Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shaw
T he military might be to thank, but I’ve got a pretty solid internal clock, even if we don’t have access to one in the cell. We went to bed somewhere around eleven. Saylor joined us within an hour or two. I’m unsure exactly how long the three of us managed to sleep before she woke up sick as fuck, but it couldn’t have been long.
Leo and I haven’t slept more than an hour or two since she was taken, and I’m exhausted both mentally and physically. At the same time, there’s no way I can sleep with how ill Saylor is.
After several bouts of intense vomiting, I bring them a bottle of water, and Saylor tells me where to find the thermometer. By the time Leo takes her temperature, she’s pushing 109, which is fucking terrifying.
Omegas can handle temperature spikes that would kill a beta or an alpha, but she’s not giving any of the cues that would indicate she’s in heat. Well, not outside of the fever. She whimpers as Leo helps her rinse her mouth after brushing her teeth.
My fists clench, and my head shakes. I want to help her. I just don’t know what to do. There’s hardly any room with the sofa pulled out into a bed. Getting around it requires walking sideways, and you’re always three seconds away from stubbing your toe.
Leo has always been a caregiver. He also manages to set Saylor at ease in a way I’ve never been able to mimic.
It’s frustrating.
I’m easygoing, the one most likely to crack jokes and keep everyone smiling. But my relationship with Saylor has always been different from how I interact with the rest of the world. She’s never opened up to me like she does with Leo, and it tickles each and every insecurity that I’ve got.
Why doesn’t she trust me the way she trusts him?
Does she like him better than me?
Now isn’t the time for this bullshit.
Leo guides Saylor out of the bathroom as she clutches his forearm for dear life. Sliding around the end of the pullout sofa, I come to a stop in front of them and point at my partner.
“You haven’t slept in longer than I haven’t,” I say, stretching out an arm for Saylor. “Come on, princess. You’re with me for a while. Leo needs at least a three-hour block of sleep, or his organs are going to start shutting down.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Leo mutters, frowning as Saylor lets me pull her to my chest with a hand on her hip.
I nod to the loft the beta normally sleeps in. “I’m on first watch. You can take over after I’m no longer afraid you’re delirious from exhaustion.”
Saylor buries her face in my side, brushing her nose over my skin. It’s alarming to feel how hot she is and how clear the difference in our temperatures is.
Leo glares as I guide the omega over to the edge of the couch mattress.
I ignore him and get her settled on the side closest to the bathroom. “This way, it’s right there if you need it.”
She mumbles a quick, “Thanks.”
I continue pretending like I don’t notice that Leo is annoyed with me and instead climb over Saylor, settling close to her in the middle of the bed.
She immediately rolls to face me, planting her nose in my chest once more. “Sorry, your scent is helping.”
“Want me to mark your cheeks with my pheromones?” I ask, palming the back of her head.
“Maybe in a bit. I’m a little afraid…” She shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I can stop it if it does.”
I quirk an eyebrow, waiting for more, but she doesn’t elaborate.
Leo leans over the bed, pulls her hair back from her face, and kisses her temple. “I’ll be in the loft if you need me.”
That was totally unnecessary.
She clearly heard our conversation.
Is he trying to get on my last nerve? Because it’s working.
* * *
Everything is hazy, and I’m not fully conscious even as I blink awake. My cock strains against the material of my sweats, but it’s been so long since I actually slept that I have no idea where I am or what’s going on.
That is, until I realize Saylor is grinding over my shaft, moaning against my pec. She’s fully on top of me and burning up, but the way her teeth chatter makes me concerned that I might not be coherent enough to understand what’s happening.
I’m not the one running an insane fever.
That’s all her.
She groans, jerking almost like she’s having a seizure, and pure panic sets in.
“Fucking hell,” I whisper, grazing my palm up and down her spine. The T-shirt she’s in is soaked with sweat, and she’s shaking. My other hand weaves into the hair at the base of her skull, and I pull her face from my skin. Her cheeks are red, and her hair is stuck to her forehead with sweat as her eyes flutter. “Sorry, beautiful girl, I need you to wake up and tell me what to do.”
She whimpers, pulling her hand up to rub her face. “Oh God, my eyes burn so bad. I was worried this was going to happen. I ache.” She moves to cradle her abdomen as my heart thumps erratically.
This is nothing like what happened last time, but my body recognizes the cues. And, this time, it can go down completely differently.
“That sucks so bad. Why does this keep happening to me?” she asks in a shaky voice.
