're acting right now.”
“He’s just afraid of raccoons.” Jake chuckles. “One time, we were drunk, coming home from the bar and he found what he thought was a stray dog. Picked it up and cuddled it. It lost its mind, clawed at his neck, and bit his hand.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask Caleb. “Raccoons are savage little fuckers.”
“Says the woman with one as a pet,” Caleb grumbles as he cautiously gets off the bed.
“Not a pet. But I also raised him as a baby. Like I’d ever pick up an adult one that lives on the streets,” I snort. “That’s crazy.”
Caleb glares at me. “If I wasn’t so head over heels for you, with an obsession that’s very unhealthy, I’d run the other way.”
“So the killing wasn’t a deal breaker, but the raccoon is?”
“Almost.” He grinds his jaw.
“It’s fine.” I laugh. “Thor is a sweetie pie, he wouldn’t hurt a fly, isn’t that right, Thor?” I take a step towards Caleb, and Thor hisses. Caleb screams like a girl before jumping back onto the bed.
“That's not nice,” I scold Thor. He lets out a chittering sound before climbing down off me and climbing up Walker’s leg. Walker stiffens, eyes wide, not moving a muscle as Thor sits on his shoulder, rubbing his head against Walker’s.
“Oh my god,” I gush. “He loves you.”
“Yay me,” Walker says, but he doesn’t sound happy.
“Thor, this is Walker.” I point to Walker. “This is Jake. This is Leroy, and this big scaredy cat is Caleb. You need to be nice to all of them. You're going to be living under their roof. You have to show respect.”
“Nope. No way. He is not coming home with us.” Caleb shakes his head.
I shoot him a glare, crossing my arms. “Then neither am I.”
“He’s coming,” Leroy says. “Let’s get your things packed.”
“You can’t let a wild animal around Athena. Are you crazy?!”
“Thor is great around kids. He loves them,” I tell him. “Sometimes a little too much. One time, he tried to take one from a stroller.” They all give me looks of horror. “Don't worry, I put the baby back.”
“Little Monster, how would you feel if we build Thor his own home, in the backyard?”
I cock my head to the side, thinking about it. “What do you think, Thor, would you like that?” I wait for him to answer before turning to the guys. “He said he would love that.”
“He did?” Jake's brows furrow. “You can... talk to him?”
“Of course.” I nod my head. “But only me. He doesn’t like to talk to anyone else.”
“Oooookay.” Jake nods his head.
“Yup.” I smile. “I’m special.”
“You sure are, Little Monster.” Leroy kisses my head.
“Now.” I clap my hands, over the moon to have all my men together. “Let’s get me officially moved out.”