Chapter 31 #3
"You okay?" Kol's voice was soft, his breath warm against my ear, his arm tightening around me, his golden eyes searching my face with concern.
"Yeah." I leaned into him harder, turning my face to press against his neck, breathing in his scent, letting myself take what I needed, my voice muffled against his skin. "Yeah, I'm good."
"Good." He pressed a kiss to my hair, his purr rumbling to life in his chest, the vibration spreading through my whole body. "Because I was thinking — pack dinner tonight? All of us? We can continue the getting-to-know-you questions over food that isn't eaten on a clinic cot."
"I'd like that." I smiled against his neck, feeling the vibration of his purr through my whole body, my eyes closing in contentment. "I'd like that a lot."
That night, I didn't even try to sleep alone.
The nest in the pack room had been expanded sometime during the day — more blankets, more pillows, more clothing items from each of them woven into the fabric of it.
When I climbed in, I could smell all four of them, their scents mingling together into something that made my Omega settle deep in my chest.
Reid came in first, sliding in beside me without a word, pulling me against his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. His scent wrapped around me — cedar and woodsmoke, safety and home.
"Comfortable?" His voice was a low rumble, his hand stroking down my back in long, slow passes, his chin resting on top of my head, his body warm and solid against mine.
"Not yet." I wriggled closer, pressing myself against him until there was no space left between us, my leg hooking over his hip, my arms wrapping around his torso, my fingers clutching at his shirt. "Now I'm comfortable."
He made a sound that might have been a laugh, his arms tightening around me, his purr starting up low and steady, the vibration rumbling through both of us.
"Demanding." His voice was warm with affection, his lips brushing against my hair, his hand splaying wide across my lower back.
"You love it." I tipped my head back to grin at him, feeling bold, feeling safe enough to tease, my eyes dancing with mischief.
"I do." His dark eyes were soft, serious, his hand coming up to cup my face, his thumb tracing along my cheekbone. "I really do."
Kol was next, appearing in the doorway with an expression of pure mischief, his golden eyes twinkling in the low light, his hair still damp from a shower.
"Scoot over." His voice was playful, demanding, as he climbed toward us, his body moving with easy grace, his grin wide and infectious. "I need cuddle access."
"You have your own side." Reid's voice was dry, but he shifted anyway, making room, his arm tightening around me even as he moved, his dark eyes rolling toward the ceiling.
"Yes, but her side is better." Kol climbed in, somehow managing to arrange himself so he was pressed against my back, his arm draped over both me and Reid, his face buried in my hair, his voice muffled and content, his body warm and solid behind me. "Mmm. You smell like happiness."
"Still not a real scent." But I was smiling, sandwiched between them, deliberately pressing back into Kol's warmth while keeping my front plastered against Reid, my body seeking maximum contact. "But I'll allow it."
"She'll allow it." Kol's voice was delighted, his purr starting up, vibrating through his chest and into my back, his arms tightening around both of us. "You hear that, Reid? Our girl is allowing things now. We've made progress."
"Our girl?" I twisted to look at him over my shoulder, one eyebrow raised, my voice dry as the desert, my lips pressing together to fight a smile. "Bold of you."
"Would you prefer 'our feral little gremlin'?" Kol's golden eyes were dancing with mischief, his arms tightening around me, his grin shameless and bright.
"I would not." But I was fighting a smile, my body relaxing further into his hold despite my protests. "Little flower is acceptable. Our girl is... under consideration."
"I'll take it." Kol pressed a kiss to my shoulder, his purr intensifying, his breath warm through the thin fabric of my sleep shirt.
"Under consideration is practically a yes.
" Nolan appeared in the doorway next, taking in the scene with a soft smile, his sandy hair still damp from a shower, his green eyes warm and fond.
"Room for one more?" His voice was hopeful, gentle, as he hovered at the edge of the nest, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.
"Get over here." I reached out a hand toward him, making grabby motions with my fingers, my voice demanding, my eyes narrowing playfully. "You're too far away."
His smile widened, something pleased flickering in his green eyes as he climbed into the nest, settling near my head, one hand coming up to stroke through my hair, his touch gentle and soothing.
"Better?" His voice was soft, amused, his green eyes crinkling at the corners, his fingers scratching lightly against my scalp.
"Better." I caught his hand and pulled it down to my face, pressing my cheek against his palm, holding it there, needing the contact, my eyes closing at the warmth of his skin. "Stay."
"Not going anywhere." His fingers stroked across my cheekbone, his purr joining Kol's in a harmony that made my whole body relax, his voice soft and certain.
Sawyer was last, appearing in the doorway like a shadow, his amber eyes sweeping over the pile of bodies in the nest, his expression unreadable, his massive frame filling the doorway.
For a moment, I thought he might leave, might decide this was too much, too close.
"Sawyer." I freed one hand and reached toward him, my voice soft but certain, my fingers stretching toward him. "Come here." He hesitated, something flickering in his amber eyes, vulnerability and want tangled together, his hands flexing at his sides.
"Crowded." His voice was rough, uncertain, his eyes scanning the already-full nest, his jaw tight.
"Don't care." I wiggled my fingers at him, insistent, my voice brooking no argument. "There's always room for you. Come here."
He moved then, crossing the room and climbing in, positioning himself at the edge of the nest, close but not quite touching, his movements careful and deliberate.
That wouldn't do. I grabbed his hand and tugged, pulling him closer, pulling until his chest was pressed against Kol's back and his arm was draped over all of us, his hand resting on my hip, his warmth seeping through the layers of bodies between us.
"There." I settled back into the pile, surrounded on all sides now, warm and held and safe, my voice satisfied. "Perfect."
"Bossy." Sawyer's voice was gruff, but there was something like wonder in it, his hand flexing on my hip, his amber eyes soft in the dim light.
"Yep." I grinned in the darkness, unrepentant, my voice light with amusement. "Better get used to it."
"Already am." His voice was softer now, almost tender, his thumb tracing absent patterns on my hip through my sleep shirt, his purr starting up low and quiet.
For a while, no one spoke. We just lay there, breathing together, heartbeats syncing, scents mingling until I couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
"This is nice." Kol's voice was sleepy, muffled against my hair, his arm tightening around all of us, his purr a constant rumble against my back. "We should do this every night."
"We will." My voice came out thick with approaching sleep, my body heavier than it had ever been, weighed down by comfort instead of exhaustion, my eyes already closing. "I'm not giving this up."
"Good." Reid's voice was a low rumble, his hand still stroking my back in slow, steady passes, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear. "Because we're not letting you go."
"Stuck with us now." Nolan's fingers were still in my hair, gentle and soothing, his purr harmonizing with the others, his voice a soft promise. "Forever."
"Forever's a long time." But I was smiling, my eyes too heavy to open, my heart too full to contain, my whole body loose and warm.
"Not long enough." Sawyer's voice was rough, barely above a whisper, his hand flexing on my hip like he needed to make sure I was real, his breath warm against the back of my neck.
I fell asleep like that, surrounded by my Alphas, their purrs harmonizing into something that felt like a lullaby, their scents wrapping around me like the softest blanket.
My Omega purred, content in a way it had never been before. This was what she had always been searching for. This was what all those years of running, of hiding, of surviving had been leading to.
Home.
I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.