“Could be your heat about to hit. Or it might be the consequences of going off the suppressants,” I say, soothing my fingers through her sweaty hair to ground myself.
My instincts scream to toss her down, fuck into her like a beast, lock her onto my knot, and sink my teeth in so she never has a hope of getting away.
It’s been a long five plus years of celibacy, but it was more easily managed when I wasn’t exposed to her scent on a regular basis. Having her perfume flood my nose sends my baser instincts into overdrive.
Her pussy is planted directly on top of my cock, and I’m positive she doesn’t have panties on with how much I can feel through the thin material of my sweats. They’re soaked in her slick, and my dick strains against the fabric, desperate to escape.
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.” My voice is gravelly and lined with sleep.
“I don’t know.” Saylor’s eyes dart away, and her entire body shrugs.
I tighten my hold in her hair, giving her an extra firm tug. “That’s not going to fly right now, princess. My instincts are convinced I can help with that pain, but you’ve got to ask for what you want.”
She still won’t meet my eyes.
Such a beautiful pain in the ass .
It’s back to walking that tightrope all over again.
Alphas have it beaten into our heads that omegas ask for things they don’t truly want during waves of heat. That’s why there are rules and laws in place to protect them at their most vulnerable time.
“Make me come, please.”
“Would you rather I get Leo?” My head tilts. I don’t like the idea that she’s more comfortable with him than she is with me, but I’m also not going to push the issue.
“No, I want you.” She wiggles her hips, grinding over my throbbing cock. “I just don’t like being in control.”
Hmm.
She’s not in control, but she is on top. It’s not hard to imagine that she’ll feel more comfortable being caged in. Possibly even in one of the lofts, since they have walls and are a more confined space.
My hand tightens on her lower back, and I release her hair to roll us. She lands against the mattress, and her tits bounce under the material of the T-shirt. Planting a forearm next to her head, I hold myself up in an attempt to make it easier for her to pull her legs free. She gets them out and wraps them around my ass as I move to kneel between her thighs.
Valor’s T-shirt rides up her soft skin, and my teeth pulse. Her pheromones are everywhere, and they’re so thick that I’m worried I’ll get lost to the fog if I’m not very fucking careful.
My hands land on her thighs, and I tease higher.
Saylor whines, her head falling to the side.
“Fuuuck.” It comes out as an elongated growl as my dick leaks pre-cum, and my teeth throb with the need to dig them into her tender flesh.
How the hell did that supposedly rabid alpha not claim her in the days they were fucking like feral bunnies?
Jesus, even the edges of my vision get hazy when I flip up the bottom of her T-shirt. Her pussy glistens and her thighs are equally soaked in her slick.
The scent of her cunt is forever going to be seared into my brain. Not to mention the look on her face or the way her tits jiggle with each ragged breath she sucks in.
Her hips are thick and her waist nips in slightly as I continue dragging the material up her soft form. Luckily, I’m in good shape, and I use my knees and abs to balance as I bend close enough to tease my beard over her slightly rounded stomach.
I tuck the shirt over her tits and it bunches under her chin. My tongue darts out, licking its way up until I get to her luscious tits. Wrapping my hands around them, I pull them together to get her nipples close enough that I can swap back and forth with ease.
Only, I still don’t have permission, so I lean up enough that I can see her face and quirk an eyebrow.
“I gave you blanket permission to make me come. If you stop and ask for consent every step of the way…” Her words turn into a moan as I flick my tongue over her tight nipple before swapping to the other.
She’s always been sassier with me than with Leo, and I love it. I enjoy seeing her feisty and just a little annoyed with me. Her skin burns my tongue, and that seems like a bad sign.
I want to take my time…to lick and suck every inch of her skin. To have the opportunity to worship her well enough that exactly how desperate I am for her sinks in.
That will have to wait.
Omegas might be resistant to heat, but she’s in pain. That makes this an emergency.
My palm lands by her head, and my mouth hovers over hers while my free hand teases down her side and around her hip before dipping lower.
Saylor has always been sweet and shy. Maybe that’s why it surprises the hell out of me when she wraps her hands around my neck and pulls my mouth to hers.
“You’re a bossy little thing all of a sudden,” I growl, circling her clit with my fingers.
She’s so slick, and her scent explodes in the air even further, which doesn’t help me stay clear for shit.
The omega nips at my lower lip and teases her tongue around the stinging ache. I open for her and work two fingers down to tease her hole. She wiggles under me, trying to shove her hips up to force my digits inside her, but I grind my palm over her clit and use my weight to trap her in place even more firmly.
