Chapter 10
Guest Bedroom, Devil Estate
Istand in the center of the guest bedroom, unable to believe that I’m now surrounded by such luxury.
This morning, I woke up in a cold cell. Now, I’m standing in a warm mansion.
I don’t know if I’m any safer.
Yet it feels like I’m in the heart of a pack and not like this is a new cage.
There’s no lock on the outside of the door.
I checked.
Plus, Kai hasn’t ordered us to remain inside the bedroom.
Once, I would have been shaking with nerves on the edge of a panic attack, even to be daring to think about going outside without express permission.
Yet my time with Lark and knowing that I’m strong enough to be broken and yet come back from it, have changed me.
I feel powerful now.
Brave.
Whatever happens next, I’ll face it side by side with the man who I love, my beautiful songbird.
I’m not lonely anymore.
Antonio led Lark and me to this room, hugging and kissing each of us, as if now that he had permission to show his love, he couldn’t contain it any longer.
He also looked dizzy with relief that he’d saved us.
I owe Antonio my life, but he shrugged it off like it was nothing, when I tried to thank him.
He calls himself a bad guy, but that makes him a good guy to me.
It’s why I’m falling for him.
Lark finally had enough of being kissed across his cheeks and nose, as if Antonio was a silver haired golden retriever, and shoved him out of the room with a final, passionate kiss that took away his breath.
Lark shot me a smirk about that.
At last, my legs gave out after more exercise than I’d had since I’d awoken from my fever in the cell, and I collapsed on my bottom.
Lark rushed to my side and dropped to kneel next to me, massaging my calves and thighs in a way that made me moan.
Then Kai brought Lark and me up a tray of chicken soup and buttery, homemade rolls.
And he knocked, before entering.
Lark and I looked at each other with wide eyes.
He actually knocked.
“Come in,” I squeaked.
As if an Omega had any right to tell an Alpha where they could go in their own territory.
Lark and I have been swirling in confusion ever since.
Kai didn’t give us any household rules (unless they’re coming at breakfast).
He didn’t stay to watch that we obeyed him about eating.
I can’t even see any monitoring devices or cameras in the bedroom.
Instead, Kai simply showed us how to work the taps on the ensuite’s bath and shower.
Then his cheeks flamed, as he left us two of his crisp, coffee colored shirts to sleep in, apologizing that he didn’t have any clothes for us and promising to order some immediately.
“A suit,” Lark ordered like he spent most of his leisure time commanding Alpha armies. “A stylish one.”
I knew Lark well enough to be able to see, however, that he was bracing to be hit.
Kai merely cast an approving glance up and down Lark’s jade suit and waistcoat. “Aye, lad. A man after my own heart.”
He didn’t seem to mind the thought of either providing for us or that we’d smell like him, if we wore his shirts.
With all his kindness, I don’t mind it either.
Both the gesture and his scent is settling my nerves.
I begged him to trash the white nightwear that Fletcher had bought me — and I’ve been forced to wear all this time.
Kai nodded with an understanding look that didn’t seem faked.
But then, he’s some kind of mysterious outlaw. Just like Antonio, he lies for a fucking living.
How can I trust him?
Still, I’m full, clean, and more relaxed than I have been since my bond was broken.
I’m wearing one of Kai’s shirts and nothing underneath. I draw the collar of his shirt to my nose.
I take a deep sniff of his floral heather ale scent. Instantly, I feel lighter, as if I’m running free on that Scottish mountainside.
A smile dances on my lips. I rock on my heels.
The shirt is so long on me that it reaches to my knees. I play with its hem.
Kai is a seriously large Alpha. But he knelt, so that he wouldn’t intimidate me.
My brow furrows in thought.
Fletcher always attempted to look bigger than he was. He had so many insecurities that he was desperate for people to see him as more deserving of respect and being feared than he was.
He wanted to be seen as bigger, smarter, and more capable.
He’d work late every night just to try and make things look effortless, when in fact, he’d actually had to work his ass off for them.
Yet Kai’s dominance is effortless.
Now, that’s a true Alpha.
