Chapter 20 Jo
twenty
Jo
“Next time, I will be the one to give the omega a bath,” Kole pouts, wrapping me in a fluffy towel and picking me up. They must have turned on the heating because I’m not cold at all as he carries me into the bedroom and sets me on the bed.
A bed that I now realize is pack-sized.
Kole dries me off, and a moment later Hayden is behind him, only a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Where are Sam and West?” I frown, taking the big shirt that Kole hands me and putting it on.
“In the living room, setting up beds on the couches.” Kole crosses his arms, disapproval clear on his face. “I tried to warn them that you would not have it, but the old men are stubborn.”
Oh, nuh uh. I push to my feet, waving Kole off when he immediately tries to catch me.
My head spins for a moment, but I manage to make it to the door just fine.
I cross my arms, watching as the last two members of my pack tuck bedsheets into the couches.
West is in gray fucking sweatpants and nothing else, and Sam has on basketball shorts and no shirt.
I can’t let myself be distracted by their delicious bodies though. It’s taking all my strength as it is to stand here and look like the bad-ass they all know me as.
“I thought you guys were in.” My voice is cold, and it’s enough to startle the guys, who exchange a glance with wide eyes.
It’s West who speaks, gently, like he’s coaxing a wild animal. “We are in, Siren, but—”
“Pack rule: every night we sleep in the same bed.” I lift my chin, daring him to contradict me.
They don’t get to kiss me, tell me they want to be in my pack, break me out of a damn asylum, and then sleep on the fucking couch.
What’s the point of being a damn omega if I don’t get to order my pack around a little?
“Come on guys,” Hayden comes up behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder, “it’ll be like a slumber party.” My pyro seems a little more settled now that we’ve had our moment in the tub, but I don’t think that either of us will be completely back to normal until our bond is back where it belongs.
West gives Sam a look, which tells me that sleeping on the couches was the alpha’s idea.
“You’re recovering,” Sam says quickly, crossing his arms in a stance that mirrors my own. “You don’t need four guys pawing at you—”
“So what you’re sayin’ is you have no self control?
” I challenge, tilting my head. “’Cause Hayden managed to keep it in his pants when he had me wet, naked and professin’ my love against him not ten minutes ago.
Are you tellin’ me you have less self-control than a pyromaniac?
” I arch a brow and tap my foot. “Really, Sammy-boy. I’m disappointed. I thought you were better than that.”
Sam huffs in disbelief. He turns to Hayden, looking incredulous. “You don’t take offense to that?”.
“Nah, man. I’m pretty self-aware.” I feel Hayden shrug as he wraps his arms around my waist, and I can’t help but lean back into him. “I also know better than to piss off the stabby omega mere hours after extracting her from a hellscape.”
Sam sighs, looking exasperated. “Alright, fine. But no sex—”
I scoff. “Please. Don’t assume you have a ticket to my vagina just because I want you to sleep in my bed.
” Really, I agree with him, but he doesn’t have any right to dictate that for me.
Not when he somehow, despite having helped me cover up a murder and breaking me out of Thornfield, manages to seem so wishy-washy about everything.
I don’t wait for him to answer. I detangle myself from Hayden’s hold and turn to go back to the bed, where Kole is waiting with the rest of my shake.
Rolling my eyes at him, I suck down the remainder, noting how I already feel a good deal better than I did pre-bath.
Then I settle myself in the sheets and blankets, sitting with my back against the headboard between Kole and Hayden. Sam and West trail into the room, looking like scolded puppies. They set themselves up on the edges of the bed.
“Anyone know what time it is?” Hayden yawns, laying his head in my lap.
“It’s around two in the morning.” West answers, punching his pillow a few times. I try not to ogle the way his muscles ripple when he does that. He’s way more cut than I expected for a man who sits behind his desk all day.
“You are drooling, Lisichka,” Kole teases, wiping the corner of my lips. I catch his finger with my teeth, biting gently. His eyes are heated as he pulls it away and sticks it into his mouth, soothing the sting.
“What? Sammy said no sex, he never said I couldn’t look. Though even if he did, I wouldn’t listen, because the only time he’s allowed to tell me what I can do with my own body is if he’s directin’ one of your dicks into one of my holes.”
Both Sam and West groan while Hayden chokes on a laugh, and Kole grins maniacally. It’s surreal, looking at my guys piled into bed with me. Like we’re some kind of real pack or something.
Doing nothing to suppress my smile, I press a brief kiss to both Kole and Hayden’s lips. “Well, goodnight. We’ll talk more in the mornin’.”
Laying down, I breathe a sigh of contentment when Kole wraps his arms around me from behind. Hayden lays on his side in front of me, staying further down the bed so he can bury his face between my breasts and band his arms around my legs.
I don’t know who turns the lights off, but I knock out quick, feeling the most satisfied I have in my entire life.