Closing my eyes, I let myself live in the moment. This is everything I’ve been waiting for, but I don’t want to shove my dick inside her.
Not tonight.
Before we take that step, I need to know she’s at least going to try to forgive me. Honest to God, it would break me if I slipped inside her, and she decided she didn’t want to work things out long-term.
My fingertips circle her opening as it clenches wildly, like it’s searching for a knot.
Saylor huffs and digs her nails into my neck. It’s cute, and I also don’t want to piss her off.
I plunge my fingers inside her and groan at the way her cunt immediately molds to them.
She sobs and nods, which pulls her mouth from mine.
If she’s not quiet, she’s going to end up summoning Leo.
Would that really be a bad thing?
My teeth throb worse than my knot. That should be alarming. It would be concerning if I was working with full brain functioning.
“You’re trying to ruin me. Aren’t you, Saylor?” My lips brush her cheek as I stretch my fingers, plunging them in and out as I try to get deep enough to tease her G-spot. “My dick is harder than it’s ever been, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to just shove it inside you.” I find myself grinding against her thigh as my perfume-addled mind tries to convince me how much better everything would be if I was buried knot deep in her slick pussy.
“Please, you should!” Saylor says, nodding wildly. “I would like that very much, and you have my permission.”
A dark chuckle escapes my lips as I bump her head to the side.
“Careful, princess. My restraint is paper thin. I’ve ached for you for longer than I should admit.” I snag her earlobe with my teeth and grind against her swollen nub. “I wanna hear you scream for me.”
Scissoring my fingers doesn’t seem to do much with the way her walls try to lock me in place. It’s fucking intense, and the little omega seems oblivious to the danger of having a half-feral alpha within biting distance.
She pulls a hand off my neck and snakes it between us, cupping my cock and squeezing. “I want you inside me so badly.”
I growl and move to suck on the soft flesh of her neck. “Not until I know you’re going to at least try to forgive me.”
Saylor flattens her hand against my abs and teases inside the waistband of my sweats. “I am trying. You guys getting yourselves locked up in here went a long way toward convincing me you’re sincere, but it’s not going to be an instantaneous process.” I can work with that. As long as she’s willing to try. I’m also impressed that she was able to string so many words together with how hot she is. Her naughty fingers swirl around my crown, and just as I’m about to thrust into her grip, she tugs her hand free of the material. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to just leave Omen and Valor behind.”
I growl and pull my face from her neck. “Are you trying to goad me, princess?”
“Nope, just sharing the facts.” Her tongue darts out, and she licks my pre-cum from her fingertips. Her eyes roll back as she whimpers, and the sight does my fucking head in. “So good. God, Shaw, you taste so good.”
Slick drips around my hand, and every plunge of my fingers inside her fills the air with a wet sound. “Come on, dirty girl. I need you to get there before I lose the last shreds of my sanity.”
Jesus Christ.
I haven’t come in my pants since…never. That’s never happened, but my balls are tight, and it feels like a real possibility if I don’t get some relief.
“Be a good girl and come all over my hand,” I growl.
“I’d rather come on your cock.” Saylor finally stops lapping at her fingers and works her hand down my sweats once more while guiding my mouth to hers with her hold on the back of my neck.
My tongue clashes with hers as she squeezes the fuck out of my cock.
Mount. Rut. Breed. Claim.
Trap her so she can never escape.
Holy fuck.
I’m way too close to snapping.
She freezes under me, moaning long and loud against my lips.
The way her pussy locks down on my hand makes it clear that her orgasm has hit. She’s so overstimulated that she forgets she’s kissing me, and I pull back enough to study her face while she shakes.
Begging demands spill from her mouth, and I have to lock my muscles tight to keep from letting my head snap forward to dig my teeth in. I could go for her lower lip or her neck without much movement required, but it would destroy the tentative trust that we’re starting to rebuild.
The scent of her pussy exploding makes my tip dribble in response while my knot throbs. My head is a mess as my instincts scream, trying to convince me that’s what she really needs. She needs to be locked on my knot and rutted into oblivion.
Her orgasm goes on for so long that it’s almost impressive, and once her eyes flutter open, I take note of how red they are.
“I really need you inside me,” she begs.
My hand is coated in her slick, my head is a fucking mess, and my dick leaks every time she haphazardly jerks me off.
Not to mention the haze that’s taken over my vision.
Ahh, fuck.