I bite my lip, scanning over the guest bedroom. It feels like it’s a natural extension of the forest outside.
The relaxing, mildly hypnotic sound of Lark’s shower (he’s been in there so long that I have a sneaking suspicion he really is an Omega merman), wars with the roar of the creek outside the balcony window.
Pale moonlight streams through to mingle with the light from the spherical lanterns that swing from the ceiling like miniature moons.
The wooden walls are rough and natural, as are the ceiling’s beams. On the far side stands a tall wardrobe and chest of drawers, which have been painted moss green.
I edge close to the bed in the center of the room, as if drawn by an invisible thread.
I can’t resist.
I eye the bed, whimpering.
It’s the softest most inviting looking bed that I’ve ever seen.
How cruel is it, if Lark and I aren’t meant to sleep in it?
It’s an Alpha’s bed. It must be.
Fletcher and Dad would never let me sleep somewhere like that, no matter how much my body is crying out for it.
But Kai firmly told us to sleep well, beloveds.
Belovedsmade me shiver.
The endearment, which slipped out in his rumbling voice, called to something deep inside me.
It made me want to kneel for Kai not because he demanded it but because he didn’t.
And that confused me even more.
He couldn’t mean for us to sleep on the wooden floor, right?
I take another step closer to the bed, which feels like it’s taunting me.
It’s large with forest green, velvet bedding that makes me want to rub my cheeks against it. There are more silk pillows of different shapes and sizes piled over it than I’ve seen in my life before. Some are embroidered with noble looking stags. Brightly colored star shaped throw pillows are piled in snuggly mountains at the head of the bed.
On the top pillow, as if he’s a mountaineer at the summit, lies a dog-eared teddy bear stuffie.
The bear is dressed like a miniature prince with a red cape and a silver crown. He’s even clasping a sword made out of silk.
My fingers clench, desperate to run over the fluffy ears of the teddy and feel the sensation of the fur.
Who does he belong to?
He looks well-loved with a missing button eye and worn off patches of fur like he has mange.
I bet that he’s Antonio’s.
I can just imagine a cute little Beta kid with silver curls and a mischievous smile, rampaging around whatever a mob home looks like, waging war with his royal teddy.
I bet that he gave him a deliberately scary name like Prince Growl, rather than something sweet.
Somehow, he doesn’t look like a Stuffington or a Tickles.
My smile widens.
It’s also just like Antonio to give up his childhood toy to make an Omega feel better.
When I peer closer at the bed, I can see that there are navy silk scarves woven between the throw pillows, which are definitely the same as the roguish ones that Antonio wears.
But then, my smile fades.
What if the stuffie makes Lark think of Millie?
I glance at the door that leads through to the shower. I can still hear the rushing sound of the water.
I hurry on exhausted legs to the bed, struggling to grab the bear. I let out a grunt as I bend over the bed, but Prince Growl is sitting smugly in the very middle on the top pillow, and it’s such a big bed that I can’t grab him.
“Naughty bear,” I scold.
Prince Growl doesn’t look bothered.
I raise one knee onto the bed, and my shirt raises up. My fingers graze the bear. “Yes!”
Too late, I realize that the water has shut off.
“Shit.” I grab Prince Growl by his fluffy ear, letting out a whine in delight at how wonderful the material feels on my skin.
Then I hear the door swing open.
“Well, I’ll come to this hotel again, if this is the view,” Lark drawls.
My cheeks redden.
I’m mooning him.
I’d hoped that I could be seductive tonight.
Well, at least he’s not complaining.
Hurriedly, I stuff the teddy underneath the pile of pillows.
Then I throw myself onto the bed with a moan of delight.
Shit, this is amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it.
The sensation of the pillows, velvet bedding, and silk scarves is incredible.
My skin is buzzing.
I roll around in delight. My fingers clutch in the covers. I feel floaty, overwhelmed with so many delicious sensory stimuli at once.
A purr bursts from me. I can’t hold it back.
This is heaven.
It feels like something deep in my dynamic that I’ve always been missing.
That’s been stolen from me.
But now, I have it back and I could live in it forever.