“I don’t care, I’m not waking her up.” Sam’s voice has me rousing from a deep sleep, but I don’t open my eyes. The blankets are too soft, the bed too cozy. “She’s been out for nearly thirty-six hours, her body is still recovering.” A sigh. “Hold on.”
Gentle hands rub my back. “Trouble? Can you wake up for me?”
I groan, burying my head in the pillows. “Why?” My arms fling out to grab one of my men, but I’m met with nothing but cold sheets.
“Your brother wants to talk to you. Make sure you’re alive.”
“Tell him to fuck off.”
A startled laugh leaves him. “She said to—okay, yeah you heard her.” He sighs again. “Fine.”
The click of a button. “You’re on speaker.”
Declan’s tired voice sounds through the phone. “Princess? These fuckwits treating you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I groan, rolling over and kicking the blankets off.
“Fucking hell.” Sam yanks my shirt down, and I glance at my bottom half, remembering I’m only wearing a big tshirt and no underwear.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, Dec. I’m good. I gotta pee, okay?
Let’s check in tomorrow.” I feel a little bad brushing him off like this, but I really do have to pee.
But then, reality hits me in the face as I sit up with a jerk.
“Wait!” I crawl across the bed and take the phone from Sam.
“Is Brooks’ talkin’? How’s Mabel? Did she wake up yet?
Is she askin’ for me? Is she scared? Can I talk to her? ”
“Slow down, Jo.” Dec sounds exhausted. “Mabel…she woke up a little bit about a day ago, asking for you. The other omegas are with her so she knows she’s safe, and I have Maeve keeping an eye on them.
She’s been sleeping a lot, which I think is to be expected considering what she’s been through.
She won’t let any males near her though, so all my information is secondhand. ”
Okay. She has other omegas with her. That’s good, right? But…why does Declan sound so…put out?
“Declan…?” I ask slowly, not sure what it is exactly that I want to say.
“Jo…?”
My words are clumsy, my thoughts a jumbled mess as I try to make sense of them. “What…why do you…” I huff in frustration. “You’re bein’ weird,” I say finally.
“How so?” He sounds so damn innocent, and that’s how I can tell he knows exactly what I’m talking about.
“You were ten kinds of protective when I found her, Nolan acted as her human shield—”
“She’s your sister, Jo. You’re one of ours, so she is too. Don’t read into it.” His tone has that quality that it gets when he’s slipping into his “Mafia Head” persona. If I were a smart omega, I’d be more afraid of it. Even Sam’s brows shoot up in surprise at the tone.
But this is my sister. Even if I’m not blood-related to her, I’m all she has.
“Oh, I’m gonna read into it—I’m gonna read it like a smutty romance novel, Declan Gallagher.
I love you, but you need to stay away until I can talk to her.
” He doesn’t say anything for a second. I know I have him pegged, and he’s clearly feeling a little bit guilty for whatever pull he feels towards her. “Do you hear me, Declan?”
Sam shoots me a look that tells me he thinks I’m a crazy person, but then Declan sighs. “Yeah, I hear you. I know it’s weird, but…”
“You’re drawn to her,” I finish for him. “You want to keep her safe. Can…can you scent her?”
“When I was carrying her out of Thornfield, I swear I got a whiff of chocolate cream pie. But now I can’t get close enough to see the color of her eyes.”
He got a hint of scent, even with the instinct inhibitor. I keep what that could mean to myself. There’s every chance in the world that Mabel’s medication doesn’t fully dull her scent. “Dec…”
“I know. I know, Jo. She has bite marks all over, she’s been through hell the last five years. She doesn’t need us panting all over her.”
Wait just a damn minute. “Us?”
He pauses. “Yeah. Us. As you so helpfully pointed out, Nolan shielded her with his damn body. Aidan’s buried himself in his work again, and Rory won’t stop talking about kidnapping her from her room and hand-feeding her until she gains some weight back.
He might have actually done it by now if he didn’t have Brooks to torture for information. ”
“Tell Rory I will gut him if he kidnaps her.” My voice is a growl, and Declan lets out a weary laugh.
“I’ve told him that myself, but it might be more of a threat coming from you.”
I’d ask him to video-call me, but the old flip-phone he provided us with is too low-tech. I know it's for security and all that, but it’d be nice to see Mabel’s face on the screen. “Call me tomorrow, and put me on the phone with her. I can get a better gauge of where she's at mentally.”
“I can call you around noon.”
“Sounds good. We’ll talk tomorrow. And Dec?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everythin’. Not just gettin’ me out, but…everythin’ before that too. Love you.”
He sighs, and I can just imagine how he’s no doubt running his hand through his hair right now. “Love you too, kid. I’d do it all again, every time.”
“I know.”
We hang up and I hand the phone back to Sam. “You okay?” he asks, brow raised.
“Right as rain, Sammy-boy.” I grin, stretching my arms above my head. In fact, I feel better than I have in a long time. When my stomach growls, though, he gives me a look. “Well, maybe I am a little hungry.”