Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
ROGUE
Thistle and Ace’s midnight escapades had been explosive enough through the bond that they woke me.
I was prodding the bond, monitoring it, but I didn’t notice any alarm bells from her, so I waited, seated on the edge of the bed while Knox cuddled Bunny as he snored behind me.
Finally, after what felt like an age, in crept what seemed to be a very naked Omega, carefully pressing the door shut with as little sound as possible.
Good.
Now I’d be able to smother her with cuddles and get some sl?—
I froze, the haze of moonflower that had entered the room carrying with it the tang of iron.
Blood.
It was dim here, but not so much that I didn’t notice something very wrong as Thistle turned around to face the room.
I was on my feet in a moment, and she froze.
“Uh, oh… hi.” The tatters of her nightclothes fell to the floor as they slipped from her fingers.
“What the fuck?”
I didn’t care if I woke Knox.
Actually, he should wake up.
“What?” She folded her arms like that might undo the reality I’d already seen.
Across her slender body were a dozen wounds—bites. And a few were still oozing blood.
Holy fuck.
The world went red, sanity drowned amidst fury. That was it. I was going to kill Ace. With the bond, I couldn’t. That was fine. I could hold him down, Knox could pull the?—
“Rogue!” Thistle’s squeak sliced through my thoughts. She was in front of me, hands pressed to my chest. I’d been striding toward the door.
“Wait a second!” she begged. “Everything’s okay.”
“Okay?” I spluttered.
“I carved him up,” she whined. “Why can’t he bite me a couple of times?—”
“Couple of times? ” My voice cracked. “Kitten, you’re minced meat.”
A huge grin spread across her face and her fists balled in trembling excitement. “I know! ”
I opened my mouth, but she pouted, staggering a step toward the bed. “Don’t ruin it or I’ll go sleep with him?—”
“No!”
Absolutely fucking not.
I reached for her, just to check her over, but she squealed and dove into the bedcovers?—
“Ah—!” Fuck.
She popped up from the sheets after wiggling around for a moment. By the time she did I was pinching the bridge of my nose.
“Too late,” she giggled. “I already?—”
“I know. ”
Burrowed.
She’d already goddamned burrowed.
Fucking Omegas.
“Don’t you… hurt?” Knox asked. He was wide awake and giving her a once-over. I heard the faintest traces of concern in his tone, but not nearly enough.
“Yes!” She kicked beneath the sheets with excitement. Holy fuck, she looked so jubilant she might be high.
Was she high?
What had Ace done to her?
“Anyway.” She tucked a strand of loose raven hair behind her ear. “We should get some sleep. Major day tomorrow!” She almost sang the last words.
I stared, my thoughts a chaotic collision of making sense of what was in front of me, and puzzling out how I was going to murder a pack mate.
“Rogue!” She pouted. “He’s mine. I can do what I want with him.”
“Didn’t you say just the other day that we should let her lead?” Knox asked.
“You’re okay with this?” I demanded.
“ She’s okay with this.”
“What he said,” she said. “Now…” She trailed off to let out a big yawn. “I wanna catch some Zs .”
It hurt my soul to climb back into bed, even when she snuggled up next to me for cuddles—I think because Knox was still hugging Bunny absently.
“Can I, uh… have Bunny back?” she whispered after she’d snuggled into my arms properly. Her beautiful scent was tangled with the tang of iron and it was keeping me on high alert.
“Not unless you want him in a different colour,” Knox snorted.
He was right. From the bites I could see, blots of crimson blood were pooling in the sheets, and she seemed to have no interest at all in cleaning them up.
She let out a grumble, but to my utter shock, next thing I knew, she’d conked right out.
I was left awake with Knox in shocked silence.
We stared at each other for a long moment.
“I blame you,” Knox said at last with a shrug. “You’re the one who scent matched her.”
I nearly choked on my indignance. “You took me to that stupid auction in the first place.”
“What, you’d rather I left you to rot at?—?”
“Yes!” I hissed. “Because now I have an Omega—and she’s fucking?—”
“Happy?”
“Sticky —Knox!” I spat. “She’s. Fucking . Sticky!”