When I open my eyes and look at the man who’s standing naked in the doorway, watching me with such fondness, I know that I could live here with Lark forever.
He’s such a gorgeous man.
I’ve seen him at his most vulnerable: in the rawness of his grief, rage, and the bliss of coming.
But I’ve never seen him naked.
Lark’s stretched out with his arm against the door frame.
He’s damp from the shower. His long hair is wet and slicked back. Water streams down between his pecs and lean abs.
He’s like a dream come to life as he stalks toward the bed.
I freeze, breathing hard.
I never stop purring.
Lark leans over the bed, brushing my hair out of my face. “You smell of the Alpha.”
“Is that okay?”
He considers for a moment. “He fed us. He let us shower. And he gave us this bed, which feels like a nest.”
My eyes widen. “Shit, it does. Surely, we’re not meant to be on it. This must be a mistake. Or do you think that they secretly have other Omegas here? Wait, maybe they’ve brought other Omegas here before us.”
I stop purring in my panic.
Lark taps me on the nose. “I didn’t mean that. Stop spiraling and imagining that this is an episode of Criminal Minds. We’re not Omega victims. Look at these pillows with stags on them or star shapes. Some of them smell of Antonio, and others, Kai. None of them match. Then Antonio looks like he emptied his sexy little scarf drawer on here to try and weave the nest for us. This looks like they ransacked their mansion, throwing everything that they could on here last minute for us.”
I relax, turning to take a deep sniff of a fox printed scarf, which smells of eucalyptus. “You’re right. But why?”
Lark’s expression shutters. “The obvious answer is because they knew that nesting would make us feel better.”
My chest is tight.
I want it to be true.
Please, let it be true.
I stroke over a star throw pillow. “Do you think Antonio will be punished for helping us?”
Lark snorts. “He would be in most packs. He disobeyed a direct order. Although, he’s just as much a brat to his Chief Alpha, as he is to me.”
I stiffen. “Kai’s twice as large as him.”
Lark quirks his brow. “How dangerous someone is has nothing to do with their size. And by the looks that those two were casting each other, when they thought that we were distracted, the only thing that Antonio has to fear is being punished by being fucked into the mattress.”
This startles a laugh out of me. “Have I got to fear that too?”
Lark’s eyes darken. “Hmm, it’d be a shame to waste this bed…”
I sprawl back onto it in what I hope is an enticing way, fluttering my eyelashes. It feels amazing to be able to play like this finally.
“A real shame.”
A shadow chases across Lark’s face. “Still, we have no idea what’s going on here. We need to stay united and on the alert. Tomorrow, we need to play this smart. We can’t afford to get too…” He leaps onto the bed and then sinks into the soft mattress, as pillows fall onto him. He groans in delight, arching his back. “…comfortable.”
For a moment, as if he can’t hold in the feral frenzy, he rolls around even more wildly than I did.
Pillows are sent rolling to the floor. I laugh as I bounce around too.
Suddenly, the teddy bear is dislodged from his hiding place.
Whoops.
Lark stares at Prince Growl.
I freeze.
Lark reaches out, holding the stuffie by his frayed ear for a moment, before clutching him to his nose.
He breathes in deeply. “He smells of Kai.”
I gape at him. “What?”
Wow.
Now I have the image of a handsome brunette boy, running through the Scottish countryside and using his teddy to order everyone else in his village to kneel before their prince.
Lark gives me a funny look, when I can’t stifle my laugh.
“What kind of Alpha comforts an Omega with something scented by him like this?” Lark’s lips thin. “An Omega who he’s not even bonded to?”
“A liberal,” I mutter.
In the Saint pack, where I grew up, as well as the Ace pack, liberal is a dirty word.
But I’m learning that the way I was raised wasn’t right.
Another way is possible.
And I’m prepared to fight for it.
Lark looks thoughtful. “He’s a criminal.”
“I’m a criminal, and you like me, don’t you?”
Lark’s gaze becomes half-hooded.
He twists and drops the stuffie off the bed. “This next part won’t be suitable for Prince Bear Behind’s eyes.”
He pulls open the drawer of the bedside table, scrabbling through the books and papers there with a frustrated hiss, before crowing in triumph.
“Ah, ha! I knew it.” He turns back to me, brandishing a condom. “No good host would set up a guest room without at least one. I may not have learned much but I know how to run a good household, and that includes condoms in bedside tables.”
“Teach me, wise master.”
“Cheeky.” He grabs me by the hip and firmly pulls me against his side.
My breath hitches, and instantly, I’m wet.
Lark’s expression becomes unexpectedly serious. “I adore you, Mercy.”
He claims my lips, dominating the kiss.
I feel happy and free.
I’m shivering with a lightness that I didn’t even know Omegas could feel.
Antonio saved me.
Kai took me in and built me this nest.
And Lark is offering me love and worship in his arms.
Once, I was alone.
But I’m not now.
Is this what a real pack feels like?
I draw back, feathering kisses down Lark’s jaw. He whines, nuzzling my neck.
“I love you, songbird,” I murmur.
Lark tightens his grip on me, before he replies with a wicked glint in his eye, “Have I told you how flexible I am? I learned gymnastics to put on shows and amuse Cygnus.” Then he leans closer and nibbles my ear. Shit, that feels amazing. I moan, and Lark gives a dirty chuckle. His voice is low. “Would you like a very different, private show?”
“Fuck, yes.” I meet his intent gaze.
Then I slip my hand down between us to his cock, which is already at half-mast, and start stroking his velvety shaft.
He hisses out a breath. His eyelashes flutter.
He rips open the condom, before passing it to me. I slip it over his dick, which twitches at my touch.
Somehow, sheathing him like this feels more intimate than if I was sucking him off.
“I’ll be the best fuck of your life,” Lark says half as a promise and a warning. “Alphas think that their knots make them the best lovers. But it makes them selfish because they’re focused on their own bodies. Betas and Omegas are the creative ones, and creative is fun. So is flexible.”
“Let the show begin,” I declare with a flourish.
I’ve never had fun in bed before.
I love being playful with Lark.
His eyes crinkle at the sides, as he smiles.
Then he untangles himself from me and sits up, pulling me with him to the center of the bed.
I watch in awe, as he fluidly pushes himself into the splits.
Fuck, seeing him like this with his front leg bent at the knee and his back leg fully straight behind him, while his dick stands hard and proud is beyond any fantasy that I’ve had.
He shakes his head, and his damp hair falls down his back in a beautiful waterfall.
He’s like the most erotic circus act ever.
Then he beckons me closer, and I feel like a total klutz as I awkwardly knee walk across to join him.
I wet my lips, as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me with more strength than I’m expecting just above his cock.
“Ride me.” Lark tightens his arms around my waist. “This act has audience participation.”
“You’re amazing, songbird,” I gasp. “I bet your pretty cock feels even more amazing. I’ve been desperate to feel it stretching my pussy ever since I knew that you were my scent match. You smell like paradise.”
Lark stares at me in awe, as if he’s found his paradise in both my words and then, my pussy, as I slowly slide down onto his cock, inch by delicious inch.
We both whine at the same time.
His nails sink into my skin.
His back leg shifts to hold mine down.
Then he uses the strength in his bent front leg to lunge into me and steal my breath.
Lark pistons into me more powerfully, intensely, and deeper than any fuck of my life.
It’s perfect.
“F-f-fuck,” I gasp.
Lark’s driving the pleasure through me. It’s earth shattering.
“You’re beautiful like this.” Lark impossibly speeds up his thrusts. “Wild, free, and mine.”
I’m caught in Lark’s arms, and it’s the only place that I want to be.
In this position, we’re looking into each other’s eyes, as our bodies are pressed together like we’re one.
He rests his forehead against mine.
Even our chests are touching, slick with sweat.
Lark’s right.
He doesn’t need a knot.
This feeling — connection — is what sex should be but never has been before.
My cheeks are wet, but I’m smiling.
So is Lark.
“I’m coming,” I gasp in shock.
It’s sudden and powerful.
An explosion that makes me white out.
And I do fly to heaven.